News - RedGuides is working to become an emu-first community, and we want you to play emu, too

[Monqui01]

Maybe IA will make MQ for us in the future :P

 

[matthinson]

Alright so, does that mean TLP servers arnt being update aswell since they are " live " servers?

Also, whats the point of holding a level 2 access anymore if MQ isnt.. well, MQ'n EQ live servers?

What about All our yearly subs for CWTN Plugins? If we cant play on live, whats the point of having them? What about refunds on them? Kind of a toxic move to not offer refunds on 1 year sub's for CWTN if live isnt being updated.

What if another website starts up selling MQ/Very Vanilla, Will the CWTN plugins work there? will they be offered to be complied on other websites or just kept for yalls emu garbo?

 

[Dufus]

This news gave me emotions and stuff. The people dedicated to supporting MQ have been silent partners in the game, for so many years now. I can never repay the debt. The best I can do is a sincere Thank You to let you devs know that your work was truly appreciated.

The QoS features of MQ could have been sold as uprades, or even DLC, easily. It was so cool that it remained available for all to use. Personally, I only ever used MQ for acts of kindness and helping other players. Never to grief or KS.

Side note - I'll never understand the MQ hunter players. Those who derived pleasure in reporting other players. Now, the silence of the zones can be their companion for all time.

 

[Sic]

Alright so, does that mean TLP servers arnt being update aswell since they are " live " servers?

Also, whats the point of holding a level 2 access anymore if MQ isnt.. well, MQ'n EQ live servers?

What about All our yearly subs for CWTN Plugins? If we cant play on live, whats the point of having them? What about refunds on them? Kind of a toxic move to not offer refunds on 1 year sub's for CWTN if live isnt being updated.

What if another website starts up selling MQ/Very Vanilla, Will the CWTN plugins work there? will they be offered to be complied on other websites or just kept for yalls emu garbo?

there's a lot to unpack here, and much of it has already been addressed in this discussion, and while i can understand your frustration (imagine mine) some of the tone and words you use aren't constructive or (in my opinion) fair/accurate)

there a lot of moving parts atm.

the cwtn plugins (other than a legacy version of rogue/berzerker) are only available at redguides, and we have 0 plans of going elsewhere with them.

we've put the cwtn plugins purchases on hold for a bit until we have a better idea of what "tomorrow" looks like

"tlp" servers are the "live everquest .exe build"
everquest currently has 3 "official" build types - Live, Test, and Beta

the MQ devs have decided to step back from updating Live/Test/Beta - they are volunteers and not RG staff

MQ is open source and will be accepting quality Pull Requests - hopefully this results in folks (all the pm/dms i've got saying they can do it) to do it, and folks who do want to focus on live/test can continue doing so

without macroquest being updated, there is no macroquest for redguides to build to match live eq builds

is it possible some super l337 ninja dude smarter than the entire community put together updates and makes their own website to sell access to their distro? i mean sure - but nothing is stopping from folks doing that now.

ChatWithThisName and I have been with Redbot for a while now, and we plan on working with RedBot to do whatever we can to continue to have our stuff available for the people who want it.

it MQ is available for live/test, we'll have it.
if MQ is only available for EMU - we'll have it for EMU

RG has no plans on making a RG emu server - but there are many servers out there that RG members enjoy.

Good evening everyone.
Like many of you, I’ve been processing the recent news and gauging where the community stands. I understand the urge to react immediately, but I’m asking everyone to join me in a "holding pattern" as we wait for the next patch. I am cautiously optimistic. Several talented individuals have stepped up to tackle the technical challenges coming on patch day. While I don’t have concrete answers yet, the "Bat-Signal" has been answered by people from across the MQ scene. We have to wait and see if these solutions hold in the coming patches.

Please wait for the patch before making final decisions on your accounts.
Do NOT do chargebacks against DB: This will result in an immediate account ban.
If you want to pause, simply cancel your subscription for now. This keeps your options open if MQ survives the patch.

Regarding CWTN Refunds
We were given as little notice as you were. We have always acted in good faith, and those who have dealt with Sic and me before know we aim to make the refund process painless. However, I ask for your patience. Let’s see how the patch plays out before we move forward with refund requests.

Whether Live survives or not, we are committed to keeping this community going. We are already working on bringing CWTN plugins to the EMU scene with some upgrades tailored to EMU. We'll be shifting from "hard-coded" logic to an "Addclicky" style system. This allows you to pick spells, AAs, and discs, and set their order for downtime, combat, or burns. This is essential for the custom mechanics found on EMU servers as Sic and I couldn't possibly go to every server and do custom mechanics for each one. We are shifting INI structures to allow the same character name across different servers as we expect it will be much more common for players to be on multiple servers on the same class with the same name.

I’ve been in EQ since 1999. The thought of this journey ending is heart-wrenching, but it shouldn't mean the end of our community. Whether we are on Live or exploring the EMU scene together, I want to keep playing and talking with all of you.
Let’s cross our fingers, wait for the patch, and see what "The Batmans" can do.

Optimistically,
CWTN

P.S. It's really hard to try and keep this message short and to the point. But I've removed as much "rambling" as I could from it in hopes it was a clearer message.

P.P.S. I have disabled the sale of the CWTN plugins for both me and Sic to prevent anyone from making another purchase of them. Users who currently have a license will still be able to download the plugins they have a license for.

 

[Nerenalist]

This is very unfortunate, because I have recently just started using the programs on live and they have been nothing but life changing. I can understand where they are coming from though, especially to put in all that effort and work to only have people try to stop it and not appreciate it.

I do have one follow up question though, for the people that just invested in this, will they be receiving a refund of purchase, do to not having the agreed upon yearly sub for the cwtn for a year and for only about a month?

I appreciate all that you do and thank you for all that you have done.

 

[fleqfan]

I found this article that basically says there is a "Death Clock" ticking down for Everquest. Whether that is accurate or not, only time will tell. I would hope someone would buy the IP, make better business decisions than EG7 has, and then be able to revive it.

As far as this announcement, I applaud RG, Sic and CTWN for having a plan in place "in case" no one is able to maintain MQ for live and test. This is a way to keep the site going. Also as you can tell it is something they have just recently become aware of. Being open about what is going on is showing good faith to all I would say.

Just recently, it was all gloom and doom for the EMU scene and people thought it would all go away. But for now, that has not been the case. Likewise, I would advise people to see how the dust settles on this one also.

 

[Derple]

I don't know what makes you think this is about money. DBG has continually made it harder and harder to updated MQ to match the updates. It takes more and more time every update to work out what they changed, and why they changed it so MQ can actually work with the new changes.

I have yet to see any of the main dev crew with their hand out holding MQ at a ransom.

The MQ devs do not receive money beyond voluntary donations so ... no it isn't about money.

 

[william12]

The MQ devs do not receive money beyond voluntary donations so ... no it isn't about money.

if they were making six figures doing it im sure they would still be doing it.

 

[Derple]

A lot of people in this thread not understanding how the MQ model works. MQ is free and open source by brain, knightly and danuic. Redguides is not selling you MQ they are selling a compile and these forums with resource and support. The people making the core software have reduced their coverage of servers - this is not something you are paying for.

 

[dfontenot]

I am good with this.

I don’t post a lot and I haven’t played since THJ was shut down. I actually canceled my DB subscriptions afterwards and I’m still salty about having my beastlord banned awhile back.

But I have been getting that itch again and will be checking out the EMU scene. Thank you all for what you do.

 

[Backagain]

Man this hits hard. I always thought I would have been taken out by permanent bans. Thank you for all the work over the years making EQ enjoyable. /salute devs

 

[Player2bnamedl8r]

Ugh, this is very unfortunate. Thank you for the years of service!

 

[The Ancient One]

Just finished one of hardest things last years. Last accounts subscriptions canceled. Feeling bad and obligated on doing this. And also, necessary to hold on because I believe money is the way and DB must fell it.
Importanty to thank RG guys and MQ delevopers. I have lots plugins also and its noones fault but DB, what is happening. You guys work is great.

 

[ChatWithThisName]

Good evening everyone.
Like many of you, I’ve been processing the recent news and gauging where the community stands. I understand the urge to react immediately, but I’m asking everyone to join me in a "holding pattern" as we wait for the next patch. I am cautiously optimistic. Several talented individuals have stepped up to tackle the technical challenges coming on patch day. While I don’t have concrete answers yet, the "Bat-Signal" has been answered by people from across the MQ scene. We have to wait and see if these solutions hold in the coming patches.

Please wait for the patch before making final decisions on your accounts.
Do NOT do chargebacks against DB: This will result in an immediate account ban.
If you want to pause, simply cancel your subscription for now. This keeps your options open if MQ survives the patch.

Regarding CWTN Refunds
We were given as little notice as you were. We have always acted in good faith, and those who have dealt with Sic and me before know we aim to make the refund process painless. However, I ask for your patience. Let’s see how the patch plays out before we move forward with refund requests.

Whether Live survives or not, we are committed to keeping this community going. We are already working on bringing CWTN plugins to the EMU scene with some upgrades tailored to EMU. We'll be shifting from "hard-coded" logic to an "Addclicky" style system. This allows you to pick spells, AAs, and discs, and set their order for downtime, combat, or burns. This is essential for the custom mechanics found on EMU servers as Sic and I couldn't possibly go to every server and do custom mechanics for each one. We are shifting INI structures to allow the same character name across different servers as we expect it will be much more common for players to be on multiple servers on the same class with the same name.

I’ve been in EQ since 1999. The thought of this journey ending is heart-wrenching, but it shouldn't mean the end of our community. Whether we are on Live or exploring the EMU scene together, I want to keep playing and talking with all of you.
Let’s cross our fingers, wait for the patch, and see what "The Batmans" can do.

Optimistically,
CWTN

P.S. It's really hard to try and keep this message short and to the point. But I've removed as much "rambling" as I could from it in hopes it was a clearer message.

P.P.S. I have disabled the sale of the CWTN plugins for both me and Sic to prevent anyone from making another purchase of them. Users who currently have a license will still be able to download the plugins they have a license for.

 

[Deathsbane]

It’s not their fault. You knew the risks you were taking.

I ment to say RG sub and not necessarily just the plug ins. It kinda is their fault to not support the service of which there selling access to a program they wroter..... A choice to not support live is a choice. Just like I have the choice to request reimbursement for an unusable services that were paid for. Thanks for your response. made me think about the fact I paid for an annual RG sub also.

 

[ChatWithThisName]

I ment to say RG sub and not necessarily just the plug ins. It kinda is their fault to not support the service of which there selling access to a program they wroter..... A choice to not support live is a choice. Just like I have the choice to request reimbursement for an unusable services that were paid for. Thanks for your response. made me think about the fact I paid for an annual RG sub also.

Redguides isn't choosing not to support Live, the devs stepped down (they did not work for redguides) and redguides is actively looking for someone who will take their place. This was a notification to let people know (what we expected at the time) where RG would shift to if we were unable to fill that role. Currently some have offered to give it a go, but we won't know more until the patches coming up and see if they are able to come through for us.

 

[Augmentor]

I can't help but wonder if this has something to do with EverQuest Legends and their team consisting of Secrets, Rogean, and other EQEmu players. Probably not lol. but I know they hate boxers, and they don't allow any boxing. I guess the whole EverQuest legends thing is for a different audience, people who don't play live/TLP.

Either way, I understand the stress the MQ Devs are and have been under to patch each month, and it can't be an easy task. I was just wondering after last patch who is going to take the reigns if the current person/people doing it decide it's time to stop. I really appreciate everything you guys have done and I hope RG will do your best to continue going forward with Live builds of MQ.

 

[The Ancient One]

Good evening everyone.
Like many of you, I’ve been processing the recent news and gauging where the community stands. I understand the urge to react immediately, but I’m asking everyone to join me in a "holding pattern" as we wait for the next patch. I am cautiously optimistic. Several talented individuals have stepped up to tackle the technical challenges coming on patch day. While I don’t have concrete answers yet, the "Bat-Signal" has been answered by people from across the MQ scene. We have to wait and see if these solutions hold in the coming patches.

Please wait for the patch before making final decisions on your accounts.
Do NOT do chargebacks against DB: This will result in an immediate account ban.
If you want to pause, simply cancel your subscription for now. This keeps your options open if MQ survives the patch.

Regarding CWTN Refunds
We were given as little notice as you were. We have always acted in good faith, and those who have dealt with Sic and me before know we aim to make the refund process painless. However, I ask for your patience. Let’s see how the patch plays out before we move forward with refund requests.

Whether Live survives or not, we are committed to keeping this community going. We are already working on bringing CWTN plugins to the EMU scene with some upgrades tailored to EMU. We'll be shifting from "hard-coded" logic to an "Addclicky" style system. This allows you to pick spells, AAs, and discs, and set their order for downtime, combat, or burns. This is essential for the custom mechanics found on EMU servers as Sic and I couldn't possibly go to every server and do custom mechanics for each one. We are shifting INI structures to allow the same character name across different servers as we expect it will be much more common for players to be on multiple servers on the same class with the same name.

I’ve been in EQ since 1999. The thought of this journey ending is heart-wrenching, but it shouldn't mean the end of our community. Whether we are on Live or exploring the EMU scene together, I want to keep playing and talking with all of you.
Let’s cross our fingers, wait for the patch, and see what "The Batmans" can do.

Optimistically,
CWTN

P.S. It's really hard to try and keep this message short and to the point. But I've removed as much "rambling" as I could from it in hopes it was a clearer message.

Im with you guys. If thing gets back to normal I only reactivate accounts as you said. My mesage to them is only the subs cancel for now.

 

[Cinnwin]

people aint understanding that redguides and MQ2 are two DIFFERENT entities . this isnt a redguides decision..

 

[Deathsbane]

Hey dude, I'm not trying to make this a personal attack so sorry if I just respond to the most recent question here.

It is a totally reasonable question and thought, I am not trying to imply otherwise... but, please consider this:
Do you get refunds when you are bannned?
I'm sure some people try, but I want you guys to keep something in mind here: Those developers are people too, and offered what they did in good faith. That money could have already been spent on diapers lol.

I would personally advise a wait and see approach. It could be the next patch is relatively tame, someone steps up, etc. You just can't really know quite yet... and you are still using the product now.

I didnt take it as an attack. In response I did in good faith pay for a annual subscription which I would keep paying for so long as it is supported. Hence I asked for a refund for unused/not usable time

Hey dude, I'm not trying to make this a personal attack so sorry if I just respond to the most recent question here.

It is a totally reasonable question and thought, I am not trying to imply otherwise... but, please consider this:
Do you get refunds when you are bannned?
I'm sure some people try, but I want you guys to keep something in mind here: Those developers are people too, and offered what they did in good faith. That money could have already been spent on diapers lol.

I would personally advise a wait and see approach. It could be the next patch is relatively tame, someone steps up, etc. You just can't really know quite yet... and you are still using the product now.

not a total refund. Being banned/suspended is a response to a choice I made so no no refund would be warranted.

 

[MadrillahTheAncient]

As a community, we can act with we can. As I said, suspended all my subs until know what’s going to be. Remaining time is what’s left of gold toons and that’s it.
If we have union and movement from community, DB might fell where they cares, the pocket.
If so, will obligate them to move in our way.
Money is the word and rules the world!
Did my part for now! No more money to DB and let’s see.

What do you think this is gonna accomplish? Daybreaks gonna come running to the MQ devs begging them to support live again? Never. gonna. happen. DBG hates MQ, they hate the MQ devs, and they hate you. They would shut the game down before doing that.

 

[AugustineSurfer]

Alright so, does that mean TLP servers arnt being update aswell since they are " live " servers?

Also, whats the point of holding a level 2 access anymore if MQ isnt.. well, MQ'n EQ live servers?

What about All our yearly subs for CWTN Plugins? If we cant play on live, whats the point of having them? What about refunds on them? Kind of a toxic move to not offer refunds on 1 year sub's for CWTN if live isnt being updated.

What if another website starts up selling MQ/Very Vanilla, Will the CWTN plugins work there? will they be offered to be complied on other websites or just kept for yalls emu garbo?

I'm not sure if this will help you understand the scenario a little better, but I think of it like this:

#1 EQ client
#2 MQ code updated by brainiac and dannuic
#3 Redguides
#4 Redguides users (me and you)

When EQ gets patched, the MQ code needs to be updated, and then Redguides compiles that code into a nice little program for us to use. The people in position #2 decided they are no longer doing updates, so everything behind them falls apart UNLESS someone can step into that #2 spot, someone who has the knowledge and ability to update MQ code to play nice with EQ code every time it is patched. You and I pay #3 (Redguides) for the nice, easy-to-use, plug and play MQ. It's not #3 fault that #2 isn't participating any longer, just like it wouldn't be #4 (me and you) fault if #3 decided they were no longer updating Redguides for us.

Everyone in #3 and #4 spot is just as upset about this decision as you are. Sic said he only found out about it 1-2 days ago, iirc. It's not like the folks here at Redguides have been hiding this, collecting our monies, and then dropped this bomb on us. It's not toxic, it's just the simple fact that the people who are in #2 spot resigned from the process so ... hope that we can find an applicant to fill that role.

 

[Deathsbane]

if they were making six figures doing it im sure they would still be doing it.

Maby they should charge. I'd pay for access to their hard work and time. The MQ guys do an amazing job. Most of us pay for RG and plug-ins that run due to MQ the fact they aren't charging for the foundation is crazy to me.

 

[bennabiy]

My guess is it will have a measureable effect on EQ but will also have an effect on RG pocketbook as well. When will be the best time to cancel all the subscriptions I have purchased? Thanks for the warning...

I am with you on this one... Sadly I just paid for a subscription to hear that it is getting the axe and I won't be able to get my money's worth out of it. .... This makes me quite sad.

 

[Teichou]

I am not happy with this. I help Red years and years ago try to keep MQ2 alive and work on making RG as awesome as possible.... and this is not the world I wanted to make.

 

[Rusang]

I completely understand, and if DBG would back off slightly on the hostility toward this community, I'd subscribe 6x accounts to Live right now on a yearly basis, probably forever. I quit solely because of that hostility, which is a shame because I genuinely love EQ and want to play Live. The issue has never been difficulty... but the time I can realistically dedicate. 6 accounts lets me work through progressions on my own schedule without spending hours LFG or seeking progression help. Just let me play my way! I've been at this since Kunark and LFG queues and progression groups aren't how I want to spend what little time I have with kids, job, continuous education, etc.


The new EQLegends server is getting attention for this reason. It lets us older generation of EQ players play solo and handle things at our pace. There's clearly still an appetite for it, just let me do it!


On a separate note: is there any discussion about updating the ROF2 client to a more modern version? I have no idea what that involves on the backend, but with the MQ devs stepping back from Live, I'm hoping there are conversations happening about moving to a more recent client. Would love to see it.


As always, thanks for everything. I do miss this game. DBG, the door is open if you ever want my money.

 

[VestalBears]

Will ectunnel still be around or is that going away?

 

[Teichou]

Will ectunnel still be around or is that going away?

nothing will change with ect

 

[Thanos]

Everyone should cancel everything and respond to the email you get asking you to fill out a survey. If they lose enough business, maybe they'll finally give the okay to have mq-approved servers where the patches aren't made intentionally hard to do. I know it's not what Sic wanted in the past, but to me it would be great. I re-open all 12 of my accounts quick, fast, and in a hurry.

 

[bennabiy]

I would love to learn more about how mq works but, I haven't touched assembly or c++ in 27 years. So I've forgotten more then I know.

I am in the same boat... But willing to try if pointed in the right direction.

 

[Thanos]

Welp, looks like I'll be checking out BDG3 after all.

It's turn-based and boring af.

 

[Rancid727]

Sad but very understandable as i like Live just as much as i like Laz. thats my 1st emu to play it is great but i find i do miss some stuff from live.
and i had plans to use rgmercs and try out Legends i need the automation to play the game. hands just not what they used to be. heh should see how bad my mouse hand shakes all around the target i am aiming at or hotkeys on the board.
Laz i loged in and 1st 5 mins i had some guy giving me all kinds of crap. got asked if i wanted to join a guild said sure why not. invited all 6 of my guys and gave me 50k. lol kind of hard to turn down great bunch of people on that server. thats cool and all but takes away from the the EQ hardship i loved.

As getting rgmercs up and going on LAz the nav files and some of the maps need real help.

 

[kronoislife]

The new EQLegends server is getting attention for this reason. It lets us older generation of EQ players play solo and handle things at our pace. There's clearly still an appetite for it, just let me do it!

I don’t want kill Naggy and Vox again. Give me the late game (UF+) or give me death.

 

[Thanos]

Alright so, does that mean TLP servers arnt being update aswell since they are " live " servers?

Also, whats the point of holding a level 2 access anymore if MQ isnt.. well, MQ'n EQ live servers?

What about All our yearly subs for CWTN Plugins? If we cant play on live, whats the point of having them? What about refunds on them? Kind of a toxic move to not offer refunds on 1 year sub's for CWTN if live isnt being updated.

What if another website starts up selling MQ/Very Vanilla, Will the CWTN plugins work there? will they be offered to be complied on other websites or just kept for yalls emu garbo?

The CWTN's won't auto-renew so no need to worry about that. As far as getting a refund goes, I'd agree if they had months of notice that this was coming, but they did not. It's not bad faith; it's bad luck. And tbh, they're losing the game they love too, and we should appreciate all the fun their work gave us for so long.

 

[theGreatGizm0]

April fools?

 

[virtuoso65]

This is sad news, I have not used RG or MQ in a bit over a year now after 8 of my accounts got hit in a ban wave even though half of them were not even used in over 6 months prior...
I have tried EMU servers in the past and they always just feel hollow and pointless.

 

[Cannonballdex]

Nothing is the same as live. Don't get me wrong, I found EMU a treat for a while, but got old dealing with a buggy atmosphere and nothing to really gain. Test server is fun when you wanted all the perks without paying, but live gives you a sense of accomplishment, competing with others for real world status. Feeling like you were getting a leg up on the competition. Even the competition with other MQ users was fun. Who can gain the most plat and krono with the least amount of effort. I will probably stay on live and go back to other ways of competing. Thank you for the many years of MQ. It's been fun. All good things eventually come to an end.

 

[burdsjm]

I'm not sure I see "gleeful" from any of the posters here. Maybe I skipped some.

I wouldn't say gleeful, I am vengful. I hope this bites JChan and the other asshats who kept pushing this anticheat and ban waves. I hope they feel it financially, and that it endangers their ability to earn an income and keep their jobs.

 

[burdsjm]

there's a lot to unpack here, and much of it has already been addressed in this discussion, and while i can understand your frustration (imagine mine) some of the tone and words you use aren't constructive or (in my opinion) fair/accurate)

there lots of moving parts atm.

the cwtn plugins (other than a legacy version of rogue/berzerker) are only available at redguides, and we have 0 plans of going elsewhere with them.

"tlp" servers are the "live everquest .exe build"
everquest currently has 3 "official" build types - Live, Test, and Beta

the MQ devs have decided to step back from updating Live/Test/Beta

MQ is open source and will be accepting quality Pull Requests - hopefully this results in folks (all the pm/dms i've got saying they can do it) to do it, and folks who do want to focus on live/test can continue doing so

without macroquest being updated, there is no macroquest for redguides to build to match live eq builds

is it possible some super l337 ninja dude smarter than the entire community put together updates and makes their own website to sell access to their distro? i mean sure - but nothing is stopping from folks doing that now.

ChatWithThisName and I have been with Redbot for a while now, and we plan on working with RedBot to do whatever we can to continue to have our stuff available for the people who want it.

it MQ is available for live/test, we'll have it.
if MQ is only available for EMU - we'll have it for EMU

You can keep my subscription money. It was such a cheap cost for the excellent automation.

 

[kronoislife]

This has got to be connected to EQL and the folks at Game Jawn somehow. Timing is too sus.