Before I start I want to post a couple caveats:

• I think GW2 is the most original MMO since WoW
• I think GW2 has alot of potential
• I still love aspects of the game
• I will make references to the future of GW2 being bright
• I will compare my feelings of GW2 based on games that are not out yet

• First I never really liked the concept of the rigid weapon and class system GW2 uses.
• I am an explorer at heart, and now that I have nothing to work for (that interests me) I am bored

Without any social structure or concrete tools for social interaction and Roleplay, what you found is what others have also found.

GW2 is a very lonely game experience.  Even with friends to play with, they eventually disappear, and guilds don't have any real substance.  There is no bonds to tie you to your character or to other players.  As an MMORPG, GW2 fails, and fails hard.  Regardless of what perversions of MMORPG's that fans might have you believe.

Essentially when you are finished with the solo-player experience, there is little to fall back on.  GW2's version of RvR doesn't hold any real incentive to keep playing either.

I kind of surprised that you saw the removal of the trinity as a good thing.  To me, that just made every class rather bland.  During my AD&D nights, every person at the table was important, which was uplifting to every participant.  In GW2, nobody is important - everyone is just needed to fill a gap, regardless of who they are.  .. We need "you" to help, not because of any quality you have, but because you are a living breathing person like everyone else .. bleech!

Throw in that this game is actually dying and I'm right with you now. Got my Legendary and now I have no reason to log on anymore. Everyday I log on hoping my WvWvW focused guild will be on PvP'ing and nobody is there. I shout in Team chat in every borderland and nobody answers about running groups.

I circled the entire map in one borderland and I did not see any other MMO'er out there enemy or friend.

I hate to say it, but as  fanboi since day one this game is fucking dying and it really is starting to bore the hell out of me.

Originally posted by Karteli

Without any social structure or concrete tools for social interaction and Roleplay, what you found is what others have also found.

 

GW2 is a very lonely game experience.  Even with friends to play with, they eventually disappear, and guilds don't have any real substance.  There is no bonds to tie you to your character or to other players.  As an MMORPG, GW2 fails, and fails hard.  Regardless of what perversions of MMORPG's fan might have you believe.

 

Essentially when you are finished with the solo-player experience, there is little to fall back on.  GW2's version of RvR doesn't hold any real incentive to keep playing either.

 

I kind of surprised that you saw the removal of the trinity as a good thing.  To me, that just made every class rather bland.  During my AD&D nights, every person at the table was important, which was uplifting to every participant.  In GW2, nobody is important - everyone is just needed to fill a gap, regardless of who they are.  .. We need "you" to help, not because of any quality you have, but because you are a living breathing person like everyone else .. bleech!

As much as I like GW2 as a video game (and I do like it), as an MMORPG I think it is absolutely awful.  I don't think ANET are stupid or misinformed people; quite the contrary.  They just have no idea what an MMORPG is.   The game looks, smells, and sounds like one....but it's nothing more than a caricature of one.

Play the game as you would a single player console game and you'll enjoy it.  That's what I do and I still continue to have fun with it.   But you definitely have to play many alts to keep any  replayability with this one...one character just gets too dull too quick.

Originally posted by Karteli

Without any social structure or concrete tools for social interaction and Roleplay, what you found is what others have also found.

 

GW2 is a very lonely game experience.  Even with friends to play with, they eventually disappear, and guilds don't have any real substance.  There is no bonds to tie you to your character or to other players.  As an MMORPG, GW2 fails, and fails hard.  Regardless of what perversions of MMORPG's fan might have you believe.

 

Essentially when you are finished with the solo-player experience, there is little to fall back on.  GW2's version of RvR doesn't hold any real incentive to keep playing either.

 

I kind of surprised that you saw the removal of the trinity as a good thing.  To me, that just made every class rather bland.  During my AD&D nights, every person at the table was important, which was uplifting to every participant.  In GW2, nobody is important - everyone is just needed to fill a gap, regardless of who they are.  .. We need "you" to help, not because of any quality you have, but because you are a living breathing person like everyone else .. bleech!

Thats the thing, no one in my guild has quit yet.  I am the first and those dudes go at it every night in WvW and are fun to play with but even that isnt enough to keep me playing.  I have totally fallen from PvP and am solidly a 1 proposition MMO player, Explorable PvE is all that I find fun any more.

I still think the removal of the trinity system is the best, as it eliminates any shortages of specific roles (Healers and Tanks).  IMO the only way to make the trinity work is to make Tanks and Healers either so fun to play "for me" (i.e. giving tanks the same damage cause I play DPS for big damage) or to make healers and tanks so mind numblingly boring to play that it puts 95% of the onus of a groups success on the DPS. (i.e. making the most fun to play role also the hardest to master)  And enrage timers is defenitly not the answer.

I played AD&D pen and paer for years and we never played based on roles, it was always a group of friends (usually all what you would consider DPS roles) and we made it work.  I jsut love how removal of the trinity puts all the responsibility on the player and not the group and considering 99% of a gamers life is spent leveling up solo they should know the best way to care for themselves.

You hit the major reasons why a lot of people quit including myself. 

It looks like this for me DF:UW>Neverwinter>Teso while playing PS2 to pass the time and droping in to TSW here and there while it grows. 

ot- Geez dude why were so ...rude to us that have said we feel the same about the same things?

Originally posted by bcbully

You hit the major reasons why a lot of people quit including myself. 

 

It looks like this for me DF:UW>Neverwinter>Teso while playing PS2 to pass the time and droping in to TSW here and there while it grows. 

 

ot- Geez dude why were so ...rude to us that have said we feel the same about the same things?

 

 

It happens here all the time.  I got reported, flamed, insulted etc. for being open about my feelings for the game.  People get all caught up in the hype like a heroin addict shooting up for the first time in a while. 

P.S. I don't even know how many people will see this post as so many told me they "blocked" me from their views.  Lol.

Originally posted by bcbully

You hit the major reasons why a lot of people quit including myself. 

 

It looks like this for me DF:UW>Neverwinter>Teso while playing PS2 to pass the time and droping in to TSW here and there while it grows. 

 

ot- Geez dude why were so ...rude to us that have said we feel the same about the same things?

 

 

I could never play DF:UW, that sort of game has never interested me in the least.  My all time favorite MMO, Asherons Call had a hardcore PK server called Darktide and I played it for a total of about 3 minutes lol.

As for NW and TESO I am greatly looking forward to them but have serious apprehensions about them as well.  Such as no announced classes I like for NW and endgame of TESO.  (a Foundry system for TESO would be amazing BTW)

Originally posted by remyburke
For me, it took the removal of the trinity to make me realize how much it's needed in a themepark MMO. Dungeons in GW2 are a fucking mess.

I only did AC story mode once and I am still recovering from the PTSD of it....are they all that bad?  I have been toying with trying one again.

Originally posted by grimal

Originally posted by remyburke
For me, it took the removal of the trinity to make me realize how much it's needed in a themepark MMO. Dungeons in GW2 are a fucking mess.

I only did AC story mode once and I am still recovering from the PTSD of it....are they all that bad?  I have been toying with trying one again.

Nope msot of them are very easy, you jsut got to pick the right path to do.  Still alot of the encounters are nothing but a rez, release and return zerg strategy but not to the extent that AC was.  CoF is the easiest and can be ran with no deaths on a certain path.

I have often considered the idea that I have changed and the grind in the MMO no longer appeals to me. Or should I say, the reward is not worth the effort. Modern MMOs have simply started reducing the grind to get the same reward. This has really reduced the value of the reward to nearly nothing. As I have said before. I still remember the names of the epics I had at 70 in WoW. Not the case at 80 or 85. WoW still had something about it back at level 70. It was lost after that. Other games were great as well. I loved my AO. What made AO magical for me was gone when the went live with their Cash Shop. I also believe that GW2's own potential has been diminished by the Cash Shop. No matter how good it is, it would have been better without it. All these new "features" serve to undermine the value of what we play these games for. I've always beieved you value something more when it's earned. I never thought a successful MMO was one that gave people what they wanted. But rather pushed the player to what what level of effort he was willing to put in regardless of whether he liked it or not.

Anyway, my point is simply this. Have we changed, or has the genre? Probably both but with a strong bias to the 2nd.

Originally posted by Zylaxx

Originally posted by grimal

Originally posted by remyburke
For me, it took the removal of the trinity to make me realize how much it's needed in a themepark MMO. Dungeons in GW2 are a fucking mess.

I only did AC story mode once and I am still recovering from the PTSD of it....are they all that bad?  I have been toying with trying one again.

Nope msot of them are very easy, you jsut got to pick the right path to do.  Still alot of the encounters are nothing but a rez, release and return zerg strategy but not to the extent that AC was.  CoF is the easiest and can be ran with no deaths on a certain path.

Why such a lazy design?  Absolutely the worst thing you could do to the dungeon experience.

Originally posted by Zylaxx

I played AD&D pen and paer for years and we never played based on roles, it was always a group of friends (usually all what you would consider DPS roles) and we made it work.  I jsut love how removal of the trinity puts all the responsibility on the player and not the group and considering 99% of a gamers life is spent leveling up solo they should know the best way to care for themselves.

I guess if the Dungeon Master could tailor the environment to work with that playstyle, then it would be fun.  Although having any and every class heal is a tad silly, since healing should be prayed for, by those who have access to god(s).  Unless every class was a multiclass or hybrid.  But still hero's are hero's and they protect the weak, can everyone really become hero's and still be believable?  Who are they protecting?  If they are not protecting anyone, they are no longer hero's, just ordinary folk.  I understand what you are saying, but I still think roles are important.

Just for fun, in modern terms, if everyone person going to war was a soldier / medic / surgeon / explosive expert / scout / clergy / linguist / aircraft pilot / squad leader / ammunitions crafter / cival engineer / bomb defuser / cryptographic master / communications specialist / social media propaganda expert, etc .. I'd say that was one hell of an advanced civilization!

Originally posted by GeezerGamer

I have often considered the idea that I have changed and the grind in the MMO no longer appeals to me. Or should I say, the reward is not worth the effort. Modern MMOs have simply started reducing the grind to get the same reward. This has really reduced the value of the reward to nearly nothing. As I have said before. I still remember the names of the epics I had at 70 in WoW. Not the case at 80 or 85. WoW still had something about it back at level 70. It was lost after that. Other games were great as well. I loved my AO. What made AO magical for me was gone when the went live with their Cash Shop. I also believe that GW2's own potential has been diminished by the Cash Shop. No matter how good it is, it would have been better without it. All these new "features" serve to undermine the value of what we play these games for. I've always beieved you value something more when it's earned. I never thought a successful MMO was one that gave people what they wanted. But rather pushed the player to what what level of effort he was willing to put in regardless of whether he liked it or not.

Anyway, my point is simply this. Have we changed, or has the genre? Probably both but with a strong bias to the 2nd.

Well, the genre isn't as new as it was 10+ years ago.  When it first cropped up, we were all so dazzled with the whole thing a lot of the shortcomings were overlooked.  I think that our expectations have evolved at a much higher rate than the design has.  Remember, these games take a long time to make.  So when they start making one, their design is marked in time.  

I think MMORPG players are extremely critical not only of games, but of themselves. 

I keep reading these types of posts, and it makes me glad I'm a casual gamer these days , on the nights I get to play its only for 2 to 3 hours, a few nights might be longer. Which means the game comes at a slower rate. A month and I'm only level 36. The game is amazing minus my first bad dungeon run. My 2nd run went slightly better but I still feel trash mobs need to be to be toned down.

If your looking for a good game granted it tips the park but the combat is amazing, and th graphics are actually IMHO better than GW2 I would recommend TERA.