I've only played two of the betas (after pre-purchasing the game), but during that time there was one major problem that completely turned me off to the game: too much control was taken away from how I defined my character, and if I wanted to play the game optimally he would become unrecognizable. If you don't care about role playing (I don't even really actively role play), then you'll likely not care. I'm posting this in hopes I greatly missed the mark on some of these issues, because I would rather have not wasted $60.
The character: A cynical sellsword. Uses a sword and shield because he finds other weapons slow, ineffective, or otherwise unwieldy. Chaotic Good: mostly out for himself, but generally tends to (begrudgingly) help others in dire matters (matters of freedom, life and death, etc.). Does not use magic. He is a human.
The combination of sword and shield leaves me with Guardian and Warrior, and the restriction of no magic reduces that to just Warrior, which is fine. The title of the class is unimportant, and "Warrior" is about as generic as you can get anyway.
The first issue I ran into is that of multiple weapon sets and various weapons being good at various things. It is my understanding that if I just stick to one weapon set then I will be at a great disadvantage. While only two weapons can be equipped at a time, I am under the impression that you can swap any weapons in and out of combat. Meaning, again, that not focusing on all weapon types will leave you at a disadvantage.
I do not know exactly which weapons are good at what, but for example let's say that a two-handed sword is good at AoE damage and a one-handed sword is good at single target damage. Warrior A might run with a one-handed sword + bow setup and Warrior B might run with a two-handed sword + bow setup. If Warrior A is unwilling to switch to a two-handed sword + bow setup when beneficial and Warrior B [i]is[/i] willing to switch to a one-handed sword + bow setup, then clearly Warrior A is at a disadvantage, no?
Next, the game forces on your character (at least it did for my Human) a very Lawful Good persona, often times Stupid Good and never multidimensional. The voice acting aside (which was quite poor, at least in my opinion), the character was saying things that my character would never say. While BioWare games only really give you three choices these days, that's at least [i]something[/i]. I decided to just skip all of the cut scenes and make up my own story as I went, but it still feels like a negative.
Finally, and this isn't so much of a role playing issue but still something that bothered me visually, was that a lot of the animations felt really sluggish. Strafing in one direction and then changing to another was visually distracting to me; there was a distinct "glide" as the running animations changed, and it was very jarring for me. I'm a huge fan of "shield bash" abilities, but the shield bash ability here was lagged from me pressing the button by a noticeable amount of time. This, combined with the lack of customization and variety in physical weapon skills, made the combat very awkward and boring for me.
Does anyone have any corrections, clarifications, or agreements? Is this game just not for me?
I agree with your points and would like to see this addressed in a near future patch
In regards to the Personal Story, yes your "D&D alignment" is pretty set and that will basically interfere with roleplaying. You can't really roleplay the story exactly. Some stories, especially the Charr, will let you have a bit more personality if you make the right choices during creation. But you get few choices while running it.
As for your character concept fitting the gameplay. I think you are putting the cart before the horse. I can ALWAYS come up with a concept that won't fit a game. Absolutely any game.
If you were truly a cyncical mercenary you would be expereinced enough to give yourself an extra option in weapons and be prepared enough to have it ready even if you prefer sword and shield.
I fault your concept and your lack of flexibility and inability to have some give and take with other things not the game.
If you want to roleplay an obsessive/compulsive theif who will only wield one dagger in his left hand and only on Thursdays. Then GW2 SHOULD penalize you. That is why being obsessive compulsive is often bad. It forces you into non-deal situations.
The game gives you more than enough options to pull off your concept. If something as simple as being versatile makes your concept somehow gimp then maybe your concept is flawed.
It seems most of the important points have already been stated somewhere in the pages of this thread. So ill try to add my own spin to them, using my words, but emphasizing the points already made.
First and foremost, you have to understand, the world is not your own. Your character is, but your character doesnt define the laws of the land, its the other way around. If the lore of the world doesnt allow for a "chaotic-good" alignment, what makes you think you should be allowed to RP one? The greatest thing anyone crafting an entire world can do is make it unique. If every game was based in the D&D world, or Tolkiens world, or any other accepted world, we wouldnt see the diversity we do today, the imagination that goes into the world itself. As someone else pointed out, you do still have options though. Having alot more ferocity over the others should add that "Ill do whatever it takes to get the job done" mentality. This game places everyone in the role of the hero, so theres really no evil. There isnt a good faction and evil faction, and thats why the regular stereotypes of "lawful", "chaotic", and other such versions of good and evil cant exist. And of course if you feel your personal story defines you too much, theres always the option to skip it. Its not gamebreaking and you arent punished for not ever playing through it. Of course you miss the rewards, and the story itself, but any quest in any game you choose to not play means youre missing those things.
As for the weapon choice. Again, its been said. Any limitations you place on your character are your own, not the games. The things GW2 does better than most other MMOs shows right here in weapon choices. It actually ADDS alot more RP elements, because the skills you use are directly linked to the weapon you wield. No more ranged shots with a sword, or AE abilities with tiny daggers. Your skills should be tied to your weapons not just the class. This adds a whole new level of RP that you just cant find in other games.
If youre absolutely convicted in exactly who your character is or how you want to play it, then this game may not be for you. For that matter you will always be limited to finding a game that suits your character, not developing your chracter to suit your game, which is a major no-no in the RP world. A good RP will create a character and then define its place within the world, and a great RPer will study the lore of the world itself beforehand so that the character has a real place to belong in the world. You have done neither of those.
First and foremost, you have to understand, the world is not your own. Your character is, but your character doesnt define the laws of the land, its the other way around. If the lore of the world doesnt allow for a "chaotic-good" alignment, what makes you think you should be allowed to RP one?
(...)
Unless the lore indicates that the persons are brainwashed and/or controlled by a 3rd party, I don't see why the lore itself would not allow "chaotic-good" to exist.
Unless the lore indicates that the persons are brainwashed and/or controlled by a 3rd party, I don't see why the lore itself would not allow "chaotic-good" to exist.
Because, simply enough, the game isn't built with the D&D alignments in mind. It's a fully cooperative world, it's us against them, and the only them is them pesky dragons and their ilk. Heh... I don't get to use the word "ilk" much. On point... there are three "groups" here as far as GW2 goes. There's the dragons and their minions. There are the pirates and other malevolent NPC types. And finally, there's us... the heros. We ARE the side of good, those who will stand up against the dragons for the benefit of all Tyria. This is simply by design, and not negotiable. This is why we have cross profession combos, we can rez any other ally, we can never damage an ally and we can never steal kills or nodes from allies. The very design of the game requires that we are all forces for the same ultimate good. Those that would denigrate themselves to lives of crime and malfeasance are relegated to the hostile NPC crowd only. So basically, if you truly wish to roleplay you'll need to adapt your style to that which the core of the game itself demands, otherwise you'll never be able to fit in. This is simply a different style game.
I'm surprised to see that this thread took off and I'm sad to see that so many have misrepresented what I said in my original post. I can't even respond to all of the strawmen around these parts, so I'll just say thank you to those who gave helpful comments and try to get a refund from ANet.
You know, Maverick, this was a much better post than I expected entering the thread. I expected something worthy of the troll clans and am pleased that my expectations were not met. I understand your concerns and think, personally, that you're making a very cardinal mistake regarding role playing... trying to conform an RP style from other styles of games into games where they don't really fit. In GW2, there's no "chaotic good", "lawful evil", etc. That's simply not how the characters and the lore are designed. This is a massive land fighting for its very survival... all of us against the dragons and their minions. You talk about not using magic, but magic infuses Tyria. Even warriors and their skills use magic, but instead of being reflected in clones and illusions, fire and ice on demand, necrotic beings being raised, etc. it's reflected in warriors able to do super human feats, such as leaps across great distances to close on the enemy or magically infusing your shield with the ability to block all damage for a period of time, including magical damage aimed at you. Your very shouts, infused with magical energy, can heal your allies around you!
What I'm saying is this; take a step back and learn the world you intend to roleplay in. Then understand how you may need to adjust your concepts to fit in the world instead of trying to fit the world into your concepts. If you can do that, you'll find a much more rewarding experience. If not, there are other games, other worlds waiting for you. Find one that fits and be happy.
Unless the lore indicates that the persons are brainwashed and/or controlled by a 3rd party, I don't see why the lore itself would not allow "chaotic-good" to exist.
Because, simply enough, the game isn't built with the D&D alignments in mind. It's a fully cooperative world, it's us against them, and the only them is them pesky dragons and their ilk. Heh... I don't get to use the word "ilk" much. On point... there are three "groups" here as far as GW2 goes. There's the dragons and their minions. There are the pirates and other malevolent NPC types. And finally, there's us... the heros. We ARE the side of good, those who will stand up against the dragons for the benefit of all Tyria. This is simply by design, and not negotiable. This is why we have cross profession combos, we can rez any other ally, we can never damage an ally and we can never steal kills or nodes from allies. The very design of the game requires that we are all forces for the same ultimate good. Those that would denigrate themselves to lives of crime and malfeasance are relegated to the hostile NPC crowd only. So basically, if you truly wish to roleplay you'll need to adapt your style to that which the core of the game itself demands, otherwise you'll never be able to fit in. This is simply a different style game.
It's strange...there's no chaotic good in the real world, but we're not braindead drones.
Unless the lore indicates that the persons are brainwashed and/or controlled by a 3rd party, I don't see why the lore itself would not allow "chaotic-good" to exist.
Because, simply enough, the game isn't built with the D&D alignments in mind. It's a fully cooperative world, it's us against them, and the only them is them pesky dragons and their ilk. Heh... I don't get to use the word "ilk" much. On point... there are three "groups" here as far as GW2 goes. There's the dragons and their minions. There are the pirates and other malevolent NPC types. And finally, there's us... the heros. We ARE the side of good, those who will stand up against the dragons for the benefit of all Tyria. This is simply by design, and not negotiable. This is why we have cross profession combos, we can rez any other ally, we can never damage an ally and we can never steal kills or nodes from allies. The very design of the game requires that we are all forces for the same ultimate good. Those that would denigrate themselves to lives of crime and malfeasance are relegated to the hostile NPC crowd only. So basically, if you truly wish to roleplay you'll need to adapt your style to that which the core of the game itself demands, otherwise you'll never be able to fit in. This is simply a different style game.
It's strange...there's no chaotic good in the real world, but we're not braindead drones.
I'm going to assume you intended to make a point but forgot to get to that part.
Unless the lore indicates that the persons are brainwashed and/or controlled by a 3rd party, I don't see why the lore itself would not allow "chaotic-good" to exist.
Because, simply enough, the game isn't built with the D&D alignments in mind. It's a fully cooperative world, it's us against them, and the only them is them pesky dragons and their ilk. Heh... I don't get to use the word "ilk" much. On point... there are three "groups" here as far as GW2 goes. There's the dragons and their minions. There are the pirates and other malevolent NPC types. And finally, there's us... the heros. We ARE the side of good, those who will stand up against the dragons for the benefit of all Tyria. This is simply by design, and not negotiable. This is why we have cross profession combos, we can rez any other ally, we can never damage an ally and we can never steal kills or nodes from allies. The very design of the game requires that we are all forces for the same ultimate good. Those that would denigrate themselves to lives of crime and malfeasance are relegated to the hostile NPC crowd only. So basically, if you truly wish to roleplay you'll need to adapt your style to that which the core of the game itself demands, otherwise you'll never be able to fit in. This is simply a different style game.
There is a difference between lore and gameplay mechanics. I agree with that gameplay mechanics restrict a lot of options, but the lore itself does not. Yes, there is a dangerous threat and yes there are things which are expected of you, but that doesn't mean that the lore prevents you from finding reasons to not do exactly what is expected of you. Gameplay mechanics does to an extent, but the lore doesn't.
So... if I'm reading the OP right, he is basically saying 'because this game is not D&D Online, I don't feel like I own my character'. That seems like an incredibly limited perspective to me. Some of the points in the OP are valid. Most of the storylines so far do seem to be 'you're the good guy, and only the good guy'. However, there are definitely choices to consider, even in the human storyline. Fairly early on you have to choose between letting the villagers get poisoned, or saving your friend in one of the storylines. The consequences for this involving letting people die.
The whole 'good, chaotic, evil' mechanic is very specific to D&D and not a requirement to RP. It works for D&D, but honestly I'd say I prefer to not have that distinction at all. Why declare 'my character is a dark evil warrior who: this', and instead just act the part. Isn't that what roleplaying is all about? It's not about who has the best written bio, it's about how you play the character as a whole.
As for weapons, it seems like the OP is half-right. Choosing a specific weapon doesn't mean you have to play 1 specific way. Do the weapons have specific skills? yes, but the utilities & talents you choose most definitely change up how you determine to play. Granted, those who choose builds which synergize their weapons, utilities, & talents together will definitely be more effective. However, if you want to be that warrior that only uses sword & shield, you are welcome to.
TL;DR - It sounds like what the OP wants is not a new game, but rather D&D Online. There are choices, and yes some of the voice acting isn't as good as SWTOR or TSW, but the game is not based off of old school D&D roleplaying mechanics. It's a different game.
If you were only interested in this game for the personal story (which would be surprising), then I could definitely understand being a bit let down so far. It's not as well done as the event systems, pvp, exploration, or combat. Other games definitely do personal storylines better, but tend to fall short in most of the other areas in exchange for that.
Originally posted by hundejahre quote: "I do not know exactly which weapons are good at what"
comment: There is a tab in the hero screen that will tell you what each weapon does, even before you unlock the skill. It isn't uber detailed, but it's enough to get you started.
This is exactly what I was going to say. Take a look at each weapon set and you will get a pretty good idea of which suit you better.
Regarding the RP and your comment about not liking if another weapon appears "out of thin air"; surely lots of what happens in an mmorpg is in a similar vein? What I mean is, the laws of physics from real life obviously don't apply to our characters in an mmo environment, so it seems strange to me that the weapon suddenly appearing is the thing that really bothers you. Or maybe it's the straw that broke the camel's back kind of thing?
When I roleplay (or even just play) an mmo, I tend to embrace the world as is, including its limitations, but I agree, little things can really break immersion. For me, those things tend to be more about how the character moves in the world, interacts with npc's etc.
I very much agree that warrior charge style skill animanitons suck terribly, all of them. And not just visually. It's like - you press the button = delay - animation - delay - hit. 2h sword's 5th skills is a perfect example, especially if you use it on short distance.
Its just not for you, but by those standards I doubt you would enjoy any mmo and that I wouldnt disagree with you on because most of them suck. Maybe you should stick with single player rpg's as they have better and more character driven stories.
Chaotic Evil was always the most fun to play. Lawful Evil was also pretty damn fun, but a little more difficult to pull off well.
Having said that, one of the main things I don't like about GW2 is how everyone holds hands so I feel your pain OP even though I don't RP anymore.
Odd. Where you see everyone holding hands, I see everyone lending a hand.
Yah, lending a hand so the next person can hold it. It's pretty much the same thing.
I've been doing FFA full loot PvP since my MUD days - If I wanted everyone lending a hand I would play Hello Kitty Online. To each their own though.
I think what you just said is more of a personal problem. FFA full loot PvP does not exist in any MMO that actually wants to be successful.
If call the exclusion of FFA full loot PvP hand holding then there is nothing wrong with hand holding as long as it keeps players you like from MMORPG, the lost is insignificant and it actually improves my enjoyment of the genre more.
The OP makes Hell of a lot of sense. I've been signed up for the beta for ages yet haven't been invited. The OP doesn't feel like the character he's playing is his. Clearly he got into the beta at my expense and is playing with MY character! The nerve!
For a small fee of $50 you could have been in beta, and when you finally decide to buy the game its going to cost you $50 anyway, so actually the beta is free...
That's a pretty huge fee just to try out an unfinished game that I might not even be interested in buying. Not saying ArenaNet is bad for doing in this way. Just saying it's in no way a small fee unless you're already going to buy the game.
Comments
I agree with your points and would like to see this addressed in a near future patch
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Best MMO experiences : EQ(PvE), DAoC(PvP), WoW(total package) LOTRO (worldfeel) GW2 (Artstyle and animations and worlddesign) SWTOR (Story immersion) TSW (story) ESO (character advancement)
In regards to the Personal Story, yes your "D&D alignment" is pretty set and that will basically interfere with roleplaying. You can't really roleplay the story exactly. Some stories, especially the Charr, will let you have a bit more personality if you make the right choices during creation. But you get few choices while running it.
As for your character concept fitting the gameplay. I think you are putting the cart before the horse. I can ALWAYS come up with a concept that won't fit a game. Absolutely any game.
If you were truly a cyncical mercenary you would be expereinced enough to give yourself an extra option in weapons and be prepared enough to have it ready even if you prefer sword and shield.
I fault your concept and your lack of flexibility and inability to have some give and take with other things not the game.
If you want to roleplay an obsessive/compulsive theif who will only wield one dagger in his left hand and only on Thursdays. Then GW2 SHOULD penalize you. That is why being obsessive compulsive is often bad. It forces you into non-deal situations.
The game gives you more than enough options to pull off your concept. If something as simple as being versatile makes your concept somehow gimp then maybe your concept is flawed.
It seems most of the important points have already been stated somewhere in the pages of this thread. So ill try to add my own spin to them, using my words, but emphasizing the points already made.
First and foremost, you have to understand, the world is not your own. Your character is, but your character doesnt define the laws of the land, its the other way around. If the lore of the world doesnt allow for a "chaotic-good" alignment, what makes you think you should be allowed to RP one? The greatest thing anyone crafting an entire world can do is make it unique. If every game was based in the D&D world, or Tolkiens world, or any other accepted world, we wouldnt see the diversity we do today, the imagination that goes into the world itself. As someone else pointed out, you do still have options though. Having alot more ferocity over the others should add that "Ill do whatever it takes to get the job done" mentality. This game places everyone in the role of the hero, so theres really no evil. There isnt a good faction and evil faction, and thats why the regular stereotypes of "lawful", "chaotic", and other such versions of good and evil cant exist. And of course if you feel your personal story defines you too much, theres always the option to skip it. Its not gamebreaking and you arent punished for not ever playing through it. Of course you miss the rewards, and the story itself, but any quest in any game you choose to not play means youre missing those things.
As for the weapon choice. Again, its been said. Any limitations you place on your character are your own, not the games. The things GW2 does better than most other MMOs shows right here in weapon choices. It actually ADDS alot more RP elements, because the skills you use are directly linked to the weapon you wield. No more ranged shots with a sword, or AE abilities with tiny daggers. Your skills should be tied to your weapons not just the class. This adds a whole new level of RP that you just cant find in other games.
If youre absolutely convicted in exactly who your character is or how you want to play it, then this game may not be for you. For that matter you will always be limited to finding a game that suits your character, not developing your chracter to suit your game, which is a major no-no in the RP world. A good RP will create a character and then define its place within the world, and a great RPer will study the lore of the world itself beforehand so that the character has a real place to belong in the world. You have done neither of those.
Originally posted by aslan132
(...)
First and foremost, you have to understand, the world is not your own. Your character is, but your character doesnt define the laws of the land, its the other way around. If the lore of the world doesnt allow for a "chaotic-good" alignment, what makes you think you should be allowed to RP one?
(...)
Because, simply enough, the game isn't built with the D&D alignments in mind. It's a fully cooperative world, it's us against them, and the only them is them pesky dragons and their ilk. Heh... I don't get to use the word "ilk" much. On point... there are three "groups" here as far as GW2 goes. There's the dragons and their minions. There are the pirates and other malevolent NPC types. And finally, there's us... the heros. We ARE the side of good, those who will stand up against the dragons for the benefit of all Tyria. This is simply by design, and not negotiable. This is why we have cross profession combos, we can rez any other ally, we can never damage an ally and we can never steal kills or nodes from allies. The very design of the game requires that we are all forces for the same ultimate good. Those that would denigrate themselves to lives of crime and malfeasance are relegated to the hostile NPC crowd only. So basically, if you truly wish to roleplay you'll need to adapt your style to that which the core of the game itself demands, otherwise you'll never be able to fit in. This is simply a different style game.
Oderint, dum metuant.
I'm surprised to see that this thread took off and I'm sad to see that so many have misrepresented what I said in my original post. I can't even respond to all of the strawmen around these parts, so I'll just say thank you to those who gave helpful comments and try to get a refund from ANet.
^x2
It's strange...there's no chaotic good in the real world, but we're not braindead drones.
Robin Hood was a wanker. Chaotic Neutral is where it's at.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
I'm going to assume you intended to make a point but forgot to get to that part.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Chaotic Evil was always the most fun to play. Lawful Evil was also pretty damn fun, but a little more difficult to pull off well.
Having said that, one of the main things I don't like about GW2 is how everyone holds hands so I feel your pain OP even though I don't RP anymore.
Law-Evil is a snitch lifestyle.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
Odd. Where you see everyone holding hands, I see everyone lending a hand.
Oderint, dum metuant.
Certain anarchists disagree with you. The real world has a tremendous population.
There is a difference between lore and gameplay mechanics. I agree with that gameplay mechanics restrict a lot of options, but the lore itself does not. Yes, there is a dangerous threat and yes there are things which are expected of you, but that doesn't mean that the lore prevents you from finding reasons to not do exactly what is expected of you. Gameplay mechanics does to an extent, but the lore doesn't.
So... if I'm reading the OP right, he is basically saying 'because this game is not D&D Online, I don't feel like I own my character'. That seems like an incredibly limited perspective to me. Some of the points in the OP are valid. Most of the storylines so far do seem to be 'you're the good guy, and only the good guy'. However, there are definitely choices to consider, even in the human storyline. Fairly early on you have to choose between letting the villagers get poisoned, or saving your friend in one of the storylines. The consequences for this involving letting people die.
The whole 'good, chaotic, evil' mechanic is very specific to D&D and not a requirement to RP. It works for D&D, but honestly I'd say I prefer to not have that distinction at all. Why declare 'my character is a dark evil warrior who: this', and instead just act the part. Isn't that what roleplaying is all about? It's not about who has the best written bio, it's about how you play the character as a whole.
As for weapons, it seems like the OP is half-right. Choosing a specific weapon doesn't mean you have to play 1 specific way. Do the weapons have specific skills? yes, but the utilities & talents you choose most definitely change up how you determine to play. Granted, those who choose builds which synergize their weapons, utilities, & talents together will definitely be more effective. However, if you want to be that warrior that only uses sword & shield, you are welcome to.
TL;DR - It sounds like what the OP wants is not a new game, but rather D&D Online. There are choices, and yes some of the voice acting isn't as good as SWTOR or TSW, but the game is not based off of old school D&D roleplaying mechanics. It's a different game.
If you were only interested in this game for the personal story (which would be surprising), then I could definitely understand being a bit let down so far. It's not as well done as the event systems, pvp, exploration, or combat. Other games definitely do personal storylines better, but tend to fall short in most of the other areas in exchange for that.
Yah, lending a hand so the next person can hold it. It's pretty much the same thing.
I've been doing FFA full loot PvP since my MUD days - If I wanted everyone lending a hand I would play Hello Kitty Online. To each their own though.
This is exactly what I was going to say. Take a look at each weapon set and you will get a pretty good idea of which suit you better.
Regarding the RP and your comment about not liking if another weapon appears "out of thin air"; surely lots of what happens in an mmorpg is in a similar vein? What I mean is, the laws of physics from real life obviously don't apply to our characters in an mmo environment, so it seems strange to me that the weapon suddenly appearing is the thing that really bothers you. Or maybe it's the straw that broke the camel's back kind of thing?
When I roleplay (or even just play) an mmo, I tend to embrace the world as is, including its limitations, but I agree, little things can really break immersion. For me, those things tend to be more about how the character moves in the world, interacts with npc's etc.
@OP this game is not for you.
Stick to solo RPG'S seems more in your interest then mmo's i gues.
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I very much agree that warrior charge style skill animanitons suck terribly, all of them. And not just visually. It's like - you press the button = delay - animation - delay - hit. 2h sword's 5th skills is a perfect example, especially if you use it on short distance.
Its just not for you, but by those standards I doubt you would enjoy any mmo and that I wouldnt disagree with you on because most of them suck. Maybe you should stick with single player rpg's as they have better and more character driven stories.
I think what you just said is more of a personal problem. FFA full loot PvP does not exist in any MMO that actually wants to be successful.
If call the exclusion of FFA full loot PvP hand holding then there is nothing wrong with hand holding as long as it keeps players you like from MMORPG, the lost is insignificant and it actually improves my enjoyment of the genre more.
That's a pretty huge fee just to try out an unfinished game that I might not even be interested in buying. Not saying ArenaNet is bad for doing in this way. Just saying it's in no way a small fee unless you're already going to buy the game.
Grats then for being a real eMan and an example to us all. Seems GW2 won't be the game for you.
Oderint, dum metuant.