Uhm, no, I am not going to pay for a free trial to try a game out. Virtually every MMOG in existance offers one. Oddly enough when I do a search for a free trial for EQ2 I am pointed to EQ2X... weird. If EQ2X was not intended then to attract new players to EQ2 then what is it for? To make yet more players run the hell away from SOE products? If so it's working as intended... and as for wanting to play a quality MMOG for free, they exist, and frankly do a much better job with not only the game design in general but attracting people to pay money to play. I can clearly see that the EQ regulars have their heads firmly implanted into the sand, so I'm all done here. I just wanted to state my opinion of EQ2X and my hope that they do a better job with it than they currently are...
------------------------- "Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
You're right ....EQ2 ISN'T free to play and SoE always SAID it never WOULD be.
Semantics.
EQ2X is free to play. They are NOT the same no matter HOW MUCH anyone would try to say they are. I'm not talking out my ass here. I've played EQ2 for 5 years and I played in the subscriber beta for EQ2X. NOT THE SAME GAME. PERIOD.
I've played EQ2 since launch, EQ2X is the exact same game, offering the exact same content.
The ONLY differences are that EQ2X features a Marketplace that allows you to buy statted gear and all sorts of goodies that would never be sold for real world cash on Live, and the fact that EQ2X costs a boatload more to get any enjoyment from than EQ2 Live does.
Also, I think you meant Subscriber Alpha, there was no subscriber Beta. Beta went live when 2X was released to the public. I participated in the Alpha, so I am speaking from personal experience.
You said it exactly right. If you want to try EQ2, you're going to have to pay the 15 bucks to try it. That's just the way it is. UNLESS, of course, SoE pulls some other crap outta their sleeve. As much as I hate that damn company for some of the stupid shit they do....I, unfortunately, love EQ2. But that's just me. :P
Completely untrue.
You can play on 2X as a Bronzie with no problem, it is more than robust enough for a new player to get an idea of how the game will proceed.
Will it be as fun as it would be if you were a Gold or Plat level member? No, however, it is completely doable and much better than a free trial that is time or level limited.
OP comfirmed everything I saw on that matrix/graph of greed and the petition part is hilarious, subcription/RMT issues are the only things free accounts can petition about. SOE went crazy with the restrictions.
Uhm, no, I am not going to pay for a free trial to try a game out. Virtually every MMOG in existance offers one. Oddly enough when I do a search for a free trial for EQ2 I am pointed to EQ2X... weird. If EQ2X was not intended then to attract new players to EQ2 then what is it for? To make yet more players run the hell away from SOE products? If so it's working as intended... and as for wanting to play a quality MMOG for free, they exist, and frankly do a much better job with not only the game design in general but attracting people to pay money to play. I can clearly see that the EQ regulars have their heads firmly implanted into the sand, so I'm all done here. I just wanted to state my opinion of EQ2X and my hope that they do a better job with it than they currently are...
There were several opportunities to do a trial of EQ2 before the F2P version was announced. Its not like its a new game, its been around quite awhile.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
Uhm, no, I am not going to pay for a free trial to try a game out. Virtually every MMOG in existance offers one. Oddly enough when I do a search for a free trial for EQ2 I am pointed to EQ2X... weird. If EQ2X was not intended then to attract new players to EQ2 then what is it for? To make yet more players run the hell away from SOE products? If so it's working as intended... and as for wanting to play a quality MMOG for free, they exist, and frankly do a much better job with not only the game design in general but attracting people to pay money to play. I can clearly see that the EQ regulars have their heads firmly implanted into the sand, so I'm all done here. I just wanted to state my opinion of EQ2X and my hope that they do a better job with it than they currently are...
You don't have to pay for a free trial.
EQ2 no longer HAS a free trial. That's really what I'm trying to say here. EQ2X is so gutted and so fucking lame it's no indication of EQ2 whatsoever. But....some people will choose to play it. Whatever.
And to the guy that said it's the same? NO it is not and YES I meant subscirber alpha. It's not the same UNLESS you pay MORE MONEY than what you'd have to pay on the Live servers. Platinum is the only way for the game to be "the same," and still....it costs more AND you're stuck with a pay to win Marketplace. EQ2X is CRAP and, as I said, not the same game, not the same experience. That is unless you want to fork out more money than EQ2 costs to play and live with the kind of changes that a pay to win Marketplace give you. Not the same.
EQ2 no longer has a trial. That's SOE being dumbasses. Not sure why SOE and "dumbass" in the same sentence would be shocking by now.
Not sure how you think I have my head in the sand ?? I see perfectly CLEARLY what those morons at SOE made EQ2X for....MONEY. Which is why MOST "free to play" games are made.
It's like when you go to Vegas and play on the "penny machines." Well those "penny machines" don't cost a penny to play full. They cost EXACTLY the same as the video poker machines. Theyre expensive as hell to play. Free to play games....pretty much the same. They are made by GREEDY companies for the sole purpose, imo....of making extra money. SOE is greedy....is that really NEWS to anyone?? Same as with penny slot machines....they try to make it SOUND like you're going to get something for nothing. It's all psychological bullshit.
EQ2X isn't that much different from the live servers. It just has a stupid pricing structure, but that doesn't mean stupid people will not find their way to using it.
I felt like this is ripping off anyone who tries it. I mean the idea is great, a free to play EQ2 with a pricing structure similar to that of DDO and LOTRO. Too bad it was SoE and they had to screw the pricing structure up to the point where you can't really do anything without paying, and even when you do pay you don't get access to everything, you have to pay more for that. It's kind of bull. But whatever just another game to not play.
Technically, EQ2 Live does still have a free trial: the Recruit-a-Friend program. You have to get an invitation from someone who is already playing the game on the live servers. The restrictions are both like and unlike those on EQ2X. Like: chat restrictions, can't send mail (not sure). Unlike: 14-day limit, 20 level limit (not sure if this is still true), NO limits on storage slots, NO race or class limits, can buy from Broker but not sell. This trial can convert to a standard subscription with all the perks of the Rise of Kunark all-in-one package.
I don't quite get the screwed "pricing structure" that people are complaining about. I thought EQ2X and DDO were about the same in that after you level up to around 40-50(not sure what it is for DDO) you are presented with a problem where continuing to play is going to be much more impracticle unless you subscribe or pay for new content.
I don't quite get the screwed "pricing structure" that people are complaining about. I thought EQ2X and DDO were about the same in that after you level up to around 40-50(not sure what it is for DDO) you are presented with a problem where continuing to play is going to be much more impracticle unless you subscribe or pay for new content.
These two versions of f2p are about as different as you can get:
DDO has no skill/spell restrictions for f2p.
There are no bag restrictions.
The chat has limits on it (so many tells per minute, zone, etc) but not unuseable for f2p.
Sending mail to others is limited but not unuseable,
The broker in DDO is restricted for f2p people but not unuseable at all like in EQ2X.
There are dungeons that have to be purchased. Technically since you can create players on different servers there are those that argue you can accrue enough points to buy the packages you want without spending a dime. Not sure why anyone would want to do this unless they love running through the same content over and over. But the ability to do so or do it as much as you would want to exists to acquire free points.
About the only ways they are similar is there is content that has to be purchased in both games, they have a cash shop, your coin amount is limited per level, and there are certain races/classes that are bought separately.
P2P EQ2 is a lot better than P2P DDO (mainly for content) but when comparing the f2p versions DDO is way better and a lot more accessible.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
I can agree with the full bags thing, it is completely annoying. But so far the free version of this game isn't bad. The graphics aren't great but it runs really fast and smooth, so not really a complaint there. This is actually a pretty good game for those that don't want to spend any money.
I don't quite get the screwed "pricing structure" that people are complaining about. I thought EQ2X and DDO were about the same in that after you level up to around 40-50(not sure what it is for DDO) you are presented with a problem where continuing to play is going to be much more impracticle unless you subscribe or pay for new content.
These two versions of f2p are about as different as you can get:
DDO has no skill/spell restrictions for f2p.
There are no bag restrictions.
The chat has limits on it (so many tells per minute, zone, etc) but not unuseable for f2p.
Sending mail to others is limited but not unuseable,
The broker in DDO is restricted for f2p people but not unuseable at all like in EQ2X.
There are dungeons that have to be purchased. Technically since you can create players on different servers there are those that argue you can accrue enough points to buy the packages you want without spending a dime. Not sure why anyone would want to do this unless they love running through the same content over and over. But the ability to do so or do it as much as you would want to exists to acquire free points.
About the only ways they are similar is there is content that has to be purchased in both games, they have a cash shop, your coin amount is limited per level, and there are certain races/classes that are bought separately.
P2P EQ2 is a lot better than P2P DDO (mainly for content) but when comparing the f2p versions DDO is way better and a lot more accessible.
Ok, but at what point will you start to run out of free content? when do you need to buy more adventure packs to keep playing without doing a lot of repeatables?
Your inventory problem was pretty simple, all you needed to do was open your character screen and remove the item from the 'overflow' box and you're golden. I
I can see getting frustrated over something like that, in the P2P version you likely would have just asked in one of the many channels available and received a helpful reply in seconds. $10 buys all those chat channels in EQ2-X but I think SOE should add /help channels to the totally free Bronze version.
Basically this is a free trial, they seem to have ditched the 14-day trial in favor of this model. Interesting experiment and all but I think they should have named it "Trial' instead of "Extended' to get peeps over this misconception that it's going to be a Turbine item-mall model. Personally I like the concept but don't think it's being presented to players in the best way.
If they want to convert trials into monthly subs a free character xfer would help too.
Your inventory problem was pretty simple, all you needed to do was open your character screen and remove the item from the 'overflow' box and you're golden. I
I can see getting frustrated over something like that, in the P2P version you likely would have just asked in one of the many channels available and received a helpful reply in seconds. $10 buys all those chat channels in EQ2-X but I think SOE should add /help channels to the totally free Bronze version.
Basically this is a free trial, they seem to have ditched the 14-day trial in favor of this model. Interesting experiment and all but I think they should have named it "Trial' instead of "Extended' to get peeps over this misconception that it's going to be a Turbine item-mall model. Personally I like the concept but don't think it's being presented to players in the best way.
If they want to convert trials into monthly subs a free character xfer would help too.
Just wanted to point out to anyone that didn't know, technically they didn't do away with the 14-day trial. They just made it restricted to refer-a-friend only. MMORPG should really sticky a new thread for refer-a-friend passes to people that want to see the full live game for 14-days instead. EQ2X is definitely an extremely "lite" version of EQ2 that barely scratches the surface of how much content there is in the live version. I kinda like EQ2X now because it makes decisions on what to keep or focus on very easy, since you really don't have the inventory or resources to do multiple things at once. Problem is that also really inhibits getting to try out the full experience and freedom of EQ2Live.
Edit: Actually, can someone who has recently used RaF confirm this since EQ2X started? I've seen it advertised multiple places including the official website since EQ2X started, and remember a post at one point from a dev saying it would still be available, so I presumed it continued beyond the release of EQ2X. I have not confirmed it first hand though.
I am a Gold player and I just wanted to put my 2 cents in on what I think. Everquest 2 Extended is not ment to be played free. A player should start out playing for free with a bronze account and if they see that they enjoy the game then they must decide on going silver or going gold. I think they should give Bronze players the abiltiy to see chat. Silver players should have access to broker and Gold gives access to everything.
To everbody saying the game I just want to let you know that the Everquest 2 Extended server is always packed with people everywhere and always on Heavy Status. They are now saying that another server will be opened up soon. I played on Everquest 2 Live before and would never go back afther playing Everquest 2 Extended. Everquest 2 Extended is like a relaunch of Everquest 2. The game looks better, players better and is now finally afther all these years is packed with people. Why play on old servers with low population when you can be playing on a fresh server full of people of all levels running around everywhere doing everything?
Why play on old servers with low population when you can be playing on a fresh server full of people of all levels running around everywhere doing everything?
I think this is why so many long time customers are upset with this new approach to getting new players for EQ2.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the next six months. If servers are still packed full of people of all levels doing everything or if it turns out to be just as top heavy and empty as the live servers are.
I am a Gold player and I just wanted to put my 2 cents in on what I think. Everquest 2 Extended is not ment to be played free. A player should start out playing for free with a bronze account and if they see that they enjoy the game then they must decide on going silver or going gold. I think they should give Bronze players the abiltiy to see chat. Silver players should have access to broker and Gold gives access to everything.
To everbody saying the game I just want to let you know that the Everquest 2 Extended server is always packed with people everywhere and always on Heavy Status. They are now saying that another server will be opened up soon. I played on Everquest 2 Live before and would never go back afther playing Everquest 2 Extended. Everquest 2 Extended is like a relaunch of Everquest 2. The game looks better, players better and is now finally afther all these years is packed with people. Why play on old servers with low population when you can be playing on a fresh server full of people of all levels running around everywhere doing everything?
hmmm Extended is actually pure geniouse from SOE!
Its bascily a nerfed version of the free trial that makes you get a nerfed version of the mothly subscription AND have more things to sell in the item mall + all the old players have to pay $35 to get their chracters to the new service!
And people will buy it because it will be the only populated servers!
Maybe SOE is smarter than we think!
If WoW = The Beatles and WAR = Led Zeppelin Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
I feel that people are taking this way too seriously. I was sure that no one, atleast not on an mmo forum, expects a truly free game when they see the f2p label. We know what to expect and its what we got for the most part. With a f2p game you have to option of playing within its restrictions, use the store or simply find a different game. I have played a bit of EQ2x I think I am somewhere around lvl20 and quite frankly the game is quite fun even with the limitations. If you want a full experiance you have the option...this is one thing that I can honstely say I love. The f2p portion of the game is completely seperate from the monthly sub game.
This version is simply a free trial with the option to spend money and if they like what they see then sub to the game. If people are willing to do that so be it. The best value is to sub and play it the way it was meant to be played. I personally do not think it will work although I do like the idea of keeping the sub servers seperate from the F2P. I suppose there are some folks new to the genre that hasnt tried EQ2 in the past but the game has been around a long time and most know whether they want to play it or not. Of course some will jump for joy at anything free which is being seen in LOTRO. Its amusing to see how many fans that game has now as opposed to when you had to pay a sub fee.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
Comments
Uhm, no, I am not going to pay for a free trial to try a game out. Virtually every MMOG in existance offers one. Oddly enough when I do a search for a free trial for EQ2 I am pointed to EQ2X... weird. If EQ2X was not intended then to attract new players to EQ2 then what is it for? To make yet more players run the hell away from SOE products? If so it's working as intended... and as for wanting to play a quality MMOG for free, they exist, and frankly do a much better job with not only the game design in general but attracting people to pay money to play. I can clearly see that the EQ regulars have their heads firmly implanted into the sand, so I'm all done here. I just wanted to state my opinion of EQ2X and my hope that they do a better job with it than they currently are...
-------------------------
"Searchers after horror haunt strange, far places..." ~ H.P.Lovecraft, "From Beyond"
Member Since March 2004
OP comfirmed everything I saw on that matrix/graph of greed and the petition part is hilarious, subcription/RMT issues are the only things free accounts can petition about. SOE went crazy with the restrictions.
One man's guts are another man's glory.
I actually didn't expect to be Black...
There were several opportunities to do a trial of EQ2 before the F2P version was announced. Its not like its a new game, its been around quite awhile.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
You don't have to pay for a free trial.
EQ2 no longer HAS a free trial. That's really what I'm trying to say here. EQ2X is so gutted and so fucking lame it's no indication of EQ2 whatsoever. But....some people will choose to play it. Whatever.
And to the guy that said it's the same? NO it is not and YES I meant subscirber alpha. It's not the same UNLESS you pay MORE MONEY than what you'd have to pay on the Live servers. Platinum is the only way for the game to be "the same," and still....it costs more AND you're stuck with a pay to win Marketplace. EQ2X is CRAP and, as I said, not the same game, not the same experience. That is unless you want to fork out more money than EQ2 costs to play and live with the kind of changes that a pay to win Marketplace give you. Not the same.
EQ2 no longer has a trial. That's SOE being dumbasses. Not sure why SOE and "dumbass" in the same sentence would be shocking by now.
Not sure how you think I have my head in the sand ?? I see perfectly CLEARLY what those morons at SOE made EQ2X for....MONEY. Which is why MOST "free to play" games are made.
It's like when you go to Vegas and play on the "penny machines." Well those "penny machines" don't cost a penny to play full. They cost EXACTLY the same as the video poker machines. Theyre expensive as hell to play. Free to play games....pretty much the same. They are made by GREEDY companies for the sole purpose, imo....of making extra money. SOE is greedy....is that really NEWS to anyone?? Same as with penny slot machines....they try to make it SOUND like you're going to get something for nothing. It's all psychological bullshit.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
EQ2X isn't that much different from the live servers. It just has a stupid pricing structure, but that doesn't mean stupid people will not find their way to using it.
I felt like this is ripping off anyone who tries it. I mean the idea is great, a free to play EQ2 with a pricing structure similar to that of DDO and LOTRO. Too bad it was SoE and they had to screw the pricing structure up to the point where you can't really do anything without paying, and even when you do pay you don't get access to everything, you have to pay more for that. It's kind of bull. But whatever just another game to not play.
Technically, EQ2 Live does still have a free trial: the Recruit-a-Friend program. You have to get an invitation from someone who is already playing the game on the live servers. The restrictions are both like and unlike those on EQ2X. Like: chat restrictions, can't send mail (not sure). Unlike: 14-day limit, 20 level limit (not sure if this is still true), NO limits on storage slots, NO race or class limits, can buy from Broker but not sell. This trial can convert to a standard subscription with all the perks of the Rise of Kunark all-in-one package.
I don't quite get the screwed "pricing structure" that people are complaining about. I thought EQ2X and DDO were about the same in that after you level up to around 40-50(not sure what it is for DDO) you are presented with a problem where continuing to play is going to be much more impracticle unless you subscribe or pay for new content.
These two versions of f2p are about as different as you can get:
DDO has no skill/spell restrictions for f2p.
There are no bag restrictions.
The chat has limits on it (so many tells per minute, zone, etc) but not unuseable for f2p.
Sending mail to others is limited but not unuseable,
The broker in DDO is restricted for f2p people but not unuseable at all like in EQ2X.
There are dungeons that have to be purchased. Technically since you can create players on different servers there are those that argue you can accrue enough points to buy the packages you want without spending a dime. Not sure why anyone would want to do this unless they love running through the same content over and over. But the ability to do so or do it as much as you would want to exists to acquire free points.
About the only ways they are similar is there is content that has to be purchased in both games, they have a cash shop, your coin amount is limited per level, and there are certain races/classes that are bought separately.
P2P EQ2 is a lot better than P2P DDO (mainly for content) but when comparing the f2p versions DDO is way better and a lot more accessible.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
I can agree with the full bags thing, it is completely annoying. But so far the free version of this game isn't bad. The graphics aren't great but it runs really fast and smooth, so not really a complaint there. This is actually a pretty good game for those that don't want to spend any money.
~Knaple~
I agree with this assessment
personally, DDO will milk you for much more cash if you are willing to spend it (as I know from personal experience)
I do like Turbines model better
but EQ2 does give you access to 5 years worth of adventure content levels 1-80 for FREE
EQ2 fan sites
Ok, but at what point will you start to run out of free content? when do you need to buy more adventure packs to keep playing without doing a lot of repeatables?
Knocking the TC really is awful for so many reasons already listed..
But yeah, unplayble version of the game..
Feel bad for the people that have "per month" download limits on thier ISP's. Giant waist of 12 gig's..
Your inventory problem was pretty simple, all you needed to do was open your character screen and remove the item from the 'overflow' box and you're golden. I
I can see getting frustrated over something like that, in the P2P version you likely would have just asked in one of the many channels available and received a helpful reply in seconds. $10 buys all those chat channels in EQ2-X but I think SOE should add /help channels to the totally free Bronze version.
Basically this is a free trial, they seem to have ditched the 14-day trial in favor of this model. Interesting experiment and all but I think they should have named it "Trial' instead of "Extended' to get peeps over this misconception that it's going to be a Turbine item-mall model. Personally I like the concept but don't think it's being presented to players in the best way.
If they want to convert trials into monthly subs a free character xfer would help too.
Just wanted to point out to anyone that didn't know, technically they didn't do away with the 14-day trial. They just made it restricted to refer-a-friend only. MMORPG should really sticky a new thread for refer-a-friend passes to people that want to see the full live game for 14-days instead. EQ2X is definitely an extremely "lite" version of EQ2 that barely scratches the surface of how much content there is in the live version. I kinda like EQ2X now because it makes decisions on what to keep or focus on very easy, since you really don't have the inventory or resources to do multiple things at once. Problem is that also really inhibits getting to try out the full experience and freedom of EQ2Live.
Edit: Actually, can someone who has recently used RaF confirm this since EQ2X started? I've seen it advertised multiple places including the official website since EQ2X started, and remember a post at one point from a dev saying it would still be available, so I presumed it continued beyond the release of EQ2X. I have not confirmed it first hand though.
I am a Gold player and I just wanted to put my 2 cents in on what I think. Everquest 2 Extended is not ment to be played free. A player should start out playing for free with a bronze account and if they see that they enjoy the game then they must decide on going silver or going gold. I think they should give Bronze players the abiltiy to see chat. Silver players should have access to broker and Gold gives access to everything.
To everbody saying the game I just want to let you know that the Everquest 2 Extended server is always packed with people everywhere and always on Heavy Status. They are now saying that another server will be opened up soon. I played on Everquest 2 Live before and would never go back afther playing Everquest 2 Extended. Everquest 2 Extended is like a relaunch of Everquest 2. The game looks better, players better and is now finally afther all these years is packed with people. Why play on old servers with low population when you can be playing on a fresh server full of people of all levels running around everywhere doing everything?
If a MMO cannot grab a player in a few hours, it has no place in the market.
Plus, i had exactly the same experience. I won't play even if it is a freebie.
I think this is why so many long time customers are upset with this new approach to getting new players for EQ2.
It will be interesting to see how things turn out in the next six months. If servers are still packed full of people of all levels doing everything or if it turns out to be just as top heavy and empty as the live servers are.
That is one of the most stupid statements I have ever seen. Why should it not be on the market just because it did not grab you?
hmmm Extended is actually pure geniouse from SOE!
Its bascily a nerfed version of the free trial that makes you get a nerfed version of the mothly subscription AND have more things to sell in the item mall + all the old players have to pay $35 to get their chracters to the new service!
And people will buy it because it will be the only populated servers!
Maybe SOE is smarter than we think!
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
OMG i cant stop lolling.
People moaning and winging about something FREE!
And I have not read every post but I get the feeling its being compared to NON-FREE games?
Core i5 13600KF, BeQuiet Pure Loop FX 360, 32gb DDR5-6000 XPG, WD SN850 NVMe ,PNY 3090 XLR8, Asus Prime Z790-A, Lian-Li O11 PCMR case (limited ed 1045/2000), 32" LG Ultragear 4k Monitor, Logitech G560 LightSync Sound, Razer Deathadder V2 and Razer Blackwidow V3 Keyboard
I feel that people are taking this way too seriously. I was sure that no one, atleast not on an mmo forum, expects a truly free game when they see the f2p label. We know what to expect and its what we got for the most part. With a f2p game you have to option of playing within its restrictions, use the store or simply find a different game. I have played a bit of EQ2x I think I am somewhere around lvl20 and quite frankly the game is quite fun even with the limitations. If you want a full experiance you have the option...this is one thing that I can honstely say I love. The f2p portion of the game is completely seperate from the monthly sub game.
This version is simply a free trial with the option to spend money and if they like what they see then sub to the game. If people are willing to do that so be it. The best value is to sub and play it the way it was meant to be played. I personally do not think it will work although I do like the idea of keeping the sub servers seperate from the F2P. I suppose there are some folks new to the genre that hasnt tried EQ2 in the past but the game has been around a long time and most know whether they want to play it or not. Of course some will jump for joy at anything free which is being seen in LOTRO. Its amusing to see how many fans that game has now as opposed to when you had to pay a sub fee.
WOW isnt great because it has 12 million players. WOW has 12 million players because its great.
other players .. not just me.
And why would players need to suffer a horrible early game? There are plenty of better entertainment out there.