The press release is fascinating, showing, I think, just how extraordinarily difficult it is going to be to balance a genuinely "dynamic" virtual world with customer expectations of a commercial product. Taking ANet's description of the event at face value, there's an intrinsic and apparently insoluble problem and in just three-paragraphs they hammer home relentlessly precisely what it is :
"we want to make sure that you are not missing out"
"an Event in Lion’s Arch that you don’t want to miss"
"make sure you will not miss it"
"this will only run once, so make sure you will be there!"
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| C'mon bird! You must have seen something! |
The timing of the events is intriguing in itself. The opening Act falls on a Friday which is, as far as I can tell, a normal workday in the United States. The U.S. Office of Personnel Management Schedule of Public Holidays for 2012 has nothing listed for November 16th, anyway. The first event that we don't want to miss kicks off at midday Pacific Standard Time, which is three in the afternoon on the East Coast and eight in the evening GMT.
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| An elephant? No, wait, is it two camels playing Twister? |
The same timings repeat on Saturday and Sunday for the following acts. Less problematic, obviously, on a weekend, but again I'd say it strongly favors players in GMT timezones and using the exact same times does risk locking out the same people from each phase. The timing seems especially odd when you consider that GW2 has separate European servers, but as other MMOs have discovered, letting half your customers in on a secret before the rest get to find out what it is never plays well.
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| Ships they come, ships they go... |
ArenaNet seem much more determined to match the addition of ongoing, universally available content ("There will be plenty of content available to enjoy that will remain permanently in the world as a result of the outcome of this event") with genuine Saint Crispin's Day moments. So far, at least. Going to be very interesting see how the policy plays out over time.
One thing's for sure - my much-anticipated first weekend of Storm Legion is now holed below the water-line!
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They just cater for their highest populated times - maybe it means Europeans happen to hold the majority of players on that "Friday afternoon" start. Would probably be a wierd time for the finale (I think that would be my Monday morning). :P
ReplyDeleteAll they can do is give a heads up and then it's up to the players to be there if they are so inclined. I'm quite fine with the idea that my guy can't be everywhere at once so if I miss out on stuff it's all ok. I have no need to complain either, got more than my money's worth with the standard content (aaaand the game was a gift to me in the first place)- everything else is free. ^_^
I find it funny reading all the whiners on the GW forum saying it's at a wierd time. If you -really- want to be there, then just take the day off. There should be no problem if the game is -that- important to you and if you can't then obviously it's not as important as you are making it out to be. (which is good, RL should always come first!)
They're damned if they do, damned if they don't, really. Someone's going to be angry however they do it. I'm just happy it works for me for once - playing on U.S. servers I've had years of things starting at about midnight to two in the morning.
DeleteIf you -really- want to be there, then just take the day off. There should be no problem if the game is -that- important to you and if you can't then obviously it's not as important as you are making it out to be.
DeleteThat's... such a bizarre argument. Is there no such thing as legitimate criticism? Is there no basis for disappointment that a game's developers are spending time on content that you will be unable to experience?
I still don't buy the Simultaneous Worldwide Release or Bust argument either. Just because New Zealand & company celebrate New Years first, doesn't make the party in the US any less special hours later. If it really matters, they could always switch up which time zones start first, since obviously there are going to be a lot of them in the future.
If they pump out content at the rate they've threatened taking days off to experience it could easily eat the entirety of an American vacation allowance, I'd guess. I get nearly seven weeks annual holiday so it would be a realistic option for me, and I did indeed take time off for GW2's Headstart. I can't imagine making a habit of it, though.
DeleteCan't serve everyone - here, it's not just a phrase.
ReplyDeleteit boggles the mind why it's such a drama to some players to miss something sometime, especially if we're talking icing on the cake. I mean, I am gonna miss LOADS of things in any MMO due to things like playstyle or playtime - and how is that any different?
so, you have a busy agenda? deal with it! they're already timing these events for prime time and announcing them, what more can you wish for?
sigh.
a while ago I suggested devs should stop creating huge expansions and instead do mini-patches of ongoing, changing content every 2 weeks. and not announce a thing in patch notes. let players hunt down the world themselves.
I seem to be quite the oddball. ;)
In an ideal world I'd prefer more big expansions and less dynamic content. I liked the old EQ schedule of a boxed expansion every six months and I was quite annoyed when they dropped that back to one a year. That was when expansions actually came in boxes, though. I liked going to the store and coming home with a box a lot. Digital downloads don't have any of the same anticipatory added value and they are a pain to download, so if we're stuck on that road then yes, smaller ones more often and preferably for free gets my vote, too.
DeleteOn the other hand, I really don't care if I miss one-off events. Scarcity = value, so every one I do get to catch is worth more relative to how many I miss. I don't like prolonged events much, like Rift has, where content is temporary but long-lasting. I think that's a poor compromise.
I'm sort of interested in checking this out. I wonder how this event will be, not a fan of events that are 'one time only' but as I will be available I might as well pop in. I'd also prefer more expansions or lasting content instead of these one shot deals, we'll see how this goes.
ReplyDeleteThe thing that puzzles me is that it's an awful lot of build-up for the addition of what is apparently a smallish island with light-hearted content and a dungeon. Makes you wonder what kind of fanfare a major addition might get.
DeleteAll the timings are so convenient for me, though, that I'm very happy to turn up and enjoy whatever happens.