The released game is not just the beta + polishing

Hey Reddit,

seeing how many discussions there are about whether the beta is good or disappointing, I'll throw in my 50 cent and I hope its ok to open a new thread.

I just saw someone play the beta for about 6 hours and I was able to play it myself for half an hour, PvE and PvP. I won't tell anything about the content, even though I can't break the NDA because I never signed it. But seeing the beta in the current state did two things with my expectations and maybe you'll agree:

First, I was a little bit disillusioned. The Combat system looked "normal", killing trash-mobs looked boring like in every other mmo, a big boss didn't freak me out because I've seen this boss in countless other Press-Beta-Videos before..

But that didn't last long, because thinking back when I started playing GW1 when it just came out, I tried to imagine the same situation then. JUST looking at the combat system from GW1 or it's differences from other MMOs wouldn't make you think "oh wow, thats revolutionary".

But when all the small things come together, for example

• A character which you will play for months or years, instead of beta-throwaways to which you have no emotional binding
• A fine feeling for the world you are in, for the ingame community, for the economy..
• The feeling of being part of a guild
• Story, instead of seeing as much as you can in a short period of time
• Playing together with your friends, thus not totally concentrating about every detail of the game but instead seeing it JUST as a game and enjoying the social aspect of it..
• [insert many more]

when those things all come together, I believe GW2 will be the most modern MMO out there. Especially the way it contributes to playing "social".

Please keep in mind that a big part of an MMO are the people who play it, the memories about certain events or quests, the time you spent with making your char the badass he is.

Getting to play a game for 2 days with JUST the game itself, but without all the factors that contribute to the feeling of the game, is not the same as playing the game six months after release when you've gotten used to it. And I am pretty damn sure that it will be a lot better than it is now when you play beta. And it is already good. Actually, if I JUST compare the mechanics, I would prefer GW2 even in its current beta-state over all the MMOs I've played until today.

So basically, seeing the beta made my expectations and hopes shift from the "mechanics"-topic to the social topic. Knowing ANet is constantly fixing and updating their games, I now do believe that the mechanics-part is definitly "good" for a beta. Not perfect, not live-changing, but better than I'd expect from any other MMO. If I'll find a good guild, if the GW2-Community is great, I will have a fantastic time playing it. But it will probably still be just a game.

Edit: well, said I wouldn't talk about mechanics :D