YouTube Content Creators? News and info for EQ2?

I just find it funny that Holly Longdale went to go work on 'WoW : TBC Classic' and they instantly try to shove micro transactions down that communities throats.

EQ2 monetization is appalling, and it's a good thing it doesn't get any attention on the likes of YouTube. It would be endlessly ridiculed.

Rule #39: There is no such thing as a coincidence

How would that be a bad thing? I believe it would be one of the best things that could happen. It could inspire change.

Unlikely. EA are market leaders in bleeding their customers dry. Their evil business practices, microtransactions and endless expensive DLC are the thing of legend to a company like Daybreak. I often wonder if these guys sit around a table discussing how to squeeze more money out of their customers whilst simultaneously reducing the quality and content in the game and whatever they come up with they just reassure themselves that it's not as evil as what EA are doing, therefore it's ok.

So anyway, yeah, it's common internet knowledge that buying stuff from EA is basically fanning the flames of truly awful business practices in the gaming industry, actively s****ing on smaller developers, overpaying for overhyped, poor quality products and signing yourself up to pay repeatedly for a game in the form of DLC for a couple of years. Yet everyone still does it.

After considering what you wrote, I believe that comparing EA to EQ2 would make sense if EQ2 had a lot more players. And by that I am talking millions, not thousands. A company/title (like EA) that is making money hand over fist is not going to care. But a company/title (like EQ2) that has significantly declined over the last decade is a completely different ball game. DPG is not in a position to pull EA style RMT**.

** Disclaimer on the EA style RMT. I can't talk about EA from personal experience. The only EA game I own is Command & Conquer Remastered, and I don't recall seeing RMT on that. But you're far from the first person give EA a poor assessment, so I don't doubt what you stated.

EA style RMT is precisely what Daybreak do with EQ2 particularly. Why EQ2 and not EQ1? I'm really not entirely sure. Maybe they know the EQ1 community is far too valuable and demanding to assume the EQ2 community stance of head down, a** up and just take it year after year? I'm sorry but if you disagree with the comparison, you can't be enjoying the current raiding scene here.

I would like to make sure we are on the same page here.
We are discussing if public ridicule (YouTube vids) for EQ2s RMT practices would be a good thing, or a bad thing.

My position is that public ridicule of RMT in EQ2 could be a good thing, with potential to inspire positive change.
You disagreed, citing EA not caring and no consequence for it.

EA is a major player with an array of popular titles and subsidiaries. EAs declared revenue was 5.6 billion in FY 2020. It's not difficult to understand how EA can disregard ridicule. They had 5.6 billion reasons to not care last FY.

DBG is not a major player. DBG's revenue is under 1/50th of what EA generates. And EQ2 is only a small fish in DBG's pond. Because DBG is not making EA volumes of cash, I believe DBG is more susceptible to ridicule for RMT practices, and more likely to react positively to it.

If we are on the same page, and you still disagree, then all is good. It's just some theorizing. You could be right.

Yeah my meaning may have been a little cloudy. I was saying that if EA can continue to be incredibly successful with their awful, evil business model and the level of ire they draw online as a result, then it's clear the gaming market doesn't care how evil publishers are, they'll buy the product if they want to play it. The same applies here. Darkpaw/Daybreak wouldn't care about being slated on Youtube as their player base largely rip them amongst themselves anyway and still continue to play and pay.

Anything's worth a try though. If you have some Youtubers with a bit of clout to call upon to waste some time laughing at EQ2 then I'd watch it!

The reason the exploitative micro transactions here get less coverage is due to the low player base, I think it is as simple as that. But don't worry, it's like they said at the start of all this, it's not some slippery slope....

Actually, I mentioned Youtube to show off the good aspects of EQ2.

If you were to swap out some of the names, so much of this video seems very familiar.

Hm, going by Steamcharts alone, it seems like Swtor and FF14 have steadily been gaining a lot of players the last few months, with FF14 exploding mainly due to all the former WoW YT content creators jumping ships and taking ppl with them. As someone else mentioned in this thread, the sheep mentality is strong with this one, but in a good way. Breaking the WoW monopoly has been long overdue, it was time someone actually did it. Sometimes the hands of fate must be forced, if you get what I mean. This might lead to the repopulation of other mmo worlds, gaining some well deserved life after all these years. I do feel like EQ2 could potentially be a great candidate for the flock of WoW players looking for a new home, considering the fact that even WoW devs used to play EQ1 back in the old days, but EQ2 would need to get some love and polishing on so many levels in order to achieve that, many of which were mentioned in this thread. On top of that, you need ppl spreading the word, which doesn't happen that often. That's one reason why I always comment to mention EQ2 when watching mmo content on YT. The more of us spread the word, the more ppl are going to get interested. It's up to us to become actively involved and do our part if we want new ppl to join us on our quest.

Tbh, if you ask me, Norrath deserves it. Both Dcuo and Lotro are going to be getting major upgrades this and the following year, and I'd love to see both EQ1 and 2 get some love too.

For example, a few friends of mine unsubbed from WoW the other day and wanted to give EQ2 a try, but they couldn't because EQ2 is only playable in english and their native language is german.

Someone else in here mentioned our troublesome cash / item shop, another valid point of concern for a friend of mine that absolutely hated the item shop in WoW. Funny fact here though: He followed the herd of ppl that switched from WoW to FF14 only to be confronted with another item shop for a game that acutally r e q u i r e s a monthly sub, one that even gives you the option to literally buy yourself to the top. He quit FF14 after realising this and is now virtually homeless and in dire need for a new digital home. FF is a great game, one that I have played myself, but it also has its issues here and there, like everything else in life - nobody / nothing is perfect. It's all work in progress in my eyes.

Cheers,
Sturm

So when is Holly going on YT to plead for the player's to come back....
I think if DPG would of had more dev's and resources but into the battleground's for EQ2 the company would of had a larger jump in player's from the blizzard implosion.

The move in herds video is a worthy meme. WoW still has a massive player base by any MMOs standards. When Blizzard is so arrogant/incompetent they leave the gates open for years via bad content & PR disasters, its no surprise that other games feel like herds are moving in. After all of Blizzards rhetoric about inclusion, every voice matters, blah blah blah. It was nothing more than disgusting hypocrites engaging in performative activism, while asking people to buy stuff from their stores.

I have read some articles indicating FFXIV is the big winner, and that ESO has also done very well. Haven't heard much about SWTOR, but have no reason to doubt they have seen a good increase. But EQ2? Seems they are all keeping a very wide berth, if they even know it exists.

I understand what you're saying. Based on many of the reasons people express for leaving WoW, I would be highly surprised if they came to EQ2 and felt happy. Sure, FFXIV, ESO, SWTOR and others aren't perfect, but EQ2 is a difficult product to sell, and has been for a long time. EQ2 is in a chicken->egg dilemma, where EQ2 needs serious investment to be attractive to players, but no company will invest in it without a guarantee of players.

If the gaming company does not want to invest in a product that attracts players, the players will go elsewhere. The shake-up occurring in the MMO sphere is perhaps the best thing that could have happened to it.