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Stopping to Smell the Roses in North Qeynos

ezorn33ezorn33 Member Posts: 12
in Everquest II

Hi all,

Before I go further, I should point out two facts: (a) I am not a power gamer; (b) my sole experience with MMORPGs has been a few months in DAOC and about two days in Horizons. I point these out because my relative inexperience with MMORPGs, as well as my logistical inability to rush through the game as some people do, could certainly mean that I am a bit less jaded about the genre than some.

Now, with that in mind, late last night I entered North Qeynos for the first time. Earlier in the evening I had completed my citizenship quest as well as a few others in Nettleville Hovel and Starcrest Commune, and I was on my way to Baubbleshire to complete a few others. So I passed through North Qeynos, not entirely aware that this was "Qeynos proper."

And my God, the castle is amazing. And my God, the aqueduct. Every little detail -- the gorgeous falling water, the photorealistic ivy on the walls, the horses in the stables. It was, quite simply, beautiful. I later moved on to Elddar Grove, and though the server went down before I could explore much there, just the sight of the waterfall (or whatever it was) in the distance...

Wow.

I am 22 years old, and I have been video gaming since I was six. I have also always been captivated by the whole medieval "thing" (not overly so, mind you, but enough to take a greater-than-average interest in things like the Arthur legend). Entering North Qeynos for the first time, I was just in awe. You could use advertising words like "immersion" or technical words like "pixel shaders," but they fall short. This game, in terms of its look and feel, its atmosphere, is awesome.

Now I know that I may become bored with the gameplay after many more hours. I enjoy questing, but it's possible that the game could become stale. For some of you, it might already be stale. I wonder if -- and doubt that -- the people who care more about the numbers (the "+2 STR" folk) or the levels (the UBER XP! folk) feel this sort of fundamental joy in the experience.

I hope that you all have a moment like I had last night. And I hope that, as I continue to explore this vast world, I have more moments like that as well. To me, that's what EQ2 is about; the quests are simply there to motivate and direct my exploration of Norrath. If the overarching story is subpar, if the gameplay mechanics become boring, if the community is overrun with annoying tweens -- I just hope that I and anyone else who plays like me will remember to look around and enjoy the experience that EQ2 has to offer.

Comments

  • EduardoASGEduardoASG Member Posts: 832

    ya that pretty much defines some of the moments youll have while playing eq2 :)

    image

    Aion, AoC, AC, AO, DDO, Eve, Eq2, GW, MW3, L1&2, RF, RIFT, SWG, SWTOR, TR, UO, WOW, WAR
  • TymoraTymora Member UncommonPosts: 1,295

    Nice post, I agree with you and enjoy the same things about Everquest II.

    I do take these things and use them in my roleplaying, which always makes the game fresh and new, no matter how long I have been playing.  Mechanics and game features may get old, but friendships and good stories do not.

  • ChaoticaChaotica Member UncommonPosts: 93

    Your post summed up my feelings perfectly! I love to 'stop and smell the roses' in game. And this game is especially beautiful.

    I played UO for three years, DAoC for two years, SWG for about 4 months and AC2 for two months. I've always approached games the way you described and doing so has given me much joy and made the small fee I pay to play worth so much more to me.

    I have been known to sit atop a hillside just to watch the sun set... And I love putting together a collection of beautiful screenshots to make a 'photo album' for my 'character'.

    Thank you for sharing your unique and wonderful view on this game. I really enjoyed reading it.

    Namaste!

    A Voice From Within

    A Voice From Within

  • jayheld90jayheld90 Member UncommonPosts: 1,726
    chaotica...a friend i used to have in SWG used to say namaste to me all the time...it would be cool if that was you. namaste = my soul bows to your soul. unfortunately, i havent had the pleasure of getting in game yet. also, chaotica why dont you send me a pm (if you read this) so, i can see if it was you.

    image

  • Roland_AsephRoland_Aseph Member UncommonPosts: 137

    VERY good post! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and feelings about the game!

    They truely have done a wonderful job of creating an online world that's FULL of life and mystery and danger image

    Best of Luck in your journeys...in fact best of luck to us all! image

    RA

    "It'll be dark soon."
    "Aye...that it will."

    "It'll be dark soon."
    "Aye...that it will."

  • astefastef Member Posts: 12

    Thanks for sharing your emotions mate!

    I just cant wait to see it with my own eyes!
    Everything I saw or heard so far was from someone else and I guess I'll be amazed with all I'm going to see in the near future (hopefully tomorrow) image

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