So what do you think of the DarkPaw Games announcement?

"That EQ3 is being worked on is the worst kept secret in the industry. What do you think Holly has been doing all day for the last 2ish years? Lauren was brought in to run EQ and EQ2. Holly has been trying different ideas to get EQ3 off the ground. In lore and style, it would be a direct sequel along the lines of EQ and EQ2." -- Morgan Feldon (May 2018)

Glad other people are catching up.


After EQN/L collapsed, the only way anyone is going to cough up money for EQ3 is if Darkpaw Games shows off a near-beta build of EQ3 that knocks everyone's socks off and makes a strong enough showing to wash the bad taste of EQN out of people's mouths. That would require 50-75 developers working flat out for 2 1/2 years under disciplined leadership with a strong creative vision.

Where would Darkpaw find the $7-10 million that would cost? Where would they find 50-75 people to relocate to San Diego and take a chance on a job that might not last a year? The odds seem so far stacked against Daybreak/Darkpaw that I think it's going to take an angel investor going All In. I hope I'm wrong.

Sorry to burst your bubble, but the supremely unhappy fanbase that all you guys go on and on about are mostly gathered in this forum. About 20 of ya' best I can tell whose sole reason for existence seems to be knocking the game one way or the other.

Out in the game though most of us are playiing, grouping, laughing, trying to figure out strats and where we are gonna get the next gear upgrade. Most of the game doesn't give a fat rat's patootie about what goes on in here.

The thing about saying "all of EQ2's fans are still playing and perfectly happy" is that it cannot be independently verified.

You should get out more . I didn't say "all" in any case. I just said that most of the negativity I see comes from about 20-25 posters here on...every single expac.

That goes both ways. There are also a group of the same posters on here who make it a habit of attacking any poster that comes here to express frustration or unhappiness with a product that they pay for. Oh the irony.

The level of whine in these forums against an entertainment platform that proves them with endless hours of entertainment in exchange for the price of a single pizza / month is rather amazing.

Those of us more grounded in reality are needed to provide alternative views...lest new people coming to the forums get the wrong idea.

You can provide an alternative view while not personally attacking the poster, i.e. insinuating that they are whiners.

Also, all any one has to do is log in to the game for the first time, albeit as a paid subscriber or free to play to get an accurate impression of the current state of the game.

In the end these forums won't impact some one's desire to play or not. Most new or returning players come here after they have already started playing any how the majority of the time.

Go ahead and keep bickering and get yet another tread locked

Pixistik isn't incorrect, let's try to get back around to the original topic of the thread and keep from attacking each other.

People have been proclaiming the end of EQ2 since it was launched.

There is a group of contemporary posters (names I won't mention - because some have "moderated" their position) that have promised of the end of EQ2 and/or Daybreak for the past 2-3 years.

Even though their prophecies have not come true, they continue to drill negativity and pessimism so that one day they can say "I told you so."

If you distrust or dislike Daybreak, then don't support the game (don't buy expansions or pay for membership). We (overwhelming adults) don't need to be lectured about skepticism.

Are people TRYING to give this thread the Kiss of Death?

If I am a new or returning player and I come to these forum for the first time and I want to express feedback that might be considered negative, but at the same time I follow the forum rules, imagine how I might feel if I am pounced on by those that have a different view.

Will that encourage me to continue to play the game? I think for the most people the answer is obvious. I feel personally, that offering an alternative view to a post is fine as long as it doesn't turn into an attempt to flame the poster, whether directly or indirectly.

That is all I wanted to say, happy gaming every one.

Are you able to give any insight into Lifetime subscriptions following this change? It appears to be a concern to lots in the thread, and an official response on it would be appreciated and calming for those

I know you are a voice of reason Feldon.


If people want to discuss the health of the game without pushing forum rules, provoking other people, or causing Daybreak/Darkpaw to lose face, they can go to your forum to openly discuss:

https://forums.eq2wire.com/forums/everquest-ii-general-discussion.277/

The price of a pizza? Really??

Sure, there are a lot of folks presumably like yourself that are happy to piddle around within overland zones and have a perfectly good time without spending a single penny in the shop. No crime against that. To each their own.

There are also a lot of folks who have no problems with spending $2-$3k per year optimizing their toons. No crime in that either. To each their own.

There are also a lot folks who love the crafting game.

EQ2 is the first MMORPG I ever played. I bought back in the days when you bought the box with all the disks, map, and user manual. I loaded it, logged in, and was absolutely blown away. I absolutely fell in love with this game, and I still love the world of Norrath.

People don't come here to voice frustrations or concerns because they're trying to ruin yours or anyone else's good time. They come here because they love the game and they want to keep supporting and playing it.

This team has issues with its customers. The easiest way to remedy that is to speak with candor about what folks can expect each year and put all the intended mechanics and progression systems on display during beta. The game is what it is, and people will either play it or they won't.

Here is the response from the FAQ

Q: Will this affect my Daybreak account? If so, how?


A: The new studio brands will not affect your Daybreak account. There has been no transfer of your customer information, which is still subject to Daybreak’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. However, should you choose to opt-in, you may receive emails from each of the development studio’s domains in the future.

Specifically in regards to a question about Lifetime membership I bolded the first part, this applies to all memberships. If more information regarding them changes down the road or there are changes being planned I will inform everyone.

Dreamweaver is a nice moderator - like a "let it play out" kind of referee in the NFL. He's not like Roshen or Roxxlyy.

Feldon has created forums - to vent and be "intellectually honest." Go support a fan site and help to keep politics limited here.

Let's de-escalate. I'll move on.

The traditional model of MMO development has been to put together huge teams (75-100 people), spend tens of millions of dollars, and then in the run-up to launch, lay off most of them. There just aren't that many MMOs being developed this way anymore as it's such a massive gamble and if there are any delays or hangups, then you have a floor of artists twiddling their thumbs, which is what happened with EQNext.

I don't know what model would replace this approach. EQ2 already has its character design outsourced. I remember the Bixie reveal at the last Fan Faire and they were a fan favorite. Maybe that's where the MMO industry needs to go. Teams of artists available for hire as MMOs gear up for specific content, and then they just switch to another MMO as needed. I do think the "let's pay 100 people at California rates in California's real estate market for 2-3 years and pray" model is probably dead.

This isn't a perfect solution of course -- Hollywood is becoming known for shuttered special effects studios that couldn't survive the gap from the last big project to the next, or due to price competition from Eastern Europe and Asia. Artists working their guts out should have SOME kind of job security. But maybe the future of MMOs is taking a more global approach to putting the pieces of the puzzle together.

@Feldon. Maybe teams of free lancers ? An MMO project hires one of those teams, the project gets built, the team moves on. And a few stay on to maintain the new MMO.

If something happens where lots of 'anything' needs to be changed, that team has another team that can fill in, until they can get back to the first project.

Of course, it would take major changes in the industry to bring this into being. It may or may not work.

I agree with your earlier comment that those in-game currently are having fun. I am really enjoying this expac!