Exit Interview

When I read this post by Bandit about the "exit interview" you get when you cancel EQII, I was intrigued. I asked him about it and he sent me a copy of the EQII exit questionnaire (thanks Bandit). I found it quite interesting so I thought I would share it.

Please help us make EverQuest II a better experience! Tell us what you think.
Q: 1 How long have you played EverQuest II? A: 0-30 Days 1-3 Months 4+ Months

Q: 2 What level was your main EQII character? A: Level 1-10 Level 11-20 Level 21-30 Level 31-40 Level 41+

Q: 3 Why are you closing your EverQuest II account? (Check all that apply)

A: I tried the game and did not understand how to play.

The game does not perform well on my system.

The game has too many bugs.

I primarily play solo or paired and I ran out of fun things to do.

I primarily play in groups or raids and I ran out of fun things to do.

I am primarily an Artisan and I ran out of fun things to do.

I feel that my character was not advancing fast enough.

I feel that the game rules are too restrictive.

I am leaving to play with friends in another online game.

I did not like the game world or characters.

I did not like the quests I was asked to do or the rewards they gave.

I did not like the items in the game.

I did not feel there was enough story in the game.

I did not get the level of customer service necessary to enjoy my subscription.

I do not want to continue with EverQuest II due to Station Exchange.

I was unable to accomplish much in short play sessions.

I did not like the art style in the game.

The game world did not visually interest me.

I did not like the way my characters looked or moved.

I did not like the audio in the game.

I did not like the spells or combat abilities in the game.

Out-of-game commitments (family, school, etc.)

I do not have enough time to play.

I can no longer afford to pay the monthly fee.

None of the above corresponds to why I stopped playing EQII.

Q: 4 I would recommend EQII to a friend.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 5 I would consider returning to EQII at some point in the future.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 6 I am already playing another online RPG.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 7 My current PC system is equal to or greater than the EQII recommended system.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 8 I feel that the EQII web site is useful to players.

A: Yes No N/A Q:

9 I feel that the EQII forums are useful to players.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 10 I used the Station Players service and found it useful.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 11 I was very satisfied with the responsiveness of in-game Game Master support.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 12 I was very satisfied with the responsiveness of telephone support.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 13 I was very satisfied with the technical performance/stability of the game servers.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 14 I was aware of the Knowledge Base and how to access it.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 15 I used the Knowledge Base and was very satisfied with it.

A: Yes No N/A

Q: 16 What is your opinion on EQII's Grouping: Adventuring and doing quests with others?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 17 What is your opinion on EQII's advancement in short play periods?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 18 What is your opinion on the effectiveness of EQII's User Interface to manage inventory, set game window preferences, and display chat?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 19 What is your opinion on the pacing of advancement/leveling opportunities in the game?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 20 What is your opinion on the quality and quantity of EQII's rewards and loot received?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 21 What is your opinion on the uniqueness of your character's abilities as well as his abilities to acquire items?

A: High Medium Low Never Tried

Q: 22 If we were to add even more features to EQII, which of the following might cause you to continue to play?

A: Player vesus player (PvP) rulesets using your adventuring character and abilities.

A dedicated PvP advancement path.

The addition of even more content that doesn't require a group.

The addition of even more high level zones.

The addition of even more interesting and unique loot.

Faster combat speed.

Faster travel options.

The ability to hire NPC group members to assist you.

An alternative system to sell items in-game.

The ability to create adventures or quests for your friends.

Even more plot-lines, in-game events, and holiday events.

Expanded player housing options.

Broader avatar appearance options.

A concentration on fixing the existing game instead of new features.

Q: 23 During a typical week, approximately how many hours did you play EverQuest II?

A: 1-5 6-10 11-20 21+

Q: 24 Finish this sentence. … Usually when I play EQII, I play …

A: ... Alone. ... Online with friends that I know in real life. ... With friends I met online. ... With strangers I met during game-play. ... With someone watching me play. ... With someone in the room playing with me, but on a different computer.

Q: 25 If you are leaving EQII, which of these online games are you are leaving it for?

A: World of Warcraft City of Heroes EverQuest Dark Age of Camelot LineageII Star Wars Galaxies EverQuest: Online Adventures Planetside Eve Online The Matrix Online Guild Wars Final Fantasy Asheron's Call Asheron's Call 2 Other -- not listed No Other Game

Q: 26 If you are leaving EQII, is it because your friends are leaving with you? (Please answer Yes or No)

A: Yes No

Q: 27 Is the game changing too much?

A: Yes, the game gradually became unfamiliar because of how much it has changed.

Some changes were made that I didn't agree with.

No, I liked how much new stuff was added to the game.

Yes, recent changes were made to my character class that I did not agree with.

I think I would be careful about how I analyze the results of such a survey. I'm not saying don't take player feedback into account. I just think you're catching people in a bad mood and they are going to be negative about a lot of stuff. People who are leaving the game due to burnout or because their friends don't play any more are still probably going to take shots at things like class balance, bugs, tech support and itemization. Even if those aren't the real reason they're leaving. I would prefer if you could rank the choices in that question in order of importance rather than just checking all that apply. Along similar lines, a lot of the stuff in Question 22 sounds great on the surface. But I wonder if people consider how some of those things would change the game as a whole.

I don't think it's a bad idea to have a survey. I'd just take it with a grain of salt.

As for question 24, who usually plays EQII "with someone watching me play?" I mean, come on. I hope they're not watching you tradeskill.