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  1. #1

    How will GW2 survive over a long period of time?

    There are no subscription fees, which means once you buy the game it's yours, most likely meaning they won't add in patched content except to fix bugs unless you buy it because it would be pointless to give things to players who aren't paying for them. (For example in WoW you pay every month, so although patches are free, they keep you playing and paying), while I know some gamers will literally play whatever game, single player or multi-player over a long time that was never even intended for the game, but most gamers will play the game and once they beat it they move to something else. Although in other Pay to Play MMO's like WoW people will keep playing the game because the content keeps coming and it keeps giving them stuff to do.

    I get they can do expansions, but wouldn't it have been better for GW2 to make it pay to play and add patched content, because otherwise I do not see how GW2 will survive with a constant player base for over a year. It seems like a great game, but does not look profitable for them (not that I should care besides the fact that making profit is what keeps them making games).

  2. #2
    Are you being serious? No patched contest because it would be pointless to give players who aren't paying shit? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever read on here, you're obviously trying to provoke responses out of people...

  3. #3
    Deleted
    Thing is, they will add expansions and they will come faster than WoW expansions(although MoP is already coming quite close). The reason why they hate subscription fees is because they want YOU to decide what you pay for. A subscription fee runs in the background, and you can't decide anything about what patch comes or if you want to pay for it. It just happens. With expansion packs, you can decide wether you like it or not and thus, if you pay for it or not.

    They have already proven that a subscription fee need is bullocks, because server costs and internet costs are very cheap these days. They have also garantueed us that there will be a live team who'll add patches that add dynamic events, at least make sure there are little updates to the game.

    Trust me, they'll probably make a profit. Otherwise they would not have started. Will they make as much as a killing as WoW thus right now? Probably not. But even that doesn't mean they'll go broke.

  4. #4
    Yeah, except that they don't need people to keep playing the game. It's just like Single player games, a lot of people buy the game and then when a new expansion comes out a ton of people will buy it again.
    Playing since 2007.

  5. #5
    Guild wars 1 thats all I can say for now.

  6. #6
    Subscription fees = patches (at least major ones, I guess they can make fixes like Skyrim does it).

    No subscription fees = No major content patches

    Faster expansions = Profit

  7. #7
    Deleted
    They make profit by cosmetic stuff. So more character slots, cosmetic gear, fun items. These they sell for real life money, as I understood they did so even in GW1. So, their source of income comes from people who play the game and want to enhance their experience by having more then 5 (think it was 5 free slots with game, right?) slots etc. These comes from people who want to experience the content, for if you don't like it, you won't get more then 5 chars, will you? So therefor Arenanet needs to work harder to keep players interested, and how do they do that? By presenting them new stuff.

    Now, I do not know the time in which expansions in Guild Wars 1 succeded one another, but if I remember right, they do come out faster then WoW. So I belive, that, besides some patches (that will be given for free), you also get new expansions which you buy.

    So overall, since we're on a WoW site, let's make a WoW compare.
    It's like Classic WoW launches, you get one big patch after 6 or so months then after a year BC comes(you pay for the expansion. You however do not pay for subscription, but you do pay if you want more then 5 characters. If you don't, you don't. And if the patch is crap, at least you didn't pay monthly subscription just to see that. And if the expansion is crap, at least you only payed the game cost, no subscription fee again. So it's a win for the players, but also a win for the company.

    You might ask "why? in the end the company doesn't get so much profit as a subscription based MMO" and it's true. They won't. But... some people don't do these things for money, they do it for passion, because they want their ideas to reach a higher number of people. They do need to be payed yes, and that's why there is a cosmetic shop for players, but beyond that... to whom will profit go? Stock-holders? That doesn't benefit the creators and people who worked on the game (as they don't get the cheese) nor the players (as they pay more cheese).

    My opinion. If you don't agree it's your problem.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Xyanide View Post
    Are you being serious? No patched contest because it would be pointless to give players who aren't paying shit? That's one of the dumbest things I've ever read on here, you're obviously trying to provoke responses out of people...
    Did you play Guild Wars 1?

  9. #9
    As two other posters have pointed out, Guild Wars 1. That's how you can do an MMO an introduce new content without subscription fees.
    Quote Originally Posted by Vanyali View Post
    Well, I want the freedom to put poison in food and sell it to anyone I want and call it sugar. It's my freedom to do so, so you can't tell me no.

  10. #10
    Deleted
    I think they will survive enough on expansions.
    Can only imagine how long it will play through the game on release
    And WvWvW and pvp never gets old =)

  11. #11
    It should be noted that when ANet was founded they had maybe 20 people, the content patches between expansions were small because the team had to pretty much focus on new campaigns. By the time EOTN launched they had about 75 people working at ANet. Now ANet has 250+ people working just on GW2, so the live team is going to be larger than most development studios and then an equally as large expansion/campaign team. GW1 has sold over 6 million copies which has netted ANet/NCsoft more than enough money to fund GW2 alone, not to mention the money they've obtained through the in-game store.

  12. #12
    People have played TF2 for five years, and that had no sub. Saying a game needs a sub for additional content makes little/no sense.

    This video explains it best:

    Norn Mesmer: GW2
    Rattataki Sniper: SWTOR

  13. #13
    6 months after the initial release of Guild Wars (now Guild Wars: Prophecies), A-net implemented a pretty major content patch for free, Sorrow's Furnace. Each expansion has provided some form of free content updates, outside of simple bug fixes and balancing issues. Expansions were released in a fairly timely manner (they had 2 separate teams working on each pac).

    Between collecting rare elite/alt-profession abilities from mobs, PvPing, gathering gold/mats for your epic armor sets, holiday events, farming runes (stat enchants) and the best possible pieces of weapons, there was more than enough to keep you busy for the year between expansions.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Markluzz View Post
    There are no subscription fees, which means once you buy the game it's yours, most likely meaning they won't add in patched content except to fix bugs unless you buy it because it would be pointless to give things to players who aren't paying for them.
    Cash shop and expansions just as the first Guild Wars.

    Guild Wars 1 had regular patches and no sub as well. It is also one of the most successful/profitable franchises on the PC, ever.

    So, yea. Precedent is already set.

  15. #15
    I couldn't go on after I read "they won't add in patched content except to fix bugs".

  16. #16
    Bloodsail Admiral Cuchulainn's Avatar
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    Go read a book, guy. You're clearly making wild assumptions about GW2 based on very old and winded points rather than actually asking a question. It's almost like a GW2 hate thread cloaked in sheep's cloathing. Your sorely undereducated post was one of the few I've EVER read and made me respond with "wut?".
    I award you with the obligatory /facepalm for this year.

    I now pray to the gods of this forum board; the power of closing compels you!

    Please don't insult others on the forums if they have different views than you or you think they are ignorant, there is no need for it. If you don't want to contribute, reconsider posting. Infracted. -Edge
    Last edited by Edge-; 2011-12-18 at 01:53 AM.

  17. #17
    As been said above: Guild Wars 1, TF2

    This is a problem that's had a solution for many years now.

  18. #18
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    Inthink what is being seen here is a classic "wow has a subscription fee, therefor any game that kinda looks like wow must also, less it fails".

    You need to go and read up on idealologies about the different pay structures within the gaming industry. A monthly sub fee isn't the only way to make money.

    This game started, from the very beginning, as a micro transaction game. It never had a subscription, which is where most mmos will fall, starting off as a sub, then switching.

    It is a viable model. Look at Facebook games. Look at the original.

    Perhaps in the future, don't state things as facts. Try words like "I feel" or "can someone who understands explain to me why....".

  19. #19
    Deleted
    I think GW2 will survive the test of time just fine.

  20. #20
    That has to be almost the funniest troll ever!

    Perhaps he's been playing WoW too long to remember that playing a game should be enjoyable. I still play GW1 to this day because it is (a) enjoyable and (b) free to play. Stopped playing WoW some months ago now because it's just a gear race to be honest, and no real further storyline depth, and a grind fest. I know many players that only 'play' WoW 2-3 nights a week for 2-3 hours to raid with their guildies just to get more gear. If they enjoy that, good for them and that is fine. WoW is sadly one dimensional now and that's almost fair after 6 years of being the most successful mmo - note that this does not mean it is the best to play though.

    Further, don't forget, GW1 only has 1 expansion and that is GW:EotN. Nightfall and Factions and Prophecies are all stand-alone, playable worlds and that they all have a common underlying theme is even more brilliant. The other little storyline missions and quest strings that link GW1 to GW2 is a another feather in the cap of a free to play mmorpg that shouldn't have survived over a long period of time.

    To this day, the devs are still putting out small patches for GW1, but those mostly address events and slight pvp imbalances that may still occur.

    Also, many GW2-bashers are overlooking the number of ways that you will be able to play your character and how this will actually benefit the game and its longevity.

    I hope fervently that GW2 in no-way resembles WoW when it comes to skills and gameplay. I hope that the devs do not ask big WoW guilds to test the game out, so that we don't get another WoW-dungeon/raid experience (can see SWTOR suffering from this) and so far it all looks like GW2 will indeed be the fantastic creation that many are waiting for.
    Last edited by Southern; 2011-12-18 at 10:13 AM. Reason: Dbl-ctrl+V

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