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EverQuest II: Correspondent - Why the Hate?
Stradden
Managing EditorMember CommonPosts: 6,696
EverQuest II Correspondent and relative newcomer to the game Daniel Stull writes this second article about some of the EQII hate and SOE hate responses garnered by his previous article.
After my first article was published, a few players chimed in with comments that I could only best describe as hate. Hate of Sony Online Entertainment, developers and publishers of Everquest 2. Hate of the game itself. Even as I type this, I am watching what can only be described as an argument brewing in the comments section of "Through the Eyes of a Noob." This wasn't my first encounter with people complaining about the game. But I did want to know more, and most importantly, why?
My first trip was to Everquest 2 Flames, an entire online forum community that, for the most part, complains about SOE and Everquest 2, even to the point that they have created a "Declaration of the Populace," a crudely-worded mockery of the Declaration of Independence to SOE. There are also other posts - "Proof that providing sexual favors to SOE staff leads to employment," "I cancelled my account, and here's why," and "Stupid guild names." To the positive, however, EQ2Flames also does have in-depth discussions of the game itself, even going so far as to answer questions from newbies in their own forum, which is moderated. They offer their own caveat to people who register to the forum: "The profanity filter is disabled and strong language is used on this site. Do not read or use this site unless you are prepared to be offended."
;)
Read the article here.
Cheers,
Jon Wood
Managing Editor
MMORPG.com
Comments
Nice article! A great read, very well written.
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In memory of Laura "Taera" Genender. Passed away on Aug/13/08 - Rest In Peace; you will not be forgotten
"find something you like and have fun"
Your right that quote does do the trick, except not how you put it. Orginally EQ2 was its own game and was something people liked, then SOE decided they wanted money, obvious I suppose. Playing the game now feels dirty and unnatural. I Logged in and felt as if I was playing a very very shity WoW mod. Its sad that SOE ruined such a great game.
Maybe EQ3 will come one day and make its own mark.
Every game I try sends me back to EQ2. Best Fantasy MMO out there. Can't understand all the hate too.
Cause SOE released a buggy game missing tons of content that was needed and we all warned SOE but they pushed EQ2 anyways and it got owned by WOW and since then they've ruined most of what made EQ2 unique and made it into a WOW clone with crap PVP. They did the same thing to Star Wars Galaxies and doing the same thing to Vanguard and ruined Planetside due to a lack of direction, we wanted them to change the bases so we wernt capturing the same layout over and over agian. Yet SOE scrapped that idea and decided to go for stupid things like caverns and BFR's and all that shite.
Until someone with a clue takes over John Smedleys job then SOE will continue to suck.
Decision after decision, John Smedley continues to prove he is the most unliked CEO of any MMO business. One of these days Sony will wake up and fire him. When a CEO consistently overrules game design issues to the detriment of the playerbase, especially when he is as ignorant of the genre as Smedley is, you are going to have hate.
EQ2 could have been a great game, instead it is just another mediocre attempt at competing with Wow with a small niche audience.
SOE used to be the top dog in this business for years, now they are taking a back seat to all the other major MMO producers. It has to be obvious to everyone that SOE needs to change and change drastically to reverse this trend.
It is not just the SWG debacle that is drawing hate, it is what is being done to all the titles. Look at their upcoming Agent offering, they are doing the cash shop revenue model for it. How many people will play a MMO where people can buy their way to success? Not many.
Having been to a variety of MMO forums, I can offer my opinion on the spewing of hate, on criticism in general, and on criticism of SoE in particular.
Firstly, some people just spew hate because they like to complain. The type of people who I see on music forums saying "That band is so trendy, they suck" (obviously, this is the watered-down version of their complaints) are the same type of people who are on MMO forums saying "This game is for newbs. Everything has become vulgarized to suit the players who don't want to take the time to understand and learn a game." In truth, I see some validity to their criticisms, but I also see a continuing thread of complaints that makes me believe their propensity to complain is something endemic to their personality.
Secondly, it is obvious that there are some players who enjoy the hardcore world of MMOs, where death penalty is harsh, where you can become "ganked" at any moment, etc., etc. These people are in the minority, however, because the majority of players do not want to lose an hour of playing time rebuilding their character due to an egregious death penalty. This silent majority is too busy playing and enjoying the game to post up on the forums (generally). This is why, I suspect, companies are more likely to receive complaints than compliments on their forums, customer support websites, etc. But on the subject of the minority's opinions, I suspect that its members are feeling increasingly disparaged by the "WOWisation" (as one person was quoted in the article as calling it) of MMORPGs. I can sympathize, but only because I can see why that would feel disparaging, not because I do not want to see companies make their games generally accessible.
Thirdly, there are also Everquest 2 criticisms out of line with either of the two above circumstances. These criticisms are genuine, fair, and too varied to categorize in a paragraph. These, however, are not the source of hate.
The hatred for Everquest 2 is, I believe, partly fueled by hatred for SoE in general. If you ever go to a Star Wars Galaxies forum, you will see the hate for SoE's treatment of the game, which turns quickly into hatred for SoE itself, spewing everything, and if you hover in the forums too long, you will be severely drained by it (I suspect it would be even worse for a game developer/designer than it is for me). Every game of SoE consequently becomes subjective to ridicule, at least potentially. Anything that SoE does that reminds people of how they have popularized their games to "make a quick buck" will further fuel this rage. Indeed, the games themselves that have been popularized are obviously open to ridicule.
Beyond that, hatred for EQ2 continues for the same reason that anything or anyone on the internet is slammed or viciously chided: because hate is easy to have when no one is there to keep you in check. On the internet, people are untouchable, which allows for the amplification of feelings that would otherwise be tempered by social presence.
As for me, I just didn't like the game much. It was fun for a bit, but I couldn't stay interested in it--I am not sure why. Some of the quests are hard to complete because there are 5 creatures available to be killed for a quest that requires you to kill 15 of them (not because others are working on the quest, but just because the developers did not make enough creatures). The game is also very large and, to some degree, overwhelming. Others may like the game's vastness; for me, my interest waned before I could come to grapple with it all.
I'm tired of writing. That's all I have to say; lol.
going to eq2 flames, the pit of unmoderated posts probably isn't a good ideal. Anyone with any grievance against eq2 goes there as it's completely unmoderated. Posts won't be hushed up 5 seconds after there posted.
And the sony forums? Its where the majority of whining people go to protest. I don't actually see much informative posts on the soe forums. Mostly it's change this or else, or do this or else, or how can you possibly do that.
If you want to see more positive posts go try some of the smaller comunities. Try Eq2 Ui - Eq2 maps, I have no ideal of the links however. The eq2 wikki forums, and Eq2 traders - Their away from the bickering of the soe forums and concentrate on helping people.
Unfortunatly you picked two of the worst places to visit when it comes to looking for information.
-B-
In my 4 years of playing EQ2, I would say it was very rare for the official forum moderators to delete a post due to it containing "hatred".
And this is for a few very good reasons.
1. The player base is mature, friendly and polite. Even in PVP heated discussions, people will back down and apologise if they are proved wrong.
2. The developers spend alot of time on the forums talking through problems. They listen to the problems players have, and in most cases act on them. If a 21 page thread appears about an announced change and how its not liked, they cancel the change and tell everyone why.
3. They give the players updates WAY in advance, and let the players discuss them. Then they put them on public test, and leave them for weeks for further discussion, then they go live. If at any point in this the players make it clear the change is not a good one, the update stops, is changed or is cancelled.
Yes, EQ2 is easier than once it was. Yes, some of the elements from WoW have been brought in, HOWEVER, as WoW took these ideas from EQ1 first, its acceptable for EQ2 to have them as well. For the most part, for most players, the changes to the game over the last 4 years have grown to be welcomed, once we have tried them. The community is solid, the game is stable, plays well, looks beautiful, and has more content and depth than any other MMO out there today. Sure, you may have to really play it for a while to realise that depth, but its there. And they continue to do this. With the next expansion, adding really challenging group dungeons with puzzles and real tactics, guild houses, mission systems, new AA levelling systems and more, its just getting better and better, whereas other games are remaining at the same point they were at launch.
"When people don't know much about something, they tend to fill in the blanks the way they want them to be filled in. They are almost always disappointed." - Will Wright
I think your perspective on EQ2 depends on how deep into the game (and MMOs in general) you are. I do understand some of the frustration and disappointment from players who are very passionate about wanting a challenging, in-depth MMO that sets itself apart from WoW and its' clones. The game was much more challenging at launch and many aspects of it have been simplified. However, from a casual player's persepctive, I think EQ2 is the most in-depth, creative game on the market that also has a learning-curve that an adult who lacks some of the MMO experience of younger players can still access. However, there are still fairly frequent players who have been in since launch (Brasse for example) who play every MMO out there at one point or another and still call EQ2 home.
I started playing EQ2 a few months after launch and played for about 8 months before I took a break. I loved the game, but just needed to get some more sleep since I was flirting with addiction. About six months ago I reactivated my account and now I play about 8 hours/week. My main character was level 51 when I rejoined. I have played 2 weeks (about 16 hours) casually questing and gathering resources in Sinking Sands. I haven't even been to Maj'Dul yet, just the quests around the docks and the upper desert. I'm about 65% into Level 52 now and have been crafting and tinkering as well. I find the game visually amazing and am enjoying all the different aspects of gameplay there are. I'm having fun and that's what keeps me coming back. For me (39 y.o. with wife and three kids), EQ2 is everything I want in a game right now. I'll never get through all of the content because I don't play enough and even if I do, I'll never get all my alts to 80. I'm sure I'm in the minority of people who come to this site and post on forums, but I think there are lots of players like me who just play the game and nothing else...hence they are rarely heard.
At least get your facts right. Sigil ruined Vanguard, since SOE actually took over development that game is now playable.
LucasArts influenced the decision to patch the dreaded NGE, its not SOE alone. Never played Planet side so I can't offer anything about that but don't let SOE hate to spill over to the things that actually aren't their complete fault.
EQ2 is not a WoW clone. WoW was made with a lot of referrals to the original EQ and being EQ2 of course some things are going to be similar. Other aspects will be common among MMOs in general and there is plenty more that EQ2 does better (and some WoW does better) but a clone it is not. PvP was an afterthought in the first place so it being sucky doesn't surprise me but seriously, cool the hate.
I was there for launch and while it wasn't the best one (I've seen worse though...Vanguard....) it was not "missing tons of content" at the time. At the beginning it was almost literally an EQ clone, now they changed it and its suddenly a WoW clone. Some people will never be satisfied and its impossible for everyone to be happy.
It isn't a perfect game but the article is about the irrational bashing EQ2 has been going through because of the SOE label.
Ok I played Wow for 4 years since day one then switched to "epic failure" of AoC, and just got EQII , I personally like it , it has loads of content and comunity is the most friendliest one I seen in any MMO where people actually take time to show you the ropes....I just started the game so maybe its still to early to have any meaningfull impressions....well many of those same "WoW flamers" in reality are same people that bitch if the game drastically differs from some basic concepts of design that Blizzard mastered first. Making things extremly complicated and hard-core on the end doesnt make $. 90% of players are in reality casuals with real life responsibilities. I would like to see a dev studio that offers "Hard-core" servers aka super dificult so all those who bitch and complain about games being to easy for them can go and marinate their "e-peens" , lol wouldnt be suprised if those servers are complitely empty...btw back on the subject of EQ I find it extremely fun....that might be also that I still have bitter aftertaste of unplayable pos of AOC that after 24 patches or so still plays like crap , has no content and will make the newest gaming rigs scream : "Mommy" on the other hand EQII looks awesome on even lower end PCs has more content than AOC WOW and any other MMO combined toghether....zones are huge, you do not need to grind whatsoever because there are billions of quests....I do not know about pvp...but I heard that is really crappy...so far there is no rellally good fantasy MMO there that has polished PVP, WoW ' s PvP is a joke, AoC's PvP is sad failure of a joke...so I gave up of looking for MMO that has balanced and challenging Pvp.
A nice artlcile indeed.
For my part, I know EQ2 since launch and still enjoy it. I guess I found a game that suits my needs regarding MMORPGs, even if sometimes, I go look elsewhere. I always return here. The develomement team is doing a great job and that game has truly improved since launched by releasing many great additions.
I hope they will keep up the good work. Maybe the players who complain the most will find a suitable game somwhere else isntead of polluting forums with their non-consturctive critics.
There is a game suitable for everyone's style of play somewhere. A little search will find it I'm sure. For my part, I'ms sticking to EQ2!
I have played eq2 since day one. I have 2 station accounts, which allow for more toons that way. I do not have a toon higher than 54, because I try and get as much into the game as possible. I do love this game, However lol and I should really stress the HOWEVER. I do agree wiith many of the complaints against the game. ok I lived through the huge ordeal with SOE and Star Wars Galaxies and this is alot to do with so many ugly feelings towards SOE and Smedley.
First EQ2 and SWG were the two best games in the market EVER. Both had intense crafting and adventure skills and classes. The adult kid in all of us was given a online playground and we loved it.
With the doors open at swg before the game was ready, many complaints flooded in, Bugs needed fixing and the game needed tweeking and some content in a big way. The devs met the demands by changing the game and giving us the well known " CU " SOE was prepared for it, as EQ2 opened her doors the same month, knowing disgruntled players would leave and need somewhere to run to. And so we did.
Station access pass came along and made it easier to play both games. And after playing EQ2 and its intense game, we realized that SWG seemed to still be playable. EQ2 had tought us all how to group and make the game more dependant on full groups.
Now WOW comes along and Smedley professes his love for the game. He listens to those "vocal minorities" and decides that both games are way to hard and he needs to try what these guys are doing because he is having fun in the game. He believed that we customers needed to change our ways of thinking and be converted to WOW's kind of play, And so we saw crafting in eq2 torn apart. Extra inscentives to grind our way to the top and do it fast. Now we no longer had sub classes we had to chose when we made our characters. And over at SWG ... well it was gutted and so Smedley got his way and so many friends and guild mates learned to call WOW home. Just as he wanted them to.
And trust me when you see someone complaining , you can bet there are 1000 more hating it. The "vocal minority" is not those complaining but the carebears who like things given to them and being the highest level, they dont appreciate the ride to the top nor want to play a game that actually uses brain cells. Ive been here in both games since the begining, I play in Eq2 now because I chose to take the long way. And in SWG i simply log in to relist everything that hasnt sold.
The sad fact is, there are games out there that do make a profit off of people that can buy object in the games, A guildie and I talked about this yesterday. How we see more games moving in this direction,. Its my belief that the Developers will find that those games are very short lived and the real money is not there and the funny thing about it is... The majority of people that play mmorpgs, are not looking for a game that costs them money everyday and for every item. It takes the fun of earning it, away, or being one of few whom actually own it.
You see you can take our games and make them easy and mindless and send us to the next game down the road, but making us reach into our pockets everyday instead of monthly will prove costly.... on their part. Not the consumer. I played the game " THERE " and I liked it and yes i spent alot of real cash fast and guess what, i stopped playing as quickly as i started because in order to get the full satisfaction from the game it was necessary for me to own certain items, well I still have a toon there, I can log in every day for free if i want. But I learned how to play the game, and hang out with my friends with out spending money. And the best part is , that now thats how everyone plays and all the money the game used to make is now staying in our pockets instead of the manufactures
So SOE and other game marketers can go down that road, but in the long run they will simply be sending kids back to older or differnt games or do I dare say ... The basketball court?
2 differnt genre's and 2 differnt types of customers
A little suggestion : if you want an old style mmo, try Vanguard..... I'm serious, no jokes
Born as a berserker, I was also a hero, a bounty hunter, a paladin ,a troubador and a paladin once again during my Mmo''s experiences .. Now travelling in a galaxy looking for a new adventure
Why the Hate?
Daniel, I made an effort in your previous article to explain why the current state of EQ2 and generally the reputation of SoE is degrading with MOST (not all) of their subscriber base.
And I want to point out that we are talking mostly about disgrunted ex customers such as myself.
I am sure new customers such as yourself might find good things going on with the game, since you don't have the means to compare it to the way it used to be, after all you called yourself a newby due to lack of previous experience.
People like me has the ability to do this comparison.
I had a SoE account open since 2001, which I closed it soon after EQ2 ROK expansion.
I played EQ1, SWG, Vanguard and EQ2, so I paid a monthly fee to SoE for about 7 years.
I want to make something crystal clear before I start with the bashing.
I believe SoE is the best developer of MMO after Blizzard, so I don't hate SoE because is a big corporation, I have my reasons to do so, and others people has reasons too.
When I said that SoE is the second best MMO developer after Blizzard, I meant it.
I believe that the first concept SoE comes up with for their games are really good.
This is due to the fact that the original concept of their games are fairly challenging and have a fairly hard learning curve, means that the comunity need to interact much closer in order to achieve things and that creates something few other games can offer. A good Comunity.
Not even WoW can achieve that.
Also SoE games are usually released in time, with few bugs and fairly complete, I can witness this since I played almost all their betas (And no, SoE didn't develope Vanguard FYI)
Now, the problem with SoE, and that is the major problem with this company, it is called C.O.N.S.I.S.T.E.N.C.Y. (or lack of)
Yes, I did spell it out so if any of SoE executives are by any chance reading this thread they will be able to pick it up, cause they ignore it completely throughout the upgrading of all their major titles (EQ1, EQ2, SWG)
If there is something SoE does really badly is the complete overhaul of their games.
When EQ1, SWG and EQ2 have been launched, they were games for, what Brad McQuaid used to call, "Core" gamers.
By core gamers he meant people who like RPGs, people who like to be challenged while developing their character exactly the same way you would do in an offline RPG.
In short, those people see MMORPGs and RPGs a bit like an hobby rather than just games.
What Soe Attempted with SWG, EQ2 and partially EQ1, is to betray their original player base and go unashemefully for the Casual gamers.
In short they started a process which I call Wowisation of their game, because their intent is to magically trasform their "Core" gamers aimed MMO into something as close as possible to WoW.
If you are an old SoE customer you can see this clearly.
SWG is the most visible example of what I call Wowisation of their game.
What they did with NGE is everything you need to know about the policy of SoE towards their customers (you have tons of web pages and forum dedicated to it all over the internet).
But they didn't do it just to SWG, they partially did it with EQ1, which anyway is still the best game of their stable (a 10 y/o game), and they did it with EQ2, slowly, almost by stealth, they took away all the challenge that the game offered at the beginning.
RoK killed the game completely for most of the veterans, that was a blatant attempt to make EQ2 leveling as easy as WoW, by making soloing the best way to level fast (I have 3 lvl 70 in WoW so I recognised the path).
Anyway, people weren't bothered anymore to comunicate with each other there was no more need to seek other people help, therefore chats started to be deserted and the comunity started to deteriorate.
Most of the people who liked the comunity aspect of the game left, other were disappointed by the lack of details SoE put in the end game (mainly in the Raid difficulty, or non difficulty to be precise), and the too solo friendly approach of the last expansion.
Anyway, I don't want to bore you into details, I could write a 400 page book of what's wrong with SoE and their games, so I will focus on the main issue of SoE misfortunes.
So, I was talking about CONSISTENCY.
If you read carefully what I wrote above, you will understand why so many people hate SoE.
I DON'T WANT TO WASTE YEARS OF MY LIFE PLAYING A GAME THAT ALL OF A SUDDEN TURNS INTO ANOTHER GAME (No, I am not shouting, this is the main point)
If SoE would have told me that EQ2 would be turned into a casual game in 2 years time, I would never had started, that's my beef with SoE.
And that's why people is so bitter with SoE.
Changing a game mechanic in the middle of the game lifespan, is something a company should NEVER do.
NEVER
SoE didn't do it just once, it did it 3 times.
It basically pissed all over their existing customer base to go in search of the Holy Graal (a slice of WoW market)
Fact is that they pushed they loyal customers to play WoW instead, since it is the original and the best at what it does, turning EQ2 in a poor souless copycat
Yes after 7 years I closed my account and stopped playing EQ2 after RoK, instead I went to play the game EQ2 was desperately trying to copy
But if I had the choice to play EQ2 the way it was 3-4 years ago, I will go back without hesitation.
That was a truly awesome game, much better than WoW.
Pity SoE has been blinded by their own greed and could not see it.
Also for your information:
You can't find many negative posts of SoE in those forums because the Moderators decided that all the negative posts about SoE should be collected in a unique thread, the famous "We Hate SoE because......."
And you know why they did so?
Because 60% of the posts were complaints about SoE and their games
I believe SoE asked MMORPG.com to do so, because it was getting too much.
Under the same reasons they should have created the " I have a free buddy key" thread, Instead I don't see a collective thread for all the hundreds of "I have 200 Buddy keys" created by SoE employes in disguise trying to let as many people as possible try the game.
So that's SoE for you.
Bottom line is, youlike EQ2 as it is now.
Good for you.
Majority of players (me included) think WoW is still several step ahead of EQ2 in the casual market.
So I respect your opinion but the market says I am right, and SoE is wrong.
But please don't let me stop you enjoing the game, I am not envious, everyone deserve a good game to play.
Just pray that in a year time SoE won't change the game back into a more "core" friendly game, something that you probably won't like.
Then you will come back here and you will tell me all the good things you have to say about SoE eh?
The reason for that animosity on that first forum is due to the fact it's creator hates SoE and probably runs about 100+ account's just stoking the fire from each one. He gets a few legitament followers but at the end of the day it is mainly one master user just spreading the hate monger beliefs. The owner was probably done wrong or rubbed the wrong way by SoE. WWW is serious business, DOT COM.
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...I'm in your panties
I agree this is a well written article.
However, for my taste in games, I do not agree that SOE is going down the right path with any of their games. Please note, I said for MY tastes. Where am I coming from? I'm probably an old fogey compared to most of the writers and readers of this forum. I'm 42 and my perception of adventure and role playing games is a product of my experience.
I grew up with paper and pen RPGs. I started out with D&D, running to the toy store to buy the little 8x5 books as fast as Gygax could put them out. I played Gamma World, Traveller, Rune, Robotech, BattleTech, and the White Wolf games. None of these games were perfect. There were balance issues, inconsistencies in lore, DMs who coraled you through a series of quests in which each puzzle or encounter only had one correct answer. But we adapted. We balanced things ourselves, we created content, we found DMs who created their own worlds and created quests with more than one correct answer and multiple exits from one campaign to another.
I played the RPGs on computers and those that were designed much like the classic RPGs were designed by players of those RPGs - adaptations were built in to allow better flow. There were a few that ended up being static adventures where every player of the game had exactly the same experience, but I took those back to the store because they "didn't work on my machine" and traded them for same value - back when you could do that.
Then came the age of MMORPGs. I had resisted for years. Some of my old buddies were playing the original Everquest, but I resisted because of the nickname "Evercrack". They told tales of a world that was seemingly endless and customized characters and great quests. But I resisted. Then Came Star Wars Galaxies. I could resist no longer. It was a fascinating game! It had a rich crafting engine, harvesting of raw materials, harvesting of resources from creatures you killed, a rich lore, customizable clothing and characters, and an open skill set that allowed you to be the best Bounty Hunter or (my favorite) a Droid Engineer, Trader, Scout, Architect. Not master of course, but a little bit from each column.
Many of us were in love with that game and spent far too many hours playing it. Some took it too seriously and became confused on which was them and which was character. When the rules changed to make it "simpler and more starwarsy" we could no longer be who we were. We had to change to what someone else decided was fun. It happens. Some, like me just left - a little bitter, but not vengeful. Other's became a part of the anti-SOE league.
I don't see much hope for SOE's MMORPGs, they seem to be loosing the RPG and just becoming MMOs. Plenty of people like that, and many companies are gambling that more people like MMOs than like MMORPGs. The market does seem to indicate that. FPS games on consoles sell better than most MMOs, with a few exceptions. Open ended MMORPG sandbox games where everyone can have a different experience are expensive to produce and risky. But, are those players who spend 50 bucks a game for console FPSs going to pay on a monthly basis to play an MMOFPS? Probably not as many as buy the console equivalents.
SOE also seems to be experimenting, as are most gaming companies who want into the MMORPG market, with duplicating elements of WoW and some of the more successful (read financially successful) Asian games that are more social and players can spend real money to buy items that differentiate themselves from other zombie clones walking around screaming "Dude!" These ideas may make a successful online game, but they are not MMORPGs.
How did this happen? Well the geeks who understand what sandbox MMORPGs are never really make much money, so they can't be sponsors. Games are so expensive to create now days that money has to come from investors who have little to no knowledge of what these games are, they just know what brings in the cash. If I'm going to invest money in your project I want that money back and then some. It makes sense. But a majority of investors are busy making the money that they will eventually invest in the games industry. So they only thing they really have time to do is read financial reports of the companies who are making a bazillion dollars doing whatever they do and they say "Here's some money, make me something that looks and performs (financially) like that." The game company is trapped.
Look at Hollywood. All the blockbusters are formulaic dribble, with a few exceptions, that remind you of a movie you saw three weeks ago. People pay for it, it makes money, why should investors invest in any script that's not like those previous blockbusters. Some break out of it by forming their own studios and financing their own projects with the help of friends, but very few. Some of the independent studios are have been producing great movies that are original and thought provoking or fantastically humorous and entertaining. Hopefully that indicates a change in consumer consumption of celluloid. But films have been around for just over one hundred years and are typically not something that folks stop consuming when they grow older.
Games are different. Most people who play MMOs are younger than I and didn't have the paper and pen and boardgames experience. They grew up with Playstation and XBOX, that's gaming to them. I would venture to guess that could explain a large amount of the evolution of MMOs.
What are the MMOs I enjoy? Eve, Anarchy Online, Ryzom. Complicated sandbox games in which role playing is an enhancement to the enjoyment. Are those games successful? Well Eve is very successful in their own right, but will probably not get WoW subscription numbers, nor is that their goal. Anarchy Online is a shadow of it's former self, and is experimenting with selling items, and Ryzom has gone bankrupt with two different owners. But all three communities have a large percentage of their 1st year original subscription base in the game. What games do I look forward to? So far Stargate Worlds and Fallen Earth because of the richness and depth of the worlds and what you can do in them. Earthrise because it looks cool and I don't really know enough about it yet.
Do I hate SOE and their games? No....I don't. However, I don't have any faith that they will produce any games in the future that I will enjoy and spend what little time I do have available playing them.
My hopes for the future? That once the landscape is filled with the carcasses of tons of good MMORPGs and not so good MMOFPSs that the handful and monolithic giants with take some of their millions of profits and invest in the production of some good old fashion MMORPGs for us old folks and not care whether the game is making money or not because overall they're still raking in the dough with their WoW's and their EQIIs, and their Mr. Bongo's Crazy Hotel or whatever they throw out their that the mass market gobbles up.
When you look at the fraudulent activities perpetrated by SOE during the Star Wars Galaxies fiasco, known as the "new game enhancements", it's impossible to support a company who prides themselves with perpetual acts of deception.
SOE has proven to me they only care about subscritpion numbers and lack regard for the fans who subscribes to their persistant world games. I will NEVER spend money to play a game SOE is involved with, that includes the titles they only publish such as Pirates of the Burning Sea.
In effect, SOE had committed wire fraud through the marketed lies to sell the expansion "Trials of Obi-Wan" for Star Wars Galaxies. Yes, they did refund $, but that was only *after* it was clear they would be facing litigation.
Word of mouth is a bitch and thank goodness SOE will continue to suffer for the despicable treatment of their own fans and subscribers.
Actually, the cash based micro transactions scheme was intended for ALL of their games, but there was a little problem. RMT is standard in the Asian market and this is well known. There are MANY mmo's which are purely based around this business model to facilitate a cash flow while remaining as Free To Play. If you're to look at any number of those "free rmt mmo's" you'll see player bases beyond anything a Western market could ever fathom.
A Western market does not support this, yet.
I find most of the haters are SWG haters and hold grudges because they feel smedley,in reality the whole SOE boards owes it to them to make the game JUST for them and not care about the rest of the community.
I can give honest answers to a lot of what is wrong wit hEQ2 but for the most part it is a great game that WOW copied for a reason.Yes SOE has started to make the game easier just as they did with SWG,however it is a smart decision to make changes when the SUBS are falling.The lamers who cry foul can blame ONLY themselves because a smart developer and there board will not sit idle while losing subs,that is a no brainer.I wish EQ2 was a little more challenging,but hey SOE has done a lot of things right by listening to the player base and other things in game that other games will copy because they are great ideas.
I think we are starting to see a lot more developers who are making brave decisions on designing there games but for the longest time ..EVERY developer copied EQ's template for designing a RPG game.Before any of these lamers decide to bash SOE why don't they bash the entire WOW population for paying a developer to copy exactly EQ and pan it off as a unique game.The only difference between Blizzard's product and SOE's is that SOE used nicer textures and graphics while WOW uses a 12 colour palette.
The most unique MMORPG ever created was FFXI and some call it a niche game.No matter what, Square was saved by SOE and licensed for the most popular console ever the playstation.You won't see the beloved Blizzard save or help any possible franchises out there now will we?How about the two youngsters CRASH BANDICOOT game?SOE is the one who has made the two millionaire's by licensing the game to a 5 yr deal.,way back when some gaming sites gave it a bad rating.How about vanguard,once again SOE steps in and by all reports have made the game better.There is tons of franchises that SOE has saved or given the big break they needed.
For all the crying about SOE,that company has done more good things for gaming than all the other developers put together.Crying selfishly because you can't have a game the way you want it to be is just that >>>>SELFISH.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Why does anyone hate EQ2?
Overflow of hate from a mistake made by SOE/LEC.
If the changes to EQ2 were made not under the shadow of the failings of SWG, then it would be no where near as strong. The changes might even be acceptable.
People were hurt bad by the CU and then the NGE in SWG. That pain yeilds to strikes out at anything that might be associated. Imagine questing for three years to find a Legendary Weapon to make you a power house or grinding for the same amount of time to unlock a Alpha Class profession only to have both made inert with one update.
But why would players who didn't play SWG hate EQ2?
Hate is infectious and it dosen't take much to turn a hand into a fist.
Interesting article that I will be sure to follow.
I have not read ALL of the responses to this yet that are posted above me but a few things did catch my eye.
First of all, my experience with EQ2 has been mostly very enjoyable. Those that complain that its too easy , stating it doesn't take long to level etc cannot possibly be playing the actual game. Anytime you spend all of your time grinding to lvl without enjoying the storyline behind the quests that you are doing you will lvl fast and miss the game. This is with any MMO or RPG or whatever out there. To these people I would wholeheartedly suggest they find a different kind of game. One they can finish and move on while still being somewhat sociable.
I'm a lore freak. I love to read about what I am doing and immerse myself in the game. I fancy myself a writer and use my characters in EQ2 to help me work out storylines. This is my enjoyment. I've been playing EQ2 well over 3 years now. I am never borad unless I go over the same material too many time with several toons but I need to is look forward and SOE never disappoints with bringing in new content on a regular basis. To those looking for "end-game" , I don't see one in sight.
To sum up Everquest 2's pluses and some small comparisons to WoW I have this to say; EQ2 is less cartoony in appearance providing a more enjoyable atmosphere for those of us who are not only older (30+) but hungry for a more "real fantasy" not a place that constantly reminds us we are in a game. We go to Norrath to escape the "grind" of our actual lives one we can control the outcomes somewhat better then our literal worlds but provides that fantasy element. I thought that was the whole point of a game. I could be wrong. The lore of EQ2 is quite vast and fascinating with some excellent writers behind the wheel.
The content is constantly being worked up and expansions are almost yearly. Amazing graphics. The RoK expansion has some of the most memorable and well done sunrises and sunsets. They would rival the real world.
EQ2 is not a hollow game there is stability behind the visual but There are always going to be problems and things a handful of people will complain about constantly but I find these are mostly younger new generation gamers. I would hope to educate my grandchildren better. My own personal complaints are small but do tend to irritate me as I RP my way through life. Why , for instance, can we not better interact without environments? Example; sitting in chairs. Were we able to actually do something more then look at the massive amounts of graphics in this area and arrange it like doll houses more people would gather together instead drifting past each other. There would be more of a point.
Why doesn't Sony advertise better? I see Wow on every shelf even though it has so little content in comparison. It is difficult to back my own point of view to my friends and family when they can't even find the game anywhere let alone a single commercial. The media is battered and fired with world of warcraft. This alone infuriates me.
This comment is turning into an article by itself so I will end it here. I'm sorry that you stumbled across the worst of Eq2's population, squeeky wheels that they are. I am with Marron up there when he/she said the following ;
"because the majority of players do not want to lose an hour of playing time rebuilding their character due to an egregious death penalty. This silent majority is too busy playing and enjoying the game to post up on the forums (generally).'
That would be me. You can find me on Oasis server. Say hello to Fallcon or Dawnrazor, just a razor slice of sunshine.
I was there at launch, and I have bought every expansion. I've given EQ2 many chances. The game is just soulless. At the beginning it was soulless, and it hasn't changed. There is a serious lack of depth in EQ2. The classes are boring, the gear is boring, and there is no one to group with do fun stuff with.
Another major complaint I have is the combat. Its like my avatar is hopped up on meth during combat. The camera view is horrible.
If anyone should hate SOE I should. Let's see; one of the first master Jedi on corbantis server. Mayor of a huge city, great cutomer base as a master bio-engineer, handler of fantastic rare pets that were made extinct but SOE let me keep them, leader and founder of a top guiild with over 300 members. The day NGE came out in fact within 2 hours it was all over for me. I said my said goodbye, logged out and cancelled my accounts (only mmo I ever played I had more then one account) Almost 3 years of work down the drain. I am an older player and took a few years off work to enjoy life a bit not retired but my friends joked I was (not that old yet). During that time I played SWG daily at least 8 hours a day everyday. I loved that game! So do we agree if anyone should "hate" SOE I should.
During that time I started playing EQ2. I was torn on my giving money to SOE after what they did to SWG and to me as a customer. However there was something unique about EQ2. So I kept playing and for a long time actually felt guilty playing. I turned off my hate for SOE and focued only on EQ2. Unlike many I felt SOE made EQ2 better and better. Yes more casual but for me that was great. I went back to work. I am a college art professor. I did not have the 8 hours a day anymore.
I started playing WoW and loved the casual nature of it. It was casual but if you wanted to master it it was a challenge. I never have seen evidence that SOE was trying to turn EQ2 into WoW. They tried that with SWG. They made EQ2 more casual friendly but left the hardcore events in game for those that want that challenge. This was a great move on SOE. Never once did I feel EQ2 was trying to copy WoW. EQ2 is a different experience then WoW that is why I played both. They never felt like the same game to me. Go on and hate SOE there is reason to but if you do you will miss out on one of SOE successes and that is EQ2. EQ2 is not perfect but for me it is one of the best shows in town. I may never subscribe to another SOE out of anger towards them but I am glad I tempered that anger and am able to play EQ2 for what it is. What it is, is a damn good time.