What is the difference between a season and a saga ?

[Eloc Freidon.5692]

One describes the episodic content of Living World. The other is the name of a Living World season.

[Lucentfir.7430]

> @"Hybarf Tics.2048" said:

> > @"Lucentfir.7430" said:

> > Assuming it isn't just only a name rebrand, I really want to expect content dropping more frequently rather than every 3 months and better paced story. With the ability for Anet to just drop in expansion like features and features in general when they hit completion.

> >

> > edit: I'm saying this because at the announcement they said they have 4 living story teams now, when back then it was 2 Living Story teams and a expansion team.

>

> Even if it went your way, do you remember them saying that sometimes there won't even be a new map section, that's why this whole campaign was aimed at new noobs.

> With the new direction they're going in as in no more expansions and sometimes not even a backyard size map, they knew darn well they were going to loose players.

> With all this going on I think Nc Soft is pushing Anet into finishing the story ASAP so they can flush GW2 and give Anet a different project.

> For those who don't believe me get ready to be milked. As for me the store will remain closed until I hear the word expansion and it will open only when I have a new expansion in hand. I will also play sagas only on new map not old ones. B)

 

If they're releasing more content at a regular interval then that's fine, They said they wanted to release something exciting every month. So it may not be a new section of the map for that month it can very well be something for Fractals, raids, WvW, PvP or PvE, you know content with some replayability, I also want to believe E-Specs but that starting to look like a dimming light to me.

 

This isn't really a totally new direction. they already said sometime ago around the Sandswept Isles release that we're going from S4 straight to S5, and recent interview expansions 'aren't off the table' just not in the near future. Looking back between the maps in S2 and S4, the map sizes are a lot bigger now a days when they release them back then. Optimistically hopping S5 maps are like PoF sized maps, so even a small section of it doesn't feel small.

 

I doubt that's the case, Ncsoft already cut all the other unannounced projects Anet was working on and had Anet refocus on Gw2. If anything I think we'd be in the same spot as Wildstar and CoH if Ncsoft didn't find Gw2 to be worthwhile enough to keep on its roster.

 

Granted though I have no idea how this is all going to play out. With how awful the release schedule has been for anything re-playable(Fractals/Raids/PvP/WvW). I can only hope S5 changes things and turns out to be good for the game. Until that's proven/expectations are met Blizzard is taking the money that would otherwise be gems for Gw2.

[Astralporing.1957]

> @"Ashantara.8731" said:

> > @"Pirindolo.9427" said:

> > Season... saga... pie... you can put any name. The thing behind it will still be the same: Episodes every 3 to 5 months.

>

> I don't think it will be like previous seasons. But we will know more about it shortly. :)

It's not like the previous seasons were all the same either. Seasons 3 and 4 were not like 2, and all those three were not like season 1. Yet all of them are still seasons.

 

So, Season changing into Saga is just repackaging and rebranding.Don't try to read all too much into it.

 

It's probably also the marketing's way of redirecting our attention away from the fact that they're not planning any expansion, and decided to go all LS from now on.

[Ashantara.8731]

> @"Astralporing.1957" said:

> Don't try to read all too much into it.

 

How am I "reading too much into it" when I wrote that we will see for ourselves soon? That's another way of saying, "Let's wait and see." ;)

 

Anyway, the more videos of the "Charr festival" they release, the less excited I grow. I don't want 80% of the release to be about heavy metal music and car crash derbies.

[Hybarf Tics.2048]

What worries me is the fact that no expansion are in the works, considering the last one to be 2 years ago, starting one now will give us another 3 years wait bringing us to a 5 years wait past POF. They will need money soon and my wallet is closed until Xpack 3 comes out. I want results leading to an Xpack anything else is simply filling and empty promises. :/

[coso.9173]

well soon find out!

[Crab Fear.1624]

hopefully enough, or we can poke fun at it later

[Linken.6345]

> @"Lucentfir.7430" said:

> Assuming it isn't just only a name rebrand, I really want to expect content dropping more frequently rather than every 3 months and better paced story. With the ability for Anet to just drop in expansion like features and features in general when they hit completion.

>

> edit: I'm saying this because at the announcement they said they have 4 living story teams now, when back then it was 2 Living Story teams and a expansion team.

 

It was 3 living story teams before, so all this means is that the current story team got some people from expansion team to be able to be a 4th living story team.

[MashMash.1645]

Probably nothing.

 

But like most things with the game, Seasons are yet another idea dreamed up and abandoned.

 

No doubt Saga's will be dumped eventually, and it'll be Escapades or Stories or Legends or whatever silly marketing bumpf is the flavour of the week.

[otto.5684]

Short version, no difference. Called it season, saga, snoopy (or any word starting with an S). It will be an hour of story plus a map every 3 month.

[crepuscular.9047]

> @"otto.5684" said:

> Short version, no difference. Called it season, saga, snoopy (or any word starting with an S). It will be an hour of story plus a map every 3 month.

 

well yeah... but on the face value, i think saga is a better choice than season.

 

a season is like a continuation of story, so there is a need for a link with previous season and the upcoming season.

 

whereas a saga, there is really no need for the writers to create this flow between sagas, they can focus on a specific conflict and move on.

I think this is actually a good approach, have an expansion, throwing a couple of strong narrated sagas without the need to connect them, then move onto the next expansion.

 

Also, by having saga can also set 2 conflicts that occurs at the same time period rather than having 1 conflict happening after another in sequence.

[Knighthonor.4061]

> @"WhatLiesBeneath.9018" said:

> I think its the other way around.

>

> The Saga will contain more content, be released faster and include new types of content and surprises.

> They have more people working on this then season 3 or 4, also the live teams are larger then expansion team (140 for live, 70 for expansion. Durinc s3 and pof development)

> Not including a new map every episode and rather expanding maps and adding new types of content and rewards just means more replayability, so more content not less.

 

I believe Sagas will be something that continues in story beyond the Living World episode itself. Like how Expansions tend to come with their own Living World afterwards.

 

Saga of LW5 likely will carry same story into 3rd Expansion instead of LW6 being the 3rd Expansion's story exclusively.

[Astralporing.1957]

> @"Linken.6345" said:

> > @"Lucentfir.7430" said:

> > Assuming it isn't just only a name rebrand, I really want to expect content dropping more frequently rather than every 3 months and better paced story. With the ability for Anet to just drop in expansion like features and features in general when they hit completion.

> >

> > edit: I'm saying this because at the announcement they said they have 4 living story teams now, when back then it was 2 Living Story teams and a expansion team.

>

> It was 3 living story teams before, so all this means is that the current story team got some people from expansion team to be able to be a 4th living story team.

There are still only 3 living story teams. Currently the prologue, episode one and episode two teams. The fourth team works on something else they didn't want to speak of. Who knows, may be alliances [/sarcasm]

 

> @"Knighthonor.4061" said:

> Saga of LW5 likely will carry same story into 3rd Expansion instead of LW6 being the 3rd Expansion's story exclusively.

They practically flat out said that even though they know players want an expansion, they _aren't_ currently working on (or even planning) one.

 

 

[TheGrimm.5624]

> @"Vieux P.1238" said:

> What is the difference between a season and a saga ?

> None! Just changed the name for one to the other. Means the same thing. It's just fat butter to make it look like some big new news. But it's really not.

 

That or it means we will have a story element that crossed multiple LW seasons and won't have closure at the end of season 5. Saga meaning simply over a longer time instance. But agree part of it is PR as well.