If we are to follow logic and look at all the released mmos in the past 5 years then GW2 wont be any different. But perhaps Anet has realized that there is a huge pile players just tired of the same soup for an MMO we have been fed the last couple of years and figured they could target that market instead of doing what everyone else has been and are still doing. Time will tell.
I choose to believe that the reason the game is taking this long is polish. They know how much is riding on a near perfect launch. Again time will tell.
The OP hints at something that is actually valid (you have to cut through several weeds to find it). The fear is that without a sub, ArenaNet will have to give gamers a boatload of opportunities to spend money. He's suggesting that in order to do this, they must leave out a significant amount of content at launch in order to monetize on it through quick and small expansion packs.
While I don't share the OP's fear, it is valid. Since the B2P business model is so rarely used, it's natural for gamers to be skeptical.
Why would they have to give gamers a boatload of opportunities to spend money? Non-mmo games don't do that, why would an MMO need to? As has been quoted in posts before, Anet knows that the costs of servers and bandwidth are no longer a necessary consideration for companies to make money. So, since that's the fundamental difference between SP RPGs and MMO RPGs, they will make a bunch of money if they sell a bunch of units. Just like any SP RPG.
So, that fear really isn't valid. Anet will make money if this game sells boxes like GW1 did. They realize they don't need to rip you off to make money, so they don't.
Although.....if by content, the OP and you are thinking End Game Raiding, then you're right, the game will be weak on content....
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
I stated this before, sorry to repeat myself. But I'm 100% convinced of this, and how marketing works.
- Nothing is free
- Cheap pays twice
In my opinion GW2 will be short on content. Way more than people think. Two weeks after release their will be expansions as a heavy cost for players to purchase.....This mmo will cost you as much anyway....Some would say that GW1 waited a year for it's first expansion, BUT this is not GW1.
ANet was much smaller then. They had no idea how much of a success their game would be, and expansions were after-thoughts. Now ANet will do the smarter marketing trick of making expansions at the same time as the original......This is why the game is taking so long....Their making everything at once.
GW2 may be good. Once you purchase the game and all it's expansions you will have it forever. BUT don't think you are getting away cheap !!!!!!!
- Sub style
- F2P style
- B2P style
It's all the same............. Don't bother sayingDANet will never pull this
Nothing is free.
And the myth:
"Buy to Play is a much better value than Subscription!" Is it? Really? Many top tier subscription games are releasing new content on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. I don't see much different between Buy2Play and Subscription.
Except with Subscription if the developers start slacking and screwing up they have one or two months before players realize and start cancelling their subscriptions. That's it. A one or two month buffer. On the other hand, they can plan much more long-term content for the game and take more risks because of that buffer. But Buy2Play and Subscription is basically the same thing.
I stated this before, sorry to repeat myself. But I'm 100% convinced of this, and how marketing works.
- Nothing is free
- Cheap pays twice
In my opinion GW2 will be short on content. Way more than people think. Two weeks after release their will be expansions as a heavy cost for players to purchase.....This mmo will cost you as much anyway....Some would say that GW1 waited a year for it's first expansion, BUT this is not GW1.
- Sub style
- F2P style
- B2P style
It's all the same............. Don't bother sayingDANet will never pull this
This right here shows just how little you know about Anet's practices, they had reasonable pricing in their GW1 game, doesn't have to be the same game to be reasonably priced , just the same company. Also, when did you ever get the idea through imperical evidence that Anet is in ANY way like EA? I have to say that this is less of an opinion of GW2 as the forum post title suggests and more of an opinion of F2P games which btw is not the structure of what GW2 is using, as it is a B2P game which means there is no sub AT ALL. Just another monster-under-the-bridge post.
"Buy to Play is a much better value than Subscription!" Is it? Really? Many top tier subscription games are releasing new content on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. I don't see much different between Buy2Play and Subscription.
Except with Subscription if the developers start slacking and screwing up they have one or two months before players realize and start cancelling their subscriptions. That's it. A one or two month buffer. On the other hand, they can plan much more long-term content for the game and take more risks because of that buffer. But Buy2Play and Subscription is basically the same thing.
You just perpetuated a myth yourself, because in the mmo market there really hasn't been enough B2P games to make an accurate assessment as to how much value a B2P game in the mmo market HAS compared to a sub only game. And let me just destroy your myth. F2P and B2P aren't the same thing. Anet will be adding content as fast as Rift without a sub. They won't have the need to FORCE people to stay subbed for as long as humanly possible to get that monthly dime like oh i dunno EVERY sub mmo out there including Rift (Discovered this when i reached end game and found how much crazy currency the end game gear required to be purchased). GW2 revenue since they won't have a sub will come from people who like cosmetic items from the store (love them it's one of the things i enjoyed the most about LOTRO) and there are millions of players like me who will spend money on this stuff, if they don't have a sub that's only a plus. And finally, B2P games will be fixing obvious flaws with their game because they want people to actually enjoy it. It's not the same as Blizzards age old practice of putting a fix that the fans have requested that has been a long time nightmare for players of a particular class into their next expansion and calling it a "feature" like they are doing with the talent trees right now with Pandaria.
So exactly how are they the same again? yeah didn't think so.
oh noes they charge for things now? in a shop you don't say?
Seriously could we put out a post that kills more brain cells today? I mean really. /facepalm
The game is feature complete they had to do some tweaking to the Asura and Sylvari areas because they were the last ones to be added to the game before releasing it for the beta, why can't people learn to read mommy?
"Buy to Play is a much better value than Subscription!" Is it? Really? Many top tier subscription games are releasing new content on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. I don't see much different between Buy2Play and Subscription.
Except with Subscription if the developers start slacking and screwing up they have one or two months before players realize and start cancelling their subscriptions. That's it. A one or two month buffer. On the other hand, they can plan much more long-term content for the game and take more risks because of that buffer. But Buy2Play and Subscription is basically the same thing.
Name a top tier subscription game that is releasing new content on a monthly basis? I mean, I think that just leaves you with Rift. WoW and EQ2 content updates are few and far between, and you are expected to fork out on expansions as well for content.
At least with a B2P model they have to convince you with every expansion that it is worth your money... and you never lose access to what you have already paid for.
Comments
If we are to follow logic and look at all the released mmos in the past 5 years then GW2 wont be any different. But perhaps Anet has realized that there is a huge pile players just tired of the same soup for an MMO we have been fed the last couple of years and figured they could target that market instead of doing what everyone else has been and are still doing. Time will tell.
I choose to believe that the reason the game is taking this long is polish. They know how much is riding on a near perfect launch. Again time will tell.
Why would they have to give gamers a boatload of opportunities to spend money? Non-mmo games don't do that, why would an MMO need to? As has been quoted in posts before, Anet knows that the costs of servers and bandwidth are no longer a necessary consideration for companies to make money. So, since that's the fundamental difference between SP RPGs and MMO RPGs, they will make a bunch of money if they sell a bunch of units. Just like any SP RPG.
So, that fear really isn't valid. Anet will make money if this game sells boxes like GW1 did. They realize they don't need to rip you off to make money, so they don't.
Although.....if by content, the OP and you are thinking End Game Raiding, then you're right, the game will be weak on content....
You want me to pay to play a game I already paid for???
Be afraid.....The dragons are HERE!
Nothing is free.
And the myth:
"Buy to Play is a much better value than Subscription!" Is it? Really? Many top tier subscription games are releasing new content on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. I don't see much different between Buy2Play and Subscription.
Except with Subscription if the developers start slacking and screwing up they have one or two months before players realize and start cancelling their subscriptions. That's it. A one or two month buffer. On the other hand, they can plan much more long-term content for the game and take more risks because of that buffer. But Buy2Play and Subscription is basically the same thing.
This right here shows just how little you know about Anet's practices, they had reasonable pricing in their GW1 game, doesn't have to be the same game to be reasonably priced , just the same company. Also, when did you ever get the idea through imperical evidence that Anet is in ANY way like EA? I have to say that this is less of an opinion of GW2 as the forum post title suggests and more of an opinion of F2P games which btw is not the structure of what GW2 is using, as it is a B2P game which means there is no sub AT ALL. Just another monster-under-the-bridge post.
Holy hell! That would be terrible!
My theme song.
You just perpetuated a myth yourself, because in the mmo market there really hasn't been enough B2P games to make an accurate assessment as to how much value a B2P game in the mmo market HAS compared to a sub only game. And let me just destroy your myth. F2P and B2P aren't the same thing. Anet will be adding content as fast as Rift without a sub. They won't have the need to FORCE people to stay subbed for as long as humanly possible to get that monthly dime like oh i dunno EVERY sub mmo out there including Rift (Discovered this when i reached end game and found how much crazy currency the end game gear required to be purchased). GW2 revenue since they won't have a sub will come from people who like cosmetic items from the store (love them it's one of the things i enjoyed the most about LOTRO) and there are millions of players like me who will spend money on this stuff, if they don't have a sub that's only a plus. And finally, B2P games will be fixing obvious flaws with their game because they want people to actually enjoy it. It's not the same as Blizzards age old practice of putting a fix that the fans have requested that has been a long time nightmare for players of a particular class into their next expansion and calling it a "feature" like they are doing with the talent trees right now with Pandaria.
So exactly how are they the same again? yeah didn't think so.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCZbb85R0B0&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PL9C764FE25EF9EE3E
Seriously could we put out a post that kills more brain cells today? I mean really. /facepalm
The game is feature complete they had to do some tweaking to the Asura and Sylvari areas because they were the last ones to be added to the game before releasing it for the beta, why can't people learn to read mommy?
Name a top tier subscription game that is releasing new content on a monthly basis? I mean, I think that just leaves you with Rift. WoW and EQ2 content updates are few and far between, and you are expected to fork out on expansions as well for content.
At least with a B2P model they have to convince you with every expansion that it is worth your money... and you never lose access to what you have already paid for.