Producer's Letter Discussion Thread

Totally awesome! I am SO looking forward to these solo/adv solo dungeons, and can definitely use the "level up, gear up" boosts that are coming to get ready. No doubt about it--this expansion is on my "buy now" list, and will probably go full collectors edition if the perks are nice. I am more excited for this expansion than I have been in a long time! Grats, and thank you so much!

Actually, that huge unused area is an unknown to us--as we cannot access it--and maps simply assume the interior is mountainous like the edges we can see. There could be a huge mountain valley in the center of the area--or even a huge town full of secretive hobgoblins--or just about anything in there past the shielding mountain ranges we can see. The area is bigger than Jarsath Wastes, so just about anything is possible--as soon as we find the mountain pass that allows us access! Might even find Shangri-Li hiding in there!

EQ1 Crescent Reach.

Before it was there many people assumed the area was just full of mountains.

I'm a little salty about the lv cap. It's gonna be a nightmare sorting through lv100 items.

Sorry to say - this will be the first Xpac in 6 years that I will not purchase. 1.) I don't have time to play in order to justify the expense. 2.) The flapping tongue. 3.) I am just tired of the gear grind. While I greatly appreciate the "Members Only" perks, I will be letting that go as well. Populations are down, Guilds are closing, the appearance gear is out dated, and if you do want higher end gear, you have to install all sorts of add-ons and chat servers, etc. All in all - its just too much anymore. I do love the game, but I think that after 6 years at $15 a month (roughly $1,000) and the countless purchases of Krono, DB cash, Sony cash cards, etc., and only having "ehhh so-so" gear and a crap ton of house items - my money should be put to better use - like a vacation or actually paying a bill or two.

Just wanted to say that when I finally quit playing EQ2? Something I will never do is come into the forum and bore the lot of you with my personal financial issues, tell you how much I love a game that I'm quitting and try to justify my decision to leave.

I'll just be gone.

Indeed, just game the system & get all the benefits of being a subscriber without even being one.

Just, you know -- & not saying you have done this, Ratitz, but others have -- don't ever criticize ME for not being a "real paid subscriber." I'm not interested in that level of hypocrisy, & if I catch someone pulling that stunt I'm going to quite bluntly call them on it.

Its not gaming the system. Its the system.

Fair enough, but the real point is that I don't want to hear that when I end my subscription I'm "hurting" the game, when loads of people are also not paying yet are getting the same benefits as those who do. The only person who paid any real $$$ at all was the one who bought the krono, those doing it with in-game money aren't helping DBG's bottom line at all.

FWIW, it's my long-held -- but previously unstated -- conviction that the introduction of kronos was a bad idea. I love how people whine up a storm about SLR, but have no problem with buying game time by substituting in-game play money for real money.

Interesting. I didn't read that as "financial crises", just an opinion on things.

It's good to see different opinions and perspectives guys, try not to freak out.

Well he did imply that he wasnt paying his bills because he was spending thousands of dollars on everquest.

I'm just super perceptive I guess, seemed obviously tongue-in-cheek.

Edited

The kronos are still paid for in IRL cash by someone (or at least, the ones not gotten through that dupe a while back...), and xpacs bought with plat are still paid for in cash IRL, just by the person selling them for plat rather than the person using them for game time or content.
Kronos make it possible for people to basically buy plat with cash without the money going to a third party (like gold farmers and botters), and also makes it possible for people who would otherwise not subscribe (due to nervousness over putting personal information like credit card numbers online, or not having a method of payment open to them for online transactions) to be able to basically pay someone in-game currency to buy game time for them with real money.
IMHO, Kronos were a great idea and long overdue. Holey CATS did the price in plat go up though! XD

Gosh. What a surprise.

I would rather DBG get rid of the entire free-to-play concept, at this point. As much as I've enjoyed being a non-subscriber, this game was better before it went free-to-play & Kronos became a "necessity."

Yeah and this is the problem. It seems it is better to add new things then spruce up old stuff. Yes I know, the argument of money will come in, but honestly, killing off a good section of a game to make a race to the end stinks.

Yes, I know they revamped TW, and it's pretty, but Qeynos and Freeport have been ignored in the beginning areas. Guess it's just a pet-peeve of mine. I'm one of the very few who enjoy the areas and not burn through them

Doh! Someone beat me to the humanatee joke!

It also might not be mapped for size correctly at all. While in practice the maps work more like satellite images/GPS if you think in terms of more basic cartography, how it would be done given the high-fantasy nature and lack of highly accurate technology, its very likely the 'map makers' of Norrath underestimated the size. Especially the northern coast.

The only problem with Kronos is when certain people buy them also use 'less reputable' means to gain plat. Anything from a outright exploit to figuring out a way to automate and complete a repeatable quest at inhuman speeds.

This kind of goes back to 'F2P' because people who get banned for those exploits can quickly get back in. I think they should just make new accounts pay for 1 month of membership, cash to start. Then when they ban these detriments to the game they can make a little more money when they buy their way back in. Use banned accounts to help bank roll new content, or at the very least they lose the work they did when it turns out it was charged back or a stolen CC.

There was a cool thing that Ragnarok Online did ages ago. They put in the option for level 99 players (max level there) to start over at level one with higher base stats that grew stronger than a normal character at max level. It was much more of a grind (Which gave new players someone experienced to group with) and a better skillset (basically a new and improved class version of what you were before you started over.)
The uber-class would be a great excuse to simplify the number of spells we have as well as repopulate old zones (Maybe some sort of bonus for doing questlines and partying with new players?)...
This storyline could easily be implemented with the chrono mage characters.

My gripe is less repopulation (as one can easily chrono down in EQ2) and more ignoring putting new content or sprucing up the content in older zones. Even when they did the Golden Path on Live (when you follow the last quest from your starting area to BBM) killed alot of exploration, as you were pulled around by the nose (mainly talking about new players over older ones who knew more places to go).

Granted, adding is great too, don't get me wrong. I love Kunark in EverQuest (as I'm playing one now there with family) and it keeps the game from getting stale. But devs have to remember all the places you go through before you get to those end levels.

Any more thoughts I'll put someplace else, as this isn't the place. But still interested to see what they came up with!