Why No Vet Reward Makes Sense

Discussion in 'General Gameplay Discussion' started by Occam, Oct 30, 2016.

  1. Occam Well-Known Member

    Before anyone tears my head off, hear me out. Also, know that the creation date on my first char was 11/9/2004, the first day EQ2 went live. In fact, I've played for even longer, since I was in the original EQ2 beta, and have been loyal to the franchise since I got into early EQ1 beta! (Back in '98-99 you had to apply and get accepted into beta). All that is to say that I get the newest veteran reward the first day it's available, so not getting the vet reward this year impacts me as much as anyone.

    In one sense I am sorry to see them stop giving us vet rewards, but I also see how it makes sense. Think about it this way... right now someone who played for one day, then hasn't played for 12 years can log in a get the latest vet reward, while someone who's been playing every single day for 2 years would have to wait for a decade before they're eligible for it. That just makes no sense.

    What does make sense, is replacing the vet reward with an anniversary reward, which is exactly what they've done. With an anniversary reward, you get it if you're playing while it's available, instead of accruing time even when you're on an extended break. No more being rewarded even when you're no longer playing the game. If you're playing, you can get it, which is only reasonable.

    Ok... discuss... ;)
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  2. Ashandra Well-Known Member

    Some one that's played the bills for over a decade should get some token for that.

    If I had a customer do that I'd personally write to them if I was the boss.
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  3. Xakrein Well-Known Member

    This point has been brought up in other threads discussing Veteran rewards. Sadly, the simple logic is lost upon those who feel it is their right to stamp their feet and demand free stuff, people who make references along the lines of "a slap in the face", and those who threaten to cancel their accounts like it is a fashion statement. Sometimes, they are all three at the same time.

    That does make more sense. But people will still complain because of the entitlement mentality. Get ready for the sob stories about peoples PC being broken for months, or being in a coma for months, or being deployed for months (often coming from people who have never served), and claiming they are being discriminated against. :rolleyes:
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  4. Xakrein Well-Known Member

    They already have the ultimate token - Over a decades worth of entertainment at one of the best dollar per hour ratios possible within the entertainment sector.

    If a 13 year vet reward came out that was a random house item, people would cry about not wanting a useless house item. If it was a house/property, people would cry about already having too many houses. If it was an awesome merc, people would cry because it is not the type they want or not good enough to molo all the KA X4 content. If it was a title, people would cry because they don't want a title. If it was appearance armor, people would cry because it does not match the desired appearance of their ratonga trying to RP as a rabid squirrel. And if it was an awesome clicky, people who have actively played for 5-9 years would cry about people who have taken 10 years off getting an advantage they do not deserve.

    There is no way for DBG to win with Veteran Rewards. Cancelling it is the best thing they could do.
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  5. Ashandra Well-Known Member

    Real world here these ppl have paid the bills and kept staff employed with out them the game would be gone like the hundreds of other mmos that came out.
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  6. Dude Well-Known Member

    Napoleon once said, "Give me enough medals and I'll win you any war." He knew that awards motivate people and they don't really cost anything. The same is true of vet rewards. They cost DBG nothing, but they make people happy. Sure I haven't been excited about all the vet rewards, but I appreciated getting every single one of them. It made me know that the company valued my continued patronage.
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  7. Lucus Well-Known Member

    people paid SOE/DBG money because they enjoyed the game, if someone is willing to quit over a small gesture once per year then they were already on the verge of quitting anyway and something else would have just pushed them over the edge.
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  8. Lojaak Well-Known Member

    Yes, but often people having a long break haven't paid in. I know I didn't keep a sub running during my break from the game, because I was playing (and subbing) other MMOs in that time. So I don't really deserve the vet rewards I do have, just because I've had an account that long. Being able to gather loyalty tokens and then buy the perks you want is far, far better. I've saved up tokens for things I wanted, and it encouraged me to keep logging in at times, more so than subbing or anything else.
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  9. Mystfit Well-Known Member

    I play cause it's fun not cause of the vet reward. Nor will I pitch a toddler type fit now that they've stopped the program.
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  10. Ashandra Well-Known Member

    It's a token thing people don't expect much and a vet reward is certainly not what keeps us logging in .....

    Plus the original post said to discuss the topic which we did .
  11. Mystfit Well-Known Member


    It's not a token thing though, I mean it SHOULD be....but it ends up being a big deal to all the people who think it's not good enough for them or the right thing for them and besides as has been pointed out here and elsewhere, once it stopped being connected to paid accounts, I think it's lost alot of it's value.
  12. Ashandra Well-Known Member

    Correct it should have always been connected to the accounts paid subscription time.
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  13. Occam Well-Known Member

    Ashandra, if someone has been playing for the last decade, then they would have gotten all the anniversary gifts, because they were in the game. Up until now though, the system rewarded someone who was only ever a member for one month over a decade ago, but left someone who's been playing daily for the past 5 years WAY behind. How is that fair?
  14. Occam Well-Known Member

    That was actually how it worked in the beginning. I don't remember why they changed it, but I know it made sense at the time. o_O
  15. Ellimist Active Member

    Didn't they change it when it went free to play.

    The vet reward thing I really just wanted to know from a dev why they decided to remove it. I thought it was kinda cool. The only one I thought was a bit of a cop out was last years because it was just tokens. other than that there was always something a little interesting to get. Nothing game breaking but they were worth it.

    I don't mind if they go to the anniversary reward thing thats fine.
    Finora likes this.
  16. Finora Well-Known Member

    As one of those people who has paid for multiple accounts since days one, I can tell you I think an anniversary reward is far better than how vet rewards currently work.

    Vet rewards as they stand right now mean nothing. Anyone who played for the free month that came with the game purchase back in 2004 and never logged on again can log in tonight and get every single veteran reward I have on my account I have been paying for since 2004.
    I've enjoyed getting them for the past 12 years, but it's time for them to move on to something else that more fairly rewards people who actually play.
  17. Strac Active Member

    So you bring up the "issue" of someone buying game at release, not playing for 10 years and now coming back to reap all the rewards.
    That Person still contributed back in a crucial phase of the game going live, right ? But ok, you don't want to grant that individual the veteran rights since someone might have bought the game in 2015 and played for 18 months everyday. After it went free to play.

    But what about someone like me, who plays the EQ1 and 2 Franchise since 1999, without hesitating i was paying the monthly sub, the first few months in 1999 in EQ1 i paid around 200 - 300 $ phone bills for the dial up connection. I paid each monthy without breaks, so why do I have to give up on my loyalty rewards ?

    These new annual rewards might satisfy new players, but following the tradition of loyalty rewards, i am the more valuable customer having 17 years of Everquest Seasons in my resumé over someone starting the game in August 2016.
  18. Xakrein Well-Known Member

    If you are going to use "You" in a post, it is wise to quote the post you are replying to, for the sake of clarity. As the only person to make a 10 year reference (that I noticed over a quick scan), I will take the privilege of responding to your post.

    Yes, I most certainly raise this issue, as evidence of the system being flawed.

    A crucial phase? It is no more or less crucial than contributions at the launch of any expansion there after. If everyone decided to take 2-3 years off when RoK launched, the game would not exist today. So your "crucial" argument fails under basic scrutiny.

    I believe you mean someone playing every day for 18 months, not someone playing for 18 months every day. On that basis, correct. Two simple examples:
    1. Someone who purchased the game during launch, never subscribed, recently returned as a FTP user,
    2. Someone who joined in RoK and has maintained an active subscription ever since.
    Your position would result in #1 being advantaged over #2. Any claim that #1 somehow made a more crucial contribution than #2 is complete nonsense, and is a clear demonstration of the flaw that exists in the Veteran Rewards system. Combine that with the way people have done nothing but complain about the last several Veteran Rewards, the moving away from Veteran Rewards system is clearly the best solution.

    What you paid in dial-up phone bills is not only irrelevant, that is a very poor attempt of conflating entirely separate issues. You should be contacting your old telephone and internet providers if you wish to seek loyalty rewards for those expenses.

    Because significant changes to the access model of EQ2 has resulted in the Veteran Rewards system no longer working in the way it was originally intended. Additionally, when you paid monthly access fees, you got exactly what was agreed in the stated trade. You were never paying for Veteran Rewards, which were a non-obligatory bonus elements, with no expectation or requirement for indefinite continuation.

    I called it earlier, when I said "But people will still complain because of the entitlement mentality".
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  19. Adevil Well-Known Member

    Actually, neither is the "more valuable" customer. It is the future behavior of each customer that makes them valuable, and thus it is equally important to retain both.
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  20. Mystfit Well-Known Member


    That cop out reward will allow me to purchase as many copies of the Froglock Mediation Pool I want once it hits live. It's been my most coveted house item since 2006. One of the best vet rewards EVAH....along with Isle of refuge house.
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