[dabble]

Or will they just let it rot?


http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/p...opic_id=483443

http://everquest2.com/free_to_play/extended_faq

[Lonestryder]

Originally Posted by dabble

Or will they just let it rot?


http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/p...opic_id=483443

http://everquest2.com/free_to_play/extended_faq

I have given up trying to forecast anything in this industry. To follow something to its logical conclusion requires logical progression. It seems reading about and discussing MMOs has become more of a pasttime than the games (er, entertainment experiences) themselves.

[Nepenthia]

It is interesting isn't it that even in going F2P with EQ2, SOE is just following the pack. SOE does not innovate.

I suppose something like this was inevitable with EQ2 but ... given that it seems like some decision makers at SOE don't want to put focus or attention on VG ... maybe we'll be lucky and they will continue to ignore it!

[Loampounder]

With VG, I'm sure there would be problems going this route, blamed on the junkyard that is VG game code.

However, before going any further, I’d like to stop and say that we’re tied into what you, the community of EQII players, have said about selling items with stats and how they affect a game where you traditionally earn your way forward. We completely understand there’s a solid core of you that want nothing at all to do with that. We respect your wishes and, as I’ve personally stated previously, we’re not planning any changes to the current subscription worlds at all. Those servers, that subscription service and that gameplay will continue as normal. We’ll continue to support the existing Live service with content, expansions, features, and events…just as we’ve always done. In fact, we’re upping the ante by providing subscription rewards packages for active users that buy multi-month subscriptions, giving them rewards like cool, unique, exclusive items and Station Cash.

LOL, typical SOE BS. So, they "completely understand" that there are people who don't want changes to the traditional game they paid for, but then SOE is going to do it anyway with little warning.

[Fozzik]

Originally Posted by Lonestryder

I have given up trying to forecast anything in this industry. To follow something to its logical conclusion requires logical progression. It seems reading about and discussing MMOs has become more of a pasttime than the games (er, entertainment experiences) themselves.

Truer words were never spoken, my friend.

It's time to slay the dragon has turned into:
It's time to go pound our heads against the wall on the next new game's forums!

[mmorpeegee]

I wouldn't actually play EQ2 even I was paid $10 an hour.

Vanguard however, if it's price changed I might consider playing it again. I always wanted to play it as a 2 box, but last time I checked, it was £9.95 for each account, so I would never pay that for a dead game. If it became free to play, I might give it a shot, but it all depends on what exactly they will milk from me to make their money.

[Dragon-RD]

I heard about this on the PCGamer forums and it sounds like a reasonable idea. Having P2P servers that you can transfer your main over to the F2P server and level them independently (minus some loot so the server doesn't get over crowded right away) Thumbs up for at least trying SoE.

Originally Posted by Fozzik

...It's time to slay the dragon...

I bloody hope not.

[Gori]

Originally Posted by Dragon-RD

I heard about this on the PCGamer forums and it sounds like a reasonable idea. Having P2P servers that you can transfer your main over to the F2P server and level them independently (minus some loot so the server doesn't get over crowded right away) Thumbs up for at least trying SoE.

Right now though it costs $35 to transfer one toon to the extended servers from the "legacy" servers. They go only with the gear you are wearing, any attuned or no trade gear in your backpacks, and the backpacks themselves; you can take no money.

I think extended is a good idea, but they are potentially screwing the existing "legacy" server playerbase. In eq2 you used to have two ways to try the game: Refer-a-Friend (RAF) and the 14 day free trial. With the launch of the extended servers, they are removing the free trial from the "legacy" game. So the only way the "legacy" servers are going to get new blood is through RAF or someone actually paying for the game without playing it.

If the free trial and RAF weren't enough to keep up with the attrition rate before on some servers, how will they fair without the free trial? Certainly not better I would say, so many players fear this is the start of a faster spiral of population loss and server consolidation.

I can understand SOEs point though. They want to funnel as many people as possible to the extended server and feel that doing away with the "legacy" trial will help do that. They may have looked at the use of, conversion rates, and ulitmately $ made, on the free trials and figured that they have a better shot of converting and making more money if they funnel these new people to the extended servers. That is a pure business decision.

But, as is par for the course, SOE is doing a horrible job of communicating with the playerbase at the minute.

I am pretty familiar with the issues and the features of the new service, some of which have changed since it was first announced, so if anyone has any questions just post em and I will see if I can help.

[mmorpeegee]

Argh it's still £9.49 per month.

I wish they would lower the price. I've been tempted to come back for years, because I would like to try 2 boxing my way around the world. But at that price it will never happen. I kept expecting them to lower the price seeing as it's dying, but by the looks of it, it will stay £9.49 until the day they close it down.

[Gori]

Originally Posted by mmorpeegee

Argh it's still £9.49 per month.

I wish they would lower the price. I've been tempted to come back for years, because I would like to try 2 boxing my way around the world. But at that price it will never happen. I kept expecting them to lower the price seeing as it's dying, but by the looks of it, it will stay £9.49 until the day they close it down.

Depending on how you feel about playing on a server with real items for sale, and if you could deal with the limitations, you could have two accounts on the extended server for 2 one time payments of $10. (meaning that is all you have to pay them ever)

As long as you don't care about races, the big limits on that option are class and bag slots. You can scribe expert spells and wear mastercrafted armor, which is plenty for the level of combat you would be looking at for a two box.

Matrix here:
http://everquest2.com/_themes/defaul...shipMatrix.jpg

Edited to add: And as pissed off as I am about the potential abandonment of the "legacy" servers, I have been screwing around in the extended beta and I have to say they have did a decent job of updating the UI and modifying the "tutorial" stuff.

[mmorpeegee]

Thanks for the info.

I gotta wonder if they have considered an EQ3 yet.

[perfect]

Originally Posted by mmorpeegee

Thanks for the info.

I gotta wonder if they have considered an EQ3 yet.

EQNext has been announced for some time now.

Take your pick of links: http://www.google.com/search?q=eqnex...ient=firefox-a

Or you could look at the one for this site: http://www.silkyvenom.com/forums/sho...400#post355400

[mmorpeegee]

Thanks for the info. I've been checking that out. I wonder how it will turn out.

[Dragon-RD]

Originally Posted by mmorpeegee

Thanks for the info. I've been checking that out. I wonder how it will turn out.

Probably quite well if they can learn from their mistakes. I don't mean to be offensive to 'em but they have made quite a few and not just Vanguard related.

[Lonestryder]

Originally Posted by Dragon-RD

Probably quite well if they can learn from their mistakes. I don't mean to be offensive to 'em but they have made quite a few and not just Vanguard related.

Given the current stance of SOE on MMORPG's, does anyone really think EQNEXT will be anything but RMT/FTP-centric?

[mmorpeegee]

I see it going one of two ways.

1) They will do their usual, infamous, crappy, SOE approach, and get everything wrong. Rampant RMT, screw up the design again and have to shoe horn in a bunch of instances to ease the load, make it massively dumbed down for the masses, in the hope that millions will migrate from WoW, bite off more than they can chew, go massively over budget, and be forced to cut corners left and right. Try to make it work on both consoles and the PC in the hope to reel in the big $$, and annoy both audiences in the process. The result being another game, which campy mainstream dumbness alienates old EQ fans, and lack of perfection fails to attract the masses they hoped for.

2) Shock the world by realising that they are a predictable mess, and that this same predictable series of lame decisions achieves nothing but another $30m+ screw up. And in an effort to not go bankrupt making what could potentially be SOE's last ever screw up, they do everything the opposite of how they usually do it. Starting by aiming at a specific audience and making sure that it satisfies them, even if they are not 10 million strong. Wishful thinking?

[AsheMan]

Originally Posted by mmorpeegee

Wishful thinking?

Beyond wishful thinking.

[Lonestryder]

Interesting. The post I made here this evening was removed. Can anyone tell me why?

[Fozzik]

Wasn't me...

Maybe there was a glitch with the forums?

Yeah, looks like the forums are having issues. I gave me a SQL error when I tried to post this and then rerouted me to the first page of the thread.

[Lonestryder]

OK, groovy. It was just more of the same anyway .