EQII Extended - Feedback and Discussion Thread

SmokeJumper wrote:

You didn't address the real point in Tagwen's post. The EQ2X players won't be joining the Live EQ2 servers. Our server population is already a point of concern and EQ2X seems it will only make it worse. Thus, over time population on the live servers will do nothing but shrink. Sure, we'll get the updates but we'll no longer be the focus as we we'll no longer be the growth area of the game.

F2P might be possible in this game. That said, this implementation is terrible - from the looks of it, you've tried to appease both sides of the crowd here and ended up with the worst case scenario which is the fact that everyone feels like they're getting screwed.

Once again you cater to the people that aren't even playing the game over the people that are paying you salary's now.
IMO you are shooting yourself in the foot. I think you will lose more people than you gain with this.

I usually only pay for 1 month at a time, because I never know when I'll just get bored, and not feel like playing anymore.

My account age is 2162 days. Will I need to switch to a multi-month sub to get the rewards for playing on the live servers?

I'm looking forward to this, I hope that a market item can be made available that allows for transfering my entire account.

6 years - Was fun. Thanks for entertaining me for that long off and on.

-unsubbed

Wow. Such vitriol. Good stuff. Some of it has to be taken with a grain of salt (cheese) since it comes from the most jaded players in the universe, to whom SOE can do no right.
In general it doesn't sound like a bad idea. Ultimately though, the problem will be that it doesn't add to the general population on the other servers. Eventually, they will merge. That seems to be a given.
Please do not listen to anyone asking for server merges at this time. Maybe there's a server somewhere with population issues but I don't want my server touched. That would be a bad touch.

I have a hard time imagining how two complete instances of EQII will be sustainable in the long term.
New players, unless they're recruited into EQII Live, are going to be directed into the EQII Extended servers. This basically means that the EQII Live servers will begin to stagnate at an accelerated pace as people either quit the game entirely, or decide the EQII Extended subscription model is more attractive. Without new players to replace them, we're ultimately destined for server mergers and decreasing EQII Live server population.
New EQII Extended players won't have any reason to switch to the EQII Live subscription model, since they can obtain the same benefits with the Gold subscription and purchase of the latest expansion and additional races via Station Cash.
I'm not a fan of the free-to-play model, but that's most likely because I've been paying MMO subscriptions for as long as there have been MMOs. I'd bet money that the EQII Extended introduction is going to bring in a ton of new, non-paying players and probably even a few paying ones, but I'd also bet that it will be at the ultimate expense of those playing EQII Live.
Personally, I think this solution will be worse in the long term, since those of us on the EQII Live service will ultimately be faced with a $35/character relocation fee to "copy" over to the EQII Extended servers just so we can be part of a thriving community again. Regardless of how it was stated, our world will not stay the same was it has been. If this is truly the path that SOE has taken, then we need to be given a way to participate without spending more than we have during out existing membership. At the very least, dump the $35 copy and give EQII Live members the option of transferring our characters intact from EQII Extended.
It's not going to happen right away, but EQII Extended will eventually kill EQII Live. The only real question I see is if you will manage to retain your long time members, or drive us away.

F2P on seperate servers to draw new players? The live servers need those new players. EQ2 is gonna compete with itself if you do this, and it sounds like a horrible idea to be honest.

What's stoping entire guilds to pick up and transfer their entire guild to the F2P server? From what i've been reading if you purchase the most recent expansion you have access to all content that live servers have. This is going to make live servers a ghost town.

SmokeJumper wrote:

So why dont you just opt out of the horrible idea of making people buy shields and heal pots and intergrate this into all live servers?

Or would you rather just do the cash grab and forget about the long term population health of everquest 2?

Amphibia wrote:

I'd like to see veteran accounts able to take on the new model on existing servers

-Edit-

Also I'm not terribly crazy about there not being an option to purchase all classes, I don't want a manditory reoccuring fee, but I have no problem putting out many times that if it's one time and done.

So will Station Access accounts get anything to keep paying and stay on EQ2Live?
Station Access can't buy multi-month access like regular EQ2Live accounts can.

Gaige wrote:

As I understand it, EQ2 is not going F2P. It's not changing at all.

I have a relevant comment:
Smokejumper wrote:
"In fact, we’re upping the ante by providing subscription rewards packages for active users that buy multi-month subscriptions, giving them rewards like cool, unique, exclusive items and Station Cash."
I made the mistake of having multi-month subscriptions in the past.
The money that I slightly saved wasn't worth the ignoring I received when my GM's and "big brother/big sister" SOE players here and there in the game durnig those times didn't feel the need to spend any time playing/grouping with me and I didn't whine to make it happen. (not my style)
My experiences have varied considerably from "site" to "site" as every set of people are indivduals but the following truths rings for me.
My gameplay is more varied and fun if I am:
a) On a month to month subscription that's "coming due" in less than 7 days
b) Max level
c) Max AA / Group gear
d) Playing a "raid facilitating" class
I will say my most recent 1.5yrs have been the most fun and very sincere feeling experiences but I cannot wonder whether I'd get the help when I need it if I wasn't a-d.
Going on a multi-month subscription as a single person without RL friends that play sounds like I'd have a less enjoyable experience as I wouldn't make priority if you already had 6 months of my money. The rewards would have to be significant to make me bite that carrot.
I may be smarter than the average bear but the effects are true game-wide I bet, just others who post aren't tactful enough to convey them on the forums without having their posts deleted.

I'm very disapointed this is happening on new servers only.
Can I get an option to move my entire guild to that new environment when it is ready?
I do not want to be locked into an isolated dieing world.

Illiam@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Your signature doesn't say we'll never do that. It says "we have no plans to do that". We have no plans is not the same as we never will do, and no dev will ever say never because things can and do change.

Atan@Unrest wrote:

QFE

Transfers should not be allowed to this server.

I am also concerned about server populations. They seem low now, I see less people looking for group / lfm than i saw in TSO times. Now this EQ2X change might have another negative impact on our servers.
Will there be server merges?