I have played EQ1 since launch, and still log on and play it to this day. In fact, this damn game may have contributed to me getting divorced. (However, I don't play as much now that I'm not married Lmao ironic) SoE over the years have had there good and bad.
My favorite time in EQ that I can remember are Everquest/Kunark and Velious expansions. There was great balance in the game between PC/NPC. There was no one class that could really out do another. It was really when Brad McQuaid left, that the game started going down hill. I can remember the first time I got together with 50 or 60 people to go kill Naggy. And I can remember the wipes, and the CR's. Or the first time I started working on my epic. At a time, where it really was an epic quest to complete. And I can remember the first time we fought the Avatar of War. Or the Saturdays spent clearing out ToV. Those were some very good memories, and I am happy I got to experience it. I created many friendships throughout this time.
Then, the biggest blunder expansion ever to be released, which started a trend in this game. Planes of Power. The point where SoE decided that to progress in a game, you had to be a part of a large guild. This expansion alienated so many people from the game. Because not everyone has the time to raid 5 hours every day. And once you got behind in this expansion, it was near impossible to catch up. If your guild was Time flagged, and you had not made the elementals, you were pretty much out of the raids until you could get flagged. And then, if you were on the other end of that. You would get sick of doing the same events over and over and over again to get people all on the same playing field.
Someone talked about an expansions that were incomplete. Well, the Gates of Discord expansion was just awful. There were mobs in this expansion that had a lvl cap, that was based off the Omens of War expansion, which had not been released yet. The cap was 65 when Gates was released, and it was raised to 70 when Omens was released. Talk about making things a bit challenging. To progress in many areas of this expansion you needed to have a tank that had mass Hp's, multiple healers or an enchanter to dps it all. And the end game content, was not complete either. There were guilds that zoomed through it, and had to do, re-do, and re-re-do events that were bugged/broke or just not completed.
I think the best expansions post Velious, are the Lost Dungeons of Norrath (in it's time. If they would have updated the gear as the game progressed this expansion could still be in use. But as it stands now, it's not worth the time for what you get out of it) And the Dragons of Norrath (which for the time spent and exp gained you get what you put into it. Also, making the currency you obtained from this a droppable/sellable loot type really helps the normal player keep up a bit)
I have had my fair share of issues with GM's. I have had my surnames snatched from me, because of one reason or another. I have had my main characters abilities nerfed to the point where they are no longer fun to play. But for all the bad, there has always been some good. SoE has it's issues just like many other MMO companies. They will always have a big target on their back as long as they continue to produce games that people want to play. Because everyone will have issues with something.
I see that people say "I'ts just a game" Well, to many it's not just a game. This is a 2nd reality. Another way of life, that is different from their normal one. A place where they come to relax. Or a place where they come to lead their guild on a day to day basis to strive to reach the end game. Fact is, to a lot of people a MMO can be more a part of their real life then other real life people. There is so much psycology behind this.
Over time for me, the MMO's have lost their luster. I think there is a MMO photo copier out there. And companies are just xeroxing an original. And each time they do, the copies get worse and worse. Hopefully in time there will be a game that will take things to the next level for me. I am hoping that Vanguard, or Stargate Worlds fit this bill. I have hopes for Vanguard. To me, Brad McQuaid is like Steven Spielsburg. He has not made a single movie in which I did not like, and I'm hoping Vanguard won't dissappoint. And as far as Stargate is concerned, I'm just a big SG-1 fan ;P
ok in a nut shell i understand what happend with SWG and yes that sucked but whats going on now? i have been off of playing online games for a while now and soon ill be able to get back on ive been playing games like EQ and i was thinking of going back but before i did i wanded to be informed first and good thing to b/c now i see friction goting on, ive also been dabbeling in SWG till it changed and so i quit, i played EQII and its ok but i didnt like it too much, GuildWars but that was one hell of a change, and some other odds and ends, so what im realy asking is EQ till worth going back to or are big changes coming up soon? if so what else is in the old/new games that veteran games can mosty agree to, mind you i said veteran, i would like to know, hit me back up or e-mail me at niram@mmorpg.com
SOE stole my lunch money! They beat up my hamster! They kicked over all the pumpkins in my pumpkin patch! They sold my shoes into slavery! They are a bad, bad company!
Bad company! No biscuit!
... This is where I draw the line: __________________.
So as I come to find there are old school free servers for Everquest -- yet they all suck. The only good one around got rid of Freeport and changed too much crap around for it to be considered a liable Classic server. Its just a game I guess, but being mad at SOE wont help. They dont listen as they continue to add on EQ2 ( which sucks) and turn EQ 1 into EQ 2 (Which defeats the purpose of having EQ 2) and slowly turning both of them into Raid based lifeless grind games, they've doomed themselves. The only way the people (us) can have what we want is to get some good coders together, snag up some unused EQ graphics and make our own EQ from scratch, Call it something different, change a couple things to how people might like it, try to spark a little bit of EQ magic into the game, then round up all the old school players. It wont be the same but its better than playing some EQ wanna be server (Free servers) and playing a desolate and violated version of EQ (EQ Live). Haha, im sure it will never happen but hey, Im a decent 3d modeler and C++ coder, anyone with me? haha.
I like SOE but then I do not hold them to any impossible standards of perfection that anyone including myself would fail. Sure they make mistakes along the way but I think overall as a company they are sincere in wanting to be successful in providing good online entertainment and I also think they largely succeed at this.
As for CS issues, I can only say that in my experience mistakes on thier part have cost me all my gear before but they were very nice about giving it all back and sometimes I have lost things through my own stupidity not thiers and they also checked the logs for me then and gave it back. In every case the GMs assisting me were pleasant courteous people and I was appreciative of thier efforts.
Even in colossal failures like the changes at one time to SWG which the players largely rejected or the initial release of EQ2 (that one's debatable but as on old EQ vet I saw it as a failure) or most recently Vanguard, you see them take customer feedback and try to turn the games around and make them better. To date, EQ2 is thier shining example of taking feedback and working hard to improve a game which by all accounts they have with great success. I see continuing development in other games as well, all of them in fact to varying degrees which indicates to me they are trying to please people and make thier games better.
I think they are capable of resurrecting Vanguard which was more of a failed software development project than a game really. Although I'd add I think the game design needs work and an acknowledgement that most players do not want what was wrong with EQ on purpose as if that is a good thing. I heard one of the Vanguard developers laughing about how long it would take players to create thier own guild housing I think it was, obviously amused at the great amount of time it would take them. Now that did make me angry with that one individual as I see that as deliberately robbing people of real life time for nothing and to think that is funny is repugnant to me. But that's not SOE as a company, that is simply one clown working for them who should not be.
I guess my solution to games that do not cut the mustard for me is simple and does not require a lot of whining and moaning. I fire up Control Panel and remove the offending game from my life so I can actually have fun playing one that runs well and is fun, etc. There's no shortage of those either so I don't know why people waste thier time flaming game developers which is never going to help them get to where they want to be at all.
Maybe there is some real benefit to primal scream therapy but I just find it tiring myself. I'd rather be having fun playing some game.
For what its worth, I do not play any SOE titles currently although I have played them all at one time or another and spent years in EverQuest which for all its faults I'd say was more fun than not or I'd not have done it.
Comments
I have played EQ1 since launch, and still log on and play it to this day. In fact, this damn game may have contributed to me getting divorced. (However, I don't play as much now that I'm not married Lmao ironic) SoE over the years have had there good and bad.
My favorite time in EQ that I can remember are Everquest/Kunark and Velious expansions. There was great balance in the game between PC/NPC. There was no one class that could really out do another. It was really when Brad McQuaid left, that the game started going down hill. I can remember the first time I got together with 50 or 60 people to go kill Naggy. And I can remember the wipes, and the CR's. Or the first time I started working on my epic. At a time, where it really was an epic quest to complete. And I can remember the first time we fought the Avatar of War. Or the Saturdays spent clearing out ToV. Those were some very good memories, and I am happy I got to experience it. I created many friendships throughout this time.
Then, the biggest blunder expansion ever to be released, which started a trend in this game. Planes of Power. The point where SoE decided that to progress in a game, you had to be a part of a large guild. This expansion alienated so many people from the game. Because not everyone has the time to raid 5 hours every day. And once you got behind in this expansion, it was near impossible to catch up. If your guild was Time flagged, and you had not made the elementals, you were pretty much out of the raids until you could get flagged. And then, if you were on the other end of that. You would get sick of doing the same events over and over and over again to get people all on the same playing field.
Someone talked about an expansions that were incomplete. Well, the Gates of Discord expansion was just awful. There were mobs in this expansion that had a lvl cap, that was based off the Omens of War expansion, which had not been released yet. The cap was 65 when Gates was released, and it was raised to 70 when Omens was released. Talk about making things a bit challenging. To progress in many areas of this expansion you needed to have a tank that had mass Hp's, multiple healers or an enchanter to dps it all. And the end game content, was not complete either. There were guilds that zoomed through it, and had to do, re-do, and re-re-do events that were bugged/broke or just not completed.
I think the best expansions post Velious, are the Lost Dungeons of Norrath (in it's time. If they would have updated the gear as the game progressed this expansion could still be in use. But as it stands now, it's not worth the time for what you get out of it) And the Dragons of Norrath (which for the time spent and exp gained you get what you put into it. Also, making the currency you obtained from this a droppable/sellable loot type really helps the normal player keep up a bit)
I have had my fair share of issues with GM's. I have had my surnames snatched from me, because of one reason or another. I have had my main characters abilities nerfed to the point where they are no longer fun to play. But for all the bad, there has always been some good. SoE has it's issues just like many other MMO companies. They will always have a big target on their back as long as they continue to produce games that people want to play. Because everyone will have issues with something.
I see that people say "I'ts just a game" Well, to many it's not just a game. This is a 2nd reality. Another way of life, that is different from their normal one. A place where they come to relax. Or a place where they come to lead their guild on a day to day basis to strive to reach the end game. Fact is, to a lot of people a MMO can be more a part of their real life then other real life people. There is so much psycology behind this.
Over time for me, the MMO's have lost their luster. I think there is a MMO photo copier out there. And companies are just xeroxing an original. And each time they do, the copies get worse and worse. Hopefully in time there will be a game that will take things to the next level for me. I am hoping that Vanguard, or Stargate Worlds fit this bill. I have hopes for Vanguard. To me, Brad McQuaid is like Steven Spielsburg. He has not made a single movie in which I did not like, and I'm hoping Vanguard won't dissappoint. And as far as Stargate is concerned, I'm just a big SG-1 fan ;P
Oh there is even one of these threads in this section. Ok I'll express my anger. What did you do to the game post-Luclin!!
SOE stole my lunch money! They beat up my hamster! They kicked over all the pumpkins in my pumpkin patch! They sold my shoes into slavery! They are a bad, bad company!
Bad company! No biscuit!
...
This is where I draw the line: __________________.
So as I come to find there are old school free servers for Everquest -- yet they all suck. The only good one around got rid of Freeport and changed too much crap around for it to be considered a liable Classic server. Its just a game I guess, but being mad at SOE wont help. They dont listen as they continue to add on EQ2 ( which sucks) and turn EQ 1 into EQ 2 (Which defeats the purpose of having EQ 2) and slowly turning both of them into Raid based lifeless grind games, they've doomed themselves. The only way the people (us) can have what we want is to get some good coders together, snag up some unused EQ graphics and make our own EQ from scratch, Call it something different, change a couple things to how people might like it, try to spark a little bit of EQ magic into the game, then round up all the old school players. It wont be the same but its better than playing some EQ wanna be server (Free servers) and playing a desolate and violated version of EQ (EQ Live). Haha, im sure it will never happen but hey, Im a decent 3d modeler and C++ coder, anyone with me? haha.
I like SOE but then I do not hold them to any impossible standards of perfection that anyone including myself would fail. Sure they make mistakes along the way but I think overall as a company they are sincere in wanting to be successful in providing good online entertainment and I also think they largely succeed at this.
As for CS issues, I can only say that in my experience mistakes on thier part have cost me all my gear before but they were very nice about giving it all back and sometimes I have lost things through my own stupidity not thiers and they also checked the logs for me then and gave it back. In every case the GMs assisting me were pleasant courteous people and I was appreciative of thier efforts.
Even in colossal failures like the changes at one time to SWG which the players largely rejected or the initial release of EQ2 (that one's debatable but as on old EQ vet I saw it as a failure) or most recently Vanguard, you see them take customer feedback and try to turn the games around and make them better. To date, EQ2 is thier shining example of taking feedback and working hard to improve a game which by all accounts they have with great success. I see continuing development in other games as well, all of them in fact to varying degrees which indicates to me they are trying to please people and make thier games better.
I think they are capable of resurrecting Vanguard which was more of a failed software development project than a game really. Although I'd add I think the game design needs work and an acknowledgement that most players do not want what was wrong with EQ on purpose as if that is a good thing. I heard one of the Vanguard developers laughing about how long it would take players to create thier own guild housing I think it was, obviously amused at the great amount of time it would take them. Now that did make me angry with that one individual as I see that as deliberately robbing people of real life time for nothing and to think that is funny is repugnant to me. But that's not SOE as a company, that is simply one clown working for them who should not be.
I guess my solution to games that do not cut the mustard for me is simple and does not require a lot of whining and moaning. I fire up Control Panel and remove the offending game from my life so I can actually have fun playing one that runs well and is fun, etc. There's no shortage of those either so I don't know why people waste thier time flaming game developers which is never going to help them get to where they want to be at all.
Maybe there is some real benefit to primal scream therapy but I just find it tiring myself. I'd rather be having fun playing some game.
For what its worth, I do not play any SOE titles currently although I have played them all at one time or another and spent years in EverQuest which for all its faults I'd say was more fun than not or I'd not have done it.
He who hesitates is lost.