I think AoC, Vanguard and LOTRO are the top 3 "prettiest" games on the market.
However, Everquest 2 probably would beat them if SOE would actually update their graphics like they said they were going to. Not saying it's ugly by any means, though.
Warhammer is alright looking, could of been alot better than it is, and probably will be if they add basic display options that they don't currently have.
WoW's art style is timeless, however it is beginning to show its "date" really quickly.
I think AoC, Vanguard and LOTRO are the top 3 "prettiest" games on the market.
However, Everquest 2 probably would beat them if SOE would actually update their graphics like they said they were going to. Not saying it's ugly by any means, though.
Warhammer is alright looking, could of been alot better than it is, and probably will be if they add basic display options that they don't currently have.
WoW's art style is timeless, however it is beginning to show its "date" really quickly.
Now this is a legitement comment on graphics. Based on fact and taste. I love the enviroments of LOTRO but I really dislike the character models. Vanguard I found pretty cool but not as consistent as EQ2. I agree with your feelings about AoC fantastic graphics and art styling. I actually really like the look of WAR accept the elvish races. WOW is great to but I prefer the more stylized realism the EQ2 offers.
Out of Warhammer, Everquest II, Age of Conan, and Lord of the Rings, which of these is looking in the best shape at the moment? A friend and I are getting bored with Warcraft and have looked into these, but can't make a decision on which route to take.
We tried the Warhammer trial, but is the PvE evolved enough where one would have plenty of things to do? And how does endgame compare to the others?
We also played Everquest II and are considering going back. The crafting is amazing and the combat is good, but the look of the game is a little dull. We reached about level 47, is there enough excitement later in the game to make up for the scenery?
Age of Conan - haven't tried, but we're wondering how it measures up to the other major MMOs out there in terms of combat, endgame, content in general.
We've also tried the LotRO trial, and it was decent, but is there enough to hold your attention if you don't get as immersed in the storyline as it seems a lot of the other players do?
Kind of just in general wondering which of these is the strongest all-around. If you had to make a list of which you'd rather play out of these games, first game being the one you enjoyed playing the most, last game being the one you enjoyed playing the least, what would it look like?
Thanks in advance,
Jet.
Jet,
My opinon on 3 of the games:
Warhammer: not a fan because I feel it is trying to be PvP game but is too soft so its a watered down version of PvP and PvE. Plus for a game that is only a few months old I was hoping for better graphics. Not so good if you want a PvE centric game either.
AoC: This is an interesting one. First the graphics are the best on the market and if you dont like PvP you can play on a PvE server and still have PvP in mini games and sieges. For variety of maps, epic story and teaming up its a great game. Especially teaming up with a good friend, you can do heaps. Downside is the crafting is pretty standard and nothing like Vanguard or anything plus its not so useful as in some games. They are revamping it and made some major changes already which have helped a lot. Population is pretty healthy now as well. Global chat is non stop and usually just arguments about ganking. What I love are the graphics, full gore, mature content and how you get splash damage on nearby enemies if you swing.
LotRO: funny one for me. I am a PvP lover so this game should not appeal at all. I bought it about 3 months ago and enjoying enough to continue paying. I like it when I have a break from AoC's more manic combat. The crafting is not advanced but is useful and you can make items at the lowest level and want to use them. I like how player made gear is normally top 10% of the stuff you can get. Graphics is 2nd behind LotRO in my book but more of the cartoon style. It has a great deed system which means you get rewarded for completing little things on the way and you can equip the trait once earnt. Community is very friendly and supportive. storyline is cool and that is why i play. downside is the combat....well for me... after AoC its very one dimensional and very simple. I can play with one hand and hold my baby in another. Its more of a old school RPG and that is fine if you dont want manic combat style etc.
So in short I play the last 2 and personally wouldnt play warhammer again. AoC is a hardcore pvp game if you want it to be and LotRO is a hard core PvE game. Both focus in different areas.
Also check out Vanguard's trial. That game for 2 people can be excellent and the graphics are still modern and it has the best crafting in any mmo imo. Plus it has 3 level systems. Crafting, combat and diplomacy. Greati idea and works quite well. Housing is in the real world so no instances, trade supports it as well. I made a load of cash selling furniture!! Plus you get rewarded for travelling far to learn new styles of furniture. Find a good server and you may be pleasantly surprised. The open world, unique mounts and flying make the game very 3 dimenisonal.
I dunno I just found WoW's animations to be very fluid and flawless and with the faster paced combat that's really amazing as it doesn't sacrifice gameplay for looks. Everquest 2 however does and everything feels slower and more clunky because of it. WoW also has much better spell effects that stand out and are more memorable so that you can tell what they are doing. Everything looks unique and great. With Everquest 2 again everything is just very bland and just looks really meh and nothing makes me love th elook of a class. Sure the particle effects are probably more advanced due to the engine but whocares? WoW's polish and art and Blizzards creativity is miles ahead of EQ2's bland generic world. Also most people would agree with me considering WoW is more popular and people I tried to get to play EQ2 with me all said it has crappy graphics. The character models put most people off th emost though, they are really bad and need a change. I asked for it in beta and threy made the Human females look even worse, like they were on crack or something and they havn't changed to this day. Also the comment about WoW's classes be cliche fantasy classes...... whocares? Theres no bullshit and you know esactly what you wnt to pick because everything is obvious. In EQ2 theres far too many two sides of the same cpoin that have slight differences... it's like why don't they just merge them classes and have one super fun class? I hate the archetype system it ruined WAR aswel, you spend ages going through watered down classes and end up not liking any of them. With WoW every class could play 3 different roles and had so many fun spells and skills to play around with that you end up having a fave but like them all, theres not one unfun class. The Druid class is still the best out of any mmorpg cause of how diverse and fun it is with all it's forms. The horrible armour in EQ2 doesn't help make me like them too.
I disagree with everything you said except the Druid comment since their bad ass (loved my druid back then).
All this is your opinion really, tossing out a sub number as proof means nothing really.
I understand where you're coming from though, If I only played WoW 95% of the time I would think EQ2 was pretty bad also.
Once you get used to those stylized graphics and FPS combat its not easy to go with a slower paced/Auto face combat system like EQ2,Lotro or WAR.
To each his own really.
Yes no game suits everyone but having played both i would have to disagree on spell effects, my EQ2 Wizards effects in my mind are much cooler than that of my WOW mage or warlock.
The graphics of these games have been debated. I think they all have good art. The thing many miss about EQ2 that makes it stand out for me is subtlety. In LOTRO, AOC,WOW, when it comes to the characters and the armor it appears just painted on. WAR this is not the case it is closer to EQ2 in the effect. In EQ2 your characters actually seem to be wearing armor not just a painted on graphic. The armor in EQ2 is not all colorful and cartooon like. It seems real. It has textures and even dents. Cloth has weave patterns and move with a more realistic physics then the other games.
What I think WOW does is seduce you with it's colorful art direction. Many people simply do not appreciate the beauty of EQ2 because it does not look like colorful cartoon like style. I am not saying this is bad. I like the look of WOW. How ever I think players should try to see with better eyes. If people would slow down and really look at the art of EQ2 and not the fact it is not a rich in color as WOW they might appreciate it's beauty.
What EQ2 offers the other games did not do for me, is a world that seems alive. My avitars feel like little individuals living in an alive world. All the other games feel like games to me. Granted they are all good games but just games. For me what I want most in a mmo is the feeling of a living persistent world. EQ2 with its subtle art direction captures this better then all the other mentioned games.
The graphics of these games have been debated. I think they all have good art. The thing many miss about EQ2 that makes it stand out for me is subtlety. In LOTRO, AOC,WOW, when it comes to the characters and the armor it appears just painted on. WAR this is not the case it is closer to EQ2 in the effect. In EQ2 your characters actually seem to be wearing armor not just a painted on graphic. The armor in EQ2 is not all colorful and cartooon like. It seems real. It has textures and even dents. Cloth has weave patterns and move with a more realistic physics then the other games. What I think WOW does is seduce you with it's colorful art direction. Many people simply do not appreciate the beauty of EQ2 because it does not look like colorful cartoon like style. I am not saying this is bad. I like the look of WOW. How ever I think players should try to see with better eyes. If people would slow down and really look at the art of EQ2 and not the fact it is not a rich in color as WOW they might appreciate it's beauty. What EQ2 offers the other games did not do for me, is a world that seems alive. My avitars feel like little individuals living in an alive world. All the other games feel like games to me. Granted they are all good games but just games. For me what I want most in a mmo is the feeling of a living persistent world. EQ2 with its subtle art direction captures this better then all the other mentioned games.
nice screens. something else EQ2 does that isnt really a big thing is you actually can wear a hood with your cloak. As said not a big thing but it is an added bonus for me.
Yes no game suits everyone but having played both i would have to disagree on spell effects, my EQ2 Wizards effects in my mind are much cooler than that of my WOW mage or warlock.
I totally agree with this statement! Without a doubt EQ2 has the best spell effect of ANY mmo I have ever played bar none! In a good group battle the light show is fantastic and after 4 years I am not tired of watching it. However you have to have your particle effects set high or maxed. Most people do not setup their graphics right so never get to really enjoy this. It continually amazes me people do not see the beauty and fantastic art direction in EQ2. EQ2 has overly complex graphic setting options and most do not know how to adjust them properly. I am actually a college art instructor, one of the classes I teach is art appreciation. It is amazing how the students appreciation broadens by the end of the course. The art has not changed what has changed is their understanding or it. They learn to see with a more subtle sensibility. I am also a painter and my style is closer to WOW but I still like EQ2's art direction more.
Here are a coupleof my paintings. It does not show in the "The City Bee" picture but the painting is 3 dimensional. The elements are cut out of wood. An example is the Bee it sits about 4 inches off the surface of the painting. If you notice you can see the ground is a small shelf. The flower grass and mushrooms are all also dimensional. Not the best picture a bit of a glare. The dimensional effect is more obvious in "The Great American Doodle Bug". I just wanted to show that my own art is closer to games like WOW but I prefer the art direction of EQ2 in an mmo.
nice screens. something else EQ2 does that isnt really a big thing is you actually can wear a hood with your cloak. As said not a big thing but it is an added bonus for me.
Gramps, that is exactly the type of subtlely that is all over EQ2 and makes the game seem more alive for me.
sorry, but it is very obvious that the armour models in AoC are not "painted on". They are models of their own, strapped to the character.
I agree for the most part. I love the look of AoC. I generalized a bit, while AoC is better I do not think it is to the level of EQ2 for this feel. I think AoC is similar to WAR in how its armor appears less painted on. However overall I think AoC is one of the best looking mmos. They have a great balance between a stylized look and a realistic feel many mmos do not have. I am waiting a bit longer until I return to AoC. However is sure was not the art that made me cancel and I will be returning soon. Here is a screen of one of my low level AoC toons.
nice screens. something else EQ2 does that isnt really a big thing is you actually can wear a hood with your cloak. As said not a big thing but it is an added bonus for me.
Gramps, that is exactly the type of subtlely that is all over EQ2 and makes the game seem more alive for me.
EQ2 does have some subtle things as does LOTRO with the hoods. Also with titles in LOTRO I found one for falling off of places too many times lol. I'm now known as Sevastian, Blind-Leaper.
It's always the small things that set games apart from each other. EQ2 and LOTRO seem to do this the best.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
I agree for the most part. I love the look of AoC. I generalized a bit, while AoC is better I do not think it is to the level of EQ2 for this feel. I think AoC is similar to WAR in how its armor appears less painted on. However overall I think AoC is one of the best looking mmos. They have a great balance between a stylized look and a realistic feel many mmos do not have. I am waiting a bit longer until I return to AoC. However is sure was not the art that made me cancel and I will be returning soon. Here is a screen of one of my low level AoC toons.
Hey! Something we can agree on! Right now there is no better looking MMO than AoC.
Getting back to our argument, lets not get insulting. Obviously you are a big EQ2 fan and I know how loyal they are.
Sony has always had a problem with shadows and you know it. In EQ they didn't have shadows and in EQ2, when you turn shadows on, the game chugs along.
If you are going to sit here and tell me that you can maintain 50 to 90 fps on a 38 inch aquos monitor with near max graphics at 1920 x 1080 with full shadows enabled (because that was what your first screen shots had) , you are lying. I have an amazing system and MANY years of tweaking knowledge, I can run Age of Conan like a dream because it uses all of my updated technology.
I agree for the most part. I love the look of AoC. I generalized a bit, while AoC is better I do not think it is to the level of EQ2 for this feel. I think AoC is similar to WAR in how its armor appears less painted on. However overall I think AoC is one of the best looking mmos. They have a great balance between a stylized look and a realistic feel many mmos do not have. I am waiting a bit longer until I return to AoC. However is sure was not the art that made me cancel and I will be returning soon. Here is a screen of one of my low level AoC toons.
Hey! Something we can agree on! Right now there is no better looking MMO than AoC.
Getting back to our argument, lets not get insulting. Obviously you are a big EQ2 fan and I know how loyal they are.
Sony has always had a problem with shadows and you know it. In EQ they didn't have shadows and in EQ2, when you turn shadows on, the game chugs along.
If you are going to sit here and tell me that you can maintain 50 to 90 fps on a 38 inch aquos monitor with near max graphics at 1920 x 1080 with full shadows enabled (because that was what your first screen shots had) , you are lying. I have an amazing system and MANY years of tweaking knowledge, I can run Age of Conan like a dream because it uses all of my updated technology.
EQ2 is currently moving shadow rendering the the GPU.
---------- "Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
Hey! Something we can agree on! Right now there is no better looking MMO than AoC. Getting back to our argument, lets not get insulting. Obviously you are a big EQ2 fan and I know how loyal they are. Sony has always had a problem with shadows and you know it. In EQ they didn't have shadows and in EQ2, when you turn shadows on, the game chugs along. If you are going to sit here and tell me that you can maintain 50 to 90 fps on a 38 inch aquos monitor with near max graphics at 1920 x 1080 with full shadows enabled (because that was what your first screen shots had) , you are lying. I have an amazing system and MANY years of tweaking knowledge, I can run Age of Conan like a dream because it uses all of my updated technology.
If you do not want to insult then do not call me a liar. I have all shadows on but not off screen shadows. That is basically full shadows. Off screen shadows do add a little to the look of EQ2 but drop the framerate about another 10fps. A few months back SOE added dual core support. When this happened performance shot up and I started getting those framerates. Before that I would get 25 to 40 with the same graphic settings and would turn off enviromental shadows in raids. I do not have to do that anymore. I am running an athelon 64+ dual core processor. I also have many years of tweaking knowledge. I also know the the complex graphic setting of EQ2 probably as good as the developers do. I do not have an amazing system but I do have a very good one. That coupled with my knowlege allows me to get EQ2 running like a dream even with enviromental shadows turned on. The moving of shadows to the gpu will make eq2 look and run even better. It has taken a long time but EQ2 is a great game and for me worth the wait.
personally im playing Wow right now and im having alot of fun. op if you need to have alot of people running around to feel like your in an mmo then play wow. personally i think that lotro is a great game and that eq2 is too even tho i havent played it as much as lotro. aoc is fine but too much instancing for me. and war, poor war i had high hopes for this game and i tried to stick with it but i cant play it anymore
1. Lotro 2. EQ2 3. AOC 4.War personally im playing Wow right now and im having alot of fun. op if you need to have alot of people running around to feel like your in an mmo then play wow. personally i think that lotro is a great game and that eq2 is too even tho i havent played it as much as lotro. aoc is fine but too much instancing for me. and war, poor war i had high hopes for this game and i tried to stick with it but i cant play it anymore
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
1. Lotro 2. EQ2 3. AOC 4.War personally im playing Wow right now and im having alot of fun. op if you need to have alot of people running around to feel like your in an mmo then play wow. personally i think that lotro is a great game and that eq2 is too even tho i havent played it as much as lotro. aoc is fine but too much instancing for me. and war, poor war i had high hopes for this game and i tried to stick with it but i cant play it anymore
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
well thats good its always sad to be playing a mmo and never seeing anyone run around lol. the worst game for that on the list is war. when i stopped playing the game a few weeks ago i would never see anyone run around. it was pretty stupid and it felt like a single player game. sometimes in wow it can be a little too much too with everyone running around but you would rather have too many ppl instead of too few right??? lol
If you do not want to insult then do not call me a liar. I have all shadows on but not off screen shadows. That is basically full shadows. Off screen shadows do add a little to the look of EQ2 but drop the framerate about another 10fps. A few months back SOE added dual core support. When this happened performance shot up and I started getting those framerates. Before that I would get 25 to 40 with the same graphic settings and would turn off enviromental shadows in raids. I do not have to do that anymore. I am running an athelon 64+ dual core processor. I also have many years of tweaking knowledge. I also know the the complex graphic setting of EQ2 probably as good as the developers do. I do not have an amazing system but I do have a very good one. That coupled with my knowlege allows me to get EQ2 running like a dream even with enviromental shadows turned on. The moving of shadows to the gpu will make eq2 look and run even better. It has taken a long time but EQ2 is a great game and for me worth the wait.
You seem to be quite proud of yourself because you have some sticky on the EQ2 boards about "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" and how you know "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" probably as good as the developers do. For someone with all this "expertise" in "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" your eye for art direction is quite poor.
Let me tell you, the thing that makes the EQ2 graphics so complicated is that they use too much of the CPU, and not enough of the GPU. I am not sure why you are handing this out like a compliment towards EQ2. Vanguard suffers from much of the same fate here as well.
We are just going to have to agree to disagree. Does EQ2 have better graphics than WoW? It depends on what you call "graphics". EQ2 has a more realistic style than WoW, sure. But remember this, polygon count does not always make good graphics. And if you are gonna have a high polygon count, for God sakes please use more of the GPU and at the least make the colors more vibrant. Also, a little more shading on buildings and objects wouldn't hurt either.
One last thing, what is with the human eyes too close together? They look cross-eyed. I'm just sayin...lol
As long as we're sharing good shots of the MMO's we play. Check out this guys post on the forums. He links alot of shots of his gameplay and some are just stunning.
1. Lotro 2. EQ2 3. AOC 4.War personally im playing Wow right now and im having alot of fun. op if you need to have alot of people running around to feel like your in an mmo then play wow. personally i think that lotro is a great game and that eq2 is too even tho i havent played it as much as lotro. aoc is fine but too much instancing for me. and war, poor war i had high hopes for this game and i tried to stick with it but i cant play it anymore
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
well thats good its always sad to be playing a mmo and never seeing anyone run around lol. the worst game for that on the list is war. when i stopped playing the game a few weeks ago i would never see anyone run around. it was pretty stupid and it felt like a single player game. sometimes in wow it can be a little too much too with everyone running around but you would rather have too many ppl instead of too few right??? lol
Honestly the only places I saw a lot of people running around in WoW were the major cities and possibly daily centers (sunwell isle). In those places it really did feel like a community game but otherwise it felt no different than the other mmos I've played (as far as being surrounded by people is concerned).
I like the look of the avatars, armor, and individuals. However, I don't really like the environment, can't compare them to AoC (probably not a fair comparison).
Yep, AoC deffinitly has lush jungles. But EQ2 does have a vastly larger variety of environments and larger world. You can always tell a game that uses a height-field and speed-tree over a game of maya mesh zones. Still, it allows EQ2 to do nifty stuff like floating islands, verticle zones and such which you can't easily do with a height field unless you zone with each island.
Comments
I think AoC, Vanguard and LOTRO are the top 3 "prettiest" games on the market.
However, Everquest 2 probably would beat them if SOE would actually update their graphics like they said they were going to. Not saying it's ugly by any means, though.
Warhammer is alright looking, could of been alot better than it is, and probably will be if they add basic display options that they don't currently have.
WoW's art style is timeless, however it is beginning to show its "date" really quickly.
Now this is a legitement comment on graphics. Based on fact and taste. I love the enviroments of LOTRO but I really dislike the character models. Vanguard I found pretty cool but not as consistent as EQ2. I agree with your feelings about AoC fantastic graphics and art styling. I actually really like the look of WAR accept the elvish races. WOW is great to but I prefer the more stylized realism the EQ2 offers.
Jet,
My opinon on 3 of the games:
Warhammer: not a fan because I feel it is trying to be PvP game but is too soft so its a watered down version of PvP and PvE. Plus for a game that is only a few months old I was hoping for better graphics. Not so good if you want a PvE centric game either.
AoC: This is an interesting one. First the graphics are the best on the market and if you dont like PvP you can play on a PvE server and still have PvP in mini games and sieges. For variety of maps, epic story and teaming up its a great game. Especially teaming up with a good friend, you can do heaps. Downside is the crafting is pretty standard and nothing like Vanguard or anything plus its not so useful as in some games. They are revamping it and made some major changes already which have helped a lot. Population is pretty healthy now as well. Global chat is non stop and usually just arguments about ganking. What I love are the graphics, full gore, mature content and how you get splash damage on nearby enemies if you swing.
LotRO: funny one for me. I am a PvP lover so this game should not appeal at all. I bought it about 3 months ago and enjoying enough to continue paying. I like it when I have a break from AoC's more manic combat. The crafting is not advanced but is useful and you can make items at the lowest level and want to use them. I like how player made gear is normally top 10% of the stuff you can get. Graphics is 2nd behind LotRO in my book but more of the cartoon style. It has a great deed system which means you get rewarded for completing little things on the way and you can equip the trait once earnt. Community is very friendly and supportive. storyline is cool and that is why i play. downside is the combat....well for me... after AoC its very one dimensional and very simple. I can play with one hand and hold my baby in another. Its more of a old school RPG and that is fine if you dont want manic combat style etc.
So in short I play the last 2 and personally wouldnt play warhammer again. AoC is a hardcore pvp game if you want it to be and LotRO is a hard core PvE game. Both focus in different areas.
Also check out Vanguard's trial. That game for 2 people can be excellent and the graphics are still modern and it has the best crafting in any mmo imo. Plus it has 3 level systems. Crafting, combat and diplomacy. Greati idea and works quite well. Housing is in the real world so no instances, trade supports it as well. I made a load of cash selling furniture!! Plus you get rewarded for travelling far to learn new styles of furniture. Find a good server and you may be pleasantly surprised. The open world, unique mounts and flying make the game very 3 dimenisonal.
Let me know what you pick in the end.
Lotro is best for earlier wow players i would guess. Its a good game.
If you got a good machine I would go for AoC tho'. Good game and its getting better every moment.
Didnt like the WAR graphics and character movement.
I disagree with everything you said except the Druid comment since their bad ass (loved my druid back then).
All this is your opinion really, tossing out a sub number as proof means nothing really.
I understand where you're coming from though, If I only played WoW 95% of the time I would think EQ2 was pretty bad also.
Once you get used to those stylized graphics and FPS combat its not easy to go with a slower paced/Auto face combat system like EQ2,Lotro or WAR.
To each his own really.
Yes no game suits everyone but having played both i would have to disagree on spell effects, my EQ2 Wizards effects in my mind are much cooler than that of my WOW mage or warlock.
The graphics of these games have been debated. I think they all have good art. The thing many miss about EQ2 that makes it stand out for me is subtlety. In LOTRO, AOC,WOW, when it comes to the characters and the armor it appears just painted on. WAR this is not the case it is closer to EQ2 in the effect. In EQ2 your characters actually seem to be wearing armor not just a painted on graphic. The armor in EQ2 is not all colorful and cartooon like. It seems real. It has textures and even dents. Cloth has weave patterns and move with a more realistic physics then the other games.
What I think WOW does is seduce you with it's colorful art direction. Many people simply do not appreciate the beauty of EQ2 because it does not look like colorful cartoon like style. I am not saying this is bad. I like the look of WOW. How ever I think players should try to see with better eyes. If people would slow down and really look at the art of EQ2 and not the fact it is not a rich in color as WOW they might appreciate it's beauty.
What EQ2 offers the other games did not do for me, is a world that seems alive. My avitars feel like little individuals living in an alive world. All the other games feel like games to me. Granted they are all good games but just games. For me what I want most in a mmo is the feeling of a living persistent world. EQ2 with its subtle art direction captures this better then all the other mentioned games.
nice screens. something else EQ2 does that isnt really a big thing is you actually can wear a hood with your cloak. As said not a big thing but it is an added bonus for me.
I totally agree with this statement! Without a doubt EQ2 has the best spell effect of ANY mmo I have ever played bar none! In a good group battle the light show is fantastic and after 4 years I am not tired of watching it. However you have to have your particle effects set high or maxed. Most people do not setup their graphics right so never get to really enjoy this. It continually amazes me people do not see the beauty and fantastic art direction in EQ2. EQ2 has overly complex graphic setting options and most do not know how to adjust them properly. I am actually a college art instructor, one of the classes I teach is art appreciation. It is amazing how the students appreciation broadens by the end of the course. The art has not changed what has changed is their understanding or it. They learn to see with a more subtle sensibility. I am also a painter and my style is closer to WOW but I still like EQ2's art direction more.
Here are a coupleof my paintings. It does not show in the "The City Bee" picture but the painting is 3 dimensional. The elements are cut out of wood. An example is the Bee it sits about 4 inches off the surface of the painting. If you notice you can see the ground is a small shelf. The flower grass and mushrooms are all also dimensional. Not the best picture a bit of a glare. The dimensional effect is more obvious in "The Great American Doodle Bug". I just wanted to show that my own art is closer to games like WOW but I prefer the art direction of EQ2 in an mmo.
Gramps, that is exactly the type of subtlely that is all over EQ2 and makes the game seem more alive for me.
[quote]In AOC...[/quote]
sorry, but it is very obvious that the armour models in AoC are not "painted on". They are models of their own, strapped to the character.
I agree for the most part. I love the look of AoC. I generalized a bit, while AoC is better I do not think it is to the level of EQ2 for this feel. I think AoC is similar to WAR in how its armor appears less painted on. However overall I think AoC is one of the best looking mmos. They have a great balance between a stylized look and a realistic feel many mmos do not have. I am waiting a bit longer until I return to AoC. However is sure was not the art that made me cancel and I will be returning soon. Here is a screen of one of my low level AoC toons.
Gramps, that is exactly the type of subtlely that is all over EQ2 and makes the game seem more alive for me.
EQ2 does have some subtle things as does LOTRO with the hoods. Also with titles in LOTRO I found one for falling off of places too many times lol. I'm now known as Sevastian, Blind-Leaper.
It's always the small things that set games apart from each other. EQ2 and LOTRO seem to do this the best.
In America I have bad teeth. If I lived in England my teeth would be perfect.
Hey! Something we can agree on! Right now there is no better looking MMO than AoC.
Getting back to our argument, lets not get insulting. Obviously you are a big EQ2 fan and I know how loyal they are.
Sony has always had a problem with shadows and you know it. In EQ they didn't have shadows and in EQ2, when you turn shadows on, the game chugs along.
If you are going to sit here and tell me that you can maintain 50 to 90 fps on a 38 inch aquos monitor with near max graphics at 1920 x 1080 with full shadows enabled (because that was what your first screen shots had) , you are lying. I have an amazing system and MANY years of tweaking knowledge, I can run Age of Conan like a dream because it uses all of my updated technology.
Hey! Something we can agree on! Right now there is no better looking MMO than AoC.
Getting back to our argument, lets not get insulting. Obviously you are a big EQ2 fan and I know how loyal they are.
Sony has always had a problem with shadows and you know it. In EQ they didn't have shadows and in EQ2, when you turn shadows on, the game chugs along.
If you are going to sit here and tell me that you can maintain 50 to 90 fps on a 38 inch aquos monitor with near max graphics at 1920 x 1080 with full shadows enabled (because that was what your first screen shots had) , you are lying. I have an amazing system and MANY years of tweaking knowledge, I can run Age of Conan like a dream because it uses all of my updated technology.
EQ2 is currently moving shadow rendering the the GPU.
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"Anyone posting on this forum is not an average user, and there for any opinions about the game are going to be overly critical compared to an average users opinions." - Me
"No, your wrong.." - Random user #123
"Hello person posting on a site specifically for MMO's in a thread on a sub forum specifically for a particular game talking about meta features and making comparisons to other titles in the genre, and their meta features.
How are you?" -Me
Whats the ETA? They are like 3 years too late...better late than never.
Back when I tried EQ2 they only used one core of your dual core processor too..
Anyways I still hate their art design but it is could that they are moving things to the GPU.
Whats the ETA?
next patch, its on Test server now
blog.gregsplace.com/2009/03/eqii-shadow-maps.html
EQ2 has had Multicore support since last October
eq2.wikia.com/wiki/LU49
EQ2 fan sites
If you do not want to insult then do not call me a liar. I have all shadows on but not off screen shadows. That is basically full shadows. Off screen shadows do add a little to the look of EQ2 but drop the framerate about another 10fps. A few months back SOE added dual core support. When this happened performance shot up and I started getting those framerates. Before that I would get 25 to 40 with the same graphic settings and would turn off enviromental shadows in raids. I do not have to do that anymore. I am running an athelon 64+ dual core processor. I also have many years of tweaking knowledge. I also know the the complex graphic setting of EQ2 probably as good as the developers do. I do not have an amazing system but I do have a very good one. That coupled with my knowlege allows me to get EQ2 running like a dream even with enviromental shadows turned on. The moving of shadows to the gpu will make eq2 look and run even better. It has taken a long time but EQ2 is a great game and for me worth the wait.
1. Lotro
2. EQ2
3. AOC
4.War
personally im playing Wow right now and im having alot of fun. op if you need to have alot of people running around to feel like your in an mmo then play wow. personally i think that lotro is a great game and that eq2 is too even tho i havent played it as much as lotro. aoc is fine but too much instancing for me. and war, poor war i had high hopes for this game and i tried to stick with it but i cant play it anymore
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
well thats good its always sad to be playing a mmo and never seeing anyone run around lol. the worst game for that on the list is war. when i stopped playing the game a few weeks ago i would never see anyone run around. it was pretty stupid and it felt like a single player game. sometimes in wow it can be a little too much too with everyone running around but you would rather have too many ppl instead of too few right??? lol
You seem to be quite proud of yourself because you have some sticky on the EQ2 boards about "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" and how you know "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" probably as good as the developers do. For someone with all this "expertise" in "the complex graphic setting of EQ2" your eye for art direction is quite poor.
Let me tell you, the thing that makes the EQ2 graphics so complicated is that they use too much of the CPU, and not enough of the GPU. I am not sure why you are handing this out like a compliment towards EQ2. Vanguard suffers from much of the same fate here as well.
We are just going to have to agree to disagree. Does EQ2 have better graphics than WoW? It depends on what you call "graphics". EQ2 has a more realistic style than WoW, sure. But remember this, polygon count does not always make good graphics. And if you are gonna have a high polygon count, for God sakes please use more of the GPU and at the least make the colors more vibrant. Also, a little more shading on buildings and objects wouldn't hurt either.
One last thing, what is with the human eyes too close together? They look cross-eyed. I'm just sayin...lol
As long as we're sharing good shots of the MMO's we play. Check out this guys post on the forums. He links alot of shots of his gameplay and some are just stunning.
http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?&topic_id=344003
Arioc Murkwood
Environment Artist
Sad but true.
I agree about the WoW comment. One of the reasons I played for 4 years was the large population. It adds a lot to see players all over the place. However EQ2 is not a barren wasteland void of players as some claim. It does not matter where I am or what level toon I am playing I always see other players but certianly not as many as WoW.
well thats good its always sad to be playing a mmo and never seeing anyone run around lol. the worst game for that on the list is war. when i stopped playing the game a few weeks ago i would never see anyone run around. it was pretty stupid and it felt like a single player game. sometimes in wow it can be a little too much too with everyone running around but you would rather have too many ppl instead of too few right??? lol
Honestly the only places I saw a lot of people running around in WoW were the major cities and possibly daily centers (sunwell isle). In those places it really did feel like a community game but otherwise it felt no different than the other mmos I've played (as far as being surrounded by people is concerned).
I like the look of the avatars, armor, and individuals. However, I don't really like the environment, can't compare them to AoC (probably not a fair comparison).
Yep, AoC deffinitly has lush jungles. But EQ2 does have a vastly larger variety of environments and larger world. You can always tell a game that uses a height-field and speed-tree over a game of maya mesh zones. Still, it allows EQ2 to do nifty stuff like floating islands, verticle zones and such which you can't easily do with a height field unless you zone with each island.
Arioc Murkwood
Environment Artist
Sad but true.