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EQ2U Funding and Such

Discussion in 'EQ2U Players Support & Feedback' started by Feldon, Oct 17, 2018.

  1. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    I'm not even sure if I'll do the beta forums this time around. Eq2u doesn't pay the bills anymore.
     
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 2
    • Agree Agree x 1
  2. Fuli

    Fuli Well-Known Member

    Bummer.

    Maybe it's time to shut this stuff down. Budnizz is budnizz.
     
  3. Rosyposy

    Rosyposy Active Member

    :(
     
  4. RhodrisNZ

    RhodrisNZ Geographically Challenged

    What's budnizz? A type of cookie? (Better hide them from Tekzilla if so...)
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. Mermut

    Mermut Well-Known Member

    :(
    Do you have a paypal link or patreon or something for it? I still use it extensively and would be more than happy to help out a bit.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    I've got a PayPal.
     
  7. Mermut

    Mermut Well-Known Member

    Incoming $$
     
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 6
  8. Meneltel

    Meneltel Active Member

    Sorry, Feldon, no money from me. I work at home for room and board and all the internet I can eat. (Taking care of a older cousin who lost a leg to illness a few years ago. Im his caretaker in case of problems or situation that he needs help. He has fallen a few times and sometimes was out of reach of his phone and if I wasn't here (working or just not living here) he would be there till he managed to reach his phone as no one is around to hear him. He is on Disability but not lots of money, with paying rent and such. He chaperones me until my parents can afford the university again AND jeff can get into special housing. (That's another story).

    If I could, I would, sir. But im only able to be a member on EQ2/EQ thanks to the generosity of others who have gifted me with some kronos. (Thanks all!)
     
    • Like Like x 2
  9. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    The philosophy that Dethdlr and I have always operated on is, we built the website that we wished SOE had. I'm extremely thankful for those who donate (thanks Mermut!!) But I know not everyone can. For some, eq2 is the primary entertainment for folks on a fixed income or otherwise limited in economic opportunity.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 2
  10. Fuli

    Fuli Well-Known Member

    Feldon is a far, far more compassionate person than I am:

    (1) Declining player base = declining donor base.
    (2) DBG is purposely designing the game to extract every penny it can out of customers, and it's reasonable to assume those costs are crowding out funds players might otherwise use to support eq2u.

    I think we can all agree that shutting down eq2u will greatly accelerate the death of eq2. However, unlike DBG, and despite how he has been treated by them, Feldon cares about the welfare of the players.

    Still, it's not just about the physical costs of housing and administering the database. This stuff takes a lot of work, especially after an expansion - there are significant opportunity costs for him to absorb with this stuff.

    I would have cut bait years ago, but well, Feldon is nice.

    Edit and P.S. You are also nice, Mermut!
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2018
    • Like Like x 8
  11. Fuli

    Fuli Well-Known Member

    Budnizz is a delicious cookie. Best ever.
     
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 1
    • Fishy Fishy x 1
  12. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    EQ2U actually has support for memberships. We almost did it and have considered various extra features but in the end, I've tended to give away the store. For a few years the Google ad revenue was plenty to support the site.

    But the question now is, where to put development effort to come up with premium features? Mercenaries and Familiars are obvious features that could cost extra on eq2u. A smarter quest helper is another possibility. I'd probably need to do some polls.

    This should probably be another thread.
     
    Last edited: Oct 18, 2018
    • Like Like x 2
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 1
  13. RhodrisNZ

    RhodrisNZ Geographically Challenged

    Once I'm back working and no longer a full-time student on a limited scholarship stipend (9 months to go to submission of the thesis - eeek!), I will have some discretionary funds to funnel your way, Feldon. What you have done and continue to do, even in the face of outright hostility from the 'officials', for us, the players, can never be adequately recompensed. But every bit helps, and as soon as I can, I too will do my bit to ease things.
     
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 2
    • Like Like x 1
  14. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    We'll see what happens. I have no plans to paywall any existing feature at its current functionality. And of course anyone who has donated will get an e-mail asking which account they want to apply Premium to. Cost on this might be somewhere in the ballpark of $24 a year. Premium users would get a badge here and a premium forum signature to use anywhere. Some possibilities:

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
     
    • Like Like x 2
  15. Anaogi

    Anaogi Active Member

    Ain't much but sent some funds your way. Y'all and my raid crew are all that's left keeping me sane in this game, and that's worth a donation to this outfit!

    [Edited for unintended comically inaccurate phrasing.]
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 1
  16. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    Thank you kindly!
     
  17. Dellmon

    Dellmon Member

    For some time now I assumed that this announcement might be coming - and - have feared that when the costs of U tips the scale of revenue generation that U will be sent to the EQ2 fan site "farm" upstate to join its cousin EQNWire, and the never materialized LONWire.

    Personally my EQ2 play style has gotten more difficult to excel at over the years as the number of game supporting fan sites has shrunk. I've played a OCD, completionist, got-to-have-one-of-everything, or whatever you want to call it game. It's in this that I find enjoyment in the game and keeps playing every day and trying to check off all the boxes. And more importantly for Daybreak a consistent subscriber and premium expansion purchaser.

    But my enjoyment and success is mainly based on the ability today to leverage EQ2U - it's presentation of Census data is amazing. It is what Feldon eludes to - - what I think all players had hoped EQ2Players would have been.

    I have no data to back up this statement, but I think I have been one of the most "annoying" EQ2U users out there. Every time I have sent in a feedback (bug or enhancement), I can only imagine the first response of Feldon - - - "what does the <bleep> does this chucklehead want now". I have been worried for some time that he was going to tell me to stick my toon where the sun don't shine.

    But sadly if EQ2U was to shutter, life would go on. I'd keep EQ2'ing - cause I want my character to be the fattest of them all in the database. It would be harder for sure - Norrath, uphill all three-ways. But I would still play grumpily I guess.

    As EQ2U has waned I've started to work on alternatives. I've written two .PS1 scripts already. One to compare Mercenaries to see which is the best - and - another to find the next best gear upgrade. Granted U does do that today, but you can't search on multiple attributes in some cases and it hasn't been updated to support the new nomenclature like Spell Skills. So I've been making do as best I can and it the process teaching myself PowerShell. I think Shinies and / or Mounts might be next.

    If EQ2U was to launch a premium pay version, I think I would sign up though it would have to be at a fair price. Though I think and I would like to think Feldon would agree - if players are paying for a service then there would be the expectation of regular updates / bug fixes / enhancements / etc. I think that is a normal expectation by customers in the subscription based SaaS model.

    While I certainly don't hope that EQ2U doesn't go away, but I can understand and support Feldon's decision if it did. I have no idea what the operating costs of Wire and EQ2U are, but can as an EQ2 fan site operator appreciate that challenges of continuing to pay for a site that is no longer receiving updates.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  18. Feldon

    Feldon Administrator Staff Member

    I'm planning to keep EQ2U running until EQ2 isn't. We have other websites on the server that make us some revenue, but nothing like EQ2U was. You are right that introducing a Premium level would mean I am on the hook for updates that right now sometimes take a back burner. I know that Quest and Spell data hasn't been updated in a long time. Signatures don't work. We are very fortunate that Dethdlr built such a robust backend that the site can run for weeks without input from me.

    I do appreciate the bug reports you submit, even if I can't get around to doing all of them. I know most of your requests are regarding Achievements and I can understand your interest there. I've even considered ways that you and a couple of other members could help to keep the redundancies and sorting issues with the Quests and Achievements under control. Drafting a crude editor for you guys is nontrivial but I think it may be worth it.

    I'm not going to commit or promise anything except to say that I will update EQ2U as best I can for the expansion. If they add new equipment slots to Census, then that will be quite a lot to update as that touches virtually every part of the site.

    I'm thankful for the donations I've received in the last week based on this thread. It helps a lot.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Appreciation Appreciation x 1
  19. Errrorr

    Errrorr Active Member

    Maybe worth adding something into the section on every eq2u page where you have current message about ISP issues etc. about a donation link?

    Even if it only appears on certain pages, it'd probably draw in some more donations. Currently the only way that I can see is on the very front page, tucked right down in a corner for most peoples monitors I suspect.
     
    • Optimistic Optimistic x 1
  20. Sweatypie

    Sweatypie Active Member

    How many daily look ups does eq2u even get these days @Feldon?
     

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