EQ2 Goes Free to Play too

[HaemishM]

Welp, apparently I have 1110 Station Cash, even though I've never bought any. If I had any time to play EQ2X, I'd go back and see what I could spend that on.

[Rokal]

I randomly had 600 points in DCUO too. I figured maybe it was related to the security breach a while back. Freebies to compensate, etc.

[Lantyssa]

They do give out a little from time to time, I was just surprised at how much I had accumulated since I last played an SOE game.

[Numtini]

Apparently they are selling master/fabled/etc unlockers at the rate of $7.50/25 unlocks. That may make the game playable.

[Hawkbit]

That's one of the very few complaints I had.  I might have to get back into this then.

[palmer_eldritch]

You can get by without the best gear until you reach level 70 or so anyway. I've been with tanks who were playing for free and they did ok.

[Hawkbit]

I noticed on the F2P FAQ that Free toons have a 5gp/lvl cap and Silver toons have a 20gp/lvl cap.  With a game that is 7 years old, doesn't that put a cap on broker purchases for most characters due to mudflation?  My highest level toon was 55 or so, meaning I'm capped at 2.5 plat.  Upper spells were selling for 6+pp when I last played.  I understand why they want the caps in place, but legit players may not be able to keep up, or worse, the market bottoms to incorporate free players exposed to the cap.

[Rendakor]

I don't think you can use the AH as a free toon, so that's a moot point.

[Hawkbit]

Interesting.  I saw it said 'restricted', but assumed that meant portions not available, like being unable to post auctions.  They should consider not letting free players post, but allowing them to buy. 

[HaemishM]

You can buy things on the auction house as a free player but you have to use broker tokens to do so. I think that's how I remember it working.

[Modern Angel]

I'm a bit confused by this. I downloaded the F2P client (EQ2 Extended or something). Are F2P folks still sequestered on their own servers? Is the client the same?

[luckton]

I'm a bit confused by this. I downloaded the F2P client (EQ2 Extended or something). Are F2P folks still sequestered on their own servers? Is the client the same?

The fully-open F2P hasn't gone into effect yet, I believe.  F2P people are still restricted to like 1 server.

[Modern Angel]

That would be where my confusion arose from. Thanks.

[Numtini]

This is really farcical. EQ2 is introducing... wait for it... a new launchpad!

For those counting, that's number 5.

[Rendakor]

Why the hell do they keep making new ones? It's like a running joke about the game at this point. Does anyone even look at any of the bullshit on these launcher apps besides the Play button?

[HaemishM]

Why the hell do they keep making new ones?

Because the last one sucked more cock than a fluffer on the set of a gangbang?

[Sky]

Why the hell do they keep making new ones? It's like a running joke about the game at this point. Does anyone even look at any of the bullshit on these launcher apps besides the Play button?

You are not an executive. The fact that nobody uses it is exactly why they keep making new ones. And they will continue until people start using the functions the execs want them using or...profit? I dunno, I'm not an exec either, but I'm used to dealing with the mindset.

[Pendan]

I have PotBS installed on my game machine though have not played in quite a while. The launcher appears to launch every SOE game except DCUO. When DCUO went free to play I found out the launcher for it requires flash installed. A am a flash developer but refuse to install flash on my game machine. So I am worried new SOE launchers are all going to require flash.

[Hawkbit]

This went live today.

Very disappointing that I would be required to pay $7.50 just to unlock access to my class (55SK) that I've had for years.  I could even see disallowing me from making any new classes that I haven't purchased packs for, but locking out my toon that I created long ago seems a bit silly.  I might tinker around with a new class a bit, but I don't imagine I'll pay for this.

[luckton]

It's now on Steam.

 

[Hawkbit]

EQ2 general forums asploding right now as some players log in to find they have to pay for F2P.  Screenshots of all 5 player character slots full of locked toons floating around. 

SOE needs to step up and allow established characters to log in.

[Merusk]

 

Oh, SOE, is there any player base you can't drive away?

[UnSub]

There's so much beauty in the world.

[Modern Angel]

This went live today.

Very disappointing that I would be required to pay $7.50 just to unlock access to my class (55SK) that I've had for years.  I could even see disallowing me from making any new classes that I haven't purchased packs for, but locking out my toon that I created long ago seems a bit silly.  I might tinker around with a new class a bit, but I don't imagine I'll pay for this.

Yep. To do anything with old characters, I'd have to drop 15.00 for each (race/class pack). Costs are too high on this.

I'm actually bummed they didn't go the POTBS model, since they're both under the Sony umbrella. POTBS gives you basically the whole game for free, equal to a sub from its sub based days. They give subscribers EXTRA stuff, rather than curtailing the frees. Looks awesome on paper.

[Numtini]

Watching COX and now EQ2, one wonders if the western developers will manage to poison the F2P model in people's eyes. One also wonders if that is the intent.

[Rokal]

A good compromise would have been letting old subscribers pick one free race/class to unlock. Enough to get you back in playing whatever your main was, but it still leaves room to make money off non-subscribers.

[Stabs]

Watching COX and now EQ2, one wonders if the western developers will manage to poison the F2P model in people's eyes. One also wonders if that is the intent.

Is it too far-fetched to suppose they're just crap?

[Sky]

Is it too far-fetched to suppose they're just crap?

Yes, it is.

They're good games with inept f2p implementations. And they're ancient, but people still seem to play WoW for some reason.

[Lantyssa]

Good at making games does not equal good at monetizing them.  I doubt there is a grand plot to tank their primary money makers in the hopes of reviving the sub model.

[Kageru]

It's a hybrid model trying to retain their subscriber base while picking up some more players who would not subscribe. And then selling MT goods to both groups. It's a valid approach for an older game that isn't going to grab a huge share of f2p players. Largely because f2p works much better for something modern, flashy and fast to get into (eg. World of tanks, firefall, planetside 2).

Would they have made more going totally f2p? That's a good question and I've no idea what state EQ2 is in. But the vast majority of gamers are unlikely to care either way, games old and bad.

[Modern Angel]

I think there are good f2p models in the West, though. That just makes it even more inexcusable.

[Kageru]

I can't think of too many, and the only one I've played has been WoT. Most of the f2p titles seem to be things that would never sell subscriptions (the Dota clones) and those that failed to (EQ2, CoH, CO, D&D, LotRO).

That said EQ2 should have studied the CoH approach. Allowing the veterans credit for time played and expansions bought probably would have had a better outcome.

[Modern Angel]

It's reasonably well established that LOTRO wasn't in any trouble with their subs. But their f2p model is great. You can actually play for free through the TPs for deeds mechanics, if you work at it. POTBS seems pretty boss, too, as I said. In fact, it surprised me how generous it is. WoT is fine, CO feels okay, can't comment on D&D, and then the EQ2 garbage.

[HaemishM]

Yeah, I discovered that all my old characters on the non-previously-free servers are locked because of class/race restrictions. Luckily, only one of those is beyond level 10, so if I had time to play it, I'd just have to do one class pack. Still seems kind of retarded not to allow at least one class/race unlock for established vet characters.

[Merusk]

Watching COX and now EQ2, one wonders if the western developers will manage to poison the F2P model in people's eyes. One also wonders if that is the intent.

If it is, then they're even worse at business than they are at making games.  D&D and LOTR both had higher earnings after than before, right?   Done right (which this is definitely not) they should have seen a big uptick in profitability.  That is not going to be the case and I expect they're either going to close EQ2 or alter this model sometime in the next 6 months.