Too many Add-Ons :::: a plea to ArenaNet

Dear reader,

this is no lamentation thread per se , so please, abstain from flaming me for opening it.

That said, let's get to the point:

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Dear ArenaNet,

do you think it wisely to release a full standalone add-on every six months?

Just think about it, for a second, what this will do to PvE players who have been loyal to the game since day one . . .

I already had to drop one of my four Tyria characters (and degrade him to a mule for hoarding items and stuff) in order to be able to create a new Factions character.

Finishing both, Prophecies and Factions, with all four characters is quite a challenge and extremely time consuming. But I'll make it until the relase of Nightfall.

Still, thinking that with Chapter 3 (Nightfall) and Chapter 4 there will be 4 new professions and, let's say, one new PvE character per add-on, my mind starts spinning . . .

How on Earth do you think anyone will be able to keep up with the amount of new professions etc.? -- The answer is simple: They won't.


What do you think will be the result of this dilemma? -- There are four possible outcomes:

#1 - Consumers will stop buying further add-ons until they have finished the previous ones. This would probaby hurt you more than us.

#2 - Consumers will not play the new professions. Unsatisfying.

#3 - Consumers will have to stop playing their old, beloved characters in favor of new ones, which consequently means all the time one spent into those old characters was in vain. Out of question.

#4 - Consumers will stop to play the game at all, due to sheer frustration. Unsatisfying for both, game developers and consumers.

So, here's my actual plea:


Please, ArenaNet (and NCsoft),

don't make flooding the market with new add-ons twice a year a habit !! (unless, of course, those add-ons are small expansions to one of the big standalones , which would be acceptable and probably a better long-term solution for everyone)

A one-year cycle for huge expansions such as Factions and Nightfall is more than satisfying, especially since I don't recall the "late" release of Factions, one year after Prophecies, resulting in a lack of interest, neither within the GW community, nor regarding the new clientele.

My kindest regards,

Ashantara
(a GW devotee)

Releasing a new campaign every 6 months is the only way for them to make a profit without monthly subscriptions. When they stop making a profit, the server get taken down forever. End of discussion.

I may play more than most casual players but its not that hard to play 4 charactres through every chapter. I've played the core 6 through both prophecies and factions and my assassin and rit through factions with time still left till nightfall. And who says you have to play them all through every chapter?

Just play and have fun. Dont feel forced to play every part of the game with every character.

I'm ready for nightfall and six months after that i'll be ready for the next chapter.

Can you justify that statement?

2 million copies of Factions at $50 is $100 million. I have no idea what servers cost to run for one year, or what the annual salary of all Anet's employees, but I think $100 million would cover it.

i am certainly ready for chapter 3. you arent forced to get the chapters, and you certainly arent forced to delete any of your old characters for new ones!

The point is, before Prophecies even went live Anet announced that releasing a new campaign every 6 months was their business plan. And that makes them the amount of profit they are comfortable with. Factions took twice as long being the first new campaign but that was the abberation. If you're not ready for the next campaign, you don't have to buy it on release day.

Umm... that $100 million does not only cover server maintenance and employee salaries... you've neglected mentioning all sorts of taxes that come in when you're selling and exporting things, as well as the production, packaging, marketing, and advertising costs for the game.

Granted that $100 million does not just cover the cost. I'm sure there's a hefty profit, otherwise NCSoft would've pulled the plug already or redesigned the model. The point is, if it wasn't for a 6-month cycle, the profit doesn't justify the investment.

And to the OP, please don't feel like you are forced to play. I don't think Anet wants you to feel like that. Play for the fun of it, not play for the belief that you must go through every single PvE campaign with every single one of your characters or using every single profession. Just finish everything with one character, and take it easy with the others.

i have 7 guys:
4 have beat Proph
5 have beat factions
(the last 2 are within the last 4 missions)
all are lvl 20
i plan on making a rit, and beating Factions with it.

That kept me busy since GW release, and i am very much looking forward to buying nightfall on its release

You obviously have no understanding of taxes...

I don't remember reading this fact when i bought the game when Prophecies came out. i If i'm not mistaken they only announced that they are releasing new campaigns every 6 months a few weeks after they released Factions. Maybe you provide me with some evidence.

Arenanet doesn't even get close to 50% of a sale. Last time I read up on what developers and publishers get, developers (that's arenanet) get around 5% of a sale.

Well... arn't you generalizing everyone with your playing behavior? Not everyone care to play every new proffession or finish a campaign with all of their character.

I care much more for the content, and the originality of it. Hope A.net would spend more effort on it, and not put out a blah of a job.

I dont get it. If youre saying that they shouldnt release Chapters every 6 months because there might be people who still havent finished the previous Chapters, what's preventing those people from getting them later on?

Why force people who already finished the chapters to wait while your theoretical people finish?

And you havent explained why playing new professions will be "unsatisfying" You stated it as if it were fact and widely known. Wrong.

Why would people have to stop playing their old characters? If it's a time constraint problem, no one can solve that problem but the person itself...it doesnt matter how often they release a chapter. Again, why force others who have finished the game to wait?

You are not forced to play through each campaign with every character. It's really not a problem even if you dont have the time to do so.

The thing is, you don't have to buy the new chapters, you can play at your own pace, and then, if you want, buy the additional chapter(s) as you feel.

currently, there is no problem with finishing the game in time for the next chapter, but the more characters you have and the more chapters there are, the harder it will be to play every one of your characters through all the chapters.

Then again, must you play through EVERY chapter on ALL your characters?

I prefer 1 chapter every year with more content.

Look at GWF, it is not a $49.99 standard game to ppl who have played GW.

Frankly; I don't feel like combing through some 50+ interviews nor some 3 years of news archives to sate your curiosity. But I remember it quite explicitly as it was one of the reasons I bought prophecies the day it went live. I'm sure atleast some people that have been following GW since the beginning will remember it as well, but I have better things to do than dig around.


Edit*: Alright, I got bored and did end up looking for a press release lol. Here ya go:
That's right, from E3 2003! Says it wasn't announced til after Factions went live....pfft!

http://e3.wargamer.com/articles.asp?ID=050272003-4

Let's not turn this into yet another of those other billion "OMG Factions sucks!" threads.

I see you've done your soul searching.

Well all of the posibilities provided above are pretty accurate, I've have had a bit of exprince of everyone one of them, but my solution so far to the 2 add-ons per year thing is this:

Don't create too many PvE characters, 3 is enough.

Just test them in PvP, if you don't like them, just play something else.

Play whichever profession you enjoy the most, we spent 49.99 to have fun, not to grind our bums off.

It's just a game, take it easy.

I hope this will prevent you from ending up in any of the situations provided by Ashantara, it has so far for me

Umm. to the OP... Then simply don't buy the add-ons yourself? You don't like it, then stoppaying for it, its that simple.... really.

Wow, is this really what I am reading?

Someone is ACTUALLY complaining about TOO MANY ADDONS?!

Wow....just...wow.