Lotsa people "retiring".

Metanis · Post by **Metanis** » November 14, 2002, 11:08 pm

It sure seems to me that a lot of people are retiring from EQ. I know of many folks that just seem to have disappeared. Others have at least posted their goodbyes. Newbie zones and old world zones are practically empty which makes me think that there's not many people trying EQ for the first time. EQ is beginning the inevitable slide into obscurity. Of course Verant doesn't give us player numbers anymore. Think they can hold our interest until EQ2?

emmer · Post by **emmer** » November 15, 2002, 12:30 am

it should also be noted that my cat's breath smells like cat food

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » November 15, 2002, 2:04 am

Isn't this the way its been for a long time? I seem to remember such "where are we all going?" posts back in Kunark. Its just the turning of the tides, my man. *Cuts to the Byrds*

seriously though only a very few people (coughloserscough) can play a game continually for several years. Eventually people move on after a year or 2 to find something better. Then there are those that quit, come back, quit, come back, etc (sounds familiar...) But for anyone that quits there is one or two to replace him/her as new players. In a couple years time *that* generation will see a falling off, and we'll have another post on this board about how everyone is quitting EQ, and what's going on?.

Edit: codeine, *yum*

Post by **Xouqoa** » November 15, 2002, 3:50 am

lol emmer

Ebumar · Post by **Ebumar** » November 15, 2002, 4:24 am

Shrug, I played since beta 4, then left about 10 months ago. I guess the real turning point was the blunder that was luclin.

Dregor Thule · Post by **Dregor Thule** » November 15, 2002, 4:52 am

I'm a loser

Xorg Silverwolf · Post by **Xorg Silverwolf** » November 15, 2002, 8:49 am

LOL Dregor

Emmer: Ralph Wiggum. was going to post another quote but cant think of one at 4am.

cya

Corona · Post by **Corona** » November 15, 2002, 11:26 am

Not to hijack the thread but... a few great Ralph Wiggum quotes:

>(After seeing the comic store's "Adult Section") "Everybody's hugging!"
>"Eww, daddy, this tastes like Grandma!"
>"Hi, Principal Skinner! Hi, Super Nintendo Chalmers!"
>"You're King David! I love you 'cause you kill people."
>"I bent my wookie."
>"Oh boy, sleep! That's where I'm a viking!"

And perhaps my all time favorite
>"That's where I saw the Leprechaun. He tells me to burn things!"

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 15, 2002, 11:29 am

Luclin was the suck. Still is. I'm disappointed PoP doesn't suck as bad because now I don't have an excuse to quit. Damn Verant!

Phugg_Innay · Post by **Phugg_Innay** » November 15, 2002, 11:40 am

and Dammit , I am thinking about getting my acc back now

FUCKING Crack whore that I am and VI is the Crack Pimp in this case ,, grr

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 15, 2002, 11:51 am

I'm seeing OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of long time friends leaving and/or posting about how they will be taking a leave of absence or considerably lowering their playtime.

It sucks, but new friends and guildmates influx. Also, many people come back which is always a great surprise.

I've been playing since release and have no plans of quittting. I am as happy now with EQ as when I first played. VI really breathed new life into the druid class with class balance changes such as upgraded heals and DoT stacking. The new interface, bazaar, graphics, and music help OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS as well.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » November 15, 2002, 11:51 am

The doctor said I wouldn’t have so many nosebleeds if I kept my finger outta there.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » November 15, 2002, 11:52 am

people have been quitting since the game started. obviously more people have come in to fill the gaps. new customers, etc.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 15, 2002, 11:54 am

"November 15, 2002, 9:51 am"

I don't recall ever seeing 2 posts at the exact same second. That's the coolest thing I have seen in my life.

Ennia · Post by **Ennia** » November 15, 2002, 12:06 pm

you don't look at times posted often do you Fair

it happens, it's not that rare either, most often you can see it on a heated thread where you hit F5 and see 5 new posts after what you just posted lol

btw we need another of those threads soon

it's Friday!!

Dalmoth · Post by **Dalmoth** » November 15, 2002, 12:22 pm

The time commitment required to advance grows with each new level, new item and new ability acquired. After a certain amount of time the more casual players reach a point where to advance is to simply require more time than they have. Couple this with the instant gratification movement and you see why people "retire".

Why play EQ for 40 hours to advance when you can do something else and advance your career, social life, gaming fun etc much farther in a different setting.

The secret to longevity is simple, have fun when you play, and that comes mostly from friends. The first month you log on, play and aren't having fun, is the begininng of the end for almost everyone.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 15, 2002, 12:24 pm

I think the reason many people are leaving or lowering their play time is due to things like Graduation (no longer able to live the college life), Job (realization that you need to actually work to get money to pay for things like EQ), Wife and/or kids (your kid took their first step right next to you and you missed it because you are the group's only healer) (or) (your wife/gf/both left you three weeks ago and you are just noticing it now).

Priorities are a hard thing to have and even more of a bitch to live up to sometimes. Some lucky few, don't have to worry about the above things I mentioned and they can play on forever. Then again, are they truly the lucky ones?

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » November 15, 2002, 12:34 pm

more i think about it: i know more people who have quit than who still play.

and still, the game is healthier than ever.

of course i've only seen 1,000,00,00000,000,00383,,001,,3001,3.89898 posts like this one foretelling the end of everquest in that timeperiod.

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » November 15, 2002, 1:00 pm

People also leave when they realize what a huge waste of time this is and get disgusted.
We will ALL quit one day and all the neat stuff and gear will poof.
The last gleaming pixels of our epics and oober armour will dim and fade on us.
Even some of the friendships will poof.
I've met people I think or at least hope I will be friends with for life. And that makes it worth the past two+ years of time sink.
If I was a bloody liberal I might say "oh my god if we applied the time and effort we spent on EQ to solving problems like the energy crisis, global warming, better schools, ensuring clean drinking water for future generations" those problems might vanish instead.
But screw it, I'm working on eighth shawl still.
My friends/aquaintences are retiring at same rate as always though atm.
Couple a month or so.

Thess · Post by **Thess** » November 15, 2002, 1:27 pm

Every expansion brings frustration along with it.

Sirensa · Post by **Sirensa** » November 15, 2002, 3:04 pm

Maybe it's just me but I have seen more people return for this expansion than I have seen leave from it.

Ebumar · Post by **Ebumar** » November 15, 2002, 3:14 pm

I've thought about returning several times, but when I think about it, I say, "Hey wait, this Real Life thing that I've had going for the past few months, it's still fun!"

...boy was that a run-on sentance...

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 15, 2002, 3:43 pm

PoP ranks high on the fun meter with me.

It brought back lots of high level single group experience zones in combintation with plenty of Uber Mob raid encounters. The zones actually look nice as well unlike Luclins crappy designs.

Some of the flagging process is a little ghey. I wouldn't have set up PoJ trials so you had to wait in line for 4 hours to try it for example. I would have made the trial process instant...you have a group that wants to try, you zone in and try. The challenge of the trial is the actual battle itself and not in waiting 4 hours to attempt it.

Zamtuk · Post by **Zamtuk** » November 15, 2002, 5:55 pm

I retired a few months after SoV, I just lost interest. These boards are still a blast to read, though i pay little attention to any thread about eq. (unless it is a guild v. guild thread where flames are high)

Corona · Post by **Corona** » November 15, 2002, 6:26 pm

The PoP expansion was pretty much what brought me back to EQ, after a long hiatus of about 8 months. I had been playing regularly before that, but then a bunch of stuff happened at once.

I'm not going to bother going into it, since none of you really know me, but let's just say "Life Happened". But since I came back to EQ, I still have managed to find a happy medium of playtime and enjoying life outside of EQ. It can be done but I will say that I am much more a casual player than I ever was previously. I'm not sure if that's just me trying to maintain the balance, or keep myself from burning out.

Either way, it's working, and if you can achieve that medium, you'll be happier in the long run.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 15, 2002, 7:09 pm

Also, don't forget that there are a lot of other games coming out. I am not saying that any of these game will unseat EQ as reigning king of online gaming but many people will take breaks to try them. Two big ones that I can think of off hand are SWG and City of Heroes. That is just online gaming. How many people took a nice break when WCIII was released or if you go farther back to when Dungeon Seige or Diablo 2 came out. I know of a few people who will toss EQ to the side once Final Fantasy Online come out.

Voronwë · Post by **Voronwë** » November 15, 2002, 7:22 pm

Yes there are lots of games coming out, EQ is as good as dead.

Let's see AO, DAoC, Horizons, Shadowsomething. yep EQ is fuckered.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 15, 2002, 7:26 pm

No no no. I was only pointing out that the reduction of people on EQ could be due to new games. These people almost always come back to EQ to get their fix. I never said it was the demise of EQ.

Krimson Klaw · Post by **Krimson Klaw** » November 17, 2002, 3:07 pm

Bubba Grizz wrote:I think the reason many people are leaving or lowering their play time is due to things like Graduation (no longer able to live the college life), Job (realization that you need to actually work to get money to pay for things like EQ), Wife and/or kids (your kid took their first step right next to you and you missed it because you are the group's only healer) (or) (your wife/gf/both left you three weeks ago and you are just noticing it now).

That's what got me, left college and started making big bucks, no way I have the playtime I once did. While broke and going to college I could put massive amounts of time into EQ. Finish college and making good money, you tend to want to spend that cash/spend time with family instead of sitting in front of your computer all the time. I still enjoy EQ, just not enough hours in the day anymore.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » November 17, 2002, 5:22 pm

I moved back home to Key West, and apparently teh DSL doesn't reach to my place. I'm not even willing to try two-boxing over an AOL (the only decent ISP w/ local phone numbers) connection.

I tried playing my ranger in groups, but the low 50's crowd seems to be 90% fucktards (nuking clerics, stoned chanters, ect.), not to mention that blasting thru the first 50 levels on wings of a druid PL spoiled me rotten.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » November 17, 2002, 6:03 pm

.... I see a lot of detailed suggestions as to why people retire.

For me it was simple. The game at its core, was go kill things and equip yourself to kill more things. Everything done in the game revolved around that base motivation. After 3 years, that got old.

That and I didn't have time to chase women, now I have the time I need.

For someone like me to get interested in this again, I need something other than kill shit and loot it to motivate.

I await a game that lets me and others build and manage a city or such. I await a game that is so configurable each character IS individual.

Imagine how fun it would be to set up a border fort and band together with a guild to defent that border fort from the hostiles in the surrounding area, then milk that border fort into a town or castle, all the while developing trade routes and engaging in political manuevering.

Imagine how fun it would be if advancement came 90% of the time from a mentor/aprentice system, there Adex is with a couple of warrior apprentices out on a hunt, or Adex dropping by Voronwe's house for a few tips on archery. You'd make positive bonds with people and your shared motivation wouldn't just be going out and killing shit.

Right now with EQ the only thrill is dropping the next big kill. That one motiviation gets old.

These games could be so much more,

Ogbar · Post by **Ogbar** » November 18, 2002, 2:38 am

Well, I am pretty much retired now. Whereas in the past I found it was a hard decision for me to turn the wheel towards the off ramp, exiting my guild or server, I find I have felt nary a speed bump as the everquest car has now wandered off the road to parts unknown.

(Well, not totally unknown - I am playing DAoC, but just to hold me over until City of Heroes comes out. And as for EQ, well, aside from a single log on, to play my rogue in the Dreadlands, I havent been on in over two months now.)

I guess I have just gotten sick of the core of the game - the better your gear, the better the player you are. As one who never lusted for gear, I never really attained what my peers did. I used to think it didnt matter, that playing smarter somehow made up for (and then some) for any lack of quality gear. Well, as it turns out, I happened to pick a class that is a /stick macro and and auto-taunt key away from total cruise control. It took me far too long to realize the reality of the situation.

In this game, if you want gear, you really have to invest some serious time into playing. I could do it for a while - a long time, really - but I just cant do it anymore. It's just not worth the timesink to me.

Dalmoth's right, it has to be fun when you log on. I always did have fun moving up the ranks, meeting new people, etc. As for the raids, well, there has never been anything like playing the large scale encounters in this game, but what I loved most about them was helping a friend meet their goals: epic weapon, armor piece, or even the simplest of quest items. Putting someone on cloud nine - that's real magic.

But as time moves on, friends leave the guild, or leave the game, and you try to move on, holding onto the contacts you have left, logging on, and having fun when you can. But the bottom line is too many old friends are gone now, or their time to play has almost totally vanished, and what you see is the cold infrastructure of the game: lots of man-hours invested into an encounter for very limited payoff. Without the emotional attachment, it really is quite unattractive.

So it's not fun now, and I dont log on. I likely wont buy PoP, and I may give it at most another month before I cancel my accounts. As for ebay, dont worry: if you ever see Ogbar, or any of my gimps again, rest assured, it will be me.

Cheers

Neroon · Post by **Neroon** » November 18, 2002, 6:58 am

I just retired last week!

So if you see Neroon, it's a haxor and you should kill him!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 18, 2002, 1:43 pm

Can we move all of the EQ is dying threads to the retard section and merge them into one huge thread of failed prophesies?

kthx

Lalanae · Post by **Lalanae** » November 18, 2002, 2:22 pm

I second that Winnow

Midnyte_Ragebringer · November 18, 2002, 3:03 pm

I have quit 5 times, ebayed twice, and have started from scratch yet again. EQ still breathes and is still addicting as hell and it is wonderful.

Being a newb again I also still see OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of first times players around asking all the dumb ass retarded questions we have been hearing these newbs ask for over 3 years now.

I am actually shocked how many new people I have ran across in the last week since I came back.

SWG will be the next test, but even though a ton of people will go play that, more will start playing and some will of course return from SWG or play both at the same time.

A few months ago I played UO again for shits and giggles, and was amazed at how many people still a 1st generation MMO like that when their are all the better second generation MMO's (EQ, DAOC, AO, etc).

So if people will still play that junk, then EQ has quite a long life span left.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » November 18, 2002, 3:47 pm

I prefer to say the plural of Prophecy as 'prophecii'

Even tho it's wrong...it's just more fun to say.

well that and I'm a crazy fucker.

Adex_Xeda · Post by **Adex_Xeda** » November 18, 2002, 4:11 pm

Dammit I didn't say EQ was dead I said it was boring.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 18, 2002, 4:22 pm

Watching TV is boring too. Yet day after day millions of people spend countless hours sitting there watching it.

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 18, 2002, 4:24 pm

I agree with you Adex! I am hoping that SWG lives up to those standards. Also, I don't think this thread started out as an "EQ is Dying" thread, more like an observation that a lot of the familiar names are gone. EQ will be around for a long time for good or ill.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 18, 2002, 4:39 pm

It's not boring. You need to multitask.

Play EQ
Surf the net on your second computer
Watch a movie on TV
Talk on the phone
Hum the Rivervale song

all at once. That will keep you busy.

Pubin · Post by **Pubin** » November 18, 2002, 8:18 pm

After going to 3 stores to buy PoP unsuccessfully, I bought WC3. My aggregate play time since PoP release is under an hour since one can play 10 games of warcraft (and it will always be different) in the time it takes to get one thing together in eq. I'm with you guys in that Luclin made me lose interest.

noel · Post by **noel** » November 18, 2002, 8:43 pm

I've played like every MMORPG. I think Star Wars is the best hope, but I have yet to see anything (speaking here of only what's been posted publically), that makes me think it will be a fun game.

Aslanna · Post by **Aslanna** » November 19, 2002, 12:31 am

I don't see how SWG will be any different than EQ in the underlying gameplay. And that is to make people play for as long as possible to increase profit. It's not like it's not made by the same company or something. Same game... Different face. That sure is a lot to get excited over.

noel · Post by **noel** » November 19, 2002, 12:47 am

I think the UO/Lucasarts influence gives it some real promise.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » November 19, 2002, 4:08 am

Well...look at the Warcraft series...people keep buying those. No reason to think that the makers of the most popular MORPG can't do the same.

EQ, EQ2 = WC 1, 2, 3
SWG = Starcraft

It's all the same shit : ) There's no doubt I'll buy SWG and EQ2. I'm a post whiner, not a pre whiner. I'll wait till I see the product to bitch.

Nothing's ever going to be quite like EQ. Three years on same game with ex players still hanging around the boards. I know everyone is sekritly hoping to transfer EQ1 ubers into EQ2 so their hard work isn't wasted. Give SOE a few months after EQ2 is released and I'm sure they'll find a profitable means to XFer EQ1 characters into EQ2. It's all about the $$.

Aabidano · Post by **Aabidano** » November 19, 2002, 10:42 am

EQ2 looks like it was modeled a bit too much after UO for my tastes. I don't think it's going to have the same long term appeal to individual players. EQ1 is still getting a fair amount of real newbies, always surprises me to see them

I thought SoL was a pretty cool expansion myself, unlike SoV which sucked. PoP could have been done better, but it's the best expansion yet IMO.

WC 1&2 have both been played on and off at our house for years. That's probably the most played game I've ever purchased. My son has WC3, I haven't gotten around to gettting myself a copy yet.

I've got all the commander keen games too, they still get played on and off

Bubba Grizz · Post by **Bubba Grizz** » November 19, 2002, 11:22 am

What I hope SWG is for me is a game that allows the casual player to actually accomplish something in the short time of play. DAOC offered that until they became the uber EQ clone. From my experience, if you aren't part of a guild or only have an hour or two to play, it is very difficult to accomplish anything on EQ. Hell, you could log on and take 20 minutes to get to a zone and get killed and then take the rest of your night doing the CR. Not saying this won't happen in any other game but it doesn't make it any less frustrating.

With all the different occupations you can be or do in SWG I think there will be plenty to do even if you only have an hour to play. At least that is my hope. I agree with Winnow in that I will give it a try before I decide to whine about it. Oh yes, I will whine if it is warrented.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » November 19, 2002, 11:52 am

From my experience, if you aren't part of a guild or only have an hour or two to play, it is very difficult to accomplish anything on EQ.

PoP has fixed OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of that, IMO. As a druid, I can log in and solo by charming ravens in PoN and grab 20-30% of an AA in less than a half hour while a group organizes. With PoP, I can accomplish OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS more in a shorter amount of time, be it traveling or exp grinding. I just wish they would up old world exp to be more in line with PoP.

Drolgin Steingrinder · November 19, 2002, 11:55 am

City of Heroes is mankind's only hope. Team BOKBOK, to the rescue! Major Tom and Ziggy Stardust are here to SAVE YOU ALL from the terror of ICY MIRRIE!

POW!

BIFF!

WHAMMO!

SHABANG!

VeeshanVault

Lotsa people "retiring".

Lotsa people "retiring".

Re:Wiggum

...

.

EQ lives on