F2P Change Request/Suggestion

Hello EQ2 staff

Now that EQ2 and the Everquest entity has changed to it's own studio I really home some TLC is done for the F2P population. I was a P2P player and have been in and out of EQ for many years. I feel like this is and inflection point and and opportunity for some F2P changes that can be made to make the game more modern and to compete with the new player expectations.

I propose that the Devs and player community update the model of thinking that, in order to make the transition to modern player expectations, the model be updated to make more content available to the F2P community and also make changes that are more accepting of the F2P community.

I would really like to see the original Everquest games to not only survive but thrive in the modern age and notch another 20 plus years for the franchise. There is so many great players and great content that is available to the MMORPG community but it is going to be undiscovered by the new gaming population because of the archaic model and expectations of the old community.

I suggest that the devs consider how to blend the communities together in a way that makes it possible for the studio to be profitable and survive. These old platforms can make a great media to attract new players because, the bottom line? These games have years and years of content that other franchises don't. EQ1 and 2 have a combined 35 years of content (20 eq1 and 15 eq2). The player base has thousands and thousands of hours or experience. Please don't let it go to waste and provide a fresh model that incorporates true F2P with updated standards.

Thank you

You say "I would really like to see the original Everquest games to not only survive but thrive." The only way EQ2 is going to do that is if its players pay for EQ2 so the Darkpaw devs get paid, and so that server costs are covered, too. Playing for free helps no one but the lag monster.

Every company the world over tracks its profits and losses from day 1 on, and EQ2 is 15 years old. Darkpaw and Daybreak have 15 years of data that you do not have, and if anything they have blocked free players from new expansions unless they buy them since AoM, which was 5 expansions ago. Clearly, free players are not helping to keep the lights on here.

Not to mention that every single new server that launches (Stormhold TL progression server, then Fallen Gate, then Kaladim, plus Isle of Refuge free trade and now Rivervale) requires a gold sub fee to play on it.

Again, if free players were paying any sort of money en masse to play, through the cash shop or whatever, then Darkpaw and Daybreak would not block them out of new all the new content and all the newer servers of the last 5 years: they would focus on the free players and pander to them instead.

If you can't afford to pay anything, well, most of us have been there before in our lives. Darkpaw understands, and allows you to play here for free with limitations; getting to level 100 for free is a very generous deal. But handing everyone the farm for free is only going to shut the game down permanently for all of us.

Um, F2P is not there for you to play free forever. It's really meant as a way to do a trial of the game and decide if you like it. If you want more stuff, pony up the $15/month as a subscriber.

The only major change I would like to see for EQ2 (and EQ1) F2P is to allow them limited functionality to use Broker (and Bazaar). For EQ2, they should let F2P players sell/buy 5-10 items per month from the broker. Who knows - maybe all of the good BoL crafter books are on F2P accounts. lol.

If we move away from subscriptions, the conspiracy theories of Pay-to-Win will only be confirmed as Darkpaw will be forced to rely on microtransactions to support the game.

EQ2's F2P model is what it is, and has been since the few tweaks made not long after it rolled out to the entire game. It never hurts to hope, but after years (and years and years) of pleading from the customer base (both paid and free) and no significant changes being made, I wouldn't hold out for it.

While there are some games that are F2P and B2P, it's more accurate to think of EQ2 as having a 'pseudo-infinite trial', regardless of how they bill themselves, and just do what you can with it.

If you don't want a new game, or current content, there is a lot to do in EQ2.

The F2P content is greater in EQ2 than any other Sub based game. You get 20 lvls of F2P in WoW.

But the game wants you to sub, so they limit services. That said, they ought to just do away with F2P all together.

I think the f2p model that eq2 has is great you can basically play the entire game for free and if you pay 35 dollars for the current expac you get an additional 5 expacs worth of stuff and 20 more levels. you can run all the solo content and ( I have not done the math to be sure) some of the heroic content. this expac has been a little more forgiving for f2p than last ones as I have not seen as much prestige and such labeled items not sure of the what the other gear limitations there is

As a note, just having access to Fast Travel for free would be enough to induce me to pay the subscription. And if not that, unfettered broker use.

The reason I pay is to support a game I love, though.

I am honestly curious what the OP thinks needs to be changed about F2P .



The only things I can think of that I would add is access general chat at some point (not just freedom at level 1 for that, let them put some play time in for it.)

Also it would be nice to have limited access to sell on the broker (the earlier suggestion of 5-10 sounds pretty decent for free access) and honestly, I'd give them at least that many more if not full access to buying stuff from the broker simply because that helps out the paying players, more people to sell my stuff to but that part isn't necessary.



One other thought I had is they could kind of bring back a form of the silver membership. Make a mini subscription that boosts access up to the old silver level but is a recurring charge, not a one time fee. Better than base F2P, but without the good bells and whistles of an actual membership & they are still paying something, even though a much smaller amount ($5 I believe is what I paid for silver on an alt account back in the day) monthly.

That is actually a better idea imo than just opening stuff up to F2P. Because silver opens up buying stuff on the broker (good for regular subscription folks as well) and access to chat, which IMO having had sub accounts, silver accounts, and plain free accounts over the years, removes the most aggravating parts of F2P right off.

I think Obano and I and perhaps you as well had these things suggested in another thread about tiering the pricing scheme and starting with like $7.50 and then adding a tier above all access. This was a few months ago though.

I wonder if EQ2's generous F2P model is hurting EQ2's financial viability and creating an atmosphere where more of the game has to be based on microtransactions (some believe as P2W). In contrast, you can't equip anything but T1 gear and use sub T1 mercs on EQ1 which are heavy restrictions but you see less of that microtransaction atmosphere over there.

I started a f2p account and found out fairly quickly that it is hardly f2p with any substance. I had to buy the xpac, mercs, and apprentice to be able to play even reasonably well. I eventually subbed as I really needed access to the broker and fast travel. My f2p account eventually cost me well over $100 plus the monthly sub.

While you can play reasonably well, up to about lvl 40, after that it becomes increasingly hard to play without either a sub or chrono. I am sure there are hardy individuals doing it, but I found the rewards vs. costs favored paying a sub.

You have to buy all that with a sub account too. The only things on your list that those paying subs don't have to worry about are the broker & fast travel. Everything thing else had to be purchased at some time or another or a sub account does not have access to it.

Another funny thing is you really only need 1 sub account on EQ2 for broker/fast travel (use CoV to bring other boxes). On EQ1, you have people paying for 3-6 subs for 3-6 boxes. I wonder if that dynamic is also hurting EQ2's financial viability.

The only changes I would like to be seen implemented to the F2P model would be limited access to the broker (5-10 slots as someone mentioned earlier) and be able to mail money/items between characters on the same server/account.

Some years ago I suggested, in EQ, that silver accounts be $5 per month instead of a one time payment of $5.

That would be easier for people like me on low income, and Daybreak would still receive monthly money from silver accounts. Still have restrictions, but between f2p and all access.

I agree that tiers between 'Free' and 'Subscription' should be put back in place. It was a mistake to remove them.

However, I think if they applied a charge to the existing Silver accounts, it might start a riot. A tiny riot (how many active Silvers are still around?), but still.

My silver accounts are in EQ, not EQ II. And I wouldn't mind paying $5 per month there, or here, for a silver account.

I'm not suggesting that you would. Or that there wouldn't be some other Silvers that wouldn't get upset as well.

But why potentially upset anyone when you could just implement a separate but similar feature?

So it's going to cost me 465 to catch up and return to this game. That's the ftp cost. Can we stop calling it ftp already?
2 months each account sub for leveling and summer quests
Expansion per account. That's even the cheapest
And mind you, all accounts unsubscribed for the other 10 months a year. AND during this time I have to deal with people treating me like a bum trying to get a free ride
FREE to play my rump. Just saying oh and none of it gets me to group either
I'm not counting the 920 per year for internet or computer costs either since DB doesn't get it. Also not counting the expansion coming in November 2020.
Anyway, what you described sounds like silver membership