Daybreak to take over development of MTGO.

See https://magic.wizards.com/en/articles/archive/magic-digital/2022-magic-online-state-game-2021-12-15

In a weird twist for me personally, I only play two games on my PC. EQ and MTG (currently off Arena because of the Alchemy mess, but still on MTGO).

Oops, someone beat me to it.

I've been playing MTG Arena since it's release, and currently have a yuge card collection. I started playing paper magic somewhere around 1994, but MTG Arena has pretty much ended my paper MTG playing. My favorite format in MTG Arena is Historic Ranked, and that's pretty much all I play.

Never really messed with MTGO. Can someone explain the difference between MTGO and MTG Arena to me? Assume I know nothing at all about MTGO.

I have a large collection on Arena too, and I really liked Historic, but Alchemy just really rubbed me the wrong way so I'm currently off it. I have a bunch of other gripes about Arena too, but this isn't really the place to air that.

As for MTGO, short and sweet: MTGO is to Arena what Everquest is to WoW and other future MMOs.

Longer version: MTGO is the OG MTG client, and it's still maintained and heavily used (though Arena has the higher user count by far -- think EQ vs. WoW again). MTGO has basically every card ever printed (there is definitely some missing cards, but not many, and almost nothing you would miss). From the black lotus right down to the latest Standard sets. Furthermore, it has support for a LOT of formats too. Not just Standard, but Pioneer, Modern, Legacy, Vintage and Commander (and even more, but they are the ones most people know about).

It also has a real economy. Like a paper economy, you can trade and buy cards between other players and businesses -- the "secondary market". Card prices go up and down as they do in paper, and some cards are even worth more in MTGO than they are in paper. You can cash out as you do in paper, I've sold collections as large as $15k on MTGO.

Finally, you can trade your MTGO cards for paper equivalents. This is a limited time thing per set, but if you collect 1 of each card per set then you can trade them for a direct from the printers paper copy of the set (if you've ever wondered where those white box complete sets come from, it's from people trading in their MTGO set for a paper set).

Anyway, it's old, it's clunky, but it's got everything. And the level of play there is at least an order of magnitude above Arena play.

Thank you for taking the time to explain. Not sure I can be arsed with bothering with MTGO at this point, but I might, thanks to you.

@FrozenWater Would you mind summarizing your concerns about the new "Alchemy" MTG Arena format? As I stated earlier, I am, almost exclusively, a Historic player on MTG Arena. I never play Standard, and, I admit, I haven't even looked at Alchemy. What are your concerns, Re: Alchemy?

Maybe they will fix the PC app. It’s horrid and I can’t get it to work on both my laptop or PC.

I have often said that Legends of Norrath should have been made a IOS/android stand alone.

From the article:

This make me chuckle. Whatever was on that table has long been removed.

I used to play MTG in the mid 90's the actual card game great game but even back then the good decks were expensive. back then playing Revised cards now 3rd edition.

Andarriel

My concern is with Wizard's being able to fundamentally alter my decks without my permission, after I've already bought the cards to make my decks.

When I first logged in after Alchemy dropped several of my Historic decks were marked invalid because Wizard's has replaced my existing cards with new "Alchemy" versions in the client. From what I saw these were all nerfs to existing cards.

Now, if a card is broken and needs banning or, in this new digital age, amending, I'm actually fine with that. But credit me some wildcards and let me make the choice if I want to rebuy the new versions or look for something else. Don't just suspend or change my cards and expect me to be ok with it.

So now I have Wizard's running around "suspending" my cards (I can't use them and I do not get a wildcard replacement until and if they ever ban it), and "alchemy'ing" my cards (I can use the new versions, but if they are no longer fit for purpose too bad, your wildcards are still gone and you just have to eat the loss).

I'm not ok with that, and so I'm off it. I'm not going to spend money to buy cards that might be removed from the game or nerfed to oblivion without any compensation. Honestly I think it's criminal. But I don't care enough, I just left the game.

Thanks @FrozenWater. I haven't noticed any nerfs to my Historic decks yet, but I'll look over them more closely next time I log on....

Let us wish DBG more success with MTGO than they had with Overseer.

I disagree. While a sizable chunk of talent has moved on from Daybreak/Darkpaw, fresh blood has moved in. The processes and DNA of the dev team still remain.

Not sure where this dismal pessimism stems from.

Any developer worth their salt has moved on from Daybreak. This company is like an elephant graveyard where good games come to die. The devs are hospice workers keeping the game barely alive so their investment banker overlords can continue to milk loyal players like you and me. Meanwhile bugs are coming in faster than the small dev team can fix them.

The DNA of the original EQ dev team was very vibrant. They were hungry and ambitious and wanted to take Norrath and the genre to new heights. Today, not so much.

There is no real relationship between the devs and the players which would give one the feeling that "we're all in this together..." We don't even get a yearly streaming video where we can see and talk to the devs and get to know each other. Instead, we get one terse producer's letter a year and the occasional quip from some of the elder devs on the forums if we are lucky. I guess spending a few hours to mingle online with your fans each year is too much too ask.

Dare to voice your concerns and the usual suspects show up and we get told that we should be thankful we even have an EverQuest to play at all. All we can hope for is that EG7 will sell this franchise to a studio that has genuine passion for this venerable franchise.

So, you're pessimistic for pessimism's sake? Nearly every word of your post is conjecture and guesses. Have some developers moved on? Yes. As with any developer "worth their salt" they are also human and many seek change. This is completely normal. The work they did and code they created is left behind. New people take up this work. Some will improve upon it. Again - all normal.

I am just trying to understand what you feel is so terrible about EverQuest? You honestly sound like you enjoy a conspiracy theory and are trying to drum up support for your dark outlook.

You're entitled to your opinion, of course. But dang - you don't have to quash everyone else's fun with your rabble rousing.

I disagree with you on everything.

As long as there are people that are content with the status quo that keep giving them money, Darkpaw will never change and why should they?

Instead of trying to understand my perspective, you are trying to marginalize me.

You get the MMORPG you deserve.

I'm just being a realist speaking some inconvenient and uncomfortable truths.

You're absolutely correct in the assertion that status quo is kept when status quo is not challenged. The only vote players have is with their dollars.

But I'd like you to at least consider that the employees of Darkpaw want many of the same things we all do. They are bound by the leadership and budget they're allotted. Change the status quo as you suggest where many players stop "giving them money" and EverQuest is as likely as not to simply fold and shut down. Would you be okay with that?

I'm not trying to marginalize [your opinion]. But that's the sum effect of my opinion differing from yours. It's okay for your opinion to be marginalized. That doesn't mean you're less correct. The fact is I don't know what happens behind the walls at Darkpaw and neither do you.

How about we both agree the world is better with EverQuest in it? And to that end the dollars spent on EverQuest keep it going. There is no perfect answer here. Just a status quo that most people objectively agree with.

They do not milk anyone. They just gather the gifts that the players do bring them. A better analogy would be that they offer and sell milk and that there is a high demand.

<insert burn .gif here>