The most profitable MMO license squandered by an abysmal development team that refuses to listen.
It isn't.
Why? SOE Chases the almighty dollar without actually caring for the very people who pay their wages. The lie back on former glory of Everquest, and think because of this they can rest on their laurels, and do what they like, just because they had a sucess and have an amazing license.
They ignore some players who have been playing for over 2 years. They do not ask the very people who play the game. When criticised they remove all traces of dissent and criticism from their forums, banning the posters. Essentially its their way or the highway.
In chasing the almighty dollar, they released the game too early with too many bugs. Then the hired a brand new Dev team to fix a beta gone live, who didnt design the engine they had to work with - creating more bugs. The first expansion (suprise, suprise) was released way too early to meet marketing deadlines. The second expansion was a shameless cashin on the new movie. Again, released too early to coincide with the movie's release. They also brought in a Combat Upgrade. Which involved changes no one wanted or even knew about. Which was pushed to live too early (you seeing a trend here?) to meet a marketing deadline. Then they announce another shameless cashin on the DVD release. Only to not test it fully, ignore advice from beta testers, and push it live way too early (sigh) to meet a marketing deadline.
1 Day later they annouce the NGE - what you will be playing with this starter pack. This is ill conceived, and an attempt to completely change the game at the expense of those who have played the game for 2 years. It's an attempt to get the most out of what should be a profitable license by trying to attract the console player market. The fact is most of them are happy doing exactly that - playing their console games. Those that do come will be apalled by the lack of community, lack of scope and lack of variety after the first 30 levels. Its an even more buggy game than when first released.
Sony are now desperately trying to get feedback and fix the train wreck of a game. Because they pushed it live without actually asking the players what they want. And, again they pushed it live too soon. This is what I would like to out to Sony Online Entertainment: You are asking all these feedback questions, and making haphazard elasoplast fixes to try and keep what remains of your playerbase. This appeasment will not suffice. If you are asking these feedback questions, shouldn't you really be asking why didn't we ask these questions and fix problems, and make content for your EXISTING players BEFORE you pushing this live. We have been playing a beta in development for 2 years as it is. Now we are playing another new game that isn't, in my opinion, even worthy of a Beta tag.
I do not recommend playing this game. Is was fun when the community could generate its own content in the face of sloppy coding, woeful customer service and elasoplast fixes. This NGE will make or break the game. If it survives come back in a year when hey might have made some of the changes they have promised.
Personally. I doubt I will be around much longer as the firends I hang around for have just left, and it will be hard for me to come back to a game made by a company that chases the almighty dollar beyond all else and whose motto seems to be, 'to hell with our customers.'
Please dont flog this dead horse any more.