Feldon On the EQ2 Forums, some discussion has sparked about the planned push to get EQ2 in retail stores and improve the experience for new players. I authored a post that I thought might be worth repeating.
What is the Experience for New Players right now?
- Visit a half dozen retailers and not find any copies of EQ2 except maybe a dingy old cobwebby copy of Kunark priced $50. Let’s say you do manage to find a recent copy of EQ2 and take it home. You dutifully install 11GB of data off two DVDs. Then you fire it up and find out you have to download another 3GB of data because the DVDs are hopelessly out of date. A 1-2 hour process for most users.
OR…
- Thinking you’re smart, you do the DirectDrive or Station Launcher digital download. Well sonny, now you’re talking 11GB of data off the internet. A 6-12 hour download for most users.
- Once you’re done with that, it’s time to go to Station.com, register an account, enter credit card info, enter the product key off a sticker inside the box, and finally fire up the game and start playing right?
- Chances are most user’s graphic drivers need updating. So let’s do that.
- After 2-14 hours of frustration, you finally get to start playing EQ2.
Not exactly a great Customer Experience! And I think SoE has realized that this has to change. Especially if the expansion adds another 2 GB of data. EQ2 is not picking up new players at a rate that I think SoE would like to see.
It’s almost impossible to find EQ2 in stores, and if you decide to download it, you’re talking 6-12 hours download. And even if you do buy the retail box, it’s so hopelessly out of date that you will spend another 1-2 hours downloading updates. Not a pretty picture, and it’s a wonder EQ2 is picking up new players.
So what is the New Player Experience?
Jedi as a choice on the EQ2 character creation screen? NO!!
For new players who want to get a taste of EQ2, the new Streaming Client currently being tested and expecting to be officially launched in the next few weeks allows new players to start playing EQ2 in as little as 15 minutes. The Streaming Client has a list of prioritized downloads. It starts with the basic character models and armor, then the starting zones, then works its way through the content the user is most likely to see, in order of likely priority. If the player tries to jump straight to a zone that’s not loaded, it takes a couple of minutes to download and then they can proceed.
Also, for existing players, let’s say Game Update 55 has come out. But you don’t want to wait for Halas or any of the other new content to download. Let’s say you’re late for the raid and just want to get logged in. You’ll be able to just do the brief update and stream the rest of the updates in the background. Game Updates should no longer mean a mandatory 30-45 minute download.
And the second prong of the New Player Experience is deals with retailers to get them to carry EQ2 and to have it in stores on expansion day. It’s no secret that the retail strategy so far with EQ2 has pretty much been a fiasco, with players scrambling to find boxes just to get the in-game pet or in-game mount, and coming up short because retailers just plain didn’t get the message.
The first step in all this is the EQ2 Complete Collection in stores now for $20 which has everything up to TSO. I expect more announcements in the run up to the expansion.
There really needs to be a way to get defunct old expansion boxes off of retail store shelves. If I got home with an unopened copy of EOF and discovered that I might as well dumpster the thing because I’m going to need TSO (Or TSF), I would probably decide to cut my losses right there.
Meanwhile, retail stores seem to be catching on to the fact that non-WoW old MMORPG boxes aren’t worth the paper the price tag is printed on – Best Buy literally gave me a 60-day LOTRO time card FOR FREE in exchange for my purchasing one of their remaining Moria expansion boxes. If you’re the guy in charge of ordering stock for a gaming store, what possible incentive do you have to stock “complete collection” boxes that will be obsolete in three months then TSF comes out with an all-in-one box, especially if you’re already stuck with old EQ2 inventory?
(We don’t have confirmation that TSF will be all-in-one, but requiring a TSO/CC purchase first would gum up that streamlined new player experience.)
“Jedi as a choice on the EQ2 character creation screen?”
I thought this was renamed Shadowknight?
For $20 I might get another copy and dual box.
I don’t quite get this article. Looks like a 100% endorsement for SOE: is that what this blog is about? I need ask because otherwise I am just needlessly critical.
When I decide to try a new MMO, I do expect a massive download time, but that’s ok. I need to download every other game I want to play as well (since I dont by retail), let’s say Mass Effect. I just leave my pc on and go to work, and when I get home, I have the game. Easy as pie. IMO this streaming client is only a very small part that needs to be done to get new players. More important is a marketing push, but most important would be changes in the game to accomodate for beginners:
Firstly, give beginners a chance to start one character at level 70. Why force beginners to level alone for weeks through outdated, sometimes annoying content (if you’ve ever tried doing all Antonica or TS quests, you know what I mean) content, if they could start in reach of the current mass population. And give beginners 50 plat to /claim once per account.
Secondly, there need to be much much better in-game tutorials. Tutorials that are easily accessible and contain really 90% of the knowledge that somebody possesses who has been playing the game for 5 years now. Give the tutorials a better interface, and enable search within it so beginners can revisit knowledge. Most importantly, there should be tutorials that show beginners their role in a group of people. Heck, why not a raid tutorial.
Thirdly, beginners need to be able to achieve a gear level so they can fit into a group. The mythical epic is out of reach for most since it requires groups to get the fabled epic, and then a willing raid force still doing VP to get the mythical epic. Beginners should be able to unlock a weaker version of the mythical through solo questing or a group instance.
These are just some of the in-game changes SOE should implement to make it easier for new players.
I assure you EQ2Wire is not becoming an extension of the EQ2 Marketing Department (although clearly they need my help). You can expect a very critical post re: the lack of retail strategy for Europe and Australia.
The starting zone in Timorous Deep is the best starting zone they’ve done so far, and they are aiming very high for Halas. They want Halas to fully educate players to get them ready to play the game. Tutorials can absolutely be improved.
The path I recommend to all players is Timorous Deep -> Butcherblock -> Steamfont -> Lesser Fay -> Tenebrous Tangle -> Barren Sky -> Loping Plains -> Bonemire -> Kylong Plains -> etc.
Can’t say I agree with you about making the mythical or epic easier. You can get weapons which are not too far from the epic with grouping in TSO. I didn’t realize Butcherblock was so blessed, but we have VP raids (and the T1/T2 Kunark raid zones needed for the first step on all mythicals) fairly often. Splorchess just announced he’ll be doing some pickup raids this week for all these targets.
As for dumping the 1-70 content, I’m not sure we’re there yet. Although TSO’s change in leveling rate has really screwed things up and made people abandon level 1-70 group content. 🙁 It took EQ1 10 years to add a 51/50 server (new characters start at level 51 with 50 AAs). I think it will be a while before they add a new server to EQ2 that lets you start at level 50. And I doubt they’ll make it available on all servers.
I agree with you about the leveling zones, the EOF stuff and everything later than that is really excellent for leveling.