Login Delays Hit Guild Wars 2 Launch

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Log-in delays cause delay to Guild Wars 2 launch



28 August 2012



Log-in issues have impacted online video game Guild Wars 2 as the title officially launches.



After five years of development, the long anticipated massively multiplayer game went on sale Tuesday.



The sheer volume of players accessing the game meant that many had delays or were unable to catch up with their friends when playing the new game.



This launch comes at an extremely difficult time for online game developers, many of which are trying to keep their players on the line.



It is set in the same fantasy world of Tyria as the original , but takes place 250 years after the first Guild Wars.



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While 28 August is the official date for launch for the title, those who pre-ordered it game got access to the game early, starting on 25 August.



Keen players who tried to log in to play on the first day of the early access period had to wait for a long time to get started or had to play in a "staging" area, which left players unable to play with other players.



Since the official launch brings in more players, there will be delays.



Guild Wars 2 gives players the job of reuniting the members of a guild of heroes known as Destiny's Edge, who are required to save Tyria from the ravages of five elder dragons that have awoken and caused chaos to the world and its inhabitants.



ArenaNet claims to have made important modifications to the normal game mechanics of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs) to take away the monotony needed to make Destiny's Edge to re-form and from the other tasks and quests that players are given.



Alec Meer, from PC games news site Rock Paper Shotgun, said Guild Wars 2 presented many of the most popular MMOs in an "fresh and nuanced style" that could hold the interest of players.



He said that the combat was highly tactical, intricate and flexible, which should give it a life beyond the routine loot-hunting of its counterparts. "This is a game that needs to be mastered rather than merely spend endless hours playing it."



Guild Wars 2 has been launched at a time of change for many MMOs, which have lost regular players. Many developers have ended their reliance on regular monthly subscriptions in preference to the "freemium" model that gives players an uncapped game, but costs for extra features.



Wesley Yin-Poole who is news editor at Eurogamer The Eurogamer news editor said Guild Wars' history would make it less likely to drop its upfront fees.



The game is said to have it a "unique" position in the MMO landscape because players must pay before they download and start adventuring. Guild Wars 2 is available in the UK for PS49.99. Then, he said micro-transactions on gear and other items help to fund ongoing development.



He said, "That method worked well in the first Guild Wars game and it looks set for Guild Wars 2." It works because it has a massive appeal to the hardcore and a loyal following that was established by the first game.



He said that Guild Wars 2 may have been against the trend of other MMOs, but there was no doubt the traditional monthly payment model for online gaming was "dead".



He added that, while World of Warcraft might still cost millions of dollars, it does have the option of playing for free. Game servers Star Wars: The Old Republic and Star Wars: The New Republic are coming soon.



"I doubt we'll ever get a monthly subscription to a MMO ever again," he said.



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