EQII Article

ianubisi · January 2005

Two items of interest in this article:

1) 310,000 paying subscribers. There is a number for you to sink your teeth into regarding the current status of the game's financial health.

2) The Adventure Pack system.

I'm not sure what to think about the adventure pack system. If it is robust, inexpensive, and transparent then it may be an exceptionally good idea...especially if they can release them more frequently. I have absolutely no problem paying for the content I play, provided the following:

Robust
I would expect the content to be geared toward an entire range of character levels and for the content to reasonably carry me through that entire range. If the content is said to be for levels 20-27, for example, then I expect to be nearly level 27 once I have consumed all the content...consume meaning I have completed the quests, killed most of the mobs, and otherwise explored the area.

Inexpensive
Without trying to pinpoint a specific fee, I will use the following formula:

Total Price / Hours of Content = Price per Hour

MMOG companies have long expected a 4 month lifecycle of their games for the average player. That is to say, they don't expect players to last beyond 4 months...and most retail releases of games have targeted their playerbase to deliver 4 months worth of content. I am assuming that the average player playes 4 hours per day, 5 days a week. Thus, if you consume the entire 4 months at that rate you will have played ~320 hours over 4 months. Since you typically pay a $50 retail and $15 for 3 months (remember, first month is free) you will have paid $95 for 4 months. Hence:

$95 / 320 hours = $0.29 per Hour

We'll round that down to $0.25 just for simplicity, and since the distribution is already built into the engine. Hence, I would expect the price to be roughly $0.25 per hour. If I play for 20 hours, I would expect the fee to be $5.

That's how I define "Inexpensive"

Transparent
They claim that you can play some of the zone's content free, but pay for additional content. What that must mean to me, for this to be an attractive all-around option, is that I can pass on the content and feel like I'm not completely abandoned in the zone.

If the zone has a few camp spots, a few quests, and is more-or-less a part of the overall gameworld then I consider it transparent. If the pay-to-play content is truly additional, and I am getting more for my money then I will be satisfied. If I feel like I'm being excluded from content that is vital to proper character progression because I do not opt for the Adventure Pack, then it is not transparent and I will be highly disappointed.

---------

So that's my outlook on this feature. I suspect this is the way things will be done in the future...and if done right, I think that's a very good thing.

FaithRaven · January 2005

1) its not an article, it just a cheap and stupid advertise

2) eq2 sux if your not another lifeless player. grinding without end and goal its not fun at all.

hercules · January 2005

310k seems about right.

Though under 30 servers each server capacity is very high .

ianubisi · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven
1) its not an article, it just a cheap and stupid advertise
2) eq2 sux if your not another lifeless player. grinding without end and goal its not fun at all.

How quaint and irrelevant!

Nahallac · January 2005

Looks like an article to me ...title, body, author...

Anyhow, thanks for the info, ianubisi.

Nahallac Silverwinds
Alter Destiny
Tunare - EQ

FaithRaven · January 2005

This guy comment a NEWS from gamespot site.

Read before posting

Unknown · January 2005

Wow, SoE is making 4,340,000.00 a month on subscription fees.

Dekoth · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven

1) its not an article, it just a cheap and stupid advertise
2) eq2 sux if your not another lifeless player. grinding without end and goal its not fun at all.

You are starting to sound like a Scratched CD, repeating the same tired innane drivel over and over.

hercules · January 2005

Well only news there is the numbers.Considering 1)it has no pvp

2)has high specs requirement,probably highest in any mmorpg

3) did not attract the current cubs of EQlive to it.

310k accounts is a very good result for it.

Adventure packs is just a fancy name for updates which all mmorpg have.So nothing news there though they did add 2 more zones yesterday.

Wickes · January 2005

If you guys can resist the temptation to throw peanuts at the monkey, it will eventually go away

ianubisi · January 2005

Originally posted by hercules

Adventure packs is just a fancy name for updates which all mmorpg have.So nothing news there though they did add 2 more zones yesterday.

You're neglecting the paid content element of this, though. This is entirely new.

Unknown · January 2005

Originally posted by ianubisi

MMOG companies have long expected a 4 month lifecycle of their games for the average player.

No, they have never "long expected" this. When MMORPGs first started out, during the era of UO, the game DEVs were making their games, and treating their playerbase as the loyal players they were. Easily expecting 1 year, 1+ years.

When EQ came along same thing. Brad McQuaid and John Smeadly, were expecting their players, their fans, to stick around far longer than 4 months. Just from looking at the content in the original EQ, it is obvious they were expecting 1 year solid, easily expected. With 1+ years still expected.

It was only with the release of the newest MMORPGs, AC2 and SWG especially, (SWG more, since it is the major one.) that the suits and ties have shown they do not take their fans seriously. It is now a horrible circle:

1. Don't take the fans seriously. Don't expect any loyalty from the fans. Expect them to easily jump ship.

2. Then fans and players then are not loyal to the game. Their turn over rate increases.

That is to say, they don't expect players to last beyond 4 months...and most retail releases of games have targeted their playerbase to deliver 4 months worth of content.

I hope this is not true... right now. But alas, you might be more right about this when looking at current MMORPGs. Which is sooo sad.

I am assuming that the average player playes 4 hours per day, 5 days a week. Thus, if you consume the entire 4 months at that rate you will have played ~320 hours over 4 months. Since you typically pay a $50 retail and $15 for 3 months (remember, first month is free) you will have paid $95 for 4 months. Hence:

I blame the suits and ties. In the longrun, this kind of thinking KILLS the game. In the shortrun, yeah they make money. But in the longrun they never build any kind of quality player community. And any quality player community that does somehow build up, get's lost. Which slowly kills the game, ending up with the majority of players being a transient community.

-Personal Website
http://www.geocities.com/xplororor/index.html
-AC, AC2, AO, EQ, SWG:
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor
http://community.webshots.com/user/captain_sica_xol
-EverQuest II:
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor_eq2archives01
-EQ, Dungeon Siege, Diablo II, *UXO*:
http://community.webshots.com/user/xplororor_archives01
-EVE Online !!!
http://community.webshots.com/user/sica_xol_archives01
DAoC
http://community.webshots.com/user/sica_xol_archives02

FaithRaven · January 2005

nah, they will keep making money. They are not stupid, they are actually very smart. Their target is lifeless players, who will never quit. The fun for them is being better than others, not the actual game. I know this from my own experience. Im happy i passed this period and it wasn't very long.

Acaeus · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven
nah, they will keep making money. They are not stupid, they are actually very smart. Their target is lifeless players, who will never quit. The fun for them is being better than others, not the actual game. I know this from my own experience. Im happy i passed this period and it wasn't very long.

I understand what you saying but disagree. I think they missed the target and they know it.

hercules · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven
nah, they will keep making money. They are not stupid, they are actually very smart. Their target is lifeless players, who will never quit. The fun for them is being better than others, not the actual game. I know this from my own experience. Im happy i passed this period and it wasn't very long.

So because others like a different game then you .It makes them lifeless?

I owna house,a car,a cat and have a job and play eq2.So what does that mean in your equation lol.

gattm99 · January 2005

Advrnture Packs, Blarg! In EQ you had to buy a new expansion every few months, now you'll have to buy one every time they add any content, oh and the box expansion too I bet. Of course you don't have to buy the ADVENTURE PACK expansions but what they aren't tellig you is the first part, the free part, will be heavy on lore, the second part, the one you got to pay for, will be heavy on the loot!

I think that some of the top execs at SoE used to sell drugs,

hercules · January 2005

Originally posted by gattm99

Advrnture Packs, Blarg! In EQ you had to buy a new expansion every few months, now you'll have to buy one every time they add any content, oh and the box expansion too I bet. Of course you don't have to buy the ADVENTURE PACK expansions but what they aren't tellig you is the first part, the free part, will be heavy on lore, the second part, the one you got to pay for, will be heavy on the loot!
I think that some of the top execs at SoE used to sell drugs,

LOL.You are probably right there

Avitu · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven
1) its not an article, it just a cheap and stupid advertise
2) eq2 sux if your not another lifeless player. grinding without end and goal its not fun at all.

You don't have to grind in Everquest 2.
You know why they call it EverQUEST 2?
Because there are lots and lots of quests. Many different ones to do. I played it for awhile and found a lot of fun quests, with many different things to do.

You wanna grind and be lifeless, go join the Battle.net whiners IMHO :-)

Avitu · January 2005

BTW i think the adventure packs might be a good idea actually

Saranum · January 2005

To me this seems a little bad, the normal expansions SOE puts out are already far more often than in other mmorpgs and now they ad mini expansions.

I'm sure it will be the way someone else already said, those mini expansions will have new mega very special monsters, with new mega special loot. Because if those weren't in it people who paid it would be dissapointet.

Additionaly those zones will be less populated so groups have less problems with all the standard grieving and lag etc.
This creates a 2 class community based on rl money, which in my oppionion only hurts a game. Especially mmorpgs.

I myself have now cancelled my eq2 subscription because I can't stand SOE anymore.
Sure they need to make money etc. but they are already making money like hell!!
But at the same time, customer support and general kindness to the customers goes down and down.
And as european customer it's even worse with SOE

edit: spelling etc.
----------------------------------------
Evil UO has doomed my poor soul, and now I'm wandering restlessly through all MMORPG's desperately searching for a place to rest in peace.....

FaithRaven · January 2005

In WoW, Lineage2 and other games you need to pay the game and montly fee. And you get updates and expansion packs for FREE.

In Guild Wars you need to pay every major expansion pack, but theres no montly fee.

In EQ2 you need to pay both montly fee and expansion packs.

DON`T tell me that you don't have to buy expansion packs, because most of your friends will, and you will have to buy them too. Otherwise you would have to make new friends or solo, and you can't solo in eq2.

If you love to be raped, keep saying how great eq2 and sony are. But i see a lot of eq2 players quit.

I guess thats the real reason why you hate Blizzard. Your friends are going to WoW but you love your character too much to quit eq2.

hercules · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven

In WoW, Lineage2 and other games you need to pay the game and montly fee. And you get updates and expansion packs for FREE.
In Guild Wars you need to pay every major expansion pack, but theres no montly fee.
In EQ2 you need to pay both montly fee and expansion packs.
DON`T tell me that you don't have to buy expansion packs, because most of your friends will, and you will have to buy them too. Otherwise you would have to make new friends or solo, and you can't solo in eq2.
If you love to be raped, keep saying how great eq2 and sony are. But i see a lot of eq2 players quit.
I guess thats the real reason why you hate Blizzard. Your friends are going to WoW but you love your character too much to quit eq2.

Erm ok as you say

Avitu · January 2005

Originally posted by FaithRaven
In WoW, Lineage2 and other games you need to pay the game and montly fee. And you get updates and expansion packs for FREE.
In Guild Wars you need to pay every major expansion pack, but theres no montly fee.
In EQ2 you need to pay both montly fee and expansion packs.
DON`T tell me that you don't have to buy expansion packs, because most of your friends will, and you will have to buy them too. Otherwise you would have to make new friends or solo, and you can't solo in eq2.
If you love to be raped, keep saying how great eq2 and sony are. But i see a lot of eq2 players quit.
I guess thats the real reason why you hate Blizzard. Your friends are going to WoW but you love your character too much to quit eq2.

Did anybody ever tell you you are an idiot?

Most MMorpgs make you pay the expansions and the monthly fee.

By the way, do you get sexually aroused by Blizzard or something?
Ok, so some players quit EQ2 for WoW. Their loss. It's not because you see a few people quit EQ2 for WoW that the game is running empty. I've seen a lot of players move from DaoC to WoW and back to DaoC. Believe me, WoW is not perfection itself. Now go play WoW and shut up.

Razzar · January 2005

Not all negative comments are bad.

The Article is great and very honest. Its this kind of feedback SOE needs that will inform them of the percerptions the player communtity has. This is NOT a bad thing - its good - it stings, but when these concerns are addressed and corrected the product will be that much better.

EQ2 has alot of possibilities ... but a player cannot play possibilities, this only leads to frustrations. SOE is pulling alot of players in from hopes of what EQ1 was (but over nerfed now imho) - I liked how the writer pointed out the J Boots rip off - these things are not worth the $90 plus you spend for the game in hopes of getting these one time high desired items - J Boots now are not worth the effort.

anyway - not all negative feedback is bad - SOE needs to hear the Good AND the Bad to make products better.

ladygator · January 2005

All you have to do is take a peek at the EQ2 forums to see how unhappy players are at the moment.

We are paying for BETA and they are talking new adventure packs.

The game was not ready for release. Period. They pushed it out in hopes of distracting people from WOW (Which I am now looking into)

After playing the game for 2 months they just totally nerfed the tradeskill sysytem, that never worked properly to begin with.

http://www.loeclan.com/sigs/LG/LGsig2.jpg

FaithRaven · January 2005

too bad they don't care

Avitu does sony give you an expansion pack for free if you post here or are you just a stupid fanboi who love his eq2 character too much ? look around you and grow up.

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