EQ2 Goes Free to Play too

[Yegolev]

MMOG's without global chat are doing me a fucking favor, frankly.

^^^^^^

See, I do have an answer to people who ask why I play a MMO if I don't like unbridled association with teenage dickbags: I will gladly pay someone to craft and maintain a large and interesting world for me and one or three of my close friends to adventure in.  So, why is soloing in a MMO better than a console game?  Larger, longer lifespan via updates, and built in co-op play.  I really, really don't understand why people want to force in a "must deal with pigfuckers" line item into these games' design.  Might as well say "hurr hurr if u dont liek corpse runs why dont u play a console gaem?"

[Nebu]

I'm learning to embrace global chat in MMO's.  It's a form of entertainment while I'm grinding 645 rats to get the 5 tails I need for a quest.

[Mrbloodworth]

I'm learning to embrace global chat in MMO's.  It's a form of entertainment while I'm grinding 645 rats to get the 5 tails I need for a quest.

Its usually the same conversation, constantly. I usually turn it off first thing. I like the level range feature in eq2, I also like the advice chat in LOTRO. Its a sad sad thing to see what trade chat has become in wow.

[WindupAtheist]

So I can be paying $15 a month for their gold service but still need to purchase access to races. Joy.

[Yegolev]

Well, here's proof that EQ2 is shit: the arrival of WUA.

[HaemishM]

So I can be paying $15 a month for their gold service but still need to purchase access to races. Joy.

Oh yeah, the sub level is shit. I fail to understand why they think someone would want Gold on the F2P server when they can pay the same price on the Live server with no restrictions whatsoever? Another example of how fucked in the head they are? To purchase access to the latest expansion on the Extended Server costs 4300 Station Cash - 1 Station Cash = $1. So you pay $43 to play the expansion content. The box itself is running $39.99. WTF?

As it is, I'm enjoying the game, but I don't intend to give them any money.

[Brogarn]

I found EQ2 Sentinel's Fate at amazon for 19.99 which apparently includes all the expansions? I don't know. For 20 bucks, I'm going to check it out.

Here's the link at amazon if you want to check out what comes with it.

[Sky]

The newest EQ2 box has always included all the previous expansions. Not sure that will continue given the current climate at SOE.

[WindupAtheist]

Oh yeah, the sub level is shit. I fail to understand why they think someone would want Gold on the F2P server when they can pay the same price on the Live server with no restrictions whatsoever? Another example of how fucked in the head they are? To purchase access to the latest expansion on the Extended Server costs 4300 Station Cash - 1 Station Cash = $1. So you pay $43 to play the expansion content. The box itself is running $39.99. WTF?

WTF indeed. There's a super-gimped free version of the game, a $10 charge that gets you not a whole hell of a lot, a subscription plan objectively inferior to what they already offer, and an uber-plan that gets you everything for what is overall a reasonable cost, but only if you play constantly for a year AND they expect you to hork up $200 up front to get it?

The about it being meant to fail doesn't seem that crazy to me.

[tazelbain]

No conspiracy needed.  Its clear that Sony isn't sold on F2P so they are half-assing it.  I am not going to even going to bother with a game where the developer doesn't believe in what they are doing.  But I hope this works and they go full ass.  But I bet the reverse is more likely.  It fails because they half-ass it and discontinue it claiming F2P doesn't work.

[Paelos]

You don't hear somebody wishing for a full ass everyday. 

However, I also get the same impression that they are using this as a testing ground without the full resources of what it takes. That's not a good way of testing the F2P method.

[Soln]

I have seen a hell of a lot of new toons who are not the F2P vanilla races and classes.  And some with the premium mounts.  Somebody is buying this stuff.

[Merusk]

I have seen a hell of a lot of new toons who are not the F2P vanilla races and classes.  And some with the premium mounts.  Somebody is buying this stuff.

That'd be because P.T. Barnum was correct.  There were still subscribers to Matrix, TR and Auto Assault when they shut down., why shouldn't there be suckers here, too?

[Ingmar]

*obligatory "I liked Auto Assault" post*

[Rasix]

*obligatory "I liked Auto Assault" post*

Obligatory *point and laugh*.

edit: Although, in my review, I didn't completely hate on it.  In fact reading it again, I was pretty positive for the most part; deducting major points for being samey-samey.

[WayAbvPar]

I just can't understand how anyone who had ever played actual quality video games could do anything but loathe AA. God it was so bad. I think part of it is that I was really excited about a
Car Wars' type of MMOG, and got nothing of the sort.

Darkwind is much closer to what I wanted. Wish it had a bigger following it would grow/expand faster.

[Modern Angel]

Auto Assault touched me in an extremely bad place and I've never fully recovered. I mean it. I don't think I was ever as stoked for a game prior to release. Except maybe Spore, which I followed religiously. But then I get into the AA beta and it's thief car, healer car, tank car and what the fuck how? HOW? I still don't see how you mess this up. It's a slam dunk.

[Ingmar]

I liked running people over and driving my car through walls, there really wasn't anything more to it. The tank car/healer car thing made me laugh more than it annoyed me, I don't know why.

[Sky]

The beta was so awesome. Tank/healer/dps cars, boring diku mechanics, uninstalled ten minutes later. There's just no time for that kind of nonsense.

I actually enjoyed the early TR beta, but I played exclusively as a grenade launcher guy. It was fun. Every patch made it less so.

[Sjofn]

Any game that lets me run people over in a giant, bright pink van just isn't completely terrible, in my mind. Yes, I liked Auto Assault, dammit!

[Modern Angel]

I'd agree if that's what happened. Did you ever run over someone and miss? Like run right over them, full on, 120 mph and miss? I recall doing so. Everything was rolled. It was all an illusion.

[Rasix]

Any game that lets me run people over in a giant, bright pink van just isn't completely terrible, in my mind. Yes, I liked Auto Assault, dammit!

How completely unexpected. 

[Sky]

Any game that lets me run people over in a giant, bright pink van just isn't completely terrible, in my mind.

[HaemishM]

Back to the subject of EQ2X, they've announced on the forums that they WILL be selling individual classes to the Bronze/Silver players, and they will also be selling broker credits - i.e. for like 150 SC, you get 10 broker credits, one credit used per broker transaction. Depending on the prices, it may actually be worth spending some coin on once that goes in.

[Lantyssa]

I would consider buying SK, especially if I could buy a single race instead of a pack with two I don't care about.  Seriously, I have to get a FROGLOCK if I want Arasai?  No, you can pay me for that honor.

[tazelbain]

I like Frogloks.  You people are why these game have mostly humans and elves.

[Lantyssa]

I'm cool with non-humans.  I love games that offer tons of non-human options.  I prefer the Morrowind Argonians and Khajit to the Oblivon ones, and were exclusively what I played.

But frogloks?  No.  The only good froglok is the one served with butter.

[Ard]

I like the frogloks too, and to them, fae's look like delcious moths.

[koro]

Back to the subject of EQ2X, they've announced on the forums that they WILL be selling individual classes to the Bronze/Silver players, and they will also be selling broker credits - i.e. for like 150 SC, you get 10 broker credits, one credit used per broker transaction. Depending on the prices, it may actually be worth spending some coin on once that goes in.

What's the dollar-to-Station Cash ratio anyway?

[Lantyssa]

1 dollar is 100 SC.  I'm quite thankful they don't try to obfuscate prices.  Several times a year they have special double your SC purchase though.

[Stabs]

Started this yesterday.

Prediction: this is going to be a run away success. The server is packed, there were 16 concurrent instances of the Halas starter zones. People seem to be really really enjoying it. The paywall is kinda clever, which was not my opinion when I first saw it in chart form. Essentially you can start up, play perfectly adequately without spending a penny. Sure you can't chat but what proportion of WoW players soloing in STV felt the need to talk? And once you join a guild of which there are dozens if not hundreds you can chat all you want - it never stops in mine. Eventually people will progress to the point where they start getting items that only work if they sub but that's quite a long way off. At low levels I think the onlly items you notice as gated are heritage quest rewards and master spells.

As with DDO there are an incredible amount of veterans mingling with the free players. In fact there are probably more veterans than free. I guess after years in the game they love it's fantastic to be able to run around with a huge hoard of starry-eyed newbies. Many of these vets are subbing to EQ2 regular and have taken out extra subs for EQ2E.

[Stabs]

Started this yesterday.

Prediction: this is going to be a run away success. The server is packed, there were 16 concurrent instances of the Halas starter zones. People seem to be really really enjoying it. The paywall is kinda clever, which was not my opinion when I first saw it in chart form. Essentially you can start up, play perfectly adequately without spending a penny. Sure you can't chat but what proportion of WoW players soloing in STV felt the need to talk? And once you join a guild of which there are dozens if not hundreds you can chat all you want - it never stops in mine. Eventually people will progress to the point where they start getting items that only work if they sub but that's quite a long way off. At low levels I think the onlly items you notice as gated are heritage quest rewards and master spells.

As with DDO there are an incredible amount of veterans mingling with the free players. In fact there are probably more veterans than free. I guess after years in the game they love it's fantastic to be able to run around with a huge hoard of starry-eyed newbies. Many of these vets are subbing to EQ2 regular and have taken out extra subs for EQ2E.

Edit: tip - if you have an old Sony Station account it may have Station Cash on it. I have 3 and the first one I looked at had 1250 (about $12.50). I've never bought any so they must have been giving it away at some stage. Took me straight up to Silver.

[Rendakor]

Is there a link to the costs of races, classes, equipment, etc.? I can't find them on the EQ2 marketplace on their website, and don't feel like signing up just to see how bad it is.

[HaemishM]

They haven't announced how much the individual classes will cost. The races are sold in packs of 3 for $7.50 (750 Station Cash). Equipment varies. The stuff you don't NEED in order to play (like mounts) is pretty expensive, but there are things as cheap as 100 or 200 SC. They are talking about broker credits being about $.15 a credit, sold in blocks of 10 credits or so.

[Stabs]

Races: Human, Erudite, Barbarian and Half Elf are free. Others come in packs of 3 for $7.50.

Classes: Guardian, Berserker, Inquisitor, Templar, Wizard, Warlock, Brigand and Swashbuckler are free. Others TBA.

Equipment: you can't use legendary or fabled items on free accounts. You also can't use the broker. Since half the population is power gamer veterans it's very easy to find people who will shower you with free loot. This sits pretty nicely in the area of not a game breaker if you play for free but, once you have some nice items, very tempting to sub up and be awesome for a month.