Welcome back Campaign?

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Blewstar, Nov 5, 2019.

  1. Blewstar New Member

    I have been thinking of coming back to EQ after giving time for the destructive behavior of 3 guilds to settle on the Luclin server. The damage caused by these guilds caused such a destructive force that it pitted friend against friend, alliances were formed then broken up due to lies from leaders. Players then accused long time friends of siding with the opposition and thus there was an exodus from Luclin to other servers or for those of us that played multiple accounts and had full accounts we simply just quit.

    Then you see the unstable nature of corporations that have not listen to there developers or God forbid the players of what they want that they are forced to layoff people. The complexity of the layoffs I will not get into, but rather point at a possible solutions that can grow revenue while allowing the fan base to increase.

    For myself I am stuck on a server in a guild that was decimated by bad behavior. Good people that were on the sidelines that got hit by artillery from the other guilds. These people want to play but due to the issues now the population has been lowered to the point the 4th guild which I belong no longer has enough players to progress. The guild is now a casual guild. I am no stranger to guilds quitting or going under as people move. However, what do we do to bring balanced populations to the servers?

    1. We could do server mergers, but what happens if it becomes over crowded? That seems like a lot of work besides to merge. Not something I would look forward too as I have done data transfers due to store closings. It is easier to add to, not remove.
    2. Make incentives to players to transfer to low populated servers.
    3. Make it available to transfer accounts to a different server. This has troubled me from why it was done in the pass to being removed so only characters can be transferred with the limits of so many given in a set period of time. Can the tools be made to do this?

    My grandfather said sometimes you need to spend money to make money and since this has been an issue for years pass why isn't it a option? Allowing players to come back and move accounts will be able to allow revenue to be generated. Place restrictions once moved cannot move for 6 months or such.

    With the current layoffs I see that EQ and EQ2 were not hit and this gives me hope that the Daybreak Leadership is now taking a step back and giving the support to there flagship games that has been missing for awhile.

    If this is the case then let me suggest a way to get players to come back. Let's start with myself as my situation to get off a server that has a bad taste. I am a raider that plays casually outside of raids and enjoys playing 3 accounts on 3 pc's so I remove some of the restrictions of getting things done and being able to help others. To activate 3 accounts would cost me 120.00? per year so 360.00 then let's add an expansion for all accounts which could be another 120.. giving me a grand total of 480.00 to come back.

    But come back to what? a server I do not want to be on. Add 25.00 per character to transfer and let's say 4 characters per account that is now 300.00 additional with limits of how many can be transferred at a time. Meaning I will be waiting months if not longer to play the way I want to.

    The grand whooping total to return? 780.00 at a minimum plus wasted months. This will not happen for me. There is no incentive for a player with multiple accounts to come back. The cost is just way to much at once. This either needs to be spread out 780.00/12 - 65/month or some cost needs to be absorbed in a deal for returning players. Or in other words a return campaign so players feel like there getting a deal as Daybreak is spending money on the player to help them have fun.

    Perhaps the return campaign can move the players to there friends so there full accounts are there and wave the fee for transfer? Perhaps lower the cost for returning players or give them free expansions? Is not some money better than no money?

    I may be at the extreme end of the cost to return, but I cannot be alone in this. I am still in contact with my guild as there are good friends. The time seems that many are finding it more work than fun and the guild leadership that has invested money in websites are asking themselves is it worth it. If my guild goes under, how many accounts do you think will be lost. How much revenue will be removed?

    I watched a video starring Holly Longdale and it does give encouragement that EQ could be around another 10 years at least, but Daybreak needs to invest in the players instead of looking for bigger profits. What is that saying "Build it and they will come" Bring the players back to the field and then we can play together

    Just my 2 cents
    Retired: Blewstar Wolfinder
    Ranger of Luclin
  2. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    You could opt to just sub on your main account & have two as F2P to enable you run run 3 characters & 3 mercs to support your main, unless you are dead set on having all 3 being in current gear & AA (which I understand as they perform miles better) - at least to get you up & running.

    The other option would be a re-roll on a TLP, Miragul being one possible option that would not set you too far back & allow you 3 relatively decent geared/aa characters without too much expense.

    I think Daybreak do look at ways to bring old players back a lot, though as some recent threads have suggested, there are easy ways to do that which they simply aren't using.
  3. Vumad Cape Wearer


    Your post opens talking about how you left the game due to drama and goes on about it for a while. Then you go into costs that are no way necessary for you to spend. Then you want DBG to invest development dollars into helping people escape some bad blood.

    Take a step back. Remove yourself from your current way of thinking. Imagine you are a developer reading the first post on this thread thinking about what resources are available and how you as a developer want to spend your time. Does managing guild drama make your list?

    Not sure how much time you spend on the forums but every server has it's drama. Luclin is just the first time it has affected you directly.

    The idea that you need to spend $780 to return is absurd. Sorry (not sorry) for my extremely blunt way of saying this but it needs to be said. Get out of here with your insane math. You have to move all 4 characters per account, at once? No, put everything important from each account on one character and move it. You'd have to buy ToV regardless so expansion pricing has absolutely nothing to do with your return. All 3 characters do not need 1-year subs so your $360 is really $45.

    So let's be honest with ourselves. Worst case...
    3 server transfers $75.
    3 subs $45
    Grand total of necessary expenditures... $0
    The game is FTP. The rest is about wants, not needs.

    And I'm not just some judgmental negative Nancy.

    I AM on Luclin. I WAS hit by unnecessary drama. I DID take some time off from the game as a result. I left my main active. I dropped the sub on my box and I only logged in to play with a select group of friends. I took a deep breath, got a fresh perspective and moved on with my life.

    I came back to the game last year (gone since HoT), FTP, subbed one, then my second account, bought my expansions. I want to say my timeline by months of return went like this...
    Month 1 - $0 FTP
    Month 2 - $15 1 sub
    3 - $40 3-month, $15 sub for box
    4 - $15 box sub, $70 two expansions.
    Months 5-10 - $80 main sub, $90 box sub
    Months 11-13 - $40 main sub
    month 14 - $15 box sub full play again

    So in over a year of returning to EQ, playing two accounts, I have spent about $365 and logged hundreds of hours of play time. Less than $1 per day. I bought a coffee this morning for $1.69. I mean, lets be real about this.

    Sorry (actually mean it this time) to sound like an insensitive jerk but you need a reality check. Now lets move on. I have a spot in my group for you.

    Edit: Apologies for slight errors in my fast math. $15+/- is kind of irrelevant spread out over like 15 months.
    Corwyhn Lionheart, Duder and CatsPaws like this.
  4. Blewstar New Member

    I can understand the thinking for your way to play, but it is not mine. The drama that was caused on Luclin can even be bordered on harrassment. People wanted to get out of it as fast as possible. Name calling, lies being seen and brought to light. Empty promises on a grand scale, but that really is in the pass now.

    Time can heal, but it does as I said leave a bad taste. I would like to be able to send emails, post on guild site etc that "Daybreak" wants us back and is willing to do "this" for us to return. It is there choice to not to spend money to get back money that was lost. It is simple math that some money is better than no money. Then there is word of mouth that could increase additional revenue.

    The way I play is I have the right combo of characters to tackle certain bosses. I spent the time to be flexible in this and why moving just one character per account is not feasible. The flexibility that I spent time to allow this is the way I play. For instance, a boss spawns adds during the fight. I can have my enchanter or a bard to be one of the characters in group. Then the fight is easier by mezzing then trying to off-tank all of them.

    I did find your comments (vumad) insulting as you do not know me. You do not know how I play or the amount of time as an officer spent helping others as I had the "right" characters to help the guild grow. Hinting that I need to cut off an arm to play and that should make me happy. I am either all in or none at all.

    The cost that I mention is to save money instead of paying monthly to pay more over time. I will give you the benefit that expansions should not be included. However, the expansions are no where near to the content release they once was. Commanding a premium for less content. I want Daybreak to show there serious about supporting EQ for another 10 years and spending money to bring back old and new players. If they can't do this then EQ continues to dwindle to marginal profit. There thought process should be rather make a buck than loose one. This won't happen due to the greed and mis-direction of funds to projects that Daybreak was inform by there developers that should not be done.

    Your thinking Vumad that a developer would be dealing with server drama is laughable. There being paid well(hopefully) to develop. While others like GM's that are in customer service would be dealing with issues about the servers. The tools they once had have been removed either by staff leaving taking tools with them or not spending time to make tools that have been requested by players for years and years.

    With the layoffs in October, I need something more. I need to see Daybreaks commitment so I can invest. Without it, there is uncertainty and as a investor, would you invest in a company that caused its own problems?

    Anyhow, I have spent to much time on this post as I am too passionate. I have great memories and made friends and just want EQ to be more. I remember a GM that came out to me just to say hi and asking for feedback. Those days are long gone and perhaps I am as well.
  5. Balthen Lorekeeper

    Can I have your stuff?
  6. Zamiam Augur


    Get over it !!! its in the past, move on .. start fresh

    you really think DB cares if you come back or not .. maybe they do -maybe they don't .. but they are not going to cave or give you anything to get you back .. you either come back F2P and play or All Access or dont come back ..

    you can always switch servers and start new .. it does not take that long to raise a toon to current max lvl and AA 's .. yes you would have to put more time into it but that is what EQ is all about .. and there are a ton of peeps that will / can help you .. find another guild family style or raid style ( Raiding guilds always seem to have some kind of drama) so I would stick with family style .. and start fresh .. have fun and enjoy the game that you grew to love..

    I'm sorry for the troubles you had , but that is in the past..
  7. Tucoh Augur

    Blewstar, I say this with no intent to discourage or offend you, but reading your post my guess is that wherever you go, drama will follow and you should just stay on your server.
  8. Captain Video Augur


    Layoffs didn't affect EQ staffing. EQ is still turning a profit. We continue to get an expansion a year with some significant new content each time out, a lot of other MMOs can't say that. Of course I will gloss over the issue of necro dots...

    You might want to consider the Test server. Very friendly folks over there, and it's easy to copy characters over from any live server.
    Vumad likes this.
  9. Asnjas1 New Member

    Omg lady. Seriously. Either its not as bad as you proclaim or you partially respondsible for how bad it is.
  10. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    'I don't want no drama!'

    : writes dramatic post about drama.
    Sancus and IblisTheMage like this.
  11. Szilent Augur

    No additional cost to a reroll on a new server

    I'm gettin' bugged drivin' up & down the same old strip // gotta find a new place where the kids are hip

    IblisTheMage likes this.
  12. Bobbybick Only Banned Twice

    You know, us TLP players LOVE drama. And you don't have to worry about buying new expansions or transferring your old characters, you can start anew!
  13. IblisTheMage Augur

    I am so happy TLP exists.
  14. Whulfgar Augur

    The mere fact you are having to do math .. (not even just start up math) but math for the ENTIRE YEAR.. just to try to validate an invalid way of thinking.. to me just reeks of you do not want to come back..

    Easy fix for ya tho .. Dont come back .. Done .. have fun in what ever your doing an if you hate EQ soo much you have to talk yourself BACK outta EQ .. publicly.. why play ?

    It dont make sense ..
  15. Shanarias Augur

    It is not just Raid Guilds that have drama. Last year, I was in a very large Family Guild on Xegony, and the drama started. Some people left to join a couple of Raid Guilds, and the rest turned on each other like blood crazed Piranha. I was newly back to the game after being gone for nearly 15 years and was amazed. I was told that the player base is 15-20 years older now, and that no one had time for all that.

    Go figure. :)
  16. Shanarias Augur

    Now I strive to be in sort of "Aloof Guilds". :)
  17. Blewstar New Member

    Appreciate most of the input. I am a numbers guy as my background is in Data Analysis. I love numbers and run them in my head always. This may be a problem that others may see, but it makes sense to me and numbers (math) does not lie.

    Being in a guild for over 10 years dealing and resolving drama has been the norm. Time spent to help with strats, group alignments, setting up ranger rotations, CC etc... is what I have enjoyed. Then throw into the mix 2 of the 4 top raiding guilds split, mud is fling, promises are broken, friends going after friends, trust broken. I have never seen the extent of damage that was caused in the 18 plus years of playing. Perhaps if I asked at the time to be transferred due to the extent of the harassment that we received I may of been moved. Will never know

    I took a break, made a man cave, built a plex server and did other things to give time for things to settle. I then come back looking logically of how much it will cost me to get back to that point before the drama. Financially, emotionally (lost good friends that moved to different servers) - if I choose to move to a different server which one would I go to. The current server is bad blood for me.

    Based on what has been said in this thread I can either start with a brand new character on a different server or move a few toons at a time. I have put in a lot of time on the accounts and have characters that are in raid gear.

    The thought of being a peon with absolutely no responsibility does have an appeal. Let others have the headaches of management. Play to have fun and not work that it has become.
    Eggolas likes this.
  18. Eggolas Augur

    The rest did not matter.
  19. Vumad Cape Wearer


    Just did this IRL. If you feel under valued, and you can not get people to value you appropriately, then your only option is the adjust your value. It hurts, but you will be happier for it.

    You can still help with the ranger stuff. I've never been an officer in EQ but I (up until recently) always had some involvement in managing combat MGB rotations, etc. It's drama free to do, rewarding and usually available because the class lead is probably busy managing some drama.

    I think you will be happiest if you move 1-2 toons. That's $15-30 for subs and $25-50 for moves. Max $80. Then you can try out the new server, make some new friends, see if it's the right place for you. You may find you want another move, or you may find that playing your alts on Luclin you can move past what happened. I have no doubt for every 1 person who left a bad taste in your mouth there are 2-3 you might miss on Luclin.