"You're biase because you like a game that I don't!!" LOL, thats all I can say about this post.
Originally posted by Meridion
many people miss out the quests in the southern elven city of north downs because its pretty much off track and theres no stable there. Well, I have to actually force myself to do quests only, and they still drop until they are green... Doing all Agamaur quests gave me 2 levels I think, and this rolls on and on...
Well, honestly, I have not experienced any terrain bugs, well, I don't have a pet class but I remember pets in EQ2 and WoW getting stuck all the time, so I think this is a common issue.
Well, after all. Listing no housing and no real pvp as a - ... Well, the point is, this all depends on what you expect. To judge an MMO by the features it hasn't is like judging a minivan by the lack of speed and throttle. If I try to look at a game objectively, like EQ2 or LotRO, I would not judge it by the lack of exploration content - still I'd like to have it. But in both games, it was never announced, never planned and will never be in it. Both games feature open, but limited worlds to explore. If I want to explore, I'd be rolling with SWG or DnL.
So what you basically do is, critizise LotRO for not being something it never intended to be while not demanding this from EQ2. This is essenially biased and probably you have every right to be so (since you obviously like EQ2 better). But, well, I think you should be aware of it -
"Housing" for example is no objective quality criterium for an MMO, its a feature some games offer and some don't. Most people like game where housing is and ither games where housing is not implemented. Which leads to the distinction between "core criteria" and "feature criteria"...
Core criteria like server performance or bug density apply to all games and are universal values of a good game
While feature criteria like diplomacy, housing or crafting are optional and can only be judged while comparing (to what was announced, to what other games offer, to what works in context and what doesn't)
So what you guys mostly do is you shift all the features you like into the core section and say "dude, a game that doesn't offer XY is a total letdown, how can you even look at it"... Which is unfair, not only towards LotRO but towards any game thats not checking the features you want to have.
Another (final, I promise) example: EvE Online. The game doesn't offer numerous features I REALLY like to have, like true quests/missions or real ship steering or landing on planets. Still, I don't judge this game by not having what I'd like to have, I judge it by what it has and what it is. And the things EvE Online offers are done tight, clean and polished. So it is a good game, not for me, not for many people, but it is a good game.
So when I judge EQ2 and LotRO, and I think they ARE comparable, I take into account the things they have in common and the things that are core values for any MMO. And in this race, which I try to keep as objective as possible (which doesn't always work, I KNOW), LotRO wins. EQ2 MIGHT still be the better game for many many people, because EQ2 offers some things LotRO doesn't and the other way around... But this is finally all a matter of taste and no longer of objective review...
EQ2 probably has 5 times the content LOTRO has, way more character customization, triple the land mass, 4 times the classes, 5 times the races, and PvP servers. Realize that LOTRO is about 1 month old so many of the people praising it are still in wonderlust of a new game. People are already hitting max level in a month and finding out the end game is missing, and the devs will never be able to patch in content faster then players can devour it. LOTRO is a solid game, graphics are nice, but at the end of the day its WoW-Lite. WoW with less customization, less content, easier difficulty (if you can believe it), and even more laughable PvP.
I guarantee you within 2 months of this post, you will see the LOTRO boards flodded by whining on how people are bored, burned out, and waiting for content that will never come fast enough. I'll gladly trade the LOTRO story, and shiny graphics for the massiveness that is EQ2 Game in the twilight of their life cycle aren't cranking our free races, new land mass, with expansions shooting out of the pipe every year or less.
Jaymenicus: If you had read all my posts or if you had taken the effort to actually look at my sig you would find out very quickly, that I have playerd EQ2 for more than eight months and I have leveled my maincharacter to level 70, also, I never doubted the "flaws" of LotRO (broken crafting, no housing, no actual player versus player)...
So if I'm a foam-spitting, rabid LotRO Fanboy I'm pretty much messing up my job. I AM stating that, after going through numerous MMOs (and actually PLAYING them) and concepts, LotROs package is tighter, more polished and and definitely more seamless than EQ2s. Not only that I have PLAYED EQ2 for a longer period of time, I also played it with my current rig. Which runs LotRO in High Quality at 40-60 fps at any time (even with 50 people around) while EQ2 was a staggering, struggling loading scene orgy every time a large amount of renderable characters came in while presenting a much inferior world design and view than LotRO.
Besides, viewing the "package" is a wonderful modern marketing term. But the core virtue of objectivity is to extract ONE aspect, analyze it, and THEN set it into perspective without losing touch to its inherent qualities or flaws.
In my book, EQ2 is the inferior game - why? because polish and performance is on #1 on my list (subjective) and LotRO reigns supreme in this category (objective)...
And oh, you're freeing yourself of any believablity by implicating that I am judging a game by its trial without even knowing ANYTHING about my EQ2 experience or my gaming habits in general...
Meridion
Well, big freakin deal... that blather about "the core virtue of objectivity" is just the funniest CROCK I've gotten to read in a long time.
In your book... and you're the only one that reads your book.
So, you listed a bunch of crap in your signature about games played, time played, plays played playing... goodie for ya. I based my response on your lack of believability... it just ain't there. I can't help that, only YOU can help that.
ROFLMAO still can't get over the ridiculous "core virtue of objectivity" line... literally falling outa my chair.
Also LMFAO that you changed your sig. Why don't you just put "I'm a LotRO fanboiiiii so I'll disregard any fact-based criticisms revealing the shortcomings of LotRO in comparison to any other product, especially EQ2."
EQ2 probably has 5 times the content LOTRO has, way more character customization, triple the land mass, 4 times the classes, 5 times the races, and PvP servers. Realize that LOTRO is about 1 month old so many of the people praising it are still in wonderlust of a new game. People are already hitting max level in a month and finding out the end game is missing, and the devs will never be able to patch in content faster then players can devour it. LOTRO is a solid game, graphics are nice, but at the end of the day its WoW-Lite. WoW with less customization, less content, easier difficulty (if you can believe it), and even more laughable PvP.
I guarantee you within 2 months of this post, you will see the LOTRO boards flodded by whining on how people are bored, burned out, and waiting for content that will never come fast enough. I'll gladly trade the LOTRO story, and shiny graphics for the massiveness that is EQ2 Game in the twilight of their life cycle aren't cranking our free races, new land mass, with expansions shooting out of the pipe every year or less.
Now, if Meridion would only read this post... This guy calls it like it is. I too think EQ2 is a far more immersive MMORPG. The months of playing and testing LotRO actually pushed me back into EQ2 also.
I definitely have to choose EQ2 between the two. I'm not going to sit here and tell people which game is better, because I can only relate my experiences. I've been playing EQ2 a long time and have seen it change over the years, but right now it's in a very good place, the new content is bringing in new players and bringing a lot of people back to the game, and the leadup to the next expansion in November is going to be fun. I played LOTRO in beta and a bit in release, some of the things I do enjoy about it, but I felt really trapped by the lack of class choice and race choice, and it didn't take me very long to get bored with the game. I love the variety of characters in EQ2, it's one of my favorite features, with 24 classes and 18 races to choose from you can make pretty much anything you want.
Comments
"You're biase because you like a game that I don't!!"
LOL, thats all I can say about this post.
I guarantee you within 2 months of this post, you will see the LOTRO boards flodded by whining on how people are bored, burned out, and waiting for content that will never come fast enough. I'll gladly trade the LOTRO story, and shiny graphics for the massiveness that is EQ2 Game in the twilight of their life cycle aren't cranking our free races, new land mass, with expansions shooting out of the pipe every year or less.
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Well, big freakin deal... that blather about "the core virtue of objectivity" is just the funniest CROCK I've gotten to read in a long time.
In your book... and you're the only one that reads your book.
So, you listed a bunch of crap in your signature about games played, time played, plays played playing... goodie for ya. I based my response on your lack of believability... it just ain't there. I can't help that, only YOU can help that.
ROFLMAO still can't get over the ridiculous "core virtue of objectivity" line... literally falling outa my chair.
Also LMFAO that you changed your sig. Why don't you just put "I'm a LotRO fanboiiiii so I'll disregard any fact-based criticisms revealing the shortcomings of LotRO in comparison to any other product, especially EQ2."
Now, if Meridion would only read this post... This guy calls it like it is. I too think EQ2 is a far more immersive MMORPG. The months of playing and testing LotRO actually pushed me back into EQ2 also.
Good post, Paragus1.