Arena Net Blog - When It's Ready

http://www.arena.net/blog/when-its-ready
I don't have time to read it right now, but want to post for those of you are probably interested. I'll post my thoughts later when I've had the chance to read.|||One sentence paraphrase: "Your whining has no effect on how quickly we are going to release information and we intend to enjoy Thanksgiving and Christmas."
At least it sounds like a profession is almost at reveal and we might see it before the new year.|||Well, a lot of us understood this already, and the rest will probably complain regardless. Still, it's better than the dead air we've had for the past month.
My only quibble is with the second-to-last paragraph, regarding professions. We understand that the profession webpages take a lot of time and resources to put together, and you don't want to show them until they're ready, but a simple name drop would make a lot of us extremely happy (If only so we can go back to planning our future character rosters.)|||A bit stuffy shirted if you ask me.
Where is the companion player then if you don't say things ahead of time?
Why have Reggie release the info that GW2 was the next evolution of the game straight off the bat?
I appreciate it's a lot of hard work and there is no pleasing everyone - but dragging your heels like this doesn't make it any better - you were the ones that let the cat out of the bag and this is the consequences of that action Anet.
The fact that a lot of the old team are no longer there makes me wonder what the actual agenda is now at Anet.
Enjoy your holidays, know that you are NCSofts last effort to be taken seriously - but also know that your fan base will start to mock you for your own failings.
-Art|||Anet's fanbase seems to mock them no matter what they do.
"When it's ready" is a stance all developers should take. Maybe then the video game industry wouldn't be plagued with bad/medicore product.

Quote:








Fair enough but we do require something in return for our patience.




A good game?|||The article is all well and good, and reads in many ways like a developers dream, but at some point you have to sell something. You can't just keep itterating forever.
Eric says that they can take there time because they can rely on our patience. Fair enough but we do require something in return for our patience.|||Was not expecting a response post like this.
(This definitely means far less threads and posts about future releases from me. While I would certainly like new information, I would also like people to randomly give me large amounts of money, and get that the information will be released some time in the future that's up to Anet. The posts and weren't meant to be too seriously, but I can see how they've seemed to fan some flames, and some of them have been a bit more aggressive.)

Am definitely familiar with the "When its ready" release methods of blizzard and Valve (among others), that usually work out fine, so while this recent slowdown was surprising, its not something completely out of the blue or something to get really angry about.|||Quote:








I appreciate it's a lot of hard work and there is no pleasing everyone - but dragging your heels like this doesn't make it any better - you were the ones that let the cat out of the bag and this is the consequences of that action Anet.




Actually, one of the main failing of Arena Net with GW1 was that they tried to please everyone, and forgot that players are, well, players, not game developers. What players want may be good in the short run, but not in the long run.
For example, when GW2 was announced, people complained that they wanted more information NOW. Arena Net released a small bit of information just to go with the news, but people complained (or rather, "mocked" them) for not saying more. Arena Net made the right choice, though - had they said anything else, it would likely have changed between that moment and the game's release.
Then, earlier this year, players complained (and again "mocked" Arena Net) since we were left a long time without news. Which, again, makes perfect sense - it's better to wait until features are set in stone than announce things which will not be in the final game (see bar fights in Age of Conan for one among multiple examples).
And around that time people began complaining that ArenaNet should not have announced GW2 so soon - and again, if those players knew better they would have noticed that ArenaNet could not simply stop the production of GW1 chapters and not give players any reason. In fact, one of the main selling points of GW:EN was the bridge it would be between GW1 and GW2, something which only made sense as long as GW2 had already been announced.
And now, when ArenaNet released all the information they could about the game, so people know it's not "vaporware" as some "mocking" rumors stated... People complain that they should not have released as much information so soon, since apparently the game is not close to being finished. Which, again, is short term thinking - showing to both players and NCSoft how the game was successful at the Gamescon and PAX conventions is a good way to gather both more good will and more resources.
If anything, the failings which deserve to be mocked are the ones of a segment of the player community, which cannot think on the long term and is focused sorely on short term gratification. That kind of limited planning doesn't work when you are planning for years instead of days.
Erasculio|||Quote:








If anything, the failings which deserve to be mocked are the ones of a segment of the player community, which cannot think on the long term and is focused sorely on short term gratification. That kind of limited planning doesn't work when you are planning for years instead of days.
Erasculio




While generally, true, would it really have been so much for them to say that after the conventions are over, we probably won't have any new info to release on GW2 for awhile?
The huge influx of information is naturally going to leave a desire for more.
I was one of the ones hoping for a summer 2011 release, but this does make it sound like the wait will be much longer.
Hopefully the new Cantha content will hit between Thanksgiving and Wintersday to keep us occupied.|||Quote:








would it really have been so much for them to say that after the conventions are over, we probably won't have any new info to release on GW2 for awhile?




My guess is they didn't know that themselves. I think they trully believed that by November they would have more work done and info to release. Judging by recent interviews, they are just not happy with a lot of stuff so they can't release info. Eric Flannum pretty much answers 90% of the questions with "We can't talk about that yet". The new GuildFans interview makes it clear that they are not happy with the remaining 4 professions, WvW, PvP, crafting, underwater combat, heck even with the Sylvari race, and who knows what more.
My point is that they want to release info but can't because work is not being completed. That said, I agree that summer 2011 is not likely as a release point. Late 2011 maybe.