TLP Announcement Today!

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Mangler + Selo + Coirnav + Phinny +Ragefire +Agnarr +Miragul is likely > Aradune+Rizlona, its just spread out across 8 servers instead of 2. Mangler probably makes up close to 50% of that to be fair since it has like 20 guilds clearing content but Agnarr/Phinny/Coirnav/Ragefire all have at least 3 guilds still and Selo and Miragul are still getting stuff done as well.

Maybe - maybe not. Odds are, its close that 1/2 the TLP population is on Aradune/Mangler and 1/2 is elsewhere.

At 9am ET, both Aradune and Riz are HIGH Pop, every other TLP is LOW pop except Mangler, at medium.

But if you have access to the super-secret data that I don't...

They have discontinued TLPs, there will be no new TLPs in the future

We both know thats not true. There will likely be 2 TLPs this year, 1 for sure.

They could always opt to skip a year. Though it is not probable it is possible.

If I was the new owners EG 7 and desired a quick return, I would create a TLP that mimics their most popular server aka FV. I would create a TLP of FV with Rizlona rules. This server could only be access by gold accounts who purchased a year subscription. They would see a bump in revenue from the purchasing of the IPs.

They have already said they won't do a FV style server because it's a customer service nightmare.

Well, I see Dreamweaver agreed with your response but here is the kicker... stockholders want a return. If there is enough interest in such a server, they will serve the boards and stockholders interest or they will find someone who can. Just how it works, I have dealt with this type of situation for way to long.

There were other reasons not to do the FV style server, maybe new management will give it a shot but I think it's unlikely we see one.

I am not expecting an announcement until summer or later on another server.

Interest is only one side of the equation. Expense is the other. You could have a hundred thousand people clamoring for a FV tlp server, but if DPG knows it will cost them more in customer service to support such a server than the subs and bag sales will bring in, it's a non starter.

IIRC it costs DPG on average ~$6 per petition to service them (number I recall from a fan faire years ago). Since a big chunk of our subscription fees, krono purchases, etc go to pay for overhead, it doesn't take a whole lot of petitions to eliminate or drastically reduce their profit. IF FV ruleset drastically increases the number of petitions, perhaps you can see why they don't want to double down on that ruleset despite the popular demand.

Stockholders want a return, and they are smart enough to know that that doesn't always come from giving the customer exactly what he wants.

If the shotcallers/investors are also willing to add staff to support such a server, sure.

Heh....I don't believe this to be true. If it is, then I'd like to offer my services and willingness to do it for only $5 per petition.

All the expenses running a CS department are not trivial. Even if you pay staff a low wage -- say $12 an hour for San Diego -- and it only takes 15 minutes per petition on average, you still also have to pay the CS team leads and managers, who review everything, provide and monitor metrics, etc. You have to pay for office space and equipment. And you have to pay for Dreamweaver's time as well every time he gets involved in reviewing customer service interactions, which I recently learned is a fair amount. All of this adds up. I've worked in customer service, and $6 per petition seems well within the ballpark of possible.

Anyone who's petitioned anything and been told no, know that typically they have to deal with 3 updates arguing the case, and an appeal to escalate to a lead gm. That turns those 2 minute petitions into 15 minute petitions pretty quickly.

Even if all of that were true, it still comes back as being horribly inefficient. It's also a similar ploy that business use to justify why they can't pay their employees more. "It costs this much for this and this and this. If I paid them more then I'd have to raise the prices this much and we'd go bankrupt." Meanwhile, they are cruising around town in their brand new Ferrari. It looks good and seems to make sense on paper about their justification, but in actual practice it doesn't work out that way.

My services offer stands: $5 per petition to answer. I'll independent contract this and save 'em a bundle.

FTFY

There are lead GM's. Lead GM Enwon for instance. They are the first line of appeal when something gets escalated. The CS manager next as far as I know.

May as well add JChan and Robin Flodin to that payscale of how much it costs to answer petitions.

Maybe soon*