A Community Update from EG7’s CEO and Founder, Robin Flodin

There have been times when I could go make a cup of coffee, waiting to zone. However it is rare that I actually get disconnected anymore. I used to exit until one day I was distracted and came back to find I'd actually zoned. Since then, I just wait it out and sometimes it is a very long wait. I agree it would be lovely if zoning wasn't such a problem in this game.

SOE became Daybreak; Daybreak did not "take over" anything. It was just a name change. We had another parent company, like we did with SONY being the parent of SOE (= SONY Online Entertainment; weird, since they were also pushing their own console stuff with the Playstation...I'm guessing about the time that EQ2 was released and beginning to be advertised for, there was a change of department heads and they were told specifically NOT to push EQ2 because of the Playstations coming out); our next parent was that Nova venture company thing, who'd have no idea what to do with a game company. :-/

Now, after SOE changed its name to Daybreak ('cause we couldn't keep calling ourselves SONY's anything) and after Nova went up in smoke (heh; at least their ownership of SOE/Daybreak), now we've got another parent paying our allowance. Hopefully, especially I think if we go back to a subscription default/F2P option (with no other changes needed, I think), they'll take pity on us and raise our allowance.

If they advertise this game more, we'll get the revenue we need to upgrade our servers. So, Amalar, please stop dissing this game we're trying to save and go back to whatever you're playing now, okay? >:-/

Uwk

Second time today I had to Exit; I'd decided to take a "bio break," as they say, and by the time I came back (complete with finishing the novel I'd been reading), it was still hung up, so I hit the Exit button.

I think this game would be just fine if a) they didn't need to panic about cranking out anything, no matter how cludgey, every year, and b) could get enough of a leg-up financially to upgrade the servers.

Uwk

Yeah, I don't get why people always talk about Daybreak taking over. Red Eye/Verant/SOE/Daybreak are all the same entity being passed around between parent companies. The only significant change was when Smed was forced out.

Hmm! I'd thought he'd left of his own accord ("You can't throw me out of the house, I'm running away from home!" /SLAM)? :-/

Uwk

I watched the video and read the letter from EG7. After watching this video and reading this letter to the community, it gave me hope for this game now. I really think they are sincere in wanting to make changes in the Daybreak company that will help make Everquest II better for us all. It seems they have specific ideas, and goals in mind, that they are looking forward to implement in the game. They also seem to be working towards helping DBG to achieve those ideas and goals. I am sure DBG must be excited to receive some much needed help, as stretched out as they have been trying to take care of this game, with the crew that they have. They all wear many hats.

I can only hope EG7 stays true to their word as I look forward to EG7 getting into the betterment of this game. This community is a tight knit bunch, and will stand behind you, if they know it will better the game, and their gaming experience.

But please know, we sit here crossing our fingers and hope it's true, because we have had many times during the life of this game, when we thought new life was going to come into the game, and it never came to pass. This community is one that likes to see what is being proposed, what is coming up, what you are working towards. Because until we see changes or results, it's all talk. But I hope we start seeing some real change... crossing my fingers now

Well everyone- I hope we have an ethical person in the drivers seat otherwise it will be bumpy.!!

The letter and video had a nice polish; however, it lost its' shine for me when I realized EQ2 was not mentioned in the letter nor the video. One paragraph in the letter which struck me the most read:

"Daybreak owns some of the most beloved games and franchises in the world, and everyone at EG7, including myself, have been longtime fans. In fact, Daybreak celebrated some remarkable milestones recently! DC Universe Online celebrated a decade of heroics, EverQuest entered its 22nd year, while Dungeons and Dragons Online is now in its 15th year… and we intend to continue this incredible legacy for many more years to come."

I have played since May 2005, not the oldest player I know, but I have been around long enough to have seen almost everything. I do not remember D&DO ever being a part of our games, although I may be wrong. I found it disheartening to read what I believe was an error and should have been EQ2 instead of D&DO; note the years were also wrong. It diminished the positive parts of the letter and video for me. I did like the idea the CEO was a gamer himself.

I like our Devs and our current team and believe they listen to us and do the best they can, as fast as they can, with what they have to work with. Admittedly, I miss Domino and Holly “Windstalker” Longdale as much as everyone and hope EG7 will attempt to entice them to return. As a primary tradeskiller and decorator I spend thousands of dollars every year, as do many others who share my passion. I mention this because our group seems to have been forgotten in most areas of the game.

My wish list for changes in EverQuest II is:
1. NO more forced play. When an expansion is purchased, the buyer should be able to access ALL locations and "goodies" included in price, regardless of level. If a low-level player decides to visit a high-level area and dies, so be it, it was their choice.
2. NO required levels to complete collections, travel, etc. EQ2 has always been or is supposed to be a 'play the game your way' format; it no longer is.
3. Take a hard look at items and remove many tags such as: no trade, no transmute, no experiment, etc.
4. Funding for advertising. It is sad to go to EQ2 Wiki and get bombarded with WoW and other games ads.
5. Update, tweak, whatever it is (not my area) to lessen the zoning problems of many and the lag spikes.
6. Redesign the current system for gear and weapons. I do not have a math or engineering degree and am not getting one, so please simplify this stuff.
7. Make more items stackable and movable. We should also be able to move stacks from our inventory into moving crates.
8. Give each house a vault.
9. Allow heirloom items to be stored in guild bank.
10. Eliminate never used or useless spells.
11. Make all recipe books sellable on the broker.

I will support EG7 and their plans to make real changes and better gaming for us. Our current Devs will continue to have my support and confidence, along with a positive and encouraging attitude. I love EQ2, always have, always will, and I will continue to play and support it until one of us can no longer function.

Okay, so he's not an EQ universe game player; EQ2 was released in 2004. I didn't sign on 'til 2006, but I remember that one advertising campaign SONY did, as if our MMO were another movie of theirs they were previewing in theaters. Granted, it was cool, but it should've been more than that.

If not Domino herself, at least someone as passionate about crafting as she was (heck, at this point, I'd settle for just sympathetic, vs. the dev who hates crafting, thought it was a dumb idea, and figured it never should've been implemented in the first place :-/).

Amen, Cassta!

Just one question (well, maybe more ;->): when you say "Give each house a vault," I take it that means other than the House Vault with the six bag/box slots? What kind of vault, like having a house Bank, in a sense, or at least a way to access the Bank, like the City Festival mailbox house items? Apparently, we used to have that ability, to bank in-home, so long ago we had only one character per account selling on the Broker...SOE killed that home banking, for Reasons they didn't explain. :-/ Even now that we can Broker or mail from anywhere, as long as we're Members, we still can't do that for banking, not even an A.T.M. robot temporary critter (Tinkerfest this year? ). :-/

Okay, my bad, more questions: Heirloom items can't be put in the Guild Bank (granted, I've never tried...)? :-/ One thing I'd like along those lines is to have the mail system check to see if the recipient is an alt BEFORE you try to mail something, so if the Bank is full, they can still get their whatever, rather than "You can't mail that; what are you, stupid?? " -- and yeah, why are any recipe books Heirloom only? Especially recipes for house items? Rarely do you have the decorating community and raiding community overlapping; I figure that would be where any economic exploits would come in... And if we can't adjust the contents or the title, like we can with Notebooks or house pet names or whatever, then why, oh why, don't holiday recipe books STACK?? :-/

And, of course, cross-world item mailing would be a lovely thing, as long as it's like from Live to Live, not necessarily like from IoR to Live or Live to TLE, or even (and yeah, I know how this is gonna sound) Public Test to Live, since we do have some advantages there. ;->

"Eliminate never used or useless spells." Please define this; I'm sure lots of mine below 100+ level might fall under that category. But I will say that when I intentionally crank up my adventuring level using a Token that THEY sold me (either directly or with a better-than-Standard Edition), I'd dearly appreciate them automatically updating my hot bars to the latest-n-greatest version of my spells/fighting abilities. It's almost discouraging to spend that much money, then have to spend another half hour or so updating everything manually, especially if it was a huge boost (like, mid-level to max in one go). :-/ Thank goodness we can arrange our K screen stuff to only show the max level of things, or I'd literally have dozens of pages on some of my toons.

I've only recently as a decorator(s) bought a stack of 100 at a time of things (mostly holiday building blocks ;->), but yeah, being able to do a dump of a stack "inside" a house, even just in a Crate, t'would be a consummation devoutly to be wished. ;->

Uwk

Rather than a Kickstarter - ooh ooh, maybe in conjunction with a Kickstarter - I would like to see all of the old expansion packs become available again, even at the full cost at their time of release That would bring in a huge chunk of instant money to EQ2. Or with the Kickstarter: for $xx you get access to 1 pack, for $xx you get 3, and it goes on. I want all of the housing/recipes/mounts/etcetera... I'm willing to pay $1000 for everything - as long as they keep the game going.

Also, please keep in mind everyone, that survival/zombie/and such games come and go like trends. EQ2 and other MMORPG's on the other hand, keep going and going and going...like the Energizer bunny. For a lot of people EQ2 provides a happy safe place in this crazy world...

Oh yes, I totally agree - stop craping on the crafters. Give us a hidden unlimited crafting bag, like ESO with subscription, and also not require us to hit buttons as it progresses. Crafting was supposed to be fun - sitting there for lengthy periods isn't fun, it's a punishment. I realize with Live servers you can use a Mass Production spec, but even then crafting is tedious. I'm a carpenter because I want to make things and put them in houses, not because sitting there making one railing every minute gives me fun.

My wish list for changes in EverQuest II is:

8. Give each house a vault.

and:

I've only recently as a decorator(s) bought a stack of 100 at a time of things (mostly holiday building blocks ;->), but yeah, being able to do a dump of a stack "inside" a house, even just in a Crate, t'would be a consummation devoutly to be wished.

Uwk[/quote]



I use Furniture sales displays for storage, 96 slots, on my carpenter - who then makes other sales crates/displays for alts to sell items from. Most things stack as one item in the displays, not all, but most.

Hope that helps until we get a separate house vault for each home. Then again, if we were to have a different vault in each house you wouldn't be able to go from home to home with an open vault - so I see push back on that unless there would be a way to open all house vaults in any house. I wouldn't be able to see anything on the scree but vaults/containers XD

I listened to the whole podcast. My takeaway was pretty depressing. Filtering through all the rah-rah corporate boilerplate, the tl;dr to me was:

"Big focus on H1Z1, Everquest franchise in caretaker mode."

Maybe they can start with fixing the log in servers???

Well I personally don't care about that other game. And as for what they do for EQ and EQ2, I will give them till my sub runs out in August.

The video says that our community manager will pass on important information. *eyes Dreamweaver*

WE NEED A DEDICATED TRADESKILL DEVELOPER AGAIN.

Work your magic. Get them to invest in that position!

I vote for DenMother

I don't think that's exactly what I read about SOE. SOE did NOT become Daybreak. Daybreak existed as an investment company for quite sometime before the sale of the EQ properties to them.

And yes, WoW has 10 to 100 times the amount of advertising that has been put into EQ/EQ2. That's one reason why it has profited.

EQ/EQ2 has tried to play the bleeding edge of gaming graphics for MMORPGs; which is one reason for limited gaming population since only the most diehard players could afford systems to run them decently.

EQNext/Landmark was an interesting experiment. Lord knows people came up with brilliant and bizarre graphics playing with the engine. Harvesting made slightly more sense than current EQ2 harvesting. Persistence in the game was often a problem with resources not renewing fast enough, yet manufactured things went poof all too quickly.

I actually saw an ad for Planetside 2 on Facebook this week. This is the first time I've seen a Facebook ad for a Daybreak game EVER. So, that's something. I wish they'd toss up a few ads for the new PVP server. That's a major thing happening here.

Running ads will help but it will NOT save them. People will return or start playing and soon discover that there are more broken and fixes needed than worth the money or time. F2P was NOT a great idea, imo. WOW give you a limited time to try out their game then you pay a sub. Hasn't stopped people from playing there. Now we pay, they cater to the ftp. In short, we pay through our sub for the benefits we get and they complain because they don't get them and lo and behold, all of a sudden they end up with many of them. FIX the game. FIX the problems in the game. FIX the server problems. FIX the lag issues. Hire more Developers WITH experience, bring back a dedicated tradeskill Dev that doesn't totally screw up making spells like they did with Luclin or else the ad is not going to save anything.

Just my opinion from playing-paying/observing for 20 years of EQ/EQ2.

Moving forward i hope we can go towards vendor unlocks for alts for all the " necessary" adorns and such needed items to stay relevant. Possibly put in a daily overseers quest for summer ethereal coins for those who dont have the time to play/grind as much as others. Could even add them to the panda quest vendors.