EverQuest Legends

We just received notice from the Director of Web Presence, Nathan Pearce about the new EverQuest Legends. The following is what they are advertising.
Make your mark on EverQuest! Sony Online Entertainment is proud to offer a unique and rewarding opportunity for EverQuest players: the EverQuest Legends Service. Are you ready for a new, more dynamic EverQuest experience? Are you prepared to take on exciting new challenges, discover unknown treasures, become a hero of Legendary proportions? To find out more, take our guided tour of all the new features we're preparing for EverQuest Legends, then reserve your spot today!
What Everquest Legends will offer you:
  • Character Pages Part of the Legends web site, each player character will have a personal homepage featuring all the character's statistics and items, and will be updated daily.
  • Dynamic Server (Exclusive) Our dedicated team of Customer Service & Development staff will not only be providing in-game support to our Legends players, but also running new quests and adventures for players of all levels to participate in.
  • Legendary Items Some of these Legendary items will even be named after the first player who discovers them.
  • Calendar of Events This web-based calendar will be kept up to date by the Legends Team, and will let you know who, when, where, and what is going on server-wide.
  • Interactive Maps Quickly find which zone your character is bound in, and which zones you have or haven't visited.
  • Tales of Adventure The Tales of Adventure will feature the best stories submitted by Legends players, prominently displayed for the whole world to marvel in your glorious deeds!
  • Guild Halls This new service includes a guild calendar, message board, member roster, and pages to post guild news, the guild history, and more! (Including logo) This sounds like a really great idea, I can't wait to see it live. However, there are only 8000 spots available, but if you do get in, you can move 8 of your current characters on a single account with items. The monthly cost is $39.95 and will include your current subscription. Sign up is February 4, 2002. Remember ONLY 8000 lucky people will get this chance. Sign up at EverQuest Legends.com Don't forget to take the Sorta Weekly Poll on the update page.
  • Comments

    Post Comment
    yes...
    # Feb 01 2002 at 10:09 PM Rating: Good
    but..yes... They promised us tons of dynamic quests etc. Now we're paying for them- It won't be much longer until we can just buy our titles for $30 or so...

    Despite the fact that you have to fork out more, I feel the experience is 'cheapening'
    >_<
    # Feb 01 2002 at 10:05 PM Rating: Decent
    Had to say this after reading the first few posts... just scrolled right down to here to post, so I haven't read all of it yet... but-

    More GMs = more $$ = more $$ to idiot GMs that won't help out at all, I bet...
    Sad
    # Feb 01 2002 at 10:01 PM Rating: Excellent
    All I can say is that its sad that they are going to create a premium service for those willing to pay more, with dynamic events and sorts of other goodies which they have been promising the player base and have yet to give us (when was the last GM event on the regular servers? The multiple one on Halloween, if I remember rightly?). When I started reading the post I was like "Wow, I have to sign up for this, this is what I was hoping EQ would be when I first bought the game!". Then I continued reading, growing more and more excited by the moment. Then I saw how much Sony/VI wanted to charge for this, and my heart shrank. And finally, the little cynical voice in the back of my head went over the post again and said "Doesn't this sound a lot like a Test Server to you, with the only difference that you are going to see lots of GM events at 4 times the cost??". And, for once in my life, I listened to that little cynical voice, and agreed with it.
    To put it mildly, I'm rather unimpressed by this. One of the reasons I bought EQ was the prospect of playing a long-running game at significantly reduced cost from what buying a regular PS2/PC game and finishing it and buying a new one. So far, I have enjoyed EQ (although the End Game has proved to be rather tedious). But with this announcement, I can but fear that what will happen is that the Premium players are going to get all of VI's attention, while the rest of the player base are going to be 'fillers', kept hanging on to a game fraying at the edges, with bugs that should have been removed long before anything like this Legend Server was offered, and with no one to bother helping them out when that Orc Pawn assassinates them and sends their body under the world or into a wall. After all, players on the Legend Server are going to get paid GM's, while those on the regular servers are going have to resign with volunteer Guides (no offense to all those GREAT people out there willing to spend their time helping the rest of the EQ community - If anything they have my wholehearted respect), operating under a Server GM (who might feel rather disgruntled at having to resolve yet another Epic Mob eating the items you have to hand in rather than participating in the Return to bloody Kithicor Event on the Legends server).

    To put an end to this rant, if after the Legends server goes live VI 'forget' about the dirty, stinking masses of 'penny players', I reckon they deserve having people /quit en masse. In all truth, EQ is (IMO) the best of the MMORPG's available at the moment, but one can still hope someone will force them to stop angering their customers and start straightening out the more blatant issues in their product.

    Irisia Faewind
    Champion of Faydark
    Shades of Fire
    Tholluxe Paells
    Hey ALTERGO
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:51 PM Rating: Default
    ALTERGO, if anyone can get a hold of him i have a solution to his sound problems, i suffered the same thing in doors, when he moves and the sound turns into that "ear splitting ring", just type /reverb to turn reverb off and the ringing will stop and you will still have sound, unfortunately you have to do this every time you zone but its better than going deaf or having no sound

    -Lutheren, 53 Delf Cleric, Sullon Zek
    RE: Hey ALTERGO
    # Feb 02 2002 at 12:00 AM Rating: Decent
    Thanks bro, I'll give this /reverb thing a try. If it does work I'll built several churches in your honor.
    SHOW ME THE MONEY
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:40 PM Rating: Default
    WONT PAY $40:00 a month SORRY
    Nothing to see here.
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:40 PM Rating: Decent
    1) Yes, $30 additional per month is very high... I certainly won't pay it.

    2) Just how "dynamic" is dynamic? Do you WANT to play on a server that, just because you didn't log in yesterday, you can log in and suddenly find that Freeport is now controlled by Dark Elves? (Who promptly kill you at your bind spot in a death-loop down to level 5.)

    3) It's bad enough when I read about how people used to do all kinds of hunting in LFay (before the Brownie Scouts) and Kith (before the "bloody Kithicor" event). Do any of you really WANT to play on a server where, conceivably, you could miss out on large amounts of content because you weren't in the right place at the right time? (Sleeper's Tomb is a great example of this... when the Sleeper is awoken, the Warders NEVER repop again on that server.)

    4) Does anyone truely believe that the "Dynamic Events" will take place at any time but "Prime Time"? I play late at night PST... GM events have always been early evenings PST. This will be the same.

    Not worth the bother.

    On the flip side, I doubt most "ubers" will bother with this either. Why should they?
    WTF!?
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:34 PM Rating: Decent
    Wait a second, my sound is STILL @ucked up thanks to Luclin. I can't even move without the music turning to an ear spliting BEEEEEEEEEEPPPPP and now those bastards at VI want to charge me $40 for some lameass server?

    How about fixing the damn game first huh? Biatches.
    Capitalism
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:25 PM Rating: Default
    Guys, chill.

    This is an upgrade. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. If you don't think you're getting your money's worth at $10 a month, quit.

    Ben Dover, paging Ben Dover...
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:18 PM Rating: Excellent
    *
    92 posts
    WHAT?!?!? I thought that this was what I was paying my $10/month for, except for the web-based stuff. I thought I was already paying $10/mo. to get a dynamic EverQuest experience? I thought I already was going to take on exciting new challenges, discover unknown treasures, be the hero of legendary proportions? I thought the GM staff was already supposed to be running new quests and adventures for players of all levels to participate in, that were supposed to have me caught up in the weave of stories and events. I thought we already had loads of new great new items showing up? Isn't that what Luclin is doing? Or are we finding now, that the EQ we are playing is 'sub-standard', and not all that the marketing hype had it built up to be? And knowing that, should we now believe the marketing hype for EQ Legends?

    And I thought that sites like Allakhazam, eq.casters, etc., would take care of the character pages, the calendars of events, the tales of adventure. Isn't that what I am paying for on premium service, here? In the past, guilds have typically built their own web pages and maintained their own calendars. Truly... the only thing I see here that is *new* is the maps. A very cool idea, but not worth an extra $30/month.

    I think that maybe, while Verant had grand ideas at the beginning, active content, legendary quests, etc., the reality has set in, and they find they must now *administer* the game, and well, that eats up a lot of the subscription fees. Now, "if we could just get them to pay for a *little more*, then we could truly give them something grand!" My real fear here is that if this Legends thing takes off the ground, then the regular EQ may _become_ the sub-standard game. Then, you may overhear things like this at Verant, "Well, why are you worrying about that, that is just for the regular EQ, leave it alone. Don't worry about it."

    No, I have several accounts on the _regular_ EQ servers, and think I am paying Sony/Verant *enough* to be able to play them. I may not exactly be "seething with righteous indignation", but I do not think I will be signing up to pay $40 per mo. for what I thought (according to claims) I was supposed to be getting for $10/mo.

    Edit: Yeah, when I finshed typing this, many other responses had popped up as well. Ah well, the curse of being long-winded.... heh.

    Edited, Fri Feb 1 20:27:37 2002
    Poll results...
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:17 PM Rating: Excellent
    Allakhazam's poll so far is showing:

    8% cool, deal me in
    35% those bastards! regular players shafted again
    The rest intermediate responses (predominantly negative.)

    But hey, if Verant sees that, they'll ignore the fact that the majority are unhappy with it.

    They'll see the 8% and start doing the math.

    "Hm, 8% of 400,000 = 32,000. We need FOUR Legends servers! Wow, cool! This is a huge success! Hm, where will we get enough GMs? I guess we can strip down the regular servers...all those people are cheap-*** anyway."

    You think service is bad now. Just wait.
    They'll have no incentive to keep the majority happy. In fact they'll probably decide that we need to be UNHAPPY, to increase the number of people switching to the premium service.

    I see this as the beginning of the end.
    OK, the beginning of the rest of the end.

    #Anonymous, Posted: Feb 01 2002 at 9:08 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) If you all dont like it then quit playing and shut your Pie hole.
    final words
    # Feb 01 2002 at 9:02 PM Rating: Decent
    This is obviously a test, they want to minimize the number of people as to better control the enviroment. Yeah, it really sounds cool, and some of it indeed sounds like stuff we already supposedly pay for (ie: dynamic quest and gm aid). But, there is two ways to look at it: either varent and inevatably sony are trying to create a high end everquest market (EQ permium) because it does indeed cost A LOT to run servers and update technology and pay all the developers (that are earning a living, not trying to make me or you happy, but as many people as possiable) and they still want to make money because they are a business and not a charity; or they are using this as a test server and giving a few bonuses to make people pay more for test (which they have to do) and they limit the numbers to control the enviroment better and make it seem more exciting and special to be on that server. Either way, if you are not paying (or not able to pay as I am) the 40 bucks a month, what does it matter to you? You are not getting negativly hit because they people are paying the price for what they get. DO you get mad at every person you see driving a better, more expensive car becuase they got a better product and better service with a much higher price tag? I hope not. If you pay more, you get more; that is the way of the world. No matter what, our little addictive conor of norrath will continue just as it always has with the same service and the same bug and performance as we expect and have got up to this point (just with 8000 less uber, or not so uber player) and those people who have the money and want to throw it at there addiction can do so and reap its rewards. Thus is the way of class system within society, and now in everquest. Just be happy with what you have, and let the rest that you don't go, or you will live a short depressed life. good luck to all on the new server and good hunting to everyone else in norrath.

    "a persons last true freedom is to choose his or her attitude in any given situation"
    Utopia, Legends Ain't
    # Feb 01 2002 at 8:54 PM Rating: Decent
    Content-wise, the real shame about this new service/server is that it tries to cater to everyone, and there is absolutely no way it can please everyone.

    This service primarily promotes two things: uberness and events. Problem is, the people who would genuinely love the events, are also generally people who get annoyed by uber d00ds. Without any conduct restrictions on this server, the events are going to constantly deteriorate into the worst case scenario (d00ds disrupting the event because they get a kick out of it, and look down their noses at roleplaying). This already happens frequently on regular servers, but it'll be ten times worse on Legends, because both the $40 price tag and the promise of unique uber items will draw all the most extreme d00ds. Powerlevelling d00ds and roleplayers cannot peacefully coexist, and there is no way to feasibly cater directly to both at the same time on the same server... or if there is a way, it's not described on the Legends web site.

    Don't get me wrong -- people have every right to play however they want. Their $10 is worth as much as mine. But there's no denying that there are VASTLY differing playstyles and personalities in this game, which clash violently under the right circumstances. The Legends server exemplifies those circumstances.

    My prediction would be that, within a week, all those roleplayers out there who fork over the $40 for the great storyline events and chances to "make their own legend" will be screaming bloody murder on the boards. The gms will be angry about their well-planned events being shot to hell. Ultimately, the events will degenerate into plain and simple "who can kill the named bad guy first" campaigns, with story and character basically out the window. After a month, the only people still paying for this service will be the ultimate powergamers.

    All the same, I hope I'm wrong, because this could be a great (albeit slightly overpriced) service if only the target market weren't so diverse in play style.
    New servers
    # Feb 01 2002 at 8:38 PM Rating: Decent
    i like the game,with so many players it is hard not to have unhappy ones,but u have the choice to play or not to play so it shoud not be something bad.I think that to be rich is to have a lot of choices the more the better,u can not afford it no problem i can not afford it either.But let others that can pay play and will see if it is something different or it is the same as the other servers and may be possible to afford it ) if u like ti bad eunogh.Instead of sabotaging why not come up with some ideas that will make the game better for all of us.I repeat,more choices is better and remeber it could be worse....what would u play if you did not have everquest )
    Well that is my opinion of course ).

    You gain exeperience!
    You gain a level!(hopefully level 100 ))
    This isn't a new idea, folks
    # Feb 01 2002 at 8:16 PM Rating: Good
    Many text MUDs already offer this type of service. Like it or not, EQ is a business, and an expensive one to run at that. The new MMORPGs coming out charge 12.95 a month for a reason. It's damn expensive to maintain not only the servers but the demands of a selfish player base.

    EQ would have tanked already if it didn't get to leverage the time of a large group of volunteers for their Guide program. News flash everyone.. the people who answer your petitons in game ARE NOT PAID. Think about that next time you argue that your 10 dollars a month entitles you to whatever petty thing it is you want at the moment.

    A premium server is just going to give those players who want a truly dynamic experience the chance to have it. There will continue to be the same service that you've been content with for almost 3 years on the normal servers, you'll have the same volunteer guides, and the same gm run quests as before.

    With legends you'll be getting a ton of features that essentially make it a new game every month.. which validates the high price tag.

    And no, I can't afford it :^)
    RE: This isn't a new idea, folks
    # Feb 01 2002 at 8:28 PM Rating: Decent
    I agree with everything you said. And yes i can't afford it either (
    Greed and Fame
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:57 PM Rating: Decent
    Let the greedy and vane go to these servers, that just means they all frenzy for uber items on a server that im not on, woot. No offense to the developers on the subject im just hoping i can again enjoy a relaxing night of EQ with friends and family without the /frown of a group/guild attempting yet another camp at another uber quest item at our expense. WTG Verant!

    P.S. I like the idea of implementing running new quests and adventures for players of all levels to participate in, but i thought thats what we were already paying for.../sigh

    Been thinkin maybe i should be a guide and help run dynamic sub quests. The 10 hours i spend zoning alone, should qualify me 8D

    Oh and BTW....


    /petition Um why can't i forage chicken?
    what a rip
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:34 PM Rating: Default
    I may be a relatively new player and I'm definitly not the best but even I can see that they're trying to rip us off. Everquest is about having fun doing things you like, not paying $40 to be guinea pigs in Sony's test!


    YOU have just killed the Sony bas**** who came up with this!

    You gain experience! (not to mention the respect and admiration of of your fellow gamers)

    You wake up from the best dream you've ever had in your life!


    what is this?
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:33 PM Rating: Default
    I think that a server like that would be great. Would make you feel like there is some actual storyline within the game. But 40 bucks a month- come on talk about a rip off. If they cant maintain the regular servers, how can they expect us to believe that they will be able to keep these servers up? I could see people more likely to go for this new server(even with the price) If the game wasnt so ****** already. Fix your product verant and then maybe people will be more willing to pay the outrageous price of a "new and improved" server.


    Treslinn
    Pain Mercenaries of Silence
    Cleric of the 50th season
    um?
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:26 PM Rating: Decent
    ok this doesnt seem fair, when i got EQ originally it cost like 40 bucks then i bought kunark w/ whole game another $40 then velius like $30 then now luclin which was.... like $30 again i think add in 3 years of game play for $10 a month, thats 40+40+30+30+360=$500 thats 500 i have spent on EQ and now im supposed to pay another 30 a month for somethings we have and should have already!
    character pages- um ok most guilds make their own webpages already+ castersrealm and magelo already have services like this! I think CR's is free too
    "Dynamic Server (Exclusive)
    Our dedicated team of Customer Service & Development staff will not only be providing in-game support to our Legends players, but also running new quests and adventures for players of all levels to participate in."
    ok so you are supposed to pay extra to get in-game support? and your supposed topay more to get more quests froma game called everquest?

    "Legendary Items
    Some of these Legendary items will even be named after the first player who discovers them."
    ok it would be cool to have a item named after you, but all it is, is a cosmetic change... does it really matter if it's "Jebantik's rusty short sword" if it has the same stats?

    "Calendar of Events
    This web-based calendar will be kept up to date by the Legends Team, and will let you know who, when, where, and what is going on server-wide."
    Everlore shows upcomming events on their news page every day for free! there are TONS of websites devoted to this!

    "Interactive Maps
    Quickly find which zone your character is bound in, and which zones you have or haven't visited."
    ok we already have the /charinfo command that tells us where we are bound and unless you have some memory disorder you will remember if you have been in a zone before. This function seems wortheless... each expansion you buy comes with a map and there are many many sites with very nice zone maps.

    "Tales of Adventure
    The Tales of Adventure will feature the best stories submitted by Legends players, prominently displayed for the whole world to marvel in your glorious deeds!"
    Again, on everlore people post stories of GM events on there all the time and you can read them for free.

    "Guild Halls
    This new service includes a guild calendar, message board, member roster, and pages to post guild news, the guild history, and more! (Including logo)"
    Im guessing this is a new guild website thing, which again you could make for free and almost every guild has one or at least a forum.

    This seems like your paying for a EQ expansion every month with WAY less content! 8k people for 30 more $'s a month=$240,000 MORE a month!(not including the $10 they already pay) the expenses are probably no where near that much!

    From my perspective you dont get what you pay for! For this much a month you could have a EQ account a DAoC account and a Asheron's Call account and still have money left over! I think the dynamic quests should be free. That is the only thing i would want out of all this mess. Norrath seems to be a pretty static place with the story only changing slightly with each new expansion. Also why should someone pay more for these bonus features when there are still bugs in the game from beta testing!!! I mean how long have bards been strumming a flute while they have a drum equiped? What happened to the M project huh? All the zones from the original map havent been implemented yet!!!!!!!!









    RE: um?
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:37 PM Rating: Default
    by the time i was done writing this like 10 more messages like it have popped up. I think we need to spread the word and hold in-game strikes where we all petition at once about how we dont like it and then get everyone we can to make a char in the same city and try to bring down a zone or two!
    /cackle
    I say we make an online petition and get it signed by a good 20k people about how we dislike this and how these options should be free to the people!

    RE: um?
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:41 PM Rating: Default
    We are the players. They would ignore us anyways. And come on, with the everquest addiction can you seriously expect people to stop playing? no. EVERYONE knows how addictive this game is, and theyve got us all by our little finger, they dont care, what are we going to do, quit? over 400,000 players? quit? ya right.
    If you are upset, make yourself heard...
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:19 PM Rating: Default
    Go to the developers corner at www.everquestlive.com and go to forums. Subit a comment there about this and how unhappy you are. Make them know. I already did mine with both my accounts, I encourage others to do as well.

    Jhovial
    bah
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:14 PM Rating: Decent
    Is it just me, or does this "Legends Server" sound more like another test server?

    With the amount of new items that they are going to get first, it honestly sounds to me like they are trying to see how they will work there before they put them on the real servers. If they do it there, they have a max of 8000 players complaining, whereas if they do it on the real servers first, they have over 400,000 people complaining?
    And to charge THAT much for it, who are they kidding? No way in hell am i gonna put that much moneyinto a server that is HIGHLY likely to have more bugs and be another way for them to test items etc without a bunch of people complaining.
    Yeah the new interfaces looked ok, but in my eyes, the old one seems better laid out.
    Hmmm
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:07 PM Rating: Default
    Taken from the Druid's Grove

    I don't understand why they can't put some this stuff in (extra CS, dynamic events, guild halls, but probably not reduced server numbers) and just raise the subscription price to, say, $15.00. Not that I've done the math, but I think 400,000 subscribers (or how ever many there are now) paying $15.00 per month is more than 8,000 paying 40.00 per month.

    392,000 @ 9.95 per month = $3,900,400
    8,000@39.95 per month = $39,600
    Total per month = 3,940,000

    400,000 @ $15.00 per month = 6,000,000

    About a $2,000,000 difference...

    Ok, so I decided to do the math... Granted, I'm no accountant or even in the field of business and I didn't include those that pay 3 or 6 month subscriptions, but I can imagine that they might have some kind of deal for those 39.95 folks also...

    Sheesh... I think everyone could come out better in the second deal.
    Bah
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:05 PM Rating: Decent
    Initial reaction... nice. Finally, a dynamic server. Then, PRICE? Come on, 40 dollars a month? Like someone below already said, this should already be available to everyone, not just a few (OK 8000 but considering the number of players EQ has) lucky ones who want to fork out extra cash. Anarchy Online has a constantly updated story, Asheron's Call had frequent story arc events... why doesn't EQ? Someone called this the beginning of EQ Premium, they're probly right.

    And wow, if this doesn't make you feel that much more pissed off about how many things are already broken... and now they roll out another server full of shiny new crap. Grats Verant.
    umm....
    # Feb 01 2002 at 7:04 PM Rating: Default
    Is it just me, or aren't ALL players supposed to be able to enjoy dynamic quests and have GM's at their beck and call? Perhaps instead of spending all night making sure that guilds don't 'exploit' zones (read : take advantage of poor design/programming) they could actually provide GM quests, answer petitions, help newbies, etc.
    Rip off.
    # Feb 01 2002 at 6:59 PM Rating: Default
    /rude Verant Interactive
    /rude Sony

    Bloodsucking sons of ...... Like they dont get enough money to line their pockets at 9.95/mo. Lets leave stuff broken that has needed fixed since release and create a new server so we can charge more $$.

    BITE ME SONY!

    /em cancels his account
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