I don't care if they shuffle lore up. I care that they sell illusions instead of making them part of the game. Want to add a 9 legged gelatinous cube that wears a wizard hat and speaks an all new language, great, just make it part of the game. Don't confuse changing lore and completely ignoring it. Selling items negates gameplay and devalues it even for people who are not buying DBC. And if you read any of my posts, I have repeatedly said we need an engine overhaul. I try to recruit new players, and the response is always the same. Either they don't like the graphics, or they don't like the mechanical clunkiness of the gameplay. I certainly would not complain if EQ looked more like ESO while continuing to play like EverQuest. etc etc You are arguing that the game is old and can't get new players but I disagree. I stopped playing from HoT to RoS and now I am back contributing an additional $600/yr to the game. Other players return. A returning player us just as good as a new one. Expanding revenue through expanding subscriptions can work, but increasing the spending of the existing player base is the goal, not expanding it. But most importantly, if all investment decisions are based on the idea of "we can't get new players" then yes, you are right, we absolutely will not get new players. The difference between you an I is you see EverQuest as an old game working towards it's sunset, and I see it as a franchise with greatly undervalued IP.
I mean, you're talking to someone who stopped playing from SoD to VoA so it's not like returning is impossible. However, I've accepted the reality that way more people leave than return. Since I've gotten back, just about every close friend of mine has left. The people I hang out with now are completely different than the ones I played with even just 2 years ago. Returning players aren't as good as new players. Returning players, for the most part, are more interested in TLP because of nostalgia reasons. That means the focus on revenue will be geared towards those servers. Just look at the two newest ones. There are queues of 3-4 hours just to get in the game. That's something I NEVER experienced in EQ on live servers. The longevity of TLP populations goes hand in hand with the interest in the expansions. As you get closer to live expansions, the TLP populations dwindle. Why is that? I'm going to say there's a strong correlation between nostalgia of older expansions (considered the best ever) and interest in continuing to play EQ. What does that mean in the long run? It means volatile population fluctuations and inconsistent income. TLP players will slowly stop playing until the next round comes in after the first dozen or so expansions. The only consistent sales are live servers and those numbers aren't increasing and won't be.
I’m having a blast on the new TLP, after getting done all that I wanted to on FV. There’s so few abilities that the ones you do have are meaningful and it’s nice not having 8 different hot bars cluttering the screen. There aren’t any big disc or burn abilities, so you’re left with actual consequences and rewards. Mana is actual a resource. It’s crazy, I thought I was going to hate not having all the class refinement but having a more basic toolset has been refreshing. I say all that to say, I’m enjoying the seasonal aspect of a TLP where everyone is reset and refreshed. The population hasn’t stratified and there’s a lot of positive energy. You’re right though the interest clearly wanes, but is that because people get bored after 1 or 2 years? Live is like an old growth forest, it’s alive but very set in its ways.
