Subject. =o]
Considering EQ2 and WoW, Ive played FFXI for over a year so thats not really an option. Oh, and please dont tell me it takes 10 hrs to find a grp that lasts 5 min and 2 weeks to get a pair of boots =o]
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- Why this MMORPG over the rest?
Why this MMORPG over the rest?Follow
As a famous singer once crooned..."simply the best". Although it, ahem, "borrowed" so heavily from DAOC, perhaps it should share accolades.
Scholar
20 posts
If you played FFXI you will find alot of familiarity with the control scheme in this game. FFXI borrowed heavily form EQ1, and now EQ2 has borrowed heavily from FFXI. HO's are VERY similar to SC's, Groups consist of 6 members, (Tank, Healer, etc..) Raid groups are similar to alliances (4 groups instead of 3), Instances are similar to BCNM's, Housing is also similar and I'm sure there is more.
Now to tell you the good news. This game has much better solo content, it is easier to get a group, you can actually get xp and decent rewards from questing, you fight much more interesting Mobs, you fight groups of mobs when you are grouped much of the time which adds something, the graphics are WAY better, there is 50x as much equipment that is usable (so you wont be paying astronomical prices for specific Equipment), much of the good stuff is quested for, and the people who play this game are just nicer.
I've not played WoW, which apparently is the one real piece of competition that this game has, but I can tell you that I have faith in SOE. They held the top spot with EQ1 for over 5 years, that means something to me. Besides if I've been reading right, it appears that WoW has a much more arcade feel than EQ2. I could be wrong, but that is what I have gathered.
Also, just so you know I'm not gonna be an exclusive EQ2 player. I also plan to give Guild Wars a shot when it is released in March.
All in all, if you got sick of FFXI then this game will more than make you wonder why you were ever playing it to begin with.
Now to tell you the good news. This game has much better solo content, it is easier to get a group, you can actually get xp and decent rewards from questing, you fight much more interesting Mobs, you fight groups of mobs when you are grouped much of the time which adds something, the graphics are WAY better, there is 50x as much equipment that is usable (so you wont be paying astronomical prices for specific Equipment), much of the good stuff is quested for, and the people who play this game are just nicer.
I've not played WoW, which apparently is the one real piece of competition that this game has, but I can tell you that I have faith in SOE. They held the top spot with EQ1 for over 5 years, that means something to me. Besides if I've been reading right, it appears that WoW has a much more arcade feel than EQ2. I could be wrong, but that is what I have gathered.
Also, just so you know I'm not gonna be an exclusive EQ2 player. I also plan to give Guild Wars a shot when it is released in March.
All in all, if you got sick of FFXI then this game will more than make you wonder why you were ever playing it to begin with.
EQ2 looks great. And many of the NPCs talk to you! And they keep talkin' to you, every stinkin' time you walk past them! And after several weeks, guess what, they're still shouting the same stuff at you! And it gets... really... tiresome....
And you wanna know what the only way is to get em to shut up? Do allllll their stinkin' quests - every last lovin' one of 'em. Argh.... (or take a shotgun to your speakers - now some great Sony-defender is going to come along and say I could just hit some control button probably, but to that I say bah - yes, just bah).
EQ2 looks great. I haven't played WoW yet, but I wish to goodness we hadn't prepaid for so much time on EQ2 - I'm getting sick of it. Well, there are many aspects of it which are really awesome - but at the same time, other parts just plain stink. The combat system is dull and monotonous, soloing is so boring - there is absolutely no challenge to it - except staying awake - Heroic Opportunities are like playing a ridiculous little 'mini arcade game' - as opposed to using real tactics. But I've been told that I'm a complete idiot for saying these things, that I shouldn't impose my "old EQ ways" on this "NEW" game (they keep stressing it's NEW - yet it's a derivative kludge/hybridization of DaoC and FF). I find the classes truncated, chopped down, emasculated - with very few options, choices or spells. I feel the sharp, harsh jerk of the designer's leash on my neck all the time when I play. I keep saying, "for getting so many things so right, how could they have screwed up so many really important parts so badly???"
Just a few examples. The EQ2 pets don't taunt at all it seems, so you have to really be cautious if yer a pet caster. All the priest classes are almost identical (no, Mystics become bears, Wardens become wolves - they're different they're different they're different!). There's no fearing, no kiting - no fun soloing techniques at all except straight-on fighting (oh, mages can sometimes root-dot - sometimes). There are only FOUR character slots - not per server - FOUR TOTAL (WoW has tons). The player merchant system in EQ2 requires you to be online, standing in your apartment, staring at the wall (what fun!).
The quests - man, there are LOTS of em. "Drat, almost out of bait! You there, can you fetch me some bait?" You gotta kill 10 centipedes for this cigarette-hack-voiced barbarian lady, and you get a knife or a spear in return. One chick asks you to get her a new broom. A number of them ask you to send a message to another NPC and then go back. A few are clever. But I've yet to find a single one that's blown me away w/ its earth-shattering originality, novelty and creativity. It's like they got so caught up in making NPCs talk that they forgot about content. Most quests are "go kill 10 of this" or whatever. Given that the Q in EQ2 stands for "quest", I feel they seriously dropped the ball here.
Now, I've been reading Alla's site on WoW, and while it looks cartoony, it also appears to me that a whole ton more creativity was put into its magic and combat systems. I could be wrong - but just go over and read the guy's guide to playing a Hunter to lvl 20. He says that a Hunter (like a beastlord) has to go out and catch and train his pet! And he teaches it new tricks and combat methods - and he can learn from one kind of pet and then teach it to another - and he has to keep his pet happy or it won't perform well, etc etc. He can even pay to keep an old pet in a special stall in a type of barn while he tries out a different kind! I love it! I think that's pretty awesome, and there is nothing, I repeat, nothing this cool in EQ2 in terms of concept/creativity/freshness. Kudos to WoW!
WoW's quests, according to some posts I've read, are even more lame than EQ2's, so... if that's true, no advantage there. At least the quest-givers in WoW have "!" above their heads and don't shout at you constantly.
And man, I must say that I feel really guilty slamming EQ2 so hard. They had some decent people working on it - you can tell - but not at the top levels. The guys at the top blew it, imo, and overall the game is so rigid and stifled to me.
EQ2 is ... controlled - no freedom - put your nose to the grindstone, player, and follow the path we've placed before you - it's just hellish for someone like me. I hate SoE for their beancounterish parsimony (stinginess) - FOUR CHARACTER SLOTS. Only four - why? Greed. You want some mules? You want to experiment but be able to go back to old chars (i.e. not delete them) - you want to double dip FP and Qeynos? You want to check out other servers - maybe role play a little, etc.? Then you've got to pay and pay big. If your kid or roommate or GF or wife wants to mess around a little w/ the game before buying a second account - nope - there's no room for that. They've got to buy it. Oops, but that's prolly against the dreaded EULA, anyway - all fear the Essentially Useless Lawyers' Affrontation... brrrr.
In Eq2 uou must be online to sell in the merchant system. Why? Again it's greed - so players who buy and sell a lot will have to buy a second account to be able to do anything (Moorgard has claimed it's done to "control" the player economy in some mysterious way --- "hey Moorgard, control this, ya bean-countin' freak!").
Now, after all this venting, am I really helping you? Maybe not. There's a good chance you'll love EQ2. Hey, most posters here totally love it. However, if you'd loved old EQ (especially if you loved it for its freedom and variety of spells and tactics) I'd say stay miles away from EQ2 - don't bother - you will likely hate it. But if your background is FF, maybe you'd like EQ2. EQ2 is apparently way, way better than FF ever was (and I'm starting to sense SoE has a plan - they hope people like me will go back to old EQ and keep paying them for that, while FF and DaoC type players use EQ2 and pay them there - either way, they end up w/ the whole pie!).
So don't let me sour you on EQ2 - I honestly don't want to turn you off to EQ2 if you were "meant" to like it. And I'm still playing it and liking parts of it - I have a set of very, very mixed feelings towards it. But lately I've turned totally sour on EQ2 - helped by certain posters in here who tell me time and time again that I'm crazy (I guess it's true) - and as soon as I can dig up the $ I'm getting WoW. Just hadta pay for a buncha Xmas presents and stuff, so I don't know when. But if that Hunter stuff is true then WoW at least deserves a try - at least that's my opinion. They're at least trying hard to be creative.
Edited, Thu Jan 6 01:58:31 2005 by EvilGnomes
And you wanna know what the only way is to get em to shut up? Do allllll their stinkin' quests - every last lovin' one of 'em. Argh.... (or take a shotgun to your speakers - now some great Sony-defender is going to come along and say I could just hit some control button probably, but to that I say bah - yes, just bah).
EQ2 looks great. I haven't played WoW yet, but I wish to goodness we hadn't prepaid for so much time on EQ2 - I'm getting sick of it. Well, there are many aspects of it which are really awesome - but at the same time, other parts just plain stink. The combat system is dull and monotonous, soloing is so boring - there is absolutely no challenge to it - except staying awake - Heroic Opportunities are like playing a ridiculous little 'mini arcade game' - as opposed to using real tactics. But I've been told that I'm a complete idiot for saying these things, that I shouldn't impose my "old EQ ways" on this "NEW" game (they keep stressing it's NEW - yet it's a derivative kludge/hybridization of DaoC and FF). I find the classes truncated, chopped down, emasculated - with very few options, choices or spells. I feel the sharp, harsh jerk of the designer's leash on my neck all the time when I play. I keep saying, "for getting so many things so right, how could they have screwed up so many really important parts so badly???"
Just a few examples. The EQ2 pets don't taunt at all it seems, so you have to really be cautious if yer a pet caster. All the priest classes are almost identical (no, Mystics become bears, Wardens become wolves - they're different they're different they're different!). There's no fearing, no kiting - no fun soloing techniques at all except straight-on fighting (oh, mages can sometimes root-dot - sometimes). There are only FOUR character slots - not per server - FOUR TOTAL (WoW has tons). The player merchant system in EQ2 requires you to be online, standing in your apartment, staring at the wall (what fun!).
The quests - man, there are LOTS of em. "Drat, almost out of bait! You there, can you fetch me some bait?" You gotta kill 10 centipedes for this cigarette-hack-voiced barbarian lady, and you get a knife or a spear in return. One chick asks you to get her a new broom. A number of them ask you to send a message to another NPC and then go back. A few are clever. But I've yet to find a single one that's blown me away w/ its earth-shattering originality, novelty and creativity. It's like they got so caught up in making NPCs talk that they forgot about content. Most quests are "go kill 10 of this" or whatever. Given that the Q in EQ2 stands for "quest", I feel they seriously dropped the ball here.
Now, I've been reading Alla's site on WoW, and while it looks cartoony, it also appears to me that a whole ton more creativity was put into its magic and combat systems. I could be wrong - but just go over and read the guy's guide to playing a Hunter to lvl 20. He says that a Hunter (like a beastlord) has to go out and catch and train his pet! And he teaches it new tricks and combat methods - and he can learn from one kind of pet and then teach it to another - and he has to keep his pet happy or it won't perform well, etc etc. He can even pay to keep an old pet in a special stall in a type of barn while he tries out a different kind! I love it! I think that's pretty awesome, and there is nothing, I repeat, nothing this cool in EQ2 in terms of concept/creativity/freshness. Kudos to WoW!
WoW's quests, according to some posts I've read, are even more lame than EQ2's, so... if that's true, no advantage there. At least the quest-givers in WoW have "!" above their heads and don't shout at you constantly.
And man, I must say that I feel really guilty slamming EQ2 so hard. They had some decent people working on it - you can tell - but not at the top levels. The guys at the top blew it, imo, and overall the game is so rigid and stifled to me.
EQ2 is ... controlled - no freedom - put your nose to the grindstone, player, and follow the path we've placed before you - it's just hellish for someone like me. I hate SoE for their beancounterish parsimony (stinginess) - FOUR CHARACTER SLOTS. Only four - why? Greed. You want some mules? You want to experiment but be able to go back to old chars (i.e. not delete them) - you want to double dip FP and Qeynos? You want to check out other servers - maybe role play a little, etc.? Then you've got to pay and pay big. If your kid or roommate or GF or wife wants to mess around a little w/ the game before buying a second account - nope - there's no room for that. They've got to buy it. Oops, but that's prolly against the dreaded EULA, anyway - all fear the Essentially Useless Lawyers' Affrontation... brrrr.
In Eq2 uou must be online to sell in the merchant system. Why? Again it's greed - so players who buy and sell a lot will have to buy a second account to be able to do anything (Moorgard has claimed it's done to "control" the player economy in some mysterious way --- "hey Moorgard, control this, ya bean-countin' freak!").
Now, after all this venting, am I really helping you? Maybe not. There's a good chance you'll love EQ2. Hey, most posters here totally love it. However, if you'd loved old EQ (especially if you loved it for its freedom and variety of spells and tactics) I'd say stay miles away from EQ2 - don't bother - you will likely hate it. But if your background is FF, maybe you'd like EQ2. EQ2 is apparently way, way better than FF ever was (and I'm starting to sense SoE has a plan - they hope people like me will go back to old EQ and keep paying them for that, while FF and DaoC type players use EQ2 and pay them there - either way, they end up w/ the whole pie!).
So don't let me sour you on EQ2 - I honestly don't want to turn you off to EQ2 if you were "meant" to like it. And I'm still playing it and liking parts of it - I have a set of very, very mixed feelings towards it. But lately I've turned totally sour on EQ2 - helped by certain posters in here who tell me time and time again that I'm crazy (I guess it's true) - and as soon as I can dig up the $ I'm getting WoW. Just hadta pay for a buncha Xmas presents and stuff, so I don't know when. But if that Hunter stuff is true then WoW at least deserves a try - at least that's my opinion. They're at least trying hard to be creative.
Edited, Thu Jan 6 01:58:31 2005 by EvilGnomes
Scholar
40 posts
I'm not disagreeing with the whole linear feel of EQ2... despite the seeming diversity in the choosing of your classes, everything feels a lot like the Medal of Honor WWII games. Very pretty, very flashy (in some parts) but *very* scripted. I'm having a blast playing the game and I have no intention of stopping any time soon, but I can certainly see what you mean. Quests are usually great fun the first time you run through them... but once you make that second character it turns more into a chore than entertainment (play through the first act of Neverwinter Nights a few times and you'll experience some very similar.)
One noteable exception to this are the city Betrayal quests. I took my Iksar from Freeport to Qeynos a few weeks back, just to try something new. I tell you what, I've never cared about the fate of my many MMO characters like I did for poor, homeless, missing-two-spirit-shards Miaruru as she strove to prove to the uppity Qeynosians that she really *wasn't* evil. Though, of course, it was slightly marred by the numerous 'Kthxbai' players that seemed to swarm in Antonica who had absolutely no interest in helping me unless there was some offer of reward in it.
Eh... but I ramble. Personally, I feel that EQ2, with all it's flaws, is a good step in the right direction. Keep in mind, I've played *many* other MMOs and am already more pessimistic about these types of games from the outset. EQ1 was sorta the first easy-to-play MMO out there (Mercy, all you UO veterans!!), then came Asheron's Call, which just didn't quite do it for me. Back to EQ1. Next down the pipe for me was Anarchy Online... which held my interest for about three days. Back to EQ1... again. A nifty little game called Dark Ages of Camelot came out and drew me completely in for about two months before the monotony and player bickering disgusted me, so I returned, yet again, to EQ1. I just plain shied away from Asheron's Call 2, just on principle. Kept right on plugging in EQ1. Fate conspired to remove me from game playing in general in the form of having a little eight month vacation in the sunny country of Iraq. Upon returning, Everquest had changed so much that my almost-competitive monk was just so much garbage. At that time, there was a big gaping MMO-shaped hole in my heart that needed to be filled. And I thought I found it in a little game called Horizons. I couldn't have been *more* disappointed. INcredibly unresponsive devs, bugs and glitches galore. But what truly disappointed me was that the one playable species that was the game's largest draw, the *dragon* was arguably the weakest, most poorly balanced race imaginable. I stuck with it for a good three months before I gave up in despair to wait for a new game. I picked up City of Heroes next.. a good, solid game. Every [completely identical, with no variation] fight was vibrantly animated and engaging. But the utter lack of content failed to hold my mercurial interest for longer than two months. FFXI? No. Just... no.
So now I am in Everquest 2. It's been two months for me... the time in most MMOs, for me, that I start to lose interest or get frustrated. I have yet to do either of those at this time. For all the hiccups and seemingly forced career path choices, it's still a very solid game. When someone complains about the shortfalls, I simply point at the new-this-week Everquest 1 expansion and say "Wait."
So, c'mon Sony, don't ***** this up.
One noteable exception to this are the city Betrayal quests. I took my Iksar from Freeport to Qeynos a few weeks back, just to try something new. I tell you what, I've never cared about the fate of my many MMO characters like I did for poor, homeless, missing-two-spirit-shards Miaruru as she strove to prove to the uppity Qeynosians that she really *wasn't* evil. Though, of course, it was slightly marred by the numerous 'Kthxbai' players that seemed to swarm in Antonica who had absolutely no interest in helping me unless there was some offer of reward in it.
Eh... but I ramble. Personally, I feel that EQ2, with all it's flaws, is a good step in the right direction. Keep in mind, I've played *many* other MMOs and am already more pessimistic about these types of games from the outset. EQ1 was sorta the first easy-to-play MMO out there (Mercy, all you UO veterans!!), then came Asheron's Call, which just didn't quite do it for me. Back to EQ1. Next down the pipe for me was Anarchy Online... which held my interest for about three days. Back to EQ1... again. A nifty little game called Dark Ages of Camelot came out and drew me completely in for about two months before the monotony and player bickering disgusted me, so I returned, yet again, to EQ1. I just plain shied away from Asheron's Call 2, just on principle. Kept right on plugging in EQ1. Fate conspired to remove me from game playing in general in the form of having a little eight month vacation in the sunny country of Iraq. Upon returning, Everquest had changed so much that my almost-competitive monk was just so much garbage. At that time, there was a big gaping MMO-shaped hole in my heart that needed to be filled. And I thought I found it in a little game called Horizons. I couldn't have been *more* disappointed. INcredibly unresponsive devs, bugs and glitches galore. But what truly disappointed me was that the one playable species that was the game's largest draw, the *dragon* was arguably the weakest, most poorly balanced race imaginable. I stuck with it for a good three months before I gave up in despair to wait for a new game. I picked up City of Heroes next.. a good, solid game. Every [completely identical, with no variation] fight was vibrantly animated and engaging. But the utter lack of content failed to hold my mercurial interest for longer than two months. FFXI? No. Just... no.
So now I am in Everquest 2. It's been two months for me... the time in most MMOs, for me, that I start to lose interest or get frustrated. I have yet to do either of those at this time. For all the hiccups and seemingly forced career path choices, it's still a very solid game. When someone complains about the shortfalls, I simply point at the new-this-week Everquest 1 expansion and say "Wait."
So, c'mon Sony, don't ***** this up.
Scholar
40 posts
Oh yeah... another argument *for* EQ2?
/flirt for female characters
Yes.
/flirt for female characters
Yes.
Scholar
40 posts
*Destroys duplicate post with extreme prejudice.*
Edited, Thu Jan 6 09:16:12 2005 by Dezi
Edited, Thu Jan 6 09:16:12 2005 by Dezi
10 posts
I am biased here. I played FFXI and pretty far in i was a lvl 59 rdm with various other lvled jobs and i can say without a doubt that EQ2 rocks hard. The graphics are awesome and the fighting style and combat system is great. People talk about tight fighting well FFXI was too tight..very robotic..no flair at all. Nothing to keep you intrested in the battle. Can't count the times i have watched movies or TV while partying. And it relied too much on other ppl and as many of us have found out you cannot rely on others more often then not. EQ2 doesn't. You can solo, you can quest alone or with a buddy. FFXI doesn't have this. After lvl 10 12 if your lucky your at the mercy of the nearest @sswipe on. And it gets worse the further you go. The econemy in that game if beyond belief 1.2 million for a piece of armor yeah F$#King right. The quests give you something in EQ2 and don't leave you thinking jeez i had to gather a alliance of 16 ppl to fight the darklord and all i got was a nice little cutscene and 10k which at that lvl won't pay for jacks@#t. Im sorry im really jaded on FFXI. I played EQ1 and i enjoy that game but i find myself leaning more and more towards EQ2. Sorry for the rant and all please forgive me but thats my 2 cents.
In regards to WoW I just pulled this link off the multi-game forum. It's pretty funny, supposed to represent the average WoW player upon their login.
http://koti.welho.com/atervo2/queuedance.swf
http://koti.welho.com/atervo2/queuedance.swf
LMAO Kouranx
I played EQ for more than a year, FFXI for about a year, and SWG for about a year. My bf played the same + DAoC, AC, and tried WoW.
I'm not trying to flame WoW with this as I've yet to test it, BUT I have seen it here on this computer and my bf forced me to watch for a few minutes. He wanted me to see the attitudes of the players... Remided me of a crowded Bastok Markets during after-school hours. If you played FFXI and are an adult, you probably know what I mean. He quit after 2 weeks. I've been too involved in EQ2 to bother with WoW.
As for EQ2 being above the rest... From my own experience, yes, it is; that's my own opinion. I see it as a perfect cross between EQ and SWG (my 2 favorites).
All MMOs are repetitive and tiring as time goes on. I've been playing in my low 20's now and it's just as repetitive as it was in FFXI at these levels. Just as repetitive as EQ. I prefer the wide range of mobs in SWG (travel to a new planet if you're tired of these critters!) overall though.
Everyone has an opinion. Test the game. If you don't like it, try another! There's bunches out there!
I played EQ for more than a year, FFXI for about a year, and SWG for about a year. My bf played the same + DAoC, AC, and tried WoW.
I'm not trying to flame WoW with this as I've yet to test it, BUT I have seen it here on this computer and my bf forced me to watch for a few minutes. He wanted me to see the attitudes of the players... Remided me of a crowded Bastok Markets during after-school hours. If you played FFXI and are an adult, you probably know what I mean. He quit after 2 weeks. I've been too involved in EQ2 to bother with WoW.
As for EQ2 being above the rest... From my own experience, yes, it is; that's my own opinion. I see it as a perfect cross between EQ and SWG (my 2 favorites).
All MMOs are repetitive and tiring as time goes on. I've been playing in my low 20's now and it's just as repetitive as it was in FFXI at these levels. Just as repetitive as EQ. I prefer the wide range of mobs in SWG (travel to a new planet if you're tired of these critters!) overall though.
Everyone has an opinion. Test the game. If you don't like it, try another! There's bunches out there!
Hey Emma I have yet to actually play WoW as well, just thought that link was kinda funny. I do hear the maturity lvl is low, which is disapointing because I've heard good things about it's gameplay. Guess I'll try it one day.
Groups are pretty easy to get, decent solo and Group content, straightforward questing with nice rewards for your trouble, great crafting system, not so bad economy. Overall, much better than WoW.
If maturity level is a concern, WoW is like NWN Online or City of Heroes. Decent games, but seriously lacking in the Grown Up behavior area.
For me, EQ2 has been a great experience overall. It needs improvement, but that hopefully will come as time progresses.
My favorite thing so far has been the people. Mostly nice and helpful, without being overbearing. You'll meet a few "Comic Book Guy" types and some kids, but you don't have to hang with them if they get on your nerves. There is plenty to do to keep you busy.
If maturity level is a concern, WoW is like NWN Online or City of Heroes. Decent games, but seriously lacking in the Grown Up behavior area.
For me, EQ2 has been a great experience overall. It needs improvement, but that hopefully will come as time progresses.
My favorite thing so far has been the people. Mostly nice and helpful, without being overbearing. You'll meet a few "Comic Book Guy" types and some kids, but you don't have to hang with them if they get on your nerves. There is plenty to do to keep you busy.
I play both. I have alot more fun playing WoW. You never have to zone. you get to kill other players in an organized fashion. The combat is alot fun. The classes are enjoyable. I love dueling to the almost death 
There are many quests in both of them, but I wouldn't consider them lame. They both have awesome graphics, they are just different styles.
You can practically have unlimited characters in WoW. Evil Gnome has alot of good points but like he says try it first. Don't take any of our word for it.
I have not had to go into a que ever in WoW. That only happens on the really highly populated servers. Don't make characters on those servers and you should be fine. And the mentality of the players of EQ2 and WoW are pretty much the same. I haven't experienced any real problems in either of them.
Both games are better than FFXI, but not because FFXI sucked. but because they have evolved and fixed things that SE did wrong. All MMORPG's that come from now on should build on these 2 as well.
If I had to choose today I would choose WoW. It is more fun.
Oh and if you rest in an Inn, when you log back on you get Bonus XP. 200% for a bit of time. The longer you stay logged off the longer you get the bonus.
While EQ2 is certainly worth the time and money, so is WoW.
There are many quests in both of them, but I wouldn't consider them lame. They both have awesome graphics, they are just different styles.
You can practically have unlimited characters in WoW. Evil Gnome has alot of good points but like he says try it first. Don't take any of our word for it.
I have not had to go into a que ever in WoW. That only happens on the really highly populated servers. Don't make characters on those servers and you should be fine. And the mentality of the players of EQ2 and WoW are pretty much the same. I haven't experienced any real problems in either of them.
Both games are better than FFXI, but not because FFXI sucked. but because they have evolved and fixed things that SE did wrong. All MMORPG's that come from now on should build on these 2 as well.
If I had to choose today I would choose WoW. It is more fun.
Oh and if you rest in an Inn, when you log back on you get Bonus XP. 200% for a bit of time. The longer you stay logged off the longer you get the bonus.
While EQ2 is certainly worth the time and money, so is WoW.
7 posts
I like EQ2 alot, and I think I'd like it more then WoW. WoW is probably more funner, but that just makes it so much easier. I've heard from my friend that he got up 2 lvl 50 in 1 month. In 1 month of EQ2 I am lvl 21, which tells you it is WAY too easy. However I have to say the "no zoning" sounds awesome, since it is very annoying on a 512mb ram comp to zone so much. But with that said, EQ2 adds up for that with its AMAZING graphics, which I can surely say kills WoW's. And I've heard some1 say its really easy to solo in EQ2 which definately isnt true, its actually VERY hard, it all depends what you're soloing. If you're soloing little rats, you can of course see why its easy, but try running into a group of undead, or a named lvl 25 with 2 up arrows monster. Also almost EVERY group I've been in are all good players and nice players. Only 1 or 2 were complete retards, but thats not on the mental part, it was just that they couldn't play that well. This is my 1st (well sort of, i only played DAoC trial :P) MMORPG and I'm lovin it. I'll put it this way, if it's quick fun you're looking for, get WoW. If you're looking for a challenging game that will entertain you over a long time, but not AS fun, get EQ2. Thats my opinion, its up 2 u which game u want. Also economy may be crap in EQ2 (u have to stay in your room to sell, and also too many players overcharge for their items.)but, the quests in this game may be boring and/or repeatitive but 6/10 of them offer really good rewards.
Thats all I have to say :)
$hadow
Shadowl lvl 21 Kerra Paladin - Qeynos - Highkeep
Shadowness lvl 11 Half-elf Rogue - Qeynos - Highkeep
Thats all I have to say :)
$hadow
Shadowl lvl 21 Kerra Paladin - Qeynos - Highkeep
Shadowness lvl 11 Half-elf Rogue - Qeynos - Highkeep
Went to Fry's today - a huge electronics store - to buy a keyboard. While there I went over to the "role playing" game section. There were tons of copies of EQ2 for sale; some had the price marked down. And there were no, I repeat, *no* copies of WoW for sale.
The other gnome of EvilGnomes had told me there were none for sale anywhere... but I didn't really believe it. I may have posted in here - and it is on 2 wk "no guarantee" backorder on Amazon or something like that - but - I asked this nice old man who worked at Fry's if he had any WoW for sale.
Nope. It's totally sold out. Further, the company is not going to sell any more until they expand their servers - cuz the demand for WoW is so huge that all their servers are full - and they don't wanna tick off existing players by even more overcrowding.
Gawd, I almost feel bad for SoE now. I've been in here bad-mouthing them... and - well, I wonder how bad WoW is kicking SoE's asp? Anyone got any more info on this? I talked to a friend of mine who is a game designer (not currently working on a "morepig" as he calls them (mmorpg)) - he doesn't know. I was saying earlier maybe SoE will "wake up and take notice" if WoW is really outpacing them - and maybe it will even be good for the players... but now that it seems real... I wonder. I wonder what is really going on?
The other gnome of EvilGnomes had told me there were none for sale anywhere... but I didn't really believe it. I may have posted in here - and it is on 2 wk "no guarantee" backorder on Amazon or something like that - but - I asked this nice old man who worked at Fry's if he had any WoW for sale.
Nope. It's totally sold out. Further, the company is not going to sell any more until they expand their servers - cuz the demand for WoW is so huge that all their servers are full - and they don't wanna tick off existing players by even more overcrowding.
Gawd, I almost feel bad for SoE now. I've been in here bad-mouthing them... and - well, I wonder how bad WoW is kicking SoE's asp? Anyone got any more info on this? I talked to a friend of mine who is a game designer (not currently working on a "morepig" as he calls them (mmorpg)) - he doesn't know. I was saying earlier maybe SoE will "wake up and take notice" if WoW is really outpacing them - and maybe it will even be good for the players... but now that it seems real... I wonder. I wonder what is really going on?
Message has high abuse count and will not be displayed.
Does it ever end? Or just loops back to the beginning when 0 is reached?
Just curious :)
Just curious :)
this post? this argument? or the leveling grind?
Sorry, lol, I thought I was replying directly to Kouranx's post with the link to that wow flashfile. Heh, for some reason I just want to know what happens when the counter reaches zero. (almost there actually, which sounds a lot sadder than it really is, I hope: it finally starts to count back up, slightly dissappointed actually)
I'm actually waiting till WoW is released in Belgium, might try it out. Getting more and more interested, reading so many things about it.
Edited, Mon Jan 10 17:26:35 2005 by Zieveraar
I'm actually waiting till WoW is released in Belgium, might try it out. Getting more and more interested, reading so many things about it.
Edited, Mon Jan 10 17:26:35 2005 by Zieveraar
People get mad sometimes when we talk about WoW in here (
), and believe it or not, I can understand that. This is an EQ2 place, and there are people who love EQ period, no matter what. And actually, that's okay. I can understand that, too.
Even though you might not like me saying this, I think that there is (finally) some healthy competition to SoE will be a really, really good thing for mmo's, now and to come. In the past I've been chastized by many players who explain to me "Evil, this is capitalism - Sony reacts to market pressures" and etc. and so on.
If only this were the case - in the past there has been no pressure. In old EQ Verant stubbornly held onto their "creative vision" for the game, which included a very, very slow pace of play. Why??? Hell, I don't know. Ultimately I think it was ego. They could, and they did. EQ had no competition back then, so market arguments were flawed. With high barriers to entry, it was really hard to get in and have a go against the giant. AO was pretty cool but never recovered from its technically flawed opening - and its sci fi theme just didn't appeal to the masses. Other games - just never could cut it. Because there was no real market force at work, no real competative pressure, Verant and Sony left some *obvious* game flaws to fester for years. Finally we got more hunting zones w/ Kunark. But the slooow boat (almost an hour of RL time sometims to get places), serious downtime between fights (zzzzzzzz), no player market, no zoning pets, no rent items go poof if u go LD, etc etc. - these were left unfixed for ages. And the first attempt to fix movement was an insult - a teleport hub on a TIMER. Took 15 min to get up and 15 min to get down. Gah!
Where were the market forces pressuring them? They obviously weren't pressured, even though zillions of players hated this aspect of the game (druids were thick as flies back then - hell I played one so I could self teleport). I can still remember those Verant guys looking down their noses at us players, telling us they knew better. Finally, Verant lost EQ, and Sony fixed these problems, after about 4 years. Why? I'm not sure, but either they were losing players or feared losing players - that's my guess, anyway.
W/ PoK they almost made it too easy. You TP up, buy or beg buffs, get buffs on your pet - and if you can twink, get some uber gear - and go slaughter stuff. When I remember, thought, back to my first char, a Wood Elf bard, still fighting w/ a rusty long sword at lvl 4... still barely able to kill an orc pawn... hah. No, it's finally playable now. Imo at least. That is a danger, that the company freaks out and overreacts - but hopefully,now that we have some real market forces, that won't happen, either.
Personally, I think it's a wonderful thing that SoE is getting their little red wagons kicked around by WoW and Bliz. I have no love for Bliz either way - and havne't played WowW - but the point is this, that hopefully some real competitive forces right at the start with force SoE to face reality and realize that EQ2 has some serious problems. You can laugh at me and call me an idiot, but I don't think Sony's ever taken a blow like this before. Verant could tell us "they knew what was good for us" because they were so far ahead (they knew they had us hooked, even with all the problems). Sony can't do this w/ EQ2. Well, that's my thoughts for now on this issue. Here's hoping.
), and believe it or not, I can understand that. This is an EQ2 place, and there are people who love EQ period, no matter what. And actually, that's okay. I can understand that, too. Even though you might not like me saying this, I think that there is (finally) some healthy competition to SoE will be a really, really good thing for mmo's, now and to come. In the past I've been chastized by many players who explain to me "Evil, this is capitalism - Sony reacts to market pressures" and etc. and so on.
If only this were the case - in the past there has been no pressure. In old EQ Verant stubbornly held onto their "creative vision" for the game, which included a very, very slow pace of play. Why??? Hell, I don't know. Ultimately I think it was ego. They could, and they did. EQ had no competition back then, so market arguments were flawed. With high barriers to entry, it was really hard to get in and have a go against the giant. AO was pretty cool but never recovered from its technically flawed opening - and its sci fi theme just didn't appeal to the masses. Other games - just never could cut it. Because there was no real market force at work, no real competative pressure, Verant and Sony left some *obvious* game flaws to fester for years. Finally we got more hunting zones w/ Kunark. But the slooow boat (almost an hour of RL time sometims to get places), serious downtime between fights (zzzzzzzz), no player market, no zoning pets, no rent items go poof if u go LD, etc etc. - these were left unfixed for ages. And the first attempt to fix movement was an insult - a teleport hub on a TIMER. Took 15 min to get up and 15 min to get down. Gah!
Where were the market forces pressuring them? They obviously weren't pressured, even though zillions of players hated this aspect of the game (druids were thick as flies back then - hell I played one so I could self teleport). I can still remember those Verant guys looking down their noses at us players, telling us they knew better. Finally, Verant lost EQ, and Sony fixed these problems, after about 4 years. Why? I'm not sure, but either they were losing players or feared losing players - that's my guess, anyway.
W/ PoK they almost made it too easy. You TP up, buy or beg buffs, get buffs on your pet - and if you can twink, get some uber gear - and go slaughter stuff. When I remember, thought, back to my first char, a Wood Elf bard, still fighting w/ a rusty long sword at lvl 4... still barely able to kill an orc pawn... hah. No, it's finally playable now. Imo at least. That is a danger, that the company freaks out and overreacts - but hopefully,now that we have some real market forces, that won't happen, either.
Personally, I think it's a wonderful thing that SoE is getting their little red wagons kicked around by WoW and Bliz. I have no love for Bliz either way - and havne't played WowW - but the point is this, that hopefully some real competitive forces right at the start with force SoE to face reality and realize that EQ2 has some serious problems. You can laugh at me and call me an idiot, but I don't think Sony's ever taken a blow like this before. Verant could tell us "they knew what was good for us" because they were so far ahead (they knew they had us hooked, even with all the problems). Sony can't do this w/ EQ2. Well, that's my thoughts for now on this issue. Here's hoping.
7 posts
Wow my friend told me that WoW was on world shortage, i didn't believe him but I guess its true :O. Anyway I think the main reason WoW made so many more sales then EQ2 is because almost EVERYONE knows about Warcraft 3 and Warcraft 3 Frozen Throne, and almost every person who plays games has played that. The reason people (this includes MANY of my friends) then buy WoW is because its another Warcraft game so they think they'd like it, most of them don't even know its an MMORPG. I seriously never even heard of EQ2 until I played DAoC and then saw EQ2 was comin out and got interested. If I never played DAoC I would've got WoW too. And it's pretty stupid like seen in that movie that you have queues in line to get in the game??? EQ2 doesnt have that...
Interesting. That could be a part of why WoW is oversold - Bliz's previous customer base. There are tons of people out there who love Bliz products - I have tons of friends who were big Diablo II addicts.
There are a lot of EQ fans who'd never even consider WoW. I used to be one of those.
Well, I wonder what the truth is. We may never know.
And hell, SoE may look at this and say the same thing. They may say WoW is WoW because Bliz used to dominate in that area and has a big fanbase. SoE might conclude there is little wrong w/ EQ2 and that the flaws have nothing to do w/ the disparity. I hope not, but they might.
That said, I've read a lot of angry posts here and elsewhere. People take issue at EQ2 over:
No offline selling.
No pvp, not even dueling or arena.
Shoddy customer service.
Old school combat system stolen from DaoC and FF.
Lack of variety of spells.
Soloing is boring and unsupported.
There are probably other issues. Can't recall what they are atm. Anyway, I'm not saying all the above are real - it's what people say. And I believe some of them are true. But again the EQ people have shown their ability to be stubborn. While market forces are driving some of this - it can't account for all of it. Yeah, there may be people who never heard of mmos or EQ before. I have a hard time believing that. But still, there are tons of people who know about both. And they are picking WoW. Shoot dood, they might like the artwork on the box better for all I know. Does WoW have easier system requirements? Maybe that's a factor. Still, I have to think that on some lvl there is a conceptual difference that is driving this. Plenty of people are good and mad at EQ2 for a myriad of things. That is a fact.
There are a lot of EQ fans who'd never even consider WoW. I used to be one of those.
Well, I wonder what the truth is. We may never know.
And hell, SoE may look at this and say the same thing. They may say WoW is WoW because Bliz used to dominate in that area and has a big fanbase. SoE might conclude there is little wrong w/ EQ2 and that the flaws have nothing to do w/ the disparity. I hope not, but they might.
That said, I've read a lot of angry posts here and elsewhere. People take issue at EQ2 over:
No offline selling.
No pvp, not even dueling or arena.
Shoddy customer service.
Old school combat system stolen from DaoC and FF.
Lack of variety of spells.
Soloing is boring and unsupported.
There are probably other issues. Can't recall what they are atm. Anyway, I'm not saying all the above are real - it's what people say. And I believe some of them are true. But again the EQ people have shown their ability to be stubborn. While market forces are driving some of this - it can't account for all of it. Yeah, there may be people who never heard of mmos or EQ before. I have a hard time believing that. But still, there are tons of people who know about both. And they are picking WoW. Shoot dood, they might like the artwork on the box better for all I know. Does WoW have easier system requirements? Maybe that's a factor. Still, I have to think that on some lvl there is a conceptual difference that is driving this. Plenty of people are good and mad at EQ2 for a myriad of things. That is a fact.
It seems to me there isn't enough representation of WoW on EQ Forums and the same for WoW forums. Game players from each side develop these horrible misconceptions. I have the blessing of having played EQ2 and then WoW.
EQ2's graphics were stunning and the new twist of voices attracted me. I loved EQ and expected EQ2 to be the same. But I was horribly disenchanted after playing for a month. I came to the realization that Furys and Wardens were the same things just with different names and different effects for the same spells. There was no originality and soloing was very hard to do. Exp debt when dying is fine but as everyone knows, theres 5 idiots to one decent player on any MMORPG and I couldn't take the massive debt I recieved when Darkhartx jumps off the transport tower or when someone would blindly run into a room aggroing everything inside. The customer service was so cold and heartless. I felt like they didn't care about me at all.
I think perhaps EQ2 will be better in the future, but the monopoly SOE held is long gone and they have to step up to the plate to compete with the new MMORPGS. I missed the lore of EQ and the excitement of pvp.
WoW does have server overpopulation but the Queue isn't that bad. There are enough servers that you can move to a low or medium populated one. But that can't explain away the population problems. Both SOE and Blizzard weren't prepared for the amount of people that were waiting for next-gen MMORPGS to come out. The difference to me between the two games is WoW was a constant fun whereas EQ2 had its occasional Ooh's and Ahh's. The total lack of PVP in EQ2 saddened me because it was Good Vs. Evil yet the two never came face to face. WoW provides pvp,roleplaying and normal servers. There is also a problem in WoW with Paladins on Alliance ( Good ) being slightly overpowered. PvP requires a grain of salt because you can be killed in neutral territory quite easily. But this to me adds a much needed more human quality to the game. Socialization is great but everyone wants to beat up another PC every once in a while. The quests aren't bland and some are very very exciting. The graphics aren't the greatest but the key word in WoW is COMPLETENESS. You feel a sense of whole while looking atop a mountain gazing out at a pirate ship full of cutthroats. Sony released their game way too early and should have worked on it more instead of trying to run with it. Also releasing their game on the same date as Halo 2 is financial suicide. I think SOE got too big for their britches.
Both MMORPGS being new have their problems. Blizzard has been acknowledging its players whereas SOE remains bullheaded and stuck in its old monopolized ways. They will have to change or fail. Blizzard even awarded its players free time to compensate for the downtimes recently. I do fear that WoW's fast ability to level may cause lots to become bored and quit the game. Blizzard is counteracting this with battlegrounds which should be very exciting. There is so much content in WoW that I couldn't find in EQ2. When I started as a wee troll there was a voodoo doctor that could cast random spells on you if you asked. He would turn me giant. Make me hallucinate. Launch me in the air.Its the little things that make a game good. I do believe that sometime EQ2 will be good but right now it has been very unsatisfactory.
I am not a fanboy of any game and I try to see things rationally.
Forgive My Typing Its 3 AM,
Mortibody.
EQ2's graphics were stunning and the new twist of voices attracted me. I loved EQ and expected EQ2 to be the same. But I was horribly disenchanted after playing for a month. I came to the realization that Furys and Wardens were the same things just with different names and different effects for the same spells. There was no originality and soloing was very hard to do. Exp debt when dying is fine but as everyone knows, theres 5 idiots to one decent player on any MMORPG and I couldn't take the massive debt I recieved when Darkhartx jumps off the transport tower or when someone would blindly run into a room aggroing everything inside. The customer service was so cold and heartless. I felt like they didn't care about me at all.
I think perhaps EQ2 will be better in the future, but the monopoly SOE held is long gone and they have to step up to the plate to compete with the new MMORPGS. I missed the lore of EQ and the excitement of pvp.
WoW does have server overpopulation but the Queue isn't that bad. There are enough servers that you can move to a low or medium populated one. But that can't explain away the population problems. Both SOE and Blizzard weren't prepared for the amount of people that were waiting for next-gen MMORPGS to come out. The difference to me between the two games is WoW was a constant fun whereas EQ2 had its occasional Ooh's and Ahh's. The total lack of PVP in EQ2 saddened me because it was Good Vs. Evil yet the two never came face to face. WoW provides pvp,roleplaying and normal servers. There is also a problem in WoW with Paladins on Alliance ( Good ) being slightly overpowered. PvP requires a grain of salt because you can be killed in neutral territory quite easily. But this to me adds a much needed more human quality to the game. Socialization is great but everyone wants to beat up another PC every once in a while. The quests aren't bland and some are very very exciting. The graphics aren't the greatest but the key word in WoW is COMPLETENESS. You feel a sense of whole while looking atop a mountain gazing out at a pirate ship full of cutthroats. Sony released their game way too early and should have worked on it more instead of trying to run with it. Also releasing their game on the same date as Halo 2 is financial suicide. I think SOE got too big for their britches.
Both MMORPGS being new have their problems. Blizzard has been acknowledging its players whereas SOE remains bullheaded and stuck in its old monopolized ways. They will have to change or fail. Blizzard even awarded its players free time to compensate for the downtimes recently. I do fear that WoW's fast ability to level may cause lots to become bored and quit the game. Blizzard is counteracting this with battlegrounds which should be very exciting. There is so much content in WoW that I couldn't find in EQ2. When I started as a wee troll there was a voodoo doctor that could cast random spells on you if you asked. He would turn me giant. Make me hallucinate. Launch me in the air.Its the little things that make a game good. I do believe that sometime EQ2 will be good but right now it has been very unsatisfactory.
I am not a fanboy of any game and I try to see things rationally.
Forgive My Typing Its 3 AM,
Mortibody.
I agree wholeheartedly with you mort. Nicely laid out post. It really is the little things that make wow so much better. They have an extreme attention to detail and you know what after an hour of being in game you just feel "engrossed" with it. You feel like you are truely in the fantasy world. The screenshots do NOT do it justice, it's a very beautiful game.
The quests are WAY better than eq2 quests. There's actually quests that involve *gasp* items. Unlike eq2 where the quest dialog says "find 10 wolf hides from xxx wolfs" and ends up being an imaginary item that simply "updates" your journal randomly off the kills.
All in all the game is much more polished than EQ2, the game is a lot more fun, and you can accomplish a lot with only a few hours a night if that is your schedule. I've played for 2 days and im not even 10. Guess what i made 17 in 2 days on EQ2, they totally powerlevel you through the first 20 levels even faster in EQ2 than in WoW.
I havent had any CS experiences in WoW yet, i've yet to experience a bug. But from what i hear the gms send you tells and actually help with the issues. In EQ2 there is no CS. i've petitioned on issues at least 5 times every time got a generic canned response. EVEN when i specifically put in my petition, "DO NOT SEND A CANNED RESPONSE, i want to talk with a person". It's pretty laughable that they call themselves a company. If they don't shape up WoW will kill them even more than it is now.
The quests are WAY better than eq2 quests. There's actually quests that involve *gasp* items. Unlike eq2 where the quest dialog says "find 10 wolf hides from xxx wolfs" and ends up being an imaginary item that simply "updates" your journal randomly off the kills.
All in all the game is much more polished than EQ2, the game is a lot more fun, and you can accomplish a lot with only a few hours a night if that is your schedule. I've played for 2 days and im not even 10. Guess what i made 17 in 2 days on EQ2, they totally powerlevel you through the first 20 levels even faster in EQ2 than in WoW.
I havent had any CS experiences in WoW yet, i've yet to experience a bug. But from what i hear the gms send you tells and actually help with the issues. In EQ2 there is no CS. i've petitioned on issues at least 5 times every time got a generic canned response. EVEN when i specifically put in my petition, "DO NOT SEND A CANNED RESPONSE, i want to talk with a person". It's pretty laughable that they call themselves a company. If they don't shape up WoW will kill them even more than it is now.
Good information, Mort. Thanks.
I also feel SoE needs to work on their customer service.
I remember once walking onto a certain new automobile lot (try to guess which brand), and the salesman basically told me I had to be "good enough" to deserve to buy one of these cars - those weren't his actual words - but it was his tone.
SoE seems to have a similar disease, but like you focus it - it comes from still thinking they have the monopoly (and perhaps from ego, too). They've never felt they've needed to explain themselves, they've always talked down to their customers, and they've often refused to apologize when imo they clearly needed to (or if they did, imo they did it poorly - one of those "we didn't do anything wrong but we are sorry that you feel bad" sort of pieces of junk).
Anyway, I feel better when I read how someone also sees this - it's always good to find out I'm not crazy and that I share feelings with others. Thanks again (and there are many other posters in here to whom I owe the same feeling - thank you to you all, too).
<--(what this EvilGnome really wants to be)
I also feel SoE needs to work on their customer service.
I remember once walking onto a certain new automobile lot (try to guess which brand), and the salesman basically told me I had to be "good enough" to deserve to buy one of these cars - those weren't his actual words - but it was his tone.
SoE seems to have a similar disease, but like you focus it - it comes from still thinking they have the monopoly (and perhaps from ego, too). They've never felt they've needed to explain themselves, they've always talked down to their customers, and they've often refused to apologize when imo they clearly needed to (or if they did, imo they did it poorly - one of those "we didn't do anything wrong but we are sorry that you feel bad" sort of pieces of junk).
Anyway, I feel better when I read how someone also sees this - it's always good to find out I'm not crazy and that I share feelings with others. Thanks again (and there are many other posters in here to whom I owe the same feeling - thank you to you all, too).
<--(what this EvilGnome really wants to be)Glad I could help. Don't give up hope on EQ2 yet but remember the customer always has the power.
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