The Shadow Odyssey Pre-Order Starts Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Thanks for your post Valkry. Your concern for players outside the US illustrates one of the many reasons EQ2 is worth playing in spite of such problems: its very fine community.
Just to confuse matters my own UK pre-order with Play.com has mysteriously disappeared from my back order list. Now I don't know whether to re-order from them and risk getting two copies.
I'll just add that I really, really want a bear. I want to name it Nigel, take it everywhere with me and spread havoc wherever I go. I'm talking about real life here now, but to get one in EQ2 as well would be a bonus...

I for one am angry that SOE decided to give people who have quit the game, and returned under their offer (Living Legends) a $5 concession on The Shadow Odyssey, yet give long standing subscribers who have paid their subs every month for years absolutely diddly squat in terms of money off.
Also this All in One nonsense as the only way to get the new expansion needs to stop. I mean really is it too much to ask to have an The Shadow Odyssey only option, and say give us $5 off just like you did the Living Legacy people....
No, didnt think so ...

Daig@Butcherblock wrote:

If they did not include everything it would STILL cost $40. Why? because we are alreayd getting a discount for waiting a year for the expainsion instead of getting it every six months... How do I figure that? Well back befor they where once a year, the expainsions came out every 6 months and cost $30.00, that means to stay up to date it cost you $60.00 for the same development time... so in effect we are paying $20.00 less for the same amount of content as we got before... I seriously doupt they will discount it anymore then that...
As for the $5 off... you do realise in EVERY subscription based service New subscribers get a discount over existing subscribers.

I wondered how long it would be before the pro SOE crowd would come in and make this argument.
Stop trying to justify SOE's greed, you know as well as I do that the All in One packs are just a way to get more money out of people that dont need half of the software bundled with it.
Make all the excuses and justifications that you want ... I have heard them all before, many times. Disguising the old content as a "free deal" and charging people again for it is outrageous.
I have been playing for years and bought every expansion that was released, and I like a lot of people resent the way SOE continues to package the game as an All in One and make us pay again for the old content.
And the offering of $5 off to people who returned to the game and nothing to its existing long standing subscribers is just a slap in the face from SOE.

Daig@Butcherblock wrote:

So SoE is a money grubing Devil incarnate, for giving away stuff, while giving a ton MORE...Yet, Blizzard and Turbine are Angels, because they don't, bundle thier past content with the new stuff... I think your reasoning is back as-ward.
SoE is NOT trying to sell the old content, nor do they claim that it is anything, but past content, they are advertizing and selling NEW content.
Also you can not claim in your wildest dreams that the content being added in this comming expainsion is not atleast as much content, in total as the combined content of KoS and DoF(total cost $60). You may not be happy with the balance of that content... but the content you can not ligitimatly say that either DoF or KoS had more in total... especally at launch.
BTW, SoE has sold expainsions only as stand alone... EoF and apparintly for a short time RoK where both available as stand alone and guess what they still cost $40.00... why? because they are charging for the work they did over the last 12 months.
The fact of the matter is $40.00 is the going rate for expainsions to MMOs that take atleast a year to develop. It is what Mines of Moria will cost and it is what Liench King will cost... only they do not come with the previous content meaning you first have to pay $20.00 for that content....Oh, I see what you want is them to price the All in One at $60.00, and then charge the "loyal" people $40.00, just like all the other MMO makers so you THINK you are getting a discount.

It really does not matter Ke'la, there is no point trying to tell me all that because some of us have been thinking this for a long time, and you wont change my mind for one.
No matter how much you try and defend how SOE markets their product to new players, returning players and veterans ... there will always be some who are upset with how they do it.
Offering returning players money off the new expansion, and not long time veterans who have bought every single expansion and subbed to the game for years is just a major slap in the face.

Daig@Butcherblock wrote:

But the living legacy gave is vets the "gift of more players to play with"

But yeah i'm sorry you cant wash this one off..it stunk in the summer and it stinks now,vets got nothing out of the living legacy promo and to try and defend it is a little silly tbh.

Daig@Butcherblock wrote:

I am not saying it's not... If I was incharge I would have given a $5 off discount to all Online PreOrders, and givin the option of the void creature or the mount... or both for an addtional $5(see what I did there?). All I am saying is SoE is not charging you for the old stuff, they are just charging you the going rate for the new stuff... and giving the old stuff away for free.

MonkeyBobNz wrote:

Overnight, I received the following from the Australasian distributors (RedAnt):

I have been forwarded your email from our European partners. Firstly I would like to thank you for your email regarding Everquest 2. You are correct, unfortunately we won’t be distributing the game in Australia or New Zealand as a packaged product. As I am sure you are aware, this is available for download from SOE. Everquest 2 has proven to be a popular downloadable game, however doesn’t seem to have the same reciprocation for boxed sales. The vast majority of EQ2 fans seems to prefer to download the new versions as soon as they are available. So in essence, gamers in Australia and New Zealand (for the most part) prefer to download the game rather than purchase the boxed version, which is why EQ2 is only available as a download in ANZ.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me should you wish to discuss further. Let me know if there is any way I can help you furthe

It is unclear if they understood the tact that SoE was taking with the retail bonus. I have asked the question, and will update this with the reply when (and if) I get it.

Daig@Butcherblock wrote:

I guess I'm not sure why you think that's such a big deal. A lot of companies do the same thing with subscriptions. Magazines, books. I get the "please come back you get x amount of free stuff all the time."
For RoK it was a big draw for my friend to start EQ because everything was in it. All inclusive is a good idea overall.
I think it's wrong that outside of the US people have such a hard time getting the retail box. If anything is unfair that is.
But 40$ bucks or a 5 buck discount? /shrug It's not a bank breaker and if it is well then maybe money shouldn't be spent on a game.

Yaskel wrote:

I'm seriously offended at some of the comments in this post concerning Americans in general but this comment is completely out of hand. Being an American myself, I DO know there is clean water and electric outside our borders, but what does that have to do with Sony and your crying about equality?

This whole thread boils down to:
NOBODY CARES ABOUT THE BOXED VERSION.

NOT GameStop
NOT Best Buy
NOT Circuit City
NOT Amazon
NOT Wal-Mart
NOT any European or Australia or New Zealand RETAILER
NOT anyone who actually plays EQ2

The only people who care about the boxed version are:
- Sony Online Entertainment Marketing Department
- Sony Software Distribution Department

Please make DirectDownload the preferred method by putting the Bear Mount in the DD or make it a $5 extra. You're already going towards microtransactions anyway right? And please put up a Paypal order page so for $8-10 we can get the pewter model if we want. And while you're at it, put some more cool extras like EQ2 T-Shirts, updated cloth EQ2 world map, etc. At FanFaire, you had stacks of awesome EQ1 extras but almost nothing for EQ2 players. I wanted to buy all kinds of EQ2 tsotskes but no luck. I'm seriously considering buying one of those Billy dolls made by a fellow gameplayer.

I really think that SOE should give players who buy the expansion (either DD or Box) both the void beast and that Dire Bear. It really isn't that big a deal to give ALL players who get the expansion both items.

feldon30 wrote:

I have to say aside from the shouting... I have to agree with this post... especally the Yellow text... print up some EQ2 logoed stuff and we will pay you to advertise your game for you. I would love to get some neat looking RL stuff taged with the EQ2 logo... heck to date the only eq2 things I have are Butcherblock and Highkeep buttons that I think where left over from the first fan faire that featured EQ2... and I got those at FF'07 I didn't see anything made for SoE that was EQ2 related at FF'08.

MonkeyBobNz wrote:

I love this. The usual braindead response from some no-hoper with a script. So, in essence, what SoE's official word is; F U to the rest of world. The retail boxed set with the useful item is actually ONLY AVAILABLE FOR AMERICANS AND POSSIBLY CANADIANS.
I know it would be too much to ask for SoE to actually stop feeding people bull and finally be honest from day one; but hey!

Ciara52 wrote:

Its not the money its the principle that long standing veterans with years of EQ2 subs are treated worse than people who return to the game and have been playing other titles over the last few years.
Besides whats wrong with shopping around and trying to get the best deal? .... Some people don't just whip out their credit card and pay for the first thing they see, only to find out you can get it cheaper from somewhere else a few days later

Tralesh@Splitpaw wrote:

I guess you did not read WHO the responce was from... It is the person SoE contracted to destribute the game that is saying F U at this point it is too late for SoE to do anything about it.
That said SoE should have made shure the people responcable for distributing it accually do what they are contracted to do... or fine them heafty sums of money... but that is something between SoE legal and the Distributer.

kela wrote:

No, I saw who it is from.
However the issue is also about the mount only being available in a some box that's pretty much only available to Americans. SoE employ the distributors, SoE refuse to recognise the fact that distribution is crap, SoE refuse to make the mount available to DD people that have no choice but to download; so therefore in my opinion it is SoE saying F U to the rest of the world.

Have fun with the next expansion. I just closed my access account. I've played with Sony alot over the years. I have characters in EQ1 (all expansions), SWG (all expansions), Pirates, Planetside, Matrix (Shudder) Vanguard and EQ2.
In the early days I had to endure days and weeks downloading EQ1 digital content on a 56k modem - an expansion that I probably wouldn't even play. I only recently got a decent ADSL connection last year and its been great. But you know what I don't want to have to download another digital download expansion. I live in a 3rd world country called New Zealand. I have a datacap to worry about. I want a shiney DVD that I can file away again incase I want to reinstall my OS, I want the little extras you get with the boxset.
Just last night I thought about closing some of my other other online accounts like Tabula Rasa and WAR, but I have decided nah why not just close this account, its been sucking money out of my bank account for years and years and its time to free up some harddrive space. So I closed it.
Anyway have fun, with your bears and shadow creatures. Been fun, just not anymore.

Damn. There goes my favourite guildy. How many more are going to go before SoE wakes up and smells the coffee?