EQ2:A message from Smedley

Hello fellow Norrathians,

In the months since EverQuest II has launched, we have seen an overwhelming response to the game. Here at SOE we've spent a great deal of time charting the future course of EverQuest II and laying out a roadmap for continuing to evolve the world of Norrath. I'd like to share that plan with you now.

The Team
Making a game like EQ II is an amazingly complex and wonderful thing to behold. It involves people from a variety of different areas of expertise such as design, sound, programming, art and of course a management team to make sure everything is coming together smoothly. During the course of the development of EverQuest II, the team grew to over 100 people in size (and that's just the development team, not including QA, CS, Operations and our Platform teams which brings the total to over 250.)

What typically happens when making an MMO is that the "Live Team" that runs the game after it launches is usually a smaller subset of the team that developed the game. That team usually works on a combination of live updates and expansion packs that come out 1-2 times per year.

After listening to feedback from our players, we've decided to make a change to the way we've done things in the past, and focus on growing Norrath in new and exciting ways. This is going to mean keeping the team at it's existing size or even growing it in order to make sure we can do this the right way.

We see content being added to the game in three distinct ways: Live Updates, Expansion Packs and something new called Adventure Packs.

Live Updates
We plan on keeping the team that's focused on live updates working on expanding the game both through new zones, npcs, quests, features, spells, skills and new gameplay additions as well as fixing any bugs or issues that arise. All of this will be provided at no additional cost in constant updates that will come on a frequent basis roughly 1-2 times per month, depending on what we're specifically working on. All of this will be laid out on our website so you can have visibility into the exciting additions we have planned. We will be very responsive to our player-base and we plan on incorporating a lot of the feedback you give us through the forums into these live updates. This will represent the core of how we evolve Norrath.

I wanted to also point out that with respect to these live updates we plan on increasing the amount of new content that we give away at no extra cost.

In our most recent update we added:

Two new dungeons
Over two hundred new spells and combat arts
User interface enhancements
Dozens of new quests
With respect to our international customers, our plan is simple - to put out the English version of any new content to all servers and localize it as quickly as possible. In many cases at the same time the update goes live. From what our international customers have told us, getting the new content and features in game is the most important thing and we've listened.

Expansion Packs
We plan on releasing 2 expansion packs a year. These expansion packs are going to be large, game altering additions to the game that will be sold both at retail and online via digital download. In the past, we've had one team that would work on an expansion pack, and then move on to the next one. This meant keeping a very fast paced schedule and the expansions smaller in scale due to the timeframe. We are changing the way we do things with EverQuest II. As of now we have two expansion pack teams that are working on different expansions... The first one is due to be released sometime in the second half of 2005, thus giving us more time to develop and add cool new things. In fact, you're also in for a pretty big surprise when you see our first expansion pack for EQ II sometime later this year. We aren't just focusing on the typical new content you've seen in past expansions to MMOs (our own included.) We're also focused on radically new gameplay elements that have never been seen before in online games.

For our international customers, we will be launching our localized expansions at almost the same time (hopefully within days) they are released in the US.

Adventure Packs
Adventure Packs are a new style of content that we are introducing to EverQuest II. You can think of them as being similar to "Modules" from traditional tabletop RPGs. They will be heavily story driven and themed adventuring areas. We will provide a part of each of these Adventure Packs, at no extra charge, to all of our players. This should give everyone the opportunity to see if a particular Adventure Pack is the kind of thing they are interested in. You'll be able to buy these at any time, since they will be delivered digitally. We plan on keeping the price point for these low... In fact, our first one will be just US$4.99.

To give you an example of what we're talking about here... Imagine a 5 level dungeon. The first level is a place that all players will be able to access and explore. In order to adventure to the lower levels of the dungeon, you'll need to purchase the Adventure Pack. This gives you the chance to see if this particular Adventure Pack is something you're interested in.

We plan on keeping the Adventure packs coming on a very regular basis... Somewhere between 2 and 4 per year depending on what exactly we're doing.

We also will be giving Station Access members these Adventure Packs as part of their Station Access subscription, provided they have been members for at least 2 months (more specifics about this will be out shortly).

For our international customers, we plan on releasing the English versions at the same time and the localized versions shortly thereafter. Everyone will be able to play at the same time, and the localization should be finished shortly thereafter.

So, as you can see we plan on some pretty major things to be happening in the world of EverQuest II. We believe investing in the future of Norrath and providing the best possible game and service is the right thing to do for our players.

We welcome any comments you may have.

Thank You,

John Smedley
President, Sony Online Entertainment

Message Edited by Moorgard on 01-07-2005 03:57 PM

===========================
Moorgard
EverQuest II Community Guy

Interesting post I thought like some of the ideas like adventure packs and what not. Should be curious to see if they can deliver on all this.

The Adventure Pack idea is kinda neat. I would especially like something like that in WoW.

I''m huge on solo play. I like the idea of mini solo instances. Anything that makes the game more like a standard CRPG.

All you other players are ruining my game! Get out! I''m the hero! Me!

It obvious that this is going to be a much different couple of years for SOE. I think the competition from WoW will be good for both companies. Blizzard and SOE neither will have a captive audience.

I''m concerned with the statement that they will release 2 expansions a year that both will alter and/or introduce new gameplay changes. In the past what annoyed many EQ''ers was SOE continuence to release expansion after expansion before fully finishing/fixing the previous expansion. It sounds like this time they (SOE) will commit more resources to each side to probably ensure this kind of stuff doesnt happen anymore. I guess that remains to be seen.

I like the idea of adventure packs... I would like Blizzard to incorporate something like this...especially since given Blizzards track record I only expect an expansion every 12-18 months.

You know, I gotta come out against the Adventure Pack idea. I work for a living and can afford an extra 5 bucks a couple of times a year. Thats not the problem. The problem is that I am already paying $15 a month to play the damn game. Why the hell can''t that cover the cost of the ''adventure pack''? You know damn well they''re gonna throw the best loot into those so people will feel compelled to play them just to keep up with the Joneses.

Has anybody ever published anything that would indicate how much it costs to maintain these games on an ongoing basis. I know its not cheap but $3.75 million dollars a month in straight profit (250,000 subscribers x $15) has to be more than enough. How many network engineers and servers can $4 million a month buy? We already paid $50 to buy the game. That should cover the development costs and more if the game is successful. What the hell is my $15/month good for if not for the occasional ''adventure pack''.

Very ambitious for SOE. It will be interesting to see how long these things can support the teams necessary to release them.

Yeah Coping, I was thinking the same thing when I saw this plan. This is taking steps in a directions I would not care for. You''re already paying a monthly fee and paying for expansions, now you have to pay for updates? I''m suprised it''s being met with such praise.

Here is Blizzard''s response to SOE''s message:

We are planning on adding a lot more additional content, including opening new areas, adding high level dungeons and instances, Battlegrounds, and other new features over the next year at no additional charge to our players.

I''m waiting for them to hook up with Midway, and take a page from their excellent gauntlet franchise...

You low on health/mana? a little flashing icon on the bottom of the screen prompts you to pay $1.00 for 500 more HP! Your character need never die again!

$3.75 million dollars a month in straight profit (250,000 subscribers x $15)

Technically, it''s not profit. You have a lot in bandwidth costs, as well as servers, network admins, DBAs, DB servers, heck, their electric bill is probably not small, air conditioning, etc.

You might dig through the TerraNova blog, as I''m sure I''ve seen this sort of info, though not in super fine detail.

But yes, I agree, that $15/month should be more than just service/maintenance/datastorage. I want regular content updates, and by ""content update"" I do not mean fixing bugged quests. Doesn''t have to be huge, but something new for multiple level ranges every 3-6 months.

Then again, if Blizzard could fix their login servers and world servers so that they worked 99.999% of the time, I''d probably be mostly giddy for a few months.

While I am on the fence with the idea of adventure packs until I see just how big they are and if they are worth the $5 do not forget this part.

Live Updates
We plan on keeping the team that''s focused on live updates working on expanding the game both through new zones, npcs, quests, features, spells, skills and new gameplay additions as well as fixing any bugs or issues that arise. All of this will be provided at no additional cost in constant updates that will come on a frequent basis roughly 1-2 times per month, depending on what we''re specifically working on. All of this will be laid out on our website so you can have visibility into the exciting additions we have planned. We will be very responsive to our player-base and we plan on incorporating a lot of the feedback you give us through the forums into these live updates. This will represent the core of how we evolve Norrath.

I wanted to also point out that with respect to these live updates we plan on increasing the amount of new content that we give away at no extra cost.

In our most recent update we added:

Two new dungeons
Over two hundred new spells and combat arts
User interface enhancements
Dozens of new quests

It is not like they are charging for every single update and they already added 2 new dungeons into the game 2 months after release.

How well this works basically depends on if the adventure packs are large enough and of high enough quality to entice people to buy them over and above the normal stuff.

I''m generally wary of buying content on the principle that it''ll be ""better quality"" than the ''free'' stuff you''re already paying for. Nothing''s stopping them from holding back a little with the live updates and compiling them into an adventure pack every few months, and there''s very little you can do to prove it. Most people won''t even notice.

It basically puts Sony in the position of ""I''ve got this awesome quest, should I let my paying customers play it or force them to pay more for it?"" 9 times out of 10, they''re going to choose the latter. They''re a business, that''s just the way it works, I''d just rather not have them in that position.

If they still have lunacy like only selling when logged in, and the solo play going dead after level 20, they could add all they want to the game, and I won''t be interested.

"Robear" wrote:

If they still have lunacy like only selling when logged in, and the solo play going dead after level 20, they could add all they want to the game, and I won''t be interested.

Selling while logged in to your room is still in.

Solo play being dead after level 20 is a subjective thing though so only you can decide if it is dead or not. At 34 I can still solo in the game although not as easily as WoW.

Pyroman, isn''t this basically the same model as any MMORPG basically.

You Buy a game and then pay a monthly service fee. Every so often they release an expansion pack and charge x dollars for it.

So guess the question really to me is if SOE makes small expansions that sell for less, aka adventure packs, while also making large expansions that sell for more, aka expansions, how is that really any different?

As long as the stuff that is added for ''free'' is decent and on par or better with industry standards in this area it may just work out.

I mean 2 months after release they added 2 new dungeons/zones. Now I not been in these so they may bite but if they continue to add stuff like that on a regular schedule for free I doubt many people will complain about the mini-expansions.

What is odd to me is that they look to be stealing a page from the Guild Wars product. As we all know in Guild Wars you do not pay a monthly fee but you do pay to buy certain ''modules''.

Will be very interesting to see how this all pans out.

So far I been pleased with what SOE been doing and I do think it has a lot to do with what GG said and that there is plenty of competiton these days.

SOE is the king of the expansion pack. How many expansion packs have they had for EQ? I don''t think Blizzard has ever published more than one expansion pack for any of their games. Most other MMORGPs have one or no expansion packs (yes, I know, there are exceptions to this).

They are a business and I certainly don''t deny them the right to publish expansion packs and make as much money as possible. As long as people are willing to pay for it that means they have a good product and they have a right to charge whatever the market will bear.

Having said that, I expect that with EQ2 they will not get the same captive audience as they had with EQ. I think they have more competition this time around and I doubt their competition will be releasing two expansion packs a year. My point is that I don''t think people will blindly pay for expansion packs. I think they will instead look to other games that may be a better investment for their gaming dollar. Only time will tell I guess.

God that sounds EXACTLY like the smoke they blew up our a$$es concerning SWG. I bet if I looked hard enough, I can prove this post was plagerized from a post created by that idiot who did SWG...

I will do everything possible to never play an SOE game again. They suck.

PAR

I hope Blizzard just does 1 expansion pack every 12 months or so... but make it a large expansion. Along the lines of EQ''s Kunark.

Well, while I''m of the ""selling while logged in is ludicrous and the 20+ solo game sucks ass"" mindset, I still see the ""adventure packs"" as a relatively positive step. The reason they''re charging for them is because they''re bringing on additional development resources to create them. Regular updates are being done by the live team and will add content all the time. Adventure packs are being done by an entirely different team, that gets its funding from selling adventure packs. If the adventure packs were free, there''d be no team to develop them. It''s content above and beyond the normal content updates. And for a one-time fee of $5, that''s not bad.

I do wish more games would follow the CoH model of updates though. Having a huge free content update every few months is sweet.

The reason they''re charging for them is because they''re bringing on additional development resources to create them. Regular updates are being done by the live team and will add content all the time. Adventure packs are being done by an entirely different team, that gets its funding from selling adventure packs. If the adventure packs were free, there''d be no team to develop them. It''s content above and beyond the normal content updates. And for a one-time fee of $5, that''s not bad.

This is what my problem is though. You have no idea if they wouldn''t have made that content anyway, or if they made the content for the regular patches and decided it was good enough people would pay for it. There''s no way to know if they''re just charging you for stuff they planned to do anyway, and if I was SOE I''d do it in a heartbeat.

However with competition from Blizzard I bet they''ll stay pretty honest, it''s just back 2-3 years ago this would''ve been universally seen as a money grab for stuff you were already paying for. It''s just an excuse to sell more cheaper expansion packs, which SOE has shown they have no qualms about milking people for money in exchange for as little content as they can get away with. I don''t begrudge people paying for expansions, that''s not what I''m saying. I''m just saying as they''re describing it, the SOE I know would abuse it given the chance.

Like I said with WoW I don''t think they''re gonna have the chance. Besides, what do I care I''m not playing EQ2 anyway

Pryo, because of the scope of the adventure packs I don''t see them as something that would normally be part of typical content additions, especially for Sony, where free content has traditionally been fairly small in scope. From the description, I can certainly see the adventure packs as something that could have been in an expansion pack instead though. So the question becomes ""are they parcelling out expansion pack content into smaller chunks in order to increase overall revenue from a set of content?"" Possibly. But I suspect for many people it''ll be worth paying $5 to get a cool new dungeon a month from now, rather than having to wait 6 months for a full expansion. We''ll see. Well, not me. The 20+ game has turned me off EQ2 for the time being.

I''m curious though -- how would people be reacting if Blizzard was the one doing this, seeing as they don''t have Sony''s money-grubbing reputation to deal with?

I could look at this as the glass is half full. I like varying sizes of updates and expansions. It should help the game stay fresh. Releasing an expansion every 10 months that has 1 new class, 10 new areas and 3 new elite dungeons can get stale no matter what the quality of said content.

However, there is just a little nag screaming at me when I read this. It says,""Pay-per-Dungeon"". Maybe they misread the memo entitled ""Paper Dungeons"" which implied that current dungeons lacked coherent design and should be designed better on paper. (the last part was a joke, I have no idea how well or poorly designed dungeons are in EQ2; although based on areas like the sewers, I hope they get alot better)

If they still have lunacy like only selling when logged in, and the solo play going dead after level 20, they could add all they want to the game, and I won''t be interested.

It''s not so much the having to be online that makes it sucks as much as the fact that you have to be in your room which prevents you from doing anything but sitting and waiting for stuff to sell. It is the dumbest single design decision I have ever seen in an MMORPG. If the simply made it so my stuff could be for sale while I went out and adventured and then it went off the brokers when I was logged off I would have no problem but forcing me to sit and stare at a wall for hours is ludicrous. Further it causes most players to simply circumvent the whole process and simply to out of character tells in zones hawking their wares.

Most other MMORGPs have one or no expansion packs (yes, I know, there are exceptions to this).

Almost every major MMORPG I can think of has at least one expansion pack. Off the top of my head I can think of UO, Anarchy Online, Asherons Call, SWG, Shadowbane, and FFXI. And at least three of those have multiple expansion packs.

I tend to think Pyro is right about this issue. When ever there is a decision to be made about some cool new content that a designer has created i''m sure SOE will error on the side of greed. That said they are a business so if people will pay it why not? The sad part is even though I think this is completely wrong i''m thinking about getting the station all access pass so I can have free reign to roam all of the new adventure packs they put out.

"Paladin" wrote:

I''m curious though -- how would people be reacting if Blizzard was the one doing this, seeing as they don''t have Sony''s money-grubbing reputation to deal with?

I would react in the same way. If fact, I would probably have a more negative reaction. I expect this sort of thing from SOE, not from Blizzard.

I will admit to being a blizzard fanboy. Not only do I like their games but I like the way they do business. I think they are as honest as they can afford to be and put my gaming experience above the allmighty dollar. Does anybody remember that Warcraft Adventures game they were making a few years back. They were well into development and cancelled the whole game simply because it wasn''t meeting their expectations. I can appreciate that.

Also keep in mind that this is Blizzards first MMORPG. They are probably wondering to do with all the extra jack we''re paying them on a monthly basis. Well, maybe not.

"Copingsaw" wrote:

Also keep in mind that this is Blizzards first MMORPG. They are probably wondering to do with all the extra jack we''re paying them on a monthly basis. Well, maybe not.

One other thing to keep in mind. Quoted from Blizzard''s web site:

""Blizzard Entertainment is a division of Vivendi Universal Games, an operating unit of Vivendi Universal. Vivendi Universal is listed on the French stock exchange (#12777) and also the New York Stock Exchange under ticker symbol "˜V.'""

I have bought every Blizzard game since Warcraft, and If I could pull a Micahel Keaton (or a Maladen) I would be playing WoW right along with EQ2 all while not getting divorced, but alas I had to pick.

I have been very impressed with SOE''s support and willingness to admit mistakes/bugs/reasoning on their forums. They are making an effort to be more engaged with their customers this time around, so far anyway. As they should, as their Rep, could use some work.

I hope that Blizzard always remains a division that can be counted on to only release quality products, but they do have to answer to a higher power, just as SOE does. To think they are incapable of putting profit before the best interest of their customers is a little naive of market realities.

Lets not forget the current corporate structure at Vivendi Universal led to Bill Roeper and the senior folk at Blizzard North (ie Diablo) to leave the company. Not to mention for a division that produces MAYBE a game every other year, to cancel one maybe two games (Starcraft Ghost?) in a five year period is a rather large economic pill for VU to swallow.

I agree with Maladen, not sold on the modules, but I do like the try before buying model. Maybe SOE will get more of my money, maybe.

Enough ramblings for now.

This doesn''t look good. I Found this article that gives some details of EQ2''s first expansion pack. If these features are included only to expansion pack purchasers that is pretty weak...

- New commerce system. Easiest way to exchange items or money.
- Potions belt. Use potions or food with a single click.
- Quick equipment. Equip your character with a single mouse click.

Edit: Nevermind this is and EQ1 expansion pack but the above content should still be free.

I hope that Blizzard always remains a division that can be counted on to only release quality products, but they do have to answer to a higher power, just as SOE does. To think they are incapable of putting profit before the best interest of their customers is a little naive of market realities.

I believe VU is a part owner of Blizzard and has the publishing rites to various franchises for the near future..but they are not the sole owner nor majority owner of Blizzard.

Well I hope your right, though I dont see how they could call themselves a Division of VU, if VU were not at least their majority owner.

Also just found this article, almost a year old though, anyone know more current status?

Linky

"Badferret" wrote:

Well I hope your right, though I dont see how they could call themselves a Division of VU, if VU were not at least their majority owner.

Also just found this article, almost a year old though, anyone know more current status?

Linky

Granted my info is old.. but since I didnt recall seeing any sort of release that VU acquired remaining Blizzard stock my assumption was that they were still a part owner.

Its possible that during the last round of exits VU purchased enough to now be a majority owner.

Concerning the solo game they just added some solo content the big patch:

- Historian Demini of North Qeynos - ""I really enjoy taking quiet strolls in the park while reading my books. Sometimes, though, I like to watch people from afar under my tree. Especially those adventurers I read all about! I''d really like to meet one of them sometime! Or some friends! I''d really like some of those, too!""

- Lavic N''Gam of South Freeport - ""In my line of work, having someone else around botches a job. As a matter of fact, the only person I want to see when I''m on a job is my targ -- er -- my new friend. The less people I see, the less that see me. Wouldn''t mind having a partner at times, though. Always could use a distraction.""

- The Watcher of the Fields of The Thundering Steppes - ""I am never alone. I watch over the ancestors and they watch over me. The ancestors have much to say if you only listen. Oh! You meant living people. Sorry... it''s been a while since I last saw a living person, even if they only have two-legs.""

- Kleron Asana of the Nektulos Forest - ""Alone, eh? Yeah. I like being alone. If I had other people around here with me, then I''d have to share my spoils. You know... you''ve got some really shiny pants there, friend. You know the best part of being alone? It means I don''t have to worry about any of your friends coming to look for you after I do something LIKE THIS -------- ..........""

Perhaps these people may have something more for a likeminded individual - a person who for whatever reasons wishes to adventure by their self. Solo Quests are designed with the intent of single players to be able to complete the quest without requiring the assistance of a group. Though able to be accomplished by a solo player, these quests will still present a challenge. These particular quests are intended for adventurers between the levels of 20 to 25.""

Also I noticed a Far Seas Req guy on TS docks.

The watcher of the fields gives alot of 2 or 3 step quests, that even though I was 30 and not getting xp for the kills, were involved and gave up some ok items.

Last night though I had to finally get rid of most of my TS and Varsoom quests. I''m lvl 30, close to 300 quests and have yet to really explore Zek and EL.

So off i go!

Ya, thats the stuff from the EQ1 pack, plus new zones/monsters/loot, etc. Bet it''ll still be $30 though. With the content it sounds like, and with the market the way it is, if they were smart they''d sell it for $20 and make a killing (almost any gamer I''ve met considers $20 and under a purchase to be made without even worrying about if it''s too much).

I think (as has been mentioned) the really interesting question is what the pull will be for the adventure packs. I can understand wanting to pay to play in a really nicely laid out dungeon, with good challenges and new mobs. I would be upset, however, if the gear that could be found in the APs was better than other places. Different is ok. Varied in new ways is probably ok. Flat out better than places that folks can get to without paying? Not so good. I don''t like it when that happens with big expansion packs; having it happen a bunch in smaller ways is just a bigger kick in the teeth.

One think that I find funny about when people question the money aspect of MMO''s.

From the amount of talk about WoW in this forum, I will assume alot of people here play alot, like I play EQ2.

I play an average of 3 hours a night. I''m also going to include weekends as 3 hours, even though I''m SURE we all put a bit more time on the weekend then that.

3 hours per night = 7 days a week x 4 weeks = 84 hours a month (give or take)

We pay 15 bucks a month = 18 cents an hour for our enjoyment.

Much better then most entertainment costs. So, an extra 5 dollers for twice that long in extra entertainment sounds like a good deal to me every once in awhile.

MMORPG''s are, on the long term scale, an amazing value for entertainment cost, even if you count in your utility costs and roll it all up. I think the fear here is that Sony has as history of making the free content rather blah and saving all the good bells and whistles for paid content (maps, double bank, and the massive hub that Plane of Knowledge is and Nexus prior to it).

While the businessman in me applauds this as intelligent, the gamer side feels more than a bit cheated, especially after seeing Sony move from a slower expansion process that spent more time crafting to the ""2 expansions a year or else!!"" mantra they seem to have. They are, at the moment, legendary for catering to the top 1% and making the rest pay for that. What''s to say that Dungeon Adventure Cave o'' Doom they pitch is something you can use now? Maybe the first level of the dungeon you buy is usable for the normal person, but the other 16 levels require a 437 hour camp, continuous of course or it resets, per piece, 7 pieces needed, key for each level, plus a body part of your choice. Not that they have asked that before. Um, yeah. I miss my arm *sniff*

It''s that whole thing about first impressions. People are wary of what''s being offered as too often in the past it was nothing but a 32-bit bait and switch.