Lately I've been wondering while playing on my alts, if Guild Wars 2 live team should change direction.
When I look at all the tangible stuff in my bank - rewards and posessions from the temporary content, I am reminded of how much backtracking I have done in older zones.
But I don't think this is the best way they could encourage us to play everywhere. My problem, is that for all it's intent and purposes, the game world cannot be manipulated a lot by the player. I don't think the pre-set destruction of EQN is the path either.
I think the path is for players to have something bigger than the tangible things their toons can equip, to keep fighting for. For resources and for the chance to spice up the game.
Because when I think of the best moments in online gaming, I think of many of them being times with trolling, justice and controversity. When everything is balanced, equalized and weighted on a scale, I think some of the drama and excitement is lost. I think that is why WvWvW is so refreshing - Because they acknowledge the impossible task of making that fair.
With so many maps in GW2, couldn't they spice it up by allowing players to control, or run or alter or be in charge, or do something? For example, if many maps (perhaps outside low level and lvl 80 maps) had a "capital" city or town that could be occupied by the most influential guild and would make that guild the sovereignty power of the map - being able to tax all npc and merchant activity by non-guild members, generating income, creating an extra source of income, and an entire resource for the guild.
Not only that but each server would have different favorite player run/owned cities depending on the popularity of each map..
So the player owned city in Blazeridge would be more worthwhile to players becomes it sees more player activity and action than the player run city in Snowden Drifts, as that is a less popular area.
If one guild could control one town, as their "guild town" the smaller guilds could fight over the towns on the lesser popular maps, while the bigger guilds could fight over the really worthwhile towns.
The idea would be to make a META game. a never ending player run player based economy were the content itself is players competing against each other on PvE terms.
It might not even be that ambitious. It might just be that guards at outposts are carrying the controlling guild's guild emblems or something like that.
I really miss.. that sense that a guild is shaping the entire world as an economic force or as a power force. I think its there in WvW, but I miss it in PvE. Because in the last few months i've been Dulfy'ing up achievements, getting the backpieces and never looked that much around. But my ALTs feel lonely and still misses the constant spring of players, that have now geared towards WvW, Dungeons, the Living world content, bosses, exotic hunting and other great parts of the game.
Nothing wrong with that. I just would like a general surplus of more players everywhere fighting over territory, trying to gain the edge as a powerful guild. Guild missions are fun, but I don't think it's the same as controlling an actual town. to me, being able to impact the world at that level is what MMORPGs is all about.
