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The Tattered Notebook: What free-to-play means for EverQuest II
Thursday was quite the news day for EverQuest II. Normally, the announcement of pre-order specifics and details on the new expansion would be pretty big news by itself, but it was completely upstaged by the announcement that all EQII servers will be free-to-play. As expected, there are lots of mixed emotions from the players regarding this new transition. Here at Massively, readers generally welcomed the move with open arms, but on the official forums and on the fansite EQ2Flames, there was a lot more trepidation. That's understandable because this move could change quite a lot going down the road. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at what the free-to-play transition means for the future of EQII.
The Tattered Notebook: Looking back at RMT through a futuristic monocle
As I logged into EverQuest II this past week, I was greeted with a promo to redeem my free festive sparker. Sorry, make that my FREE festive sparkler. Anyway, as part of the promotion, I could visit the Marketplace, scoop up my sparkler, and then use it to participate in the lighting of fireworks at the major cities in Norrath to receive place-able fireworks for my house or guild hall. I have to say, it was an odd moment. First off, I had to pause to make sure I hadn't accidentally logged into my Free Realms account that I play with the kids because sparklers and fireworks seem more appropriate there. Second, I was trying to recall a time in EverQuest II when an in-game quest, tied to a live event no less, actually required possession of an item from the Marketplace. In EQII, we've come a long way when it comes to cash shops and microtransactions, and EVE Online's recent controversy surrounding the Noble Exchange really puts things into perspective. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look back on EQII's RMT evolution -- through EVE's ill-fated monocle.
The Tattered Notebook: Fan Faire knowns and unknowns
As we inch closer to Fan Faire, speculation begins to mount about what news EverQuest II fans will finally get to hear. Last year, players were smarting from the announcement of EQII Extended, the free-to-play server, and it seemed to deflate the mood among EQII Fan Faire attendees. This year, EQII is full of knowns and unknowns, to borrow a phrase from former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. We have known knowns, which are things that we know we know. And then there are known unknowns, or things that we know but we actually don't know. Lastly, there are unknown unknowns, which are things that we don't know we don't know. That's where things are in EQII currently. Confused? Me too! This week's Tattered Notebook will look at what we know and what we hope to find out more about at this year's Fan Faire.
Free for All: Is a subscription the new sign of trouble?
I hate to continually harp on the payment model as a source for material, but let's be honest: How a player pays for a game does affect how and whether he will play. Heck, it's obvious through my comments and emails that some people will literally avoid the coolest-looking game they have ever seen if it has a cash shop tacked on or it is using a free-to-play business model. Oddly enough -- and this is an honest observation -- I rarely hear a free-to-play fan say that he will avoid a game just because of its payment model. Perhaps the long hair and free-loving ways of the free-to-player helps to keep his mind open to payment models from all walks of life? Damn frippies. Another common conversational theme that shows up almost every time we have this discussion is that free-to-play has done something wrong. Some seem to think that the free-to-play "movement" is equal to Walmart moving into their hometown, bringing lower-quality products and slower customer service with it. Of course, those same people might not admit to visiting Walmart for all of their needs and grabbing some batteries and chapstick from the impulse-buy section. It is often said that free-to-play is reserved for games that were in trouble, as if it were some sort of last-minute life preserver. Even in this scenario of free-to-play as the hero, the term becomes twisted into a shady businessman, swooping in on the elderly section of town after a tornado. Now, I've covered the possible racial and xenophobic connections to this hate for games and payment models from "Asia," and I would rather not rehash it now. I'm beginning to think the real explanation might be much simpler. Click past the cut and let's discuss.
Free for All: How will F2P fare at GDC?
GDC Online is one awesome event. Although I attended the event in the name of a different site last year, I remember it well. It was a mass of my favorite developers and inside-thinkers, clumping together to discuss customers, design and community. Of course, there were some panels and talks that, frankly, bored me to tears. Then there were many that were so exciting that they strengthened my resolve to be a games writer. In fact, it was around this time that dreams of design began to take a back seat to visions of writing. That's the power of attending such events. On the other hand, these events have the ability to convince writers of almost anything. When attending, we must promise to always stay skeptical -- no matter what anyone says to us. Let the information sink in for a while before we take it as gospel. Let the varying ideas of the various speakers blend together a bit -- then let's form our opinions. I am most excited to see how the last year's wave of free-to-play games and switch-overs will affect the chats. In '09, social gaming was the whipping boy (everyone said he/she hated it, yet everyone seemed to be planning some sort of social game), so will free-to-play receive the same treatment?
Free for All: How much for a ten-spot?
In this week's Free for All, I decided to check out some cash-shop games to see what I might get for 10 U.S. dollars. For the record, some games can be subscription-based and still have cash shops, and some games can have cash shops that have been redesigned and tweaked so that they do not fit into the same old "cash-shop" model. For clarity, I stuck to cash shops that normally pop up while you're in-game -- usually inside their own window. Sometimes, though, the cash shops might be accessed or found on the games' main websites, as well. It was hard to choose, being that I generally don't buy from cash shops any more. It takes a very special product (like Wurm Online's currency) to get me to pay, namely because I do not spend as much time in a single game as I used to. Actually, let me rephrase that before someone starts to write a comment based on that statement: I still spend a lot of time in certain games, like anyone else, but my pace has slowed. Most of the cash-shop items out there are convenience items -- simply time-travel devices that allow the player to speed up his experience. Since I have all the time in the world because of the free nature of these games, speeding up is not something I am interested in. So, let's look at a few cash shops to see what piqued my interest!
EQII's Georgeson on LotRO comparisons, class manifestos, and more
With all the folks popping into the newly free-to-play world of Norrath lately, it's easy to forget that EQ2X has been a beta product up to this point. Now, with the testing tag gone away for good, Massively has taken the opportunity to sit down with SOE producer Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson to get his take on how the grand experiment is going. Join us after the cut for a revealing discussion about Everquest II's new F2P flavor, the state of the Live servers, comparisons with Lord of the Rings Online's recent business model conversion, class manifestos, and a possible dungeon finder.
The Tattered Notebook: Flying mounts and what's Next
Well, it's been quite the week and a half for EverQuest fans, with not one but two expansion announcements, a few more details on the upcoming EQII Extended service courtesy of various Fan Faire panels, and of course the speculation supernova surrounding the pseudo-reveal of EQNext (is it really a reveal though if we know virtually nothing about it?). You might think that here at the Tattered Notebook, we'd be quivering with excitement for more EQNext info, or salivating at the prospect of a return to Velious as well as gearing up to visit the House of Thule. You'd be right, but all of that pales in comparison to two very special words (no, not Station Cash): Flying frickin' mounts.
Ask Massively: Switchover edition
If there's one thing I learned from last week's Ask Massively, it's that our opinions are all wrong! Except Jef's. Even so, we're back this week to answer two more burning questions from the minds of our readers. Ironically enough, they both have to do with free-to-play, clarifying the switchover for Lord of the Rings Online and EverQuest II Extended. Follow along below for our answers to these questions, and if you'd like your inquiries resolved on a future installment of Ask Massively, send it along to ask@massively.com or leave it as a comment to this post.
Exclusive: EQII F2P interview with Dave Georgeson
Earlier today SOE dropped the F2P bomb that is EverQuest II Extended, and Massively was on the front lines to bring you the scoop first. We also sat down with lead producer Dave Georgeson to chat about the particulars of the new service, as well as get his take on where the industry is heading. He had a number of interesting nuggets to share, about not only the game's alternate F2P business model, but also the fact that SOE is keen on respecting the wishes of its core player base. Read all about it after the cut.
EverQuest II jumps on the F2P bandwagon
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/EverQuest_II_has_gone_free_to_play'; Despite assurances as recently as last month that EverQuest II wouldn't be going free-to-play, Sony Online Entertainment today announced that the game is doing just that... sort of. EverQuest II Extended is slated for a beta launch on August 17th, and features a separate server set providing all of the game's original content via the insanely popular F2P business model. "The very nature of an MMO is change, and the decision to create Extended was fueled by evolution of the industry landscape," says EQII lead producer Dave Georgeson. "By offering two services side by side we have given the power to our players to determine the program that best fits their game play style." Extended will allow access to all zones through The Shadow Odyssey, sans subscription, credit card info, or software purchases. Players will be able to purchase additional perks (such as races, levels 80 - 90, statistical gear, and potions) through the marketplace. Existing EQII subscribers will also be able to transfer their characters to the F2P servers, albeit without their gold. Bags, no-trade items, and attuned items will be transferred. Extended also offers a yearly subscription priced at $200 USD, which equals out to $16.66 per month. SOE is chipping in 60 Station Cash to make up the difference. Check out the membership matrix for all the details on the new service, and stay with Massively for our interview with Dave Georgeson later today. [Update: That interview can be found here.]
