Sense Heading - Progression Server Changes

i dont necessarily agree with beastlords getting in early. Berserkers, sure. They have an additional 24 weeks (6 velious, 6 luclin, 12 LDoN [originally LDoN was to be on the PoP timer]) they have to wait. 6 more for beastlords is crap, but 24 more is god awful. Release BER at Luclin as well.

Agreed, there are some of us who are waiting to play the class we actually want to play, and watching gear that has been itemized for that class rot.

Let us play the damn class. Release Berserkers and Beastlords

I understand that taking longer than anticipated to release Luclin and PoP helps accomplish this goal in a number of ways. I'd rather see delayed release of both if, in so doing, more of the unexpected side-effects of MotM/PotM are caught and resolved before they're pushed live, so the TLP servers (particularly Phinny) aren't losing time to experience the content because they're waiting for patches. As others have mentioned, a longer Luclin era gives future BST mains more time to catch their beastlords up to their current mains. What I haven't seen mentioned (and I'm sorry if I've missed it) is that while more time in Velious doesn't add much in the way of content/gear/goals for the players who are already end-game, it can help with the server population as a whole. The XP rate is lower on Phinny, which detracts from any incentive to level alts while also slowly bleeding away players who started late. Yes, there's still time to catch up, but the problem is that many people don't want to bother trying to prove that to themselves. More time in Velious at least gives mid-range characters more content variety, and might encourage others to spend more time on alts because there's nothing else to do. More time in Luclin obviously accomplishes that even better, but I understand thinking that an even split of additional time between the two would create less boredom with the then-new content.

This *looks* fine, in theory, but it isn't, quite. The schedule isn't intolerable, but it does extend the life span of a few content-light eras (LoY and LDoN.) Viewed as more time in PoP, as well as more time to play around with alts, makes it seem better, but at first glance it reads as twelve weeks dedicated just to LDoN. It's entirely possible that I'm becoming senile, but if memory serves, when some of these were new, they weren't even advertised/sold as expansions, but instead were "Adventure Packs." LoY, LDoN, and DoN were the three content-additions that weren't even recognized internally as meaty enough to label as expansions. *Those* are the things to bundle releases for. I realize you're doing that to an extent with LoY, but it seems that LDoN is still being treated as an expansion. The other tricky bit is that with the time table you've listed, Ragefire and Lockjaw will have an LDoN-free PoP/LoY era approximately 6 days longer than Phinigel. That may irk their respective player bases a bit, since they expected relatively disparate time frames.

There are 10 pages of other people explaining why this is the antithesis of their hopes for whichever TLP server they're playing on. I agree, and won't reiterate or elaborate beyond this: I understand that when viewed from a numbers vs time/current expansion perspective, it's very easy to conclude that GoD is the likely source of mass playerbase attrition. Please, if you can wade through some of the more heated posts and read the explanations mixed in, I think you'll find it's always been a knottier problem than the expansion itself. If anything, when each of the TLPs are nearing GoD release, take a vote for GoD alone, or GoD bundled with OoW. Or even just release them separately on the existing TLP servers and try releasing them together on a future TLP server.

This is great. I think that it could help long-term server health quite a bit. Please be cautious, though, with when you choose to introduce a level cap increase, so as not to detract from the relevance or enjoyment of the content bundled with it.

Well, you certainly have quite a bit of feedback on the announced GoD/OoW change already. As others have noted, people who rarely agree on anything at all are banding together to decry this change. Acceding to every forum poster's wish/hope/demand can easily wreck any game, but I think this case is atypical. Please carefully evaluate the reaction this has received thus far, heated explosions and otherwise, before going forward with the current plan. That's all I ask. (And yes, along with many others, I made a forum account specifically to respond to this. I'm far more likely to follow along in the background without speaking up, waiting to see how something turns out rather than posting on the forums about my view of the future. Perhaps it's not best to always remain silent.)

Re-reading the original post and it kinda feels like one of those posts were they give us some "bad" news that they know SOME people will complain about (since it goes against original timeline) but then give us some "worse" news that EVERYONE will complain about. The idea is that people focus and complain about the "worse" news which DBG will eventually rescind due to the outcry, so people will feel like they won and it makes the "bad" news a little less bad. Not only does this work well on gaming forums, but it does the job at staff meetings too!

honestly it seems like it. i dont think anyone really has an issue with the first set of changes, as sometimes things get delayed. LDoN changes, while i dislike personally, seem have mixed feelings. but the Gates decision is a disaster that i would be amazed if it doesnt get rescinded next week.

Agreed. To be fair, I would rather Luclin stick to the original August date, and PoP stick to the original November date, but at least this announcement is early enough that people who want to take time off work for these unlocks and probably still make that happen. Though I will say that PoP pushed back to February from November feels much worse than Luclin being pushed back from August to September

I really don't think anyone expected to start PoP in February and then be in it for 24 weeks before GoD though, no matter how you cut it. That's a long time.

Any chance that the experience rates will be sped up at all? Otherwise, not playable.

On Fippy/Vulak, they relaxed some of the exp restrictions in PoP. No idea whether they'll accelerate exp on LJ/RF or Phinny this time, though. Probably the safest bet is "don't count on it until/unless it actually happens."

everyone is so intent on making their will happen in game. i was verbally assaulted once when someone tried to tell me that his idea of economy is what the server has to adopt and told me that bone chips are supposed to go for 5gp each or 50 plat a stack of 100. So many of you here are doing the exact same thing here... you don't like it well you will scream to your hearts content and hey as long as you don't violate forum rules i'm all for it but remember a few points:

1) this is a GAME not a life. play it or do not play it. that is your choice.
2) this game in the realm of classic though GOD/OOW really had 1 year in between expansions for the most part. those of you returning are forgeting this, you played and loved the content then.... well now you're getting it at much much less time... 3 months.... is it that hard to realize that you are playing a 17 year old game now and you are demanding them to accept your way is the right way? who are you other than a player... you don't know what's going on behind the scenes.... till you work there.
3) they have admitted that to follow through on the way they put out originally would cause problems, so they have adjusted things to make it work right and not give us something that is BROKEN!
4) if they were to just stick to it and present something broken you ALL would cry foul and blame them for screwing up your experience just as much as you are doing now...
5) speak with your feet. STOP PLAYING anything DBG if you feel you are slighted, don't say good bye... just stop supporting them. YES PLAYING THE GAME FREE IS SUPPORTING THEM!
6) don't be an idiot. You may think you know what the majority of the player base is thinking but you really only know a very small minority that is vocal here. YES there will be more that think like you do but hey... there are even more out there that won't care!

RELAX... enjoy.... hey remember the 2 or so years you SAT AT 65 killing QUARM over and over and over???? and then GOD came out? and you were all about that!??? oh it was bad.. and fixed...

the issue of GOD and OOW releasing together, I do personally think it's a mistake but I won't say they will have me running for the hills because of it.... heck at that point we will have gone over 5-6 years of content in just over a year... that's about 80% faster than it was originally.

it is time we stopped griping at them and let them do their jobs... if you don't like something speak up, but don't make it sound like chicken little's the sky is falling when it isn't... oh yea i know you'll all tell me that things have changed... well you are right, people's attention span has reduced to not knowing that it's good to relax and breath and smell the flowers.... on that note: get out and see the sun today!!!

First off, the people being rude to DBG about this change need to learn how to have constructive discussions. DBG employees are not going to respond favorably or at all to rude derogatory comments.

As far as I'm concerned, I am ok with these changes except where God and OoW are released at the same time.

The thing is that for some of us, we left EQ to go play WoW and/or EQ2 around the time GoD cane out. I in particular was play WoW in beta right after GoD hit. I want to experience GoD on its own as an expansion.

Totally agreed. Please do not extend Velious. If anything move the extra time to Luclin so you build out PoP right. Release Luclin on original schedule. We need AA's and BST.

no you need that... i don't.... though i could see the aspect of releasing luclin on time and extending it... but hey you are speaking only for yourself no one else.

no bundle not now not ever

Must be your first time confronting the liberal agenda.

no it isn't my first time there, or in the forums here. i just lurk till i can't and then i just let it go when someone starts whining it's tooo hard make it easier.... i don't like it do what I want or I leave... nope not a fan of these at all.

GoD sucks, PoP is better.

I for one plan on doing non-PoTime era PoP instances even after reaching time especially the EPs, but 6 month of PoP + a little bit of LDoN and basically skipping GoD is full .

The decisions regarding the timelines for the TLPs make sense since they coincide with giving the Dev team downtime to fit their normal Beta window/schedule (October) for the new Live expansion (Early November). It also provides them with the now normal and expected 2 - 3 months they will need to finish that expansion/fix major bugs after that expansion launches (Nov/Dec/Jan).

On the other hand, combining GoD and OoW is just the sort of ridiculous thinking needed to offset the sound reasoning and judgement regarding the above.

Had rarely reason to post here.. but i can only agree with what has been said here.

Don't Release GoD and OoW together

And PLEASE release Berserkers with Luclin aswell
(Loot for bst/ber already drops anyway.... and whats the point of berserker epic 1 )
Its hard enough to catchup with the going XP rate already if you start late.
Now imagine starting a Berserker with cap 65 and most people having already 500+ aas

Needs lots of time= Casual players get the stick again
It wont upset the balance anymore as it already is anyway...
With Bst Manaregen already available as potions in kunark

Honestly I'd prefer pop and GoD combined over GoD and OoW.At least they are the same level cap

I don't see why people are so upset about 6 additional weeks of velious to me it's 1 of the best expansions ever and so much to do i could stay on velious for 6 months and still have things to do.Imagine all the factioning to be able to do shawl then doing dain then do kael then do tov.I can imagine myself having raid 5 times a week and still not be tired when luclin launch. I agree that GoD launching together with OoW is not a good idea though so i would put GoD like a month after ldon and put OoW like 6 weeks after GoD.That way not too long for those that gonna try GoD raid and died over and over and enough time for the hardcore to have their fill of those raids.I wouldn't expect many guilds to finish GoD raids in era though would be surprise if more then 5 get through it.