Support NeoGAF

[crazepharmacist]

http://www.tentonhammer.com/editorial/guild-wars-2-gemgate

It all seemed quiet for Guild Wars 2 in recent weeks (especially after the GuildMag interview scandal) and yet sure enough, another scandal has erupted over night on the launch of the Halloween holiday event.

THE NEW EXCHANGE

One of the things that has always made Guild Wars 2 stand out is its buy to play model and the fact that the in game store is purely cosmetic. Unlike other free to play games which nickle and dime you every step of the way, I’ve always stood by the fact that Guild Wars 2 doesn’t do this. Its store is filled with cosmetics you don’t need but are desirable. Supporting all that is a gem system which allows you to trade the gold you earn in game, for the store items. Alternatively and if you don’t have the gold, you can hand over your credit card details and buy Gems directly. On paper, the system was designed to give players a flexibility in their transactions. “Want an item that costs 100 gems? That’s fine! Use our Gold to Gem converter and you can do that.” What we now have after yesterdays patch is as far removed from that scenario as there could possibly be. Now it’s more a case of, “Want an item that costs 100 gems? That’s fine! our Gold to Gem converter, but you’ll actually need to buy 400.”

Simply put, the previous system allowed for complete freedom over your Gold to Gem exchange. If you wanted 10 gems, you could do it. If you wanted 437 gems, you could do it. Instead and what we now have is a fixed exchange and purchase system where you can only buy Gems in batches of 400. There’s dozens of reasons why this change is baffling, infuriating and wrong but it seems only the players realise it. Not only that, but there seems some very dubious tweaks by ArenaNet to coincide with this change.

WHY THIS CHANGE IS BAD FOR GUILD WARS 2

Part of the reason why the Gem store in Guild Wars 2 worked so well was because of its flexibility in providing players with a method of obtaining the number of Gems they needed. I often exchanged exactly 125 Gems’ worth of Gold in order to obtain a single Black Lion Key. If I was flush enough, I’d exchange a little more to try my luck (450 Gems). Where the new system collapses (intentionally I think, but I’ll get to that) is where pricing on the Gem Exchange creates grey areas. If we take a couple of items from the Gem store at random, the spread of pricing is enormous:

1 Bank Access Express: 35 Gems
1 Banker Golem: 500 Gems
1 Crafting Boost: 150 Gems
1 Foil Wrapped Candy: 25 Gems (or 5 for 118 Gems)
1 DeviL Horns: 200 Gems

As you can see from the above, prices do very quite a lot and you might think, “Well, what’s the problem? You can buy multiples of 400.” and in some ways you would be right. The problem however is the fact that single purchases are now obsolete (unless you already have Gems) and purchases requiring more than 400 Gems (on a 500 Gem item) leaves the player having to convert 800 Gems in total. Even something as simple as buying 5 Black Lion Keys (450 Gems) now requires a double exchange of Gems. More frustrating than anything however is the fact that this change has, once again, been blamed on the previous system being too difficult for “new players” but at the same time it guarantees additional income for ArenaNet while forcing players to get rid of more gold than necessary. If that wasn’t bad enough, there’s also some funny goings on with the Trading Post API and the inflaction of the Gold to Gem conversion. As you might expect, the reaction from the Guild Wars 2 community because of this change has been very loud, very vocal and on this occasion, very right. ArenaNet’s however has been pretty typical.

THEIR JUSTIFICATION

The patch notes for the change state the following:

Improvements:
New Currency Exchange UI:
The Currency Exchange UI has been overhauled to be quicker to use and easier to understand.
Quick exchange options for both currencies are now visible on the front page of the Currency Exchange.
The comparison between Exchange for Gold and Exchange for Gems prices is much more obvious.
Fixed exchange amounts have been set to simplify the exchange process and remove confusing rounding points.
Added a preview of new balances.
Added an improved confirmation UI.

Gaile Gray, ArenaNet’s Communications Team Lead has subsequently taken to the forums to try to put out the fire. Her first response however, was less than stellar.

"Ok, guys. Some of you are unhappy about this change, I can see that. BUT… quite honestly, most of you are sort of (I hate to use the word) ranting (sorry!) instead of offering suggestions.
I assure you, the team leader told me not 15 minutes ago, they will listen to suggestions. Does that mean you get everything you want? Probably not. Does that mean you should suggest something? Yes, of course! Because they’re expecting player input.
So you want lower increments? Think it through and present a suggestion! You want XYZ in the interface? Post that idea. You would rather see something else? Post what you think about that other thing. Please don’t get into the whole “I’m going to kick the devs and their little dogs, too” because it’s not doing you or us any good at all. I’m not here to apologize. I’m here to communicate and right now, the communication is coming in without a whole lot of substance. Over to you for suggestions and constructive input!"

Her subsequent response wasn’t any more helpful.

"Hey there,
Here are a few tidbits from the team: A lot of newer players had trouble with the interface. That doesn’t apply to you, you’re veterans who have been around the conversion block a time or two. But newer players will benefit from the updated system.The goal was to make the Gem Store more like other shopping experiences, and if you think about it, there is more of that feel to it now. You may be surprised to know this (I know I was) but very few people bought gems at smaller denominations than the first one offered in the new system. That’s not to say they never did, nor that there wouldn’t be the desire to do so. But overall, the current options were selected based on player purchases in the past.The team is going to listen to your feedback and, if and when it’s practical and desirable, they can look towards adjusting the new system to better meet your needs.So please keep your thoughts coming on the new system. Feel free to make suggestions but please, keeping them constructive would be very much appreciated."

What frustrates me here is that not only did she start on the offensive (“most of you are sort of (I hate to use the word) ranting (sorry!) instead of offering suggestions.) but then, as is becoming the norm, further added fuel to the fire by requesting suggestions on how to fix it. The second reply then rolls out the new player card while also stating that few players used the incremental converter. There’s so much wrong in these two posts, I honestly don’t even know where to start.

1.) Players are unhappy about this change (not some as she states, but thousands) because there was no pre-warning and it has completely removed micro conversions to make single purchases on the Gem store, while encouraging excessive Gem purchases.
2.) People made plenty of suggestions for the change, though it isn’t the communities job to do that for ArenaNet when anyone with a logical mind would have realise that, hey, those who play the game might actually want to buy just 25 Gems or 50 Gems instead of having to buy an additional 400.
3.) Where are these new players that are incapable of understanding an automatically updated sliding scale converter? I’m no maths genius, but considering Guild Wars 2 is rated T for Teen, I would hope that those playing the game are capable of looking at the window and realising that if they type in 10 gold, they’ll connect the fact that it exchanges that gold for a certain amount of Gems. Worse, rolling out comments such as “Veteran Players” only antognises. The veteran players (me/us) are the ones that have, for two years, pumped money into the game. Not only that, but it’s insulting to continue to suggest that new players are one braincell away from an Ameba.
4.) I don’t really know where ArenaNet shop, but at no store I shop at do I have to spend more than necessary to obtain the item I want. While the new user interface looks fine and is easily readable, it’s no more accessible than that before it.
5.) Who cares if only 500,000 players used micro exchanges? Who cares if only a 1,000 did? It’s about customer service and offering a fair and transparent exchange system. This system change directly affects me and my gaming habits because I’m no longer able to buy a single Black Lion Key. Instead, I have to drop more gold than necessary just to do it (which if I convert back from Gems to gold, will leave me out of pocket).
6.)On top of all this, Tracking data on the Gem shows a huge spike due to this change. While some of it could be attributed to Halloween, what we’ve always seen pre-holiday season is a slow increase. This however, was a huge spike. Perhaps I’m misinterpreting the data, but it looks to me as though they’ve artificially bumped up the cost of exchanging Gold for Gems.

So what to make of all this? It’s not good and in many ways although I’m a huge supporter of the buy to play model and ArenaNet’s approach to it, it’s honestly hard to stomach the justification for this change or that it can be interpreted in any other way than nickel and diming the playerbase. While Guild Wars 2’s earnings might be down on previous years as of the latest earnings report, this isn’t the way they need to go about boosting their coffers. An expansion pack (that’s paid for) or making greater use of their Gem Store would be a better bet. I’ve no doubt the Living World is expensive to create, but in all honesty I’d be surprised if it yielded large returns of income. Slashing prices and implementing more affordable and unique items would also go some way in increasing sales. Better yet, fixing the small things that have been ignored since closed Beta will also help a great deal in retaining players (who will then eventually spend money, I’m sure). Manipulating the Gem store? That’s a whole different matter and one which will see players not only reverse their spending habits but change games completely.

Seems like it's a bad time to be a Guild Wars 2 player. May be time to find a new MMO.

Also, bonus article on upcoming lackluster content updates: http://www.tentonhammer.com/editorial/more-same-guild-wars-2

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Cant u trade the gems back to gold ?!

 

[Conkerkid11]

I'm extremely disappointed with the way ArenaNet is treating Guild Wars 2 and their fanbase right now. Wasn't it one of the most successful free-to-play MMOs last year or something? I know it was certainly one of my favorite MMOs up until I got finished with the very small amount of PVE endgame that exists, but it was still a more satisfying experience than most other MMOs I've tried to get into.

After the first huge bomb they dropped on the community after ruining any chances of new players being able to get into the game, I can't believe they're topping it off with this. Hell, there was a complaint post on Reddit that I only saw because it managed to land itself on the front page.

I don't understand the reason for them to take what was a fantastic MMO and ruin it. They only needed some more PvE endgame. That's it. Now I'm pretty sure I won't be interested in an expansion if they ever release one

Another day, another opportunity for ANet to screw the pooch.

Between this and hearing about some of the changes they're prototyping in WvW, I am so glad to be out of dodge now.

They're gonna start messing around with the only decent endgame? Agghhhhh

 

[The Blackrose]

Another day, another opportunity for ANet to screw the pooch.

Between this and hearing about some of the changes they're prototyping in WvW, I am so glad to be out of dodge now.

 

[Ralemont]

What was the GuildMag interview scandal?

I stopped playing about a year and a half ago after they introduced Ascended tier gear after promising no gear treadmill.

 

[Ashodin]

What was the GuildMag interview scandal?

I stopped playing about a year and a half ago after they introduced Ascended tier gear after promising no gear treadmill.

When they introduced the commander tag changes, it was let slip that you'd have to pay 300g for every single color.

Obviously they went back on this idea, but that change screamed huge money sink.

 

[Ploid 3.0]

I remember buying bank space with the gems I bought because I really liked the game and wanted to support Arenanet. I didn't really have anything I wanted to buy with the gems outside of one character slot. Bank expansion was one of the things I got and I had no clue how I was going to fill it. This was even before the currency wallet upgrade so now my bank looks even more empty.

For people that use gems for things it sucks though. Having to buy 400 gems must leave quite a odd gem count after you get that thing you wanted.

 

[Asd202]

What a terrible change.

 

[Anno]

They'll probably recant on this like they did the commander tag issue.

This is yet another reason though why they need to be more forthcoming before putting this shit in the game rather than pussying out behind, "it's not company policy to discuss upcoming changes."

 

[Boogdud]

I quit after the whole ascended stuff hit as well. That and the fact that charr footprints are STILL backwards bothers me so much. I mean hell, that's a week one bug fix and they just can't be arsed to fix something so minor.

Definitely not the same anet from gw1

 

[Lunar15]

Pretty lame. I used the gold to gem conversion all the time. I get why they're doing it, but still: oof.

I entirely got my money's worth with this game. Payed 60 up front and got nearly two years worth of gameplay. I can't really be mad at Anet in that they gave me everything I paid for and more. However, this definitely stinks for those who are still playing.

Anet's pretty responsive, we'll see how they react to this.

Also, even in jest: adding #gate to anything is outright obnoxious at this point.

 

[SerTapTap]

I hate this F2P style tactic of deliberately offering only too large/small amounts of cash, so every transaction leaves a balance hanging. It's straight up manipulation, hoping you'll see that sunk cost and take the extra leap and just buy another minimum set of gems since you're already (X%) of the way there to some other purchase

 

[crazepharmacist]

What was the GuildMag interview scandal?

I stopped playing about a year and a half ago after they introduced Ascended tier gear after promising no gear treadmill.

Essentially an interview where they let slip they're not currently nor have plans to work on dungeons(no hard mode implementation for existing ones either), will not be bringing back the very popular Super Adventure Box, and no change to field of view or first person view implementation. Really the only thing they're working on is the Living Story, which consists of an hour or less of instanced, solo-able content released on a bi-weekly basis(excluding mid-season breaks and breaks between seasons). This pissed off the Reddit community, some one of the most fervent fans of the game for weeks on end.

 

[Einbroch]

I hate this F2P style tactic of deliberately offering only too large/small amounts of cash, so every transaction leaves a balance hanging. It's straight up manipulation, hoping you'll see that sunk cost and take the extra leap and just buy another minimum set of gems since you're already (X%) of the way there to some other purchase

It makes sense, though. CC/PayPal fees can eat up a huge chunk of the company's profits with their flat fees + percentage. Now, why this change applies to gold ==> gem, who the hell knows.

 

[ersocaster]

Cant u trade the gems back to gold ?!

Yeah you can. You buy 400 Gems, spend 125 of them, convert the other 275 back to Gold. I guess the problem is that you might not have the money for 400 Gems.

I think the easiest solution would be to allow players to convert a specific amount just for an item, kind of like the Nintendo eShop. You can only add money in certain increments, but when you go to purchase an item you can add just enough for the purchase at the point of sale.

 

[Shanlei91]

Game is a blast but their PR is awful.

Some players were already upset that the Halloween event was recycled (I was expecting it to be recycled) but then they threw in this conversion system without warning. I guess the silver lining here for them is that no one is complaining about Halloween now. This basically screwed anyone who had an uneven amount of gems (i.e. 77) as now there's no way to fill that up to a even amount.

 

[Nordicus]

Yeah you can. You buy 400 Gems, spend 125 of them, convert the other 275 back to Gold. I guess the problem is that you might not have the money for 400 Gems.

When you convert those 275 gems back to gold, you ultimately lose a big chunk of your gold in the exchange rate, we're talking roughly 30%

 

[Lactose_Intolerant]

All these f2p games do this. Is it scummy? yes

 

[Dahaka]

Somehow I am happy not get offended again by ARENANET's balancing acts.

It all ended with Guild Wars 1 for me. Best game ever.

 

[ricardo_sousa11]

Yeah you can. You buy 400 Gems, spend 125 of them, convert the other 275 back to Gold. I guess the problem is that you might not have the money for 400 Gems.

I think the easiest solution would be to allow players to convert a specific amount just for an item, kind of like the Nintendo eShop. You can only add money in certain increments, but when you go to purchase an item you can add just enough for the purchase at the point of sale.

Im currently collecting enough money to get the glowy eyes, with this change i wont be able to get it most likely. Still i dont think its a huge deal, but def. a downgrade.

 

[Ralemont]

Essentially an interview where they let slip they're not currently nor have plans to work on dungeons(no hard mode implementation for existing ones either), will not be bringing back the very popular Super Adventure Box, and no change to field of view or first person view implementation. Really the only thing they're working on is the Living Story, which consists of an hour or less of instanced, solo-able content released on a bi-weekly basis(excluding mid-season breaks and breaks between seasons). This pissed off the Reddit community, some one of the most fervent fans of the game for weeks on end.

Dang. Well, I thought it was a fantastic game while I played and definitely got my money's worth, but I don't exactly regret stopping when I did either. I did get to play Super Adventure Box when it first came out! That faux-commercial for its introduction is legendary.

 

[Nordicus]

Elaboration with current exchange rates and the 125 gem example. 100 gems are 15g54s to buy, 10g26s to sell

You buy 125 gems normally, it costs 19 gold, 42 silver and 50 copper.

With the change in system need to spend enough gold for 400 gems in the new system, which is 62 gold and 16 silver. By selling the remaining 275 gems you get 28 gold, 21 silver and 50 copper back.

So, you buy 125 the new way, it costs 33 gold 94 silver and 50 copper

For that purchase it is a 75% increase in cost

 

[BreezyLimbo]

It'd be simple to have a button that simply changes the interface to the new conversion system, and the old one. Keep it defaulted to the new one for 'new' players. If Blizz can do it with the model systems and have options for the new models or old models, than ANet should be able to do it as well.

Still, this is an interesting story.

 

[Dick Justice]

All these f2p games do this. Is it scummy? yes

This game isn't f2p though. You have to buy it first.

 

[Dog Problems]

This game isn't f2p though. You have to buy it first.

Yep. And you don't even have to ever buy Gems, at all. It's mostly for cosmetic stuff.

 

[The Blackrose]

They're gonna start messing around with the only decent endgame? Agghhhhh

Word is they're planning on removing white swords from any building target under attack, which just gives more weight to zergs/k-trains. They're also dabbling in PPK.

Other than that, ANet has let WvW stagnate to the point where the top small/medium comp zergbusting guilds have left for other games (primarily Archeage).

 

[inky]

Sounds awful.

I want to come back to this game because I know it's good. I love the art-style and a few of the classes, but I just don't find the will to do it. I really don't know why. I figured the burn would be gone by now, but it's not. =/

 

[JonCha]

Word is they're planning on removing white swords from any building target under attack, which just gives more weight to zergs/k-trains. They're also dabbling in PPK.

Other than that, ANet has let WvW stagnate to the point where the top small/medium comp zergbusting guilds have left for other games (primarily Archeage).

Why would they do this? It's important to be able to quickly see which places are being taken. As for PPK, I have no idea what that is.

Anyway, back on topic: if ANet continues to disillusion experienced players who keep the game alive. Happened with Halo 4, and it will happen here eventually. I don't understand why both options can't exist - the option shouldn't be removed just because it isn't used regularly.

And yes I realise gems are for cosmetic items/temporary buffs, but it's the principle behind the change more than anything.

 

[Neo Dark]

Wasn't it one of the most successful free-to-play MMOs last year or something?

Think it still is pretty successful. They recently launched in China and got 3.5 million players in 2 months.

Anyways... Isn't the complaint mainly that prices shot up rather than how the purchase system works? Could have sworn if I wanted 400 gems, I'd just buy 4 packs of 100

 

[crazepharmacist]

Think it still is pretty successful. They recently launched in China and got 3.5 million players in 2 months.

Anyways... Isn't the complaint mainly that prices shot up rather than how the purchase system works? Could have sworn if I wanted 400 gems, I'd just buy 4 packs of 100

It wasn't actually 3.5 million. That was an error on the reporting website. Arenanet admitted this in a Tweet.

 

[Neo Dark]

It wasn't actually 3.5 million. That was an error on the reporting website. Arenanet admitted this in a Tweet.

Ahh. Well either way didn't arena net the launch was successful?

 

[_woLf]

Yep, this legitimately upset me last night. I logged into the game for the first time since August, and saw some pretty cool outfits for sale (GW1 lich outfit!!!!)

Went to convert gems, saw this, immediately logged out. GW2 has been nothing but a gigantic fucking disappointment ever since they blew up Lion's Arch. They're turning this game from a AAA-tier buy-once-to-play MMO into a C-tier bullshit F2P and it's incredibly disheartening to see, especially if you were a big fan of the first game. All in the name of making the game more "accessible" for fans. Because it was definitely one of the hardest MMOs to grasp. Right, okay guys.

Ahh. Well either way didn't arena net the launch was successful?

Do you expect them to say anything otherwise, even if it wasn't successful?

 

[silvermember]

It is bad, but not really as bad since they are simply restricting gold to gem trades.

Also none of the crap in the gem store is mandatory so really people are over reacting.

added: Also tentonhammer is the same shit that was angry that guild wars 2 did not change any of the festival events from last year. In any case, Guild wars 2 fans on the forum tends to over react and this just provides a boost to traffic.

 

[thetrin]

Yep, this legitimately upset me last night. I logged into the game for the first time since August, and saw some pretty cool outfits for sale (GW1 lich outfit!!!!)

Went to convert gems, saw this, immediately logged out. GW2 has been nothing but a gigantic fucking disappointment ever since they blew up Lion's Arch. They're turning this game from a AAA-tier buy-once-to-play MMO into a C-tier bullshit F2P and it's incredibly disheartening to see, especially if you were a big fan of the first game. All in the name of making the game more "accessible" for fans. Because it was definitely one of the hardest MMOs to grasp. Right, okay guys.

Barring this, what has changed? I haven't played since before Ascended gear, and never had a desire to buy things from the gem store.

 

[Leafhopper]

It is bad, but not really as bad since they are simply restricting gold to gem trades.

Also none of the crap in the gem store is mandatory so really people are over reacting.

added: Also tentonhammer is the same shit that was angry that guild wars 2 did not change any of the festival events from last year. In any case, Guild wars 2 fans on the forum tends to over react and this just provides a boost to traffic.

I agree with you. I don't use the gem conversion thing since I use gold a heck of a lot more than gems. If I do want I would rather just buy some with money since I rarely use gems.

I don't have a plethora of gold at the moment to trade for gems anyway.

It is a bad thing though.

 

[Levyne]

It's a bad idea that I don't think there's any strong defense for. Hopefully they will change it so that you see the incremented options up front for those that apparently this change is targeted to, with an option to see the old menu for selecting any amount.

 

[Nerokis]

They're turning this game from a AAA-tier buy-once-to-play MMO into a C-tier bullshit F2P

Care to summarize how?

Also, is it correct that ArenaNet made this change without even the slightest warning? How bizarre.

 

[Trey]

Sounds awful.

I want to come back to this game because I know it's good. I love the art-style and a few of the classes, but I just don't find the will to do it. I really don't know why. I figured the burn would be gone by now, but it's not. =/

You can wait a little longer. I still think GW2 has a lot to offer, but right now the game is kinda going through the motions.

 

[TheChewyWaffles]

Pretty lame. I used the gold to gem conversion all the time. I get why they're doing it, but still: oof.

I entirely got my money's worth with this game. Payed 60 up front and got nearly two years worth of gameplay. I can't really be mad at Anet in that they gave me everything I paid for and more. However, this definitely stinks for those who are still playing.

Anet's pretty responsive, we'll see how they react to this.

Also, even in jest: adding #gate to anything is outright obnoxious at this point.

#gategate

 

[_woLf]

Care to summarize how?

Also, is it correct that ArenaNet made this change without even the slightest warning? How bizarre.

Perhaps I exaggerated a bit, but it's still incredibly frustrating to see what they've done to the game. I'm still a little (read: very) salty that the Halloween and Wintersday events are pretty much going to be copy+pastes of what they were last year (and Wintersday was already a copy+paste of the year before that!) Guild Wars 1 was known for it's awesome holiday events, and ArenaNet has really lost their way in regards to that.

In regards to things that have happened to the game that make it more like a lower-tier F2P, they've taken steps to "simplify" already easy to understand concepts by locking shit behind level gates. Aside from the very rare set of weapons or armor skin here or there, it seems like most of the focus from the weapon and character art teams lately has been the black lion weapon set every few weeks, along with black lion armor sets. I understand the need to sell gems to maintain the servers and such and that's how ArenaNet makes money, but it seems more and more like they're out of sync with what the community wants (for example, the change that this thread is about.) A lot of these changes come without any warning, or if they are given warning the community will explain how the feature isn't necessary and instead makes things worse instead of better.

It's been over two years since the game was released and ArenaNet is still using twitch stream time at PAX with sessions like "What is Guild Wars 2?" and "What is World vs. World?". I feel like that's a wasted opportunity and shows exactly how little of new content has come to the game since it was released.

 

[flyinpiranha]

There really isn't a defense for this. I buy random stuff because I don't make shit for gold in the game and don't play all that often since I came back (played a lot at launch, returned about 2 months ago) and the leftovers I usually converted.

I just hate that it's basically MS points. They sell in 400, 800, 1200, but a majority of the stuff is 250, 500, 700, 1000 ...

Still a fun game though, I enjoy leveling and playing with my fiance, but the endgame just seems like RNG gambling hidden behind paywalls.

 

[Maffis]

This system is the same as Valves for Team Fortress 2.

To open a crate you need a key that costs 2 euro. Problem is, 5 euro is the least you can add with funds. Or else you have to buy them from other players from the market place, and there the price is higher.

 

[Levyne]

Perhaps I exaggerated a bit, but it's still incredibly frustrating to see what they've done to the game. I'm still a little (read: very) salty that the Halloween and Wintersday events are pretty much going to be copy+pastes of what they were last year (and Wintersday was already a copy+paste of the year before that!) Guild Wars 1 was known for it's awesome holiday events, and ArenaNet has really lost their way in regards to that.

In regards to things that have happened to the game that make it more like a lower-tier F2P, they've taken steps to "simplify" already easy to understand concepts by locking shit behind level gates. Aside from the very rare set of weapons or armor skin here or there, it seems like most of the focus from the weapon and character art teams lately has been the black lion weapon set every few weeks, along with black lion armor sets. I understand the need to sell gems to maintain the servers and such and that's how ArenaNet makes money, but it seems more and more like they're out of sync with what the community wants (for example, the change that this thread is about.) A lot of these changes come without any warning, or if they are given warning the community will explain how the feature isn't necessary and instead makes things worse instead of better.

It's been over two years since the game was released and ArenaNet is still using twitch stream time at PAX with sessions like "What is Guild Wars 2?" and "What is World vs. World?". I feel like that's a wasted opportunity and shows exactly how little of new content has come to the game since it was released.

I generally agree with your points, except that GW1 holiday events were largely recycled too, no? I don't remember them differing greatly year to year.

The same-y holiday event doesn't bother me too much (though I do wish it had a couple of new things to spice it up). Only do much you can do with candy corn and pumpkins. It would have been nice to have something layered with it to differentiate year 2 from year 3, but outside of the "Collection" set I'm not actually sure what all is different. Would have been neat for an additional city to have been decorated or something.

But yeah, mostly agreed on other parts.

 

[kiriin]

Don't really like the changes with the gold to gem converter but the #gate is just stupid and blowing it out of proportion.

 

[_woLf]

I generally agree with your points, except that GW1 holiday events were largely recycled too, no? I don't remember them differing greatly year to year.

The same-y holiday event doesn't bother me too much (though I do wish it had a couple of new things to spice it up). Only do much you can do with candy corn and pumpkins. It would have been nice to have something layered with it to differentiate year 2 from year 3, but outside of the "Collection" set I'm not actually sure what all is different. Would have been neat for an additional city to have been decorated or something.

But yeah, mostly agreed on other parts.

Later in the game's life they were, but for the first 3-4 years there was a lot of new content (quests, small missions etc) added every year. In GW2's case they recycled Wintersday after year 2 and now both Halloween and Wintersday in year 3.

 

[jersoc]

IMO, Anet really went downhill with this game. From this, to the not talking about ANYTHING, to just more of the same content. The only reason to make a change like this is simply force people to buy gems via money and overspend on the money. Same shit MS did with xbox live points before they changed it.

 

[wildfire]

They just want more money. CCP did the same thing years ago.

 

[Teremap]

Hmm, hmm.

Just another negative to throw on the pile.

Arenanet needs an internal shakeup pretty badly, I think...

 

[Kos Luftar]

Looks like after the Kotaku article ANET contacted Kotaku and told them that they will be adding a custom option for people who want specific amount of gems.

#gemgate destroyed.

 

[Hawkian]

So. Yeah. Fun thread we had here but if anyone cares, they fixed this in less than a month

you can one-click buy in quantities specified or use the custom exchange for whatever amount you want in either direction.

If you don't like the game and its content it's perfectly understandable, and there's certainly nothing that will change that. But easy as it may be to demonize them, ArenaNet has in reality provided one of the best consumer values in the history of the industry with GW2, which is right now on sale for the ludicrous price of $20. They do listen to community outcry and take positive steps in addition to a pretty goddamn rapid release cycle (next patch hits Tuesday). Comments about it being similarly monetized to F2P games should honestly be laughable to anyone paying attention to the market.