Open Letter regarding the future of Player Studio

Discussion in 'Norrathian Homeshow' started by Moonpanther, Apr 9, 2019.

  1. Moonpanther Well-Known Member

    Dear Devs/Daybreak Games

    It has come to the attention of the Decorators and crafters on Everquest 2 that there will be no new submissions taken for the player studio, our favorite shopping section of the Marketplace. While we understand that the items that have been in the Player Studio will remain, we will get no new shinies to purchase moving forward.

    We would like you to reconsider this move. Many of us are your testers, we do your betas, we purchase the expansions, and we are usually the ones left behind after the raiders have rushed through new content and moved on to the next best game. We will be here after the latest greatest pvp server dies as the players there rush off to newer fighting grounds. We don't spend a great deal on pay to play items, but the Player studio is our treasure cove. We check in after every update hoping there are new items to add to our decorator's toolbox

    We've been patient knowing that with staffing issues, new items wouldn't show up every update. But to hear that now there will be nothing new to look forward to is just hard to believe and in our opinion is simply not a good move for Daybreak Games. A few of us partook of the lifetime membership offer you put out recently, and many purchased for multiple accounts. For those who don't, they do support month to month multiple accounts. It's where we spend our extra money...right here on Daybreak games.

    It was also a great feeling knowing that other players who knew the game and were bringing their creations to the game at our request, it's a great community and we got to help them earn a bit of extra money at the same time. We really haven't gotten many seriously great recipes in the game of late, but we've been patient on that as well. During the holidays, we are lucky to get one or two new items to purchase. And the loyalty market hasn't seen anything new in a very long time. While the latest tradeskill timeline is ok, let's face it, we are not a priority for you when you build your expansions. We have also lost a great deal of community on the Leaderboards. Those are practically dead but for those who take the time to do tour videos and arrange deco raids. All in all, it seems there is less and less available for the paying members of the decorating/crafting community.

    So, we are writing in hopes that you would reconsider your decision regarding the Player Studio. We love this game and will do all we can to help it continue. Many have been here from the beginning and you will have to drag us out if the lights ever do go out. We are the loyal ones just plodding along hoping to help revive what is a great game for us. So we will end it here and hope our words fall on open ears.

    Always loyal,
    The Decorators and Crafters of Everquest 2
    Juraiya, Ragna, Dude and 15 others like this.
  2. suka Well-Known Member

    i agree with this letter and hope you will reconsider this move. we have large facebook groups of decorators who love player studio and don't want it to go away
    Dude, Elyria, Rosyposy and 11 others like this.
  3. Gramma Active Member

    honestly, why would they kick the most loyal players in the face like this?
    Ragna, Dude, Elyria and 11 others like this.
  4. Rawl Well-Known Member

    As I understand it, the items which have been submitted by the Player Studio artists still have a chance to be approved and added to the marketplace, so there actually may be new items from the Player Studio submissions for EQ2, that make it to the marketplace. The thing I'd encourage is, for those items already approved for the marketplace, they be added on a regular basis until the queue has been depleted, and any newer items still in review queue could be processed thereafter, and added to the marketplace as their approval process is completed.

    One of the main problems I've seen is decorators ask for items to use in the decorating project they are working on atm, but it takes months and even years for some of the item I've created to get into their hands. Most decorating project can't be held up that long, so they make due with stuff they currently have available.
    Elyria, Rosyposy, Karamella and 6 others like this.
  5. Rawl Well-Known Member


    Because in the overall population of the game, the decorators have always been a smaller percentage of the population. If the numbers reflected something else, in favor of that population growing, they might reconsider, but at this point, I'm guessing it would have to be pretty significant increase in decorator population.

    On a side note, there are no other games that I am aware of, where players can do as detailed and innovative decoration as is available in EQ2. To me, this is a big plus for those who want a game where you don't always have to go around killing stuff. So, of my friends who play on line games, I'd definitely recommend EQ2 as the best game ever for those interested in building and decorating properties.
    Elyria, Rosyposy, Karamella and 6 others like this.
  6. Dragoneyes Lionhair Member

    I agree with this letter. The stuff from the Player Studio is consistently better than housing items not from Player Studio. Our designers (contributing players) have worked their tails off, tolerated very excessive wait times on review / release of items and still put their hearts into what they do. I would ask that you not take away this program, as many of us look forward to each new release of Player Made items with delight.
    Dude, Elyria, Rosyposy and 9 others like this.
  7. Ceyarrecks Wunnfirr Well-Known Member

    I trust this Player Studio Shut-down is not a Bell Tolling...
    Norrath has a thriving Decorating Community, and the studio allows for really neat items that only cost one item count! ;)
    As opposed to the 15 items we would have to cobble together to get the same effect,...
    Unless something BETTER is going to be soon, Soon. replacing Player Studio,
    I also would trust there be a re-consideration for retention.
    Elyria, Rosyposy, Karamella and 9 others like this.
  8. Mirt Well-Known Member

    While I understand that people might be upset at player studio not being around anymore, personally I would rather the devs put more house items in game via the natural processes that already exist. I am speaking of crafting, questing, and holidays. I am already a subscriber and love it when new items are put in game via the aforementioned methods.

    Having said that, it doesn't diminish the wonderful work that the player studio designers have done. They are very talented.
    Elyria, Merriel, Cyrrena and 3 others like this.
  9. Ceyarrecks Wunnfirr Well-Known Member

    and if I may add to Mirteen's sentiment,...
    there are a HUGE amount of neat items already in-game, such an untapped potential,...
    case in point: the statues and urns/vases in the Qeynos Catacombs that I have been pining about for years.
    I would also welcome, and consider under the title of "Better" were the Decorating Community to be further involved in the fashioning, creating, rescuing, re-discovering of new house items/blocks/tiles/etc., rather like Anchorage,... only better ;)
    Elyria, Rosyposy, Cyrrena and 3 others like this.
  10. Moonpanther Well-Known Member

    That would be nice, but we have seen less of that and now the news about Player Studio. I won't quit, I'm hooked on the game and have been for years now. But I just wanted my feelings known, it seems the decorators and crafters are always getting less and less. I'm one of those who will haunt EQ2 long after it closes it's doors if it ever does. LOL
  11. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    This is the most recent thing I've seen on it (thanks for bringing it up, Moon! Had no idea before this... :-/), since I had to try to track down what They were thinking...it's from:

    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/pl...sing-march-25th.11500093328/#post-11500414376

    and I quote:

    But that's the most recent thing I've seen; if there's been something since then that's even worse (part of the new "big changes"?), where was it mentioned? :-/ The gods know I do miss a lot...and I don't have Twitcord or Dister or whatever it is I have to have to communicate with the Powers, according to the Powers. /shrug

    Uwk
    Elyria, Karamella, Sagedust and 4 others like this.
  12. Niboota Well-Known Member

    Oh I didn't know they were doing away with Player Studio. That really is a shame, especially since DB doesn't seem to add anything to the marketplace themselves, however I have noticed a huge difference in the activity both in the game and on the forums, since I've been back, compared to what it was three years ago. I'm sure this is a way of keeping down the cost of running the game, and I'd rather they do what they need to do to keep the game afloat as long as a possible. There are PLENTY of house items available to us and like someone said earlier, there are no other online games with decorating like EQ2. I've tried many!

    P.S. Something else you won't find is the large number of races and classes to choose from, which I also enjoy since I like to have a lot of alts to choose from!
    Elyria, Rosyposy, Karamella and 7 others like this.
  13. Uwkete-of-Crushbone Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure they're doing away with it so much as trying to close (and hopefully not lock) the door while they frantically sweep up? :-/

    Uwk
  14. Cyrrena Well-Known Member

    I do not read that as the program is being done away with. I read that as no new artists will be accepted into the program as it is now after March 25th. But that artists that have already been accepted into the program and filed their tax form will continue to have the submissions accepted. So that does not sound to me like they are doing away with it. He states that the program will continue in that manner while it undergoes an overhaul to make it better for all involved.

    Is there something after this that Uwk and I and perhaps others may have missed?
  15. Rawl Well-Known Member


    As a side note to your comments above, way back when, I offered my services to the devs who at the time were reviewing Player Studio items for approval, to make player requested stuff that they could craft in game, such as wall segments with door and window openings, stairways, etc. I don't know their reasoning, but my idea wasn't acted upon. I think having Player Studio artists taking player requests for items they need for their decorating needs, and allowing those things to be either crafted or bought via in game special vendors would make a lot of decorators happy.

    Unfortunately, Daybreak Games wouldn't make any additional money in adopting this sort of thing, and they wouldn't be able to adopt this sort of thing without some sort of contractual agreement with the artists which would include payment for their services, etc..

    It may be possible for a person already on their staff to adopt such a position, but with a small staff, such duties would likely be lower on his/her priority list of things which need to be done, therefore might not reflect timely additions of player requested items. (It would be helpful if such a person enjoyed in game decorating/building, and therefore had a sense of what the community of decorators want and would find useful.)

    Of the staff, I wonder how many staff members read these forums? Unless it is designated as their job responsibility, it is likely that none or very few of them do.
  16. Rawl Well-Known Member

    At the beginning of her post she mentions she is the producer for Planetside 2. Without being specific, it would lead one to believe, when she mentions about the Player Studio program, that those comments apply to all the games where the Player Studio program has been implemented, but in fact, because she is the Producer for Planetside 2, her comments may have actually been with regards to the Player Studio program as it applies only to Planetside 2. This may have been speculation had I not seen that now only Planetside 2 is the only game accepting Player Studio submissions, and all web content related to EQ and EQ2's Player Studio programs has been removed.

    So, since this is an EQ2 forum, where she isn't a part of the EQ team, she isn't likely to see any of these posts. Someone else was overseeing the EQ & EQ2 Player Studio submission, and apparently isn't doing that any more. (actually 2 people, one for EQ and one for EQ2)
  17. Niboota Well-Known Member

    Oh I hope that's the case! I really hate the idea of no more Player Studio items.
  18. Niboota Well-Known Member

    Oh ok I see. No I doubt you've missed anything. I didn't know a thing about it until I read this post, which I interpreted as DB closing down the program. Glad to know those who are already creating for us will still be doing so!
  19. Niboota Well-Known Member

    So.... that means there will be no more Player Studio items for EQ2?? Because I was hopeful for a minute there and now I'm sad again :(.
  20. Cyrrena Well-Known Member

    When I clicked the Player Studio link for EQ2, that is what I saw, so I am assuming (yes I know about assuming) that Player Studio is going under one umbrella for all games, so this Nick Silva will be running the show for EQ, EQ2, and Planetside2. That is what I understood anyway from reading it and getting that from clicking on the Player Studio link from the EQ2 page. You wouldn't think they would have that message linked from EQ2 if it didn't apply to EQ2 as well. Perhaps someone can check the EQ Homepage and check their link to the Player Studio and see if that comes up as well.

    And maybe we should ask Kaitheel or somebody with a red name before jumping to a conclusion without an official confirmation.
    Dude, Elyria, Karamella and 6 others like this.