pre-purchased the second the site came online. GW2 is already a huge success. might as well give ANet a Nobel, like we did to Obama. just the intent and the philosophy are worth getting rewarded.

that being said, GW2 is already panning out to be the best MMO ever created, in addition to GOTY. at least based on the feedback of everyone who played it. good enough for me.

it was a trap to buy a game like TOR, which looked worse than WoW since its first days of being previewed.

Well i take a gamble at least i can afford the money ive spent on CE but i think with beta and retail i wont regret buying the game future offocrse will show if i made mistake.

Im a sandbox fan now i gamble on a themepark thats in manyways a free to play game as sandbox with dynamic events. No realy traditional gameplay.

With last couple years in sort stalemate, i took the gamble, hoping to have fun with GW2.

At least i got nice statue:P

I would agree with you OP, but my jury duty was just cancelled all week so i get to go back to work to make some money!! so yeah, i'm going to treat myself to GW2 Pre-purchase when i get home ;)

Originally posted by Sephastus

I am utterly dumbfounded at what the hype has done to what would otherwise be a smart community. I will try to put things into a little perspective, and you can flame all you want afterwards, but please hear me out:

1) Pay to Beta test

In all honesty, how many times have most of us complained that once a game is released, it feels like you are paying to beta test it for them because of some irks or outright bugs we find in it... But in GW2 you are ACTUALLY paying in order to beta test it. It's not a PRIVILAGE, it's a service. And I don't know about you, but when I provide a service, I want to be paid, or otherwise compensated for it. But in this case, you are paying THEM in order to test their game out. Just pure ridiculousness...

2) Pay Full price BEFORE an NDA has been lifted

My word, who would do such a thing? Please... just think for a moment. Peer review is one of the best judges of an item, specially when there is no conflict of interest. News sites and some demo tests are NOT a good judgement of the final product. The websites that got access to the BETA want traffic, and are also going to attempt to showcase their own talents, either in writing or other aspects. This means they will very much romanticize what they experienced and even without realizing it will sugar coat the experience, which is clear conflict of interests. As for demos, these are the polished versions of a limited scope of the game. I can't tell you how many times I have enjoyed a demo much more than the actual full game. Lets review something: why would you hold something behind your back, and ask people to pay you in full before you give it to them? I will let you draw your own conclusion on that one (even if it does hurt some prides).

I was going to continue adding some more points, but instead of this becoming a warning, it would look like a rant. My sincere advice to my fellow players is to NOT purchase the game outright until the NDA is lifted and the beta crowds give you the real low-down on how things are. You will not loose out on anything since the beta chars get whiped, and you will enjoy your journey much better on launch day. Best case scenerio you will realize the game is not for you and would have saved some cash. Worst case scenario you loose out on some early gameplay, which would get deleted anyways.

This has been a public service announcement :-P

Whachoohmean???

my only answer to this text wall is... If you dont like what you see in beta you cancel and get a refund... dont see any trap here

Originally posted by Sephastus

Originally posted by komobo

Is the pre-purchase price different from the price of the game at launch?

If not, how does that equate to "paying for beta"? I don't see it - unless of course you've accounted for inflation and possible interest gains, had you waited to buy the game at launch but are we that pedantic?

I am going to sell you a car. its a great car, and it will run well for a long time. It just has no rear window. Don't worry though, you wont notice anything as the car is still being built and the window will be in by its intended sell date. But you can get in the car and drive it now, then bring it back, we put in the rear window and you are set.

Paying up front for a product that is in beta and under NDA sounds just as ridiculous. But don't worry, others have already made some good points. They claim that because there is enough data they are making an informed desicion. Personally, I want to see what server stability will look like with a real load, as well as the effects of lag spikes and such on action combat. In ideal conditions it seems great... but we are not in an ideal world.

That's all great and fine, we all like irrelevant analogies but of course you did not answer my original question.

okay. let's none of us buy it. let no one do anything but tentatively dip their big toe in before release. what will we get at release then? probably a much more mediocre game. i didn't buy gw2 today because i want cbt access, or on some flight of whinsy. i bought it because i want to support anet in any way that i can. i will give them my money before launch to help them out financialy. i will be in their cbts to help them out technically. and i am doing this as a sign to anet that i support them and that i believe in what they are trying to do. it's the exact same reason i dumped $20 with stoic and double fine on kickstarter. sure it's a gamble, but i am willing to back up anet on this one until the end because at the very least they have a vision, and they're trying to acheive it.

Originally posted by Sephastus

I am utterly dumbfounded at what the hype has done to what would otherwise be a smart community. I will try to put things into a little perspective, and you can flame all you want afterwards, but please hear me out:

1) Pay to Beta test

In all honesty, how many times have most of us complained that once a game is released, it feels like you are paying to beta test it for them because of some irks or outright bugs we find in it... But in GW2 you are ACTUALLY paying in order to beta test it. It's not a PRIVILAGE, it's a service. And I don't know about you, but when I provide a service, I want to be paid, or otherwise compensated for it. But in this case, you are paying THEM in order to test their game out. Just pure ridiculousness...

2) Pay Full price BEFORE an NDA has been lifted

My word, who would do such a thing? Please... just think for a moment. Peer review is one of the best judges of an item, specially when there is no conflict of interest. News sites and some demo tests are NOT a good judgement of the final product. The websites that got access to the BETA want traffic, and are also going to attempt to showcase their own talents, either in writing or other aspects. This means they will very much romanticize what they experienced and even without realizing it will sugar coat the experience, which is clear conflict of interests. As for demos, these are the polished versions of a limited scope of the game. I can't tell you how many times I have enjoyed a demo much more than the actual full game. Lets review something: why would you hold something behind your back, and ask people to pay you in full before you give it to them? I will let you draw your own conclusion on that one (even if it does hurt some prides).

I was going to continue adding some more points, but instead of this becoming a warning, it would look like a rant. My sincere advice to my fellow players is to NOT purchase the game outright until the NDA is lifted and the beta crowds give you the real low-down on how things are. You will not loose out on anything since the beta chars get whiped, and you will enjoy your journey much better on launch day. Best case scenerio you will realize the game is not for you and would have saved some cash. Worst case scenario you loose out on some early gameplay, which would get deleted anyways.

This has been a public service announcement :-P

1) Pay to beta test

     I'm not paying to beta test, there was no option asking me to pay extra to be part of any betas. I paid for a game I have already decided to buy. The information present was enough for me. 

2) Pay full price BEFORE the NDA has been lifted.

Again we have seen so much of this game there is very little the NDA can or will tell us. What have the held behind there back besides a few things which have yet to be set in stone? We've seen numerous gameplay videos, we've been inundated with information, for many of us this was enough to make a decision. Even the leaked beta information from our "Peers" has been good. 

The bottom line I guess is this, I and many others have seen enough to know we wanted to purchase this game. For you to call us unintelligent for doing so is a bit out there. 

But... thanks for the public service announcement don't take offense at me disregarding it as nothing more than a rant from someone that isn't happy so many like or enjoy something they do not. 

I see where the OP is coming from, and it's a fair point. but the demand is clearly there. It seems so many people want to play these games early that it creates an opportunity to charge for early access.

Some of us are just early adopters like that. Occasionally you get burned, but it's exciting to be one of the first people to get their hands on something new. I was glad to have the opportunity honestly.

Originally posted by Sephastus

I am utterly dumbfounded at what the hype has done to what would otherwise be a smart community. I will try to put things into a little perspective, and you can flame all you want afterwards, but please hear me out:

1) Pay to Beta test

In all honesty, how many times have most of us complained that once a game is released, it feels like you are paying to beta test it for them because of some irks or outright bugs we find in it... But in GW2 you are ACTUALLY paying in order to beta test it. It's not a PRIVILAGE, it's a service. And I don't know about you, but when I provide a service, I want to be paid, or otherwise compensated for it. But in this case, you are paying THEM in order to test their game out. Just pure ridiculousness...

2) Pay Full price BEFORE an NDA has been lifted

My word, who would do such a thing? Please... just think for a moment. Peer review is one of the best judges of an item, specially when there is no conflict of interest. News sites and some demo tests are NOT a good judgement of the final product. The websites that got access to the BETA want traffic, and are also going to attempt to showcase their own talents, either in writing or other aspects. This means they will very much romanticize what they experienced and even without realizing it will sugar coat the experience, which is clear conflict of interests. As for demos, these are the polished versions of a limited scope of the game. I can't tell you how many times I have enjoyed a demo much more than the actual full game. Lets review something: why would you hold something behind your back, and ask people to pay you in full before you give it to them? I will let you draw your own conclusion on that one (even if it does hurt some prides).

I was going to continue adding some more points, but instead of this becoming a warning, it would look like a rant. My sincere advice to my fellow players is to NOT purchase the game outright until the NDA is lifted and the beta crowds give you the real low-down on how things are. You will not loose out on anything since the beta chars get whiped, and you will enjoy your journey much better on launch day. Best case scenerio you will realize the game is not for you and would have saved some cash. Worst case scenario you loose out on some early gameplay, which would get deleted anyways.

This has been a public service announcement :-P

This can all be summed up and pointed out how dumb the post is in a few sentances.

You are not being forced to buy the game. They did not say "Buy it now or you can never buy it again." Its also not the ONLY way to get into beta. They already handed out a bunch of keys. So it boils down to this is a chance to support the game early. Period. End of story. Dont want to? Then wait for an NDA drop or take your chances on getting a beta key another way. No one is FORCING you to pre-purchase. This is for thoes of us that have already decided we would be getting the game and see no point in waiting.

This has been a public service announcement.

youre not paying for a beta test. youre paying to play the game before it's out. ANet couldnt care less about your input, theyre just using BWE's to market the game. testing is left to testers, not pre-purchasers.

---

Originally posted by Sephastus
I am going to sell you a car. its a great car, and it will run well for a long time. It just has no rear window.

---

Originally posted by Size-Twelve

I see where the OP is coming from, and it's a fair point.

 

 

No, its not a fair point. If it was the only way to get into the beta weekends or was the only time you could buy the game then yea, he would have a point. But since neither of thoes are the case the post was pointless. Sure not everyone would take the risk without the hype. But I would have to guess a majority of us realise its a risk. I've been burned plenty in the past. Anet hasnt given me a reason not to trust them yet though so untill they do I will perosnally risk it. If they pull a Funcom or Mythic though....

Edit: And lets not act like Beta Weekends are actually beta tests. This hasnt been the case for a long time now. Its basically the new Demo if you can manage to get a key which usually isnt hard a couple weeks before launch.

Originally posted by Sephastus

I am utterly dumbfounded at what the hype has done to what would otherwise be a smart community. I will try to put things into a little perspective, and you can flame all you want afterwards, but please hear me out:

1) Pay to Beta test

In all honesty, how many times have most of us complained that once a game is released, it feels like you are paying to beta test it for them because of some irks or outright bugs we find in it... But in GW2 you are ACTUALLY paying in order to beta test it. It's not a PRIVILAGE, it's a service. And I don't know about you, but when I provide a service, I want to be paid, or otherwise compensated for it. But in this case, you are paying THEM in order to test their game out. Just pure ridiculousness...

2) Pay Full price BEFORE an NDA has been lifted

My word, who would do such a thing? Please... just think for a moment. Peer review is one of the best judges of an item, specially when there is no conflict of interest. News sites and some demo tests are NOT a good judgement of the final product. The websites that got access to the BETA want traffic, and are also going to attempt to showcase their own talents, either in writing or other aspects. This means they will very much romanticize what they experienced and even without realizing it will sugar coat the experience, which is clear conflict of interests. As for demos, these are the polished versions of a limited scope of the game. I can't tell you how many times I have enjoyed a demo much more than the actual full game. Lets review something: why would you hold something behind your back, and ask people to pay you in full before you give it to them? I will let you draw your own conclusion on that one (even if it does hurt some prides).

I was going to continue adding some more points, but instead of this becoming a warning, it would look like a rant. My sincere advice to my fellow players is to NOT purchase the game outright until the NDA is lifted and the beta crowds give you the real low-down on how things are. You will not loose out on anything since the beta chars get whiped, and you will enjoy your journey much better on launch day. Best case scenerio you will realize the game is not for you and would have saved some cash. Worst case scenario you loose out on some early gameplay, which would get deleted anyways.

This has been a public service announcement :-P

My word, just think for a minute how your telling people how to live thier lives, you havent helped anybody.

Look at all the energy you spent writing that wall of text, just to tell people they are dumb.

Really?!

The following is all I need to know:

1. I've seen enough that I know I will be buying the game. (They are going to get my flat fee $60.) 
2. Guaranteed beta access comes with the pre-purchase.  
3. The game will be released eventually.
4. There is no "subcription" for neither this beta nor the game itself.  (It's not like I will be paying extra for this "service.")
5. I have the money now.
6. I can always get a full refund should something, anything happen.

= I don't have a problem with buying it now, whether or not they have a release date. 

Was going to buy the game anyway. Figure I might as well get in on the pre-purchase extras.

Wait for the NDA to be lifted, and the cash-shop to be finalized.

Originally posted by Sephastus

I am utterly dumbfounded at what the hype has done to what would otherwise be a smart community. I will try to put things into a little perspective, and you can flame all you want afterwards, but please hear me out:

1) Pay to Beta test

In all honesty, how many times have most of us complained that once a game is released, it feels like you are paying to beta test it for them because of some irks or outright bugs we find in it... But in GW2 you are ACTUALLY paying in order to beta test it. It's not a PRIVILAGE, it's a service. And I don't know about you, but when I provide a service, I want to be paid, or otherwise compensated for it. But in this case, you are paying THEM in order to test their game out. Just pure ridiculousness...

2) Pay Full price BEFORE an NDA has been lifted

My word, who would do such a thing? Please... just think for a moment. Peer review is one of the best judges of an item, specially when there is no conflict of interest. News sites and some demo tests are NOT a good judgement of the final product. The websites that got access to the BETA want traffic, and are also going to attempt to showcase their own talents, either in writing or other aspects. This means they will very much romanticize what they experienced and even without realizing it will sugar coat the experience, which is clear conflict of interests. As for demos, these are the polished versions of a limited scope of the game. I can't tell you how many times I have enjoyed a demo much more than the actual full game. Lets review something: why would you hold something behind your back, and ask people to pay you in full before you give it to them? I will let you draw your own conclusion on that one (even if it does hurt some prides).

I was going to continue adding some more points, but instead of this becoming a warning, it would look like a rant. My sincere advice to my fellow players is to NOT purchase the game outright until the NDA is lifted and the beta crowds give you the real low-down on how things are. You will not loose out on anything since the beta chars get whiped, and you will enjoy your journey much better on launch day. Best case scenerio you will realize the game is not for you and would have saved some cash. Worst case scenario you loose out on some early gameplay, which would get deleted anyways.

This has been a public service announcement :-P

i guess u must be a lonely dude always playing by yourself, reason some of us pre-purchase is because our guild is moving towards gw2 i.e. getting excited over all the hype and shit and yes some of them are in beta too, which helps us evaluate if it's suitable for the guild.

if u feel strongly then dont buy into the hype, time will tell if our gamble (those take pre-purchase) pays off or bites us in the arse.

Originally posted by Ceridith

Wait for the NDA to be lifted, and the cash-shop to be finalized.

No..... lol?  You're welcome to but I'm all set, thanks :) 

This is not new, and it will not stop being used by developers. It´s win/win for everyone. ArenaNet will get more money to pay back investors and invest in further development of the game, and the paying customer gets too play the game before it´s out. It´s actually really good for the players because they can see if they like the game beforehand, if they dislike it they can cancel their pre-order and get a refund. 

Nobody loses his or her money over this system. You can always refund if you dislike, and because you payed in advance you will also be able to play in advance.

And on the second note, ArenaNet has done this before with the first Guild Wars game. I am still screamish about the first time I got into that beta weekend. Ah the fun me and my friends had, no sleep, only junk food, and 102929 new characters because we wanted to see all the combinations.

And OP, it´s not mandatory for you to pre-order.

In principle I agree with the OP.  One shouldn't ever believe anything a developer has to say.

However, in GW2's case...  Here's a quote from Ravious at KTR.  http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/02/20/gw2-closed-beta-bookends-and-quick-impressions/

What I can say with finality is, if $60 is the price tag of Guild Wars 2 it is going to blow away the competition in terms of value. It is incredibly polished, even in beta. There are tons of content. In my 6-8 hours of Queensdale, I went way too fast. I can easily see spending double the time while enjoying the sights, making sure to trade, gather, and craft, and soak in the magnificent, artistic beauty imbued everywhere in the game world.

Even if it's only 8 hours per zone, they've demoed 5 zones.  Even if the entire rest of GW2 was nothing but vaporware, just that would be 40 hours of content.  But we know that on top of it there's going to be 25-26 zones, 6 cities, dungeons, personal stories, minigames, WvW PVP and structured PVP.

And I'm one of those people who quite enjoys GW1.  Just like people would buy Bioware games sight unseen until maybe DA2 or ME3 gave them pause, I'm willing to give ArenaNet the benefit of the doubt until they drop the ball.  I was going to buy it anyway no question, so to me putting up money early to guarantee beta access is no risk at all.

But if other people aren't sure yet, that's totally fine.  You should wait for player reviews.  It's your money.  If you've been burned by other MMOs, you're foolish not to wait.