Worst Communication from a company ever.

Wow... impatient much? I don't begrudge the fact that the people on Live have the devs' attention at the moment. They had to wait while we got work done on our TLP servers. I'm happy they're getting their expansion and I'm confident once the expansion's released, we'll hear from the devs again.

I think one of the hangups for people (myself included) is that they haven't provided any kind of ruleset information. There is speculation that—coming on the heels of nearly a year just spent in Classic/Kunark by the likely playerbase of the new server—this new TLP may launch with Velious enabled, or allow transfers from RF/LJ, or be the rumored "seasonal" server, etc etc. People are wondering if they should really dig in to Kunark (or are they just going to be stuck there for another six months on the new server), or should they invest a lot of time in their RF/LJ character (if transfers are allowed) or will they just have to start all over again (if not).

It'd be very nice to have some clarity on just how the new server will be structured, as it will affect how or how much many people play on RF/LJ.

Now I am no mind reader, but to one of your points, you could take it to the bank that if they open a new server they won't allow transfers from RF/LJ for at least a large window of time. If they allow you to jump onto the new server with a maxed out toon full of gear from the bot-ridden servers, does it really solve the problem? I think what most people want (I can really only speak for myself) is to enjoy the entire -process- of going from 1-60 without other people or guilds using bots.

That being said, I really hope they open with at Kunark. By having such a huge classic period, everyone is 40+ by the time kunark comes out and you can never get any groups in the cool lower-level kunark zones (except of course everyone and their sister plvling their alts in FOB/Kurns).

So sorry to have ruffled your feathers. Just ignore me and it won't happen again.

You didn't, and I wont.

edit I know you're smarter than you act on these threads, and I wasn't being sarcastic with my last post at all. You have a distinctive style that at one point was very common, but is only helpful in a certain type of atmosphere that no longer exists.

Yes, of course these things take time and if trusted, a company can work on it while their customers wait patiently.

DBG's problem, IMO, is that a blunderous record has eroded any confidence or credibility. Some of this they inherited but if they claim to be "business as usual" then it's the same team so just think about their track record:

• Announce Everquest Next and start development with lots of excitement
• Scrap Everquest Next and go back to the drawing board
• Announce Everquest Next again and start development with lots of excitement, again
• Scrap Everquest Next and go back to the drawing board again
• Announce Everquest Next and Landmark
• Launch Landmark as the building tools for EQN
• Change Landmark into a standalone game
• Stop all communication about EQN and shutdown forums but insist its still being developed
• Announce landmark is not going to be related to EQN anymore
• Sell the company
• Fire the leader of EQN
• Fire the president of the company
• Don't talk about the most anticipated MMORPG in history anymore - total silence
• Barely acknowledge Landmark
• Announce a new TLP server
• Totally botch the voting system and progression
• Announce a second server to make things right
• Totally botch the voting system and progression
• Announce Free For All no GM support
• Promise guide support
• Announce filthy casuals
• Rescind filthy casuals
• Backpedal half dozen various twitter announcements
• Quietly pretend you never promised guide support
• Implement player controlled rotations
• Reneg player controlled rotations
• Botch another release vote
• Massively botch two rollbacks

If they didn't have such a terrible record of screw-ups to their customers then maybe their customers would triust them enough to sit patiently. But I think, given how badly they've treated their customer base and the Everquest franchise, they are obligated to re-establish some trust and goodwill with their customers.
This starts with communication but the final bullet on their list is

• Completely ignore pleas for information

I forget where (probably Twitter), but transfers were already answered of that list - as an absolute no for "a long time" or some equivalent statement.

But yes, there's plenty of details that would be nice to hear clarification on for planning. (Part of why my guild planning is slow rolling right now - I'd rather not over-recruit and have to run multiple raids for efficiency so there's some bothersome ones for such planning)

Regardless though, we won't get a better product by distracting them from doing their best on the expansion - if we get info in the meantime it's awesome, but don't get distraught if we don't... Once the expansion is all set (and launch kinks worked out) - it's time for them to start Q&A'ing (assuming the timetable is still on - if there's a longer timetable delaying could be understood) some though for sure.

And where is this so-called obligation documented? Or is it just in your head, and the heads of the other self-entitled children? And what is the other shoe? If they don't re-establish this trust and goodwill that you obligate them to, you....... what? Go play some other game? Pick up your marbles and go home? Throw a tantrum?

You are seeming particularly disgruntled today Steam!

Obligated was probably the wrong word. Change it to "It would be a good opportunity to re-establish some trust and goodwill with their customers." and you would have a winner though.

Yes, it would be a very good opportunity. I, myself, have a small list of things I wish would be improved, and communications is near the top of that list. But, when I hear words like "obligation", and people talking like they are owed something other that what is in the TOS or EULA, then I admit that my gruntle gets disarrayed.

This is a classic straw man argument: you've distracted from my main premise by focusing on the semantics of the term "obligation", so first let's get that out of the way because even that you did incorrectly.

You are trying to use the technical definition of the term "obligation". I deliberately did not say that they have "contractual requirement" or "legal mandate". I used the word "obligation" specifically in the context and commonly understood usage. In a business relationship, there are common decencies and expected behaviors.

More importantly, you have not refuted one single blunder I listed.

If 6 months + a week is nearly a Year in your eyes, then you have some issues to sort out. #mathfail

Most of those "blunders" are examples of two things:
1) Readjustment under a change of top ownership. (Remember how many of those things were PRE-Daybreak when they were owned by Sony, not the new owners [blanking on their name ATM])
2) Trying to make many different groups happy and giving each turns and/or naivete that one group isn't as upset with concepts as initially thought.

The stuff under #1 are par for the course, and on #2 it's better to TRY to lure people back with adjustments to make things for them than to just say "Nah, let the product die" since no change just lets entropy take its course with nothing to replace the loss.

Colombus Nova

Server isn't launching tomorrow. #logicfail

I think the sad reality is most of the people complaining do want their hands held..........

.....and at the same time get their new stuff asap omg (or else /cutsself #hungerstrike #cancelling27goldaccounts /ragequit)!

(all while being too dense, shortsighted and/or selfish to realize that their two demands conflict significantly with one another.)

This will end up being the most awkward thread lock in history.

Lock w/ no response: Thread is self fulfilling.
Lock w/ response: No one will be satisfied anyway. Ad infintium.

Followed by a similar thread in the near future, which inevitably will result in....


Ad infintium. Ad infintium.

The guide sticky is back and has been at least as long as I've been reading the forums today.

Frankly don't have time to read this and this may come off harsher than I want it to but ...

The live servers (12+ of us) got stuck in the situation you're in for a couple of months when TLP Ragefire and Lockjaw were being worked on. The almost 2 months or more after launch the same thing when all the myriads of time was spent working on changes for two servers.

Now the DGC team is working on the expansion launch for the majority of players (aka us other 12+ servers). I do want them to communicate with you but launch is in a week so if you have to wait a week to get a response, please don't go off half baked.

Your communication of what exactly you meant by implying it's already been a year was poor at best then. I guess it's fitting for this poor communications thread though, so kudos for that.