I agree, BUT just to a certain degree.

True it is quite a bit to explore and in this regard GW2 is better than many other mmorpg's *coughswtorcough* - there are quite a bit of things that is not so nice on explore.

There is certain degree of structuring in this game but mostly important this is game with a world made of 'zones' ripped from a world.

It is still great, and nice to explore, but it is not a best thing explorer could wish for - imho.

Originally posted by iller

Standard MMO Achievers are not going to be happy with this game. 

I disagree. Achievers will open the map and see "1% hearts completed". They will want complete all hearts, all skill points, complete all places, get all titles, complete all dailies.

IMHO, Achievers will try complete hearts while they look for DE.

BTW, I am Archiever Social, with a few Explorer and very few Killer, and loved GW2. 

Originally posted by fenistil

There is certain degree of structuring in this game but mostly important this is game with a world made of 'zones' ripped from a world.

I suppose that depends on how the zone edges are integrated. Didn't seem to bother me in the BWE, and you can't fly. I definitely do not like the spiral portals they borrowed from GW1, tho. I guess it's not significantly worse than WoW's "here's a green forest area. And here's a really snowy area right next to it" management of things.

Thanks for your post OP.  This actually gives me some heart.  I am almost 40 years old and have been playing way too many MMO's and I am about to give up on the whole industry as I am getting way too disheartened with the cookie cutters being mass produced.

I realise Guild Wars 2 isn't going to be the second coming of MMO's but there a lot of perceived changes that shows they are serious about mixing it up a bit. 

I am a massive explorer/crafter type player and although I love PvP and PvE equally. I do get bored if I don't have a side activity which I can fall into for a good few hours. 

Having no or highly linear exploration in a game is just BULLSH1T programming, its lazy and insulting to a player base which on the whole is mature and experienced with various gaming models.

I just finished up with SWTOR and within the first 2 days I realised there was no point in wandering off because, well, there was no point.  I felt like minced pork being pushed through a sausage skin with no where to hide or venture off to. 

I know they can't compete against games like Elder Scrolls but having some content that may need a player to venture off the track or even use some skills to dig up or discover something, is rewarding a player who wants to experience your world. 

It also means a gamer will spend more time in the game and with each rewarding discovery, will keep them playing on, meaning more money for subs or expansions. 

Some games like Vanguard, EVE, Fallen Earth etc. Do have rewards for venturing off and its a buzz when you can show off your new merchant access or item which you picked up by really searching the world. 

I am really looking forward to GW2 now

Originally posted by Irus

Originally posted by fenistil

There is certain degree of structuring in this game but mostly important this is game with a world made of 'zones' ripped from a world.

I suppose that depends on how the zone edges are integrated. Didn't seem to bother me in the BWE, and you can't fly. I definitely do not like the spiral portals they borrowed from GW1, tho. I guess it's not significantly worse than WoW's "here's a green forest area. And here's a really snowy area right next to it" management of things.

True - that's why for zoned game it is done very well (also played BWE).

Still it is missing this 'feel' of seamlessness. WoW and few other games (like UO) did.

There are whole continents and sea there.

Of course most mmorpg's with WoW being best example did not utilize this feature to even half of it's potential, but that's another thing :/

So from my point of view GW2 is good for exploring, but it is missing few things.

---

Originally posted by bookworm438
....To sum up this post:

If you don't have the explorer mindset, this game may not be for you. If such is the case, I wish you the best of luck in whichever game you choose to play.

---

I don't know why you put your emphasis on a slight nod to the combat level scaling but it isn't.

You get out of the starting tutorial and are forced to do the hearts nearby OR hope there is a dynamic event in the 200 meter range. Because lvl6 mobs 500 meter away will two shot you with default hits at lvl2. Unless there is a zergfest where you can "contribute" by spamming your first AOE for 10 damage.

The only thing you can do besides grinding this tiny area is "exploring". Which means to wander of for sightseeing in the more open zone rails.
Of course it helps to have the different race starting areas to mask the limited amount you can do, but people way to overhype what there is at this point.

Being lvl10 isn't to bad then, suddently the lvl 5 - 10 content on all race areas opens up. Being lvl20 starts to get interesting, lvl5 - 20 is all yours to "explore".

This is how GW2 works, this is when GW2 starts to be interesting. I personally will rush to max level and then enjoy the whole world as my playground, instead of getting tossed between "questhubs". (It's not practical to teleport between silvari and Human lvl15 zone's for "doing" stuff every half hour).

I'm an old mmo gamer, used to gaming worlds where social interaction made the content. This is the ugly part about GW2, this "make your own contet" just does not work out till later levels.
Blaming people they play it the "wrong" way isn't going to change that.

GW2 is really just a questhub (heart & DE) grind till you reach lvl30~ and get some meaningfull choices on what to do (especially when downscaling keeps lower areas viable).

It probably wouldn't have been that much of an ugly start if there wasn't this ridiculous level scaling of combat stats on top of your real stats.

Originally posted by skydiver12

[quote]Originally posted by bookworm438
....To sum up this post:

If you don't have the explorer mindset, this game may not be for you. If such is the case, I wish you the best of luck in whichever game you choose to play.[/b][/quote]

I don't know why you put your emphasis on a slight nod to the combat level scaling but it isn't.

You get out of the starting tutorial and are forced to do the hearts nearby OR hope there is a dynamic event in the 200 meter range. Because lvl6 mobs 500 meter away will two shot you with default hits at lvl2. Unless there is a zergfest where you can "contribute" by spamming your first AOE for 10 damage.

The only thing you can do besides grinding this tiny area is "exploring". Which means to wander of for sightseeing in the more open zone rails.
Of course it helps to have the different race starting areas to mask the limited amount you can do, but people way to overhype what there is at this point.

Being lvl10 isn't to bad then, suddently the lvl 5 - 10 content on all race areas opens up. Being lvl20 starts to get interesting, lvl5 - 20 is all yours to "explore".

This is how GW2 works, this is when GW2 starts to be interesting. I personally will rush to max level and then enjoy the whole world as my playground, instead of getting tossed between "questhubs". (It's not practical to teleport between silvari and Human lvl15 zone's for "doing" stuff every half hour).

I'm an old mmo gamer, used to gaming worlds where social interaction made the content. This is the ugly part about GW2, this "make your own contet" just does not work out till later levels.
Blaming people they play it the "wrong" way isn't going to change that.

GW2 is really just a questhub (heart & DE) grind till you reach lvl30~ and get some meaningfull choices on what to do (especially when downscaling keeps lower areas viable).

It probably wouldn't have been that much of an ugly start if there wasn't this ridiculous level scaling of combat stats on top of your real stats.

 

Level 1 to 6 is where you start to learn the game on the first time through, or start to learn a new profession on a replay. The level 2-6 areas of the level 2-15 zones can seem a little restrictive. So, you are basically correct that the game starts out pretty narrow, (although you can easily travel to any of the other four race's starting areas for more variety), but it opens up further and further as you reach higher levels. Because of level scaling and the massive amounts of content, by the time you reach level 15, things will be very expansive with lots of choices of what to do and where to go.

What I would recommend to people, even those who believe they may not have much interest in the Personal Story, is to do all your personal story events when you are high enough level to do them, at least to level 10. They give good XP and loot and really supplement your leveling during those early levels. Also, many of the Heart Task areas in those level 2-6 sub zones have Dynamic Events that occasionally go off in the same area. Keeping an eye out for DEs can also cut down on any feeling that you don't have as much content as you might like at the start of the game.

Of course, another easy solution is to just take a short cut to the Asuran Portals that connect to all the racial cities and hop back and forth between two racial areas for the level 2-6 journey. Having friends can open up content a bit above your level as well. During the Stress Test, I started a new Warrior and I did a fair amount of tagging along with others so I could survive content a couple levels above me.

(Another tip for anyone, especially explorers, is to head right into your city as soon as you finish the level 1 tutorial and explore. You get XP for finding points of interest and waypoints with in the city and you can gain a level fairly easily and likely two levels if you are thorough).

Originally posted by skydiver12

You get out of the starting tutorial and are forced to do the hearts nearby OR hope there is a dynamic event in the 200 meter range. Because lvl6 mobs 500 meter away will two shot you with default hits at lvl2. Unless there is a zergfest where you can "contribute" by spamming your first AOE for 10 damage.

The level 6-7 content is actually doable at level 2. You are a bit fragile of course (so a long or middle range focus is recommended unless you have others nearby), but the damage is not that horrible.