Totally Not Supposed to Happen Part 2
The past two weeks, I’ve seen a succession of things that seemed improbable.
I dinged level 80. When I returned to EQ2 back at the start of the year, I was level 70 (that was the level cap when I switched to Vanguard). So it took me 6 months to do 10 levels. /cringe. I would say that about 2/3rds of the exp I got in those last ten levels was while I was mentored. I’m not sure if I should be proud of that or horribly embarrassed!
I got a new mount. It’s the Fire Spirit Horse Whistle from the new LoN Oathbreaker set. I actually got the server discovery for redeeming the loot card first on Guk, and for the first time since EQ, I have gotten several tells from random people asking me about something “cool as hell” that I have. I’m just glad that, after almost 3 years, I can shed the carpet.
But enough about me….
We raided Labs again Sunday night, and this time, we *should* have beaten Vyemm, but didn’t. We had a great turnout, we had the levels, and a pretty decent class balance, but what looked good on paper did not translate well in game. We charged up to Vyemm at a blistering pace, and took down the nameds with no problem, but it was one of those nights where I could feel that we didn’t click. You can tell when a raid is in the groove and when it’s not, and I could see early on that we were not at all in a groove, despite the fast pace. We’ve had lots of new members join lately (thanks Living Legacy!), and while that’s a godsend in the long run, it requires a little time for everyone to get adjusted. We got Vyemm down to 8% on our best try, but even if we had won, it would have been by brute force, and not finesse. It’s like a pitcher who just can’t get properly warmed up. Sure, he can throw 95+ mph fastballs, but it’s just not snapping like it should. Our guild just needs a little Head On – Apply Directly to the Forehead!
Above: Everyone assist me on < A Mender Bot!>
Speaking of which, why do I find myself banging my head against the keyboard whenever the subject of SoE and PR come up? It’s like they can’t get out of their own way sometimes. There was an interview over at Alla’s with Torrie Dorrell, Senior VP of Global Sales and Marketing with SoE, and what stood out for me was this (bold added by me, little tongue emote not added by me):
Allakhazam: What about existing players? Many EverQuest II veterans feel slighted that they don’t get a title and neat pet, are there any plans to get them some goodies too?
Torrie: There is actually a lot that benefits our current, loyal players. There are numerous live events and new lore leading up to the eventual launch of the expansion packs. EQII will see the introduction of Guild Halls and two new group zones, Veksar and Heroic Runnyeye. EQ will be launching four raid zones where players can participate and view their stats on unique leaderboards, in addition to upgrading classic group content in Lower Guk. The complaints about no little goodies for current players, well, in looking at the forest from the trees here, I believe bringing additional players into these games is the best gift we can give our current players. We’re giving them exactly what they’ve been asking for with Living Legacy: advertising for and promotion of the game to bring old friends back and new players in, which makes the game a better world for our current players. This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you’re opening an exquisite chest
Sure, the current, loyal players will get to see the live events and new lore. We’ll get the chance to make a guild hall (please Tunare, do not make it an ungodly timesink, amen), and crawl in two new group zones, but that’s not exclusive to the “loyal” players, that’s stuff that everyone can get. When I first saw the listing for the Living Legacy, my first thought was, “Holy crap, this is going to be one heck of a summer.” But seeing that most of the in game item rewards were not available to current subscribers really sucked the celebratory mood right out of me.
What sticks in my craw about this interview is the whole “get over it” tone of the interview. I fully admit that I might be a bit cantankerous about the in game item rewards for the Living Legacy promo, but that’s not something I want to be reminded of by the SoE PR people! Aren’t they the people that are supposed to make me think happy thoughts about the game? This is sorta like the SoE response to the Unhallowed Triad/Holy Trinity secret server move from test to live. Or the “deal with the changes or you won’t get new players” conversation to the Vanguard community in a recent SoE Podcast. I know that marketing people don’t really mean it when they call me a “valued customer,” but heck, just patronize me anyway, please! Pay me the lip service!
Anyway, I’m a fan of SoE games – I’m knee deep in EQ2, I was waist deep in Vanguard, and I was in way way over my head in EQ. I’ve been playing SoE MMOs for almost 10 years now, so I’m hardly an SoE hater. And I am eager to see the summer events unfold in EQ2, but I hope they kick it up a notch or five. I’ve been cleansing zillions of creatures from the void clouds now, and while the rewards are nice, the process of getting them is, well, grindy! I’m sure they hoped that these quests would help facilitate grouping between newer players and old, but A) I haven’t found many people doing the clouds when I am and B) from my limited experience, if someone is at a cloud, the other person will just run to another cloud or wait till the person hits 9 cleansed creatures.
The guild faire is coming up soon, and I hope they put thought into this. If it’s done right, it could be really fun. I’m also very curious how the mentoring event plays out. But what I’m really looking forward to is the big event planned for later this summer. My plea to SoE is:
Blow it up.
Seriously, destroy some zones, or have the void overrun Qeynos and Freeport. Make us feel threatened by the coming of the shadowmen and the void. Make us squirm, and remind us that there can be a nasty sting in MMOs (even if temporary!) Pull us into the storyline, make us care about the future of Norrath. This is the MMO summer of our discontent – players are restless while they wait for WAR to arrive. You’ll get a lot more back to EQ2 if they feel there’s something to fight for – if the future of Norrath hangs in the balance – rather than tossing money and items at the unsubscribed, and making the cranky loyal players even crankier.
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