We just published a new, right-off-the-presses article on the longevity of Guild Wars 2.  I know that this is a hot-button issue that has been deeply debated by the community.  In this article, I discuss the traditional arguments and begin to propose a different, but controversial solution. 

The full article can be found here:  http://divinitysreach.blogspot.com/2012/07/longevity.html#more

I hope you enjoy, and thank you for taking the time to read the article!

You've got a bit of a problem with highlighting in part of your article, some of the text is highlighted in white. :)

Originally posted by Poison_Adele

You've got a bit of a problem with highlighting in part of your article, some of the text is highlighted in white. :)

Oops, thank you!  Blogger has been having some issues for the last month, just fixed it.  That's what I get for making edit's after publishing :)

I feel your pain. I run into that problem a lot on this website. >_> Anyway...

Finished reading, and I myself have to disagree. I love the game because of how clearly inspired it all is, how much love and craftsmanship was put into the game. Not a lot of games can boast the same. 

Ultimately, I'm far more excited for what ArenaNet can offer than the community. And that's saying a lot, as I'm usually far more interested in mod/community content.

It's extremely risky, doesn't play to any of ArenaNet's strengths or really what most of its community wants. Instead, I look forward to them keeping their promise of having developers change content in-person on the fly. This gets me far more excited about longevity.

Originally posted by Poison_Adele

 

I feel your pain. I run into that problem a lot on this website. >_> Anyway...

Finished reading, and I myself have to disagree. I love the game because of how clearly inspired it all is, how much love and craftsmanship was put into the game. Not a lot of games can boast the same. 

Ultimately, I'm far more excited for what ArenaNet can offer than the community. And that's saying a lot, as I'm usually far more interested in mod/community content.

It's extremely risky, doesn't play to any of ArenaNet's strengths or really what most of its community wants. Instead, I look forward to them keeping their promise of having developers change content in-person on the fly. This gets me far more excited about longevity.

All fair points, and that article is a great look into the future of the game.  To be fair, I have liked the system they talk about during that interview, but I can't help feeling if there's a way to bridge Sandbox and Themepark's into a collective entity that both types of players can enjoy instead of doing 'more of the same' (even if that same, is extremely fun to play).  The world of Tyria is in good hands either way.

Interesting idea, though it seems far fetched.

Overall, I want to be playing this game for years ... but that simply isn't going to happen. Everything gets old after a while. If GW2 can hold my attention for a few months, that is more than I get out of 90% of the MMO's I have played. And for the $60 price point ... if it holds my attention for a month, it is worth it.

I can't really comment much on this at this point ... as I haven't seen ANY of the content personally past the 30's. There is so much we don't know, all I can really say is ... I still play GW1 to this day. It is definitely dated, but there is still stuff to do, explore and accomplish.

The best thing is, I can return to the game when I want, and not worry about "rushing through content" due to subscription fees. This is a HUGE things this game has going for it, that many do not. The accessibility is second to none.

I would most definitely like to see more sandbox elements, or player driven something. I have no idea if that will ever happen. Even things like housing, or the ability to craft and build up certain towns to withstand attacks from dynamic event enemies. There are so many things they could do, and honestly, we don't even know what they have done in the higher level areas.

There is going to be a lot to do and explore, the fact I can actually play through ALL the content on one character and always be challenged leaves a lot for me to do. Most MMO's, 95% of the content and world is wasted when you hit max level ... ArenaNet is definitely doing something smart/right with the design of Guild Wars 2.

ArenaNet does an excellent job of creating content and updating the game. One of the best things about them really.

I'd say that we're going to be just fine with content for a while. I mean, yeah you've got some people who are going to blaze through it but they can go play another race and choose different story lines. If they're not into that then there is always the PVP, that'll never get old.

With player created content, regardless of how good the tools are, you end up with shitty Halo maps where you're infintely running through a teleporter, or minecrap...err, craft... I know you said "choose winner, Anet tweaks and polishes" but really, trying to "tweak and polish" someone else's shit is like jumping into a shitty 1000 page application of code and trying to salvage it.

I applaud your idea and thinking outside the box though.

Originally posted by Poison_Adele

Instead, I look forward to them keeping their promise of having developers change content in-person on the fly. This gets me far more excited about longevity.

This is a really good point as well, and something I forgot about :P

Even some of the "end of BWE" events have been awesome. Remembering back to the days where this stuff actually happened in game, goes all the way back to the EQ days. There were so many GM run events (that were a total surprise) in that game that I was a part of. I can't imagine how many must have been going on that I missed. But it was something to change things up and spice up the game.

If they do stuff like this, it will do nothing but pull people into the game and the world more. It makes it all that much more special and dynamic to the Nth degree. I can't wait to see these special events if I come across them in game.

These events, while they could be so simple, were some of the most memorable and fun times I have ever had in MMO gaming. Pure adrenaline and good times to be talked about for years.