After today...

That's the thing though, I don't want something new!

New expansions with new places to die, yes, but not at the cost of lossing the old.

Not just no, but hell no! What part of no do you not understand?
If your ideas are so grand and glorious, go start your own business.

Didn't say EQ was loosing money. TLP's have been the only positive thing with Day Break games. I said Day Break games is losing revenue. This is fact. Everquest can't hold the entire ship together. DBG will sell EQ in a heartbeat if it means the future of their company.

As for Everquest, I still love EQ. I love EQ so much that I don't want a world where Everquest is talked about as the game we use to play when it was around. I love the lore and the world. I'll adjust on my idea. Keep original EQ alive (30-35 expansions sound good?). But a new EQ game needs to be made. Not because I want to play EQ wow style or something else, because I still want there to BE an EQ. When Everquest Sunsets one day, where will we go? Pantheon is not vaporware as much as people want to believe that it is but they are releasing new updated streams every two weeks with new content being shown. Many of the guilds I am there are people who want to play it. We all have those guild members that will shout (I aint playing that dumb game) but in the wings are twice as many players that would give it a shot.

I don't want Pantheon or similar games to take our players (because we are getting smaller...20% of all these raid forces are people boxing if not more). When EQ sunsets...I just want there to be an Everquest game we all can transition too. Vanguard for all it's flaws and bad press, still took took players away from us. Once they left most did not return after, they went to other games instead of coming back to EQ.

So I still think they should make a new Everquest or at least redo the engine to make it so we can actually have new content. I don't care how its done. If there is no interruption of the original EQ, great everyone wins but once EQ is gone (sooner then later) its to late at that point to complain about why we didn't do a better job making sure EQ has a fall back plan. I don't like seeing things disappear needlessly.

I have and it was very successful. Now I am retired and play lots of Everquest just like you. But maybe who knows. I actually have had talks with partners in and out of game about this subject. If nothing is done by DBG, then Everquest's value in real time values will be extremely cheap, but it wouldnt have as much interest to investors that don't know it's history or playerbase. At that point owning the franchise might be worth it just to hold onto or sell it at a future date to a company that wanted to do something with it.

But good news you would have no trouble with lack of communication from me! Even if you don't like what I have to say. Probably why I have a lot of stock in Tesla, I like Elon Musk style.

Now for progression on the thread. By all means continue to tell me you hate my idea, your right and I am open to it, but I would love to hear other ideas? What would you like to see from DPG that would allow them to add new content to the game, without it taking years to add to the game using the old code, while keeping the company in the green that doesn't require them to lose more members of their team? Because this is the basic problem I see. I can't see how they add new stuff, with their current staff already maxed out on job duties (even more so with Jchans promotion) and be able to spit out content fast enough to make a profit.

Everquest is broken down to two sides now. TLP's and Live. If they slow down on content on live (1 expansion every 1.5 years or 2 years) then people will leave and get bored and if they can't come up with new ideas that draw people in on TLP's (see Miragul) then they won't have that influx of revenue they need to continue to release new content for live. Every year that goes by the team gets smaller and more is asked of them. Something will break. So how do they fix it and how can we help?

They don't have enough people to successfully make a new game in your time frame. And if they devote resources to attempting that then they'll both fail at the new game and lose players of the current game. Then EQ will be dead.

The last few years they're been doing a really good job and they should just continue what they're doing. Besides some class/raid tuning issues I'm not sure what people have to complain about.

^^ --- What Kizant said

Ideas were catered to everyone, you say?

1. I have never logged into a TLP server, and have 0% desire to do so.

2. I will never again begin a MMO. When I retire from Everquest, that ends my MMO career.

3. I want EQ to continue to produce yearly expansions and *new* content with quests and tasks and loot and such, which none of your ideas apply to- you want it to end.

So when you way "everyone", do some fact checking first before making such a blatantly false statement. OK?

ps- There are others who feel the same as I...

I agree, thats why I said Kickstarter. Influx of funding allows them to hire people. As much as I dislike Day Break Games....they are still a legit business. This wouldn't be a Kickstarter with some guy making a studio out of their basement. The Kickstarter would get funding..and they could start. Once they actually have something to show for their work, DBG can start outsourcing to real investors to ensure the completion of their product or if they want to make it bigger then the original pitch. I also am not just talking with no action. If they actually made a professional pitch on Kickstarter (or internal Crowd Funding) I would put my money where my mouth is and buy whatever the last tier was. (if they lasted long enough). Probably two as my wife is devoted raiding cleric in this game and also wants to continue playing this game for the foreseeable future.

That is how far I got reading your post.

Stop new expansions and you will lose raid players there is no question about it. 90% of them log in to raid and do not even play the rest of the time. Yet they buy expansions and have to keep their account subscribed.

The fact that the code is old and complicated is not the reason for the mess that you are seeing, go seek a reason somewhere else. Some of us maintain codebases way older than EQ and yes quite a bit more complicated with bigger impact that gamers being upset about downtime.

I adjusted my ideas to include you a few post prior. I type a lot so understandable that you probably got tired of reading. It would continue Original EQ at least for the next 6+ years..so you win but without new and increases profit, you will get much less then that of this game.

As for fact checking, it's impossible to fact check public opinion and impossible to make everyone happy. If people bring up issues in the course of this thread that leaves them excluded from my ideas I will try to include them or adjust thoughts where they can also get something out of this (like I have a few times already). But to adjust my statement so their is no future confusion, I WANT everyone to be able to continue with their Everquest adventure/legacy. Those who want old, remastered old, and completely new. But I think a wait and see in silence option isn't the way.

I can't edit my original thread, I adjust my original pitch after feedback (that's suppose to be how communication works).

This is what I typed from a few post prior. I want everyone to be happy but I still believe that there needs to be something created for everyone to have a future because the current path is running out of tracks.

Hmm...I really wanna dive into this since you went there but I am going to take my 2 year old out for a golf cart ride before her nap (priorities!). I feel it will atleast let you see where I am coming from and maybe being in the community you may atleast see my point.

Man, for an idea that caters to everyone, we sure have not yet seen a single person who agrees with it. Did we enter a time warp and the concept of the word "everyone" changed to mean "no-one"?

So I joined the Marines in the 90's and while I was in I was in the aviation field dealing with communications between air units, ground units, ect. One of the things I noticed during this was a large disconnect of time between communications having to deal with radio signals being the main source of battle intel (everyone trying to contact on a few lines). Computers and the internet (internet was pretty active in the military but thats a different story) were starting to pick up and there was a lot of "old timers" that knew nothing about computers (they were like 35-40 which is ancient in the military). I worked on a system on my personal time and about 5 months later I presented it to my CO. Thankfully my CO was already selected for promotion so he had more pull then most and was taking a position at Wing level that had the power to make execution decisions.

My system was able to give many of the updates that were given over the radio via computer with a 60 second refresh time (drastically faster then checking in every 15 minutes). It kinda spawn off fast from there. On my second term my system went from one unit to 20+ and started to branch out to the Air Force. I actually had to negotiate my release from the military (good o lawyers) and at that time had a team of 20 Marines that were also given the option to stay in or continue to work for me. I had already won a government contract to spin up the system that it could be de-ployable with any aviation unit.

So here is where it ties in. Over the next 10 years my company expanded to around 320 people. The system we used the government had invested hundreds of millions of dollars into equipment and training into. The system branched off and was used by the Navy, Air force, Marines, and even Nato forces (the Army went a different way). Because the military had invested so much into their equipment I was limited on only being able to program updates (my coders by that time I was hands off) that was compatible by what they had. 10 years in computers is (20+ years now) ancient. Did this stop the military from wanting more and more capabilities with the system? Not a chance. Toward the end they wanted to basically have everything in the palm of their hand using servers and systems that took up the back of a semi truck worth of space.

At that point I could of been stubborn and refused to adapt and adjust, held onto the company I hard worked hard to build and continue to try to ask for more money and more people to keep up with their demands, but at that time I realized this was more then I was willing or wanting to do. I had multiple of offers over the last few years to be bought out and I sold my company to Lockheed Martin. They weren't even the best money deal but they ensured all my employees had a job or if they chose not to merge they were given 40% of their salary for the year to walk (it was their choice none forced).

Since it was my baby I of course kept track of it's growth after I sold it. Lockheed is a company with tens of thousand employees and with that manpower they were able take the system in routes and speeds I was not. But the system still sends the SAME information to the guys who need it. Just more of it and faster. But still its the same system at it's core. At the end of the day our military is very dominate in air superiority over every other country and its not close. So I am very happy that things happen the way they did. Instead of taking a break I became a detective (what I actually wanted to do before I luckily made a system for the government) for nearly 8 years and learned the true meaning of thankless job and being hated by many of your customers.

But now I am retired because I have a 2 year old that I wanna just spent time with during the day and at night play Everquest with my wife. But my question to you Moege and any other person who deals with old coding. Why do you think that the old coding isn't holding the game back? Why does introducing new coding have to mean systems and changes that people don't want? Everquest is about the community. Why can't that community be translated into a newer and improved version of EQ? No one is saying add LFG ques or instant raiding. Everquest can become EQ 1.5 without it going crazy like EQ2 did or even crazier with EQ next. The code for EQ can be improved without breaking the core of the game but adding things that people have been asking for years. Easier class changes, new classes, more unique raids, more diverse missions, easier bazaar system, more useful mount system, better housing system, more useful mercs, ect. A system that is better at catching cheaters (being able to track real time data catching cheaters in the act). These systems are in place on other games but sadly the games themselves are NOT EQ.

My opinion is Everquest can live on for the next decade keeping it's core alive...giving it a bit of an upgrade and almost everyone can be happy. It's possible to keep the old and new fresh and updated. But sadly all of this is just talk. I don't think Daybreak games knows what it really has in Everquest and I don't think DPG's has the power to change their minds. Eitherway, I am looking forward to Rizlona (maybe Aradune) as long as it last but I still think without some type of change, the game is on it's last leg.

TLDR version:
Announce a Kickstarter (or internal crowd funding) for a new or remastered EQ (at this point I don't care). Also add a stretch goal that if reached continues funding for Original EQ (If you want longterm old style EQ..put your money into action). Original EQ (part of the stretch goal) will just have a system overhaul (no new graphics..just a coding rehaul that allows growth). Like when WoW went back and adjusted all the old zones to support flying (but on a more major scale). This would hire new coders and more staff ..hence why the Kickstarter.

In 5-7 years there would be a new or remastered EQ that would continue the EQ legacy and for at least 5-7 years there would be a FULLY supported original EQ with better non-cookie cutter expansions and new TLP's that have more variety and rulesets. Also changes the code ..which will make it harder if not impossible for cheaters, VM's, m**coquest cheats ect. People will enjoy all aspects of the game more, the devs will communicate more because they most likely will be proud of their advancements and will actually be able to make changes and adjustments the community wants. Dogs and cats will live in harmony.

Or continue what we have. Every TLP one side is happy the other side screams I hate you devs. Every patch that takes 3 times as long to adjust because there is zero testing and coding takes forever people scream. Raiding guilds get screwed over in back to back months on live servers and outside of Dreamweaver we get radio silence or we get an AMA where half the questions are about personal lives of the devs during the Virus. O and also very apparent ninja deflection skills avoiding any and all TLP questions because I honestly don't know. But those skills are amazing to watch in action.

I think you have wildly unrealistic expectations of the revenue that a kickstarter would bring to EQ.

I think you fail to appreciate just how much decline has taken place within the Company that runs EQ

I think you vastly overestimate the interest in a new EQ

I think you don't understand that the MMO market is a niche, an aging niche of players at that, and that injecting new life into that with any new game is an enormous risk that is going to have an extremely difficult time generating investment interest.

I do get where you are coming from, your passion, your desire to see the franchise succeed is a common one even the players with zero interest in leaving the EQ game we play now would like to see the franchise spin up a new successful title.

EQ may have another twenty years but it won't be seeing a stream of new players any time soon, I'm not sure the MMO genre is even going to see great future growth, Pantheon may prove to be the last gasp of a dying game breed.

I wouldn't say it is the worst post ever, but I do want new content.

The problem is people put so much time into there characters that they don't wanna start over. eq2 came out and they expected everyone to jump ships but it never happened. I will never leave my chars I got way too much invested into them. im happy with eq minus the downtimes.

Andarriel

1. I probably do but I do know that not trying = fading revenue. Nostalgia is a funny thing. Blizzard said no one wants classic. 3 million + extra subs during the first month of the game erased that idea. So much so that they have actually made classic servers a core part of their business model now (TBC and beyond). When the bidding starts I've seen crazier things happen. Marketing is a huge thing also. If they make some generic kickstarter with zero effort then that doesn't help. But if they pump out multiple videos with nostalgia in mind with maybe a few core features or 1 class to show in action, could change the vibe and excitement. I think setting the first bar semi low (for MMO standard because they do have DBG's who should front some money) but having stretch goals at higher prices would be a good idea. As I said, I am just one person but Nostalgia for this game would make me have no issues paying for 2 of the highest tier packages, so my hope is there are others like me.

But any Kickstarter they setup they need to research pass trends, limits, ect. If they just go in blind with no data they will fail.

2. This I actually FULLY understand but I do not wish to get on the bandwagon of bashing the devs. I was thinking about this while I thought out my ideas and what I would do is bring on someone with more experience in launching a game. Allow Jchan to focus more on her expertise just for the creation of the game/rebuild but ensuring she had a vital role and leadership responsibility. When the project is done she should much stronger for it and be able to take the reins of the team or I would give her a new game to develop where shes the lead (think of a journeymen QB that is mentoring a rookie or 1-2 year QB). But at the end of the day, new people need to be brought in, coders first and foremost (deadlines need to be kept).

3. As for the interest in EQ. I dunno. I still see people in games randomly bring up Ultima Online, DAOC, and Everquest and now they are playing MOBO's and FPS. People still "heard" of Everquest. I think if done right with social media, cellphones, and make the game hard but in a rewarding way this game can draw in plenty of people.

Pantheon maybe the last breath of hope but I will say that Pantheon is using the name Everquest to promote itself and they aren't shy about it. So they feel that the name Everquest will bring in some players and is worth using.

So the one thing that I do know is that Everquest deserves at least 1 more shot to prove it still belongs before being lead out to the pasture. Thanks for the feedback and thoughts Skuz.