Guild Wars Mini-Interview #46
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Q: There have been quite a few updates since the initial release of the game. Do you feel the ability to tweak things like balance and gameplay in such a timely fashion gives you a clear advantage over your competition? Have the updates been well received?
A: Wow, good timing. This week's update was one to which I was looking forward eagerly, because I had a sneak peek at the contents and the design team had decided on a great list of changes, updates, fixes and tweaks to the game. The reception has been remarkably positive more so then any other update, I would say.
What you so often see with game development is that the fans enjoy making suggestions, and they enjoy having discussions and debates about various elements of the game, but they've been accustomed to doing so in pretty much their own space operating in a vacuum with no real assurance that anything that was reported or suggested was actually noted. Along comes the Guild Wars Dev Team, and our members are daily reading the comments, considering the suggestions, and acting on reports of bugs, exploits, or cheats. Coupled with our streaming technology, we are then able to incorporate the good suggestions and to affect the necessary changes to the game on a really fast timetable.
Maybe underneath it all, it's not just how quickly we can act, but the fact that we're doing so that is a bit of a surprise to certain players. You've probably seen how some players wondered whether, in a "no monthly fee" game, there would be follow-up from its dev team. But you can see, and will continue to see, we didn't release the game and move on. We're spending lots of time and effort on tracking player satisfaction and tending to this baby like it's our first born child. Which, in fact, it is. :) We're working incrementally and with careful judgment on making improvements, and all while maintaining a real grasp on the original and ideal vision of the game.
This isn't to say that every single update is going to delight each and every player. With any given update there is going to be a certain percentage of players who are not happy with the changes. For instance, some players were really into the whole process of farming for loot, and today they're concerned about the recent changes that made farming less profitable. But the game is undergoing an evolutionary process, and some of the concerns being expressed in the short-term will be addressed with planned alterations in the longer term. It may not be apparent where things are moving, but positive and satisfactory changes are in the works and will be incorporated into the game with the same care that we have shown with all the other updates. On the other hand, players who had expressed concerns about having difficulties in capturing skills are delighted with the new Signet of Capture system, and there seems to be universal approval for that change.
Our ability to make updates in a fast and timely manner is incredibly valuable. Does this give us an advantage over our competition? Of course!
