After today...

I would agree except for raid guilds that were all sitting there waiting to complete T3 raids. Those folks put a lot of planning in place and had the rug pulled out from under them.

But I agree for casual players crying about a little downtime for a 21 year old game is silly.

I would agree except for raid guilds that were all sitting there waiting to complete T3 raids. Those folks put a lot of planning in place and had the rug pulled out from under them.

But I agree for casual players crying about a little downtime for a 21 year old game is silly.

I appreciate the feedback but I would ask how much new content do you think is left? I understand that EQ has done an amazing job putting out a new expansion every year but over the last 5 years the EQ office has been getting smaller and smaller. The code has been getting older, larger, and more complicated. While many disagree, Pantheon is coming out in 2-3 years (they also have the Aradune name on it..for whatever people value that), WoW has jumped on the TLP bandwagon and do a MUCH better job supporting and advertising it (TBC Classic has been unofficially announced...Wrath to come). Once WoW start to do it and continue to show success, other games will follow. If any large AAA game like Aion, UO, ect announces a remaster it will be more people (players and devs) that will jump ship. You don't think it's known that JChan is an amazing coder...and dont think Holly is over at Blizzard right now dropping names of who to hire and who not too? They will offer a lifeline to those they want when it gets really bad here.

When DBG bought EQ it was profitable. Someone is going to buy Everquest no matter how much people on here scream "its a horrible idea" because DBG does not have any attachment to Everquest (DPG's does but they aren't the owners). When it goes red and stays red, the game will be sold. So instead of getting a future EQ game started now we are going to get one then. But the lower the price of the EQ franchise starts to mean anyone can afford it ..and the hopes that we are going to get a team that believes in what makes EQ....EQ becomes less and less (I.E gets bought out to be a mobile game).

Also want to add that doing a remaster (which IMO seems like the course the old crew might stomach better) is not JUST slapping a new paint job on the game. It allows the doors to open to a MUCH more profitable business model avenues. How many well known EQ streamers do you know that are making a living off their stream? How many EQ channels are dedicated on youtube to EQ? New engine would be able to tie in a EQ app to the game (talk to friends, search the Baz, ect). How about an EQ map that announces and tracks raid boss spawn times, raid lock outs, mission lock outs, ect. Batphone would actually be a PHONE again.

I am not complaing about downtime due to not being able to play. Twisting anything I said above to fit some narrative that isn't there isn't helpful. I could care less about that as I find plenty of things to do to keep me entertained. My complaint of the downtime is how it tarnishes this game. When they do a historical reference of this game that last few years of it will just be about bugs, downtime, layoffs, ect. Doesn't deserve that type of ending.

To be honest. I very much doubt that Darkpaw Studios is working on a new title. As small as that entire team is now, I think when they split the teams apart, Daybreak is trying to see which studios are going to keep floating and which are going to sink.

What Darkpaw Studio needs to focus on is the technical problems this game has so they can expand. I know they've been working on some of this back behind the scenes but apparently there are problems. It seems like every time they open the flood gates like they did with opening the TLP servers to FTP, their servers can't handle it. I don't think their current infrastructure is set to scale at all. They need to hire some talent to come in and help out.

/PutsHisHandOverHisEars
LALALALALA I CANT HEAR YOU

no.

this idea sucks, it would be the end of EQ thats for sure, then no one would even play the new EQ, they would play crush crush instead ~

I knew the pandemic would bring newbies to the game and forums. I just didn't know it would bring a time traveler.

I get it, I see mostly raiders saying (this sucks) and it would suck for them to dedicate their dev team to a new game but this is the models of many MMO's. GW1 shut down for GW2. Destiny stopped for Destiny 2, Asherons Call 2, Lineage, 2, FFXI, ect Most of those games and others are in a better spot now with a sequel (not counting EQ2 as it's not profitable compared to EQ1).

I will counter your concern with a solution but would take support from the community. If your concern is losing "live" expansions to continue raiding they could set a stretch goal on the kickstarter that if they hit the goal they will continue to release their yearly expansion during the duration of the production of a EQ3/ or the remaster because the stretch goal would be able to cover the salaries of a couple of coders they could dedicate to the new game while the older devs who are familiar with expansions (would be to time consuming to throw someone new in there).

This would take support and money from live players, but you would have an option. Would you be willing to put your money into it though that is the question.

And people can say no and this sucks but the three options that I laid out ...one of them is going to happen. I know people would love that the 4th option of a yearly expansion gets released for another decade is viable but there is no way for this to happen without a legit source of income to fund this. Everquest is making less money each year. They must create a new income source or the game will be sold.

Sadly right now the highest percentage chance is the game gets sold if they don't take action and we don't support them. I only think it's sad because that means we are going to go a very long time without anything new to Everquest. When it does get sold all production on the game will be halted anyways (DBG is not going to push money into the franchise right before they dump it). Once a new owner takes over there is going to be a duration of them getting settled it (more time with no EQ) and then they will start their own ideas and plans, and we will have zero say of what that is.

If we support DPG now we have way more say in the future of our game. This team has years of knowledge knowing what we want but have been limited on engine and funds to be able to act on any of them (and other reasons ill avoid).

What do you mean "Support DPG"? We throw money at them, in return we expect a service. What more do you expect us to do?

It's called annual financial reports and market trends. When Daybreak games purchased EQ they were generating 500million a year. This past year they generated a revenue of 85m for 2019. They pay more then 40million a year in salaries alone (they have around 450 employees). Now factor in every other expense they are barely able to stay above water. If they are in the green it is only because of the massive yearly "restructuring" by firing people. Daybreak game took a gamble. They thought the popularity of the DC franchise was about to take off with the movies and they also thought that one of their games was going to be successful during the Battle Royal surge. All while thinking that Everquest would always be there to be in the green. Two of the three didn't happen and the third one is fading.

A gaming company that doesn't make new games is not a good investment. Not only that, their current games are all 6+ old.

H1Z1 = 2015
PS2 = 2012
DC Online = 2011
EQ = 2006
EQ =1999

So no I can't tell the future but I can make a guess using educated sources.

If they decided to make something new support them. Let them know you want something new. Let them know the current service is not enough.

You sound like someone who goes to their favorite restaurant or store with your own business plan to hand into the owner. Then demanding other customers to fund or take all of the risks of your business plan.

The effort you've put on the forums so far could have been used to start an e m u l a t o r.

Why does everyone want to scrap 20+ years of time invested for some new game that'll probably be a carbon copy of a dozen other current MMO games that will almost certainly fold withing 5 years ?

If you want to go play something else then go.
But please stop asking the devs to shut down EQ just because you are done, the world does not revolve around you and some of us have no intention of running off to the newest and shiniest game.

Well I don't want something new, that's why I'm having a blast on my Level 50 odd toons in a 21 year old game.

People want new content for the game they love, not a new game within the same IP.

Darkpaw would be very dumb if they made EQ3 and it was just a pretty EQ1, if you're going to make a new game you don't try to make it's target your existing customers, you don't steal customers from a game that people already like.

As far as support dbg, I was very very dumb and bought one of those landmark +eqnext packages. They've gotten all the support they're ever going to get from me and a bunch of other people on products that are not finished.

Plus they could already be working on EQ3 and they just haven't announced it yet, announcing mmo's too early and sharing all their info too early is just bad for the company.

For many of us it is enough, we'd just like better communication and maybe some more quests but the game is a good game.

If, over the past 20+ years, all the money that was wasted on "the next big thing" had been reinvested into EQ this game would be amazing. I don't recall how many games EQ has funded that all ultimately flopped but probably at last half a dozen.

We don't want EQ3, I'm sure plenty of us never ven wanted EQ2.
EQNext died.
Pantheon is vaporware.

DPG has a game that has lived 20+ years! Not many companies can say that!
So please quit trying to kill it off and maybe instead try giving it a helping hand ?

Replace the dying hamsters! Ferrets are stronger so maybe they would do better ?
Try advertising (I know, this has been suggested for at least the last decade and been completely ignored.)

Overseer was good, originally, until it was nerfed into oblivion.
I honestly thought it was the first step into getting EQ into the mobile market.
Get an overseer app on your phone and be able to do a little something when you are away from your PC or just don't have the time to log in and play.

I have no interest in a remastered EQ, I hated the graphics they were going to use for EQNext. I like and enjoy the way EQ looks and plays, I dislike many things about EQ2 which is why I don't play it, I've tried it a few times and I just don't like the way it plays.

I have 19 years invested in EQ, with far too many alts on multiple servers and have no desire to start somewhere new. The other half has tried to get me to play other games, they just don't have the same appeal that EQ has.

There are many things I don't like about EQ, but there are far more things I do enjoy, the expansions maybe smaller now, but with multipuls of alts to do content with there is enough to keep me occupied until the next one rolls round.

For me there is no other game that has the depth of game play that EQ has.

If you no longer enjoy EQ, go do something else and leave EQ as it is for those who are still enjoying it.

BTW you might want to check your facts about EQ making less each year, I'm sure Holly said in her last interview that EQ has had increased revenue over the last few years.