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EverQuest II: SOE Announces Adventure Packs
FrankyBones
Member Posts: 64
SAN DIEGO, CA - January 17, 2005 - Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced the forthcoming Adventure Packs for EverQuest II, a content release strategy intended to give players access to new content between traditional game expansions. The first Adventure Pack is scheduled for digital release in March 2005 for $4.99.
"Today we're announcing a new content strategy for EverQuest II that presents online games in an entirely new manner, like that of a television series, or serial movies," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. Players will be able to unlock ongoing storylines that appeal to them, while enabling us to deliver more content than ever before.
The planned content release strategy involves a mixture of purchasable bi-annual expansion packs along with periodic releases of story-driven Adventure Packs adding new content and gameplay elements to the world of Norrath, in addition to continued updates to the game at no additional charge. The first Adventure Pack will be centered on the Dark Elves of Neriak and an unbridled evil in the tombs below the surface of Norrath. The US version of the Adventure Pack will be available to European players as well at release in English, followed by localized versions.
Adventure Packs will feature new quests, zones, storylines and story arcs that will allow players to further immerse themselves in the shattered lands of Norrath. All players will have access to certain levels of the Adventure Packs; however in order to complete the content, players will need to purchase the Adventure Packs for a small fee. Additional details on the first Adventure Pack will be revealed in the coming weeks.
EverQuest II carries a monthly subscription fee of $14.99 for continuing access to the game world. Players can subscribe using a credit card, or purchase 30-day and 90-day SOE Game Cards, which open the new world of Norrath to those who choose not to use a credit card. Additionally, Adventure Packs will be included as part of the Station Access subscription at no additional charge for those accounts that have been subscribed to Station Access for at least the prior 60 days at the time of release of the Adventure Pack. Station Access includes all SOE-published games for $21.99 per month.
The preceding text comes from the official SOE press release found here.
Comments
Imagine the adventure.Thats right folks for only 4.99.SOE needs to get a clue.When will they stop nickel and diming its player base?Have they EVER had a free expansion?
City of Heroes has had 3 so far.All free and added content that brings even more to the game itself.
EQ2 is the worst.I played this game for a week and it was the biggest waste of 40 bucks ive ever spent on a game.I truly wish i had listened to my inner voice( you know the one that tells ya to clean your guns and prepare)on this but i thought id give it a try anyway.
Now here come the expansions.I dont get it the same world all over again and the players are paying for it ALL OVER AGAIN.
Want to ENJOY an mmo?
Dont start a guild and dont be a leader or volunteer to be coleader or captain.
Just play the damn game:)
... jesus.. once again, SOE proves they are the -worst- company of all.. the Shinra of FF7.
As some things can be right and useless, can't some things be wrong and priceless? -Viktor Suikoden I
EDIT: Ooops, misread something.. from the email; never mind.. ^ still applies though
Not to put too fine a point on it, but it seems like everyone complains about paying for anything. Consider the following:
1) You don't have to buy it.
2) It costs $4.99
3) Game companies want and NEED to make money
4) Games need to continually sustain and grow the player base, new content is one way of doing that.
Personally I think it is an brilliant idea. I mean come on 5 bucks is cheap to the consumer but it would generate substantial capital for pushing the project forward. I for one say bravo!
I am not referring to anyone in this thread, I REPEAT, I am not pointing to anyone in this thread...but I am sick and tired of cry-babies
wanting free games, et cetera. My personal favorite type of poster here (AGAIN NO reference to those in this thread) are people who play beta after beta but refuse to (shudder at the thought) actually pay for a game. This has twisted their perspectives. I rarely get in betas but I bet these are the same folks who start out fan-boys for a game through beta, then as soon as it goes live, trashes it.
MMOs would do themselves a service by more carefully separating the wheat from the chaff when it comes to testers. Mind you, there are tons of great testers, I am just fed up with this "whats in it for me" attitude that some folks have.
I am in no way referring to anyone in this thread regarding my complaints. I am just expressing my views on the "culture" of this website and MMO gaming in general.
Anthrorob
http://onlinerpggames.blogspot.com/
This is ridiculous. Your paying $15 a month to begin with. Other companies mangage to handle day-to-day service as well as new content based on the monthly fees.
There are other games that charge for content but have no monthly fee.
SOE feels the need to do both.
Sure $5 is chump change.....but the players have already payed it. The monthly fee seems to work fine advancing other games along. "You dont have to buy it"? You already bought it. But now theres a sur-charge.
EQ2 is also adding game content. They just added two dungeons. In addition to that, they are trying to do these OPTIONAL mini-expansions (like the one that costs $5.) I never thought I would be defending SOE but here I am...
And as for games that have no monthly fee...I haven't played any of them. Who are they? I imagine there are still some MUDs out there for free too. Do these games compare to EQ2, WoW, CoH or DAoC?
Anthrorob
http://onlinerpggames.blogspot.com/
As some things can be right and useless, can't some things be wrong and priceless? -Viktor Suikoden I
Wow, hats off to SOE for once again proving to us all just how worthless and unethical they can be. THIS is the precise reason why I don't play any of their games. I hope you like buttsex, because SOE seems to be in a downward spiral on the "charge you for everything" path. I can see it already, in a few months, they're gonna start charging you guys by the minute rather than monthly. Enjoy, and know that you people are the sole reason this shitty company thinks they can get away with this sort of stuff.
Otto!
I'm looking for some friends that I lost contact with over the years...
EQ: Horlain (Firiona Vie)
DAOC: Kaizur (Guinevere)
Otto!
I'm looking for some friends that I lost contact with over the years...
EQ: Horlain (Firiona Vie)
DAOC: Kaizur (Guinevere)
Once again, more fuel for the fire from SOE, and more to add to my list of why I will NEVER buy an SOE product again. Just gotta love when corporations get a hold of entertainment...makes you wonder what world they are living in....oh....that's right....its all about money. bah.....
and for those who say "well they need to make money to give us games" I still know tons of people who will never play mmorpgs just BECAUSE you have to pay a monthly fee. Personally I dont mind a monthly fee, but don't you dare try to capitalize on that, specially when the games has tons of bugs still. Its like paying a new car price for a used car.
Seriously, content is suppose to be added to keep you paying your monthly subs. WTHF are they thinking? I have never payed to play any of SOE games. And I will never cause of this. Its funny that I thought having to pay for expansions was bad, now small fees for ever little content they come up with, Frag them.
Well, I could actually agree with this if we weren't already paying $15 a month to SOE. That money should be for additional content and services on a monthly basis. Adventure Packs is just another way to bleed more money from the consumers. It's a brilliant idea if you are SOE. The main problem I have with Adv. Pack is they are giving 1/2 the content away for FREE and the other 1/2 you have to pay the $4.99 for. So if you are playing in an Adv. Pack dungeon area and 1/2 your group has the FULL version and the other half only has 1/2 the Adv Pack, what happens? The group can't continue through the content. That ISN'T a brilliant idea. It's lame.
People get a taste of the content and is forced to buy the pack to complete the quests or instant dungeon. It's a bad idea. They shouldn't release 1/2 the content to subscribers. 
They should have just stuck with the regular expansion packs.
Xander
Xander
If you look at how much a game such as EQ2 makes, they really don't need to make more.
1) You pay 50 dollars to buy it. If 200,000 (example number for demo purposes) people buy the game that is $10,000,000 made one-time
2) Each player pays approx. $15/month. That is $180 per year per player. If you have 200,000 players that is $36,000,00 made PER year, not one-time fee.
How much money do companies need to make? If they treat the "Action packs" as monthly updates that will add $60 per year to the bill. Again, with a player base of 200,000 that results in 12,000,000. Does that not seem a bit excessive? And then add in the inevitable expansion packs, and you are talking about a lot of serious money.
That's the main reason why I don't have any games on SOE. They do some half-decent things, but it seems they'd rather make a profit then make me feel like I'm getting my money's worth. But it all comes down to the fact they charge what people will pay. Same with everything. They charge enough so people will complain, but still buy/play.
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[quote]Originally posted by cooldevo
[b]
Originally posted by anthrorob
3) Game companies want and NEED to make money
If you look at how much a game such as EQ2 makes, they really don't need to make more.
1) You pay 50 dollars to buy it. If 200,000 (example number for demo purposes) people buy the game that is $10,000,000 made one-time
2) Each player pays approx. $15/month. That is $180 per year per player. If you have 200,000 players that is $36,000,00 made PER year, not one-time fee.
How much money do companies need to make? If they treat the "Action packs" as monthly updates that will add $60 per year to the bill. Again, with a player base of 200,000 that results in 12,000,000. Does that not seem a bit excessive? And then add in the inevitable expansion packs, and you are talking about a lot of serious money.
That's the main reason why I don't have any games on SOE. They do some half-decent things, but it seems they'd rather make a profit then make me feel like I'm getting my money's worth. But it all comes down to the fact they charge what people will pay. Same with everything. They charge enough so people will complain, but still buy/play. [/quote]
Precisely, and these people have no one to blame but themselves for the ever-rising prices of MMO's due to their inability to step away from their pathetic addiction and say, "Fuck this, enough is enough."
Otto!
I'm looking for some friends that I lost contact with over the years...
EQ: Horlain (Firiona Vie)
DAOC: Kaizur (Guinevere)
Otto!
I'm looking for some friends that I lost contact with over the years...
EQ: Horlain (Firiona Vie)
DAOC: Kaizur (Guinevere)
Well, I could actually agree with this if we weren't already paying $15 a month to SOE. That money should be for additional content and services on a monthly basis. Adventure Packs is just another way to bleed more money from the consumers. It's a brilliant idea if you are SOE. The main problem I have with Adv. Pack is they are giving 1/2 the content away for FREE and the other 1/2 you have to pay the $4.99 for. So if you are playing in an Adv. Pack dungeon area and 1/2 your group has the FULL version and the other half only has 1/2 the Adv Pack, what happens? The group can't continue through the content. That ISN'T a brilliant idea. It's lame.
People get a taste of the content and is forced to buy the pack to complete the quests or instant dungeon. It's a bad idea. They shouldn't release 1/2 the content to subscribers. 
They should have just stuck with the regular expansion packs.
Xander
I agree 100 %. Right now I do play EQ2. But when a company starts serperating its player base. Someone needs a foot in thier ass who thought of this idea. Big time BS. IF they wanted to do it right. Charge $29.99 for a expansion with these things in it. $15.00 is enought, dont nikcle and dime me. And dont say , i dont have to buy it. If 50% of my guild has it, and I don't . I either have to buy it to play with them, or don't play it and not get then good loot. Stupid Idea SOE.
From what I understand (and I may be wrong)...
The adventure pack will be released 2 X a year.
The adventure packs don't introduce new dungeons but various extended quests in existing dungeons and zones...
New dungeons were just made available for free in EQ2
They plan 1 to 2 expansions a year on top of adventure packs.
And as for the 15 bucks a month. That is to maintain service, hardware, et cetera.
So, while I find them inventing new ways to take peoples money distasteful, I gotta give 'em props for thinking of it (from a business perspective.)
Well,
thats all.
Anthrorob
http://onlinerpggames.blogspot.com/
Wow, the number of people that have a problem with paying for something. Do you know that after you pay for a car you have to continue buying gas! The nerve! Or how about paying for license plate renewal, I can't believe that isn't considered part of the cost of the car.
It's not like this is required as is a motor vehicle, this is a form a entertainment and well like it or not boys & girls, entertainment items are NEVER free.
Frankly, I am fine with you folks not playing EQ2, you are so cheap you probably wouldn't buy anything from the broker anyway.
So much for the adventure packs being so wonderful. I guess enough people didnt' want to pay extra for something we were already paying for so they scrapped that horrible idea. Of course, now they have the Cash Shop but at least content isn't buried in it.
Necropowers +1
Wow, people complain now that employees don't work for free? Helloooo? Welcome to the real world.
How childish can one be to attack a company for - gasp - wanting actual real money for their products! Gosh!
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert