FTP TLP Promote (Health of game)

DPG has stated when the two new TLP's will be released (Late spring/early summer).

What DPG did do right:
They activated all FTP accounts to allow them to play on the current TLP's. Mangler being the most popular choice right now. The server had a que so that shows there is interest in FTP playing on TLP's.

So lets build off that with a new promotion: (If you have another you think that's better please let us know).

On May 9th (day after FTP TLP Ends) announce the server rules for both servers. Also announced a special promotion for any FTP account that has not been in Gold status (all access) for 3 months or more. For every month a FTP account subscribes, they will earn double DB points (instead of 500 a month they get a 1000) up to a year ONLY. If and only if they subscribe for an entire year, they also get 1 krono. This krono will be available right away so they can use it to active a box account, get a friend to play for the launch of the new TLP's, sell it for a boost at the server start, or extend their account by another month.

This promotion will only be available up until the day BEFORE Rizlona and Aradune launch. This prevents people from "waiting" to see how the servers are fairing and commit! Also lets those that found a home on the other TLP's during your current event to remain there.

Current members don't get anything besides an influx of money to help DPG continue to release content expansions for live and continue TLP's in the future.

Consider this like a TLP "Preorder" since they don't get to benefit as much from the Live expansion preorders. (Something like this could be helpful before every TLP launch).

Hopefully everyone can see how this can promote new players to the game or old players to upgrade their accounts.

Thanks.

I'm not saying your idea is bad, but what's wrong with just paying the $15 bucks a month like everyone else? You're going to need more incentive to those that pay as well.

And, here's my reasoning - At launch Phinigel-Like Progression servers are not hurting for players. The ruleset is very popular and encourages life at launch. If anything, cheaters are where they should divert near full attention because they are the most detrimental to the population. If you want to retain players on a healthy server (as your post suggests), then I'd encourage anti-cheat advocation.

Now after the popular expansions, F2P weekends wouldn't be such a bad idea to help with the bottom end of the leveling curve. Catch up features would also be nice, perhaps double-xp right before the level increase of said expansion or something? I dunno, just throwing out ideas.

I am ALL for advocating anti-cheat on current and future TLP's but I have not seen anything from DBG's that shows they are willing commit the time or effort to do this (maybe Aradune is going to shock us with a new infrastructure).

Personally nothing is wrong with just 15$, as this above promotion wouldn't help me outside of funding the game I enjoy longer. My counter is this, the people that are willing to pay for the TLP's already do. TLP's have been recycled multiple times and they are starting to lose their "shine". Miragul is empty minus 1 guild and it just launched. The amount of people out there that are willing to populate these servers are less and less.

That's why I think they should target FTP players, not the ones that have been willing to pull the trigger. FTP's from live can jump on this just to make their current live accounts better or they can switch it up and get a nice discount to go finally try the TLP's that maybe they didn't feel was worth it before or just couldn't afford the sticker price. This would at least increase the value of what they are purchasing to entice them. Anything a FTP account spends during the promotion is money DPG wasn't going to make by just doing nothing.

Lastly, Not because I believe they meant too, but they have set this up perfectly. For 1 month FTP's have gotten a taste of Mangler (and other servers), while I doubt they have loved the servers being down, maybe the excitement of PoP has made them question if they want to stay FTP. The promotion makes that decision to leave harder.

P.S. The title of the thread was suppose to be but I was unable to edit it.
FTP TLP Promotion (Health of game)

Interesting suggestion, not sure I would agree with it though.

Enabling F2P on TLP once they are halfway through VoA (to match up with when Live got F2P) I could see making sense, but if they Keep TLP as paid accounts only I have no problem with that either.

Free to play already gets more from EQ than they do on any other games free trial. Level 110, all expansions up to RoS, in game mechanisms to allow Rk II spells etc.

TLP's are there to boost sub rates and provide a market for Krono. I can see no point at all in giving anything else to free to play accounts.

Old tlps should go f2p it's been mentioned a lot.

By the time mercs and autogrant come out ppl will have a strong reason to upgrade. Also, there is very little reason to join these mature servers.

New tlps are the absolute opposite. Keep them premium just because it's the cash cow. There isn't even much reason if any i can think of to go premium before barter mode becomes a thing.

Treating it more of a return to Everquest promotion. The DB points are just a bonus. They still have to sub and pay for a sub. They technically wouldn't be free to play anymore, they just have to be FTP to qualify. I get that FTP accounts get a lot of stuff for free already in Everquest but the majority of other MMO's that are F2P already do this type of stuff. Aion, SWTOR, LOTRO, DDO, Neverwinter, TERA, ect. These games have "return to ****" events all the time with marketing emails to all account holders. Think now is a good time to run one for Everquest, even if in a different way.

At the very least, I went through my email today (I don't delete anything) and the last Everquest TLP I received an email notifying me about was Corinav Server in 2018. I get emails about the expansions but been way about a TLP. (at-least on my end). Hopefully they send a decent one out for the two upcoming, especially since one is to honor Brad.

Ok, thought it was just my reading but you are the third person who has worded their responses as keep it premium. I have proof read my post a few times, is something in there throwing people off? (if so totally my bad). I do NOT want to make the new TLP's free...to FTP players. I want to offer for a limited time to the current FTP players that have access to the current TLP's and to any other FTP accounts that have NOT been subscribers for the past 3 months, a promotion that if they buy a PREMIUM subscription between May 9th and (the day before the two new servers launch), that they will get bonus DB points for each month they subscribe for, UP to 1 year. So instead of 500 they get 1000 or 700 ..whatever. If they sub for an entire year they also get 1 krono.

If I made it hard to read in the OP, my fault. But I am not wanting to give ANY FTP access to TLP's. Just an enticing deal for them to drop some money on the game.

If you’re the CEO in hiding, please let us know.

This is really great discussion. However, it seems kind of pointless given that DPG is going to lose more subscribers than it will gain from any kind of gimmick like this if they can’t keep popular servers online for more than 2 days at a time. Hopefully they do something more than nothing though!

Well the current CEO Ji Ham literally doesn't even have a photo on the internet, so technically anyone could impersonate him and we would never know. Also the owner is Jason Epstein, and hes 92 years old so I am sure he's currently concerned about the welfare of his company. I think hiding is a hiring requirement.

From what I see the Mangler regulars are less than impressed with the current promotion and it's very likely that many are out now waiting for the storm to blow over.

Currently TLP in general seems to be able to attract a little over one server full of paying players. That's a good number however I can't see how any sort of convoluted subscription model will do more than that and this is a very convoluted subscription model

Wrong Jason Epstein, the old man is a renowned book editor. Our Jason Epstein is in his late 40s.

Don't forget that Epstein also currently holds the same title (Chairman) at Napster as he does here. Clearly he has a thing for old tech.

Personally, I think there's too much incentive for free players and not enough for the paid. That said, if you shorten the time to say a 'free to play weekend' you could bolster numbers during prime time and maybe hook 10-20% of your FTP base in that short time.

I definitely like the core of your idea, but others are going to be like, 'but what's in it for me'?

So, um how does this work for those accounts that have already returned and come back as Silver? They are still free too.

Also that is EQ's welcome back to "returning" players. And most F2P can return as Silver if they have used a Krono at any time, so people say. This would be cumbersome to differentiate accounts that "qualify" for this reward.

I disagree with all this "free" stuff for non -subscribers while those of us who have been paying for years would get less. No one-time Krono for us? No increase to $10 DBC? I think you would have more long term subscribers leaving over this than you would an influx of new subscribers. Or we would all stop paying on our Gold accounts and subscribe on our F2P box accounts.

As far as Mangler having a "que" all new servers have "ques' at launch and it makes sense that DBG offering the TLP free would be like opening a new server.

But is it just TLP? Nope, my live server, while not dead , is not one of the more popular ones yet we have over 400 players in chat the last two weeks. Anniversary? Bonus exp? Watching the servers go down? Who knows, other than the fact that two general chats are running.

Missing email about TLP? I got mail for the recent one x 2, in March and one in April. Who are they supposed to send out those emails to? Older non players? They seldom have accurate email on file. Current live players? Most of us read the news plastered on the log in screen or these forums.

Overall people need to realize that while we all love and support this game in our own way, the powers that be have kept it afloat for 21 years and likely will for a few more at least. Even with the recent server crash - that is not going to kill the game - veteran players knew it would get fixed and it did. Just another bump in the long road to Plane of Knowledge.

It will apply to all FTP accounts that were not all access/gold status in the last three months. Silver or bare minimum FTP accounts will qualify for the promotion.

I understand that current players want more for themselves but have to realize that we do not bring new money in. We are addicted, they found the right formula to keep us engaged. New and returning players are new money and with new month means more content for everyone (maybe, can't determine how it's used, Daybreak games might just pay their dry cleaning service bill). Give current subscribers more would most likely cost DPG money in the long run. It's a catch 22 but if people step outside the box and see the big picture, it takes new and current players to keep the hamster wheel moving.

Think about it as a new player, if you log on any there is zero people from 1-70 besides someones main, they will probably last only a few days before getting frustrating. But if they do a new player promotion, see small clusters of new people they can group/talk with their chances of sticking around improves. The endgame guilds get a higher chance of getting some new blood in ect. Everyone wins.

Good to known. Then in that case, I am unable to find a photo of either of them. Jason Epstein DBG Linkedin profile looks like they hit create and never touched it after.

Did learn something though. DBG has closed or canceled 23+ game studios. Besides H1ZI Battle Royal in 2018, DBG has never actually developed and released their own game. So with that I think supporting current EQ as best we can is our only option because a new game is not in the cards.

I went to check and find that I have 3 accounts that have never been subscribed. I am sure that with a bit of thought I could come up with any number of ways to exploit this so-called "health of the game" plan and I have to wonder how many inactive accounts you're sitting on hoping for a chance to exploit this as well.

It's your subject line. I think people aren't actually reading your post. They just see what they want to see.

to be honest I don't want more... just want old fixed and running, save money on the "development" for a year with no expansion... fix the core so it runs more stable