Originally posted by Cleffy Actually when developing a mmorpg, it would be incredibly dumb to believe only 1 team is working on it. The staff that actually working on EQ2 has over a hundred. Probably the majority of them also worked on SWG. The main difference between the 2 is that there will be a different design team. So on all the things that actually matter, there will be a different team working on it. This however won't stop SOE from actually making EQ2 less then what it can be. The most obvious mistake they will make on EQ2 is making the game too much like everquest. This means they won't try to expand too much on the combat system, and won't evolve any of the current game structures. Here is a list of possible problems that will result: -the game will be limited to the ground. Many new mmorpgs are taking flight for a full 3d aspect, but generally your character will be stuck on the ground. I actually head somthing about flying carpets but who knows. And i dont consider that a big thing when it comes to EQ evolution cause flight was never really a big thing. -Combat will mimic everquest combat with the slight exception that your character will have 2 more links in the way they swing thier weapon. The actual combat style won't evolve. It will be slightly different that the orrigional. The groping aspect will be different but you cant really do much about this. -They will clutter the user interface. The user interface should have as little windows as possible so the player can actually see a large portion of what is happening. The best way to do this is to display the hp bars floating around your character, SOE will probably station it at the edges. That has nothing to do with the game it self, its the interface... the game wont be played differently, and i like it stationary anyway. -They will make crafting non-interactive. They have a whole new class made for crafting... they are used in groups to make items so the group will do better. I'd say thats pretty interactive. -The world will be divided between good and evil only. You cant really change that, there is always good evil or nuetral... Anything else wont work for EQ. -The basis of the game will be centered around combat, you won't gain levels or powers for having and alternative life-style, like a crafter or explorer. A SPECIAL CLASS FOR CRAFTERS! you get exp for making items. -the world will be unmutable by the player, limiting the player experience, and making the player not seem significant in the scheme of things The more you gain good faction in a town the more respected you are by the NPCS... they seek you out for quests and treat you better... pretty signifigant. -leveling curve will be atrocious after you hit a small level, and will become repetative. This will lead to certain areas being camped by many players. You havent played EQ2 yet so i dont think you would know that yet. -You must be in a guild passed level 20, you won't be able to do much if you are on your own aside from repetative killing of a monster. EQ2 doesnt require as much people to do a riad... its based on smaller groups so it should be fairly easy
Im not trying to be a jerk or anything. I just saw this post and wanted to correct it in what i think is true. I don't really like it when people who have never tried the game try to predict its future in a bad way... if you look at things bad all the time it wont make it any easier to like a game. So dont judge... in a negative anyway, cause im sure a lot of people wont like it and some take it the wrong way.
Cleffy probly doesn't even know where everquest 2 takes place. He talks about things that are compelet bull. Okay cleffy, tell me why this game sucks? Ohhhh yeah you can't.
----------------------------- The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
----------------------------- "You sir, are a moron"
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How will combat in EQII differ from previous MMORPGs?
Our combat system is based on strategy and making smart choices. Players will learn what strategies work best for a given situation or enemy type based not only on their own abilities, but on the abilities of the classes they are grouped with. To play your best will require you to think and pay attention to the choices you make.
How do I determine the difficulty of an opponent Im going to fight?
The target window tells you several important things about your opponent. It shows you the numerical level of the entity you have targeted. The color of the target's name indicates how challenging the encounter is: grey names mean the fight is below your abilities and will give no experience or reward, green names mean the opponent is very easy, blue names mean an easy fight, white names indicate the opponent is even with your abilities, yellow names mean the fight will be challenging, orange names indicate a difficult encounter, and red names mean the battle will be very dangerous.
If the target has a red glow around its name, that means the target is aggressive toward you and will attack if you get too close to it. Targets with a threat level of grey will not attack you, even if they are aggressive to players within the intended level range of the encounter. In other words, you won't be attacked by anything that won't give you some reward for defeating it.
I clicked on a goblin with a white name and saw it was level 8. I clicked on another goblin that was level 8, but its name was yellow. What makes them different?
Level alone doesn't determine how challenging the encounter will be. Creatures have a tier value assigned to them that affects their capabilities; a higher tier means the opponent will be more challenging than the same type of creature with a lower tier. While the goblins are the same level in the example above, the one with the yellow name is tougher and will present more of a challenge (as well as a greater reward for defeating it). The tier system allows us to provide much more valuable feedback to the player than just an indication of the target's level.
Do NPCs behave any differently than they did in EQ?
Our game introduces significant changes concerning encounters and NPC behavior. We design most encounters so that groups of players will fight multiple opponents at once. The goal behind this change is to provide a new set of challenges, giving players the opportunity to master new strategies. Clicking on an NPC will show whether it is part of a group by highlighting the names of other nearby NPCs that are part of the encounter.
How do locked encounters work?
When a player or group performs an aggressive action against an opponent, the encounter is instantly locked. This means that no other players or groups may interfere with the encounter and any movement-enhancing buffs will be temporarily suspended. The locking mechanism is automatic as soon as a deliberate offensive action is taken by someone in the group.
If the player or group decides the encounter is not winnable, the encounter may be unlocked with a press of the yell key. At this point other players will be able to attack the opponent. Once unlocked, however, the loot and experience provided by the mob are negated.
What happens to an encounter once it is unlocked?
The NPC doesn't care that you have unlocked the encounter. It will continue to attack you until one of you defeats the other, or until you escape to safety. If someone is fighting an NPC and that player yells for help, the encounter is unlocked. As soon as you unlock the encounter, whatever detrimental spells you cast on the opponent will be removed. Anyone who kills that NPC will get no experience or loot for doing so. If it isn't killed, the NPC will remain in this state until its hate list is cleared, at which point it will regenerate to full health in very little time.
Will other NPCs still be able to add into our locked combat encounter?
Locking only affects other players, not NPCs; you must still be mindful of preventing other opponents from entering the fray. Managing adds remains a crucial element of strategy.
If an NPC attacks me when I'm running through a zone, do I automatically lose my movement buffs and enter into a locked encounter?
No, the encouter doesn't lock until you take an action that locks it. While aggressive NPCs can attack you at any time, only players can actually lock the encounter by purposely doing so.
Who will be able to unlock an encounter?
The group leader determines which members in the party have the ability to unlock encounters.
Is there is a way for someone to tell that the NPC is locked besides trying to attack it?
When you click on the NPC, you'll see an icon next to its name that tells you if it is locked.
Will the locked encounter system prevent kill stealing and power leveling?
The locked encounter system was designed to make combat more strategic, but it has the side effect of minimizing old methods of power-leveling and kill-stealing.
Doesnt the locked encounter system prevent kiting as well?
At the core of our combat system is a significant principle: If you can damage a mob, that mob can damage you. Kiting as you knew it in EverQuest will not be a viable tactic in EQII.
Will I be able to heal players who are in a locked encounter?
No. Players may unlock an encounter and receive heals any time they wish, but they will forfeit the loot and experience given by that encounter. Requiring those in danger to call for help may not be ideal in the eyes of all players, but it does increase the overall integrity of the game and makes combat more strategic.
What about buffs? Can I buff a friend who isnt grouped with me?
Many buffs will have a short duration and be group-based. Our game is about choices. If you want certain buffs, you have to group with the class that provides them. But you can be just as effective going without those buffs if you group another class that provides a different kind of benefit. We want to get away from the notion that you're useless without a particular set of buffs, and instead teach you that there are plenty of other choices that will let you be every bit as effective.
There will also be a wide variety of beneficial buffs that are not group-based. Spells that enhance your non-combat movement rate (like Spirit of Wolf in EQ), for example, may be cast on people outside your group.
Will I be able to solo whenever I want to?
Yes. We want players to enjoy themselves regardless of their preferred play style or how many hours a day they can log in. Our game has significant amounts of content designed for all classes to be able to solo at all levels, including quests, jobs assigned by NPCs, and areas where opponents can be fought solo rather than in a group.
What are these combat arts that melee characters will receive?
Melee classes have special abilities called arts. These powerful attacks provide each class with unique combat techniques. To achieve maximum effectiveness, players must choose which combat arts to use, just as casters have to decide which spells work best in a given situation. Those choices will vary depending on the encounter and what classes the adventurer is grouped with. It will definitely be to your advantage to understand the abilities of others, as some arts work best in combination with those of another class.
Will the new combat system be accompanied by exciting visuals?
Oh yes. Our goal is a system that is both tactically challenging and visually exciting. There are visible weapon arcs as you swing, flashes and sounds as your weapons impact the target, a wide variety of motion-captured animations that vary based on your level and weapon skill, and more.
Will ranged combat be viable in EQII?
Ranged attacks such as archery will be a more specialized form of combat. Certain classes (especially those on the scout tree) will have access to powerful ranged combat arts that allow for large amounts of situational damage. Such attacks won't be unlimited, however; ranged combat costs significant amounts of power to maintain, and power is a precious resource for melee classes.
I have seen references to something called "combat speed" which implied players will be moving slower during combat. Is this true?
Originally we did have this concept, but after initial testing the idea didn't feel intuitive or fun. We removed it, but retained the principle that movement buffs will be suspended when an encounter is locked. This lets us retain the tactical elements of combat without it feeling artificially restrained.
----------------------------- The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
----------------------------- "You sir, are a moron"
Damn I had this really long post on the reasons why EQ2 isnt that great a game, but it got deleted siince it logged me out for some reason, here goes again.
Good job at replying to the message even I called bogus and really a first glance. In my remaining posts I actually wasted the time to look up EQ2 and I wish I didnt since I didnt see anything ground breaking that would change my mind about the game. EQ2 is at best an OK game mainly due to this reason. There is no purpose to the game, the players actions have absolutely no bearing on ever affecting the game world. If you wanted to feel like your voice is unheard then play EQ2. As a result from this there is no reward or sense of accomplishment tthe majority of players can get from the game. If you complete a quest, there is no big deal because 1000 other people did too. You can never be the most powerful, you can never stop the evil or good; there is no ultimate goal to accomplish. In the end it has the same problem nearly every single mmorpg has. It becomes a simulation of life, only within a different setting with a limited amount of career paths and less things to keep you occupied. Considering the game added all that glame in the form of crafting systems and combat systems, the game itself should hold a players interest for about a month, but it really isnt even worth paying the $50 and the monthly fee to play, especially because of how it stacks up against its competitors.
Currently, 2 mmorpgs are set to release around the same time of EQ2, and offer the same things as EQ2 or even more. Here is a comparison to what is offered by EQ2 and the competitor DnL.
EQ2 over DnL: -Better customer service -On the largest server system in the world -The combat wheel and Lock system -released a month earlier -Currently Lower System Reqs
DnL over EQ2: -Free to Download -Traveling by air, that is accessible from a low level., -Player run: *government *economy *worship system *environment *buildings -multi-passenger player owned vehicles -Explore system with special explore skills -40k sq. mile world -Over 65k users on one server with no lag(The servers are in an island off France, and offers the same results anywhere else in the world with access to internet) -PvP
There are also several things confirmed in DnL that I havent Confirmed for EQ2: -Multi-person Crafting -Mariner system with mariner skills, and player owned vessels set for next update -Player housing manipulation(Can you edit the look of your dwelling)
Also I looked at the combat system for EQ2 and didnt see anything that would really make the game any less limited. The lock system looks more tedious then helpful. Also considering the same effect of more varied user strategy can be achieved through simpler means.
Originally posted by Cleffy Damn I had this really long post on the reasons why EQ2 isnt that great a game, but it got deleted siince it logged me out for some reason, here goes again. Good job at replying to the message even I called bogus and really a first glance. In my remaining posts I actually wasted the time to look up EQ2 and I wish I didnt since I didnt see anything ground breaking that would change my mind about the game. EQ2 is at best an OK game mainly due to this reason. There is no purpose to the game, the players actions have absolutely no bearing on ever affecting the game world. If you wanted to feel like your voice is unheard then play EQ2. As a result from this there is no reward or sense of accomplishment tthe majority of players can get from the game. If you complete a quest, there is no big deal because 1000 other people did too. You can never be the most powerful, you can never stop the evil or good; there is no ultimate goal to accomplish. In the end it has the same problem nearly every single mmorpg has. It becomes a simulation of life, only within a different setting with a limited amount of career paths and less things to keep you occupied. Considering the game added all that glame in the form of crafting systems and combat systems, the game itself should hold a players interest for about a month, but it really isnt even worth paying the $50 and the monthly fee to play, especially because of how it stacks up against its competitors. Currently, 2 mmorpgs are set to release around the same time of EQ2, and offer the same things as EQ2 or even more. Here is a comparison to what is offered by EQ2 and the competitor DnL. EQ2 over DnL: -Better customer service -On the largest server system in the world -The combat wheel and Lock system -released a month earlier -Currently Lower System Reqs DnL over EQ2: -Free to Download -Traveling by air, that is accessible from a low level., -Player run: *government *economy *worship system *environment *buildings -multi-passenger player owned vehicles -Explore system with special explore skills -40k sq. mile world -Over 65k users on one server with no lag(The servers are in an island off France, and offers the same results anywhere else in the world with access to internet) -PvP There are also several things confirmed in DnL that I havent Confirmed for EQ2: -Multi-person Crafting -Mariner system with mariner skills, and player owned vessels set for next update -Player housing manipulation(Can you edit the look of your dwelling) Also I looked at the combat system for EQ2 and didnt see anything that would really make the game any less limited. The lock system looks more tedious then helpful. Also considering the same effect of more varied user strategy can be achieved through simpler means.
well, i think you either didnt look in the right place for this information, or looked in the right place but just try to shift the info around so you dont have to look bad in your other posts even after people have shown you different.
Ok, on the fist subject of your post... There is a point to playing the game. I wish you would actually take the time to read the replys to your other posts. I explained this to you. When you complete quests the NPCs will see you as more powerfull and thus seek you out to do Quests. Its not the kind of game that you need to go out and look for quests, the quests come to you based on our reputation you earn. Also, im guessing that they will have certain creatures (like in EQ) that can be killed once and only once, and once it is defeated the world will be changed (The Sleeper in EQ).
And when you say it has no ultimate goal... ITS AN MMO!!!! THEY ARENT SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN ULTIMATE GOAL! If you want a game like that, play a consol game or somthing. It is supposed to keep you playing for an unlimited amount of time.
DnL over EQ2: -Free to Download -Traveling by air, that is accessible from a low level., -Player run: *government *economy *worship system Pointless fo EQ2 *environment *buildings EQ2 will have Guild housing -multi-passenger player owned vehicles EQ2 Will be having player owned boats. -Explore system with special explore skills -40k sq. mile world Dont consider it an advantage until you know how big EQ2's world is. -Over 65k users on one server with no lag(The servers are in an island off France, and offers the same results anywhere else in the world with access to internet) The game isnt out yet? and it has that many people on a server? wow -PvP
So actually take the time to read this, or glance at it and then dont post any more... cause in my eyes, you wont prove your point in this lifetime.
Originally posted by Cleffy Actually when developing a mmorpg, it would be incredibly dumb to believe only 1 team is working on it. The staff that actually working on EQ2 has over a hundred. Probably the majority of them also worked on SWG. The main difference between the 2 is that there will be a different design team. So on all the things that actually matter, there will be a different team working on it. This however won't stop SOE from actually making EQ2 less then what it can be. The most obvious mistake they will make on EQ2 is making the game too much like everquest. This means they won't try to expand too much on the combat system, and won't evolve any of the current game structures. Here is a list of possible problems that will result: -the game will be limited to the ground. Many new mmorpgs are taking flight for a full 3d aspect, but generally your character will be stuck on the ground. -Combat will mimic everquest combat with the slight exception that your character will have 2 more links in the way they swing thier weapon. The actual combat style won't evolve. -They will clutter the user interface. The user interface should have as little windows as possible so the player can actually see a large portion of what is happening. The best way to do this is to display the hp bars floating around your character, SOE will probably station it at the edges. -They will make crafting non-interactive -The world will be divided between good and evil only. -The basis of the game will be centered around combat, you won't gain levels or powers for having and alternative life-style, like a crafter or explorer. -the world will be unmutable by the player, limiting the player experience, and making the player not seem significant in the scheme of things -leveling curve will be atrocious after you hit a small level, and will become repetative. This will lead to certain areas being camped by many players. -You must be in a guild passed level 20, you won't be able to do much if you are on your own aside from repetative killing of a monster.
Hey! What's that SMELL! It's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen on these forums for a while! You are an ass-licking, uncle-fucker. burn in hell, bitch.
----------------------------- The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
HOLY CRAP kunarick! calm the fuck down you mindless EQ monster. Oh and dont steal insults from south park thanks. Dont get all bent outta shape. Jesus you scare the hell outta me.
haha its good to see someone is actually reading what I post. Here is why there should be ultimate goals. The competition is currently making mmorpgs where the player can permenently shape the world. This has been the ultimate goal of an mmorpg, to make a game that the player can permenently affect. Saying an mmorpg lacks an ultimate goal by nature is ill-concieved and based on the limitations of technology that have recently become available. For me I am wondering why one of the world leaders in the video game market hasnt bothered to take advantage of that technology. They havent announced anything about that, and based on its release date, I doubt they plan to make the world mutable anytime soon.
When you are making a game the ultimate question a designer must ask is what reason does the player have to be here? SOE's current answer is that they have a method to build upon; you can in a sense live out D&D online. However, is this enough with how far technology has come. This method however won't keep the attention of the average player with an overused theme, especially when the average player's interest in a game using such methods only lasts a month to 3 month. Now why would a person want to throw $30-$50 to buy this game in order to drop it in a month or 3? I currently cannot find a reason or even a purpose to; primarily because its competition is releasing a few months later but has far vaster features and you only have to pay monthly fees.
Other factors to consider getting this game is the video card. You can't use an MX card to play this game. I am pretty certain the bulk of Dell computers and nearly all the buy a system online companies released nearly all thier systems with mx cards up until a 6-12 months ago. I am pretty sure the bulk of consumers took the lazy route and just bought a system this way.
Ok, I've read through all of this thread and have a couple comments I'd like to just throw out there.. First of all, no MMORPG out there today or tomorrow will ever be the "be-all-end-all" of MMORPGs simply because there are so many different people who play these things, it's impossible to create one that will cater to all of them. That being said, Cleffy seems to be a fan of the upcoming Dark and Light MMORPG. I'll be purchasing that as well when it comes out. I'll also be buying EQ2, D&D Online, Vagaurd and who knows what else between now and whenever.
Everquest 2's appeal to me is the class based system. One of the things that makes a MMORPG fun to me is the feel that you are actually doing something to benefit the people you are playing with. When you can create a character who is the "do everything" character, then why bother playing a MMORPG? Why not just go play some single player game where you will have all of the skills (or gain them over the course of the game) that you will ever need to complete the game. A key point in MMORPGs is socialization. Yes, I saw the post saying they should just create a giant chat room but what the poster missed is, what exactly will they chat about? In a MMORPG there are things to do (quests, crafting, PvP, etc) which give the community a topic to talk about. Most people like to interact with people and in the MMORPG setting it not only allows them to communicate, but now it also gives them something to communicate about.
Dark and Light's selling points are the PvP focus the the immense amount of world to explore. PvP is fun for alot of people because it provides a challenge that no computer AI could simulate. Well, none that would come packaged in a $50 game and run on your desktop anyway. People are raving about the EQ2 combat system and how it is the most advanced AI. Ok, I'll buy that and from what I've read about it, yes, it sounds like it's pretty complex. However, it follows pre-determined set of rules and just instantiates those rules dynamically based on current combat criteria. It's only a matter of time till people figure out how some of those rules work and manipulate them to their advantage. (See Kiting in EQ 1) To me, thats where PvP stands out. Every battle against new people is, well, as predictable as next weeks lottery numbers. However, along with the PvP you obviously get those who need to inflate their own ego's by claiming thier "uberness" over someone else. It's those people who don't realize they are sitting in room, in their house/apartment/dorm, staring at a screen with mouse in one hand and keyboard in the other and their powerful "uberness" can be brought down with something as little as a power outage.
The other item which DnL uses as their selling point is the amount of the world that will exist. Everquest 1 expanded their world with expansion packs to make the world larger and larger. I'm sure Everquest 2 will eventually follow suit. What does all this land actually mean? After the first couple months of game play there will be maps out of all of the worlds anyway, regardless of which MMORPG you play. Even if its the size DnL is claiming or if it's smaller like D&D Online is planning. So in the end, all more land turns into is more travel time, really. I think D&D Online has a VERY unique solution which actually is completely the opposite of what the DnL theory is. For those of you who are not following that one, what they are doing there is making a smaller "world" where people co-exist. Then, when you get your party together to head out, the land you explore is instantiated based upon your party. Similar in lines to the indoor missions in City of Heroes, however, the areas that they are talking about instantiatind are like full outdoor worlds. Like you would go hunt or whatever in one of these instantiated worlds. You might come across something intriguing which may lead you on to a quest or whatever. The general idea is you all start in the same location so it's a smaller community and you don't have to go far to group up with people. It makes it more personable. Then you can go out and seek (and find) adventure which is best suited for your party.
Anyway, I'm not posting to support either EQ2 or Dark and Light or any other MMORPGs that are coming out. And as for my experiences with MMORPGs, I've played my fair share: Asheron's Call, AC2, UO, EQ, Neocron, JumpGate, Anarhy Online, City of Heroes, DAoC, Earth and Beyond, EVE Online, SWG, just to name a few. I think there are quite a few games coming out which show alot of promise. But again, what they promise is geared toward certain subsets of players so you will always have those who bash the game for no reason what-so-ever. If you read about a game, and it doesn't sound like it's for you, move on. Why bother posting the "this game is going to suck" messages? They really don't accomplish anything, unless, it makes you feel better to do so.
Finally, on the actual subject of this e-mail. I think that it would be ignorant to assume that SOE would not try to minimize costs by utilizing a common first tier level customer support for all games. All help desk systems designed today have functionalities in them that can help the representative suggest common solutions to common problems based on historic problem tickets without having a clue as to what the systems they are supporting do. If the problem is not easily corrected then it will probably move to tier 2 support, which, is more than likely, a team that is dedicated to the game you called in for. However, it's very rare that you will ever talk with these people with one call into the help desk. First tiers responsibility is to gather data, suggest basic solutions and pass the information up the chain to the next tier. So, that being said, I believe you can expect similar dealings with help desk when you call them initially. However, detailed technical support provided for the game itself is yet to be seen. I don't think you can judge what the customer support will be solely by looking at SWG or any previous versions of EQ.
Originally posted by DerfelCadarn Dark and Light doesn't have the hype or resources to compete against EQ2 and WoW. Most people have never even heard of the game.
I'm not really sure how this factors into iif the game will be good or not. Many people never heard of a company called "Echo" who makes trimmers for landscape work, however their trimmers are one of the best out on the market and used professionally all over the place. Advertising doesn't make a game good.
Your right but to the company involved it does matter. If the company is not making the money, the game will suffer(less content, gms) or even get cancelled. If nobody knows about the game(ads are important), the game will sell bad which means it will have a low popuation. It matters that DnL will have a low population(competing with WoW, EQ2, GW, MEO and 10 other mmorpgs) and so the game will not be as fun. Look at AC2 for example, it is a fun game with a good amount content but it has a very very low poputaion making the game less fun. Low pop=not a very fun game
Originally posted by DerfelCadarn Your right but to the company involved it does matter. If the company is not making the money, the game will suffer(less content, gms) or even get cancelled. If nobody knows about the game(ads are important), the game will sell bad which means it will have a low popuation. It matters that DnL will have a low population(competing with WoW, EQ2, GW, MEO and 10 other mmorpgs) and so the game will not be as fun. Look at AC2 for example, it is a fun game with a good amount content but it has a very very low poputaion making the game less fun. Low pop=not a very fun game
Actually, AC2, in my opinion, is a bad example of what you are explaining because it had pretty good advertising to a pretty large population (AC1), however, when it was released, it didn't have anything to do in the game. It was apparent that "deadlines" forced the game to be released before it could really be completed. That's why eventually Turbine took it back from Microsoft and were re-working on it to make it the game it was supposed to be. But the name has already been tarnished with what was released.
However, I do see what you are talking about. Neocron definitely falls into the category of low population counts due to lack of advertising. Although, I'm not sure if that's just because it's a German based company and I'm in the US that I haven't heard much of it. I'm not sure why some companies cut budgets when it comes to advertising though. I mean, even well known brands like Nike, Microsoft, Dell.. They still advertise all the time and spend alot of money doing it. Doesn't make much sense to me why you would cut that aspect. Not to mention, I believe theres alot of gaming sites out there who would gladly do interviews and the such free of charge. All it would cost is developer time, but IMO that's relatively cheap for the possible benefits it would reap.
Bashing games is fun, it makes a 7 page argument. I would have to say for an unadvertised game, DnL is doing pretty well, since it has such hype and already several thousand people keeping track of it. Also they are currently not sure of a release date, but plan it 4 months from now; so advertising wouldn't be that practical.
Originally posted by Cleffy Bashing games is fun, it makes a 7 page argument. I would have to say for an unadvertised game, DnL is doing pretty well, since it has such hype and already several thousand people keeping track of it. Also they are currently not sure of a release date, but plan it 4 months from now; so advertising wouldn't be that practical.
Its not only ads, its PC gamer and Computer gaming world articles when they talk about mmorpgs, its general hype the game makes, its internet sites(gamespy etc) publishing articles and websites about your game. DnL has very little of that, and a few thousand players isnt very much when broken into a few servers. You cant tell me that DnL can compete againist EQ2, WoW, GW and others. It will at the botttom of the list somewhere with a low pop.
Originally posted by sparkatb I know EQ2 will be a success, among many many reasons. One such reason is that SoE and/or the EQ2 dev team have years of MMORPG experience. Blizzard have no experience with MMORPG, yet WoW fans are expecting Blizzards WoW to be as good as SoE's EQ2. What are those people on? Blizzards WoW has been built from multiplayer games (not mmorpg), those games are small scale to what mmoprg's are. Lets see how WoW will do first, before their fans start slateing other more experienced mmorpg's.
Honestly, I hope you're right. As most of you know, I dont care for SOE but I am rooting for them to make EQ2 a success. However, experience doesn't matter in my opinion. From what I'm told here, each development team is separate from each other so its not like the same guys who worked on EQ1 and SWG are now working on EQ2. Also, yes Im gonna mention it again.... if experience mattered then what is SOE's excuse for SWG ? To the other post who mentioned swg as being game of the year and 25 servers loaded... pfft. Give me a break, you obviously dont play it. First off, everyone knows those that some game mag awards are nothing but recognition for that mag's biggest advertiser. Naming a game like swg "game of the year" is a total joke. All other mags gave the game a fair to poor rating. Nobody has given swg a "kickass" or 10 score. The servers are not maxed by the way. All of them are light with the occasional medium on one server on a weekend. The servers havent had heavy loads since October 03. Also, SOE is working on allowing server migration for players. This is a classic sign that some servers will be shut down and the end is near. If JTL is anywhere near as buggy as the ground game is, I'd expect to see swg subscriber base plunge by 50% (obviously why SOE is working on server transfers). A lot of players are only hanging around to try out JTL. As far as Blizzard goes, they do make one heck of a good game 99% of the time. Sure mmorpg is a different animal, but arent all games unique ? I see no reason to NOT expect WoW will be amazing. They sure have taken a long time to develop and test it. I'm the type of gamer that loves good graphics first and foremost (which is why I still play SWG). EQ2 has the most amazing graphics of all present and future released mmorpg. WoW looks a bit dated to me, more like something that came out in 1999. I really am crossing my fingers and wishing good thoughts on EQ2. However, Im afraid to fall for the hype and get excited like I did for SWG and get let down.
I Played DiabloII for like 4 years.......Game play sucks its a joke only reason i stuck around as long as i did was because of the few people i met there.......were fun people sure.....but 99% of the people on that game are well.....wannabe koreans....its a joke joining a game to see idiots typing like they do.....most of you do the same tho "W00t" "Suxorz" and a few on D2 im not sure if yall seen it before......"why so suck" "die more pls?" just stupid shit......WC3(WarCraft III) is pretty fun tho.....But.... people claim Blizzard is the best? lol.....they do what they want plain and simple they dont give a rats ass about people's input if they did..... patch 1.10 would of never been the way it was....and bnet use to be packed after release of 1.10 for D2 its lost ALOT!!!! of people cause they hate it......Blizzard forcuses on 1 game and when a new game is being released they forcus on that and leave the old one........take D2.......had alot of the time from Bnet but then they started working on WC3 and D2 had basiclly no1 working on it to remove the bugs all over that game....still tons of bugs in that game and as far as gameplay for D2? all there is to do is do baal runs (which is to lvevl) Mf(magic find) on mephy pindle and such.......or duel......theres nothing else in that game....so yeah Blizzard puts out complete shit like that and you people think they are gods? lol........
so your saying blizzard is bad because of the way people talk online? play 1 player then its just as fun. i like blizzard because all of the games they have made, i own and i think are top of the line. i love EQ they probably will make a better mmorpg because of their experience, but that doesnt mean blizzard wont make a good game, WoW will most likely be a success and a game to try as well as EQ2.
Originally posted by Cleffy You are forgetting one key factor in the equation, you have to multiply the games by their revolutioness and SOE by its current corporateness. You see SOE corporateness has grown so lets say EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level) EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(5) 4(EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(20) Compared to: EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level) EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(20) 4(EQ1[revolutionary])=EQ2(revolutionary) By the powers of equality EQ2 will have 1/4th the revolutionariness as EQ1.
Uhh.... math doesnt equate well with games or products. Most selling and "revoultionariness" has to with random variables(which arent always numbers), you cannot make formulas for that. Its like saying your sure that your presidential candidate will beat the other, nobody knows until the end of election day.
Originally posted by DerfelCadarn Uhh.... math doesnt equate well with games or products. Most selling and "revoultionariness" has to with random variables(which arent always numbers), you cannot make formulas for that. Its like saying your sure that your presidential candidate will beat the other, nobody knows until the end of election day.
Not to mention the fact that it's an entirely different team behind EQ and EQ2, and the genre itself is very much different now, than when EQ originally released. Stuff that was put up with in EQ wouldn't be exceptable now as far as servers crashing on Day 1, and so on. About the only constant is the unending ability of the gaming community in general to swallow large doses of crap, smile, and ask for more.
As to whether or not Sony will screw the pooch? I'd like to say they've learned from past mistakes, and realize they'll have all eyes on them, and people will be expecting the usual SOE rimjob. But you never can tell what the moronic beancounters will do. Everyone always blames the devs, but I don't know any developers who've said 'Hey, let's put out a buggy, unstable game! It'll be HUGE!'. I'm sure the SWG devs would have liked more time to work on the game, but they don't get to make those decisions, some clueless guy in a suit does that. Based off of 'focus group' testing by Marketing drones, and the fact that they've got a slew of nimwits screaming that they want the game now!!!!!. The same slew of nimwits that rush out a week later and bash the daylights out of the game for being released too early. Maybe SOE will tell them to sod off, and release when it's ready, but historicaly, I 'm sure they'll cave and release before things are done, and try to patch it all after the fact. Business as usual.
Originally posted by Cleffy You are forgetting one key factor in the equation, you have to multiply the games by their revolutioness and SOE by its current corporateness. You see SOE corporateness has grown so lets say EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level) EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(5) 4(EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(20) Compared to: EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level) EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(20) 4(EQ1[revolutionary])=EQ2(revolutionary) By the powers of equality EQ2 will have 1/4th the revolutionariness as EQ1.
You are forgetting the transitive property of equality: if a=b, and b=c, then a must = c.
So, great=Eq1, Eq1=SOE, and SOE=Eq2, thus Eq2=great.
Transitive property of equality: if a<b, and b<c, then a<c
If SWG<SOE, and SOE<Eq2, then SWG is less than Eq2.
Oh by the way, i'm just want to make sure everyone here knows cleffy is a **************** with no actual facts and a horrible opinion in which he thinks that consal games are more fun than Eq2.
----------------------------- The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
----------------------------- "You sir, are a moron"
Cleffy here is a short quiz on Eq2 information. If you don't get these right.....well i feel sorry for you, and it proves my point that you don't know what your talking about.
1. How many races will be present in Eq2?
2. What is the new race and what is the name they switched to from the Vah Shir?
3. How many cities are there?
4. Name all 5 archetypes.
5. If you wanted to be a dirge, what choices would you make as you progress?
6. What is the name of the world that Eq2 takes place in?
Thats all for now.....
----------------------------- The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
----------------------------- "You sir, are a moron"
Comments
MegaWolf's EQ2 Site in the making.
http://www.lovellz.net/battlefield/phpnuke/
Playing: Vanguard SoH
Played: EQ, Planetside, SWG, WoW, EQ2
-----------------------------
The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
-----------------------------
"You sir, are a moron"
Cleffy, here is some info on combat.
Combat F.A.Q.
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
How will combat in EQII differ from previous MMORPGs?
Our combat system is based on strategy and making smart choices. Players will learn what strategies work best for a given situation or enemy type based not only on their own abilities, but on the abilities of the classes they are grouped with. To play your best will require you to think and pay attention to the choices you make.
How do I determine the difficulty of an opponent Im going to fight?
The target window tells you several important things about your opponent. It shows you the numerical level of the entity you have targeted. The color of the target's name indicates how challenging the encounter is: grey names mean the fight is below your abilities and will give no experience or reward, green names mean the opponent is very easy, blue names mean an easy fight, white names indicate the opponent is even with your abilities, yellow names mean the fight will be challenging, orange names indicate a difficult encounter, and red names mean the battle will be very dangerous.
If the target has a red glow around its name, that means the target is aggressive toward you and will attack if you get too close to it. Targets with a threat level of grey will not attack you, even if they are aggressive to players within the intended level range of the encounter. In other words, you won't be attacked by anything that won't give you some reward for defeating it.
I clicked on a goblin with a white name and saw it was level 8. I clicked on another goblin that was level 8, but its name was yellow. What makes them different?
Level alone doesn't determine how challenging the encounter will be. Creatures have a tier value assigned to them that affects their capabilities; a higher tier means the opponent will be more challenging than the same type of creature with a lower tier. While the goblins are the same level in the example above, the one with the yellow name is tougher and will present more of a challenge (as well as a greater reward for defeating it). The tier system allows us to provide much more valuable feedback to the player than just an indication of the target's level.
Do NPCs behave any differently than they did in EQ?
Our game introduces significant changes concerning encounters and NPC behavior. We design most encounters so that groups of players will fight multiple opponents at once. The goal behind this change is to provide a new set of challenges, giving players the opportunity to master new strategies. Clicking on an NPC will show whether it is part of a group by highlighting the names of other nearby NPCs that are part of the encounter.
How do locked encounters work?
When a player or group performs an aggressive action against an opponent, the encounter is instantly locked. This means that no other players or groups may interfere with the encounter and any movement-enhancing buffs will be temporarily suspended. The locking mechanism is automatic as soon as a deliberate offensive action is taken by someone in the group.
If the player or group decides the encounter is not winnable, the encounter may be unlocked with a press of the yell key. At this point other players will be able to attack the opponent. Once unlocked, however, the loot and experience provided by the mob are negated.
What happens to an encounter once it is unlocked?
The NPC doesn't care that you have unlocked the encounter. It will continue to attack you until one of you defeats the other, or until you escape to safety. If someone is fighting an NPC and that player yells for help, the encounter is unlocked. As soon as you unlock the encounter, whatever detrimental spells you cast on the opponent will be removed. Anyone who kills that NPC will get no experience or loot for doing so. If it isn't killed, the NPC will remain in this state until its hate list is cleared, at which point it will regenerate to full health in very little time.
Will other NPCs still be able to add into our locked combat encounter?
Locking only affects other players, not NPCs; you must still be mindful of preventing other opponents from entering the fray. Managing adds remains a crucial element of strategy.
If an NPC attacks me when I'm running through a zone, do I automatically lose my movement buffs and enter into a locked encounter?
No, the encouter doesn't lock until you take an action that locks it. While aggressive NPCs can attack you at any time, only players can actually lock the encounter by purposely doing so.
Who will be able to unlock an encounter?
The group leader determines which members in the party have the ability to unlock encounters.
Is there is a way for someone to tell that the NPC is locked besides trying to attack it?
When you click on the NPC, you'll see an icon next to its name that tells you if it is locked.
Will the locked encounter system prevent kill stealing and power leveling?
The locked encounter system was designed to make combat more strategic, but it has the side effect of minimizing old methods of power-leveling and kill-stealing.
Doesnt the locked encounter system prevent kiting as well?
At the core of our combat system is a significant principle: If you can damage a mob, that mob can damage you. Kiting as you knew it in EverQuest will not be a viable tactic in EQII.
Will I be able to heal players who are in a locked encounter?
No. Players may unlock an encounter and receive heals any time they wish, but they will forfeit the loot and experience given by that encounter. Requiring those in danger to call for help may not be ideal in the eyes of all players, but it does increase the overall integrity of the game and makes combat more strategic.
What about buffs? Can I buff a friend who isnt grouped with me?
Many buffs will have a short duration and be group-based. Our game is about choices. If you want certain buffs, you have to group with the class that provides them. But you can be just as effective going without those buffs if you group another class that provides a different kind of benefit. We want to get away from the notion that you're useless without a particular set of buffs, and instead teach you that there are plenty of other choices that will let you be every bit as effective.
There will also be a wide variety of beneficial buffs that are not group-based. Spells that enhance your non-combat movement rate (like Spirit of Wolf in EQ), for example, may be cast on people outside your group.
Will I be able to solo whenever I want to?
Yes. We want players to enjoy themselves regardless of their preferred play style or how many hours a day they can log in. Our game has significant amounts of content designed for all classes to be able to solo at all levels, including quests, jobs assigned by NPCs, and areas where opponents can be fought solo rather than in a group.
What are these combat arts that melee characters will receive?
Melee classes have special abilities called arts. These powerful attacks provide each class with unique combat techniques. To achieve maximum effectiveness, players must choose which combat arts to use, just as casters have to decide which spells work best in a given situation. Those choices will vary depending on the encounter and what classes the adventurer is grouped with. It will definitely be to your advantage to understand the abilities of others, as some arts work best in combination with those of another class.
Will the new combat system be accompanied by exciting visuals?
Oh yes. Our goal is a system that is both tactically challenging and visually exciting. There are visible weapon arcs as you swing, flashes and sounds as your weapons impact the target, a wide variety of motion-captured animations that vary based on your level and weapon skill, and more.
Will ranged combat be viable in EQII?
Ranged attacks such as archery will be a more specialized form of combat. Certain classes (especially those on the scout tree) will have access to powerful ranged combat arts that allow for large amounts of situational damage. Such attacks won't be unlimited, however; ranged combat costs significant amounts of power to maintain, and power is a precious resource for melee classes.
I have seen references to something called "combat speed" which implied players will be moving slower during combat. Is this true?
Originally we did have this concept, but after initial testing the idea didn't feel intuitive or fun. We removed it, but retained the principle that movement buffs will be suspended when an encounter is locked. This lets us retain the tactical elements of combat without it feeling artificially restrained.
-----------------------------
The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
-----------------------------
"You sir, are a moron"
Damn I had this really long post on the reasons why EQ2 isnt that great a game, but it got deleted siince it logged me out for some reason, here goes again.
Good job at replying to the message even I called bogus and really a first glance. In my remaining posts I actually wasted the time to look up EQ2 and I wish I didnt since I didnt see anything ground breaking that would change my mind about the game. EQ2 is at best an OK game mainly due to this reason. There is no purpose to the game, the players actions have absolutely no bearing on ever affecting the game world. If you wanted to feel like your voice is unheard then play EQ2. As a result from this there is no reward or sense of accomplishment tthe majority of players can get from the game. If you complete a quest, there is no big deal because 1000 other people did too. You can never be the most powerful, you can never stop the evil or good; there is no ultimate goal to accomplish. In the end it has the same problem nearly every single mmorpg has. It becomes a simulation of life, only within a different setting with a limited amount of career paths and less things to keep you occupied. Considering the game added all that glame in the form of crafting systems and combat systems, the game itself should hold a players interest for about a month, but it really isnt even worth paying the $50 and the monthly fee to play, especially because of how it stacks up against its competitors.
Currently, 2 mmorpgs are set to release around the same time of EQ2, and offer the same things as EQ2 or even more. Here is a comparison to what is offered by EQ2 and the competitor DnL.
EQ2 over DnL:
-Better customer service
-On the largest server system in the world
-The combat wheel and Lock system
-released a month earlier
-Currently Lower System Reqs
DnL over EQ2:
-Free to Download
-Traveling by air, that is accessible from a low level.,
-Player run:
*government
*economy
*worship system
*environment
*buildings
-multi-passenger player owned vehicles
-Explore system with special explore skills
-40k sq. mile world
-Over 65k users on one server with no lag(The servers are in an island off France, and offers the same results anywhere else in the world with access to internet)
-PvP
There are also several things confirmed in DnL that I havent Confirmed for EQ2:
-Multi-person Crafting
-Mariner system with mariner skills, and player owned vessels set for next update
-Player housing manipulation(Can you edit the look of your dwelling)
Also I looked at the combat system for EQ2 and didnt see anything that would really make the game any less limited. The lock system looks more tedious then helpful. Also considering the same effect of more varied user strategy can be achieved through simpler means.
Ok, on the fist subject of your post... There is a point to playing the game. I wish you would actually take the time to read the replys to your other posts. I explained this to you. When you complete quests the NPCs will see you as more powerfull and thus seek you out to do Quests. Its not the kind of game that you need to go out and look for quests, the quests come to you based on our reputation you earn. Also, im guessing that they will have certain creatures (like in EQ) that can be killed once and only once, and once it is defeated the world will be changed (The Sleeper in EQ).
And when you say it has no ultimate goal... ITS AN MMO!!!! THEY ARENT SUPPOSED TO HAVE AN ULTIMATE GOAL! If you want a game like that, play a consol game or somthing. It is supposed to keep you playing for an unlimited amount of time.
DnL over EQ2:
-Free to Download
-Traveling by air, that is accessible from a low level.,
-Player run:
*government
*economy
*worship system Pointless fo EQ2
*environment
*buildings EQ2 will have Guild housing
-multi-passenger player owned vehicles EQ2 Will be having player owned boats.
-Explore system with special explore skills
-40k sq. mile world Dont consider it an advantage until you know how big EQ2's world is.
-Over 65k users on one server with no lag(The servers are in an island off France, and offers the same results anywhere else in the world with access to internet) The game isnt out yet? and it has that many people on a server? wow
-PvP
So actually take the time to read this, or glance at it and then dont post any more... cause in my eyes, you wont prove your point in this lifetime.
MegaWolf's EQ2 Site in the making.
http://www.lovellz.net/battlefield/phpnuke/
Playing: Vanguard SoH
Played: EQ, Planetside, SWG, WoW, EQ2
Hey! What's that SMELL! It's the biggest load of bullshit I've seen on these forums for a while! You are an ass-licking, uncle-fucker. burn in hell, bitch.
-----------------------------
The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
HOLY CRAP kunarick! calm the fuck down you mindless EQ monster. Oh and dont steal insults from south park thanks. Dont get all bent outta shape. Jesus you scare the hell outta me.
haha its good to see someone is actually reading what I post. Here is why there should be ultimate goals. The competition is currently making mmorpgs where the player can permenently shape the world. This has been the ultimate goal of an mmorpg, to make a game that the player can permenently affect. Saying an mmorpg lacks an ultimate goal by nature is ill-concieved and based on the limitations of technology that have recently become available. For me I am wondering why one of the world leaders in the video game market hasnt bothered to take advantage of that technology. They havent announced anything about that, and based on its release date, I doubt they plan to make the world mutable anytime soon.
When you are making a game the ultimate question a designer must ask is what reason does the player have to be here? SOE's current answer is that they have a method to build upon; you can in a sense live out D&D online. However, is this enough with how far technology has come. This method however won't keep the attention of the average player with an overused theme, especially when the average player's interest in a game using such methods only lasts a month to 3 month. Now why would a person want to throw $30-$50 to buy this game in order to drop it in a month or 3? I currently cannot find a reason or even a purpose to; primarily because its competition is releasing a few months later but has far vaster features and you only have to pay monthly fees.
Other factors to consider getting this game is the video card. You can't use an MX card to play this game. I am pretty certain the bulk of Dell computers and nearly all the buy a system online companies released nearly all thier systems with mx cards up until a 6-12 months ago. I am pretty sure the bulk of consumers took the lazy route and just bought a system this way.
Ok, I've read through all of this thread and have a couple comments I'd like to just throw out there.. First of all, no MMORPG out there today or tomorrow will ever be the "be-all-end-all" of MMORPGs simply because there are so many different people who play these things, it's impossible to create one that will cater to all of them. That being said, Cleffy seems to be a fan of the upcoming Dark and Light MMORPG. I'll be purchasing that as well when it comes out. I'll also be buying EQ2, D&D Online, Vagaurd and who knows what else between now and whenever.
Everquest 2's appeal to me is the class based system. One of the things that makes a MMORPG fun to me is the feel that you are actually doing something to benefit the people you are playing with. When you can create a character who is the "do everything" character, then why bother playing a MMORPG? Why not just go play some single player game where you will have all of the skills (or gain them over the course of the game) that you will ever need to complete the game. A key point in MMORPGs is socialization. Yes, I saw the post saying they should just create a giant chat room but what the poster missed is, what exactly will they chat about? In a MMORPG there are things to do (quests, crafting, PvP, etc) which give the community a topic to talk about. Most people like to interact with people and in the MMORPG setting it not only allows them to communicate, but now it also gives them something to communicate about.
Dark and Light's selling points are the PvP focus the the immense amount of world to explore. PvP is fun for alot of people because it provides a challenge that no computer AI could simulate. Well, none that would come packaged in a $50 game and run on your desktop anyway. People are raving about the EQ2 combat system and how it is the most advanced AI. Ok, I'll buy that and from what I've read about it, yes, it sounds like it's pretty complex. However, it follows pre-determined set of rules and just instantiates those rules dynamically based on current combat criteria. It's only a matter of time till people figure out how some of those rules work and manipulate them to their advantage. (See Kiting in EQ 1) To me, thats where PvP stands out. Every battle against new people is, well, as predictable as next weeks lottery numbers. However, along with the PvP you obviously get those who need to inflate their own ego's by claiming thier "uberness" over someone else. It's those people who don't realize they are sitting in room, in their house/apartment/dorm, staring at a screen with mouse in one hand and keyboard in the other and their powerful "uberness" can be brought down with something as little as a power outage.
The other item which DnL uses as their selling point is the amount of the world that will exist. Everquest 1 expanded their world with expansion packs to make the world larger and larger. I'm sure Everquest 2 will eventually follow suit. What does all this land actually mean? After the first couple months of game play there will be maps out of all of the worlds anyway, regardless of which MMORPG you play. Even if its the size DnL is claiming or if it's smaller like D&D Online is planning. So in the end, all more land turns into is more travel time, really. I think D&D Online has a VERY unique solution which actually is completely the opposite of what the DnL theory is. For those of you who are not following that one, what they are doing there is making a smaller "world" where people co-exist. Then, when you get your party together to head out, the land you explore is instantiated based upon your party. Similar in lines to the indoor missions in City of Heroes, however, the areas that they are talking about instantiatind are like full outdoor worlds. Like you would go hunt or whatever in one of these instantiated worlds. You might come across something intriguing which may lead you on to a quest or whatever. The general idea is you all start in the same location so it's a smaller community and you don't have to go far to group up with people. It makes it more personable. Then you can go out and seek (and find) adventure which is best suited for your party.
Anyway, I'm not posting to support either EQ2 or Dark and Light or any other MMORPGs that are coming out. And as for my experiences with MMORPGs, I've played my fair share: Asheron's Call, AC2, UO, EQ, Neocron, JumpGate, Anarhy Online, City of Heroes, DAoC, Earth and Beyond, EVE Online, SWG, just to name a few. I think there are quite a few games coming out which show alot of promise. But again, what they promise is geared toward certain subsets of players so you will always have those who bash the game for no reason what-so-ever. If you read about a game, and it doesn't sound like it's for you, move on. Why bother posting the "this game is going to suck" messages? They really don't accomplish anything, unless, it makes you feel better to do so.
Finally, on the actual subject of this e-mail. I think that it would be ignorant to assume that SOE would not try to minimize costs by utilizing a common first tier level customer support for all games. All help desk systems designed today have functionalities in them that can help the representative suggest common solutions to common problems based on historic problem tickets without having a clue as to what the systems they are supporting do. If the problem is not easily corrected then it will probably move to tier 2 support, which, is more than likely, a team that is dedicated to the game you called in for. However, it's very rare that you will ever talk with these people with one call into the help desk. First tiers responsibility is to gather data, suggest basic solutions and pass the information up the chain to the next tier. So, that being said, I believe you can expect similar dealings with help desk when you call them initially. However, detailed technical support provided for the game itself is yet to be seen. I don't think you can judge what the customer support will be solely by looking at SWG or any previous versions of EQ.
"Stare at the Sun im bored..."
Desolation
"Stare at the Sun im bored..."
EQ2 Qeynos Guild- http://eq2imperium.proboards15.com
I'm not really sure how this factors into iif the game will be good or not. Many people never heard of a company called "Echo" who makes trimmers for landscape work, however their trimmers are one of the best out on the market and used professionally all over the place. Advertising doesn't make a game good.
EQ2 Qeynos Guild- http://eq2imperium.proboards15.com
Actually, AC2, in my opinion, is a bad example of what you are explaining because it had pretty good advertising to a pretty large population (AC1), however, when it was released, it didn't have anything to do in the game. It was apparent that "deadlines" forced the game to be released before it could really be completed. That's why eventually Turbine took it back from Microsoft and were re-working on it to make it the game it was supposed to be. But the name has already been tarnished with what was released.
However, I do see what you are talking about. Neocron definitely falls into the category of low population counts due to lack of advertising. Although, I'm not sure if that's just because it's a German based company and I'm in the US that I haven't heard much of it. I'm not sure why some companies cut budgets when it comes to advertising though. I mean, even well known brands like Nike, Microsoft, Dell.. They still advertise all the time and spend alot of money doing it. Doesn't make much sense to me why you would cut that aspect. Not to mention, I believe theres alot of gaming sites out there who would gladly do interviews and the such free of charge. All it would cost is developer time, but IMO that's relatively cheap for the possible benefits it would reap.
Bashing games is fun, it makes a 7 page argument. I would have to say for an unadvertised game, DnL is doing pretty well, since it has such hype and already several thousand people keeping track of it. Also they are currently not sure of a release date, but plan it 4 months from now; so advertising wouldn't be that practical.
EQ2 Qeynos Guild- http://eq2imperium.proboards15.com
I Played DiabloII for like 4 years.......Game play sucks its a joke only reason i stuck around as long as i did was because of the few people i met there.......were fun people sure.....but 99% of the people on that game are well.....wannabe koreans....its a joke joining a game to see idiots typing like they do.....most of you do the same tho "W00t" "Suxorz" and a few on D2 im not sure if yall seen it before......"why so suck" "die more pls?" just stupid shit......WC3(WarCraft III) is pretty fun tho.....But.... people claim Blizzard is the best? lol.....they do what they want plain and simple they dont give a rats ass about people's input if they did..... patch 1.10 would of never been the way it was....and bnet use to be packed after release of 1.10 for D2 its lost ALOT!!!! of people cause they hate it......Blizzard forcuses on 1 game and when a new game is being released they forcus on that and leave the old one........take D2.......had alot of the time from Bnet but then they started working on WC3 and D2 had basiclly no1 working on it to remove the bugs all over that game....still tons of bugs in that game and as far as gameplay for D2? all there is to do is do baal runs (which is to lvevl) Mf(magic find) on mephy pindle and such.......or duel......theres nothing else in that game....so yeah Blizzard puts out complete shit like that and you people think they are gods? lol........
so your saying blizzard is bad because of the way people talk online? play 1 player then its just as fun. i like blizzard because all of the games they have made, i own and i think are top of the line. i love EQ they probably will make a better mmorpg because of their experience, but that doesnt mean blizzard wont make a good game, WoW will most likely be a success and a game to try as well as EQ2.
i support both game developers.
great=Eq1, Eq1=SOE, SOE=Eq2, thus using the transitive property of equality: Eq2 must = great.
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The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
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"You sir, are a moron"
You are forgetting one key factor in the equation, you have to multiply the games by their revolutioness and SOE by its current corporateness.
You see SOE corporateness has grown so lets say
EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level)
EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(5)
4(EQ1(revolutionary)=SOE(20)
Compared to:
EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(corporateness level)
EQ2(revolutionary)=SOE(20)
4(EQ1[revolutionary])=EQ2(revolutionary)
By the powers of equality
EQ2 will have 1/4th the revolutionariness as EQ1.
EQ2 Qeynos Guild- http://eq2imperium.proboards15.com
Not to mention the fact that it's an entirely different team behind EQ and EQ2, and the genre itself is very much different now, than when EQ originally released. Stuff that was put up with in EQ wouldn't be exceptable now as far as servers crashing on Day 1, and so on. About the only constant is the unending ability of the gaming community in general to swallow large doses of crap, smile, and ask for more.
As to whether or not Sony will screw the pooch? I'd like to say they've learned from past mistakes, and realize they'll have all eyes on them, and people will be expecting the usual SOE rimjob. But you never can tell what the moronic beancounters will do. Everyone always blames the devs, but I don't know any developers who've said 'Hey, let's put out a buggy, unstable game! It'll be HUGE!'. I'm sure the SWG devs would have liked more time to work on the game, but they don't get to make those decisions, some clueless guy in a suit does that. Based off of 'focus group' testing by Marketing drones, and the fact that they've got a slew of nimwits screaming that they want the game now!!!!!. The same slew of nimwits that rush out a week later and bash the daylights out of the game for being released too early. Maybe SOE will tell them to sod off, and release when it's ready, but historicaly, I 'm sure they'll cave and release before things are done, and try to patch it all after the fact. Business as usual.
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It was just in response to the post before me, I like doing that to Kanurick.
Wahaha so someone else also believes SOE will screw it up.
You are forgetting the transitive property of equality: if a=b, and b=c, then a must = c.
So, great=Eq1, Eq1=SOE, and SOE=Eq2, thus Eq2=great.
Transitive property of equality: if a<b, and b<c, then a<c
If SWG<SOE, and SOE<Eq2, then SWG is less than Eq2.
Oh by the way, i'm just want to make sure everyone here knows cleffy is a **************** with no actual facts and a horrible opinion in which he thinks that consal games are more fun than Eq2.
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The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
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"You sir, are a moron"
At least your choice of wording matches one definition...
belief
: a vague idea in which some confidence is placed;
Cleffy here is a short quiz on Eq2 information. If you don't get these right.....well i feel sorry for you, and it proves my point that you don't know what your talking about.
1. How many races will be present in Eq2?
2. What is the new race and what is the name they switched to from the Vah Shir?
3. How many cities are there?
4. Name all 5 archetypes.
5. If you wanted to be a dirge, what choices would you make as you progress?
6. What is the name of the world that Eq2 takes place in?
Thats all for now.....
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The True Oracle of all that is EverQuest!!
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"You sir, are a moron"