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I just don't like their vision these days I guess. I'm not in their industry, though I am a decision influencer of a service side sales in support of also providing the base product. We've done crazy things to entice people to react a certain way or perform a certain manuever to benefit us in a situation or marketing move. I understand their intention. What I don't understand is the execution of their plan. It's pitiful, and it shows their desperation. We here on the fourms have a better vision and model for what should be doing than the people there running the show... and we are only the end users of the product, with a couple of ins. We already know their warped mentality of trying to pick and choose who and what they feel is appropriate. I don't understand why they continue to screw up. Every action they take these days are wrong. It's creating a domino affect... and at the worst timing they could have. #1 You're getting flanked by a pissed off group of people that have nothing better to do than to see what they can do to destroy your reputation and your game. #2 You have a continous up front pressure from the current base who continues to push for balance, new, fresh and innovative content. #3 You have the users on the fence.....sitting digesting this....and all the time, in the background....understanding that they can easily jump ship to a number of alternatives. There are 2 games upcoming very shortly. These games are mutations of successful MMORPGs and have extensive experience and case study scenerios to have learned from. This is not a time where SOE should be doing anything but pushing to sustain their playerbase. There used to be a time when their focus was not to lose their players...WoW was overpowering.... I believe they probably lost that fight. This next shift of focus is detrimental. This time they are in a vulnerable sitatuation with 2 gems up and coming... I just don't think they'll survive this attack.
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Dardore wrote:There are 2 games upcoming very shortly. These games are mutations of successful MMORPGs and have extensive experience and case study scenerios to have learned from. This is not a time where SOE should be doing anything but pushing to sustain their playerbase.
There used to be a time when their focus was not to lose their players...WoW was overpowering.... I believe they probably lost that fight. This next shift of focus is detrimental. This time they are in a vulnerable sitatuation with 2 gems up and coming... I just don't think they'll survive this attack. Do you think the number of current eq2 subscribers that were planning to try the Agency has significantly decreased due to the LFG drama?
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If that question was pertained to me.....No, not at all... I don't think LFG is an influence enough to be able to manipulate anyone but who he attracts... and I think we've been pretty blatant about who that is, even in a concentrated effort to do that. I am not sure where that specific question comes from. I do think AoC and Warhammer are influences though. I didn't think much about The Agency's impact on the game. In fact, I didn't take it into consideration at all personally. Maybe I should have. Do I think The Agency's introduction will deter people from EQ2?....well I think as far as SOE is concerned, that would be acceptable. At least they would not be losing players to another subscribing company...at least it would stay in the family. It would also increase the number of Station Players accounts...something I am sure they snicker at everytime a sucker clicks on that subscription.
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Dardore wrote:If that question was pertained to me.....No, not at all... I don't think LFG is an influence enough to be able to manipulate anyone but who he attracts... and I think we've been pretty blatant about who that is, even in a concentrated effort to do that. I am not sure where that specific question comes from. Ya i agree that the LFG drama isn't cause people to leave the game. The majorty of the people who post on the eq2flames forums are either players who really enjoy the hardcore side of the game or people who have allready quit. LFG drama will not cause though who enjoy the hardcore side of the game quit, and won't make those who have left come back. BUT it will cause new players who haven't played Everquest 2 avoid the game. Back when eq2 came out, there was a ton of bad press, and a ton of people avoided trying the game, even up to this day! When EoF came out that finally started to change, enough blogger, and people trying it out for the first time and saying pretty good things about it. And the effect of that were when RoK came out the number of people who have bought the game, came back or started the game for the first time was huge. And over all most people continued to give Eq2 good reviews, and more new players were trying it. This new drama totally undermines the gains that EQ2 had been making and recements the negative opinion a lot of potential players would have about Eq2 and SoE. But it not LFG/eq2flames fault for that either. The fault is pretty much on SoE. SoE could of easily kept LFG in the program. Since Grimwell said in his letter that he was not or they were not communicating he was not wasting any resources, since he wasn't using any. And essentially if they gave him a tour of high end raid/group zone and an exclusivity now and then he'd probably be happy.
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wraith808 wrote:houchicouchiman wrote:This is just proof that devs should only be allowed to play on test. I know someone is going to chime in and say they should be able to pay their money and play like others....to that I say shananagians.....they are employees and are bound by sweepstakes rules. Why? It's not like you're really *getting* anything. I think there need to be boundaries, i.e. they won't raid stuff first and deny people unique drops, but I think they need to play the game in a real environment- how motivated are you going to be to play something day in and out that you can't interact with 'real' people on? How are they going to find the things that actually do make it into production, and see people's points about what playing with certain things in production are like? The issue I have is these Devs get to be friends with people they play with. Before you know it they are handing out strats and looking the other way when their friends are using exploits. I had a good friend who was a bartender at a local bar when I was in college. At first my draft beer cost the usual. Then I noticed I would give him a five dollar bill and I would get five ones for change and 2 beers. It didnt happen over night but it happened. Let me tell you I never went to any other bar...or passed organic chemistry for that fact. Once the line is crossed its gone forever. Aerlik crossed the line for every dev in the game and now all dev activity is suspect IMO. I dont care if they play on test but anything else is cheating. I would bet 100 dollars none of them leveled their toons like the rest of us. Shananagans I say!!!!!!!!!!
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houchicouchiman wrote:...or passed organic chemistry for that fact. LOL. Thanks for the great laugh.
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houchicouchiman wrote:
The issue I have is these Devs get to be friends with people they play with. Before you know it they are handing out strats and looking the other way when their friends are using exploits. I had a good friend who was a bartender at a local bar when I was in college. At first my draft beer cost the usual. Then I noticed I would give him a five dollar bill and I would get five ones for change and 2 beers. It didnt happen over night but it happened. Let me tell you I never went to any other bar...or passed organic chemistry for that fact. Once the line is crossed its gone forever. Aerlik crossed the line for every dev in the game and now all dev activity is suspect IMO. I dont care if they play on test but anything else is cheating. I would bet 100 dollars none of them leveled their toons like the rest of us. Shananagans I say!!!!!!!!!!
There should be strict guidelines as I said- like no free beer. And if they give free beer- or free strats- they should be fired for crossing the line. Same as any other job. And as far as leveling, I don't think there should be those requirements- how does it hurt us as players? As long as they don't get any rewards for it, i.e. unique drops, it shouldn't really matter and might be necessary. I know as a developer I hear too many times, "you can't test on production" but can't reproduce it on test. Sometimes you *have* to test in production. But just like I don't change anything permanently when I do, they should adhere to the same restrictions.
My task is done/My song has ceased/My theme has died into an echo/It is fit.  
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If those strict guidelines existed I would be okay with dev play. Problem is there seems to be no accountability. Look at the whole situation where that guild was moved from test to a live server. Who got the axe. Who is on the bread line I ask. Probably no one. And if some did get the axe why not let the community know that the person who violated their trust is no longer an SOE employee. Seems that the SOE managament is too touchy feely. I manage approx 100 intense people. I learned early in my management experience that I am not there to be peoples friend. I am there to run the show. People step out of line they know I will react accordingly up to and including terminating them on the spot. When employees steal it time for them to go. Having you friends moved from test to live is stealing. SOE was paying someone to do a job and having that person transfer your friends instead is stealing his time. Also the whole situation with the exiles on pvp is just getting nauseating. I mean please could they be any more obvious?
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