Player Sourced Advertising for Everquest.

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Corwyhn Lionheart, Jan 19, 2015.

  1. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    I know we have a declining population.... we lose people and sure some come back to EQ but I don't think we have a stable EQ population. Do we have any advertising types out there in there who have any ideas on how we as players could do some advertisting to get more people to try Everquest?

    Just a selfish though as I don't see any other games out there so far that I would consider playing if Everquest ever ended or expansions stopped which I think would be the same thing for me.

    Is there any way we as players could bring fresh blood into Everquest?
  2. Dibab Augur

    Because we love our game?
    Elricvonclief and Roxxanna like this.
  3. Edrick Augur

    It's really sad when we have to resort to advertising our own game. When was the last time Everquest had an advertisement of any sort? Even a banner ad?

    -R
  4. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    Wasn't that long ago I would see EQ ads on gamer websites. Ok... maybe a year or two ago...
  5. Lighteningrod Augur

    I usually don't acknowledge these kinds of posts, but this lol accurate right now.
  6. Goth Augur

    Doesnt matter. The game really is no good for new players..

    If the game is not better for new players that many other games on market it really wont do good to advertise this game.

    The only market EQ has is current players or past players looking to play due to past memories.

    The youtube video of newbie player dogging EQ has a lot of reasons why new outsiders will have little to no interest in EQ.
  7. Ratbo Peep Augur

    Until Silver Accounts are brought back (via one month gold or $10), or free accounts are given unlimited chat, newbies have NO ACCESS to general Chat.
    Therefore, they have no access to the "greater community".
    With them cut off like that - attracting them is pointless. They can't feel "part of us" without general Chat.
    The people make the game what it is - cut them off from us and it's hopeless.
    -Rat
    Lisandra likes this.
  8. Roxxanna Augur

    I have done everything I can to help new/returning players, I've been all over this forum, and I often hang out in Cresent Reach casting buffs. I have spent untold hours assisting them level, millions of plat, I have given away Krono, and gifted expansions. Sony could advertise, but in truth, it's up to us as players to keep this going. It's up to us as players to stretch out a helping hand to new players, and to be honest, most of the time that doesn't happen. Stop labeling them as noobs and telling them to go figure it out themselves. It's been nearly a year since I started recruiting, and it's been a rough road, from one extreme to the other. I have been called an uppity bi*ch, holier than thou, high and mighty, and my personal favorite, an attention seeking glory wh*re, just for attempting to help people. But on the other side, it once had someone suddenly appear in front of me while I was in Kael Drakkel, hand me 3 Krono, and said "Thanks for all the work You do helping people, there should be more like you" and disappear, to this day I still don't know who that was. My point is, it's us as players that's gonna make the difference, and while I don't expect people to go to extremes, a helping hand goes far.
  9. ~Mills~ Augur

    Advertising isn't the issue its the games reputation and delivery the last 3 or so years. They chased away their already playing player base so what hopes do they have to get old players back? I know this isn't all on the devs since they don't make up the budget, resources or what not but some of them have become more then willing to just copy and paste and call it a day.

    We were told we were going from 2 expansions a year to 1 so that they could provide more polished and better content. Not less content thats even worse then before in many cases.

    We were told they heard us loud and clear after CoTF and that the "next" expansion would be released all at once and be massive again. NO THIS DOESN'T MEAN THE EXPANSION AFTER THIS NEXT EXPANSION REGARDLESS OF THE TIMING THEY HAD. Massive being the relative term here. We expected a return to 12-15 zones of polished content. Massive amount of AA's not just an average release amount. Massive amount of spells not less spells with the claim of some being useless now. In this case I think most classes would simply take spells that work and are not purely a filler - I cant explain how disappointing spells have been in many cases going on years now. Upgrades to spells we have had since forever but in some cases worse to the point of the spell having zero use ever, upgrades to spell lines that don't work or have major flaws that have been pointed out for going on 5 years now and yet to be addressed, upgrades to lines that simply don't work as they are supposed to. Its all disheartening to say the least.

    We are told they are running out of new AA, Spell ideas or at least that are not totally over powered yet every year I see tons of threads and feedback offering multiple expansions worth of ideas that are never implemented. Yes at times its coding but other times its simply the person in charge doesn't have the time or ability to do it and the ideas are forgotten.

    We were told they were fixing lag and major issues that swarming was creating. Lag is exactly the same if not worse in cases now.

    We are told EQ is their flagship game and they have a few expansions worth of work still in the pipeline at least. Yet its resources both monetarily and support wise are constantly being stripped for the next best thing or this other games project. With none of that money or support ever coming back this way even when this game needs it the most right now. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

    Frankly its time for them to put up or shut up. I don't want to see sense heading posts or hear how great this next thing in the pipeline is going to be or how the next expansion is going to blow you away with all that it brings. SHOW ME THE MONEY or I'll continue to use mine elsewhere.
    Lisandra and Moklianne like this.
  10. Ratbo Peep Augur

    Yes! We "are told" a lot of stuff.
    But part of me feels that SOE could care less about EQ1 - and is only interesting in squeezing this stone for whatever last blood they can wring out of it. Part of that is to keep "telling stories" to string people along.
    They have not given our Dev's many resources to work with, and keep stealing Dev talent for "EQ Next".
    Ya - good luck with that SOE.
    How long do we give it before Sony is mentioned in the same sentences as Sears, K-Mart, Radio Shack, Circuit City etc. ??
    -Rat ( knows a con-job when I see one)
  11. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    It is an old game. At some point SOE was going to stop advertising it but maybe we could reverse the tide?
  12. SaderakhBertox Augur


    I'd +1 a professional video done retro like the atari and colecovision ads. It'd have to be a spoof, or maybe you could have Martin Sheen crawl out of a swamp surrounded by frogloks lol
  13. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    Helping returning players is great but we need to get more players returning or even better trying the game for the first time. AND help those who come to the game.

    My guild has been encouraging new and returned players to join us for some time so we can offer advice and assistance to them. And for the simple fact that its practicably the only source of new membership.


    I see some extreme bitterness here. And for some maybe that is a reason to stop playing EQ. Heck when TDS came out there were several things I was quite upset about to but I got over it. I was honest enough to look at some of the issues and realize it was more about abrupt change then them being bad changes.

    As I said in my original post I just want to see the game keep going with expansions coming out each year. I think we need to get more people into the game to ensure that. I just don't have any ideas on how to encourage that and was hoping we could generate some.

    I would ask for only constructive comments but if we did that most forum threads would vanish faster then they were posted.

    Is there anyone out there with ideas of how we could promote Everquest to those NOT CURRENTLY IN THE GAME? Lots of us are out there willing to help peeps once they start playing.
  14. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    Glad to see you are out there helping people once they are in the game! Now if we can only get more people into the game.
  15. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    Actually no access to General chat is for a very good reason. The amount of trolling would go way up if free accounts had access to it. And to be honest, at least on my server, I would be very embarrassed for new players to see some of the conversations in General Chat.
    Elricvonclief likes this.
  16. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    In the Guild Recruitment forum we have a post by Crystilla that gives a list of guilds on various servers and part of that list includes guilds actively accepting new and returning players. Ideally it would be nice to have a list on the Everquest website that could actively be opted in to and would require updating once every six months or so to ensure accuracy. Or maybe a list that could be updated by more then one player.

    https://forums.station.sony.com/eq/...layers-server-guild-info.211769/#post-3160504

    Any ads for EQ or any emails sent out by SOE encouraging people to return to the game should include a link to this list or better yet the list itself. Keeping new and returning players is going to work much better if the people can join guilds that will help them get into or back into EQ.

    Guilding these players as soon as possible when they get in the game would help too so that crosss zone guild invite idea would be nice. Or at least the ability to invite people in the tutorial.

    Raid guilds won't benefit initially from new or returning players but once they have gotten themselves grouded in EQ again they become worthwhile candidates for raid guilds. I have had more then a few players come back to EQ.. get their feet wet before deciding to raid and I have always supported those players. I don't get offended if someone leaves my casual raiding guild for a hardcore one.

    SOE help and buy in could help with this but I guess we as players could leave links to the software download and a link to the one pinned to the top of the Guild Recruitment forum on MMO websites and any other appropriate sites.

    Maybe the first step is to get together a list of sites that we as players could post on to encourage people to try EQ?

    Or I guess we could just sit here and about how its all SOE's fault.... that's the cut off your nose to spite your face gambit that seems ever so popular :)

    P.S. it would be nice if the 403 server errors stopped before we did this though :)
  17. Corwyhn Lionheart Guild Leader, Lions of the Heart

    I know this thread isn't incredibly popular but I keep thinking about it.... I thought it would be nice to design a website that had links to the Guild Recruitment forum as well as to download Everquest and in addition a number of articles or maybe a wiki especially designed towards new and returning players. One of the things that can keep anyone from trying a game or sticking with is the daunting amount of information needed to really get into the game. Especially since people may buy level 85 toons and throw them selves head first into the game.

    With a site like this set up we could post links to it on various mmo review sites, gaming review sites.. maybe include the link in our signatures on other sites?

    Anyway its a thought :)

    I am not trying to get SOE new customers I am trying to get the players more people to play with :)

    Ideally SOE would create a website specifically designed to make the new player experience as easy and painless as possible. That's in a perfect world.... Well that or Bill Gates becomes an EQ fanatic buys the game and invests a ton of money into it :)
  18. Roxxanna Augur

    I don't think it's unpopular, I agree with you, however I wouldn't know how to go about it. And in a world of trademarks and copyrights, prolly get a cease and desist for trying to help. I'm as frustrated as you.
  19. Fogbust Journeyman

    Doesnt work like that imo.
    Would be good if it does, but...

    Like someone wrote already, old players returning is not really connected to advertisement.
    Either they come back for the social aspect (friends, guilds..), or because something exciting is added to the game. Lately that is clearly not the case with expansions.

    And new players?
    Let's be honest here, those who still like the game do so because of their playing history, the people and maybe they are just used to it.
    But what can new players really find? The graphics are old, the (now) lower level zones are better but noone will be there.
    They will not be tempted by boxing, i would *never* start a new game and do that.
    Either it's good enough with 1 toon, or i don't bother.

    No...the only way to keep this rolling is back to good expansions.
    Showing people the game is loved again.
    It's all in SOE hands, you can do nothing.
  20. Moklianne Augur

    Regardless of how good the gameplay is or can be, the visuals are pretty sad in EQ when compared to nearly any other MMO that has come out over the last 5 years. The visuals attract people to a game, the game play and community keeps them. The visuals need an overhaul to attract truly new players. However, if you do that, it will alienate the existing player base. Damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.