After today...

I did read it. Where EQ's money comes from is and has not been my point. Any money EQ generates is going to Daybreak games and being redistributed throughout the company. Just because Planetside for example is not generating enough money to cover their salaries does not mean that Daybreak games is allowed to not pay them for their time employed. There are laws against this. All their revenue gets pooled together and they pay out their required expenses (salaries, bills, ect), anything left over gets distributed to all the teams and that is their budget for the month, quarter, year (they may have a total fund and each team submits request to use the money and it gets approved or disapproved..multiple types of corporate systems...this system is used more when a company is losing money yearly..like DBG's).

The point is, if you think the money we spend to play is being used specifically on EQ, then there is no way to change your mind because you don't understand how corporation work. Less people have lost their jobs at Darkpaw games then the other teams because they are needed to continue to be the main source of revenue. They have gutted the other games and teams. At some point there is nothing left to trim from the other teams. Once you start seeing the other teams completely shutdown or the franchise rights sold, then it's only a matter of time before EQ is in the cross-hairs.

What kind of items for the store and do you have any ideas for what TLPs would be popular? I like the idea of an official leader board for different things.

Well I think that is for a different thread if they actually created a new database that supported it. But they have been using the official website in the past to update tier progression (Think Fippy progression based unlock server). That would all be able to be displayed in real time in game. Achievement leader board.If they had a PVP "season" type server they could have a leaderboard with player and guild based stats. They could have a more robust sales price tracking system for the bazaar.

If they did a PoTime server that reset once a year, they could track progression for the server every reset. It would build competition. Players who don't read the forums will see who the top players/guilds are and maybe strive to join them.

World of Warcraft has a dps logging system (warcraftlogs). If they added an in-game dps meter (all guilds use it anyways), there could be some legit tracking systems to really see who is the best dps/healers on each boss between the top guilds. These tracking systems would keep people active because they didn't want to lose their place on the leaderboard, and strive others to be better. But realistically could just auto generate any query on a modern database.

Hate to engage further, but this just lept out...

Your salary range of 45k-64k / year in the US will get you /meh software developers. Jo Average that can make basic e-commerce websites or do exactly what they are told (maybe) with limited initiative, or is entry level. Some offshore locations (from the US) MAY get you something decent for that, but likely not with the rest of the overheads of offshore.
- And anyone you did get for that money that was decent, will be gone in 6-9 months after they realise they can get a WAY better paying gig.

For something this complex, you want WAY better individual coders than that money gets you, never mind great digital artists, writers (lore), content creators, game designers, animators, etc etc.

Note: I speak as someone who hires, pays and manages software developers in multiple countries, not 'research by google' that you appear to be doing. You are orders of magnitude off the real cost.


Again, /VETO.

I don't even want to entertain this by asking for the source for your 83% revenue drop because you have zero track record of credibility thus far. I'm not going to /quote everyone so they don't get spammed with notifications. But here, let me re-post the entire thread for you:

Me:
... is a market virtually no gaming company aims to target (sorry). The prime demographic for PC game development, which is now a niche market, is 19-32.

Tarvas:
I'd probably look at it, say that is pretty, and continue to log into EQ.

Jhenna_BB:
Taking all of the joy devs receive to do their job in EQ sounds like an idea to veto.

p2aa:
Worst idea ever.
The big majority of the Live server population doesn't want to play on TLP servers. Not because of the current rules. Just no interest ever at all to go back playing older content. Can change the rules of these olders expansions all you want, won't change this fact.
Try doing this, and you will loose at least 50 % of the actual EQ income.

Endorek:
Might be the worst post I've ever read. I want new content, and while I am not at all happy about the overseer system nerfs, if things like that keep money flowing into the game to support the development of that new content I'm all for it. Getting bent out of shape over a couple days a year where you can't play is the most entitled thing I can think of.

Febb:
What Darkpaw Studio needs to focus on is the technical problems this game has so they can expand.

Elyssandra:
no.

Thraine:
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 ~

Yinla:
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.

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.

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

Rolaque:
Not just no, but hell no! What part of no do you not understand?

kizant:
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.

Jennre:
^^ --- What Kizant said

Cicelee:
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...

Maedhros:
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"?

Skuz:
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.

ArtremasEQ:
I want them making NEW CONTENT FOR EQ, simple as that. I have no interest in another game sometime in the future at the cost of the now.

Goburs:
Are you having a hard time seeing the screen? Nobody here besides you wants the game to stop seeing new content.

Bigstomp:
We don't want a new EQ. We want the EQ we know and love to keep going. Even if it has some historical quirks.

kizant:
Either way clearly people don't want a 3rd game and if you have ideas on how to make EQ1 better then just post them. There's plenty of things they could do with what they have.

----
... yet you're still sitting there coming up with naive ideas how they can pull off an extremely unpopular idea. You're either trolling or really need to get your head checked.

In the fabled words of The Sleeper: 'Begone insect'

If we aren't making a new game ...why would you need more artist, writers, and content creators, ect? Just adding stuff on to make your point more valid? There are already people at DPG that do these jobs and nothing I suggested requires more people in their fields. As someone who also hired and paid software developers, network engineers, translators,ect in several countries you know that someone just can't up and leave when they want without breaching their contract. I am not talking about hiring someone from your local newspaper classified section. This would RUIN any contractor and would never be hired again. Also many freelancers go through a hiring agency that also have systems in place to penalize people for not living up to their contract.

Note: You talk about it as if you are hiring a contractor as a full time employee which leads me to doubt your expertise.

There is a HR department at Daybreak games I hope who would VET out the person they are hiring and ensure they have a track record of success. Also it may just be me but before I hire them I have a list of questions I ask before agreeing to a contract. Many of them would be to their ability to learn and adapt. One thing I would assume is that the amount of people that are masters at this 1990's database is very very limited and probably unavailable. I wouldn't pay someone 200k a year because they excelled at AAA level games if I just need someone that works fast, learn, and has a secures grasp of the subject matter.

Baring that... lets change the salary to 120k a year. 1 Full year for 3 people = 360k. For that price point you can make a large dent into the project (once again...not creating a new game..just improving the infrastructure). With the help of the staff already present the project could be near completion.

So now that I fixed your issue with my layout, what else troubles you.

Software Manager here with 35 years as a professional developer under his belt including some wild times in dot com days

1) Good software developers (I.e. not in India) cost closer to 150k a year. That’s fully loaded benefits and infrastructure.

2) You would need a team of 5-8 plus content and testing resources for 3 years to get a beta and one year of limited rollout. Budget $1.5 million per year.

3) The business model for this does not exist. Most of EQ is played by people who do not want to try any new games. So, you would have to do a port of EQ to a new platform. This would still be of limited value in attracting new blood.

4) The only economic model that would work seems to be porting to phone, tablet or other mobile device. That seems to take costs up by a factor of 2x.

So, if I see kickstarted of $3 million I’d know you had a decent start. That gets you 1/2 way to beta. Not going to happen.

I read them all. I have adjusted everything based off the "voice of the majority". I have erased EQ3 and EQ remaster. I have added subjects that people said they wanted. I have focused on people want current EQ and more content. The things I have added is a way for EQ to generate more money so it last longer and upgrade to the system to add more content faster and easier.

Are you going to add anything to the conversation or just troll and cut and paste others thoughts instead of having actual ideas of your own? Are you expecting me to plant a flag in defeat? I didn't get to were I am in life because I got offended by someone who said mean things about me.

If my ideas suck...tell us how to make them better? I am not afraid of critique, how about you?

Unless you think the game is perfect (I think everyone can agree that this week proves otherwise) why not try to improve it?

Thanks for this. Few counters and would love your thoughts.

1)Ok up the anti to 150k a year from 120k. I am going to add that I doubt the head software developer at DPG makes this much, let alone all of them. I still have many friends in the business and this is the rate someone at Microsoft makes with 15 years of experience with stock options (lived in Redmond WA and 70% of my neighbors worked at Microsoft. DBG's is not Microsoft. We also don't need someone with 35 years of experience, 5-6+ is the cutoff I use to set (depends if they had military experience) for entry level to Software developer Senior 1 (level 2 was 12+ years).

2)So add my 3 to the ones already on staff and the 5-8 is already set and half of that is already accounted for in DBG's yearly budget. So lets say the budget stays the same but only 750k is new money needed.

3) Port to phone is not an option. Surprised you used this model? The attraction would be the marketing teams job to bring back older players that have moved on to WoW and other games. Even thought EQ old timers like to think people playing WoW and other games wouldnt want to play EQ, many of them did play and love EQ but unlike many of us, expanded their MMO minds. When they announced a new DAOC server that hide some upgrades to it, thousands of players came back to play even thought they hadn't played in years. DAOC has been drastically more ignored with new content compared to EQ and does not have the name of EQ. Lastly there is a BIG void in MMO's right now. WoW is about to capitalize on this with their classic line but many MMOers are begging for a new AAA mmo and New World is the closest to being released. There is room for EQ to get some fresh legs and take some of those players that want large open world game with legit raids.

Quick two things. Beta hasn't actually been a term used by EQ in awhile. Even the beta for ToV was more of a promotion for their expansion sales then it was for actual bug fixing. As many have said, raids felt nearly untouched since Beta. While a beta would be great, we could cut much of this to internal testing since it wont be a new game.

So if I met you halfway ...1.5million for 2 years of development (not counting the staff already on salary). Now I will be fully honest on a few things. 1.5 million dollars (or even 3) is not that much to DBG's and not very much in the MMO industry in of itself. If 10000 accounts subscribed for a year thats 1.8 million. Not counting potions, store items, krono, expansions, bags, ect.

Lastly, I am not as worried as I have let on about the legacy of the game because there are people in high places in the MMO community that still love and know EQ. The valuation of this game IMO and others from the forums would be somewhere between 20-30 million dollars. Every year it's losing value. There are major companies that would buy this game/frachise if DBG's were to sell it when they are on their last leg. I also think there are many players (self included) that would be interested in buying the game if meant no more EQ ever. Heck I know a few players right now that would invest in making the game better if they actually thought the money would go ONLY to the DPG team, but we know it would be absorbed by Daybreak games so things the money wasn't intended for.

Anyhow thanks for the info. Appreciate your insight.

I don't agree with a lot of what you are saying but wanted to say thank you for your service.

Some of the people posting here remind me of the people in /g telling the raid leaders what they should be doing.

Thank you, appreciate the support.

I noticed a few times from your signature the 20 years of EQ playing. I haven't been active on the forums up until this past year but I feel like I should of knew who you were as I have been playing just as long. Either way says a lot about you being dedicated to the game this long, respect that a lot.

The marines discharged you and 20 others so that you could go start a company? You had an obligation to serve your country in the military in the U S the M*f-ing Contract and they let you go so you could be an entrepreneur? And they just assumed you would follow through on the idea they liked?

Lockheed acquired this company a few years ago but you were a detective for 8 years? Don't you also need to go to police academy, plus be an officer for several years before that?

This sounds almost as far-fetched as your "next EQ" idea. What was the name of your company, if you don't mind?

(Fixed the M in Marines for you).

Yep, I joined the Marines at 16. I skipped two grades (4th and 7th). One due to intelligence, second due to circumstances. Parents counterfeited a couple of million dollar (I was young..just thought we were rich), got caught (secret service raided the house..found out counterfeiting fell under the Secret Service jurisdiction) and turned themselves in after being on the run in Alabama. So I went from New York schools...to well Alabama. (hence the 7th grade skipporu). I take it you are a Marine so before you say...you can't join when you are 16, well you would be wrong. Back in the 90's it was not all over CNN if a 16 year old joined the Marines. It is rare ( I only met 1 other during my career). I went to the recruiting office, got told no it's not possible after telling them my story, but received a phone call about a week later asking me to come back in. Since my parents where in jail and I was with a foster family there was a legal loophole that allowed me to get a waiver to join (since I had graduated high school). I just had to Emancipate from my parents. Also I had to pass the full PFT vice the IST before I joined (wasn't a set rule, but the recruiting sub-station CO did not want me to die in bootcamp). About two months later I was at Parris Island. I was the youngest Marine at the Marine Corp Ball two years running (if you understand what that means in the ceremony).

Part about the company I already explained but from the part you left at, yes the Marine Corps released me from my Active Duty contract along with 18 others from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (3rd MAW). By that time our little "special" unit had gathered a lot of attention. I was no longer doing duty, random deployments, B-Billets, ect. Think of it as a Marine being assigned to the All-Marine team or the Presidents Own band. I spent the last 2 years of my contract literally going from base to base teaching units the system to get them up to speed as fast possible. In the world of the Air Tasking Order (ATO)..what we created (I say we because I couldn't of done it without my friends/Marines) was like going from a land-line to a cellphone. What they have done with it now is even more insane (thousands of recon/attack drones flying around area of operations at any given time).

As to how the Marine Corp allowed me to become an "entrepreneur". This was actually easier then you think and kinda funny. My CO (42 year old friend at the time I was 23) protected me like a good leader and help me patent what I created since it was done on my own time and systems. He was also a smart man and had a lot of connections I needed so I made him a 10% partner in the company (that came later). But simply, I was getting out..there was nothing they could do about it, especially since he had my back and they needed/wanted me to continue (and I did as well). So the U S the M*f-ing C actually fronted the money to start my business up. They asked me what I needed and I took everyone with me. We were all transferred to a reserve unit on the west coast but My "headquarters" was built on on Miramar Airstation (everything had to be used on military classified networks so made the most sense). I stayed in the reserves because I still loved being a Marine and if we went to war (which..we did) I would go anyway to be a contractor for our system. (I basically got to double dip...I got active duty pay while my company was making money also).

We expanded to the East and West coast. I hired Marines/Airmen/contractors I had met as I traveled and trained and we kept building. I also got "called" up ..which was more me volunteering because making sure my system worked fully in action was kinda a big deal for the future of my company. I did two tours in Afghan (Near Marjah) and 1 in Iraq (Fallujuh prior to giving it back). Our system did even better then expected in real combat (if only they had a program to fix the corruption in that country though) and after many lessons learned we pushed out around 30 updates over the course of 7 years. The system will be a part of military aviation for a very long time. By this time I was getting phone calls all the time from Raytheon, Lockheed, Cubics, ect to sell. The military wanted the system worldwide (not just the units that were slated for the middle east region) and I was worn out to be honest. I sold to Lockheed, took care of my guys, and took a nice vacation for 6 months

As for the cop thing...it was always what I wanted to do and why I joined the military (can't be a cop at 16). When I went into foster homes the deputy that arrested my parents took me in for a few weeks while they dealt with all the federal transfer crap that was going on because my parents were federal fugitives. Even after I was found a foster home he checked in on my regularly and helped me when I joined the Marines. Dude changed my life. Wasn't about the money but I am not one to keep still. I also wanted a job where I didn't have to read emails and have my phone pressed against my ear 15 hours a day. One thing about patrol is that when you log off someone replaces you and when you go on vacation no one calls you because someone is covering your area. Can't tell you how amazing that is. But yes, five month academy, three years as a Patrol officer and four years as a gang unit detective. As for how did I become a detective so fast, well while TV shows are amazing and show these old salty detectives, in the real world the older people are Detective Sergeants. I worked in a large city and the actual directive stated that an officer needed only 3 years of patrol to apply to be a detective. While some 22 year old fresh out of college with only 3 years of experience most likely would get passed over for detective, a combat veteran with a good amount of life experience did not. I was also working after hours with the gang unit already (networking) and made my selection easy.

With that...I was at active shooter training one day and since I am a big guy (6'4 220) I ended up partnering with a 6'3 280 pound former football player. The course was to take out the shooter, carry a "victim" through 2 rooms and up a flight of stairs to safety. I took said "victim" through the rooms and up a flight of stairs..two steps from the top my hip dislocated and tore my colon and my labrum. Instant end of career. Note to self...it's stupid to try to be macho when someone outweighs you by 60 pounds. 18 months of rehab...had our daughter...called it a career and my story ends with a silent whimper.

So with that...no you can't have the name of my company. While the many parts of the system is highly classified the name of the system is not. But no its not because you don't have "clearance" to know that I am not giving it away, its because during my time in law enforcement I put away a lot of very bad people that I am not their favorite person. Many of these criminals still have ties and power within the gangs they are/were in and I am not putting my family in jeopardy for anyone, sorry. I don't have social media of any form and will stay that way. Until you take your family to subway one day and randomly walk in on two people you have arrested before (two towns over) and one of them points their finger like a gun at your family, I don't know if you will fully understand. (BTW that is a crime..20 minutes later I had him in handcuffs once I had some backup).

There ya go. If you still don't believe me and think I am some disrespectful stolen valor....then well at least I hope you thought it was an interesting fictional story.

With that I think I am done on this post and will just go back to enjoying EQ. My intention was to spark conversation about the legacy/future of this game and I could of came across better but it just turned into about me or just having countering everything I typed. At this point it is not at all about the original topic so my apologies for that.

Thankfully..

The OP is in a vast Vast VAST.. minority.. who thinks like this.

Software engineering salaries in San Diego avg about 90k/year. That seems on the low end...

You're a liar. Period.

The United States military will not allow you to enlist at 16 with a "waiver" or through any circumstance.

You see, the U.S. is a cosignatory to a variety of international treaties. One of which, bans the use of "child soldiers" and defines "child" as anyone under the age of 18.

Someone age 17 who has a GED or graduated high school, and has guardian permission, can enlist but they cannot deploy you so it almost never is allowed.

While people up through VIETNAM are known to have been able to lie about their age due to the inability to research everything, at the age group you are talking about (born in the 1970s minimum), there is zero way for you to have enlisted.

The military also isn't discharging you so you can start a freaking company.

Go away, seriously. Everyone here knows you're just trolling, but this entire thing has gone beyond the absurd.

The internet losers association circa 2002 must be missing a founding member, as this is the kind of idiotic garbage people would pretend online back in those early days.

So, some bad news here.

Whilst I can't speak for the USA, I'm a citizen of an allied western power, signatory to the same treaties, and I joined the Navy at 15, 9 months, 3 people were younger than this (few days) in my naval apprentice class. I spent my a 18th birthday fully trained and on active service, deep underwater at sea on a submarine. Cuddled up to a Mk 48. Torpedo next to my rack..

Might want to get facts straight before calling someone a Liar.


Regardless, despite perhaps good intentions, I still remain against pretty much everything in the proposal, and consider much somewhat far fetched.

Overall I'd prefer they make EQ better, which means, for me, more & richer content each expansion, which requires more said content designers, animators, etc etc. I'd love them to upgrade the graphics engine also, but realize that is not economically feasible.

Your ideas are self centered and nobody like them if you read the replies. So get over it.

The United Kingdom is different than the US in that regard and catches for it when they accidentally deploy 17 year olds to Afghanistan. I could be wrong, but the age of enlistment (and being drafted) has been 17 for longer than any EQer has been alive in the United States.