From: Ben Ziegler [mailto:bziegler@radix.net]
Sent: Saturday, September 30, 2000 9:44 AM
To: Smedley, John
Cc: McQuaid, Brad
Subject: RE: EQ Macros
Mr. Smedley,
First of all, I'd like to say thanks to you and all at Verant for making such a great game. I've enjoyed *many* hours playing it. ;)
I understand your decision to want to stop usage of EQM. It is perceived by some as a cheat. And, like you said, it violates Verant's TOS.
But EQM is not a malicious program. It doesn't let the player do anything they can't already do (it just makes it easier). It was designed solely to make playing EQ more fun. It adds features that many players wish EQ had built-in (e.g. the map feature). I've been told by many of my customers that EQM pumped "new life" into their EQ experience, and that they wouldn't consider playing EQ without it.
Obviously Verant needs to keep a level playing field in EQ to keep it fun for all of the players. But if the playing field can be kept level, and enjoyment can be improved for many players (and not taken away from anyone else), doesn't it make sense for Verant to support it? Won't this help Verant's bottom line now and in the future?
The folks at Origin took a hard stance against 3rd party programs at first. They feared that it was corrupting the game, and hurting more players than it helped. But they eventually realized that by working *with* 3rd party developers, they could essentially create all kinds of new content and functionality for their users at basically no cost! They developed an official 3rd party program (called UO Pro) to support & work with these developers, and created guidelines so that new utilities would be within the spirit of the game. They now have a complete page listing these utilities, which add features such as mapping, hotkey macros, journal recording, spawn maps, etc. Some of these programs are free, and some are commercial. But they all add to the UO experience.
When there's a great game like EQ, the fan base is going to support it in amazing ways. Every facet of the game will be analyzed and detailed. Online communities will sprout up to share their experiences. Some (like myself) will pour massive amounts of effort & energy into improving a game they love, and sharing that with others.
Please support your fan base and 3rd party developers in improving the EQ experience. Spend a little time & effort developing a 3rd party support program. This investment spent *collaborating* will have tremendous payoffs.
As a 3rd party developer, I would be willing to explore all possibilities in making EQM fit with the EQ vision. I hope to hear back from you soon about how we can work together on this.
Thanks,
-Ben Ziegler
Go back to the Call to Action