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Why isn't this game more successful?
Samuraisword
Member Posts: 2,111
in Everquest II
EQ2 is supposedly SOE's best and most successful product, yet by most recent data, it still has less than 200k subs.
EvE online has more and is considered a niche game while EQ2 is designed for mass audience.
Seriously, why is this game not attracting many more players? You EQ2 vets who love this game, can you explain what is lacking?
Comments
Stylish characters.
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f28/joshvenis/EQ2_000003.jpg
I have to agree with jmoree, I just resub just yestday the game is really great its just lacking on armor and character customization I did here that they would be upgrading the characters so it would be easyer for them to create new armor take a look at theses links below from the eq2 boards.
forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m
I play casually. Have a 62 Wizard and many alts (16-17) in the low to high 20s.
Issues:
(1) Character customization sucks. Lack of different armor sets. Lack of ability to feel custom in terms of skills. Now don't get me wrong because the Skill Trees are quite varied, but it just doesn't feel right and it certainly never shows up externally / visually to define your character in some special way.
(2) Biggest IMO: No point to PVP. No Wow-like BGs. BGs and PVP rewards could drive this game's end game a lot further. It introduces headaches, but that's life if you want to be popular.
(3) No realm vs. realm seige. Could be introduced -- never was.
(4) Crafting is boring. No real need to raid to craft. No point in crafting. Buy it.
(5) Lack of ability of a lot of people's machines to handle it. Still an issue, although less so then most the loudmouth's claim.
(6) Mentor system is great, but it is one-directional. Either allow for low-levels to help a group of higher ups or introduce a fellowship system (as originally promised!) that allows folks to level offline friends with the aim to catching them up (not keeping the distance or worse losing them).
(7) Lack of interesting world graphics. Fae is nice. Rest of world makes me want to poke my eyes out. Not ugly, but I m m e n s e l y boring.
(8) Most races (other then fae perhaps, but they aren't great either in this regards) lack any feeling to them. I generally do not feel different in my Barbarians early years (let alone later) then my Elf's. That's just plain wrong (and fixable with some good rework).
(9) Lack of equipment. In general there just is not enough cool items in the world. Needs increased 10x. I would love to see a lot more graphic skins and a few extra combat animations. I would also like to see the DAOC-style auto-generated loot drops. I always like those. Especially ones with combinations that frequently made no sense (as long as infrequently they line up to be something really good together).
(10) Guild leveling is too slow and too little rewards / things to do as a result of leveling it.
(11) WAY TOO FEW PEOPLE. Fix the above and they will come.
Do want.
1) It was released too early, the first 6 months of live was a beta test.
2) When it was first released almost no ones computer could handle it very well and was plagued by bad performance issues.
3) It was only at the 3rd expansion did Sony finally realized people would want to see/play areas from the first EQ, next expansion is Kunark... which was the 1xpac from EQ1.
The game is finally where it should be, but it's possible that it's 2 little 2 late in terms if getting a good amount of new players.
imo its because of their start, this game was complete garbage before a lot of changes that made it into a great game. and its release seems to have a huge effect on whether the player base is large or not.
I believe it was the terrible launch. Then other good games were released. Then you have the people who hate SOE over the SWG issues. I hold no grudge when it comes to playing good games. Then you have the armor issue.
Its a shame as its almost a great game now.
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Tested over a 115+ games since 1997.
Currently Playing:
Played(Retired): AOL NWN(91-95), UO, EQ1/2, DAoC, CoX, Lineage1/2, SWG(Pre CU/NGE), Planetside, Anarchy Online, FFXI, AC, Vanguard, D&D, AoC, DCUO, Rift, Eve, others
EQ2 character art is horrible. Everyone wears the same robe, the same armor...
American puritanism at its best. Those who were brainwashed since childhood with Jesus being born with his clothes on love it and call everyone who does not think like them immature children looking for "chainmail bikinis" (yes, I have seen all those flame wars threads on the subject).
I prefer pretty toons (for all those above shocked puritans "pretty" does not mean "sex" or "nudity"). I just can't stand those toons wearing sacks and bear pelts to the toes.
EQ2 character art is horrible. Everyone wears the same robe, the same armor...
American puritanism at its best. Those who were brainwashed since childhood with Jesus being born with his clothes on love it and call everyone who does not think like them immature children looking for "chainmail bikinis" (yes, I have seen all those flame wars threads on the subject).
I prefer pretty toons (for all those above shocked puritans "pretty" does not mean "sex" or "nudity"). I just can't stand those toons wearing sacks and bear pelts to the toes.
Its because it is made and ran by SOE, that is why it and any game with SOE in it will fail.
For me: The raid-centric ending.
I play to group and/or solo. Not to raid at level 1, not to raid at level 25, not to raid at level 50+. If a game resort to raiding enforcement at any point, be it at level 1 or 50, then I am not playing that game.
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren
EQ2 character art is horrible. Everyone wears the same robe, the same armor...
American puritanism at its best. Those who were brainwashed since childhood with Jesus being born with his clothes on love it and call everyone who does not think like them immature children looking for "chainmail bikinis" (yes, I have seen all those flame wars threads on the subject).
I prefer pretty toons (for all those above shocked puritans "pretty" does not mean "sex" or "nudity"). I just can't stand those toons wearing sacks and bear pelts to the toes.
Yes the quality, fine details, are good. But no amount of quality will make good art.
Also bump mapping is not used properly, it's overdone everywhere.
This is a matter of taste of course, so I can understand some people like it how it is. But just look at the number of subscriptions and compare it to other games. Attractive toons and fast paced game play make subscription numbers explode, content is not everything.
So -
A.) Why would people playing the original everquest want to leave for everquest 2, when they are allready playing they love.
B.) Whats the point of playing the sequel to everquest, when you could just go play everquest.
If people like the everquest gameplay style, then they will probably stick with everquest. Everquest 2 may be different, but it isn't any way shape or form groundbreaking.
It would be like releasing WoW 2. Why would anyone want to play WoW 2, when WoW is allready there, and its allready done that.
This is why I can't figure out why people play everquest clones, or WoW clones. Whats the point in for instance playing star wars galaxies, when you could go play WoW. Or whats the point in playing any large number of everquest clones, when you could just go play everquest.
The answer is simple really. Tired IP + Identical core gameplay + bad release = Low subscriber count.
Honestly, I think you need to rethink what you just said. The idea that there's no appeal to play newer MMO's over first gen games is ridiculous.
They just released a new city, so there are a lot of new characters being started now, and there will be a new race with the expansion in November, so you know there will be a lot of characters being started then too. It really might be worth jumping in now or in November and getting in with people starting or starting over.
There seem to be a lot of people trying it. I grouped today in Darklight (new newbie zone) with a guy doing the trial thing. It was slightly annoying that I couldn't send him tells before joining his group or trade with him at all, but he seemed to be having a good time. I think people ARE coming to EQ2 now. The Echoes of Faydwer and Neriak newbie experiences are so much better (IMO) than the older versions, and the game is just plain fun to me now.
I played EQ1 for a long, long time, and I'd been thinking about resubscribing, but it came down to wanting to experience all the new stuff going into EQ2, and feeling like it is easier to catch up in EQ2 than EQ1. I've been happy with my decision.
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This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Oddly, I really feel like WoW is a lot more like EQ1, in gameplay terms, than EQ2 is. I have heard a lot of people I played EQ1 with say that they didn't like EQ2 because it was too different from EQ1, that the only thing they had in common were names.
A LOT of the people in both of the EQ2 guilds I am in have NEVER played EQ1.
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This is where I draw the line: __________________.
Honestly, I think you need to rethink what you just said. The idea that there's no appeal to play newer MMO's over first gen games is ridiculous. So then why would I want to play everquest 2? I've allready played everquest. I dont want more everquest. Nor do I want to play anything similar to it.
I'm not bashing any games here, i'm simply stating the truth, as an outsider. I'm not interested in Everquest 2 at all, the fact that it even has everquest in it's name instantly signals to me that it will probably be a lot like everquest.
Why would anyone new or old in the MMO scene want to play everquest 2? From the perspective of someone new to the scene, I would rather go play WoW. From the perspective of someone that has played many MMO's, I would rather not play everquest 2.
It has nothing to do with its bad launch in the aforementioned cases, but everything to do with the fact that -it is- everquest.
Its because it is made and ran by SOE, that is why it and any game with SOE in it will fail. Soooo sick of people like you,really grow up..Just cause they ruined you're beloved SWG your pissed at them? get over it
MMORPG's Under my belt:UO,EQ1,EQ2,SWG,L2,COH,COV,WoW,AC2,Shadowbane,DAOC,FFXI,GW,D&D,V:SOH,LOTR:O
I do think it was a mistake on SOE's part to release a game so different from EQ1 and call it EQ2. They could have called it Legacy of Norrath or After The Shattering or Lucan Vs. Bayle: FIGHT! and it might not have been so shocking and disappointing off the bat to SOME people.
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This is where I draw the line: __________________.