Hey SOE: The EQ Tutorial doesn't look fun on youtube

SOE has took a page out of the Microsoft playbook and is paying youtubers to post videos of their game. Here are some examples of these promoted videos:




If you're going to be paying money for youtubers to play the game, at least tell them to make heroic characters and try to do a SOD mission or something. Also tell them not to have texture compression on (is that on by default? I hope not) and tell them to make the UI at least semi organized.

There are two ways these videos are going to work: a) appeal to nostalgia, or b) appear fun. No one is nostalgic of the tutorial, and low level play looks slow and boring. It'd be funny to watch a group of L85 heroic players struggle in L85 missions, at least it'd be more interesting than watching people run around the tutorial.

I think SOE may consider this a success because the videos got 10k's of views, but the game Skate 3 gets 100k's of views because it looks like a clunky game ripe for comedy fodder. I'm making this post because if I didn't play EQ and saw these videos, they would make me less likely to try the game.

The fact they're naked L1s in old zones with texture compression on is adding a lot more of the "omg this game looks like crap" "omg so old" comments in the feed. Everquest with proper graphics settings, textures, and forced anti-aliasing in post-2009 zones actually looks quite good, it looks just as sharp as EQ2 or WOW did in 2004 (of course graphics for those games improved over the last decade too.) I find it funny that people think even those videos look like 1999 graphics, given that actual games from that era like Deus Ex look far worse even in 1080p with mods, but I digress.

Original EQ models look better than the kung fu action elastic snap back arms of the Luclin models. As for zones, well that's hit and miss.

These videos are bad because the people that made them are about as annoying as it comes. Seriously could not watch more than a minute of them being stupid.

Field of Scale definitely meets the criteria for nostalgic. Dragons!

Good thing this game is changing to attract all this new blood. These possibly paid advertisers seemed very excited to play a 15 year old game. The only complaint seemed to be the mountain and actual work/time/effort required which is being addressed regardless of it being a part of the game from the start. Nothing about the graphics, combat animations, spell effects, character design, general gameplay, layout and the over all feel for the game was mentioned or laughed at as a reason new players don't play or come back.

If only you could address all those issues in a newer game that caters to that type of player, with newer graphics, twitch combat, new animations, less grinding, less character progression, new spell effects and more instant "fun" for those types. That would address the issues EQ has for them and draw in a whole new player base. While keeping this game true to what it is about which is grinding, time and effort to progress toon power and such with a community of friends or similar minded players. Then you would have all those new players playing the game they want and those of us who liked this one continuing to play and supporting it, even in a reduced capacity.

Yeah probably would do a better job at getting people who already make content for their game to make videos for them or having someone who knows what is going on in the game work with the youtubestars.

Some of those issues were addressed; at high levels.

The graphics in modern expansions are far beyond old content, and even the mid 00's revamps like commonlands, freeport, and tutorial.

Melees are flat out boring until you get to the L70s, when activated DPS and discs start to really add up.

I don't understand why when classes started to become far more complex in the mid 00's, why they didn't add lower level versions of these abilities.

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Some very basic fixes that should be done for new players:

-Turn down default gamma. EQ looks horrible on any newb account, and quit frankly even in SOE's own trailers when the gamma is turned up so high that it white washes the entire screen. Considering the textures are blurry on the videos, I also think the default graphics settings need to be looked at since modern systems can handle more

-Add at least some semblance of organization to the UI that automatically loads on new characters

Another fix that would require more work, but a lot less than suggested in your post, is to modernize the map system. The maps in EQ are laugh inducing and turn off new players.

I was implying that they already chose to do all that in EQN instead of EQN being a retuned and updated EQ. Leaving us that enjoy the nature of EQ for what it actually is hoping they don't continue to morph it into something else as well.

SOE needs to make money I get it, and while disappointed I understand why they feel EQN will make them money with its current model instead of just a redone EQ. I don't understand why the game the funded that plan and that for 13 years successfully followed another model is now last minute being changed into something else at the same time. I am hopeful that EQ can stay true to itself so those of us that supported and paid to play this game for all those years aren't left without a home because EQN isn't what we wanted and because EQ last minute was changed to clone every other easy MMO that can be completed in a month if you have playtime and put effort in.

Wow, I'm like 9 minutes into Force's video and he's complaining about stuff but he's not even bothering to follow the tutorial. You know, Force, the window in the upper left of your screen you are supposed to read?

And gee, as a rogue he doesn't have any spells (although "Throw Stone" disc did come up). What a crappy game where rogues don't have spells!

And the Stylosa, the "Veteran" who is supposed to be showing him around, knows nothing. Stylosa is complaining the game is not friendly to "anybody". Yes, I would agree that the tutorial might not be perfect, but how about actually following it before you complain?

I've done the basic tutorial and it actually teaches you stuff. True, I already had been playing for years before trying it, so I would like to see a real newbie using it before I completely judge it, but to not even attempt it and then complain strikes me as deliberate ignorance.

I don't know guys, maybe you might want to RTFM? Or as SOE calls it, follow the tutorial.

I really doubt SOE paid him to do this as SOE doesn't like to pay for anything, they are really cheap. If SOE did, I would demand their money back.

When targeting the NPC and pressing H was too complex for them I could take no more. Unfortunately about 99% of the people [trying] to make a living from Youtube videos are either horrible at the games themselves and/or more annoying than even the worst shopping channel presenters.

Let's Players on youtube, are for the most part, completely insufferable. Darksidephil is probably the best example of this.

Yes, they did pay for it, SOE is also sponsoring EQ's Anniversary on non-EQ gaming videos. It's actually quite common for video gamer commentators on youtube to do promote videos. Promoted videos are paid by view count (CPM), and it's usually not a lot of money. The Youtuber still makes the normal ad revenue they would anyways, and the money from the company he/she is promoting is a bonus.

Write "no commentary" in your search terms when looking up play/walkthroughs. You'll be more likely to find people who are good at the game you're searching over people that use the game as a background for their unrelated vlog.

They should have given them more specific requirements for the videos. (for example: start the game with a current playing veteran) This is pretty much what anyone would do when all you tell them is go play this old game. They have no context for understanding EQ so it looks bad, what else did they think was going to happen?

Aside from Kamea's claims, is there any actual proof that SOE actually hired any of these people to make the videos? If you ask me from what Fanra outlined, it sounds more likely that Blizzard or some other competitor hired them to do the videos, to counter whatever SOE minimal hype EQ is getting via the "Year of EverQuest" campaign.

Honestly, I am fairly sure that if SOE was going to pay someone to do Youtube videos of EQ, they would have A) put up something in the Forums asking for submissions, B) asked established EQ players who have an existing web presence to make the videos, or C) would have done the videos in house, actually followed the tutorial, and not badmouthed the game in the process.

I've never been approached by SoE to say anything positive on any of my EQ videos. My top video even has over 11k views. Piestro once alluded to knowing of my channels existence so I'm sure SoE is aware of what people upload.

No way SoE spent money on this stupidity. Then again ...

But you are not being paid to make them either.

Maybe they should pay boogie2988 to mention eq in a positive light. He's the biggest sellout on YouTube

I'm fairly certain they don't have an online marketing department and just rely on traditional marketing. It would explain why they are so weird with their efforts.

Are you over the age of 50? Or just completely oblivious to how the business of the internet works?

It doesn't work by paying people to complain about your product in a supposed advertisement.