SOE Live 2012 Day Pass Qualifies for EQ1, EQ2 Expacs, In-Game Items
Here’s one of those things that would have been great to know before SOE Live 2012 Registration closed. 😉
It turns out that attendees of the upcoming SOE Live 2012 who purchased a Day Pass ($40) to attend either Friday or Saturday events in Las Vegas will get not only the EverQuest: Rain of Fear and EverQuest II: Chains of Eternity expansions, but also the in-game items. This is unusual compared to past years where only the $140 All Access Pass option granted said items.
Since the trend today seems to be complaining about free stuff, let’s complain about players ponying up $40 and getting two expansions, in-game items, the SOE Live T-shirt and Goodie Bags. And no this was not an oversight. When Brasse was asked, she replied with:
One day passes get free expansions. On purpose. =)
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Comments (33)
Aelious
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I can’t attend but I would throw in another 10.00 for them to mail the goodies to me lol. I’m already figuring out a way to attend next year. I hope those going have a lot of fun!
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Malade
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Drowning people will throw a lifeline to anyone they can hit.
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Kruzzen
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dang, I would have spent 40 for all that. They better give me a heck of a discount for the xpac coming out., 🙁
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Anaogi
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Ditto that. >:P
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din
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Could you spend the $40, but live overseas and have no intention of attending ? Im with aelious in paying extra to mail it back to me, and its sounds like a very cheap way to get two expansions
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Cyliena
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You could have, but online registration closed already. Now you can only register on-site.
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miragian
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Wouldn’t there already be pre-ordering if they were charging for the expansion? Assuming it’s coming out in a month anyway.
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Avianna
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Here’s one of those things that would have been great to know before SOE Live 2012 Registration closed.
GRRRRR!
BOO! Double BOO!
/EpicFail marketing!
Another Prime example of SOE screwing their customers yet again!
When are they gonna get a clue?
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Ragefighter
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They probably didn’t want 100’s or 1000’s of people buying tickets to the convention while not planning to attend just to get the expansions/items.
I went last year and got the EQ/EQ2 CE expansions. Plus they sold half price game cards at the soe store booth which was pretty awesome. Was an overall enjoyable time!
Maybe if they had a ‘digital ticket’ of some sort next year, along with the ‘physical’ package, which included the expansions and in-game items at a lower cost and maybe came with a few perks like a live chat link to Q&A’s to get a chance to have a question answered. but have the digital only package include no physical items like t-shirt, badge, pass to get into the event, etc.
I would go every year if it was not for the plane tickets!
I would pay a reasonable amount for the whole event in digital form if it came with the bonus stuff (expansion(s) + in-game item(s) and whatever else). Add in a PDF version of the show schedules or just give a URL to an updated schedule. If anything it could probably help better fund the event and even make it possible to have one in a different location.
WTB FanFaire-East!
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Flatley
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Non US citizens rejoice. For the price of a plane ticket, you too could get a freebee expack.
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xedhed
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“They probably didn’t want 100’s or 1000’s of people buying tickets to the convention while not planning to attend just to get the expansions/items.”
Really? They didn’t want people paying MORE than the pre-order price* for the ex-pack and not attending the show? Where’s the downside to more revenue, less people to cater for?
Yes, if they had communicated all the facts before online registration ended, they would have had a LOT more purchases. I was pretty close to getting one just for the merc.
*Of course, if the ex-pack now turns out to be more expensive than $40, or even anything close, there’s gonna be a shitstorm.
This is, of course, typical SOE organisation and foresight.
“Non US citizens rejoice. For the price of a plane ticket, you too could get a freebee expack.”
Er, no. You’d still have to buy a day’s registration which is $40. You could have registered online, for $40, got an ex-pack and a bonus merc – no need for a plane ticket.
But then you’d be complaining about missing out on whatever bonuses they decide to throw into the collector’s edition of the ex-pack. So that has to be something special if it’s more than $40.
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Charn
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Flatley wrote:
Because all US citizens have teleporters they can just step into and we’re there! USA ROCKS!!
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Aeyri
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^^^ This 🙂
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Badfae
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SOE Live is taking place in a physical location. Physical locations have occupancy limits. Therefore, because they cannot exceed the occupancy limit, there is a finite number of tickets they can sell. Even Disney World stops letting people into the park when the occupancy reaches it’s legal limit. SOE didn’t want all the tickets bought up by people who had no intention of going, who just wanted to get something for absolutely nothing. This is a case where SOE is being incredibly generous to the people who care enough to invest their time and money to come (because most people going have to spend more than just the price of admittance).
The idea of a digital package is interesting, maybe something SOE should look into. But to complain that this is “screwing their customers” just because you feel you should be entitled to free stuff is ridiculous.
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Gaealiege
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It was blatant they did not want the information out. You can defend it all you want, but SOE has a history that spans over a decade of idiotic marketing decisions.
Nice try, shill!
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Prrasha
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If they were limiting tickets to what the venue could hold, then they have totally screwed the pooch. Next year, either:
a) all the tickets get bought up by people not planning to attend, in the hopes of getting stuff beyond the ticket’s value, and they get that stuff, but the con is a ghost town, or
b) all the tickets get bought up by people not planning to attend, in the hopes of getting stuff beyond the ticket’s value, and they DON’T get that stuff, and they get royally hacked off, and the con is still a ghost town.
Which of these helps SoE in the slightest? It’s either an epic PR fail or a double epic PR fail. Are they planning to be out of business by this time next year, or not planning to hold a meatspace conference?
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Kwill
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I will never understand the attitude the folks over at SOE demonstrate every time they are called out on some marketing fail. Haha, it’s on purpose! neener! All of us are your customers, and some of us can’t afford to go to SOE Live. Thanks for caring.
I used to go to Fan Faire because it was fun, not because they gave away stuff for free — seems now they have to resort to all the giveaways to get people interested in attending.
I am sure they never considered the implications of announcing this extra perk for $40 when they so gleefully confirmed it.
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Landiin
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What Prrasha said…
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Trueflight
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What airline do you fly? We went from NY to Vegas the last couple of years and it was about $700 a ticket. I couldn’t imagine what euro playes would have to pay for a transatlantic flight. Costs a little more than a free expansion, and that’s not counting hotel, food and other expenses yet.
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Charn
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SOE: “If you come to SOE Live (formerly Fan Faire), even for a day, you’ll get free stuff for showing how much you’re willing to participate.”
Player: “But I can’t go . . . Can I get free stuff, too?”
SOE: “No, this is only for players participating in our Live event.”
Player: “That’s not fair! I have money. I’ll pay for a one-day pass! I want free stuff, too! Why do you even give away free stuff! That’s a marketing nightmare!”
SOE: “It’s to thank those that came to our event and not only bought an event ticket, but paid for airfare, hotel fees, food, lost time or used sick/personal days from work, time away from family, and/or numerous other expenses to join us during our live event.”
Player: “Well SCREW you, then! You SUCK!!”
SOE: “/sigh . . . Maybe we should just cancel the event to avoid headaches.”
SOE, damned if they do, damned if they don’t.
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Feldon
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I’ve paid $1,000-1,200 for EU -> Las Vegas tickets.
It’s about $600 for Eastern US -> Las Vegas from what I have seen.
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Loch
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Wow, there is a WHOLE lot of whining going on here. SOE didn’t have to give the expansion away to that group of customers. All of those players paid to GO TO A CONVENTION. You didn’t.
Do you want the free beers Smedley is giving out at the pool party too? Door prizes? Hell, why don’t they just bring the whole convention to YOUR house next year?
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Gaealiege
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Personally I don’t go to Fan Faires. I play this game for free due to SOE stupidity as usual. That’s the only reason I’m here.
Prrasha however is right on the money as they say. I’m confused by people that define these things as whining. These people are stating they would have paid for the ticket to receive those items had they known. That last part is probably the crux of the observation. Ignorance. Something Sony Online Entertainment is big on promoting.
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Avianna
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Badfae said:
SOE Live is taking place in a physical location. Physical locations have occupancy limits. Therefore, because they cannot exceed the occupancy limit, there is a finite number of tickets they can sell. Even Disney World stops letting people into the park when the occupancy reaches it’s legal limit. SOE didn’t want all the tickets bought up by people who had no intention of going, who just wanted to get something for absolutely nothing. This is a case where SOE is being incredibly generous to the people who care enough to invest their time and money to come (because most people going have to spend more than just the price of admittance).
The idea of a digital package is interesting, maybe something SOE should look into. But to complain that this is “screwing their customers” just because you feel you should be entitled to free stuff is ridiculous.
When contemplating going or not (I would ride my motorcycle there) I had to take into account the costs of going room and board, fuel, play money, etc. and then weigh in that I would have to buy the expansion on 4 accounts I came to the conclussion that the cost was too much. therefore, your accusations against me of wanting something for nothing are irrellivent. I am angry because I choose to get the expansions over going there live. and now I find out later that had I gone there live I would recieve the expansion included. So YES SOE screwed me out of a vacation! Don’t like my opinion piss off!
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Badfae
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Exactly. This is exactly what SOE didn’t want happening. They did not want all the tickets sold out to people who had no intention of attending the convention, but who just wanted to get something for free. This is not nefarious, it is not SOE deliberately screwing its customers, it is simple common sense. Not a hard concept.
And Prrasha is correct, they have screwed themselves for next year, since now many people who don’t want to attend will buy up all the tickets to get the free stuff that should only be for those people who attended.
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Badfae
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If this is the case, then what’s the problem? You can still go and register there. They only ended the online registration. You can still register when you get there. If getting a free expansion or two makes the difference for you, nothing is stopping you. I very clearly directed my statement towards people who wanted to get the free stuff without any intention of actually attending.
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Charn
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Avianna, as Badfae pointed out, IF you are still planning to go to the convention, you can STILL GET TICKETS! It’s NOT too late. You just have to show up, drop your payment down (which will be a little more than the preregister price) and you WILL get the expansion for free.
A few caveats however:
1) You will only get the expansion on ONE account. If you want four expansions for four accounts, you will still have to buy the other three.
2) You will only get the in-game items on ONE account. I suppose you COULD transfer characters from one account to another to give them the item then switch them back, but if money is an issue that is a cost prohibitive option.
3) If there is a Collector’s Edition you WON’T get that for free, you will have to pay the difference of the standard price and the CE price to upgrade (for the one account that IS free, and the full CE price for the others if you want it).
It is no secret that SOE gives their expansions away, for free, to Fan Faire/SOE Live attendees. This will be my fifth SOE convention and I’ve gotten the expansion for free each time.
What’s changed is, in the past, you had to buy the “All Access” pass (meaning a ticket for each day) for $99 to $140 dollars (depending on the year) to get the expansions. NOW, you can just go for one day, spending $40 dollars, and get the expansions for free.
The issue here is (as was stated in the first few posts), people want to just mail in their $40 dollars with no intention of going to the convention, then collect two free expansions (about $80 or so depending on the expansion price) AND the in-game items. They are now upset with SOE because, since SOE didn’t announce that the one-day-pass will qualify for all the free items, that they cannot “cheat” the system and spend only $40 dollars to get over $100 dollars worth of items (given the average cost of in-game items on the SC Marketplace, not including the physical items like tote bag and T-shirt, etc).
If you want to go to the convention, then go, you’ll have fun. (It’s frikkin’ VEGAS!) If you can’t go, read all about it at EQ2 Wire, enjoy having only spent the cost of the expansion(s), and have fun playing the game.
Being from the east coast, airfare and hotel alone is over $1,100.00 dollars. Not to mention the cost of food (having to eat at restaurants is much more expensive than going to the supermarket and cooking it myself) cost of items for travel, days missed at work, and expenses in Vegas for any sightseeing, shows, gambling, etc . . . this whole thing will run me about $1500 to $2000 dollars or more (and I don’t envy those coming from further away).
Do I do all that and spend that much for free expansions? No way. In fact, the first time I went I didn’t even know it was an offer. It was just a happy bonus.
But hey, if anyone wants to “speak out” (I don’t want to offend anyone by calling it anything else) about not being able to spend only $40 dollars to get the same perks as someone who actually, physically goes; you’re entitled. If it causes anyone to quit over this one issue . . . well that sucks, I have a hard enough time finding groups. Will it cause SOE to change their policy on this . . . probably not unless a whole LOT of people quit over this. And the only policy change I DO foresee is them cancelling the convention altogether, and that would suck for those of us that DO go, or that might want to go in the future.
I’m sorry you feel cheated that you can’t cheat SOE. I guess they really DO suck . . . but I’m still going to Vegas, baby!
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Charn
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TL:DR
If you’re going to go to the convention, just go for the experience. If not, just buy the expansion and hope it’s fun.
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milliebii
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… or better still buy the RIFT expansion “Storm Legion” and leave SOE and the angst behind.
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badcat
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The last time I want was to the one in Atlanta in 2006. I just wish that every other year they would have it on the east cost.
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Charn
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Badcat:
I think, unfortunately (I live on the East Coast, too) they’ve settled in to going to Vegas. They’ve already said it was a high traffic destination, so cheaper for many people to get to than other places, and it’s easy for THEM to get to . . . Cheaper to rent a bus or two for the staff to go than the cost of airfare for each attending employee.
I’m not saying the event location will NEVER chance, but as the Magic 8-Ball tells me, “Outlook not so good.”
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Murfalad
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Its a cheaper time of the year to fly now at least to Las Vega’s, flying into Vega’s from the UK and flying out of Philadelphia costs ~740 ukp for the ticket, a seperate ticket to go from Las Vega’s to New York costs ~200 ukp, in the height of summer it was ~1050ukp just for a return flight.
Its definitely expensive (but recommended, I guarantee you won’t get better value entertainment then the price of the ticket once you get there), but when the flight time inside the US is ~5 hours it hits home that its not going to be a short drive for most people, and nowhere else will be convenient either.
Its a tricky one then on the freebies, people have always been able to buy a ticket and then just not show up to get the in game rewards as far as I know (correct me if I’m wrong, but I’ve seen a few more people register then turn up from overseas). If we got too many people promising to go but not actually turning up it could really put a dampener on the event (in 2010 the Platinum passes did run out early, I do wonder how many didn’t actually plan to turn up though?).
I think Blizzard have a decent solution here, have a virtual ticket with filmed panels to give some participation, if people contribute to SOE developing the game with their cash then I see no reason to not reward them.
Better, but more expensive would be to have a few local gatherings outside of the US perhaps organised by the Sony offices (make it some sort of Sony games weekend to get a real sense of community going) and video linked in maybe with SOEmote for a laugh, or perhaps borrow some Sony 3D camera’s to do something snazzy and get some real media attention.
By the way, I did see a $140 dollar flight Las Vega’s to New York during my search, although the thing took 12 1/2 hours with the changes 😛
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Anthony
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I have flown in from Europe with my wife to attend. Was a great experience. Thanks SoE for the goodies =)
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