Hunter links to a developer interview:
These two months combined are basically an expansion’s worth of content for free.
and goes on to explain:
I think people are getting the wrong idea. It’s fine as long as people keep their expectations reasonable but we will not be getting an expansion worth of content
Commenters proclaim it dishonest to promise an expansion’s worth of content without delivering an expansion’s worth of content. Hunter explains that it is unreasonable to expect an expansion’s worth of content just because a developer said there would be an expansion’s worth of content.
I can’t disagree with either response. I just love this example because it encapsulates so much.
: Zubon
taken quite a bit out of context, don’t you think? Colin explained it further:
quote: One of our major goals with these releases is making our existing world as strong as possible, ensuring there are reasons to go to all the locations in the world we’ve already built, and strengthening the core game we’ve provided. In saying this will be an expansions worth of stuff in these releases, we’re talking about the number of new features that will be rolled out across PvE, WvW, and PvP in early 2013, which usually you’d only find in an expansion for a traditional MMORPG.
Hunter does provide that link. The developers agree that you should not expect an expansion’s worth of content just because a developer said in an interview that there would be an expansion’s worth of content.
The confusion here is that you seem to be attributing the first quote (by Colin Johanson of Anet) and the second quote to the same person with the words “and goes on to explain” without actually stating who is doing the explaining in the second quote (the blogger). Both Colin and the bloggers comments put in context make things much clearer then what you are trying to infer.
I don’t get it. Developers (of all games) are always reminding players not to read too much into their comments. So now when they make specific comments players aren’t supposed to read into that either? 0.o
L2NotRead?
If a business lies to me, I will not buy what that business is producing. I shouldn’t have to give the salesman the benefit of the doubt that he just doesn’t know his product. What the heck? Are people just supposed to give in to the manipulation of businesses? Of other people in general? Are gamers supposed to just give in to the manipulations of developers? Because that’s what you’re suggesting here.
Game developers need to be responsible for their product, just like every other business. We’ve been making excuses for this industry for far too long.
No, although this might inform “reasonable expectations.”
You might also enjoy earlier posts on hype and marketing
Sorry, I’m not a troll. I just refuse to go through life expecting people to lie to me in various ways and being okay with it. Those are mind games, and I’m just not going to play.
Yes, I realize that’s called “marketing”. As a consumer, I don’t have to put up with it. If a product does what it claims to do, then I will back the company. That is my “reasonable expectation”.
The world is dishonest. No, I do not have to just shut up and take it and make excuses for it.
I’m glad we agree.
If I was told by a business “you get free cake” and imagined getting a whole cake, and then when I got there found that I only got a slice of cake, does that mean the business lied to me?
What is ‘an expansion worth of content’ anyway?
Just what I was going to say. I’m not sure it can be a lie when it’s such a vague and variable measure.
I started to comment here and it got a bit long so I turned it into a post over at mine. For those that don’t want to go read the whole thing, I think the important part is this bit:
“…to ArenaNet the word “Expansion” has a different meaning to that which it would have if Blizzard or SOE used it.
The only content release for ANet’s other Guild Wars game that was ever described officially as “an expansion” was “Guild Wars: Eye of the North”. Historically at least, in ANet/GW terms, an “expansion” is something less than you might expect. The previous additions to the elder game which were released as boxes through retail outlets were called “Campaigns”. Those were stand-alone products incorporating the original Guild Wars. Because EOTN uniquely required that you already own a Guild Wars Campaign to play it, they used the term “expansion pack” instead.”
Semantic laxity + marketing hype = disappointment, confusion and anger.
It seems like what they mean is that the impact of the update on the game will be comparable with that of an expansion, as opposed to the amount of new playable content added to the game being equivalent to a boxed expansion. Either way, as has been said above, it’s hardly a precise statement – the value of ‘an expansion worth’ will be judged differently by each player, and some will be disappointed, some won’t.
Not too long ago we were talking about muddled communication… this is just another example.
http://www.killtenrats.com/2012/12/26/trust/#comment-98047
“In saying this will be an expansions worth of stuff in these releases, we’re talking about the number of new features that will be rolled out across PvE, WvW, and PvP in early 2013, which usually you’d only find in an expansion for a traditional MMORPG.”
So I’m expecting a whole lot of something in jan/feb/mar — althought at this point I think I’ll be disappointed because they whole purpose of Colin’s second post was to “reign in expectations”.