EQ2 introduces a F2P server

[Raevin]

http://everquest2.com/news/read/current/3630

It's the beginning of the end. Actually, more like the middle of the end. Hurry up Rift beta!!!

[Apoth]

lol didnt the producer a few months ago say it wouldn't go free 2 play?

[Sornin]

They are taking an interesting approach by making it its own server and offering "convenience" items. Though I would not play on such a server, since I like the $15 "all-you-can-eat" style, I support this move,

I think the key thing here is that the normal game still exists. I do not view this as a negative, but simply an alternative. I suspect more and more older games, and even some newer ones, AAA or not, will start investigating this sort of model.

[Raevin]

They are taking an interesting approach by making it its own server and offering "convenience" items. Though I would not play on such a server, since I like the $15 "all-you-can-eat" style, I support this move,

I think the key thing here is that the normal game still exists. I do not view this as a negative, but simply an alternative. I suspect more and more older games, and even some newer ones, AAA or not, will start investigating this sort of model.

I do see that side of it, however... What's going to happen is that the populations of the regular live servers is going to decrease dramatically because of this. Casual players will go play on the X servers. Then the live servers will be merged slowly, and then they'll offer free transfers to the X servers, and then it will be completely F2P. It's going to kill the game.

[Darcnova]

Also, it is pretty much better to just buy the game and pay 15 bucks a month...i mean, only 8 of 24 classes available, 2 to 3 character slots, no broker...*shrug* seems kinda...pointless

[Anasazi]

I have seen people spend hundreds of dollars they can't afford on "free to play". Funny how a free game costs 10X what a pay to pay games costs. I will never do free to play again lol. BECAUSE IT IS NOT FREE THEY FIND A WAY TO MAKE YOU PAY MORE MORE AND MORE! Until you have nothing left. People are not stupid. Well they are but they figure out in a month or two what is happening and leave for good. Need I put it up again.

http://spawnkill.com/wp-content/uplo...ed-217x150.jpg
Runes of Magic is making bank so all the game companies jump on the wagon. They will soon learn it won't work for long. It is not sustainable. It is like a pyramid scheme in a way. It will peak and then fail due to lack of funding.

[Darcnova]

Yeah, and luckily, it seems Rift won't try jumping on that band wagon


And sadly, I used to defend SoE, but after so many lies involving EQ2, I just can't defend them anymore...

"We won't include a cash shop!" "The Cash Shop will be pure fluff!" "We WON'T be going F2P"...those are only a few *cough*

[Slyde]

They are taking an interesting approach by making it its own server and offering "convenience" items. Though I would not play on such a server, since I like the $15 "all-you-can-eat" style, I support this move,

I think the key thing here is that the normal game still exists. I do not view this as a negative, but simply an alternative. I suspect more and more older games, and even some newer ones, AAA or not, will start investigating this sort of model.

I agree.

And in the long run it may even entice some F2P players to subscribe and join a 'real' server.

I have seen people spend hundreds of dollars they can't afford on "free to play". Funny how a free game costs 10X what a pay to pay games costs.

LOL, that is so true. I played Travian for almost 2 years and I know I spent more than I did for 2 Vanguard subscriptions over the same time.

[Hanlo]

So is this EverQuest Next? lol

[Goremarr]

I agree.
And in the long run it may even entice some F2P players to subscribe and join a 'real' server.

It would pretty much have to. I took a look at the Everquest 2 Extended (EQ2X - Yet another project name that sounds like a soda) matrix that they are planning to follow for this new server and it's not appealing at all. According to that matrix, you are limited to 4 races (Human, Erudite, Barbarian, and Half-Elf), even if you subscribe or shell out the $200 a year for 'platinum' membership. You apparently get the privilege of paying for each additional race. You also get to be gear-restricted. You want to use that legendary/fabled item you pulled out of a dungeon? 15 bucks, little man!

Honestly, it's an incredibly castrated version of Everquest 2, even by free-to-play standards. The whole system makes my e-peen ache, in a bad way. If it does anything, it would introduce people to the game and get them to subscribe and get the h*** off of that server. Gets the point across, I guess. But I don't see it luring back old players. Just flailing in an attempt to bring in new ones.

[Ancient]

So is this EverQuest Next? lol

no but I think Vanguard will be if it works for EQ 2

[Githil]

It would pretty much have to. I took a look at the Everquest 2 Extended (EQ2X - Yet another project name that sounds like a soda) matrix that they are planning to follow for this new server and it's not appealing at all. According to that matrix, you are limited to 4 races (Human, Erudite, Barbarian, and Half-Elf), even if you subscribe or shell out the $200 a year for 'platinum' membership. You apparently get the privilege of paying for each additional race. You also get to be gear-restricted. You want to use that legendary/fabled item you pulled out of a dungeon? 15 bucks, little man!

Honestly, it's an incredibly castrated version of Everquest 2, even by free-to-play standards. The whole system makes my e-peen ache, in a bad way. If it does anything, it would introduce people to the game and get them to subscribe and get the h*** off of that server. Gets the point across, I guess. But I don't see it luring back old players. Just flailing in an attempt to bring in new ones.

That's just it, you can't get off of that server once you start. You are stuck there. And because you are stuck there you either end up paying a crap load more then if you would have just normally purchased the game and paid the normal monthly fee. I'm so glad my subscription ran out yesterday.

[Darcnova]

That's just it, you can't get off of that server once you start. You are stuck there. And because you are stuck there you either end up paying a crap load more then if you would have just normally purchased the game and paid the normal monthly fee. I'm so glad my subscription ran out yesterday.

Exactly, this just seems like a way to trick new players.......they think they are getting a deal, but they arent

The F2P name just makes people feel...safer i guess

[Goremarr]

Natural selection. They're not tricking anyone who spends a couple of minutes doing research on it. Is taking advantage of the hopelessly stupid wrong? Well, maybe.

This is an incredibly poorly thought-out structure for this model. They should have spent a little more time looking at what Turbine has done because, like 'em or hate 'em, they have a very well laid-out structure for their business model.

By "getting the **** off of the server", I didn't mean transferring. I honestly can't imagine someone wanting to stay on that server for long enough to get beyond level 40 or so. I meant that they would subscribe, pack up, and start a new character on a real server. Maybe some people out there are rather masochistic. I just don't see how they could put themselves through EQ2X for long enough to reach anything close to the level cap. Allowing transfers TO that server is a bad idea, too. The problem that Everquest 2 is having right now (aside from Antonia Bayle and Nagafen) is withering population on existing servers. I'm sure that they're hoping to attract the F2P people to one of the existing servers, but I don't see that happening. The 14-day trial actually let you see the community. This just isolates you and leaves you in Freetoplayland, some kind of bizarre purgatory where you languish in mediocrity for the rest of your days.


P.S. The thread on the official EQ2 forums about this is quite a read. Thank you for that, Githil.

[Cal73]

These are essentially trial servers. You entice people enough to make them subscribe and it brings life back into the normal servers. I'm glad actually that these are separate servers or else the economy would have gone to s*** .