Feldon 
UPDATE: EQ2 Producer Holly “Windstalker” Longdale has addressed today’s price increases on six (out of over 2,700) Marketplace items here.
Original op-ed follows:
It is no secret that EverQuest II, EverQuest, DC Universe Online, and PlanetSide 2 are funding the freewheeling development costs of EverQuest Next and Landmark. Existing properties funding future development is standard procedure in the video game industry. It’s also no secret that the current incarnation of EverQuest Next is actually SOE’s fourth attempt to launch the product, with nearly 5 years of development effort being left by the wayside.
What is a surprise is that, despite the elimination of Double and Triple StationCash promotions last summer, and despite the wildly successful Landmark Trailblazer presale which sold thousands of copies at $100 a pop, it apparently may not have been enough.
I like what the EverQuest II team has been doing the past couple of years (ok those mystery crates are way too stingy! but seriously…). They’ve been communicating with us more than they have in years. They’ve been open and honest with us at SOE Live and on EQ2 Insider about what features are likely, doable, wishlist, or “bucket of awesome” items so our expectations can be set. The EQ2 team have embraced the two focused feedback forums — Area 51 and the Raid Council — /bug (Yes they read it!), and forum private messaging, allowing players of all gameplay styles to reach the game’s developers and designers and be heard. The EQ2 team no longer spring changes on us and hope we won’t notice. In my opinion, it’s a good time to be an EQ2 player.
So it’s frustrating for me to see someone higher up pull the rug out on a Friday night, dial up prices on a few popular Marketplace items, and then leave the EQ2 team holding the bag. In reality, it’s just a few items. So far we’ve only found 50% increases on [eq2u]Item Unattuner Bundle[/eq2u] and Mercenary Unlocks, and a 145% increase on Spell/CA Research Assistants. What concerns me is the way this was done. I suppose it’s possible that the timing of this was purely coincidental and unintentional, but for this to fall just hours into a sale, on Labor Day Weekend, is highly suspect.
Why am I so certain that this didn’t come from the EQ2 team? They’ve earned my trust.
First article follows…
In what could easily be a glitch, players are reporting that Mercenary Unlocks in the StationCash Marketplace have increased from 100SC to 150SC, while the Item Unattuner bundle has jumped from 1,960SC each to 2,999SC. We’re hoping this is just an unintentional change.
This is being discussed on the EQ2 Forums.
I hope this is just a bug ‘cuz otherwise it’s a dick move on SOE’s part.
well that is a typical move for a lot of companies. Put stuff on sale, but jack it up before the sale
Yes it is, but we are dealing with SOE here. They have been shown to have an organization were the left hand is not even aware of the existence of a right hand so often that this is almost certainly a case in point.
Has anyone /petition’ed this? Maybe that might get some more concrete answers..just a thought. 😳
From my point of view the really sad thing is that if they had carried on with the development of the previous iteration of EQ Next it would have been finished by now. It would quite possibly been something I would have paid money to play too.
The latest abomination however is something I would really like to see put in the garbage bin along with the manager responsible.
Milliebii, although you are certainly entitled to have an opinion such as you have expressed, wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to just come to the realization that you apparently aren’t a member of the collection of people toward which EQN is targeted, and then move on with your life? You don’t like the direction they are going with it? Fine…don’t play it. But to suggest that the game (and the manager that decided on the current paradigm) is only fodder for the refuse pile, just because it happens not to be your cup of tea, is a bit on the asinine side.
Nope, I still hold grudges from 1975 so this is just yesterday. My life moves on just fine thank you. While we are handing out advice to each other, you could just roll your eyes when you see one of my posts and move on the next item rather than trying to ‘correct’ my behavior every time.
Opinon here: I agree with milliebii. While it is true that opinion, as well as taste, is only that, and games develop according ( partly) to those two things, deeper, unsolicited, advice about personal behavior is pushing the line.
I trust we’re keeping it civil enough to not provoke Feldon mod’ing….
Back to our story: Also agreeing with Feldo that SOE has been better about things of late, and also hoping (gah!) that this is a left hand/right hand anomaly, i. e., adminstrative bug. We are spooked by little things like this being actual symptoms of regressive behavior. heh… 😉
Don’t think SOE’s been better about responsiveness in recent quarters? Oookaaaay… Challenge: Go hang out in GW2 for a few weeks.
Holly just confirmed it was intentional change on prices.
After all the changes since last year, I can say that after playing Eq1 & Eq2 ( 3 accounts in the family) for 15 years I’m out…
It has turned into too much of a money grab for too little fun.
We’ve told them again and again, if they’d just tell us in advance what changes they’re gonna make, the player backlash would probably be less. While a price increase is always going to be met with a negative reaction, it’s the added fact that they seem to be trying to deceive us about it that really gets people going and ultimately hurts their brand.
For God’s sake SOE, learn this lesson!
Look guys, who gives a flying flip about EQN? That’s not what this post is even about. If you don’t like it, whatever, don’t play it. The real thing isn’t even out yet – Landmark is basically just an EQ Minecraft to tide you over. Don’t judge something before you have validated your opinion with experience and knowledge.
Now can we save the tiresome, repetitive complaints, rants, and other riffraff about EQN for something actually pertaining to it?
EQN grabbing devs and cash from EQ2 is not relevant?
I wonder how much is going to the new (yet another) zombie game?
Ah well. As long as they keep rolling out decent content and goodies for EQ2. ^_^
I like Rotherian as a poster but I think both of you and many others are missing the issue that many of us are having with EQ Next. The money they are taking from us, by price increases, no SC specials, etc… are meant to fund EQNext. You must not remember the Agency and the millions of dollars and staff that went to that game that crashed and burned. Yes, I don’t have to pay for extra items but they are part of a game that I play and pay a monthly sub to play. I should be able to expect that these funds should go to this game and that this game should be properly staffed. Other games charge the same monthly fee but they use it to feed that game by keeping staff functioning at realistic levels and they improve that game.
Honestly, I wish they would have just left the items out of the rebate sale. This would not be the first time they’ve had an event and excluded items such as server transfer tokens, AoD components, char slots, etc.
Oh. It’s like that, per Longdale….
Swell.
Dang.
I get my SC for free, yet moves like this discourage me from spending it, so… there ya go. Insert bad customer relations taste A in customer mouth B.
It is not only EQNext and Landmark Feldon.SOE is warking also on H1z1 and (possibly) Sturmendrang. So they surely need lots of money…
Merc Unlocks and Item Unattuners are up 50%.
But it turns out the CA/Spell Research Reduction is up 145%:
Even at the old price of 600 SC that is still $6.00 cash money. That is WAY too high for ANY kind of MICRO transition. Now they want us to pay almost equal to a full month’s sub price!!!!! More than a month’s sub if you buy a year at a time!!!! LUDICROUS!!!!! This should be no more than 100sc period.
I am going to suggest that the next fanfare we can pay $20 SC to kick SOE finance personnel in the jewels. Perhaps then they could make some money and learn not to fu** with our game at the same time. 🙂
Given that they are about to release a bunch of new spells of course they will cash in on the cash cow of the people that want max level spells the second they get them.
Do not forget that every spell/ca is about to become upgradeable to Grandmaster so every spell/ca you currently use will need to be upgraded if that is your thing.
I always upgraded ALL my max-level spells to master spells using SC . . . for 600 each. Now for WELL over double, I won’t upgrade at all with SC. They lose ALL the money they would have gotten from me by raising their prices . . . especially THIS much.
I figure they are betting that like most times they do stuff that upset people a huge number of people say they will or won’t do something, a few weeks/months later those same people have caved and bought or done whatever they swore they won’t.
Besides at this rate they only need half as many people buying it to break even.
And if anyone buys it at that price . . and, now that there’s no double and triple station cash, we’re talking $12 to $14 bucks EACH SPELL . . . if anyone DOES buy it, it’s their own fault and you’re screwing the rest of us. If NO ONE buys it, they’ll HAVE to lower it if they want to make money.
But i know . . . I don’t have faith that people won’t buy it. /sigh
The crazy part is they are asking almost the same price as a ALL ACCESS Member ship to upgrade 1 spell that is INSANE. You are asking me to pay 15$ which is the sub fee for almost ALL MMOG for 1 spell upgrade WOW that is for sure INSANE.
Does the marketing team even understand this? Hmm get 1 month ALL ACCESS to all SOE games or any MMO out there, or get 1 spell upgrade? HMM…
Spell upgrades should be no more that 200SC period when you compare what you can buy for $15 or 1500sc.
Hell They have a group potion for 50% exp bonus for 2 hours and are asking $42.50 or 4250sc for a 2 hour potion? I can buy for $35 or 3500sc a level 85 Heroic toon with 280 AA and all skills capped + gear. So why the hell would i want to pay for the price of a X-pac or a Toon for a stupid potion. That potion is maybe worth 600SC being it lasts just 2 hours and it is gone forever.
I can pay $35 and have a toon for the life of my account. CRAZY
You want $30+ from me I will pay that for you to fix pathing lol.