EverQuest Producer’s Letter July 2023

When will all the issues be solved that this created?

Forget you released another server other than Yelniak last year? Vaniki not deserve any recognistion of which expansion it is on?

If DirectX 11 can be implemented correctly, without any issues, then that would be a tremendous achievement for the entirety of the year. Forget everything else (other than raid lag perhaps). Stoked for some FPS bumps.

What issues? The only thing I've seen is the changed windows staying in the front. Who cares? When they are all updated, it will be back to normal. What other issues are there?

White inventory windows, extreme cpu use, currency windows always opening in upper left and no way to alter it, faded out bags, etc etc. Just read thru the bug reports. Glad none of this happened to you.

Thank you for the letter. Oakwynd has been fun so far, now I can't wait to know more about next expansion.

Long live EQ!

the new UI update caused my computer to heat up so hard. touching it is like touching the purple infinity stone in guardians of the galaxy

If your computer heats up enough to notice - it's not EverQuest.

only happened after the UI patch and i'm not the only one that it's happened to

From the perspective of a person that plays on TLP servers, while I am glad that EverQuest is still going and treading water, I don't see anything here that super excites me. There are no new perks which is odd considering that Daybreak's propensity to monetize.

Here's what would pique my interest:

If Darkpaw made an effort to making significant quality of life improvements as part of the featureset of each expansion, then it would go a long way in building trust between the developers and the players. As it stands for TLP players, there's no real reason to shell out money to buy expansions other than a few gimmicky incentives like mounts, pets, and bags. Daybreak is leaving a lot of money on the table because of this.

On the other hand, quality of life improvements enhance the play EverQuest play experience for both live and TLP players. To me that is development money better spent and it also enchances the longevity of the franchise which means more consistent revenue.

The other thing I would address is the lack of studio engagement with its customers. Other MMO studios have regular devlogs and monthly Twitch and YouTube streams where players can hang out with the devs, hear what they are up to and ask questions. Other studios such as Standing Stone Games (owned by Daybreak) are already doing this, why not Darkpaw?

Another missed opporutnity is TikTok. Blizzard's Word of Warcraft has a big presence on the platform with hundreds of videos and 151K subsribers. Why isn't official EverQuest on TikTok leveraging this massive world-wide platform?

A commitment to greater visibility and authentic outreach helps to humanize devs who are often unfairly seen as insular and indifferent to the needs of the players. Interaction with players would also help the devs relate to players better. A few hours a month alloted for visible outreach via a handful of revolving devs would not break the bank at Daybreak.

One last thing, can we have a special month each year dedicated to players? An official Player Appreciation Month dedicated to giving back to the unsung heroes that cheerfully support Darkpaw all these years would not hurt anyone. Once a year, the devs could ask us this simple question:

What can we do to make the EQ experience better for you?

Small acts of unexpected kindness go a long way in the real world and in a virtual world. We know the devs care or they wouldn't be here. An annual pay it forward charm offensive from the devs for one month a year would benefit everyone.

Focusing on elevating workplace and studio culture has been popular in recent years and paid dividends as people want to be happy where they work. The phrase "we are family" is used a lot in many corporations today and I think the adoption of a more welcoming and inclusive stance toward loyal players would really pay off with happier players and less forum toxicity. This in turn would result in happier devs and moderators. Anyways, thanks for listening.

GM events once or twice a year with rare loot would be great. The guide events are pretty underwhelming.

What is the time frame on more windows coming to the new engine? For me, it's not really useful unless many more windows (if not all) have been updated.

I find it hard to be excited about new expansion when you don't know what to do with them; no Sebilis last year, no Ssra this year.

Could you give us a way to provide positive feedback to the Everquest Team when we think you have done an excellent job on some aspect of the game?

Could not agree more. Recurring and genuine bi-directional communication is #1 on my Feedback and Wish List for Darkpaw and Daybreak.

Right here -> https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php

So many things left unanswered. And I dare not say how I really feel about the accomplishments, or I'll be banned.

That literally said nothing.

You get more info from those data mining than you do from official channels, they really need to do the annoucements and information posts before things start leaking to live and test.

I think you guys have done an awesome job- all while negotiating staff turnover, budgets and other corporate hurdles and challenges. You're still putting out fun interesting content and I appreciate you keeping this game alive! Thanks again Team!