A few here will know I am a GW2 fan. I am enjoying the game a lot and have already bought it and will be playing it from launch.

But... I have a worry about the community building, or lack of, in this game and the mid to long term impact that will have.

The game is amazing on so many levels, but there seems to be a lack of personal communication between the wider playerbase, and that worries me because, as I have said in the past often, players come for the game but stay for the people.

In PvE, the thing that most do while checking out what guilds are there, which ones are running together, which ones have idiots spamming their mouths in global, the pace is so action orientated and relentless that people simply don't seem to talk at all (on the 2 servers I have tried anyhow).

I honestly could not name one guild on my server after two weekends, and I am the kind of guy that pays attention to them and how they act.

One answer to help this would be a global chat. Map chat just isn't good enough. We need to get the WvWers, city chillers, and crafters talking to the PvEers.

I know some people get all hipster here and will go on about how they personally hate global chat, but, y'know... don't want to see a global chat? Then switch it off. The option should be there though for those that do, and to show newbies coming in that there are actually other live real people playing the game.

Warhammer should have taught a lot of devs out there the dangers of going live with no global chat channel. It creates a very lonely world for the non guilded newbie entering the game. It was a big problem for WAR at launch, until they relented and put one in (I believe?)

There are other, more extreme, system fixes I would suggest to help the problem, but I have a feeling that most  would spit their dummies out if I suggested them here so I won't. For now any how :)

Something needs to happen though I think... the silence is deafening.

Have you posted this in the official forums?

If not, please do. :)

There actually is a lot of required grouping in general PvE (try doing a [group event] solo). There's just not the requirement, to rely on the UI, in order to be a part of a group. Also the game no longer needs a general chat for people to spam on. With the inclusion of chat bubbles, all it requires is for you to be a bit social. Heck, this happened in the 1st couple mins of my fairly low pop server.

A conversation...

Shocking isn't it.

Quite sad that so many people who claim to be social gamers and are into the whole community aspect of a game, are so socially inept that they can't even start up a conversation with a random player.

I use Facebook for my social interactions.

Originally posted by Master10K

There actually is a lot of required grouping in general PvE (try doing a [group event] solo). There's just not the requirement, to rely on the UI, in order to be a part of a group. Also the game no longer needs a general chat for people to spam on. With the inclusion of chat bubbles, all it requires is for you to be a bit social. Heck, this happened in the 1st couple mins of my fairly low pop server.

A conversation...

Shocking isn't it.

Quite sad that so many people who claim to be social gamers and are into the whole community aspect of a game, are so socially inept that they can't even start up a conversation with a random player.

ye...

No, just no. I hope that never happens. The way it is right now is fine. The reason people aren't talking is cause they have limited time to enjoy the game, so they want to maximize their time during the weekend. Honestly though, I've seen more people talking this weekend than the last one. A global chat is only gonna encourage people to be "those" people you hate to hear talk. Hell, during my last play session I had to turn off map chat cause they was talking too much and it was spamming my chat log.

As for the community I don't really see your worry. If anything the way the game is made it will have a strong community that is supportive and welcoming. In this game you need to rely on others to progress. If you can't be social and talk and get others to help you, then you will not go far in this game.

Originally posted by Zetsuei

The way it is right now is fine. The reason people aren't talking is cause they have limited time to enjoy the game, so they want to maximize their time during the weekend.

I think this is a fallacy and you are simply wrong.

The way people are playing now is the way the system is set up for them to play. It will be this way at launch.

But I guess then you will be back then saying 'it's because people are trying to level!!'...

Why does having a global chat that YOU can switch off bother you?

My feeling is that you are allowing a personal preference, one that you would be given the choice to excercise, to effect your view of the wider issue. People did the same ahead of the launch for WAR, and the Devs listened to them, only then to discover that the testers with the broader perspective were actually right and that a global was a needed thing.

Originally posted by Master10K

 

A conversation...

A picture of two people actually speaking... well, that makes it all ok then and invalidates averything I wrote... Don't be silly.

I will edit the attempted troll if that's ok? I cba getting into name calling today.

As soon as they add a global chat channel, they will need to assign CS-reps to policing that same channel. The value of such a channel is limited since most regular players will switch it off immediately anyway.

I would not mind a global channel as long as it can be turned off but I doubt that Anet will spend many ressouces on a "your mother" playground.

I have seen more trolls this weekend that I've seen in any game since WoW.  (This is playing on a UK/EN EU server).

A big shock after SW:TOR, which strangely had a much friendlier and more helpful community than I was expecting.  While GW2 is of course the better game, it's still a disappointment.    

Sadly, in 2012, people dont socialize in groups.  Rift places you into groups automatically but NO ONE ever talks in them.  And there is very rarely any communication in dungeons either.  Placing people in groups for the events wont increase socialization one bit.

General chats typically dont build communities either, they are just a place for kids to hang out in and talk about bacon or anal [abilities] or why x game is so much better than y game.  Regional channels are better, and gw2 has those.

A game can put in all the tools in the world for community building but people won't use em.   2012 community is kept within guilds and I dont see it changing, its a people thing not a game design thing.

I had more friendly contacts with other players OUTSIDE OF MY GUILD in two beta week ends of GW2 than in years of WoW, LOTRO, SWTOR and other dungeon group based MMORPGs.

I don't talk about trolls/immatures/kiddies on chat channels, all games have those. I talk about "on the field" contact, you safe someone's ass, or he saves yours, people go out of their way to help because they know it can't harm, and the words "thank you" are common place (instead of "f*ck off u nub u stole my mob and my xp!!!".

Originally posted by The_Korrigan

I had more friendly contacts with other players OUTSIDE OF MY GUILD in two beta week ends of GW2 than in years of WoW, LOTRO, SWTOR and other dungeon group based MMORPGs.

Must be nice. I decided early on I was gonna stay antisocial just by the way the community was acting..

All I heard all weekend was troll comments the usual (this *insert game* is better then this blah blah. (*insert game* does this better and should be added)... Then the comes the usual racial slurs and eveything is gay this and faggot that.

It's beyond belief that no matter what mmo it is we always have to deal with this crap....

Hell its no wonder why people don't wanna interact I didnt want too after seeing that...

Global should probably just not be added at all because it's only gonna get worse then it already is... The game is nice but once again like almost every mmo released the community ISNT....

Originally posted by teakbois

Sadly, in 2012, people dont socialize in groups.  Rift places you into groups automatically but NO ONE ever talks in them.  And there is very rarely any communication in dungeons either.  Placing people in groups for the events wont increase socialization one bit.

 

General chats typically dont build communities either, they are just a place for kids to hang out in and talk about bacon or anal [abilities] or why x game is so much better than y game.  Regional channels are better, and gw2 has those.

 

A game can put in all the tools in the world for community building but people won't use em.   2012 community is kept within guilds and I dont see it changing, its a people thing not a game design thing.

This is one reason why Bioware did not want a LFG tool in SW:TOR, it encourages players to actually communicate with each other when forming groups but players have shouted long and hard to have one put in and its comming next patch. The main complaint about WoW's LFD tool is nobody communicates its just get in the Dungeon get it done and get out, KTHXBYE. Its a shame that players are anti-social and adding a feature that just puts players in a group automatically seems to be taking things to far for many, and it was obvious to me this would happen in GW2 because I saw it in Rift when they added in beta, though it was asked for in Rift by us beta testers, auitomatic grouping for rifts as Teakbois says. For me it ruined any semblence of organisation and communication when doing rifts. 

Personally I have no problem with getting groups together through a chat interface whether its "LFG to do BT" or "hi mate want to group up?" and I'm always in a guild anyway so its even easier but players seem to love the convenience or a LFG tool or automatic grouping, but to me ultimately its throwing the baby out with the bathwater in regards to communication and community. And thats the rub dev's cater to the majority and the majority seem to like these things and as I've read from Arenanet (paraphrased) "we want to get you in the action and keep you in the action" and that seems to be at odds with forming a community nobody has to say anything to anyone now. So I really understand Vesavius' concerns.  

Originally posted by Vesavius

A few here will know I am a GW2 fan. I am enjoying the game a lot and have already bought it and will be playing it from launch.

 

But... I have a worry about the community building, or lack of, in this game and the mid to long term impact that will have.

 

The game is amazing on so many levels, but there seems to be a lack of personal communication between the wider playerbase, and that worries me because, as I have said in the past often, players come for the game but stay for the people.

 

In PvE, the thing that most do while checking out what guilds are there, which ones are running together, which ones have idiots spamming their mouths in global, the pace is so action orientated and relentless that people simply don't seem to talk at all (on the 2 servers I have tried anyhow).

 

I honestly could not name one guild on my server after two weekends, and I am the kind of guy that pays attention to them and how they act.

 

 

 

One answer to help this would be a global chat. Map chat just isn't good enough. We need to get the WvWers, city chillers, and crafters talking to the PvEers.

 

I know some people get all hipster here and will go on about how they personally hate global chat, but, y'know... don't want to see a global chat? Then switch it off. The option should be there though for those that do, and to show newbies coming in that there are actually other live real people playing the game.

Warhammer should have taught a lot of devs out there the dangers of going live with no global chat channel. It creates a very lonely world for the non guilded newbie entering the game. It was a big problem for WAR at launch, until they relented and put one in (I believe?)

 

There are other, more extreme, system fixes I would suggest to help the problem, but I have a feeling that most  would spit their dummies out if I suggested them here so I won't. For now any how :)

 

Something needs to happen though I think... the silence is deafening.

 

 

 

 

They've added a map chat option. 

To be honest, it's up to the people to use the options developers put in the game. No developer can create a community in the game. They can only give people the tools necessary and hope people use them.

Unlike other developers, however, ArenaNet's not forcing you to talk to other people in the open world if you don't want too. They've given you all the tools necessary, without actually forcing you to talk. In reality, which would be a better community? A community that forms out of freewill and just a desire to talk to one another, or a community that forms because they have to talk? 

ArenaNet has given you: Grouping without actually requiring the UI to show you are in the group. You can still talk to the other person, even though you aren't in an actual group. Have you ever conidered just trying to talk to the person you are working alongside to complete a couple dynamic events, or get to that skill challenge?

You've also got guilds. Of course you aren't going to be able to name guilds after just 2 weekends. That can take weeks, even months to happen. 

I know on my server, people were talking a lot more this time than they were last time. On some maps, there were people using the map chat to alert people to a dynamic event going on at a certain area. 

A community isn't something that just forms after 2 separate weekends of play. A community takes many weeks and months to form. A community is the most dynamic thing about any game, with it constantly shifting and changing throughout the life of the game. 

I guess the point of my post is if you want to be social, than be social. Actually talk to other people. Why should ArenaNet force those who don't want to talk to talk? Also remember this, a community isn't just about what people say to each other, it's also about what people do. Are people running up and helping you if you are trying to kill a difficult mob? Are people running up and rezzing you when you are down? Are you doing the same? Do you view other people as an annoyance, or do you work with other people either quietly or talkatively to acheive a common goal? 

And remember, your results may vary from server to server. I know with my server, we were pretty social this time around. People actually talked to each other, and were actually strategizing in WvW (could be why we dominated WvW, at one point had every point captured).

.. nm

Originally posted by teakbois

Sadly, in 2012, people dont socialize in groups.  Rift places you into groups automatically but NO ONE ever talks in them.  And there is very rarely any communication in dungeons either.  Placing people in groups for the events wont increase socialization one bit.

 

General chats typically dont build communities either, they are just a place for kids to hang out in and talk about bacon or anal [abilities] or why x game is so much better than y game.  Regional channels are better, and gw2 has those.

 

A game can put in all the tools in the world for community building but people won't use em.   2012 community is kept within guilds and I dont see it changing, its a people thing not a game design thing.

You is not bullshitting

Originally posted by Zetsuei

No, just no. I hope that never happens. The way it is right now is fine. The reason people aren't talking is cause they have limited time to enjoy the game, so they want to maximize their time during the weekend. Honestly though, I've seen more people talking this weekend than the last one. A global chat is only gonna encourage people to be "those" people you hate to hear talk. Hell, during my last play session I had to turn off map chat cause they was talking too much and it was spamming my chat log.

As for the community I don't really see your worry. If anything the way the game is made it will have a strong community that is supportive and welcoming. In this game you need to rely on others to progress. If you can't be social and talk and get others to help you, then you will not go far in this game.

The same thing was said about TOR during it's beta and such. We know now, there was and still is very little need for any interactions among players. If this game has no systems in place for players outside of a guild to talk and need other players in the community, then i'm afraid community will be very lacking and i can see it feeling very SP just like TOR.

Originally posted by Vesavius

I honestly could not name one guild on my server after two weekends, and I am the kind of guy that pays attention to them and how they act.

you mention guilds as an example of your current concerns

personally, i never think about joining or creating a guild if a game is in beta testing - and i doubt im alone

Originally posted by Vesavius

Originally posted by Zetsuei

The way it is right now is fine. The reason people aren't talking is cause they have limited time to enjoy the game, so they want to maximize their time during the weekend.

 

I think this is a fallacy and you are simply wrong.

The way people are playing now is the way the system is set up for them to play. It will be this way at launch.

But I guess then you will be back then saying 'it's because people are trying to level!!'...

 

 

Why does having a global chat that YOU can switch off bother you?

 

My feeling is that you are allowing a personal preference, one that you would be given the choice to excercise, to effect your view of the wider issue. People did the same ahead of the launch for WAR, and the Devs listened to them, only then to discover that the testers with the broader perspective were actually right and that a global was a needed thing.

 

+1

Besides that...I think that MMOs should have a general chat. Despite the fact that there is inevitably a number of people (call them whatever you like...kids, trolls, or just idiots...) who tend to spam general chat with any kind of crap we all have been experiencing for years in all MMOs, it is still one of the tools that reminds you that you are not playing a single player game.

I have experienced really funny conversations in general chat in various MMOs which I think kind of belongs to MMOs. I agree that people are split into guilds and probably do most of their chatting with friends inside their guilds, but you should have a possibility to start / join a discussion with your server community inside the game as well. I cannot imagine playing MMO without a general chat. Of course there has to be a possibility to hide / leave general chat if you do not like it.

Subjective opinion -> to be treated as such.