No, this isnt what you are probably thinking...

I am not looking for a whole Everquest game right now, but maybe a relaunch is required, considering the state of the hobby at this point..?

Lets look at this realistically... WoW is burnt out for sooo many. DDO has failed. Guild Wars has it's nich carved out and isnt really growing past that. Vanguard has failed. (IMHO) LotR has failed. Thats a LOT of loose players out there looking for a mature real MMORPG fantasy game to enjoy, and AoC can't have them all.

Add to this that EQ2 is probably the last of the true AAA MMORPGs out there, still looking gorgeous after all this time, and with a depth of content that the others would die for (if they hadnt died already), and a friendly and helpful player base, and you have a situation ready to be exploited, no?

So.. whats the problem? Why isnt this game No.1, as it deserves to be?

I personally think its a case of most people seeing EQ2 as an established game, with an ingrained player base of already 'l337' hardcore fans and an advanced (some would say broken) economy that gives them no chance of competing and/ or achieving. Anyone who plays EQ2 knows this isnt true of course, but we are talking about perceptions here, not realities.

EQ2 is no longer the new kid on the black, and no longer is it the shiny new game that attracts the eye of the casual observer. TBH, I guess it never was, being so utterly overwhelmed by Blizzards giant fanbase right from the start. There was no way something as niche as EQ was then was ever gonna compete with the mass market firepower of the Warcraft games, but I digress... The point I am trying to make is that although now respected and widely recognised for being the superior MMORPG out there, EQ2 can only eventually slide into obscurity, unless something is done...

What do I suggest? Well.. how about a relaunch and a restart?

Before you panic, let me explain...

The Aim would be to Invigorate the EQ2 game, while maintaining it's strengths. To build upon what exists, yet to open the world up to a fresh player base, while amply rewarding those that have participated in it's growth.

How would I do this? I would...

• Release Rise of Kunark etc as planned, and use this to carry me over the next 6-8 months.
• Take these next 6-8 months to work on expanding the existing zones in the game by around 50% each, assuming it makes sense for any given zone. Add new content, restructure quests, and basically relay the lands based on all the lessons learned over the past 2.5 years or so (Add racially styalised armour, racial and diety quests from day one, and reconfigure player starting points (such as relaying RV/ EL as the halfling/ gnome start cities, GF/ Kel as the Fae/ Elf start points and the like). Let players own mounts from L10 or so... let the more exotic ones be quested or bought. Reintroduce the arenas and the pokemonesque idea of captured/ dropped/ quested Champions to allow players to use them from any city as a unified experience. 
• I would also develop THE SEA OF STORMS, designing it to do away with the dock bells and place real oceans between the lands. Have all travel made between the continents to be made by ship, unless TPs are available of course. Open up the seas to the players... allow player crafted ships (ala VG), sea monsters and lost desert islands, all ruled over by an Atlantis type city from beneath the waves. Use this update to introduce at least 2 new races and 2 new classes, including the Elementalist, and the Beast Master. I would give this all as a free update to existing players.
• I would then repackage EQ2 as EVERQUEST: THE NEW AGE or some such, selling it as a complete box for a low price. On the back of this, mount a relaunch as you would a new game, promote it like mad to all the new players WoW has brought into the hobby, including a WAR style movie to blow people's minds, and give ALL players a free month.
• From a given date, the same date as the launch of the free update and the rebrabranding, I would declare the introduction of a Veteran Server, and a game wide reset for all other servers.

But but but... I have spent thousands of years building up my character, decorating his house, building my guild, I hear you ask... Well, yes, you have, and as such you should be rewarded. To this end;

• Give all existing players the CHOICE to sacrifice their characters on their god alters, and any items they have on them, to gain HERITAGE POINTS, which would be attached to their account. Players would also be given the choice to keep their characters, being offered a free server transfer to a new VETERAN SERVER if they so wish. The Veteran Server would be the home of all the remaing high level characters, though of course new characters could be created there by the players present. Despite it's name, any player is welcome to play on the Vet Server, it's just a way of placing all the developed characters that the players cannot bear to lose in one place and allowing the other refreshed servers a fighting chance.
• Players will be able to spend their Heritage Points on such things as titles, city statues for their sacrificed characters, special housing in the keep of their home city, steeds, ships, and other non combat affecting goodies that will give them a special place in the world without unbalancing it. I would also allow exisiting players to keep the names attached to their accounts, as I would allow guilds to keep their names in the new game, attaching it to the leader's account. Of course, guilds would also be rewarded for their achievments as a whole, in a similar way using an adapted Heritage Point system.

Well... there you have it... a basic relaunch plan for EQ2 to maybe catapault it alongside the biggest games out there and reinvigorate the brand.

I mean.. really... at this point, what has it to lose?

In my opinion there is a good way to get ppls attention which would be to do a heavy promotion for an upcomeing expansion. WoW did a decent job with the BC expansion in the advertizeing and hype department. I was impressed with how they got it out there in the public eye with good results. However I being a avid fan of EQ2(concidering it was EQOA that got me hooked on MMORPG's in the first place) I had been playing WoW and yes I was pulled in but it was mostly because it was something new. Now I'm not saying that SoE should try to act like EQ2 is sparkly new or anything cause that wouldnt work but if they did some sort of PR advertizeing like mabie a short tv spot for xpacs or what have ya. It may just be enuff but at the same time you need to realize one thing. Yes there are lots of lost players out there looking for a new MMORPG home but most players from WoW and those that still play aswell as some from those other games, well they are juvinile. Trust me I left WoW because I was burnt out and i was sick of hearing ppl talk about how chuck norris raped thier moms and all that. I dont find that sort of thing funny at all, mind you it was slightly humorus at first but after daily nonstop hearing all of that, well you can imagine how anoying that can be.

Also manny of them are ppl that might begin to ruin the friendly fun comunity of EQ2, now do you really want a bunch of 25 year olds acting like they are 5 in EQ2? Do you want ppl who harrass ppl in the comunity? Do you really wanna turn EQ2's great comunity into WoW's comunity? I agree more good friendly sierious funloveing players would be awesome but I dont think anyone wants to let trash in. Mabie if SoE did do some PR comercials and adds they could talk about the friendly fun comunity we have. That way we might get a few bad ppl but we can more easily weed them out.

I dont know just my opinion and sugjestion lol. Dont know if anyone agrees with me or not but after being in WoW.....omg EQ2's wonderfull comunity is like a god send. If anything EQ2 should be put in the top spot just for haveing the best comunity around lol.

Originally posted by vesavius

No, this isnt what you are probably thinking...

I am not looking for a whole Everquest game right now, but maybe a relaunch is required, considering the state of the hobby at this point..?

Lets look at this realistically... WoW is burnt out for sooo many. DDO has failed. Guild Wars has it's nich carved out and isnt really growing past that. Vanguard has failed. (IMHO) LotR has failed. Thats a LOT of loose players out there looking for a mature real MMORPG fantasy game to enjoy, and AoC can't have them all.

Add to this that EQ2 is probably the last of the true AAA MMORPGs out there, still looking gorgeous after all this time, and with a depth of content that the others would die for (if they hadnt died already), and a friendly and helpful player base, and you have a situation ready to be exploited, no?

So.. whats the problem? Why isnt this game No.1, as it deserves to be?

I personally think its a case of most people seeing EQ2 as an established game, with an ingrained player base of already 'l337' hardcore fans and an advanced (some would say broken) economy that gives them no chance of competing and/ or achieving. Anyone who plays EQ2 knows this isnt true of course, but we are talking about perceptions here, not realities.

EQ2 is no longer the new kid on the black, and no longer is it the shiny new game that attracts the eye of the casual observer. TBH, I guess it never was, being so utterly overwhelmed by Blizzards giant fanbase right from the start. There was no way something as niche as EQ was then was ever gonna compete with the mass market firepower of the Warcraft games, but I digress... The point I am trying to make is that although now respected and widely recognised for being the superior MMORPG out there, EQ2 can only eventually slide into obscurity, unless something is done...

What do I suggest? Well.. how about a relaunch and a restart?

Before you panic, let me explain...

 

The Aim would be to Invigorate the EQ2 game, while maintaining it's strengths. To build upon what exists, yet to open the world up to a fresh player base, while amply rewarding those that have participated in it's growth.

How would I do this? I would...

• Release Rise of Kunark etc as planned, and use this to carry me over the next 6-8 months.
• Take these next 6-8 months to work on expanding the existing zones in the game by around 50% each, assuming it makes sense for any given zone. Add new content, restructure quests, and basically relay the lands based on all the lessons learned over the past 2.5 years or so (Add racially styalised armour, racial and diety quests from day one, and reconfigure player starting points (such as relaying RV/ EL as the halfling/ gnome start cities, GF/ Kel as the Fae/ Elf start points and the like). Let players own mounts from L10 or so... let the more exotic ones be quested or bought. Reintroduce the arenas and the pokemonesque idea of captured/ dropped/ quested Champions to allow players to use them from any city as a unified experience. 
• I would also develop THE SEA OF STORMS, designing it to do away with the dock bells and place real oceans between the lands. Have all travel made between the continents to be made by ship, unless TPs are available of course. Open up the seas to the players... allow player crafted ships (ala VG), sea monsters and lost desert islands, all ruled over by an Atlantis type city from beneath the waves. Use this update to introduce at least 2 new races and 2 new classes, including the Elementalist, and the Beast Master. I would give this all as a free update to existing players.
• I would then repackage EQ2 as EVERQUEST: THE NEW AGE or some such, selling it as a complete box for a low price. On the back of this, mount a relaunch as you would a new game, promote it like mad to all the new players WoW has brought into the hobby, including a WAR style movie to blow people's minds, and give ALL players a free month.
• From a given date, the same date as the launch of the free update and the rebrabranding, I would declare the introduction of a Veteran Server, and a game wide reset for all other servers.

But but but... I have spent thousands of years building up my character, decorating his house, building my guild, I hear you ask... Well, yes, you have, and as such you should be rewarded. To this end;

• Give all existing players the CHOICE to sacrifice their characters on their god alters, and any items they have on them, to gain HERITAGE POINTS, which would be attached to their account. Players would also be given the choice to keep their characters, being offered a free server transfer to a new VETERAN SERVER if they so wish. The Veteran Server would be the home of all the remaing high level characters, though of course new characters could be created there by the players present. Despite it's name, any player is welcome to play on the Vet Server, it's just a way of placing all the developed characters that the players cannot bear to lose in one place and allowing the other refreshed servers a fighting chance.
• Players will be able to spend their Heritage Points on such things as titles, city statues for their sacrificed characters, special housing in the keep of their home city, steeds, ships, and other non combat affecting goodies that will give them a special place in the world without unbalancing it. I would also allow exisiting players to keep the names attached to their accounts, as I would allow guilds to keep their names in the new game, attaching it to the leader's account. Of course, guilds would also be rewarded for their achievments as a whole, in a similar way using an adapted Heritage Point system.

Well... there you have it... a basic relaunch plan for EQ2 to maybe catapault it alongside the biggest games out there and reinvigorate the brand.

I mean.. really... at this point, what has it to lose?

DID YOU FORGET ITS RUN BY SOE ...

unfortualy its to late  the wow base has moved onto lotro for now an is waiting for AoC ,id liek to no how u think its failed ? lotro that is .. sure its short on content atm so was eq , eq2 , wow almost any mmorpg at launch , with the masive bank roll of tolkien enterprises who are bank rolling midway an turbine as part of there new advanced media platform after being jibbed on moie licences an by the dreaded EA games on lotr franchised spin off games they are not going to let that happen with lotro an interactive , with time lotro will surpass wow , eq , eq2 in terms of game content thats a fact , will it be the most fun ever mmorpg .. who knows .. what i can tell you is there drawing from the fantasy bible a bible more people have read worldwide then that other bible the one with that long haired hippy guy that liked his wine ,  liked a bit of s&m liked to hang out nailed to wood on mountain sides u might have read it nuthing but rape , tourture an bigomey dont let the kids read it ;)

eq2 in alot of people eyes has failed since launch it was what vangaurd is now a let down SOE dont care about there players in any of there online games thats a fact proven time an time again an its why most of us wont give them any more of our hard earned

/rant off

i like your ideas if only SOE had of employed you eq2 might have been saved as it stands it still the place people goto play when they couldnt hack it in wow or ffxi or the original eq , its the newbs raiding game always was always will be

back on the lotro subject for a second are you for geting eq2 at launch compared to now .... oh how your memory fails you

/rant off

bring on AoC

I know in my heart you are all right, but you can't blame a guy for dreaming

The only thing that really bugs me is the whole reset relaunch thing. In no way on God's green earth are you gonna have people that will cooperate. Many have spent way too much time to get it all reset. Yeah the benefits you said Veterans would get sounds good, but most people who play hardcore and for a long time appreciate the time they spent. They like the "worth" they put into their characters; it is priceless and not replaceable.  I think that SOE needs to keep doing what they are doing, promote more, get the word out...show demos and get more sponsors. I also think that the reason many people don't play EQ2 is because they have a false or outdated image of SOE. Honestly every single rant I've heard is either warped from another rant or just an unfair bias towards them. Give EQ2 a shot.

I think it could be done, I like EQ2, myself...I think it needs alot of promotion, it seems like they don't really market it much anymore, besides what's in the stores...

SOE  has added a "card" game that you guy loot packs and have a chance to drop a uber ingame item. but you have to buy the packs.

Basicly SOE is charging people for ingame items and charging them to play.

I dont think that anygame SOE makes it good for any player.