DPG closing down?

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Vaxpo, Jul 7, 2020.

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  1. Thewiz Augur

    DPG, can I have your stuff?
    KimchiGoddess likes this.
  2. HoodenShuklak Augur

    They better cash out soon because Pantheon is gonna be here before you know it.
  3. Arrk Augur


    In 2030? EQ3 might be out by then...
    Barton likes this.
  4. Febb Augur


    No, Wow classic is going to tank EQ guys. I mean seriou... oh it's already out?

    Oh <insert game> is going to tank EQ guys, the end is near. Hide your kids, hide your wife.
  5. code-zero Augur

    Nobody plays Everquest, the servers are just too crowded
  6. Xoner Baby Joesph Sayer

    Check's in the mail
  7. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    I don't agree, from what I have heard & read from Holly & about her she was determined to gain more autonomy for the EverQuest franchise since she actually was in charge of it.
    What I mean by that is she went to great lengths to stop the money EQ generates being wasted on other franchises & instead trying to secure it going back towards the future of the franchise.
    I heave heard other devs confirm that has been a large part of the changes she has brought about during her tenure.
    So knowing the above I think the division into 3 studios was about allowing each franchise to have the freedom to stand on their own successes or fail due to their own mistakes independently of each other.

    Maybe, it could also have been about ensuring the longevity of the game and about finally upgrading their infrastructure to something better able to take the game into the future. Clearly there were some teething problems with that & these may continue for a while.
    KimchiGoddess, code-zero and Aneuren like this.
  8. Pawtato Augur

    It's more about slimming down and selling off the studios. Investment firms aren't about holding onto assets for extended time periods, especially not one as risky as a game studio. They create portfolios with set time limits for asset cycling.

    I don't want to knock you for the optimism, but it's hard for me to fathom that a private equity firm would be ok with increasing costs for an aging asset.
  9. Mercanyin Augur


    Why do you say this?

    Pantheon has been in development since 2014. 7 years
    Ashes of Creation has been in development since 2016. 5 years
    Vanguard was in development from 2002-2007. 6 years
    EverQuest started in 96. 4 years.
    SWG was announced in 2000, launched in 03. Most likely in the 4 or 5 year range.
    World of Warcraft was 5 years.

    Ashes of Creation is in Alpha 1.
    Pantheon is coming up on Pre-Alpha 5.

    What do you guys want from game creators. Just a re-skin of a previous game? Go play call of duty...
  10. KimchiGoddess Augur

    I'm definitely a fool, when I pledged in 2015 I didn't think that come 2020 I still wouldn't have my alpha access.
  11. Mercanyin Augur

    Ahh development process is on track. They announce the game the same time they were trying to get funding so we think its longer than it really is.
  12. KimchiGoddess Augur

    It went into the first pre-alpha late 2017 I think with initial promises of alpha coming by/before 2019 ... now we're close to pre-alpha 5? How many pre-alphas are there?

    I don't follow it too closely tbh because I don't want to see what I can't be a part of yet. From some stuff I read there's not much actually done on the game zone/world wise, but that's reddit so who knows.
  13. Mercanyin Augur


    At least they are announcing the pre-alphas. Most companies don't.

    They announced Pantheon in 2014 at the same time they started the kickstarter. They only raised half of what they needed. So they moved into crowd funding.
    They then got a round of seed funding at the end of the third quarter in 2015. I doubt any game development even started before 2016. Theoretically that puts game development at 5 years. Which is pretty much the same time frame as Ashes but Ashes has not been as transparent.

    Think about the time frame. They officially announced EverQuest Next at SoE 2013. I was there. We were the drunk table.
    EQNext was cancelled in 2016. A lot of people quit, got fired, whatever. If you look at the features of Ashes... its almost the same feature set as EQNext. Some of the staff from SoE went to work on Ashes, some went to Pantheon...
    KimchiGoddess likes this.
  14. Mercanyin Augur

    If you think about classic, original EverQuest 1999... what a buggy unfinished game... lol
  15. wade_watts Augur


    So then finally, when she was effectively the studio head... she quit two months later. If she finally got her chance to ensure the longevity of the game, why do you think she left? The simple answer is... She didn't want to be left on the sinking ship. I can't tell if some of you folks that want to "Make EQ " are being sarcastic or if you really think there is a second wave of greatness and glory to be restored. It's simply not going to happen.

    We have an underfunded team, with an old / outdated product with limited appeal, that is clearly on life-support from a staffing standpoint, and the company can't seem to respond and manage customer relations let alone stay in-tune with the current generation of players / TLPers. Couple that with poor company financials, a stated desire to sell, and clear indications that the technical competence to operate this game isn't necessarily there (you really think the issues we have on Mangler / Aradune are because they upgraded the servers?). Even if all of that is managed, trying to revamp a 25 year old C app to modernize is probably more work than just starting from scratch.

    I wish it wasn't true but... it really do be like that sometimes.
    Name2 and Zanarnar like this.
  16. code-zero Augur

    So one impossibly overcrowded server has problems and that means the end?
    Skuz likes this.
  17. Vaxpo Elder

    No, how a company deals with problems surrounding their product is the issue. And frankly, it isn't just Aradune. I was playing on live last night, Bristlebane, and was getting lag there as well. It was especially noticeable when trying to sell/buy from a vendor. No meaningful communication and serious problems persisting for over a month without a solution do not bode well for any company.
  18. PhinigelKronoFarmer Journeyman

    We're still a long ways away from Sunset. The company hasn't gotten to the point of stopping full expansion releases and just releasing content into the Marketplace.

    Instead of focusing all efforts into 1 big expansion launch, just release a complete zone for a price, 500 Darkpaw Bucks or whatever. Once purchased, your account is flagged and you can use that content. Release a full complete raid here and there. Obviously there are a lot of things that go into this, but there are several F2P games that have this model and it works fine. I cannot fathom why we're not at that point already anyway.
  19. CatsPaws No response to your post cause your on ignore

    Mo' Money. All her loyalty went down the drain when they waved that big offer in her face. She was the huge move behind the LGBT bunnies in 2019 in EQ and Blizzard is all over LGBT. Being as how she is working on "Classic" then that fits will with her love for TLP servers in EQ.

    Last year they Blizzard also layed off 25% of their workforce. Just like DBG.

    No matter what the title is she was still doing the same function she had been since 2015. I doubt she got many raises at DBG.

    Executive producer EQ Franchise Oct 2015 – Jan 2020


    Executive producer Darkpaw Jan 2020 – Mar 2020
  20. Accipiter Old Timer

    You mean like at least half of companies around the world due to COVID-19?
    Skuz and code-zero like this.
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