Understanding the Everquest playerbase

Personally, I think it is time for Daybreak to run out a series of polls to the general game populace to get a better feel for what we players "think" we want. I put "think" in quotes because experienced game devs probably know there can be a difference between what we think we want and what we will actually like.

But I do think Daybreak needs to get a better handle on understanding the playerbase.

There is a reason TLP servers are so popular. And some may be surprised some of those same reasons are why the Live servers are popular. People come back to both because of nostalgia.

At this point in the game people are not leaving Everquest because it isn't being innovative i.e. the TBL experiement with progression. I suspect the most likely reason people currently playing leave is RL issues. But I don't know that hence the need for polls.

Expansions cannot be designed and released like a piece of spaghetti being thrown at the wall to see if it sticks.

Ask people what is keeping them playing the game.

Ask then what is bringing them back to the game.

Ask them why the leave the game.

Ask them what they don't and do like about the game.

Ask them what pushes them away.

Ask them why they do or don't buy expansions.


And yeah some of this has to be something other then multiple choice answers. Pay some interns to distill things.

Daybreak has spoken. TBL was created exactly as intended and yet it was poorly received. Get some feedback now so you can plan for the future. The fact is the resources are not there for a lot of misfires to occur.

I want the Devs to be succcessful and get big fat bonuses because they nail each and every expansion and get accolades about how welll they pegged the overall Everquest population.

And yeah I know some of us will complain whatever you do.

But let me end with what Jerry McGuire said. "Help me help you" (me being the player base not me personally. Anyone reading the forums know I tick off half the forum folks even if the other half like what i have to say)

P.S.
And yes I am sure there is room to argue whether it is more or less then half

P.P.S I don't know what you will find out but I don't think you can compare EQs gaming population the same as most other games out there. You have a playerbase here that has been playing your game for over 20 years. THis game population is unlike the majority of games out there. Learn more about what they want and don't want it will be worth the time of polling I think. Again just my opinion.

Should do polls on things that matter. Not that they've done ANY polls in like, what? 3 years?

1) Do you want locked zones?
A) Yes, I want many locked zones! Challenge me!
B) No, I don't want any locked zones! Don't hurt me!
C) I would like 1 locked end zone that requires extra effort but gives extra rewards (loot, exp)!
D) I will accept whatever you do, no strong opinion.

2) Do you want challenging group content?
A) Yes! Make everything require 6 well-played friends!
B) No! I want to solo as much as possible!
C) I would like content I can do solo, and content I can do with a few friends and mercenaries.
D) I would like content I can do solo, some I can do with sub-optimal group, and content I can do with a full group of players.

3) Do you want challenging raid content?
A) Yes! I want every raid to challenge the best of the best!
B) No! I want any raid of 40 people to have a chance to beat everything!
C) I would like some raids that are easy at the beginning, some harder ones in the middle, and a hard few at the very end to challenge people.
D) I would like a random sequence of hard and easy raids! Mix it up!

Something like that, actually ask questions that matter and try and develop for more people.

Here is some feedback.

I'm a bit-more-than-casual grouper in a large, very casual guild.

I loved TBL minus the trial zone-locking. The entry zone should have been Esianti and not Stratos. I felt the difficulty was tough but super fun. After a couple months, i completed progression for jann illusion. Almost all of that i was able to 4-box, which means a full group should have rocked it! Ive been working on TBL evolving items since then, and have loved that too (minus collections, ugh!)

A couple boxers in my guild finished TBL, but not any of the other 5000 members. I think they generally didnt have time or high powered friends to get through trials or any of the stuff past trials. They gear up very slowly. Just to get ready for TBL was daunting for many. There was rarely a time when any 4+ wanted to embark on the difficulty wall they perceived TBL to be. They generally viewed TBL very negatively, especially if they had paid for it and couldnt do a thing in the expansion! The same group disappointed by TBL has really enjoyed GMM. They dont read the forums, so they in for a wonderful surprise when GMM is adjusted.

Just a side note but any guild including my own that has over 5000 members on their rosters should probably not be using that number in any meaningful way. I think its perfectly fine that some guilds retain a large number of inactives on their guild roster and its fine some guilds like a lean active only roster. I just don't think you can have any meaningful conversations quoting a number like that. I much prefer to quote online numbers.

I said several times, and seem easy to do :
make tier one zones easy , good for casuals and all , and no road blocker , make tier 2 and 3 much harder as we progress ,

raiders, won't quit EQ if tier ONE zones are easy, BUT casuals might quit EQ if they can't even progress in tier one entry zone ( TBL ) .

for me TBL was not bad, I boxed all of them minus 2 trials , but I got friends who were frustrated with TBL, and wished to not have buy that expansion... I helped a lot with those TBL tasks as well .

don't need a rocket science to know why...........

Right, at any given time there are generally fewer than 50 of the 5000 casuals online, many of those boxed. Those that contemplated TBL content probably number less than 500.

We tend to 40 to 70 online at any particular time.

I think anyone boxing had an easier time keeping smoke trials constantly up for access and that aided a lot in getting progression done. Assuming they were a good boxer and able to box the stuff.

I'll give you two pieces of feedback right now with zero need for polls.
1) Do not lock achievements like heroic AAs to things like Hunter achievements. Progression, fine. Not the rest.
2) Quit treating the player base like a bunch of slow three year olds with collectibles. Use that time and energy towards real content and not "shiniest".

^^^THIS^^^ 1,000,000,000,000 times over.

I got that kind of poll in EQ2 about a month ago. Why it hasn't happened here yet is beyond me

My highest level character is 92. I've boxed at times, but it's not that interesting. I don't think I've seen a group between 80 and 95 or 100 in a year, which is part of why I've taken long breaks and fallen away from the game, and mostly log into TLPs when I do have the inclination to play.

I'd prefer to play Live as my impression is that those servers are less toxic (and let's be fair, it would be difficult to be worse than the TLPs). But it's damned difficult to find the motivation to do so without a guild, friends who actively play or any real expectation of finding either one. The reality is that other than the HAs that people can box, there is no game left below 110. I'd be very curious to know, actually - not counting characters in Trader mode, which are there more of logged in every day: level 110s or levels 1-109?

I'll bite here. I am a casual player, and am not very interested in getting higher than about level 75-85. I have fun when I play, and mostly I MOLO with my Cleric, using a Tank Merc (J1). There is a lot of stuff in this game that many players just pass by, in order to get to the endgame type content, and that is really cool. For myself, I like the slow path that leads to there. If I get there some day, i will cross that bridge when I get to it. Meanwhile, I smell a lot of roses.

Same here. Nostalgia keeps bringing me back, I have fun getting a new toon to 80 - 85, then the incredible grind kicks in and I quit for 6 months again.

Problem solved.. One ultimately .. easy solution..

Let us follow logic together..

In a game that "some" of the population play's the game "Casually" for what ever reason be it they just login to chirp in the guild chat .. general chat .. what ever chat .. what ever their reasoning for being casual is slap that crap right here __________ ____________

In a MMO .. that is designed FOR RAIDING .. (Because ya know .. EQ .. is built on that very bedrock) where the Raiding people have tendencies to login to down stuff come he ll or high water grp content or raid .. makes no never mind.

EVERYONE on the forums have stated in the past .. two things .. one being open / easy T1 zone, an progressively harder from that point on (And I for one feel, every thing outside of T1 zones should be locked behind progression period no exceptions)

They design content for those who actively participate in Beta.. Beta typically lasts 3 weeks to a month some times slightly longer, slightly less..

In instances beta lasts as long as month or longer .. there is absolutely ZERO reason what so ever that even CASUALS do not login to beta .. and give the feedback for THEIR own play styles..

far be it for me to tell people to be just a slight bit more pro active in the game they choose to play if they don't like how it is .. they know they can fix that .. an option actually exists that allows them to directly talk to the very people who design the content in order to help them an guide them in the game's actual creation..

I would love to input in beta - unfortunately you had to pre order to be in beta last expansion and I do not have the extra cash to do so. Certain people/guilds are allowed free in beta and those are the only ones they listen to anyway.

Since I am a lowly casual player who only plays 6 -9 hours a day with 11 accounts, and do not belong to a super guild and don't raid then I figure my opinion is of no impact.

I go with the flow and pretty much leave the design of the game up to the game designers.

What feedback can I give in a beta that's going to be 20 levels higher than my highest level character?

/betacopy.. (step 1)

/betafish (step 2)

Creates a beta toon that is max level current live expansion character.

You can also get help with maxing out AA's .. so that you can actually go out in beta and test stuff out, to give your own feedback to the Dev's who are right in the game with you.

100% completely absolutely wrong ..

Beta for TBL was 100% open to every one .. no pre order required.

And has been strongly hinted at being done EXACTLY like that for the next beta ..

Well, there you have it. The solution to this is the solution to everything else.
Invest more money and more time.