PCGamesN: "Community neglect and a pay-to-win ethos are killing EverQuest 2"

The sense of betrayal was palpable, and the EU servers (where I usually play) have never recovered from the exodus (now single EU server )

EQ2 has been badly managed from the get-go. It is a terrible shame, as it is still one of the best MMOs for the platform out there. And it looks and feels like DBG are almost deliberately driving people away - I wonder what their aim is? To sunset the game so they can move onto other projects? It's a bit counter-productive, I think.

 

Roxxly would just delete any thread or post that referenced this article.

I saw the article a few days ago, popped up on my phone on a Google card.

I thought they got the point across of where the game is today and the reasons for it, but tried to hold a respectful tone.

Actually, if you Google for recent articles about eq2, you,'ll find a few more like this one published within the last year or so.

 

My gut tells me dbg wants out of mmo's.

 

So many errors. I really felt quite bitter all the funneling away from eq2 they did to EQ Next. Then the "Feature Expansion" and the content that never materialized after. It must not have done well as that decision only was one time.

Then of course releasing the last one near the holidays with no staff to support it. Nothing like weeks of broken zones. Well, and no tradeskill timeline.

I feel like they have nor rapport or trust with the community. Crap, even the staff they let go, they kept RadarX over Brasse? (need facepalm emoticon.)

There are glaring issues that don't make the game palpable for new players.

I am pretty sure Domino did so well, because she understood the players and community. It's just something no one there now does. There is only I think one person left I really have any trust or faith in.

 

If you look at what the company is actually "doing", all this information just sort of says "we don't care about this market anymore".

The way they treat their customers, the quality of the product they are producing, the alienation of fansites and fan media, and the shady sales tactics.....you just don't do this stuff if you want prior customers back for another title.

At least I wouldn't.

If they do have plans for another mmo, they are way overconfident that any new title can overcome the mistrust and resentment they have created.

Seems more likely to me they are going to let their mmos die out. No one is going to buy eq or eq2 (no idea about the others).

Just a hunch, of course. But if there is one heuristic that is particularly credible with everything under Holly, it's "Be highly skeptical of what they say, and just watch what is actually happening; watch what they DO. "

Observing their behavior leads me to believe they just don't give a **** about players. The only thing that matters is the money.

 

Holly can't respond or make a statement and not have more people dislike her because it. Like, how moronic can one be? lol

She sure has cured me of my EQ addiction. Like being an alcoholic and drinking the nastiest beer that tastes so bad, even your addiction doesn't want it. She's really good at slowly killing games.

Applaud the author's point, though. Blame the game's poor state on awful management and communication, then get Holly's response. Good ol' cause and effect.

 

Despite its flaws, EQ2 had a loyal following. How many games can get away with charging a SUB, a yearly XPAC, and an aggressive marketplace? The game is no longer a top tier title, yet they act like it is. I can't even imagine the cost to upgrade spells and ascension to raid or even grouping levels. What they have managed to do is suck all the fun out of the game for me.

 

Yeah, that quote she had in the article....something about the game needing to be healthy in order to stay up....that really rubbed me the wrong way.

Not only did it strike me as condescending, but did anyone else get the impression she actually believes she is doing the world some kind of favor by keeping the game alive?

Dunno. Her comment just kind of left me feeling that way.

Yeah, the only reason they are producing a poor quality product loaded with cash grabs and deceptive marketing tactics is out of kindness.

I wonder if she really believes that?

 

That led me to trying my luck and contacting John Smedley directly, and I was pleasantly surprised that he took the time to answer my email which led to a correspondence between him, Brad Wilcox and myself. In the end he decided to enable the grandfathering system that let SOE members stay SOE members and play on the servers they wanted to.

It was a small victory, but one I feel proud of accomplishing.

 

I thought it was patronising - a need to explain to the dumb players that DBG is a BUSINESS.....as if we aren't all aware that the money needs to flow in to keep the lights on and the hamsters fed. It is, however, a fine line. If you don't respect your customers, you will lose them. By looking at your customers (players) as simply something to try and squeeze as much cash out of as possible, charging them more while providing less for their money, they are insulting our intelligence. And sooner or later, people will move on.

If I had known in advance that there was no tradeskill line to the new expac, I would not have bought it. Or certainly would not have bought the middle option (that set me back over NZ$100 - an amount I can ill-afford as a PhD student), but may have bought the base option and upgraded later. I will certainly not be buying the next one as I feel deceived and ripped-off.

 

I was actually wondering if there were people who felt this way who played the game for primarily trade skill reasons. Thanks for speaking up.

 

Rhodris articulated my own feelings better than I did. I have long felt that there are folks within eq2 who believe that their customers are stupid and easy to manipulate.

Insulting and patronizing are good descriptions of how her comments struck me.

 

Well wth. One more kick at the can, don't really have much to lose. See how long my thread lasts and whether it is deemed non constructive.

 

It's a standard line used by true believers and defenders of the faith over the last few years, she's actually sort of late at adopting it.

 

Lol...Good Luck. They haven't banned me, they just keep deleting many of my posts.

All just entertainment for me at this point, and they're pretty much on to me.

 

After I got perma banned from forums, Holly was on TLE and actually sent me a pm to tell me to be nice in channel chat.
I cancelled both my accounts and stopped playing for quite some time after that.

I find her vile, and I don't mean that in a good way.