www.Tobold.com
Tobold@GMail.com
A blog with my thoughts regarding games I am playing and other stuff in life. Please read my Terms of Service
RSS Feed
Monday, August 14, 2006
Is Everquest dead?
Tatiana sent me a link to the Everquest Newbie Forums where one newbie wants his money back, because he says the game is dead. Concurrent users estimated at about 5000 by one poster, although that might be too low. But even the semi-official subscription score keeper Sir Bruce on his MMOGchart.com site shows a big drop in EQ subscriptions from the over 400,000 it had for years to just 200,000 now, and that is probably counting every holder of a multi-game SOE Station all-access pass as EQ subscriber, whether they are playing or not.
The most favorable thing one can say about EQ is that there is still activity at the higher levels, from the older players. But given that leveling up in EQ is a lot harder and takes a lot longer than in World of Warcraft, you can feel the newbies pain when he can't even find enough people of his level to form a group. The only servers where there is still a population of lower level players are the new progression servers, where the expansion sets start out being turned off, and are getting added over time.
Now I can offer 3 explanations on why Everquest is dieing. The sensationalist one is that "WoW killed EQ", which is probably not really true. The more second realistic explanation is that EQ is getting old, with neither the graphics nor the gameplay being likely to attract many new players in 2006. Of course you can combine explanations one and two and say that many ex-EQ players moved on to newer games, not necessarily WoW, but there are lots of others. The final explanation is the negative network effect. If people play a MMO because of the other players, then everybody who leaves removes some motivation for the remaining players, until the whole enterprise falls together like a house of cards.
Of course Everquest is not technically dead until the servers are shut off, which could still be a few years ahead. In business terms it is a cash cow, the investment in EQ has been paid off long ago, and now subscription fees minus running cost result in pure profit. We will probably still hear some news next year of servers combined and other efforts to streamline the game and halt the decline. But in the end it isn't surprising that even a MMORPG ends. Sooner or later the players have seen all the content, and newer games are beckoning with better graphics and different gameplay. Even World of Warcraft will probably be in terminal decline after 7 to 10 years of existence. In a way that is sad, because you have to be there at the right time to experience a game. I can still read old books, see old films, or even play old single-player games if I can make them run on the new hardware. But you can't play old Everquest any more, because a MMORPG is mostly about the players, and the people have wandered off.
- posted by Tobold @ 1:27 PM Permanent Link
Comments:
<< Home
Newer› ‹Older
From what i am getting told by old friends still playing it, EQ still suffers from the WoW-factor but it´s not getting this bad, as many claim it to be. Those who still play, have a blast doing it. Right now EQ suffers the summer holiday phase combined with the pre-addon-release phase. Both keep many players from playing. The "classic" server thing still is doin quite good, although i see only 1 server to survive from this.
I do not see this game to die soon. And i much prefer a total oldschool true original EQ with 200k playing it, that a softened, mainstreamed one with 1 million subs. EQ is in a luxury situation, where Sony can keep it to be solid profits without slowing down development. They do not need the masses playing it.
The growth of the playbase was doomed, when they refused to roll out a new graphics. Contentwise EQ still is the crown of the PvE world (yes even superior to WoW), hidden under a rotting surface. The problem is those nasty 70 levels (or soon to be 75 levels) to grind to play the fun parts. They will adress this issue with the next expansion, but even then the game still won´t find new players cause it´s still ugly.
And while Sony may keep the game being profitable with low player numbers, they also can not really invest into it (e.g. improve the presentation), cause the risk is way too high, there will be no return value for heavy financial pumping into such a project. All the profits EQ makes, are steered into other projects. That´s the problem when a company handles too many MMOs at once. So EQs main problem isn´t its graphics or its grinds. It is EQ2, Vanguard, Matrix MMO, Planetside, SWG, the upcoming Rome MMO and Marvel MMO. The irony is, that those games will keep EQ alive as well, cause of the genuine All-Access-Pass model.
I do not see this game to die soon. And i much prefer a total oldschool true original EQ with 200k playing it, that a softened, mainstreamed one with 1 million subs. EQ is in a luxury situation, where Sony can keep it to be solid profits without slowing down development. They do not need the masses playing it.
The growth of the playbase was doomed, when they refused to roll out a new graphics. Contentwise EQ still is the crown of the PvE world (yes even superior to WoW), hidden under a rotting surface. The problem is those nasty 70 levels (or soon to be 75 levels) to grind to play the fun parts. They will adress this issue with the next expansion, but even then the game still won´t find new players cause it´s still ugly.
And while Sony may keep the game being profitable with low player numbers, they also can not really invest into it (e.g. improve the presentation), cause the risk is way too high, there will be no return value for heavy financial pumping into such a project. All the profits EQ makes, are steered into other projects. That´s the problem when a company handles too many MMOs at once. So EQs main problem isn´t its graphics or its grinds. It is EQ2, Vanguard, Matrix MMO, Planetside, SWG, the upcoming Rome MMO and Marvel MMO. The irony is, that those games will keep EQ alive as well, cause of the genuine All-Access-Pass model.
# posted by 
: 14/8/06 14:51
: 14/8/06 14:51
I mainly play EQ2 but have played a little EQ with the free-time offerings SOE once in a while gives away.
While being graphically only sub-par and having a complex UI this thing has one thing no other MMO has: Content Content Content. There is so much to do and so much to see and its increasing with every expansion - next time even a new area to level from 1-75, it provides a lot of value for money.
Projects like the Progression Servers where players unlock expansions could be launched every year. Even if each of those attracts only a few thousand players, given the minimal costs involved it will be sufficient to keep it alive.
When Vanguard comes out I see a lot of people moving to station access and while only some of them will actually play EQ, all of them will be financing its survival.
If MMORPGs are the books of the future, there might still be old books on a shelf that are picked up and consumed by the next generation. Getting many games from one publisher gives you a virtual "bookshelf" of MMORPGs so one sunday afternoon you could just pay good old Norrath a visit.
While being graphically only sub-par and having a complex UI this thing has one thing no other MMO has: Content Content Content. There is so much to do and so much to see and its increasing with every expansion - next time even a new area to level from 1-75, it provides a lot of value for money.
Projects like the Progression Servers where players unlock expansions could be launched every year. Even if each of those attracts only a few thousand players, given the minimal costs involved it will be sufficient to keep it alive.
When Vanguard comes out I see a lot of people moving to station access and while only some of them will actually play EQ, all of them will be financing its survival.
If MMORPGs are the books of the future, there might still be old books on a shelf that are picked up and consumed by the next generation. Getting many games from one publisher gives you a virtual "bookshelf" of MMORPGs so one sunday afternoon you could just pay good old Norrath a visit.
# posted by : 15/8/06 09:01
: 15/8/06 09:01
There are so many things wrong with EQ compared to second and third generation MMOGs that it's hard to know where to start to fix it, but I'll be your huckleberry. Here's the top three:
1) Triple the amount of xp from all mobs. This serves two purposes - cuts the time to level to a reasonable span, and reduces the antiquated and maddening death penalty.
2) Triple (Quadruple?) the amount of cash dropped from all mobs. This is required so that players have enough cash to support their levels.
3) Shift loot tables down. In EQ, you never can kill a mob solo that drops something you need - it only drops something 10 level below what you want, so you sell the item for cash. Shift the loot tables down at least 5 levels so there is a chance to get useable loot. In addition, take the top 40 items for every class and spread them around beyond the one or two mobs that currently drop them.
4) Make summoning your corpse slightly expensive, but basically an easy thing that you can pay an NPC to do solo. You should never be worried about losing a char with all his gear that you have spents years and hundreds of hours building up.
Now, all of this is written based on the problems with EQ 4 years ago. I haven't played since then. I know they have changed some things for the better, so maybe they have fixed some of these issues. For example, I would have definitely added "Make it easier to travel around" to the list, but I hear that they have actually fixed that, and binding is easier now as well. Thank god. But without some additional tweaks, the fun factor in EQ is just far lower than other MMOGs that have better graphics to boot.
Sammy
1) Triple the amount of xp from all mobs. This serves two purposes - cuts the time to level to a reasonable span, and reduces the antiquated and maddening death penalty.
2) Triple (Quadruple?) the amount of cash dropped from all mobs. This is required so that players have enough cash to support their levels.
3) Shift loot tables down. In EQ, you never can kill a mob solo that drops something you need - it only drops something 10 level below what you want, so you sell the item for cash. Shift the loot tables down at least 5 levels so there is a chance to get useable loot. In addition, take the top 40 items for every class and spread them around beyond the one or two mobs that currently drop them.
4) Make summoning your corpse slightly expensive, but basically an easy thing that you can pay an NPC to do solo. You should never be worried about losing a char with all his gear that you have spents years and hundreds of hours building up.
Now, all of this is written based on the problems with EQ 4 years ago. I haven't played since then. I know they have changed some things for the better, so maybe they have fixed some of these issues. For example, I would have definitely added "Make it easier to travel around" to the list, but I hear that they have actually fixed that, and binding is easier now as well. Thank god. But without some additional tweaks, the fun factor in EQ is just far lower than other MMOGs that have better graphics to boot.
Sammy
# posted by : 15/8/06 16:00
: 15/8/06 16:00
I have played EQ1 for a number of years and would be considered a family/friends guild player.
I do play a number of alts and do 2 - 3 box. It is difficult to get appropriate groups and solo play at the upper levels is virtually impossible and sub-group play also without a major melee type.
It is true that the new expansion will bring new levels to 75 and a new race and new 1 - 75 content. I, however, would NEVER again try to level a character to 70, much less 75. I just will not spend the years it took me to do so on another character.
I also agree that the graphics and especially the new race models are disappointing. I truly love to play EQ1 and have made friends doing so. But, it is very frustrating unless you are in a raiding guild, for the most part. DoD and DoR has made it possible for groups, strong groups, to get decent gear and much more of this needs to be done.
One of the major irks I have is I believe No Epic should be unobtainable by any class. 2.0 is unobtainable unless you can gather a major raid force. This is wrong. There can be other ways or pathways to the Epics that do not require a major raid capability. I am tired of having to play 2 - 3 expansions back.
I do play a number of alts and do 2 - 3 box. It is difficult to get appropriate groups and solo play at the upper levels is virtually impossible and sub-group play also without a major melee type.
It is true that the new expansion will bring new levels to 75 and a new race and new 1 - 75 content. I, however, would NEVER again try to level a character to 70, much less 75. I just will not spend the years it took me to do so on another character.
I also agree that the graphics and especially the new race models are disappointing. I truly love to play EQ1 and have made friends doing so. But, it is very frustrating unless you are in a raiding guild, for the most part. DoD and DoR has made it possible for groups, strong groups, to get decent gear and much more of this needs to be done.
One of the major irks I have is I believe No Epic should be unobtainable by any class. 2.0 is unobtainable unless you can gather a major raid force. This is wrong. There can be other ways or pathways to the Epics that do not require a major raid capability. I am tired of having to play 2 - 3 expansions back.
# posted by : 16/9/06 19:33
: 16/9/06 19:33
I just but eq the titanum edition and i just wanted to know if its even worth playing. From what i read on the comments list eq is now dead so if you will please give me your opinions on the game it would be greatly appreciated.
# posted by : 3/10/06 07:10
: 3/10/06 07:10
"Worth playing" depends very much on your individual situation. For anybody who hasn't played any MMORPG yet, I would recommend keeping away from EQ, and rather play World of Warcraft, which does a much better job of introducing new players into the genre.
If on the other hand you already played WoW and are bored of it, and found it too easy, having a look at EQ or EQ2 might be worth it. Of course you will find the graphics very outdated on EQ1. But the sheer size of the game is still astounding. Unfortunately that is also where the problems are coming from. You can't solo EQ beyond the newbie levels, and if the game is huge and the number of players low, and you can't solo, finding a group becomes an absolute nightmare.
If on the other hand you already played WoW and are bored of it, and found it too easy, having a look at EQ or EQ2 might be worth it. Of course you will find the graphics very outdated on EQ1. But the sheer size of the game is still astounding. Unfortunately that is also where the problems are coming from. You can't solo EQ beyond the newbie levels, and if the game is huge and the number of players low, and you can't solo, finding a group becomes an absolute nightmare.
I have been an everquest player for almost 9 years. The graphics are dated and leveling is not easy, by any stretch.
However, the newbie start zone and newest expansion has made it so you can exp and quest to level 30 fairly easily. From there on out, it is easy the hotzone jump to level. Although it is not an easy game to solo in, it is not impossible to solo. A friend has soloed a tank class from 1-60 in a month with almost no help from me. With an easier soloing class, it could be done quicker. Everquest has made steps to make the game more friendly to the causualy player. TSS(The serpents spine) has added items that are just below the previous expansions raid loot and is all gotten through quests and group play.
They combined servers over a year ago and server population is decent and i can find a group with my alternate characters almost as quickly as with my two lvl 75 mains. Monster mission have also made it so you can get decent xp without a full or even balanced group. although by no means a cakewalk to level as WoW, it is definitely not near as tough as it was even a few years ago.
Everquest is currently working on expansion #13 and has the largest world out there. If you are after massive content, it is still the game for you. Yes, it is not easy to get to end game content. But once there, its endgame content is still the largest out there for an MMO. End game content implies that it should not be easy to get to, but should be rewarding once gotten. By making it hard to obtain, it makes sure that you have to be a good player, not necessarily a hard-core game, to get to it.
Finally, as far as it dying, it is a long way off for the following reasons:
a) It still has a large active subscription base, between 200-300k people. These subscription are very profitable to SoE even with maintenance and yearly expansions.
b) There are people who leave but have comeback after getting bored with easier games out there. As MMO's are catering more and more to the casual gamer, the hard-core gamer may try them, but will continue to play eq for content.
c) SoE all access passes will help keep it alive as well.
However, the newbie start zone and newest expansion has made it so you can exp and quest to level 30 fairly easily. From there on out, it is easy the hotzone jump to level. Although it is not an easy game to solo in, it is not impossible to solo. A friend has soloed a tank class from 1-60 in a month with almost no help from me. With an easier soloing class, it could be done quicker. Everquest has made steps to make the game more friendly to the causualy player. TSS(The serpents spine) has added items that are just below the previous expansions raid loot and is all gotten through quests and group play.
They combined servers over a year ago and server population is decent and i can find a group with my alternate characters almost as quickly as with my two lvl 75 mains. Monster mission have also made it so you can get decent xp without a full or even balanced group. although by no means a cakewalk to level as WoW, it is definitely not near as tough as it was even a few years ago.
Everquest is currently working on expansion #13 and has the largest world out there. If you are after massive content, it is still the game for you. Yes, it is not easy to get to end game content. But once there, its endgame content is still the largest out there for an MMO. End game content implies that it should not be easy to get to, but should be rewarding once gotten. By making it hard to obtain, it makes sure that you have to be a good player, not necessarily a hard-core game, to get to it.
Finally, as far as it dying, it is a long way off for the following reasons:
a) It still has a large active subscription base, between 200-300k people. These subscription are very profitable to SoE even with maintenance and yearly expansions.
b) There are people who leave but have comeback after getting bored with easier games out there. As MMO's are catering more and more to the casual gamer, the hard-core gamer may try them, but will continue to play eq for content.
c) SoE all access passes will help keep it alive as well.
# posted by : 13/12/06 17:48
: 13/12/06 17:48
I don't think anyone has really explained why EQ declined here so allow me. It is really simple, nothing was wrong with EQ, hard leveling, camps, xp penalty only made the game feel more real. and I don't think WOW is superior.
The problem is systematic to the design of a game with levels and loot. Sooner or later everyone becomes a God, and Uber. Then what is there to look foward to. More uber stuff and more levels..
This then makes the lower zones a waist of time. Eventually the economy becomes destroyed. Too much platnium floating around. The joy of running around as newby becomes ruined by empty zones, and people coming by handing you 100 plat because it means nothing to them.
The exitment was in the novelty and adventure of a new type of game experience. 7 years later the only people left are folks still grinding away and lonely newcomers that have nobody to play with.
Imagine a level 1 zone being the most popular zone in the game. People running around lost, losing there gear. and then one level 15 comes in zone with some weapon never seen before. He is a God, with stories of what lies beyond, but even he has never gone past three zones over! Now that was cool.
The problem is systematic to the design of a game with levels and loot. Sooner or later everyone becomes a God, and Uber. Then what is there to look foward to. More uber stuff and more levels..
This then makes the lower zones a waist of time. Eventually the economy becomes destroyed. Too much platnium floating around. The joy of running around as newby becomes ruined by empty zones, and people coming by handing you 100 plat because it means nothing to them.
The exitment was in the novelty and adventure of a new type of game experience. 7 years later the only people left are folks still grinding away and lonely newcomers that have nobody to play with.
Imagine a level 1 zone being the most popular zone in the game. People running around lost, losing there gear. and then one level 15 comes in zone with some weapon never seen before. He is a God, with stories of what lies beyond, but even he has never gone past three zones over! Now that was cool.
# posted by : 29/12/07 03:32
: 29/12/07 03:32
That and the game designers stopped making cool looking zones.
The graphics are fine thats not what makes a game trust me.
So what is the solution? Don't think there is one.
I ran my own server on EQEMU its fun. Maybe allowing the game to have private servers and let people experiment making thier own content. I know once I got to level 60 and had epics for both of my toons. taking the $2000 usd from player auctions was a no brainer since there was nothing to look forward to but ugly Luclin.
The graphics are fine thats not what makes a game trust me.
So what is the solution? Don't think there is one.
I ran my own server on EQEMU its fun. Maybe allowing the game to have private servers and let people experiment making thier own content. I know once I got to level 60 and had epics for both of my toons. taking the $2000 usd from player auctions was a no brainer since there was nothing to look forward to but ugly Luclin.
# posted by : 29/12/07 03:43
: 29/12/07 03:43
Wow is sorta like EQ1.5. Sony has no new ideas and it's suffering from that. It also never figured out what made EQ so popular in teh first place.
I think the idea of dropping the loot tables is a good idea. It makes no sense to kill a level 60 mob and get level 50 (or lover) loot from it. Some of this comes from the arms race that the expansions cause. But Sony never wentback to update teh loot tables. It's funny how they make hotzones to try to get more people to use empty zones, when adding decent for-the-level loot would bring people to the zone in droves.
XP is a problem also. Wow is much too fast, EQ is way too slow. Maybe making XP bonuses for the each level you gain would be an option.
To keep people interested in the game you have to come up with new content, not strangle XP. Because eventually everyone will gain the top level..or quit. So expansions need to be colorful and interesting, challenging and REWARDING for raiders AND SOLOers. The face of the MMO's has changed. Not longer will the majority of the populace sit and raid 24/7, and those that do usually can't afford to pay for subscriptions and/or computer hardware (Unless mommy and daddy foot the bill..which is a problem in itself).
Graphics updates would be nice and not too awfully hard to do, leaving the option to use old models would be cool for the "purists"...and cleaining up the code while they were at it.
Interesting discussion anway..the early days of your first MMO experience are the best..and can't really be repeated unfortunately..
http://groups.myspace.com/games/wootgamers/
I think the idea of dropping the loot tables is a good idea. It makes no sense to kill a level 60 mob and get level 50 (or lover) loot from it. Some of this comes from the arms race that the expansions cause. But Sony never wentback to update teh loot tables. It's funny how they make hotzones to try to get more people to use empty zones, when adding decent for-the-level loot would bring people to the zone in droves.
XP is a problem also. Wow is much too fast, EQ is way too slow. Maybe making XP bonuses for the each level you gain would be an option.
To keep people interested in the game you have to come up with new content, not strangle XP. Because eventually everyone will gain the top level..or quit. So expansions need to be colorful and interesting, challenging and REWARDING for raiders AND SOLOers. The face of the MMO's has changed. Not longer will the majority of the populace sit and raid 24/7, and those that do usually can't afford to pay for subscriptions and/or computer hardware (Unless mommy and daddy foot the bill..which is a problem in itself).
Graphics updates would be nice and not too awfully hard to do, leaving the option to use old models would be cool for the "purists"...and cleaining up the code while they were at it.
Interesting discussion anway..the early days of your first MMO experience are the best..and can't really be repeated unfortunately..
http://groups.myspace.com/games/wootgamers/
# posted by : 21/3/08 19:50
: 21/3/08 19:50
My first MMO was Everquest. I started playing when I got my first internet connection in 2002. Already I had seen Everquest and even bought the game before I realized that it needed an internet connection.
Later I played Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, World of Warcraft and recently I've played a little WAR beta.
Despite the graphics and (to some people) lack of PvP content, EQ will always be my favourite. Running in the late hours of the night through Eastern Wastes to go farm Crystal Caverns, to the first steps through the portal to Luclin, selling stuff in the bazaar, entering the planes for new adventures etc.
I never reached high enough levels for end game content, but had many friends who showed me what I could see with not too fatal consequences.
Measuring the viability of a game is not something you can do with a mechanic measurer or anything of the sort. It's people of flesh and blood who play the game and when they get bored with it, they move on. I did so and so did many other people. However, I think that numerous players feel the same way I do.
Kelethin in Greater Faydark will always be my virtual home - only a truly grand MMO will leave such an impression on a person. As long as people keep this feeling strong enough to play the game, it will survive.
/Ramble off :)
Later I played Dark Age of Camelot, EQ2, World of Warcraft and recently I've played a little WAR beta.
Despite the graphics and (to some people) lack of PvP content, EQ will always be my favourite. Running in the late hours of the night through Eastern Wastes to go farm Crystal Caverns, to the first steps through the portal to Luclin, selling stuff in the bazaar, entering the planes for new adventures etc.
I never reached high enough levels for end game content, but had many friends who showed me what I could see with not too fatal consequences.
Measuring the viability of a game is not something you can do with a mechanic measurer or anything of the sort. It's people of flesh and blood who play the game and when they get bored with it, they move on. I did so and so did many other people. However, I think that numerous players feel the same way I do.
Kelethin in Greater Faydark will always be my virtual home - only a truly grand MMO will leave such an impression on a person. As long as people keep this feeling strong enough to play the game, it will survive.
/Ramble off :)
everquest will always be remembered as the best online game ever created. its sad to watch the game die like this. hopefully the game advertizes more like what WoW does because thats how you get more noobs, which are 80% of the players on WoW. I play both games and EQ was the most exciting game to play for a good 5+ years.
# posted by : 9/1/09 08:33
: 9/1/09 08:33
Greatest and best game in the world, tribute. SO true, you can never know how good EQ was now if you didn't play it when it first came out and experience it first hand. Truly something of legend.
Everquest now has Mercs, u can hire...every class in the game can solo. I have gone back with my 10 year old rogue (account is 10, rogue is less).
I can solo, and i think the population is somehow increasing,
having a blast once again.
-Danarth Dagger (The Nameless Server)
I can solo, and i think the population is somehow increasing,
having a blast once again.
-Danarth Dagger (The Nameless Server)
# posted by : 29/9/09 11:24
: 29/9/09 11:24
One of the factors that moved me to part company with EverQuest was the fact that Sony lowered it's standards when it came to their control of the game. They went limp on the naming, and now allow just about any name to be used. They stopped enforcing many of the rules they were once strict on.
It told me that Sony had given up on the game, and is now letting it slowly go down hill and milking it for as much money as they can before it bottoms out.
It told me that Sony had given up on the game, and is now letting it slowly go down hill and milking it for as much money as they can before it bottoms out.
# posted by : 29/10/09 11:20
: 29/10/09 11:20
Very interessting Blog, thank you very much.
I started EQ when Kunark was released, played a couple years, loved it to pieces then hit Dark Age Of Camelot and it's (at the time) cool PvP onling gaming.
I returned to EQ on the new Progression server (2005 or 2006) because of the content of EQ, it's challenge, lore, and above all: the exploration. Made a 55 Barbarian Warrior but then stopped, because i was becoming a no-life again and i've been that enough already :)
This is the best game i ever played.
Breath taking at the time, it was the first real 3D MMORPG.
I never played Wow and i never will, thinking it's far too easy and childish.
Weird enough i feel no game has dropped such a bomb since EQ when it was released. It felt so futuristic...
Freedom and adventure, that's what it was all about.
Tribute to EQ, i'll never forget.
I started EQ when Kunark was released, played a couple years, loved it to pieces then hit Dark Age Of Camelot and it's (at the time) cool PvP onling gaming.
I returned to EQ on the new Progression server (2005 or 2006) because of the content of EQ, it's challenge, lore, and above all: the exploration. Made a 55 Barbarian Warrior but then stopped, because i was becoming a no-life again and i've been that enough already :)
This is the best game i ever played.
Breath taking at the time, it was the first real 3D MMORPG.
I never played Wow and i never will, thinking it's far too easy and childish.
Weird enough i feel no game has dropped such a bomb since EQ when it was released. It felt so futuristic...
Freedom and adventure, that's what it was all about.
Tribute to EQ, i'll never forget.
I agree and disagree here on a few things. First of all EverQuest was on a huge decline, it has been on a steady decline since 2004 (approx when the Planes of Power expansion was released). There isn't but one reason why this happened; EverQuest II. Being a player that saw this unfold I can testify as a first-hand account that SOE was not happy that they did not get the subscribers to transfer from EQI to EQII. Ever since SOE has "junked" EQI, that is one would conclude that they have done everything possible, and in their power to give the players a subtle nudge to drop their subscriptions.
How did I draw this conclusion? Simple. I first of all assume that the average IQ of those in charge of EQI is above that of a 90. Secondly, one would also assume that the producers of EverQuest would learn from the mistakes of other MMO's out there (mainly their own such as Matrix Online and StarWars Gallaxies). With that said, SOE surely has drawn the following conclusion:
Changes to the in-game economy, business model, and measurements in which players guage their own experiences and ventures does nothing but ultimately piss players off and cause subscription loss.
In 2007, SOE made it extremely easy to level by offering up hot-zones. The leveling was a way for players to primarily judge one's experience in the game in comparison to others.
In 2008, SOE made it so that AA's were gained much faster. For those that were already maxed in experience, AA's were alternatively a way to measure a player's experience in comparison to others.
In 2009 (last year), in-game items were added to the game, purchasable through "Station Marketplace" for REAL MONEY.
Throughout the years nearly every class has been in a constant state of flux. Every ability a player invests in is constantly changed, so spending twelve aa's today for something that is well worth the experience dump, could be absolutely worthless tomorrow. Spells are the same way.
How did I draw this conclusion? Simple. I first of all assume that the average IQ of those in charge of EQI is above that of a 90. Secondly, one would also assume that the producers of EverQuest would learn from the mistakes of other MMO's out there (mainly their own such as Matrix Online and StarWars Gallaxies). With that said, SOE surely has drawn the following conclusion:
Changes to the in-game economy, business model, and measurements in which players guage their own experiences and ventures does nothing but ultimately piss players off and cause subscription loss.
In 2007, SOE made it extremely easy to level by offering up hot-zones. The leveling was a way for players to primarily judge one's experience in the game in comparison to others.
In 2008, SOE made it so that AA's were gained much faster. For those that were already maxed in experience, AA's were alternatively a way to measure a player's experience in comparison to others.
In 2009 (last year), in-game items were added to the game, purchasable through "Station Marketplace" for REAL MONEY.
Throughout the years nearly every class has been in a constant state of flux. Every ability a player invests in is constantly changed, so spending twelve aa's today for something that is well worth the experience dump, could be absolutely worthless tomorrow. Spells are the same way.
Furthermore, in 2009, SOE added Mercenaries to the game, a "BOT" that acts as a player that only took the place of two classes, Clerics and Warriors. This caused a HUGE decline in those that were really "hard-core" in these classes, as the mercenaries at this point made their class near-useless. Why split loot with someone when you can just pay a few coin to bring along a bot that doesn't complain or roll? This is the attitude now.
There has now been dps mercenaries added to the game forcing the hybrid and specaility classes to flourish and be the most desired classes in the game now.
When you boil off all the crap here, you get one thing; chaos. This is what SOE has done to EQ ever since they couldn't get the conversion rates they were looking for when EQII was released and seemingly stopped caring entirely for the quality of the game at that point.
The community has been strait up told by the devs of EQ that there are NO plans in the future to over-haul the client (which is greatly needed). The client right now is not capable of threading, the smallest of special effects causes a 16 core, high-end PC to crawl to its knees, after 11 years there are more bugs in the client than there are in a tropical rain forest.
The decline you speak of comes directly from the inaction of SOE and their lack of pride and care of the game. Regardless of what you or SOE may think, their player-base is sharp, and they know what SOE is doing, and when Station Marketplace was put into the game, even the dumb players knew what they were doing: Milking the remaining players for every dime they're willing to spend on the game while they can.
There has now been dps mercenaries added to the game forcing the hybrid and specaility classes to flourish and be the most desired classes in the game now.
When you boil off all the crap here, you get one thing; chaos. This is what SOE has done to EQ ever since they couldn't get the conversion rates they were looking for when EQII was released and seemingly stopped caring entirely for the quality of the game at that point.
The community has been strait up told by the devs of EQ that there are NO plans in the future to over-haul the client (which is greatly needed). The client right now is not capable of threading, the smallest of special effects causes a 16 core, high-end PC to crawl to its knees, after 11 years there are more bugs in the client than there are in a tropical rain forest.
The decline you speak of comes directly from the inaction of SOE and their lack of pride and care of the game. Regardless of what you or SOE may think, their player-base is sharp, and they know what SOE is doing, and when Station Marketplace was put into the game, even the dumb players knew what they were doing: Milking the remaining players for every dime they're willing to spend on the game while they can.
Where do I get this term Milking? Well this is a term I use when a company or government excessively uses fees or other tax and terrifs to charge people without justification. First of all, EverQuest is a paid, subscription game. Not only do you pay a monthly subscription, but you also pay approximately $50.00 per expansion, and yet they nearly force you to buy items out of the marketplace they have setup or your characters get left way behind in game. Some of the items they offer is experience potions (for faster leveling), tradeskill potions, items, gear, pets, and even items that give you buffs that can't be found anywhere else in game.
You're right about one thing. In comparison to other MMO's, EverQuest is dead, however this happened recently. The chaos I refereed to, well about 8 months ago, SOE really put the last straw out there to a lot of people that hadn't yet made it to end-game. They added a system in game where players could spend countless hours getting raid gear rather quickly in comparison to some raids in the game, but weaker than the end-game raid gear. With the nerf of corpse banking (you can no longer store items on an old corpse), SOE decided that they wanted to "nerf" the raid gear that was earned in these raids. How did they do it? Refunds? Roll-Backs? No Sir! They just zero'ed out the items! All that time you spent getting the gear, all the gear you destroyed for lack of room in your bank was GONE overnight. SoE suffered the largest drop in subscriptions or online players that I have ever seen in my EverQuest career, it was worse than the POP fiasco. The poor population per server became even poorer, and people were quitting after that because of low population.
It wasn't until last month SOE decided to make the remaining players happy; they merged all but 2 servers, effectively doubling the poor population on each server. Even with the merges, the population still isn't satisfactory and most servers still can't support more than 5-6 raiding guilds.
All in all, EQ is dead, however what troubles me most is that SOE deployed the "blood sucking" Station Marketplace to try and milk the remaining players before they tossed in the towel.
You're right about one thing. In comparison to other MMO's, EverQuest is dead, however this happened recently. The chaos I refereed to, well about 8 months ago, SOE really put the last straw out there to a lot of people that hadn't yet made it to end-game. They added a system in game where players could spend countless hours getting raid gear rather quickly in comparison to some raids in the game, but weaker than the end-game raid gear. With the nerf of corpse banking (you can no longer store items on an old corpse), SOE decided that they wanted to "nerf" the raid gear that was earned in these raids. How did they do it? Refunds? Roll-Backs? No Sir! They just zero'ed out the items! All that time you spent getting the gear, all the gear you destroyed for lack of room in your bank was GONE overnight. SoE suffered the largest drop in subscriptions or online players that I have ever seen in my EverQuest career, it was worse than the POP fiasco. The poor population per server became even poorer, and people were quitting after that because of low population.
It wasn't until last month SOE decided to make the remaining players happy; they merged all but 2 servers, effectively doubling the poor population on each server. Even with the merges, the population still isn't satisfactory and most servers still can't support more than 5-6 raiding guilds.
All in all, EQ is dead, however what troubles me most is that SOE deployed the "blood sucking" Station Marketplace to try and milk the remaining players before they tossed in the towel.
Very good comment mike.
I played everquest from 2000-2007 myself, and when chrismue posted that first message on this blogger site, i was still playing everquest.
One day in 2007, i got sick of all the greedy materialistic people in everquest, and the people buying gear with real life money, and sony's greed allowing people to buy money and gear with real life cash.I simply found it ruined the game for me.Ever since planes of power, people became too materialistic, and didn't cared more about getting armor than working together with others, and accomplishing incredible feats.Some people were really nice, like linamyen, and other people were complete pricks.One thing i see less in wow, is people are actually a bit nicer there.I think i too became too materialistic.In the end, i wanted to progress to see all the game had to offer, but i never got that far.
Everquest itself has a few things that i think beats world of warcraft and runescape:The immensity of the world, the amount of epic adventures in dungeons, and the fear of dying and losing everything, and it has its flaws:Epic quest takes a year to complete(no joke) and instances for me aren't as fun as going into actual dungeons.
I played everquest from 2000-2007 myself, and when chrismue posted that first message on this blogger site, i was still playing everquest.
One day in 2007, i got sick of all the greedy materialistic people in everquest, and the people buying gear with real life money, and sony's greed allowing people to buy money and gear with real life cash.I simply found it ruined the game for me.Ever since planes of power, people became too materialistic, and didn't cared more about getting armor than working together with others, and accomplishing incredible feats.Some people were really nice, like linamyen, and other people were complete pricks.One thing i see less in wow, is people are actually a bit nicer there.I think i too became too materialistic.In the end, i wanted to progress to see all the game had to offer, but i never got that far.
Everquest itself has a few things that i think beats world of warcraft and runescape:The immensity of the world, the amount of epic adventures in dungeons, and the fear of dying and losing everything, and it has its flaws:Epic quest takes a year to complete(no joke) and instances for me aren't as fun as going into actual dungeons.
Everquest was a great game, and holds a lot of nostalgic value, and mike was spot on about the game.
Sony's greed reflected on the population of everquest.The players cared too much about loot, and not enough about adventures.In 2000, i began my adventure in this game, and i had so much more fun when i wasn't thinking about gear, and just running around randomly killing things.It wasn't until pop, that the game felt different.After planes of power, i too changed.I became pessimistic, and even desired gear.I did something i regret now, which was sell a fungal scaled tunic for 100k to a ignorant person.I got 2 items in exchange, and made around 120-130k back then.I shouldn't have done it.I think one of the things about everquest, is that people ninja loot and become too greedy, and then since they take your much needed loot greedily, you have to take loot greedily too, so you can sell it to buy the gear you need.I used to think this way, but i think that its probably best not to do this, because it becomes an endless circle, and it only hurts the game more.
World of warcraft does do some things better, like how it handles some of the quests, but they are nowhere near long enough for the stuff you get, and not on an epic scale that everquest was, but everquest was also flawed in that it would take you an entire year to get your epic.I like that it takes a raid to do, but i like that that first epic weapon had mixtures of group events, and raid events.I personally wish wow had things like that on an epic level.
Post a Comment
Sony's greed reflected on the population of everquest.The players cared too much about loot, and not enough about adventures.In 2000, i began my adventure in this game, and i had so much more fun when i wasn't thinking about gear, and just running around randomly killing things.It wasn't until pop, that the game felt different.After planes of power, i too changed.I became pessimistic, and even desired gear.I did something i regret now, which was sell a fungal scaled tunic for 100k to a ignorant person.I got 2 items in exchange, and made around 120-130k back then.I shouldn't have done it.I think one of the things about everquest, is that people ninja loot and become too greedy, and then since they take your much needed loot greedily, you have to take loot greedily too, so you can sell it to buy the gear you need.I used to think this way, but i think that its probably best not to do this, because it becomes an endless circle, and it only hurts the game more.
World of warcraft does do some things better, like how it handles some of the quests, but they are nowhere near long enough for the stuff you get, and not on an epic scale that everquest was, but everquest was also flawed in that it would take you an entire year to get your epic.I like that it takes a raid to do, but i like that that first epic weapon had mixtures of group events, and raid events.I personally wish wow had things like that on an epic level.
<< Home
