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

Sorry guys. I've been a little swamped the last couple days.

I'm going to give some serious question answering a go here, so bear with me Some of them will be "I'll check and get back to you's" but others I can answer right now.


1) A slightly off topic question for you then.. If I have a retail copies of Kunark and use it will I finally get a collectable pooping burynai?

A) Should be the case, yes.

2) Now all I have to do is find a retail box from a reputable vendor in the UK.

A) I don't have anything I can say about this one, unfortunately. We have no control over the retail distribution once we send it to KOCH, who handles all the overseas retail copies. I wish I could say otherwise

3) Just one more question: does the activation code for the in-game items come with the retail box, or will I have to pester my retailer for weeks to email me that code like last year?

A) It SHOULD come with the retail box, but I'll check on that to make sure and get back with you.

4) If I preordered a Retail Copy in the US and obtained the keycode from my family members when they open my box...could I digitally download the content, but still get the retail box items?

A) I think so, yes. They give you the code, you activate it on your account, and then patch. You do not have to install from the discs once your account has been entitled, which you manage by registering your key code.

5) So we get the painting with either the digital download or the retail box? Just making sure.

A) This is correct. The painting comes with BOTH versions.

6) I understand that those with Living Legacy accounts will obtain their $5 (or local equivalent) discount 'coupon' emailed out to them on the 3rd November. How are these to be claimed when ordering the Retail Boxed versions of the new expansion? I want the Dire Bear pet/mount.

A) I will have to check and get back to you on this one.

7) When the bear becomes a high enough level to use as a mount, will we still be able to call it as a pet, as well?

A) I'll have to check and get back to you on this one too!

8 )So looks like Australian players at least can not get the retail version at all... Extremely disappointed by this. Really poor customer service to disadvantage all of your international players...

A) Again, I know it's disappointing. I'm sorry that we can't control that aspect of it. I know that doesn't make it better at all, but I wish you the best of luck in getting a retail copy.

9) ok, I don't think I saw the answer to this yet. What is the point of DDing an "all in one"? I dont need all the expansions or the original game. I just need the Shadow expansion itslef. Seems like we are paying for extra stuff we don't need to download.

A) You aren't paying for anything BUT the expansion. The rest is just an added freebie. You'll get anything you don't have in addition to the expansion and all you download is what you don't already have with your account.


If I missed anything, just let me know and I'll try and get answers to those I didn't know a little later today!

Kiara wrote:

Thanks Kiara for taking the time and effort to research and write this response.
The only thing you missed was:
10) How do the Australian and New Zealand players get the mount when there is no distribution to those countries?
A) Australian and New Zealand players will be emailed instructions for a micropayment to enable them to get the mount like all the other players.
Or is this too much to ask?

MonkeyBobNz wrote:

I don't know about this. I'll have to ask and see if there is anything that can be done. Like I said before, unfortunately once we pass the retail boxes to the distributers it becomes theirs and is out of our hands to tell them anything to do with it. I'll have to investigate further, so it might take some time.

If something (anything!) could be done it would be awesome.

I (and many others i suspect) look forward to any answer you might be able to give.

Just for clarity, here is the official response from the only shop in New Zealand who was (briefly) stocking the TSO expansion:
Sorry about that, the New Zealand supplier has removed this title from their release schedules and we have not been advised why.
Regards,
Katey
Mighty Ape

Kiara wrote:

I can answer that one. In the email (and I believe on the living legacy site also) it states:
Discount Coupon - Receive $5 (or local currency equivalent) off of the purchase of The Shadow Odysseyexpansion (scheduled for release Nov. 18, 200 if purchased through the Station Store by Dec. 21, 2008.

I've highlighted the relevant part, the station store is only selling the digital download version, as far as I'm aware (very hard to find anything on that site at the best of times), so if you want the direbear you're going to need to pay full price and from a retailer.

mirf wrote:

These are useable only with the DD from the Station Store.

MonkeyBobNz wrote:

Still checking on this!

Thanks Kiara!

Okay. Re: Oz and Kiwis getting the retail box... it seems that your best bet is to go ahead and order from Gamestop in the US. I hate having to tell you this, because I know it's inconvenient and more expensive for you guys. The people in charge of working with the distributers are looking into it, but I can't say it'll be resolved in a way that is happy for you. I don't like bringing the bad news, but since we can't make them do what we want, it's either DD or work around them and order from other sources. Sorry guys

Thanks Kiara for this update.
I do understand that you are doing everything you can to assist us.
You would probably also realise that the US option is not really an option for most of us. Even if I accept the fact that I will have to pay almost twice as much as everyone else (base shipping to Aus starts at $31.99) I cannot accept that I have to sit around QH for 4 - 6 days minimum (est. from Gamestop Website) while everyone else is running around enjoying the new content. After all, I am just after 1 line of text (Activation key) for each account.
I was really looking forward to the bear mounts. The idea of them leveling with your toon was very cool. /sigh ........
I am not posting hoping that anything will change, I am past that. It has been many years since a retail box has been on the shelves in Aus and I remember similar discussion last year around ROK, so this is not a new issue. I am posting in the hope that you pass on our feedback and everyone at SOE understands our disappointment. Maybe next year it will be different, if there is any of us left .........

Kiara wrote:

Hey, and just think, if you would just simply let people pick which reward they wanted then none of this would be an issue.
Bet it would be a lot easier for you! *HINT*

Kiara wrote:

I cant afford to spend almost 3 x as much on the game, so it looks like I will have to go without.
Its a shame, as there are a number of simple solutions that SoE could implement easily, if they chose to:

a) Email all Aus/Nz/Other subscribers where the retail copy will not be available and offer them a deal whereby they swap the in-house item for the mount.

b) Email all Aus/Nz/Other subscribers where the retail copy will not be available and offer them a deal whereby they can purchase the mount as a micro-transaction.

c) offer the mount to all players, as a gesture of good will.

d) offer a system whereby you submit your case to CSR's, along with proof of being unable to buy it in your country, and use one of the outcomes from the above 3 options.
I guess its easier to do nothing and further alienate your already shaky playerbase.

So, we are supposed to buy it from gamestop. Here is the rundown on costs. Eq2 $39.95 US Shipping $29.95 US (3-5 days) Total: $69.90 Today's exchange rate: 1 NZD = 0.581851 USD Total NZD: 119.98. And we have to wait 3-5 days, thereby negating any chance that we will get any discoveries whatsoever. From a customers perspective this is what this looks like: A rip off. SoE creates the product, and should be ensuring that it gets distributed along the lines of its playerbase demographic. If they are not doing this, then how can they in good conscience, create a marketing strategy that relies on retail marketing? It doesnt make sense. I wish someone higher up would just say "Hey devs, we have a bunch of upset people out there who are unable to buy our game retail, but really want to continue to be our customers - can someone write a query to swap the entitlements from the void pet to the mount if we need to?" Oh wait. I'll do it for you - its really not that hard. update entitlements set rewardid = {MountId} where customerid = {MonkeyBobNz} and rewardid = {VoidPetId} and accountstatus = {active} (Ok, ok, I know its probably not quite that easy, but for crying out loud, its not that hard either)

Guys, I know it isn't what you want to hear, but it really isn't my call. I'm sorry that it's this way, but I don't get to make that decision.

Kiara, I know its not your call, and I appreciate you taking the time to investigate and try to resolve these issues. But if EQ2 wants to be successfull and increase sales then this sort of [I know, I know, I cant control.. blah blah] needs to stop. You are alienating a portion of the player base which you cant really afford to do. You just had a successfull loyalty program running where you got more people to play. I have noticed this in game, and TBH its a welcome change. But how many of these people are from places in the world where they cant get the new expansion retail? How many of them are saying, right now, I want the mount, and its a deal-breaker for me, and SoE just dont seem to care enough to do something about it and make it available to all the people who want to buy it? Either your marketing people are not explaining the concepts to the distributors or the distributors dont care. Either way its a SoE problem, and only SoE can fix it. I have been playing this game for almost 3 years now, and you could almost put me in the fanboi category. I play this game wayyy more than I should. But you have me so incensed about this that I'm about to /ragequit How many more people are in the same boat? If subs drop shortly after TSO, you only have yourselves to blame.

Kiara wrote:

Yep, I totally get the fact that this is not your call but these are not the Kiara Forums they are the EQ2 forums, please don't take any of this personally. Just forward this thread to the person that does make the decision, I would love to hear from them in this forum.
I have been playing since launch and I now have 3 accounts and like Monkeybob I play this game way too much. I hate to make statements that can be looked on as threats but I really hope you guys understand that everytime you do stuff like this you make people look at other options. It may not be me that gives up and leaves the games but anything that upsets customers and makes them quit this game will eventually effect me anyway.
I don't understand how this can upset anyone by offering markets that do not have a local distributor a different option. The fact remains that we do not have access to the Retail Version as the appointed distributor is not bringing in the title. So you cannot upset the Retail Channel.
All we want is access to the one line of text (Activation key) that everyone else will get in the box. And the only solution that SOE can come up with is for us to pay $31.99 (Aus freight cost in US$) to have that 1 line of text sent half way around the world in the cargo hold of a plane.
I just don't get it ..........

Faell@Najena wrote:

Not to mention environmentally unfriendly... doesn't SoE care about the environment

Kiara wrote:

SOE has never found an half-decent distributor outside of the USA, thus losing many potential customers. Maybe it's time to find a new one ?

I think that part of the problem is that nobody in Europe, Australia, NZ seems to want to sell boxed PC games anymore - back when I played UO, Electronic Arts was having a heck of a time finding overseas brick-and-mortar distributors.