Logic of Subscribing on EQ2 Extended

I understand why current subscribers don’t see value in anyone paying to play on the EQ2 Extended (EQ2X) servers.  However, I think they are missing a key point – different game play agendas.  They are assuming that their motivations for playing and subscribing are the only valid ways to play EQ2. They are wrong.

I don't care how you got your gear
Purchased gear seems to be a real sticking point with players who are opposed to micro-transactions being in their game.  I’m not the player who knows what gear you’re wearing by looking at you.  I don’t know what epic raid boss you’ve killed by looking at the weapon on your back.  Furthermore, I don’t actually care how you got your gear.  I can’t even recognize it, so why would I give a fart how you got it???  It’s not that I’m clueless, I just don’t care!  I’ll inspect a player when I see something pretty, fun or interesting.  In WOW, I much more likely to ask someone how they got a pet or that cool mount than a piece of armor.

I’m not an idiot. I upgrade my gear with the best that I can get for the amount of effort I’m personally willing to expend on it.  Right now in WOW, I’m rolling in all PVP gear because the BGs are instant quick-in-and-out content that I can do in small chunks of time.  If PVE was the only form of character advancement available at the moment, I wouldn’t be playing at all.

I vote no to gear grind
One of the things I loved about Wizard101 was complete freedom from the gear grind.  For me, it was a game in which gear was nothing more than a tool, not the end goal or objective.  I was much more interested in looking fashionable, than uber.  I viewed my gear as mechanism to see the content I wanted to see and challenge myself by going as far as I could, against bosses solo.   Until W101, the idea of doing scripted content solo didn't exist.  I LOVED THAT I COULD IN THIS GAME. 

Subscription + RMT = Higher Cost.  Well, duh!
Does paying a subscription + RMT cost you more in the end?  Duh, of course it does.  Yet that only matters if you can’t afford what you’re spending.  Many gamers and almost ALL of the bloggers I read, subscribe to several MMOs at once.  Clearly, money isn’t the problem.

When I entered a new tier of content in W101, I simply purchased the gear to make me competitive with that zone’s encounters and moved on.  A very surprising and unexpected thing happened when I took that route.  I found myself questing and doing content purely for the joy of doing it.  I didn’t care about what dropped at the end of it.  I just wanted to see all the cool bosses, experience the scripted encounters and it was awesome!  To this day, W101 remains the ONLY game in which I completed every single quest before leaving a zone.  That’s a huge feat for someone who dislikes quests in general, especially quest chains.

What I chose to farm, since I didn’t care about stat’d gear drops, were fun things like my pet collection.  I lucked up on some rare ones with minimum effort.   And I horded every cool hat and outfit, until my inventory and bank was full.  Hence my W101 alter ego, Melanie Clotheshorse.  *smile*  I had a blast running around looking like Batman’s kid sister and Catwoman’s unknown sidekick.  I actually spent a lot more time writing stories, vignettes and posts, which is a huge part of gaming for me.

Let me spend my money how I like
Runes of Magic was another game where I had more fun creating my Crafting Workshop and doing fun events with a guild, than actually leveling through the content.  I found the content enjoyable enough because it had my preferred quest style which is short…to the point…and move on to something else.  Even when I think of it now, over a year later, my house/workshop makes me smile.  I'm happy with every dollar spent and all the impromptu visits and opportunities to gather with friends that it provided.

RMT made W101 and ROM unique experiences for me
What made these two adventures unique was the availability of micro-transactions.  I got to play the game my way.  More importantly, I was able to spend my money on things that I personally, found valuable – decent gear in order to enjoy content how I wanted to experience it, a crafting workshop to achieve something I couldn’t in other games, items to let me fuse my costumes with actual gear, etc.  My game.  My choices.  My dollars.  I subscribed to W101 AND engaged in micro-transactions.

I hope EQ2X plays out more like W101
Many players will opt to play EQ2X without spending a cent.  Some will spend very judiciously, keeping the game as close to free as possible.  Others will play it and immediately spend money on things they find valuable toward increasing their pleasure.  I’ve already seen mounts and purchased gear on characters.  Then there will be players like me, if I can get past the quests -  I’ll go Silver immediately and I’ve already purchased a race pack because I must be Fae.  And it’s highly likely that I’ll go gold if I’m having enough fun.

Why go gold on EQ2X?
Repeat... My game, my way, is always my preference when it's an option.  I don’t want to do long quest chains over gear.  I never have and I'm not starting now.  I could farm to get a mount but why bother if the price is right?  I can choose to purchase items that I see as tools, not something grind-worthy and instead use that valuable commodity of time,  to do the things I love about EQ2 – crafting, harvesting, housing and mucking around in a fantasy world.  Oh yeah, and they have this book feature that I need to look into.  I'm smelling a Saylah library already.

More bodies = more fun
Another HUGE reason for considering EQ2X for a new player is more bodies.  A zone teaming with lots of other players your level is more fun, even if you're questing on your own.  Many players, myself included, enjoy the rumble of other players being in the same zone.  There are always opportunities for impromptu groups.  I enjoy doing the lower level group content and you need other players to participate.  As crafters, you want players who need what you’re making.  On the live servers many players have been playing EQ2 for a LONG ASS TIME and are completely self-sufficient when it comes to crafted goods.  That has a negative impact on new players who want to actually craft and participate in an active economy.  No, I don't want to grind out my crafting levels with NPC orders.  Where the hell is the fun in that????  It’s no fun crafting or harvesting just to sell the items to vendors.  I think the EQ2X server will have a constant flow of players in the lower tiers, which will benefit adventurers and crafters alike.

Ideas are already hatching for crafting
Ever the crafting whore, I’m already looking forward to running my store old school style.  Since F2P characters can’t use the auction house, they’ll have to buy direct.  Remember the days before unattended Auction House features, when you had to hock your wares in person?  I think that’s going to be fun and will add a little RP into the game. 

Those are my thoughts on why I think you’ll find subscribers on the EQ2X server, albeit as a minority.  As gamers, we often forget - myself included, that our motivations aren’t the only “correct” ones when it comes to gaming.  Players, play-styles, goals, preferences, etc., are as diverse as the number of people playing a game.

Comments

[Green Armadillo]

"It’s no fun crafting or harvesting just to sell the items to vendors."

EQ2 also offers the option of crafting to turn in directly to NPC's for additional crafting exp, status, and faction. Crafting to sell direct to other players is going to be a challenge because of the sheer number of combines needed per crafting level. If there's even one other player trying to sell everything they craft, that's enough to flood the market.

[Capn John]

Why is it that every time I log in to Skype, you're also logged in but "Recording Podcast w/NPNM - DND" ?

[Saylah]

@Green - I know and think that's a good option for players. However, my definition of being a crafter is making items for use by others / being part of the economic flow of the game. As such, I never leveled my crafting in EQ2 using the NPC orders which amounts to doing quests. I make what I can sell and have been lucky enough to support my character doing it. However, it does get tricky in some level ranges when you're competing against long established players.

@John - Oops, that's because Skype logs me in automatically and I haven't remembered to change my status. I've only been on Skype for the past several months if recording a podcast. My Skype account is active on all the computers so even if one of the kids or my nephew boot up a PC, Skype puts me online. I need to fix that! Doh!

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

@Tesh - Nothing "new" or innovative. I think they've done good work on simplifying the introductory experience and easing things like travel to match how quickly you can travel in other games compared to EQ2.

In chat today, some players were expressing a concern that F2P brings the kiddies. I commented that I feel EQ2 is a bit too old school to hold youngsters. It is the one MMO that I couldn't get a single member of my household to play - ever. They all bailed before level 10. It's a game design, zone, quests, crafting, etc. that's going to appeal to certain type of players.

I find EQ2 to be much more of an "in for the long haul" game. Of the games I've played, it's the least conducive to casual play where you still feel decent progression. I don't find it to be a quick-n-and-out option based on the 1 to 37 levels I've done in the game.

Where I think EQ2X has a chance to draw in people is the more mature player who wants a more comprehensive journey that they can take over a longer period of time. There will be a level of depth not easily attained in other games, if you have the time and patience to play that style MMO.

I find it similar to LOTRO in that way, the way that doesn't usually appeal to me - pace and grind. However, EQ2 absolutely soars in other aspects that I can now choose to participate in for free or at a reduced cost. Whereas LOTRO, there were way too many other things besides the questing I didn't like to really consider their F2P model as an option.

[We Fly Spitfires]

I thought all of the purchasable items on the station store were appeareance related only? I.e. there was no way of actually buying a proper weapon or armor? If that's the case then there's no option but to grind :(

Also I'd point out that on the Silver plan you're not going to be able to equip most of the dropped items in the game.

[Alysianah aka Saylah]

SC is full of appearance items AND real armor sets, weapons, crafting components, house items, plushies, etc. I was very surprised at the extent of items.

Not sure what you mean by "there's no options but to grind?" It's an Item shop more like W101 in the availability of gear and that game does fine allowing that a people still quest quite happily.

My only big surprise other than crafting mats were that the appearance items cost more than the gear?!?! I wanted to buy a cute robe or something. EQ2's gear models have never been to my liking and much like the complaints from AOC, I look the same from level one up. All that changes is the color or pattern on my robe and pants but the style and cut of the outfit is EXACTLY the same. How boring!!! But when I looked at the prices, I was like you've got to be kidding??? I'd be better off buying real armor and having someone craft a none state item to wear. Weird. So I did neither for now. I need to just find a high level crafter and get something pretty but useless made to wear.

[We Fly Spitfires]

I meant unless you could buy real armour from the station store, you'd still have to grind for gear. Of course, as you said, if you just buy your gear then that solves that issue :)