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

Zabjade wrote:

The why it was described I would say it is based on the level you are when you cast it... much like a Summoner pet is(between upgrades of the spell), so at level 10 you would case the level 10 mount and at level 80 you would cast the level 80 mount.

Hmmm, I was hopeing that I could see it as a pet before it becoming a mount...Still could do it with a younger alt...

I'm pretty bummed sitting here in the US too. In wonderful Cali-land, home of SOE, I still can't get a retail copy of TSO on the day of update. I had no problems for 3 expansions, then all of a sudden stealth like last year I go to the store and no RoK on release date, despite my phonecall the day before saying I would have it. This year at least I'm getting the truth when I look at pre-ordering, that it won't be available until the 19th, but I'm still a sad dwarfy. I don't really have an option if I want to see the new stuff along with everyone else. And my bf, bless his heart, doesn't want to sit through what he had to last year when he had a hysterical gf just about crying cuz I couldn't play and start crafting, so he sat around patiently while I got a digital download day of release. So we're both going digital download. No dire bears here. I don't understand how SOE can't control distribution of their expansions..it's a standard part of contracts......so sorry, not just you non-US people getting the back side of customer service......

Sydne@Befallen wrote:

I feel for you, I really do. It's hard enough trying to get a box outside of the USA, let alone within. On these boards there a multitudes of stories of people having trouble buying it.
Maybe now, when people cant even buy it in the USA, SoE will wake up and say "well, that failed, we have a bunch of annnoyed (stronger words will get nerfed) people, we have people leaving the game because of a decision we made, and thats not good - for the game, or our wallets... hmmm how can we fix it? I know! give them the option of the mount or pet with the DD!"
I dont understand how SoE can have so little control over the distribution. I would have thought that they would have specified certain countries, and then relaxed the control over the shipping from places like Amazon where it was not going to be shipped.
I was lucky - I managed to get a friend to order me a retail copy from the USA so that I know I'l get the bear mount. But a lot of people are not so lucky - apparently not even people in the USA!!!

There have been hicups with expansions before but i would have to say the marketing department has been as usefull as mamaries on a male bovine during this release.
People from all over the world saying they cant get the expansion by pre order companies that appear to have a trade relationship with SOE , after all their logos are on the web site to order saying nope we dont stock it, no you cant pre order, no you dont get the frebies sorry we had some ran out, now some places you cant even buy the advanced order in the US for god sakes.
Sony is a world wide marketing giant and customers that want to buy the product are being told at multiple locations nah dont sell it. Some one stuffed up big time and needs thier proverbial on the carpet.
You tell us we have to by a box to get the good items because if you dont put some thing good in it they wont stock it.
NEW FLASH EINSTIEN THEY DONT STOCK IT ANY WAY.
Just release one version make it on line and save us all a ton of grief or sack the sales staff and hire some one from pepsi that knows what their doing.

greenmantle wrote:

I am not sure Marketing is to blame on this one... though they have more then enough to answer for themselfs... I think distrabution is a differant department, and I think they should be serverly repremandied for thier failers to get the product into the hands of those who want it.

Here we are...8 days out and my gf, her son and I are all out in the cold without our preorders. Within an hour drive from our house, we have 2 stores for games (Walmart doesn't count, because they have for the last few expansions not even stocked EQ2) a Gamestop and a Best Buy. Walk in to Gamestop to be told by their store manager that they don't carry 2nd rate games and that what we really want is WoW. Then walk in to Best Buy and talk to several idiots (managers included) that say that Best Buy will never carry EQ2 because it's junk and that we should play WoW. Hmmmm....notice the reaccuring theme? Not to mention that the one MMO that Walmart always has on the shelf is WoW.
Not sure what we're gonna do at this point. None of us want the void beast "pet", we want the dire bear.

Well, here's my 2cp.
I preordered the box several weeks ago at my local GameCrazy(That's the one affiliated with Hollywood Video).
No problems there. Whoop-De do.

However, It pisses me off to see the way SOE is dealing with this. As far as I can tell, they are using an angry consumerbase *anyone unable to get the 'cool stuff'* as a method to get EQ2 on shelves... Free advertising?
Additionally, the traditionally accepted way is to reward D2D downloading more than the retail box- It costs less to have people download than to have to make a box, etc.
So- I propose th following.
1st - SoE stop using angry consumers as tools
2nd This is the simple part. Make the /claim item a *TSO REWARD* and when it's claimed, offer whatever.

So knowing that it's that easy (They did it with the monkeys- Same thing, but instead of diff. colored monkeys, bear/voidbeast) WHY would SoE make it 'better' to buy a Retail box? The void pet is fluff, sure, with a free expansion claim. However, the bear eventually becomes the equiv. of a 32++ pp mount....
It just doesn't add up.

BTW- purple zebras, whilst unrealistic, would rock.
And yes, I fumed at the Living legends crap.

Crush

Oh, yes ....*AHEM*

LEAVE US THE H*LL ALONE, WOW!!!!

That is all.

Crush

Brailey@Lucan DLere wrote:

Your only choice then is amazon and wait a few days. and yeah SoE really needs to get thier act together.
BTW, go back to that Best Buy Manager and as him if Best Buy Does not sell "Junk" why Gods and Heroes pre-order boxes where on the shelfs 2 months AFTER it was supposed to launch and almost 3 months after it went belly up... then ask him why, when it was pointed out to the manager that the game is Vaperware, the manager said it's there because coprate said so.

Actually Best Buy in most areas already have the boxes in stock in the storeroom and several of the Gamestops in my area also do too. There is no preorder box.All boxes come with the mount only the first shipment out has the pewter figures. So if they had to reorder to fill there preorders you may not get a pewter figurine, but thats all on the retail store you order from to decide how they distribute them. If someone actually told you at BestBuy or Gamestop they dont carry it , talk to manager of the store or ask for Regional Manager. Every single Gamestop that carrys PC games can preorder it. You can also go online and order it for pickup at your local BestBuy.If you want it day of the release definitely preorder it as most retail stores dont get many more copies than initial preorders otherwise you will be waiting for it. Gamestop will definitely sell it on release day.Best Buy also has it listed in next weeks weekly ad as on sale as of the 18th . The U.S. and Canada definitely have no issues if you want the box version on launch day.

Would truly love to hear from SoE on this problem.
Hi well I am more than a little annoyed right now.
Two of the biggest Game shops in my area will not be stocking the expansion and unless you have a Credit card you cant buy/ order online and miss out on launch to get it a couple of days later.
I live in Australia and am at a loss on how to get the expansion on the day...DD is not an option as I want the Mount that comes with it, as well as only having a 1.5 mb speed connection and a dowload limit makes it hard if not impossible to take the DD option.
Austalian customers are getting shafted we cant get anything from our game shops EQ2 related and it now seems including the expansion.
Any other Aussie players able to lead me in the direction on how to get the expansion.
Tonight I will be heading out for a midnight release for WoWs new expansion with my brother and was looking forward to a similar EQ2 experience but tis not to be the case.
EQ2 is a much better game without doubt but i am starting to understand why as an Aussie EQ2 player I am becoming a rare thing indeed as more and more move over to WoW. I have no intenstion ever to move games but I cant help but wonder how many Aussie players will be.
The reason I was given by EB games about them not stocking SoE games (all of em and game cards) is that SOE is starting to move away from Hard copy's and into mainly DD is this true and if so I could give you a list a mile long why this kind of shift will not be helpful for your Aussie players.
Many thanks on any information.
Tess.

The best bit about all this; is next month there will be a marketing report on someones desk stating that more people DD than buy boxed versions.

Chantress@Antonia Bayle wrote:

It's not a solution from SoE, it is instead a player work around, but Spiderbyte has offered to buy a Retail copy for people outside the US and Email them the code, as long as you pay him for it ofcourse... not shure if the offer is still open though.

Chantress@Antonia Bayle wrote:

The Aussie distributor is Red Ant and they are not bringing the game in. So like all of us in Australia, you are also screwed, and SOE simply do not care. Do a thread search and you will find a few threads on the issue. Sorry, at least you are not alone .........

This whole situation with the Dire Bears accentuates the fact that someone is EQ2 is being hamstrung by its marketing department.

A 65% runspeed Bear with better stats can be purchased with Void Shards.

That information right there means I will not bother with the Retail box and I am completely removing that frustration from my brain. Why this information could not have been made available when the ****storm started a month ago is beyond me. Sony gets these opportunities to solve problems and they just let them fly past. Why?

Well a "FREE Bear" with a disk or a Bear you have to grind instances for, rather than the gear you can get. Dunno, but the rest of the world are still being forced to take it in the rear

Tralesh@Splitpaw wrote:

[Joking ON]
Well.. I see you have been a member since 2004.. You should be used to bending over by now
[Joking OFF]

And @feldon30
Thanks for the info about the 65% runspeed bear
Now I'm glad that I ordered the digital download version

irish wrote:

Yeah I have to agree. My Nephew is an assistant manager at a Gamestop in AZ. We where just talking about EQ2 this past weekend. They will have it on the 18th so will Best Buy.

Just for my sanity, could someone please state in simple terms whether the following is correct:
The in-game bear mount is available to all retail box products, and is not a pre-order reward.

Thank you.