Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
EverQuest II: Fallen Dynasty: First Look
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
Carolyn Koh got up close with "Fallen Dynasty", the newest adventure pack for EverQuest II. Check out this report that she gathered in the days leading up to its launch this week.
;) The Fallen Dynasty is the 3rd Adventure Pack offered by EverQuest2 and as the others before it, advances an aspect of the Lore of Norrath. An Adventure Pack provides players with additional content a low price. This particular Adventure Pack provides more than just additional content as it raises the level cap of players who did not purchase either of the first two expansions, Desert of Flame or Kingdom of Sky, to level 55.
A large group of media representatives from various fan sites were given a tour on Friday, June 9th. I went along and had a refresher of the areas shown at E3 in May. It was still a fun experience given a different tour guide. Ryan Blackguard Shwayder, Community Manager, and Joel Raijinn Sasaki, Community Relations Rep. did a stellar job considering the lack of immunity flags, trains and multiple deaths both theirs as well as tour participants. |
To read the full report click here.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
You know, there's one thing I like about Everquest II over the other newer MMO's. I like the way it kinda just drops you in there and let's you figure things out. Yes, there is more hand holding for players than in the original Everquest, but it seems they struck a good balance in EQ2.
I don't want a game that is too easy. I kind of like discovering things on my own. And this new adventure pack provides that. I can see where some people would get frustrated having to figure things out, but when you do it on your own it's just more fun. To me at least.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
This one is technically an Adventure Pack rather than an Expansion. Expansions in EQII are much larger, and cost a lot more. This Adventure Pack is cheaper than a movie ticket, and has less content than a full Expansion but more than a lot of players expected from an AP (Adventure Packs are normally a bit smaller than this one).
I dont like the fact that you have to keep buying more and more from Sony just to keep up with their game. You already are paying a monthly subscription fee. I think anyone who keeps dropping money on expansions, adventure packs or whatever they feel like calling them is an idiot.
Think about it this way. You can buy the entire game online for about 20-25 bucks. This adventure pack is going for just over 7 bucks. So your basically paying half the price of the going rate for a full game for JUST the adventure pack. So youre willing to pay that because you bored of EQ II without the help of adventure packs? Well, drop another 10-15 dollars and buy an ENTIRE NEW GAME.
Preferably from a company that doesnt drain your wallet---- just because they can.
Well then Idiot I am. My family and I, kids ranging in age from 12 -17 as well as us the parents are in the Station Pass. For one monthly fee, my entire family plays and plays different games. Instead of 4 or 5 different monthly fees, I have one. Since we are Station Pass, we do not pay for any adventure packs and still enjoy the perks that a $7 adventure pack gives (as well as ingame perks for being a SP member). Since not all the games are quite "right" for my younger ones and the older ones can play EQ2 or EQ1, its good for all of us.
Paying for expansions is all part of the game in the mmo world. By the time the expansion comes out, my toons are usually ready to go at it. Instead of a full priced game, I get a little more with an ongoing toon and dont have to do the grinding, leveling , etc etc I would if I spent another $40 on another game and another $$ to get the expansions they offered, and still have the grind and leveling from scratch.
Alot of other companies pull the same crap with expansions, dont just label out SOE. (Mythic Entertainment comes to mind very quickly)
Nah, I will stay comfortably in my idiocy. Its a good value for my entire family.
Who are you to permit yourself to call other people idiot only because they don't think or do things like you ?
People do what they want with the money they have.
Try to open and enlarge your mind a little bit and think that maybe people play Eq2 because they enjoy it and because of that they also enjoy to buy AP and extension regardless what it cost and what or who is SOE.
I dont play many MMO's? Yeah you're right! I mean, Everquest2, WOW, City of Heros, City of Villians, SWG, DAoC...... you're right I dont play much at all. Woah! you must be psychic.
No but seriously, I played everquest 2 for quite a while, I'm not bashing the game so chill, I'm bashing the company.
Call me crazy------- but I perfer my MMO's without the raping that Sony seems to be so pro at. I'm sorry to inform you but that game has costed people more then all the MMO's I just named off put together.
Go ahead and argue but I'm personally done throwing my hard earned money at a heartless, money-grubbing corporate powerhouse
Daniellewhateveryournameis -
Actually you weren't just bashing SOE but also the people that buy the extras as idiots - thanks - cause you just included me in that bunch.
I'd love to take a look at your purchases this past month to see where you slipped up and paid $7.00 for something I wouldn't so that I can call you an idiot - honestly where do you get off? People pay money for something that they like doing - get over it. If you don't like it don't do it - but don't whine if other people do.
And another thing (this is too fun
) SOE is a money making business (just like every other gaming company out there) not some non-profit charitable organization - they don't have a gun to your head forcing you to buy anything so stop with the drama.
(This message has been brought to you by The Organization to Stop Whining Concerning Nothing Council- have a nice day
)
Listen guys.
All I'm saying is that out of ALL the MMOs I have ever played, I have NEVER felt like I've HAD to pay extra for expansions to keep up with a game.
EXCEPT with EQ2.
To me that says something about the company that's running it. I mean even Blizzard puts out free expansions (most the time). Hate to say it, but EQ could learn a bit from WOW :X
This is your only personnal experience, this can never be a generalization to all players.
To buy or not an extension or an ad.pack is not a mandatory requirement from SOE. It is the custimer free choice. I know people playing EQ2 and who don't have buy all extensions or ad.pack and they are happy with their game as it is and we play together without any problems in part of the world we are in common.
I played DAOC and it was working the exact same way than with Eq2 ... every 6 months an extention was out for about 30 eurso and you have to pay to get new pieces of world , new characteristics, new weapons etc... Wat is the difference with SOE or every other compgnies ? The goal of these companies is to make monye , not to be philantropic structure.... if you are disagree with this system, you should not play any kind of commercial game !
Danielle - Wow you are soooo right you have convinced me - what was I thinking? SOE forgot to add all of that free content when they were adding the 24 HUGE updates they have created since launch
Spend a couple of hours and read through the patch notes and then come back here to tell me they haven't added as much or more free content to EQ2 since launch.
The point is - why do you feel the need to come to a board and criticize people or a company when you aren't even playing that game? (it makes you look bored and bitter) Back off and let people have fun with what they want to have fun with.
Every company does some things better than others - I see SOE has innovative in terms of coming up with a way to provide more content at a cheap price (for gosh sakes we are talking about $7.00 - I can't even go to one movie for 2 hours with that)- with all of the free content and the amount of content in the expansions they would never need to put out an adventure pack and there would still be plenty to do - but the adventure packs provide something many companies out there dont - massive amounts of cheap content which is completely optional - it's all about the fun. If you don't see the value in bonus content at a cheap price then you are missing the point of why so many people are happy with the adventure packs.
Honestly - I wish you the best of luck with whatever you are playing
#1-------- A patch is not an expansion.
#2-------- I HAVE played EQ2. Fun game.
#3-------- I hate having to buy all this extra stuff just so I can play with the people in my guild. Yeah sure you are not forced with a gun to your head to buy the expansions, but if you dont- all your friends pass you up, you can't max out your level like they can, you cant go the same places they can, they get beter rewards......the list goes on.
It's like paying an admission to get into an amusment park, then paying for every hour that you are there , and THEN paying extra if you actually want to ride any of the new rides.
But you guys are right. That's totally fair.
1. We weren't talking about expansions (this thread is about adventure packs and free content vs extra content - it's ok I get confused sometimes too) - were you reading the post you replied to? (by the way since you mentioned that WOW gave out free expansions - which expansions have they given out for free again? - went to their website to educate myself (since you brought up WOW) but didn't find any free expansions like you were talking about - I did find 10 what you call "patches" like the 24 that EQ2 has put out - is that what you were talking about?.
2. Never said you hadn't played EQ2 - you stated that before - why would I write that you hadn't when you said you had? You said you aren't playing now - my point is you are criticizing something you aren't playing currently (unless you are now because you renewed your subscription because you realized how right I am hehe *warm fuzzies*
)
3. I'm sorry that you hate to pay for things - that's the way life is - if we lived in a socialist society all the adventure packs would be free - but then again we probably wouldn't be getting any because there would be no reason (or funds) to put out more content. If I follow your line of thinking any company that charges money for expansions (to get more levels, rewards, or new areas) is raping their subscribers - well I guess that's a majority of the MMO companies out there that have the most popular games - sounds like you're gonna get stuck playing Guild Wars, oh wait no, um runescape (does that even have expansions?).
And actually it's like buying a cell phone, you buy the phone, get the service - the extra features cost more (you don't have to get them but they are there if you want to) - man I better get to the Cingular site to see your post on charging for extra features - I can't wait!
YOU were the one who mentioned patches in your previous post.
I never said other games give out everything for free. Of course they make you pay for extra expansions SOMETIMES (key word here). EQ2 does it at least 90% of the time.
Cmon-- admit my comparing EQ2 to an amusement park was much better then the cell phone reference you made.
Thanks for the compliment!
I wrote about the 24 patches (read free content releases) that EQ2 had put out because I had to assume you were talking about the free updates "patches" that both EQ2 and WOW put out - because unfortunately you hadn't provided any information concerning the WOW expansions that you said were free? - did you happen to figure out which ones those were? (please feel free to back up your statement about free WOW expansions any time now)
Actually SOE makes you pay for expansions 100% of the time (as does almost every other MMORPG) - you just happen to be ignoring the huge amounts of free content they have given out to this point as well. You are also ignoring the fact that adventure packs are completely extra content - they aren't based in common areas, they don't allow you access to more lvls - it's just cheap fun content (completely not needed) - you pay for premium items everywhere else in the world - why is this different in eq2?
Examples: first class airline, faster computer connection, more cable channels, biggie size meals, amusement parks in my area have a pay more wait less feature to by-pass lines, (the adventure packs are add-ons just like every thing in this list - not necessary - but a premium feature that you can pay for if you like)
So when it all boils down - if you don't want to pay - don't - and don't bash people who do because they are having fun and don't bash companies for doing a good job doing what they were meant to do which is make money
and about the amusement parks - not really
Name one other company besides SOE that charges for content updates please. CoH/CoV? Nope...those are free, they are called Issues. DDO is doing massive content upgrades for free. WoW puts in new dungeons and such for free, Saga of Ryzom's "Ring", which is an expansion in and of itself is also free.
I could go on and on about this. Point is, almost every other company out there only charges for Expansions, not content updates. That should be free. SOE is a money grubbing POS company that can't stop changing their games completely over and over until they alienate their entire player base. But hey, whatever works for ya.
Joined 2004 - I can't believe I've been a MMORPG.com member for 20 years! Get off my lawn!
EQ2 also has "free" content. Understand that clearly. This is in addition to that.
As a side note none of this is really free since you pay a monthly fee.
http://www.greycouncil.org/
Oh god - this is getting tedius.
In response to those who continue to say that we don't get free content upgrades:
The 24 Live Updates that I was talking about earlier - yeah - that's all free content (included in your subscription cost) - including new dungeons, items, quests, pvp, clothing etc...etc.. etc... They may be called "Issues" or whatever in another game - but it's the same thing - free content
FREE FREE FREE
(maybe if I capitalize it you will understand) - you all just don't get it - we have it good in EQ2 - not only do we get all of those HUGE FREE updates (24 since launch - I feel like I have to keep saying it) - but we ALSO get expansions AND adventure packs (it's like the game content gods smiled down on us and said - my children - content is now coming out of your arses - be happy and prosper) 
and guess what - we are! 
Yeah...i don't like EQ2 mostly i tought that they would have good graphics instead i got thease hard to run washed out...same looking terain graphics, but of course you might think game play over graphics and well things are hard to read being, a caster can be vary combersum at times and they kinda just noobed that game down from what it waz before. As for wow i can understand everything the graphics are not washed out (They are ugly)
,But wows pvp sux and there inablilty to come out with new patches to fix content unlike Soe with acutally takes care of there games and doesn't wait two years for a an expansion not just that wow also has this issue with making there classes do the opposite of what they are implemented to do. For example.....look shadow priest,furry warriors and enhancement shamans make the game well....gay pve wise EQ2 has different different classes to do that kind of stuff. I mean you don't see a fury guardian. so yeah witch do i think is better..none!
I would rather play SWG emu pre CU or see what warhammer online or stargate worlds is like i think bolth games are a waste of 15 dollars per month. so yeah thats what i think.
Wow- 56 priest
EQ2 32 swashbuckler