2014 Membership Update - News from Smed!

Just to help people, here is a list of games that SOE has now - decide how you want if they are valuable...

EQN /EQL - next games in the EQ franchise. SOE has said for quite a while that they are going to be F2P so who knows what the real benefit will be from this (guessing free object). This game doesn't appeal to me but if does to others, it could be good.

Dragon's Prophet - a Fantasy based MMO where dragon's are a big part of the game. I really meant to try this out, but it sounds like PvP is also a big part and I just don't care for PvP. Might be nice for the EQ2 folks who don't find Nagafen entertaining.

Planetside 2 - a sci-fi first person shooter. Not my cup of tea in any sense of the word but it has an audience.

DCUO - DC comics MMO. I have tried it and just got bored with it. Still seems popular.

Everquest 1 - too slow and clunky after EQ2 *smile*. I hate sitting for 5 minutes after every fight

EQ2 - the reason we are on these forums. *smile*

Wizardry Online - another fantasy MMO. It is so different from the Wizardry I played years ago that I just couldn't go past the first few levels. Again, something others might love, it just doesn't match my memories of the Wizardry franchise. *Note - I never played any of the Japanese versions*

Pox Nora - an online collectible card game. I will admit I just suck at these. Another hurray for people that are good at them.

Vanguard - A fantasy based MMO.I really like this game, but honestly feel that SOE dropped the ball on this one. Maybe they can direct some money to it if more people get to play it, so could be a win.

Star Wars Clone Wars - a browser based Star Wars game. I have tried this and wasn't really impressed at the time. Maybe because it seemed to depend heavily on the cash shop. Might be different if it was counted as a "subscription" item.

Free Realms - a kid themed browser based MMO. Kind of fun, but the same problems for me as Clone Wars. If they change the 2000 value to have a bundle of items type thing it could be fun for a light diversion.

Payday Heist - A co-op 4 player FPS. I didn't even know this had ever been released. Still, could be good to check out if you like FPS games. As stated, FPS isn't something I enjoy. Could be added value to your EQ2 sub if you do though.

I figure it might help for folks to have a list of what they are looking at adding in for value. Now I just wish they could give us an idea when this might happen, but if they just came up with it today, I am sure there are logistics to work out.

I am really upset with these changes. Its obvious the majority of our interests, as an EQ2 community, are being ignored. I have been playing EQ, some version or other, since 1999. I will no longer pay to play EQ2. Its really not about losing 500 SC every month, just the blatant disregard for players.

How, financially, does it make any difference whether people spending 500 SC instantly every month, have any financial difference to me saving up for 4 months and buying something for 2000SC? At the end of the day, its the Exact same value of SC. The ONLY financial impact I can forsee on the corporation, is the value of AoD features if people buy with free SC over bought SC. So why not just add fixed $ prices to those features instead.

Nobody is asking you to reveal financial information, just how exactly does the value of SC change if its accrued over time? Its still the same price for 500SC each month either way.

I live in Europe as well, how come we cant play other games? Im lost on that one so please explain it to me.

RadarX, Could you clarify what this means to european customers who are currently with SOE? How would an "All Game" subscription work for us? How would these in-game benefits work if we are forced to play the game through PSS1? (Shudder)

Some clarification on how this affects us would be very useful!

That exists today as All Access for $20/mo (without discount for multi-month): https://www.soe.com/allaccess?locale=en_US









Would All Access be eliminated with standard becoming multi-access or would All Access go down in price with all standard accounts converted to it? If the current All Access is eliminated, what happens to us who were grandfathered on character slots give by an All Access subscription as long as we keep All Access?

Like I said before, and I guess many will say the same...

EQ2 is a fulltime hobby... I like to have a reocurring subscription. I do heroics, raid in a "casual" raidforce where nobody drops you out when you haven't got time on any given evening, I decorate, I RP, I troll around in the nice message board, I create message boards etc =) and I'm leading a small guild.

It is my hobby. Others go to the cinema, go out to dine, party etc, my wife and I play EQ2.

We don't have time to play another game even close to the the point of immersion, we currently play EQ2 on.

Yes we resub on an even older game every now and then not to lose our houses and guilds there. But we ceased playing due to not having enough time to play both games to the level, that it is worth paying more than 2 reocurring subscriptions at a time.

Cheers Anghammarad

So many of you are missing the point. Smedley is addressing the concerns of Planetside 2 players. He is trying to sell them on taking advantage of free to play PC games. I really don't know why this was even shared here in this forum, because it doesn't really address ANY of our concerns.

Honestly, wait and see what it is and how it works. Continue to feedback and push for ideas you think will work for you. But it honestly sounds like the 500 SC ship has sailed, like it or not. I really don't think they care one way or another if you cancel your sub over 500 SC. Not even to the point of Smedley addressing this community as opposed to some other one.

I will continue to pay my $14.99/ month subscription fee. I won't play any of the other games because EQ2 is the one I like but I am happy for the ones that have the time and stamina to keep up with two + games.

I am pleased that SOE is taking another look at what will be available for the 2000 SC. I also want to thank Smed for attempting to communicate SOE's thought processes. This helps my understanding of why they are looking at changes. It also helps to know that our comments are being read by SOE.

I will be keeping watch on how things progress from here but for now my subscription remains paid.

~Elith~

Just throwing this idea out there, because expansions are kinda pricey.

I'm curious if we could have the monthly gold member choice of either selecting an item valued up to 2000 station cash, or getting a discount on an existing expansion.

Just a thought.

Hi SOE and All others.
What hit SOE's DEV here, is that the consumers world wide are fed up with beeng a cow to drain money from, and yes we are cows, but the custormer way of being cows, leave us with some respect for the company (SOE) and for our self.
I did played WOW for 6 years, but was so tiered of the "only one way to be a true player" in that game, that a friend made me go to EQ2, there i fell in love with the game and have been here 4 years now...dont spoil it. If u cant deliver monthly SC on a "its yours to spend or to keep" way, then remove it. Dont give something nobody can ever get, unless they use all there playtime swaping games, not to miss eny "gifts"
Ill go play now, forgetting for a wiel,that the world i love and you created, is business for others

Pardon my english, as im danish.

You would be wrong to limit your view to just EQ2. I find the openness about the plans refreshing for once. I am also happy to see they are listening and discussing options. SOE does have a lot of games that currently I would not play simply because I can't afford subscriptions to all of them. If this opens up the chance that others will come into the game and play across genres I see this as a very big win. I am glad this information was brought to us to help open up the big picture. I can log in once a month to claim my free item/items depending on how they finalize it. I might even be able to pick some things up sooner. I am still waiting to see what will be considered excluded, but so far I am seeing some positive changes.

/em ponders whether this means all expansions will now be free

Didn't think so. So all that is really on "offer" here is an additional opportunity for Sony to advertise all their games to us every time we log on. I bet we wont be getting access to EQnext without paying for the game itself, which I bet will cost more than a few months subscription.

That said, EQ2 is good value, but you guys really need to work on your honesty and integrity. Otherwise, we just think the worst every time you open your mouth.

You also need to stop finding sneaky ways to get us to spend more money beyond our subscriptions. SC Cash items are great for fluff - mounts, house items - go for it. I applaud the choices and I would love to see even more fun stuff to buy.

But there is some stuff that shouldn't, just shouldn't be dependent on station cash. One huge example is master spells. I started a ranger this tier, and some of the masters aren't available on broker. I can only get them by researching(too long) or paying with station cash. My understanding is I pay a subscription to enable me to play end game content without having to hand over extra cash - paying SC for masters isn't fluff - it's material to my ability to play end game content, group, raid. I pay a subscription to have that stuff available to me in game.

My partner and I were sold on EQnext and decided ages ago to be there day 1. But this sneaky, dishonest crap is really putting me off, so now I have decided that until I know how EQnext works, I'm not spending a cent. If it turns out to be "spend bulk station cash or be a loser" I wont be playing.

It brings back my annoyance at having to pay to change the race of my well established EQ2 main because Sony introduced new racial traits years after I created her. That was wrong, and I still think my money should be refunded for that - the race change should have been free for established toons that were disadvantaged by the changes you bought in.

I'm not going to get caught again. I suspect all this tightening of station cash is because EQNext will be making the bulk of its profit from station cash. My guess is it will adopt a model where people will have to buy extra items in addition to paying for the game itself to participate fully in the game. As people have already noted in forums, it is easy to spend more than a subscription paying for the "not so optional" extras.

I suggest Sony think very carefully about the payment structure and how they inform us of it - ie - be honest, don't tell us we are getting a free subscription to EQNext if in reality what you plan to do is gouge us silly on things you call "optional" but are really needed to participate in the game.

I have 2 paid accounts and have been playing EQ/EQ2 for over 10 years now. I'm getting sick of the creeping money grub, the fine print, the gold that isn't really gold, the dishonesty and am thinking that when my current 12 month subscriptions expire, I too will be calling it a day.

As far as station cash hoarding goes: I am one of them. I will give you a hint as to what will get me to spend more station cash: mix and match outfits. I don't want to be dressed the same as everyone else. Let me buy separate items for the different slots. Let me pay to choose different colours. I visit the store all the time looking for stuff, but there isn't anything I want. Let me customize the mounts a bit. Again - little things - let me pick the size / colour. Instead of 50 full outfits to choose from, give me 20 legs, 20 chest, 20 shoulders, 20 feet etc to choose from and let me put them together how i want in the colours i want.

Smed made the following statement which may be helpful. While I do have some background in accounting and finance this is outside my area of expertise and I would default to his statements. This is not about players who save for a few months and spend their SC.

Most likely like they handle it today: If you had AllAccess when they removed the additional character slots you got grandfathered. I know fellow players who currently play on silver or gold and still have those additional character slots just because they have been on AllAccess at the time of change.

Easy as this:
We can not play several titles using our SOE account but have to use a Pro7 account.
My most favorite example: My SOE Account currently lists DCUO as "Legendary" (promotional I think) but once I try to log in it teases me that I can not play that game any longer using my SOE account but will need to create a Pro7 account. But they do not transfer characters and stuff from soe -> pro7 any longer.


For the overall change:
I could understand at once that maybe PlayerStudio items might be an issue with the free 500sc stipend. Ok ... so much for that. I would have supported SOE in removing ability to buy those items with the free SC (regardless if we bought it with part of our sub - i don't care ... if it helps the game - ok).
But everything else - well - i am definitely not happy.

From my very personal point of view: Serious (and maybe leading to an untimely death) health issues hit me last year. I was (and still am) on gold for several accounts (mostly EQ but EQ2, too) when things went for the worse. I didn't really care about the money because I knew "I will at least have some additional SC when I am able to return ...". That easy.
And yes - I am not one of those who spend their SC regularly. I don't like items cluttering up my inventory nor the bank slots *smile* - but every now and then I really want to buy something more expensive ... in the past I even went out to get me sc cards (no longer available in europe) to buy several things for my accounts in addition to the free sc - just because the accumulated free sc didn't cover the cost. But the main reason to buy additional SC was that in total I could buy a bigger "update" to my accounts in combination with the free sc than I would have been able to otherwise.
(and all that despite the Pro7-slap in my face - but that might be because I hold several of the SOE folks as trustworthy)

I am currently not cancelling my gold subs because I am on one of those "cheap" rates that (yearly) I do not want to lose - not into the anniversary-desaster again *lol* (where i accidently cancelled one of those super-fancy anniversary rates on eq years ago)
But that is the only reason. I did compare free and gold perks the past days and found that I could easily play "my style" with just being silver on eq and eq2! I am aware that health might keep me more in hospital unable to play onlinegames but still the thought of "some SC when I return" was very appealing. At the moment I am not so happy anymore.


But ok - some feedback:
- Implement a shopping cart so we can spend the 2000sc on more than 1 item. We only need that option once a month. If we don't use up the full 2000sc ... our problem. But at least give us the option.
- Enable us to use existing sc in our wallet to add to the 2000sc if our shopping cart is more than the 2000sc. I am pretty sure this would generate sales that you wouldn't get otherwise. People might think "ok - this is more expensive than I usually would allow myself to buy ... but with the 2000sc free I am willing to pay 1500 extra" like for heroic characters.
- Strip the gold sub completely. Give us the option to "sub" to monthly SC! Easy as that. You can just use the current subscription scheme to do this. 12 months subs get their 1500 sc each month although they pay less if you calc it by the month.
- Change the gold sub to be $x with an option for reoccuring $y spent for SC. That way people auto-buy SC each month - same as if they bouth it regularly. Shouldn't make much difference for accounting - eh?

- It was mentioned several times: Trying to feed us the deal as "added value" simply was insulting. Even if not meant to be - that was how players' perception was / is.


(sorry for typos or if some sentences don't make any sense ... it sometimes happens)

I do not think that this actual point has been verified by anyone at SOE.

EQN /EQL - next games in the EQ franchise. SOE has said for quite a while that they are going to be F2P so who knows what the real benefit will be from this (guessing free object). This game doesn't appeal to me but if does to others, it could be good.

Won't be able to play this through SOE as PSS1 has the European rights.

Dragon's Prophet - a Fantasy based MMO where dragon's are a big part of the game. I really meant to try this out, but it sounds like PvP is also a big part and I just don't care for PvP. Might be nice for the EQ2 folks who don't find Nagafen entertaining.

Can't play this - Won't run on XP OS

Planetside 2 - a sci-fi first person shooter. Not my cup of tea in any sense of the word but it has an audience.

Not interested.

DCUO - DC comics MMO. I have tried it and just got bored with it. Still seems popular.

Again only available to play through PSS1 in Europe

Everquest 1 - too slow and clunky after EQ2 *smile*. I hate sitting for 5 minutes after every fight

Never played it, see no reason too.

EQ2 - the reason we are on these forums. *smile*

This is the only game I play atm (Maybe not for much longer, we'll see)

Wizardry Online - another fantasy MMO. It is so different from the Wizardry I played years ago that I just couldn't go past the first few levels. Again, something others might love, it just doesn't match my memories of the Wizardry franchise. *Note - I never played any of the Japanese versions*

Not interested

Pox Nora - an online collectible card game. I will admit I just suck at these. Another hurray for people that are good at them.

Not interested

Vanguard - A fantasy based MMO.I really like this game, but honestly feel that SOE dropped the ball on this one. Maybe they can direct some money to it if more people get to play it, so could be a win.

I agree with you totally on this one. I have tried to go back to it on several occasions really wanted to get into this game, it just didn't 'grip' me though

Star Wars Clone Wars - a browser based Star Wars game. I have tried this and wasn't really impressed at the time. Maybe because it seemed to depend heavily on the cash shop. Might be different if it was counted as a "subscription" item.

Not interested

Free Realms - a kid themed browser based MMO. Kind of fun, but the same problems for me as Clone Wars. If they change the 2000 value to have a bundle of items type thing it could be fun for a light diversion.

Not interested

Payday Heist - A co-op 4 player FPS. I didn't even know this had ever been released. Still, could be good to check out if you like FPS games. As stated, FPS isn't something I enjoy. Could be added value to your EQ2 sub if you do though.

Never heard of it.

Looks like there is nothing I would/could play on this list apart from EQ2.

Thanks for the list.

I do not like this at all. I paid for A year subscription, and the 500SC a month was the reason i did that. I play EQ2, and ONLY EQ2. I am NOT interested in playing ANY of your other games. I would much rather buy XP pots, Summoning Charms, and Travel items with the 500 SC i am getting a month. These Changes do NOTHING that makes me want to play the game more. if anything it is a step in a direction that would have me NOT renewing my subscription when it is up. I have read the general feedback on this topic and what I am seeing is more people who use the 500 SC in increments of 75-150 SC at a time. effectively us players that do not spend more than 150 SC at a time would LOSE 350SC that we would have had to spend. Please rethink this HORRIBLE plan.

I like eq2. I picked it for reasons that stand to this day. So please quit making me feel like "my" game is eroding, ok?

I don't want all access, I haven't the time or mental stamina for other games on top of this one. I just want my game, my subscription, my way.

I must admit that this somehow makes sense (having a finance-background myself - although in germany *smile*).
But ... if this causes you such fierce problems - why don't you let players know earlier?
I am pretty sure many of us would have bought only as much SC at once as we are most likely to spend.
Well - ok - that doesn't help with "the expected lifetime of the player" (*cough* you want to tell smed that this is a very dangerous way to say it ... i think he wanted to say it is about the expected time a player is part of a game - right?) that much. But if it is so - this would be an immense problem! How much is such a lifespan? Considering that we have players who are here since 1999

Regardless - this is one of the examples where open and honest communication would have helped much with player-understanding. (now ... it even makes sense you don't sell expansions via SC anymore if you have to spread that income over a larger timeframe ...)

But is SC not a problemt in itself then? Wouldn't it be clever to simply implement something like paypal instead of sc then? Like "want that? then you NOW pay for it.".