Open EQ2 Beta. ;-)Follow

EQ 2 is a completely different graphics engine. Other than that, maybe, I guess...

Actually, I believe it to be quite the reverse.

I think that as ideas have been "cross polinated" between the two design teams, remember that a number of the old EQ Live guys are now the back bone of the EQ 2 team, the EQ Live team have continuously found ways to build the new concepts into the old game.

In effect taking away much of what was once thought to be only possible in EQ 2. I think the pressure is really now on the EQ 2 team to try to produce something that doesn't take away from EQ Live. (Or simply end up looking like a clone).

To say that there was no need to go to DX 9 is nonsense, there are two very powerful reasons, one is to remain competitive with the new generation of games coming on stream, in looks, feel and content. The other is to progress the development of the scripted and instanced encounters that are the future of EQ.

Scripted encounters were near impossible pre the Luclin reworking, the development that took place between Luclin and LDoN allowed for the much more sophisticated instancing we have in LDoN and now both scripting (that began in earnest with PoP) and instancing was refined a bit further with Gates.

Everyone who has experienced these has to some extent or other agreed that the instanced and scripted encounters are more fun, more challenging and interesting, and more user friendly than anything that had been done in the game before. The EQ Live team have made it clear that they want to continue to take the game in this direction and to do so they had to rewrite most of the game engine and at the same time bring the graphics capability up to the current state of the art.

The very concept of using a public forum like EQ 1 as a place to test or research new game ideas is flawed to its foundation. As soon as any new idea/concept gets introduced via EQ 1, it becomes part of EQ 1. If the EQ 2 guys kept doing this, they would never have a game to release, it would already be out there in EQ 1!

Actually, I am sure that some of this has already happened, leading to their current problem. EQ 2 is going to be a dismal failure if it is just a clone of EQ 1. (Somehow they have to keep their new terrific ideas a complete secret from EQ 1).

I'll give you an example of what I mean, way back in the development of Velious the same people were working on the EQ 2 concept and EQ Live, during this period the very first evolution of scripted encounters - the Coldain/Kromzek ring war and the Coldain Shawl events - were developed, in practice they were pretty buggy and very limited. During various interviews and Dev's Corner comments in this period, the impression was given that EQ 1 had been taken as far as it could with these ideas and the future development of this sort of game play would be in EQ 2.

Then we had the "Luclin re-write" and lo and behold a range of "ring" events and staged encounters that pushed the boundaries, then bit by bit, with LoY, various patches and PoP we have seen these being developed and expanded more and more. With some very complex staged or scripted events and LDoN in full flight. (Ask Calimyr and Tehom about the new events in Gates, they know much more about it than me).

EQ Live have made it pretty clear that they believe that the new engine (that is built around the graphics capability of DX 9) is going to let them shoot for the stars with regard to game content. I believe that what this means is that EQ 1 (via the EQ Live team) has pre-emptorily carved out its territory, taking a fair chunk of what was probably once thought to be the province of EQ 2, and has a very well defined development path mapped out for itself.

EQ 2 has probably had to think long and hard to find ways to differentiate itself and find its own identity.

They just did a write-up in pcgamer about EQII. As far as game play is concerned, the biggest difference is the overall focus of the game. EQ1's primary focus is on raiding. That is where you see the classes actually balanced and each class comes into its own. With EQ2, the focus is on smaller groups for the majority of its content.

Also the article states that they have made the decision to make it so that every class has the ability to solo all the way to level 50. I guess level 50 is the starting maximum level in EQ2 to start.

The majority of folks that play eq1 now feel the same as you do Blacktharne - one of the many reasons for eq2's focus on the individual player character.

Thats like saying strawberries are better than grapes, i am not exactly a hardened raider, but ive been on a fair share, i am in a guild that raids less than often but has the best atmosphere i have seen anywhere, i find talking to friends i have met on EQ far more enjoyable that raiding or flagging.
You have a right to have a "primary focus on raiding" but this does not mean everybody does, and so it does not mean EQ does.

90% of the time i spend in game is typing tells to friends or to my guild and messing around, and i enjoy it more than i would enjoy getting flagged or killing venril sathir