EQ2 Goes Free to Play too

[Count Nerfedalot]

Not sure what you are basing those assumptions on but my server was booming to the point of becoming overcrowded with new people as well as transfers showing up every day.  I know a couple of servers were becoming ghost towns but it seemed like there was growth over all and the crafting community at least was very engaged and excited.  And then came the surprise announcement of the F2P stuff.  Now the message boards are filled with threadnoughts of people quitting.  Not threatening to quit, but actually quitting.

Sure, curiosity and novelty will win them a boost over all for a couple of months, but I seriously doubt it added anything to the game's life.  I rather suspect it shortened it dramatically.  EQ2 is one of the most polished games out there right now, better in many ways than WoW even.  With a continuation of the resources it had and a coherent marketing campaign that showed off its best features it might have pulled an Eve and started growing again.  It really is/was that good.  But the F2P model they've chosen will choke the life out of it far faster than it can shake the last few coins out of the pockets of people who have many other options these days. The crafting and market sub-games are seriously crippled by their F2P implementation, they've included all sorts of "I win" options you can purchase from their store (not cheap either!), and they will become mandatory for raids and even just normal high-end dungeons because most people won't want to "upgrade" to the full subscription price to play a "free to play" game and thus wont be able to equip the gear necessary to survive in the tougher places without the "I win" short cuts.

[Kageru]

If SoE had cared about the existing EQ2 player base they could have easily used the free play additions to rejuvenate the activity and population on those servers. The fact they've built it as a separate and higher profile system almost certainly means their numbers indicate micro-transactions as being more profitable over time. So take the hint and either pay to shift over or find another MMO.

Then again, I've never had much love for EQ2 and distrusted SoE since I was playing EQ... so all this is just confirmation for me.

[Nebu]

If SoE had cared about the existing EQ2 player base they could have easily used the free play additions to rejuvenate the activity and population on those servers. The fact they've built it as a separate and higher profile system almost certainly means their numbers indicate micro-transactions as being more profitable over time. So take the hint and either pay to shift over or find another MMO.

This. 

F2P should revitalize your game, not remind your existing playerbase of the soul-crushing grinds that your game contains.  SOE missed a HUGE opportunity here by being greedy bastards.  If they had made f2p more user friendly, they may have upped their revenue incrementally.  Instead, they went for it all at once in a manner that demonstrated their disdain for the entire f2p premise.

[UnSub]

I think the direction for EQ2's F2P conversion was, "You are going free-to-play now. The budget for this transition is $50. If we see any dip in the revenue of this title, you're all fired."

Business models (i.e. the system of collecting revenue to pay for your expenses) is critical for MMOs since the $15 a month plan isn't working so well anymore, but it doesn't look like the right people sit down and work out the details before throwing them out to the public.

[Kageru]

since the $15 a month plan isn't working so well anymore

Wow is going free to play?

Most of the games that have gone f2p are either those that failed (DDO) or were on a solid decline curve (LotRO, EQ2). Though why Warhammer has not gone F2P remains a mystery when it meets both of those criteria and PvP games need the population.

[Ingmar]

Yeah, really. I would give WAR another try with a F2P model.

[Sheepherder]

Wow is going free to play?

Most of the games that have gone f2p are either those that failed (DDO) or were on a solid decline curve (LotRO, EQ2). Though why Warhammer has not gone F2P remains a mystery when it meets both of those criteria and PvP games need the population.

Blizzard has already confirmed that F2P is their planned endgame for WoW sometime in the distant future.

[Rasix]

They'll ride that Cataclysm horse into the ground well before they do it too.  I imagine F2P will do pretty damn well for them, since there's so many ease of life and cosmetic things they can charge for.  Opens up the audience quite a bit since WoW is probably the most accessible of the big MMOs as far as machine specs are concerned.

[Kageru]

Yes, they said they'd consider it when wow is obsolete and in decline...

Yet Tom doesn’t think those games have gone free just to compete with World of Warcraft. “I feel like they’re doing that to compete with other games that are on a similar subscriber level to what they were at. I imagine that when one of them went free to play it cannibalized some of the other subscribers. I can definitely imagine that being the case with World of Warcraft. If another game comes along and blows us away it may not make sense for us to have a subscription fee. Or even further down the line, when we have another MMO out.”

source

[Lakov_Sanite]

Wow is going free to play?

Most of the games that have gone f2p are either those that failed (DDO) or were on a solid decline curve (LotRO, EQ2). Though why Warhammer has not gone F2P remains a mystery when it meets both of those criteria and PvP games need the population.

Blizzard has already confirmed that F2P is their planned endgame for WoW sometime in the distant future.

I'm sure my grandkids 40 years from now will bitch about wow going f2p.

[UnSub]

since the $15 a month plan isn't working so well anymore

Wow is going free to play?

WoW and EvE are exceptions to almost every MMO rule. I can't think of a pure-sub title that has launched in the last 3 years and done well. Arguably the reason a number of titles are going F2P is so that they aren't competing with WoW in that space too.

[Kageru]

I agree in that I can't think of an MMO that has launched in the last three years that hasn't been horribly flawed. Warhammer, Fallen Earth, APB, Aion.... seriously, wtf.

[Nebu]

When asked to pay $15 a month for something, consumers typically want a product for their money.  WoW and EvE seem to be the only teams that realize this. 

The subscription model doesn't have to be dead.  It just requires a higher quality product than what the public demanded 6 years ago. 

[HaemishM]

since the $15 a month plan isn't working so well anymore

Wow is going free to play?

Most of the games that have gone f2p are either those that failed (DDO) or were on a solid decline curve (LotRO, EQ2). Though why Warhammer has not gone F2P remains a mystery when it meets both of those criteria and PvP games need the population.

WAR is probably still on the sub model because no one at Mythic wants to admit they put out a stinker of a product AND they probably have a burdensome license fee they must pay to Games Workshop every month for the IP. Knowing GW, the idea of free anything would send them into screaming WAAAGGGHH fits.

[Stabs]

I rather thought the exec saying WAR would never go FTP was using code for "please make me redundant so I can get out of this crapheap with enough cash to last until people have forgotten I worked there".

[Lounge]

I'm having a blast playing this game again.  Its great to be on a fresh server with tons of players at my level range.  I'm going to see how far I can go before I feel like not having a subscription restricts me, at which point I'll probably just stop playing.

I'd say the free to play model is probably going to work out fine for them given they've already pulled money out of my wallet for a class unlock.  They would have pulled even more money out of me if I could purchase an unlimited broker unlock and possibly more bag slots.

[Sky]

Dear Station Access Subscriber,

This email is to inform you that new services have been added to your existing Station Access subscription.

On August 20, 2010, Sony Online Entertainment launched the EverQuest® II Extended™ free adventure service. As a Station Access subscriber, you will receive a Gold Membership in the EQII Extended service in addition to your EQII live subscription service. There will not be a price change in your Station Access subscription.

Of course, I'm not an Access Subscriber, or remotely interested in the Access service to the SOE mmo graveyard. Just fyi.

[palmer_eldritch]

No great surprise but they've announced that 16 "live" servers, the traditional paid for servers, are to merge (to put it another way, eight will be closed). Of 27 live servers there will be 19 left.

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=488823

[Sky]

http://forums.f13.net/index.php?topic=19965.0
 

[Falconeer]

A useless bump, but I stumbled on this video, a celebration of EverQuest 2, and I just wanted to share it.

I am pretty sure it will be revolting to everyone except those very few ones who played and loved it. Still, I always thought this game had amazing art direction, barring the ridiculous characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZuA_q6jbNA

[Fordel]

That entire game looks like someones Ray Tracing art project from 1995.

[Stabs]

Their Halloween event looked and felt stunning. If you don't spoil it it is a little like one of those old adventure games, you remember, the ones where you think "damn, I've tried everything, where the hell is what I need to get on to the next part of the quest?" Moderately simple compared to the old days but enough to really feel like brain work.

It's also attracted some criticism for being in poor taste, presumably from people whose cultural experiences never extended as far as the Brothers Grimm.

[Sky]

I love the tech in that engine, such awesome looking areas. The mapping used is still some of my favorite in any game, their dank, rusty dungeons alone blow almost everything ever made out of the water. There's stuff they were doing in 2004 that still hasn't been touched by anyone else, single or multiplayer.

[eldaec]

The animation is also worth a mention - every character in EQ2 looks shit loads better when they are actually moving - just a shame it was let down by the launch mechanics.

[Maledict]

I love the tech in that engine, such awesome looking areas. The mapping used is still some of my favorite in any game, their dank, rusty dungeons alone blow almost everything ever made out of the water. There's stuff they were doing in 2004 that still hasn't been touched by anyone else, single or multiplayer.

There's something about EQ2 graphics that you love or hate, it seems. Personally, I think it's one of the ugliest games ever made - as someone above says, it's like a first year students ray tracing program. *Nothing* in the game world looks right. Everything appears made of plastic, and even basic rocks and trees look artificial, as if they were dropped on top of things haphazardly. I don't know whether it's the textures or the alignment, but to me the entire world seems wrong and badly glued together - the basic joins between objects in the game world just aren't right. Add into that the shiny plastic feel to everything and it just looks a mess. EQ2 has a lot of praise from peopel for various things, but I've never heard anyone rave about its graphics before.

On the plus side, it did give birth to one of my favourite animal descriptions in gaming - the fearsome "sausage deer" from the starter island.

[Nebu]

There's something about EQ2 graphics that you love or hate, it seems. Personally, I think it's one of the ugliest games ever made - as someone above says, it's like a first year students ray tracing program.

So, what would you consider to be the most visually attractive, fantasy MMO currently operating? 

[Rasix]

Technically, I think Age of Conan on good settings is the best I've seen so far. I haven't really played some of the most recent offerings, but I haven't seen anything better.  LOTRO does fantastic with the environments, but the characters and character animations are horrid, IMO.

Functionally, well, you know the winner there.  Any game where I could participate in a 40 man raid playing the game off an external HD connected to my work laptop doesn't even have any competition.

[Sky]

I guess my standpoint, the normal mapping, shadows and lighting all come together to give EQ2 a certain feel, I dunno how to properly word it. Not 'realistic' really, just not disconnected, cartoony and gamey as stuff like LotRO or AoC. Both of which look nice, but there isn't much in the way of versimilitude vs the technical engine EQ2 employs, especially in places like the serpent sewer, which is just amazing.

[Ratman_tf]

. Everything appears made of plastic,

In my limited amount of time playing EQ2, I was half-expecting those green plastic army guys to show up somewhere. They'd just seem to fit in that world.

[HaemishM]

To be fair to EQ2, if you choose the alternate models for characters, they are much better. Their animations still suck monkey ass, but they are better.

I still don't see what Sky's talking about. I like the environments well enough, but think LotRO's are much better while their characters are better than EQ2 but less so than the terrain.

[Lantyssa]

Really?  I can't stand the LoTR characters.  They look terrible and their animations and stances are worse.  I'm pretty sure that's one of the main reasons I could never get into the game.

[HaemishM]

I'm so-so on the LotRO models. They are weirdly proportioned, but their animations have never bothered me. The vast majority of their items at least pre-level 50 are pretty silly looking as well, though certainly not as silly as the giant shoulder pads from WoW. EQ2's models are badly out of proportion, and the original models were terribly textured. Their animations are very jittery as well.

[DLRiley]

nvm. my response was said 10 times over...

[HaemishM]

When did you learn to Shut the Fuck Up?

[Abelian75]

There's something about EQ2 graphics that you love or hate, it seems. Personally, I think it's one of the ugliest games ever made - as someone above says, it's like a first year students ray tracing program. *Nothing* in the game world looks right. Everything appears made of plastic, and even basic rocks and trees look artificial, as if they were dropped on top of things haphazardly. I don't know whether it's the textures or the alignment, but to me the entire world seems wrong and badly glued together - the basic joins between objects in the game world just aren't right. Add into that the shiny plastic feel to everything and it just looks a mess.

YES YES A THOUSAND TIMES

And yeah, it's weird, because for me the game literally in a league of it's own here.  No other major game provokes this reaction in me, even outside the MMO world.  I have tried HARD to get into EQ2, assuming that I'd get used to the look of it after a while, but no, never.

I might criticize the look of other games, don't get me wrong, but for some reason EQ2 has just has a really strong lack of cohesion or togetherness or something that is just really really a barrier to me beyond a game that merely has "meh" art/graphics.  Yeah, looking at an individual game model, it looks ok... but somehow, when it's all on one screen, it is just... game-breakingly painful to look at for me.  "Ray-tracing project" actually sums it up quite well, unfortunately.

I hate to sound so insulting about it, but it's really significant from my perspective.