Why Guild Wars 2 Has the Potential to Re-Shape the MMORPG Market.

[Pejo]

Thanks Docter for your initial post illustrating examples of why you think GW2 has potential to reshape the MMORPG market -- it was probably the only thing saving this post from getting closed. This discussion, like stated earlier, isn't about GW2 vs other games but rather what GW2 offers in today's gaming market and how it could shape future gaming models.

I believe subscription games are going the way of the dodo - at least for newly releasing games. B2P and F2P offer a smaller gating due to not having such high cost thus opening themselves up to a larger market that wouldn't normally try a game due to reoccuring costs. There are definitely right and wrong ways financially to do these gaming models but for the most part, it is hard to fuck up. I think this will go beyond just MMORPGs as we have already seen with MOBA games, as we hear more and more about RTS and FPS games joining this model.

I am unsure about the removal of the holy trinity model but I do agree that it is a substancial change that could be a real difference maker in games - we will have to see how it will work out for GW2. I know there are definitely some people who will miss it; however, if the game ofers an interesting role system to combat this, it will make the change much less drastic on those players.

I definitely see reactive combat picking up quite a bit in MMORPGs as we hear praise across the board for games like TERA's combat system. I actually don't have much to add on this :/

I would like to add a few things to the list: the downleveling system (mentor system in Rift) and the removal of mob tapping. The ability to play with friends no matter what level they are will be a dealbreaker as future games start to come out. A couple of the complaints we constantly hear are the missing social aspect of games and the large amount of time it could take for one to catch up to their friends to play this cool content they are playing - with both of these changes, it promotes grouping aspects as well as removing part of the stigma with having to catch up to your friends.

Going to end it there sadly, wife wants to play Diablo. There are quite a few systems that I feel are important to the future of gaming that are evident in GW2 - can't wait to see them.

[dreighver]

You make a 700 word post based entirely on the point that GW2 will steal a lot of WoW's customers because it improves the user experience, yet you fail to provide a single example of how GW2 actually does improve the user experience.

Your post is as vague and useless as the Ryan economic plan. Clearly, specificity is a foreign concept to you.

I thought that the improvements to the game that tweak the current system and are designed to improve the user-experience are rather obvious to anyone who is familiar with the game.

I could put together a list of specifically what ArenaNet is doing, but that would be a waste of my time. Those familiar with the game and its structure will understand what changes I'm referring to.

[Larynx]

I thought that the improvements to the game that tweak the current system and are designed to improve the user-experience are rather obvious to anyone who is familiar with the game.

I could put together a list of specifically what ArenaNet is doing, but that would be a waste of my time. Those familiar with the game and its structure will understand what changes I'm referring to.

Indeed. I really doubt this was written to convince people, so there's no point is presenting what we already know.

[dreighver]

Indeed. I really doubt this was written to convince people, so there's no point is presenting what we already know.

Correct.

There is nothing I gain from having people agree with me. The goal of the OP was to stimulate discussion about GW2 and how it relates, and could affect to MMORPG market.

[rhinomatic]

I *like* GW2. I think it's a fun game. I do hope it revolutionizes the MMO market, but only in one way.

I want the B2P model to be seen as viable.

That's all I'm hoping for as far as impact on the genre is concerned. I don't care to necessarily see a bunch of GW2 clones in the coming years.

I want to see a bunch of decent fun games to come out and not charge a sub fee. I want the decent fun games that already exist to drop their sub fee.

People will play a fun game that they don't have to pay monthly far. Your cash shops will get more visitors if they aren't already shelling out $15/month.

I want to play Tera, it was fun, but I can't justify spending the money on it. I want to play TSW but I can't justify spending the money on it. Same with Rift.

That's where I want to see the revolution, and I'm optimistic that GW2 can pull it off.

[jvbastel]

It's already happening, IMO.

Rift has recently done some changes (PvP gear normalization, conquest, making the factions less important by allowing cross-faction gameplay) that are at least inspired by GW2. I can only applaud trion for this.

Wow's scenarios look a lot like gw2 gameplay (no trinity, etc.) and pet battles, although it's probably inspired by pokemon, has been in gw1 as well.

It's small things, but already some of the gw2 features (most of which have been in lesser-known MMO's) are being implemented in other MMO's.

[thigan]

1. Subscription (Or lack there of) Leading into Micro-transactions (More bang for your Buck)
2. Removal (For the most part) of the Holy Trinity (meaning Tank/Dps/Healer)
3. Reactive combat (Dodging, and having to use tool's at your disposal to avoid death rather than Plant you feet and outlast/outperform)

1. Is a good approach, but nothing that WoW can't adopt, eat the next "WoW killer". But if WoW does, then GW2 would have do its job for the players.
2. Thats such a bad argument, the problem with trinity is that you need Tanks and Healers to DPS (queues, waiting times and so, but nothing to do with gameplay). Game mechanics in teamwork are far more complex with trinity than without it. And its shocking I know but there a lot of people that don't like to DPS but love the RPG concept, by removing trinity you are not improving pve groups, you are changing them to something that will like a lot of people but will not to others, is a tradeoff.
3. I'm interested to see how people react to this, at one side you have a game that don't give any information about how bad you are with your class (lack of damage meter) so is good for people that don't like to stress about being better but on the other side you add this skill-level requisite to be kind-of-successful playing the game, I know many people that don't like to play raids because they are "hard" that wont like too much the idea of having a move-away mechanic in their questing.

I hope that GW2 keeps a good playerbase but after a while they add some kind of end content, don't know what, don't know how. But right now it say, you are not the kind of player that we are looking for: stay in WoW trying to maximize your healer with your 9 pvers friends while in vent; we don't have anything for you here.

[iggie]

Stop hyping an average game. Until it proves itself, it'll only be average, hyping it up just makes it look worse to newcomers.

[Fencers]

I thought that the improvements to the game that tweak the current system and are designed to improve the user-experience are rather obvious to anyone who is familiar with the game.

I could put together a list of specifically what ArenaNet is doing, but that would be a waste of my time. Those familiar with the game and its structure will understand what changes I'm referring to.

This topic will be seen by potentially thousands that may not be familiar with the "improved user experience" of Guild Wars 2. Many may not even view those differences as improvements.

When creating a thread one has to think of their Opening Post in higher sense than, "Oh well everyone knows this stuff is important/awesome!"

[Naturtok]

Call of Duty is a Doom Clone. See? I can do it, too!
OT. I think (like 50% of everyone here) GW2 will be a successful game, but I do not believe it will single handedly reshape the market. I'd say that GW2 mixed with Planetside 2 mixed with *insert other free to play MMO here* will change the way we play MMOs. League of Legends and D&Donline started it, GW2 and friends will extend it.

[Gisei]

The pieces do seem to be in Anet's favor. The MMO market, prior to this year, has been getting pretty stale. Combine that with GW2 being B2P, and there's a recipe for success. Has there been a High Quality MMO without a sub? That alone makes GW2 much more accessible(Krazy's term) than the other HQ MMOS.

I'm looking forward to the MMOs that will come after GW2.

[Fencers]

Also: http://www.mmo-champion.com/threads/...e-MMORPG-Genre

We have an active topic on the first page about the MMO market and GW2. Closing this before things get any more heated.

-- Fencers