Longevity

Disclaimer:  Readers, please forgive me, I am about to attempt some of my infamous, genre-altering, philosophical ramblings that may be controversial.  Please ensure that any discussion created in the comments section remains respectful.

Longevity.  It’s perhaps one of the strongest indicators of a “successful” MMO.

In many past themepark MMO’s this has involved a rather repetitive, gear progression treadmill.  In both PvP and PvE, with each new major raid/season, players were forced to farm for hours to stay competitive. 

To state the obvious, Guild Wars 2 does not have this treadmill, at least not in the same form.  There is a plateau of power at the end-game.  This means, that you will not be forced to farm to keep up with the newest content.  However, you will be able to grind, craft, and work your way into gear that looks aesthetically different and generally more pleasing, if you want.

Many have wondered if this will be enough.  It’s perhaps the biggest, unanswered question we have left. 

ArenaNet hasn’t exactly answered this question, and many of us are left wondering.  The loudest critics have attempted to implicate the business model in this question.  After all, with no subscription fee, there really is no major reason to keep us playing.   This has deeper implications in updates and content patches post-launch.  Do they have a fair point?  Probably not, it is ArenaNet we are talking about.

Most of us, who have followed the game in development for years now, believe in ArenaNet. 

Many supporters have countered the loudest critics with a seemingly-convincing argument.  With a personal story that varies based on race and intra-racial choices, four routes for each dungeon, massive zones that will (hopefully) look different each time we visit, player-run tournaments, WvW, sPvP, and content that can be repeated at any level, we have far more content at launch, than most games get in their entire lifespan.  You get what you pay for, and in this case, $60 is a steal for this game, when you consider its competitors.  You may not satisfy the extreme hardcore players, but how could you ever hope to?

However, the answer remains, if you don’t have a gear treadmill, what do you replace it with?  ArenaNet’s answer so far has been a mass-introduction of adaptable, ever-changing, and fun content.

What if there’s a third option?

What I propose, is something similar to a sandbox inside of a themepark. It’s not exactly a novel idea in theory, but no MMO has ever attempted it. Themepark vs. Sandbox MMO are rather hot button words. In seconds, they can create controversy and debate, and quite often that discussion is turned into a quagmire of arguments and bitterness. If you aren’t familiar with the terms, they can be interpreted slightly differently depending on the person you are talking to. To me, a themepark is driven around developer-created content. You are a person who enjoys the rides given to you, and the classic example is World of Warcraft. The sandbox definition can be slightly harder to pin down, but personally, I believe that the game involves around player-created content, and the traditional example is EVE Online.

To say it more bluntly, ArenaNet give us the power to create content.

How?  With well-crafted, easy-to-use, tools created for players to use.  To do this, requires significant time-investment.  In fact, to do it properly would probably require the sacrifice of an entire expansion.  Instead of giving us a new continent to explore, new professions to use, new dungeons, they would give us something no one has fully attempted.

To be clear, there have been games that have held contests for player created dungeons, but the tools used have been fairly lackluster, and these games have been usually far from the mainstream, everyday player. 

You could have players create dynamic events, dungeons, sPvP maps, and even entire zones.  You then have a short testing phase, where players can play in other people’s creations.  After this phase, you hold some sort of contest where the community can vote for the winning entry.  ArenaNet then spends some time making tweaks, applying polish, and ensuring quality for the winner(s), and releases the content to us. 

There’s no doubt this requires some very significant, and even risky investment.  However, if successful, could launch Guild Wars 2, ArenaNet, and the MMO genre into something else entirely.  The biggest problem with MMOs like GW2, is that developers have not been able to create quality content fast enough, and the ever-devouring player-base is forced to wait.  No one likes to be forced to wait.  And this could really involve and inspire the community, something that has been rather lacking in the genre.

ArenaNet has dared to be bold, breaking traditions that have been sacred to the genre since its mainstream inception.  I propose that ArenaNet try something different in its post-launch plans, that no one would be prepared for.