The article also forgot to mention how incredibly ugly the art direction is for EQ2. Having so many customization options for your characters physical appearance means little when everybody looks dog faced ugly, and 95% of the armor looks like neon colored spray painted tin cans and sack of potatoe robes
The funniest part are the elitist forumers on the SOE forum that try to defend the art style, calling it "dark" and "realistic". I guess that's why the game is crammed with pop culture references jokes that they beat you over the head with like an episode of family guy
I tried to play it and no matter where i went there was an ongoing conversation on how eq2 was so much better than wow and how much wow sucked in everything it offers, not to count half the time the things they blamed WoW for were exagerated or totally untrue, but whatever, even if they had pointed out valid points it would still be as annoying.
I will never understand people that need to bash other games as of to uplift their own´s value.
Actually...most of these kinds of conversations you see (at least on my server) are started by someone who has recently left WoW and is QQing about something, like actually having to FIND something, find a way to GET there, and use their brain. They tend to, at least some of them, at first, get kind of bent about that. And then some conversation ensues like...."Wha wha wha??? There are no flying mounts?" or ...they have, in their attempt to RUSH to "end game," forgotten that they need AA points, and their character is terribly gimped and they're whining because they can't kill something yet they just watched someone 5 levels lower than them annihilate it and they're whining that that isn't fair and "classes are unbalanced," when it's really just the fact that they aren't improving their character as they level properly, but rather trying to play EQ2 AS THOUGH it were WoW.
So then the chat begins, and the EQ2 players, having heard ALL this SAME SHIT 15 million times (okay, slight exaggeration, but still) in their frustration they begin to tell said player EXACTLY what they think of WoW.
So....unless you see full conversations, or know what transpired in chat maybe in the previous 30 minutes....you can't always gauge why, when, and how these conversations ended up with EQ2 players "hating" on WoW and it's population, and being annoyed at the players that come to EQ2 and want to turn it into WoW....gah.
Imagine if EVERY DAY you logged in to play WoW...someone in chat went on and on and on and ON about how much cooler this that or the other thing was in, idk, let's say in EVE. You'd get endlessly tired of it and just want them to STFU. But they don't....so....an irritation grows and sometimes ends up in a "fuck WoW" conversation. It's perfectly logical to me. People vent their frustrations that way. Meh....big deal. It's not like it goes on ALL the time, at least not on the server I'm from, and when I see it start....I can usually tell you about 5 paragraphs BEFORE it's going to start, because I can see the annoyances in chat leading up to it.
But hey....I'm REAL cool with people that don't like EQ2....staying the hell out of it. Nooooo problem. Play whatever game you ENJOY and those of us that enjoy EQ2....will do the same. That way everyone is happy.
There are a lot of valid points made in this thread about pros and cons of EQ2 and there were also a lot of comparing apples to oranges. I myself share the pension of the OP in that i tend to play a single game for long periods of time but also stray when something new and shiney catches my eye.
The one thing that rings true to me is that from a distance all of these games are the same. The one true difference i've found in all these games is the social aspect. The forming of relationships within the community and experiencing the game as part of a collective has solidified my interest in some games, that without, i would have lost interest in quickly.
The best advice i could give anyone that plans to try this game, or any other, is to reserve judgement and not try it with a bad taste already in your mouth. You will only get out of this game or any other, what you put in to it. Make friends, respect your peers and you may find yourself having fun before you know it.....
lmao I noticed the constant WoW bashing in EQ2 also. Instead of actually talking about the game that they're playing at that moment, they need to bash the one that's a hundred times more successful and popular than theirs lol
EQ2 players are really sad and petty, its like they play it because they want to be unique and different than the popular crowd, even if the alternative is a big stinking pile of dog crap
The only thing EQ2 managed to do when it was created was start a trend among developers in how to clone quests and take shortcuts in design just to make a cheap buck. All spellcasters, no matter the class, use the same animations and every quest is a variation of the same 'ol "Kill X creatures for Y reward". The same cloned animations apply among the melee classes as well by the way.
That boring formula has chased off any intelligent gamers and the only ones left are a pack of elitists who spend their time farming and mocking any newcomers asking questions in general chat. Not to mention if you happen to try a pvp server, those same elitist farmers have insane twink alts that camp the newbie zones, killing all new players repeatably until they get bored.
So um, yah, great game to try out if you don't mind wasting your money.
folks hate hate hate if this was a wow forum there would be almost the same responses , you people on these forums really need to step back and ask yourself is it the games or is it me because i can find fun in wow everquest eq2 and many others ,however when i start picking then i log off and go outside .
i will tell anyone who has read this far , i have stuck with the original everquest forever because it was my first and i love the feel of the game . its hard its challenging there isnt a free ride unless you take it.
wow easy fun and enjoyable till you reach the top then its repetitive and boring.
eq2 because of my love of eq 1 i really never liked eq2 i did play it it was fun however it was to me a poor copy of my beloved everquest and i went back to eq. if i had never played eq1 i would have probebly been still playing eq2 and it has had several improvements.
Some lead and some follow I prefer to stand beside!
EverQuest II may have a lot of races, but the only race with their own animations are the Sarnak, all of the other races share the exact same animations. None of the animations are even good, they're quite awful.
I thought EQ II was a decent game, it just did not hold my interest in the long term. The race/class mix and the good and evil setting were particular strengths. The questing could be repetitive and the pvp was very random but not intrusive.
I beta tested EQ2 and Everquest classic was my first mmo. I was so in love with EQ2 back then and it broke my heart to see what they did to it over the years. The graphic quality was downgraded and contracted to a chinese company called Soga. Even later after much protest when they said they would stop you could still see the Soga mark on the crappy style and the muddy lack luster color palet that continued. I have a screen shot of my beta wood elf and some from later years. You can see the progressively simpler and less beautiful faces. Much of the world surfices appear muddy and dirty looking as well. The animals while many are decent creations move with choppy animations where too few frames were used to make them.
There were quest lines that dead ended because they were not finished and wire frame armor repeated over and over many many times with only color pattern chnages made. Then they harshly nerfed the loot tables so badly for fear of RMT farmers that people stopped doing most dungeons because the rewards were just not worth it. They over simplified the game by removing the sub class progression also. The game still has some bugs that are years old and ether lags if yoru not running a high end computer or looks horrible on low settings.
EQ2 had such wonderful potential but it has just not been treated very kindly by its devs.
anyway, that's great that you're paying money to a greedy company for something that you enjoy. As long as you're getting your moneys worth and enjoying it, that's what counts, right?
Not sure how you can say that with a straight face.
SOE wants our money, obviously, they're a business after all.
But you were previously defending WoW, a game that recently sold a $25 mount on it's store...
The only thing EQ2 managed to do when it was created was start a trend among developers in how to clone quests and take shortcuts in design just to make a cheap buck. All spellcasters, no matter the class, use the same animations and every quest is a variation of the same 'ol "Kill X creatures for Y reward". The same cloned animations apply among the melee classes as well by the way.
That boring formula has chased off any intelligent gamers and the only ones left are a pack of elitists who spend their time farming and mocking any newcomers asking questions in general chat. Not to mention if you happen to try a pvp server, those same elitist farmers have insane twink alts that camp the newbie zones, killing all new players repeatably until they get bored.
So um, yah, great game to try out if you don't mind wasting your money.
I see you've never played the game.
I think he got eq2 confused with LOTRO, most newcomeres are welcome i see folks asking for help all the time and getting answers. The only ones who dont are the well known ones in chat that everybody knows.
Now you want to see a game that copies stuff look at lotro. It has taken stuff from GW, stuff from wow stuff fromeq2 and crammed it all into a game.
Oh and the pvp thing, if you cant handle the pvp then don't go to the pvp server, anybody should know that.
EQ2 coppied what exacly since it came out before wow and other games. Rofl. So yes I am like what game is he talking about it sure is not eq2.
I'd just like to point out a few things (disclaimer: EQ2 is my favourite mmo, but I also like WoW, I don't get WoW stats on Xfire because I play on Mac).
If you play a trial account and subscribe you get the main game and the first four expansions and three adventure packs for free. If you buy the latest expansion, you get all previous expansions for free (same with EQ1).
The graphics are continually being improved. The client is being updated to Shader 3.0 in the next GU, for example. I run on near max settings (with GPU shadows, CPU shadows are a massive hog) and it's really smooth for me, and my machine is from Jan 2008.
The tradeskills have been dumbed down and are tedious beyond belief. However, they are going to be revamped, probably for the next expansion.
Armour gets better as the game progresses, most the early stuff is crap, I would imagine that's intentional. There has been a massive push from the devs to get better looking gear into the game which is still ongoing.
New race-specific character animations are being worked on at the moment, with each race having different emotes and mannerisms.
Community is different server to server. In my experience it's been one of the best communities in an MMO, very helpful and polite, and the forums are full of people willing to help. On our server I haven't seen the WoW arguments in a long time, not saying it doesn't happen though, I don't pay much attention to 1-9 chat these days. But then I've seen people dissing EQ2 in WoW chat channels, often with incorrect outdated information, so it works both ways.
The marketplace is a danger to me - but it seems to be an MMO mainstay now. Two of my characters are wearing outfits bought with station cash, because they look great, and I ended up buying a couple of vitality potions and a few other bits. It wasn't until my credit card bill came that I realised I spent over £50 (around $75) extra on these items. I'm avoiding even looking on the marketplace at this point. Now, when my vit runs out, I'll play a different character and wait for it to recharge the old fashioned way (I'm still a couple of months off from the veterans reward to reset vit).
I have played Eq2 since releease and still play now because it is a good game. If you have not played Eq2 recently it really is a gem worth checking out.
anyway, that's great that you're paying money to a greedy company for something that you enjoy. As long as you're getting your moneys worth and enjoying it, that's what counts, right?
Not sure how you can say that with a straight face.
SOE wants our money, obviously, they're a business after all.
But you were previously defending WoW, a game that recently sold a $25 mount on it's store...
Vanguard is just a cheap imitation of EQ2 with a different skin to sucker more money out of gamers. Like my earlier post, EQ2 isn't exactly the best game to imitate either.
Vanguard is much more in depth than EQ2 will ever be, it just has no budget and practically no devs, if polished it would be a wonderful MMO.
Besides, if Vanguard was a cheap imitation of EQ 2 I would be playing EQ 2.
More polish, more money behind it, dedicated development team, greater population, regularly updated.
So obviously there have to be differences between them and some that are positive enough to make a person play Vanguard over EQ 2.
Besides, EQ 2 is a fine game, it's just too cute for my tastes.
I'm not sure how to describe it but VG just feels more "RPGish".
I know what you're getting at there as well. It's difficult to put into words... But Vanguard just feels more "right" to me as what a MMORPG should be - to me, of course. Mileage may vary. I *hope*, should VG somehow get more attention from SOE down the line - that they leave the base gameplay intact, that they don't simplify game systems as they did with EQ2 to "appeal to more people", and that they keep it a niche game targeted at a specific playerbase. VG *is* an excellent MMO and I'm seeing more and more little touches of brilliance (as well as a share of bugs and "wtf" moments, to be fair) the longer I play. In short, VG is the first MMO I've found myself wanting to play as much as I do in a long time. FFXI was the last one.
That said, I played EQ2 on and off for some time, played on Antonia Bayle and Nektulos and my main was an Assassin. It was fun for a time, but then lost its spark after a while and I'd find myself just not wanting to log in anymore.
EQ2 at launch and EQ2 as it is now are two very very different games. At launch, EQ2 felt more like a virtual world to me; much as Vanguard does now. Now, EQ2 feels like "a game". I know that comparison is a bit "odd" as they're both technically games... but it speaks more to the overall design and approach to the world of the game. Telon feels much more like a virtual world to me than EQ2's Norrath; far more immersive, consistent and "complete". Again... in my opinion.
Another thing that's irked me since EQ2's launch is its inconsistent design. Some areas look beautiful... they're lush and detailed... Others look rushed and unfinished. And, no, I'm not referring to how a forest would be more detailed than a desert. I mean the attention to detail in the design and construction itelf..
Some creatures are wonderfully animated. Others move like cardboard cut-outs (slight hyperbole there, of course). Some "ambient" details are beautifully implemented... Others are really poorly done; a few examples I've seen every time I've gone back, including the last time which was only a few months back: flocks of birds will nose-dive straight into the ground and then back up. Fish will swim up out of the water and hover above it. Falling stars will shoot up out of the ground. Things like that - especially after all this time - really could have been fixed.
If SOE would go back and do one or two "polish passes" to the game to even things out, make everything more balanced and consistent, it would go a long way.
EQ2's not a bad game by any measure... I've enjoyed it my share when I've played. It just gets old before long.
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Actually...most of these kinds of conversations you see (at least on my server) are started by someone who has recently left WoW and is QQing about something, like actually having to FIND something, find a way to GET there, and use their brain. They tend to, at least some of them, at first, get kind of bent about that. And then some conversation ensues like...."Wha wha wha??? There are no flying mounts?" or ...they have, in their attempt to RUSH to "end game," forgotten that they need AA points, and their character is terribly gimped and they're whining because they can't kill something yet they just watched someone 5 levels lower than them annihilate it and they're whining that that isn't fair and "classes are unbalanced," when it's really just the fact that they aren't improving their character as they level properly, but rather trying to play EQ2 AS THOUGH it were WoW.
So then the chat begins, and the EQ2 players, having heard ALL this SAME SHIT 15 million times (okay, slight exaggeration, but still) in their frustration they begin to tell said player EXACTLY what they think of WoW.
So....unless you see full conversations, or know what transpired in chat maybe in the previous 30 minutes....you can't always gauge why, when, and how these conversations ended up with EQ2 players "hating" on WoW and it's population, and being annoyed at the players that come to EQ2 and want to turn it into WoW....gah.
Imagine if EVERY DAY you logged in to play WoW...someone in chat went on and on and on and ON about how much cooler this that or the other thing was in, idk, let's say in EVE. You'd get endlessly tired of it and just want them to STFU. But they don't....so....an irritation grows and sometimes ends up in a "fuck WoW" conversation. It's perfectly logical to me. People vent their frustrations that way. Meh....big deal. It's not like it goes on ALL the time, at least not on the server I'm from, and when I see it start....I can usually tell you about 5 paragraphs BEFORE it's going to start, because I can see the annoyances in chat leading up to it.
But hey....I'm REAL cool with people that don't like EQ2....staying the hell out of it. Nooooo problem. Play whatever game you ENJOY and those of us that enjoy EQ2....will do the same. That way everyone is happy.
So I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on exactly what it was that left such a bad taste in my mouth about the EQ2 community... until I read your post.
It's that truly old and bitter feeling about it all. I mean, you've got players like Girlgeek, who, through many MMORPG.com posts professes her once-love for WoW - a game she admits to having played happily for years - yet at the same time admits some pretty bitter hatred towards Blizzard for what they've done to the game. So, they pack their shit and leave to find a new home, now that theirs is ruined, and sometimes end up in EQ2. Then, in their guise of a will to help, they watch global chat channels and try to assist new players with their problems because, hey... they loooooovvvvee EQ2 and only want to help it grow. But then, just like any other game, they see the same questions asked daily, and after time can't help but get annoyed - as anyone would - with the stupidity of it all. So, finally, they lash out - like a bitter old man at kids on his lawn - at the very same folks they once set out to 'help' and blame their now arch-nemesis WoW because it's clearly to blame for all the problems.
The problem is, regardless of how much truth there may or may not be to that, instead of just keeping their damned mouths shut, they can't. There's just too much pent-up frustration there to hold back anymore. Rather than taking the advice of the old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", they constantly feel the need to give every poor soul who might have a cross word towards their new love and home a solid piece of their mind. The sad thing is, if they were truly over WoW, they'd just keep their mouths shut and enjoy the game they claim to be enjoying.
TBH I also find it funny how veiled everyone is about what server they're on. Everyone here is all "On MY!!!11oneone!! server things are like..." but fail to mention just which one they play on, as if hiding some well-kept secret. Well I'll tell you right now I played on Antonia Bayle and saw just enough of this bitter tripe to last me a lifetime, and it's a very large part of why I wouldn't bother to head back to EQ2, as I stated in my earlier post. It's a shame too, really, because it is a very decent game. However, to pretend it doesn't suffer from some pretty glaring issues that wear on most people over time is a bit fanboi-esque. Sure, some folks live with them and might not hardly notice them at all, but it doesn't mean they aren't there. Sort of like that super-tasty, ultra-delicious (excuse me - I threw up in my mouth a little) mayonnaisse on that totally awesome Burger King burger. Sure it might be tasty at first, but some of us realize that we're eating egg whites beaten with vinegar/oil, and note that over time, that garbage is just gonna clog up our arteries and kill us. There's a lucky few of us who are outright repulsed by the mere smell, let alone the taste, of mayo to begin with however (yay me!) and just don't stomach it at all and instead, have a natural gag-reflex and spit it out the second it hits our throats. No sense getting upset at the folks who can't stomach your beloved EQ2. Some folks just prefer ketchup and WoW-burgers. Deal with it and move on.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
So I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on exactly what it was that left such a bad taste in my mouth about the EQ2 community... until I read your post.
It's that truly old and bitter feeling about it all. I mean, you've got players like Girlgeek, who, through many MMORPG.com posts professes her once-love for WoW - a game she admits to having played happily for years - yet at the same time admits some pretty bitter hatred towards Blizzard for what they've done to the game. So, they pack their shit and leave to find a new home, now that theirs is ruined, and sometimes end up in EQ2. Then, in their guise of a will to help, they watch global chat channels and try to assist new players with their problems because, hey... they loooooovvvvee EQ2 and only want to help it grow. But then, just like any other game, they see the same questions asked daily, and after time can't help but get annoyed - as anyone would - with the stupidity of it all. So, finally, they lash out - like a bitter old man at kids on his lawn - at the very same folks they once set out to 'help' and blame their now arch-nemesis WoW because it's clearly to blame for all the problems.
The problem is, regardless of how much truth there may or may not be to that, instead of just keeping their damned mouths shut, they can't. There's just too much pent-up frustration there to hold back anymore. Rather than taking the advice of the old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", they constantly feel the need to give every poor soul who might have a cross word towards their new love and home a solid piece of their mind. The sad thing is, if they were truly over WoW, they'd just keep their mouths shut and enjoy the game they claim to be enjoying.
Actually... I know exactly what she's talking about. She was very specific in detailing exactly the behavior she was referring to. Seems to me you're construing what she said in a rather disingenuous way. She's not talking about people "asking questions". She's talking about people repeatedly, daily and at length, complaining that things in EQ2 aren't like WoW and ranting about how "EQ2 sucks" because of it. I've seen exactly the exchanges she is talking about.
I've never seen someone in EQ2 bitch someone out for asking a question. I've seen occasional snarky responses... welcome to the anonymity of a MMO... but I've never seen anyone say "go back to WoW!" because someone asked an honest question.
As for not saying anything unless you have something nice to say.... That applies to the people doing the complaining as well, you know. Are you going to call them "old and bitter" as well?
TBH I also find it funny how veiled everyone is about what server they're on. Everyone here is all "On MY!!!11oneone!! server things are like..." but fail to mention just which one they play on, as if hiding some well-kept secret. Well I'll tell you right now I played on Antonia Bayle and saw just enough of this bitter tripe to last me a lifetime, and it's a very large part of why I wouldn't bother to head back to EQ2, as I stated in my earlier post. It's a shame too, really, because it is a very decent game. However, to pretend it doesn't suffer from some pretty glaring issues that wear on most people over time is a bit fanboi-esque. Sure, some folks live with them and might not hardly notice them at all, but it doesn't mean they aren't there. Sort of like that super-tasty, ultra-delicious (excuse me - I threw up in my mouth a little) mayonnaisse on that totally awesome Burger King burger. Sure it might be tasty at first, but some of us realize that we're eating egg whites beaten with vinegar/oil, and note that over time, that garbage is just gonna clog up our arteries and kill us. There's a lucky few of us who are outright repulsed by the mere smell, let alone the taste, of mayo to begin with however (yay me!) and just don't stomach it at all and instead, have a natural gag-reflex and spit it out the second it hits our throats. No sense getting upset at the folks who can't stomach your beloved EQ2. Some folks just prefer ketchup and WoW-burgers. Deal with it and move on.
"If you can't say something nice...."
Didn't someone just say that very recently in this thread? Hmm... Shiymmas, any idea who might have said that?
"If you just step away for a sec you will clearly see all the pot holes in the road, and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
So I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on exactly what it was that left such a bad taste in my mouth about the EQ2 community... until I read your post.
It's that truly old and bitter feeling about it all. I mean, you've got players like Girlgeek, who, through many MMORPG.com posts professes her once-love for WoW - a game she admits to having played happily for years - yet at the same time admits some pretty bitter hatred towards Blizzard for what they've done to the game. So, they pack their shit and leave to find a new home, now that theirs is ruined, and sometimes end up in EQ2. Then, in their guise of a will to help, they watch global chat channels and try to assist new players with their problems because, hey... they loooooovvvvee EQ2 and only want to help it grow. But then, just like any other game, they see the same questions asked daily, and after time can't help but get annoyed - as anyone would - with the stupidity of it all. So, finally, they lash out - like a bitter old man at kids on his lawn - at the very same folks they once set out to 'help' and blame their now arch-nemesis WoW because it's clearly to blame for all the problems.
The problem is, regardless of how much truth there may or may not be to that, instead of just keeping their damned mouths shut, they can't. There's just too much pent-up frustration there to hold back anymore. Rather than taking the advice of the old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", they constantly feel the need to give every poor soul who might have a cross word towards their new love and home a solid piece of their mind. The sad thing is, if they were truly over WoW, they'd just keep their mouths shut and enjoy the game they claim to be enjoying.
Actually... I know exactly what she's talking about. She was very specific in detailing exactly the behavior she was referring to. Seems to me you're construing what she said in a rather disingenuous way. She's not talking about people "asking questions". She's talking about people repeatedly, daily and at length, complaining that things in EQ2 aren't like WoW and ranting about how "EQ2 sucks" because of it. I've seen exactly the exchanges she is talking about.
I've never seen someone in EQ2 bitch someone out for asking a question. I've seen occasional snarky responses... welcome to the anonymity of a MMO... but I've never seen anyone say "go back to WoW!" because someone asked an honest question.
As for not saying anything unless you have something nice to say.... That applies to the people doing the complaining as well, you know. Are you going to call them "old and bitter" as well?
TBH I also find it funny how veiled everyone is about what server they're on. Everyone here is all "On MY!!!11oneone!! server things are like..." but fail to mention just which one they play on, as if hiding some well-kept secret. Well I'll tell you right now I played on Antonia Bayle and saw just enough of this bitter tripe to last me a lifetime, and it's a very large part of why I wouldn't bother to head back to EQ2, as I stated in my earlier post. It's a shame too, really, because it is a very decent game. However, to pretend it doesn't suffer from some pretty glaring issues that wear on most people over time is a bit fanboi-esque. Sure, some folks live with them and might not hardly notice them at all, but it doesn't mean they aren't there. Sort of like that super-tasty, ultra-delicious (excuse me - I threw up in my mouth a little) mayonnaisse on that totally awesome Burger King burger. Sure it might be tasty at first, but some of us realize that we're eating egg whites beaten with vinegar/oil, and note that over time, that garbage is just gonna clog up our arteries and kill us. There's a lucky few of us who are outright repulsed by the mere smell, let alone the taste, of mayo to begin with however (yay me!) and just don't stomach it at all and instead, have a natural gag-reflex and spit it out the second it hits our throats. No sense getting upset at the folks who can't stomach your beloved EQ2. Some folks just prefer ketchup and WoW-burgers. Deal with it and move on.
"If you can't say something nice...."
Didn't someone just say that very recently in this thread? Hmm... Shiymmas, any idea who might have said that?
Touche!
However, the attitude I'm talking about here - and don't get me wrong, I'm using Girlgeek's post as an example - is one that's shared by many of the players. Sure, when I played I saw exactly the exchanges she uses in her example. Giving them credence is precisely why such trolls exist. They want a reaction, and guised by sincerity they get them, regularly.
I always found it amazing how the community in EQ2 could be so steadfast in outright ignoring trolls (and making them feel as little as they are) who'd try diligently to get a reaction with some poor Chuck Norris joke or a racist/politically charged statement, yet would completely fall prey to the same people who'd bring up WoW. Rather than letting them spin their wheels and sling mud only on themselves, the EQ2 community perpetually allowed these idiots to get traction and take over whatever global chat they were in. Being the type of person who wanted to actively participate in the community at large, this type of thing made it impossible as chat would degrade constantly throughout the day into this sort of anti-WoW rhetoric.
All of that said, the reason I bring the whole thing up is as a means to point out the issue and discuss it. While my post above may seem a bit harsh, I'm only responding in kind to the poster, who when pressed, reacted rather poorly to her detractors. Specifically, though, my point about saying something nice was with regards to how often the elitists of the EQ2 community would lash out against folks who would sincerely ask questions, particularly if they related it to what they knew of games they've formerly played, and especially if it was WoW.
Again, the whole experience was a rather poor one IMO, and while many will profess that EQ2 has some grand and mature community, I found a rather different thing altogether. On top of that, it was on the most populated server in the game at the time I played (probably still is), which was and RP-PVE server - one which you would imagine would hold a higher level of maturity to begin with, and would have a lesser population of the poor attitudes you might find on a PVP server.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it." George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde
Actually...most of these kinds of conversations you see (at least on my server) are started by someone who has recently left WoW and is QQing about something, like actually having to FIND something, find a way to GET there, and use their brain. They tend to, at least some of them, at first, get kind of bent about that. And then some conversation ensues like...."Wha wha wha??? There are no flying mounts?" or ...they have, in their attempt to RUSH to "end game," forgotten that they need AA points, and their character is terribly gimped and they're whining because they can't kill something yet they just watched someone 5 levels lower than them annihilate it and they're whining that that isn't fair and "classes are unbalanced," when it's really just the fact that they aren't improving their character as they level properly, but rather trying to play EQ2 AS THOUGH it were WoW.
.....clipped for brevity......
But hey....I'm REAL cool with people that don't like EQ2....staying the hell out of it. Nooooo problem. Play whatever game you ENJOY and those of us that enjoy EQ2....will do the same. That way everyone is happy.
So I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on exactly what it was that left such a bad taste in my mouth about the EQ2 community... until I read your post.
.....clipped for brevity.....
Oh....I'm on Everfrost. No secret whatsoever, as a matter of fact, several people from here have emailed and asked me what server I'm on and I tell them. I don't generally think most people care what server someone is on, but....if it will make you happy, I'll start announcing it in EQ2 threads, just so there's no misunderstanding about being "secretive" or anything.
I think I actually got used to NOT saying what server I was on when playing WoW....sort of the paranoia that sets in about your account being hacked, I suppose. Something I don't have to worry about really so much in EQ2, so....whatever. Sorry you take such ISSUE with it.
And....I'm glad I could remind you of that "bad taste in your mouth," because I certainly enjoy being able to return the favor.
Eq2 is a great game i played when it launced before i played wow, but quit due to the eu server being in the usa !! which they changed eventually. I went back a arounda year later and stayed for a while but i eventually quit again the performance was always up and down for me but still really enjoyed it had a great community was great pve loved questing in it.
Quit again tho got bored with leveling in it its a massive goal to max out a char in this game i found.
Anyway last time i played was when they added the fairys ...... id been playing a few months at this time before it and then when the fairys came it just destroyed the game for me i couldnt stand playing with fairys around me !!!!!!!! so i quit lol
Wow suffers from the "hiding among a crowd" mentality of a game that attracts a wide variety of players. It is easy to act out and remain hidden among a crowd.
EQ2 suffers from the hive mind clique mentality of a game that is reduced to hard core fans. A sort of refined elitism if you will. In a strange way the hatred for wow is sort of a bonding glue for the eq2 community. It seems to be the center stage for most arguments about the positives of EQ2, instead of the actual aspects of eq2 itself.
Both communities have their problems. Both communities have their benefits and boons.
Rofl, I want viel the servier I am on. Come join the Party. I am in Just Havin Fun guild, I am an officer and a guild recruiter so you want a guild swap servers, or better yet come own down and create a new toon, I will be glad to sign you up. Now mind you Nektulos server is medium load even on the best of nights at least were not ab who continually crashes do to its huge population load.
The only reason I wish WoW had never come into existance, is that it retarded the overall development of MMOs. MMO's are about 10 years behind where they should because of WoW. Anyone that defends WoW as anything other than a brand recognition free for all that photocopied its existance from previous games is lying to themselves.
I dont begrudge the fans their game, in fact like it was forementioned, I hope too that it retains ALL its players. Frankly I dont want most of them ruining my time in other games I might enjoy just because Im babysitting Wow babies and not getting paid for it.
Frankly, WoW is the wound, but its players are the disease that has infected it. I hope the infection stays localized.
And yes people in EQ2 hate on WoW. Just like arena rock fans back in the day hated disco.
The masses rarely know whats going on, thats why popular opinion terrifies me.
Comments
The article also forgot to mention how incredibly ugly the art direction is for EQ2. Having so many customization options for your characters physical appearance means little when everybody looks dog faced ugly, and 95% of the armor looks like neon colored spray painted tin cans and sack of potatoe robes
The funniest part are the elitist forumers on the SOE forum that try to defend the art style, calling it "dark" and "realistic". I guess that's why the game is crammed with pop culture references jokes that they beat you over the head with like an episode of family guy
Actually...most of these kinds of conversations you see (at least on my server) are started by someone who has recently left WoW and is QQing about something, like actually having to FIND something, find a way to GET there, and use their brain. They tend to, at least some of them, at first, get kind of bent about that. And then some conversation ensues like...."Wha wha wha??? There are no flying mounts?" or ...they have, in their attempt to RUSH to "end game," forgotten that they need AA points, and their character is terribly gimped and they're whining because they can't kill something yet they just watched someone 5 levels lower than them annihilate it and they're whining that that isn't fair and "classes are unbalanced," when it's really just the fact that they aren't improving their character as they level properly, but rather trying to play EQ2 AS THOUGH it were WoW.
So then the chat begins, and the EQ2 players, having heard ALL this SAME SHIT 15 million times (okay, slight exaggeration, but still) in their frustration they begin to tell said player EXACTLY what they think of WoW.
So....unless you see full conversations, or know what transpired in chat maybe in the previous 30 minutes....you can't always gauge why, when, and how these conversations ended up with EQ2 players "hating" on WoW and it's population, and being annoyed at the players that come to EQ2 and want to turn it into WoW....gah.
Imagine if EVERY DAY you logged in to play WoW...someone in chat went on and on and on and ON about how much cooler this that or the other thing was in, idk, let's say in EVE. You'd get endlessly tired of it and just want them to STFU. But they don't....so....an irritation grows and sometimes ends up in a "fuck WoW" conversation. It's perfectly logical to me. People vent their frustrations that way. Meh....big deal. It's not like it goes on ALL the time, at least not on the server I'm from, and when I see it start....I can usually tell you about 5 paragraphs BEFORE it's going to start, because I can see the annoyances in chat leading up to it.
But hey....I'm REAL cool with people that don't like EQ2....staying the hell out of it. Nooooo problem. Play whatever game you ENJOY and those of us that enjoy EQ2....will do the same.
That way everyone is happy. 
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
There are a lot of valid points made in this thread about pros and cons of EQ2 and there were also a lot of comparing apples to oranges. I myself share the pension of the OP in that i tend to play a single game for long periods of time but also stray when something new and shiney catches my eye.
The one thing that rings true to me is that from a distance all of these games are the same. The one true difference i've found in all these games is the social aspect. The forming of relationships within the community and experiencing the game as part of a collective has solidified my interest in some games, that without, i would have lost interest in quickly.
The best advice i could give anyone that plans to try this game, or any other, is to reserve judgement and not try it with a bad taste already in your mouth. You will only get out of this game or any other, what you put in to it. Make friends, respect your peers and you may find yourself having fun before you know it.....
lmao I noticed the constant WoW bashing in EQ2 also. Instead of actually talking about the game that they're playing at that moment, they need to bash the one that's a hundred times more successful and popular than theirs lol
EQ2 players are really sad and petty, its like they play it because they want to be unique and different than the popular crowd, even if the alternative is a big stinking pile of dog crap
rofl!
folks hate hate hate if this was a wow forum there would be almost the same responses , you people on these forums really need to step back and ask yourself is it the games or is it me because i can find fun in wow everquest eq2 and many others ,however when i start picking then i log off and go outside .
i will tell anyone who has read this far , i have stuck with the original everquest forever because it was my first and i love the feel of the game . its hard its challenging there isnt a free ride unless you take it.
wow easy fun and enjoyable till you reach the top then its repetitive and boring.
eq2 because of my love of eq 1 i really never liked eq2 i did play it it was fun however it was to me a poor copy of my beloved everquest and i went back to eq. if i had never played eq1 i would have probebly been still playing eq2 and it has had several improvements.
Some lead and some follow I prefer to stand beside!
Wow could'nt have said it better myself!
EverQuest II may have a lot of races, but the only race with their own animations are the Sarnak, all of the other races share the exact same animations. None of the animations are even good, they're quite awful.
You may find that that turns out to be a blessing in disguise...hehe.
I thought EQ II was a decent game, it just did not hold my interest in the long term. The race/class mix and the good and evil setting were particular strengths. The questing could be repetitive and the pvp was very random but not intrusive.
I beta tested EQ2 and Everquest classic was my first mmo. I was so in love with EQ2 back then and it broke my heart to see what they did to it over the years. The graphic quality was downgraded and contracted to a chinese company called Soga. Even later after much protest when they said they would stop you could still see the Soga mark on the crappy style and the muddy lack luster color palet that continued. I have a screen shot of my beta wood elf and some from later years. You can see the progressively simpler and less beautiful faces. Much of the world surfices appear muddy and dirty looking as well. The animals while many are decent creations move with choppy animations where too few frames were used to make them.
There were quest lines that dead ended because they were not finished and wire frame armor repeated over and over many many times with only color pattern chnages made. Then they harshly nerfed the loot tables so badly for fear of RMT farmers that people stopped doing most dungeons because the rewards were just not worth it. They over simplified the game by removing the sub class progression also. The game still has some bugs that are years old and ether lags if yoru not running a high end computer or looks horrible on low settings.
EQ2 had such wonderful potential but it has just not been treated very kindly by its devs.
Not sure how you can say that with a straight face.
SOE wants our money, obviously, they're a business after all.
But you were previously defending WoW, a game that recently sold a $25 mount on it's store...
I think he got eq2 confused with LOTRO, most newcomeres are welcome i see folks asking for help all the time and getting answers. The only ones who dont are the well known ones in chat that everybody knows.
Now you want to see a game that copies stuff look at lotro. It has taken stuff from GW, stuff from wow stuff fromeq2 and crammed it all into a game.
Oh and the pvp thing, if you cant handle the pvp then don't go to the pvp server, anybody should know that.
EQ2 coppied what exacly since it came out before wow and other games. Rofl. So yes I am like what game is he talking about it sure is not eq2.
I'd just like to point out a few things (disclaimer: EQ2 is my favourite mmo, but I also like WoW, I don't get WoW stats on Xfire because I play on Mac).
If you play a trial account and subscribe you get the main game and the first four expansions and three adventure packs for free. If you buy the latest expansion, you get all previous expansions for free (same with EQ1).
The graphics are continually being improved. The client is being updated to Shader 3.0 in the next GU, for example. I run on near max settings (with GPU shadows, CPU shadows are a massive hog) and it's really smooth for me, and my machine is from Jan 2008.
The tradeskills have been dumbed down and are tedious beyond belief. However, they are going to be revamped, probably for the next expansion.
Armour gets better as the game progresses, most the early stuff is crap, I would imagine that's intentional. There has been a massive push from the devs to get better looking gear into the game which is still ongoing.
New race-specific character animations are being worked on at the moment, with each race having different emotes and mannerisms.
Community is different server to server. In my experience it's been one of the best communities in an MMO, very helpful and polite, and the forums are full of people willing to help. On our server I haven't seen the WoW arguments in a long time, not saying it doesn't happen though, I don't pay much attention to 1-9 chat these days. But then I've seen people dissing EQ2 in WoW chat channels, often with incorrect outdated information, so it works both ways.
The marketplace is a danger to me - but it seems to be an MMO mainstay now. Two of my characters are wearing outfits bought with station cash, because they look great, and I ended up buying a couple of vitality potions and a few other bits. It wasn't until my credit card bill came that I realised I spent over £50 (around $75) extra on these items. I'm avoiding even looking on the marketplace at this point. Now, when my vit runs out, I'll play a different character and wait for it to recharge the old fashioned way (I'm still a couple of months off from the veterans reward to reset vit).
I have played Eq2 since releease and still play now because it is a good game. If you have not played Eq2 recently it really is a gem worth checking out.
Great point.
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
I know what you're getting at there as well. It's difficult to put into words... But Vanguard just feels more "right" to me as what a MMORPG should be - to me, of course. Mileage may vary. I *hope*, should VG somehow get more attention from SOE down the line - that they leave the base gameplay intact, that they don't simplify game systems as they did with EQ2 to "appeal to more people", and that they keep it a niche game targeted at a specific playerbase. VG *is* an excellent MMO and I'm seeing more and more little touches of brilliance (as well as a share of bugs and "wtf" moments, to be fair) the longer I play. In short, VG is the first MMO I've found myself wanting to play as much as I do in a long time. FFXI was the last one.
That said, I played EQ2 on and off for some time, played on Antonia Bayle and Nektulos and my main was an Assassin. It was fun for a time, but then lost its spark after a while and I'd find myself just not wanting to log in anymore.
EQ2 at launch and EQ2 as it is now are two very very different games. At launch, EQ2 felt more like a virtual world to me; much as Vanguard does now. Now, EQ2 feels like "a game". I know that comparison is a bit "odd" as they're both technically games... but it speaks more to the overall design and approach to the world of the game. Telon feels much more like a virtual world to me than EQ2's Norrath; far more immersive, consistent and "complete". Again... in my opinion.
Another thing that's irked me since EQ2's launch is its inconsistent design. Some areas look beautiful... they're lush and detailed... Others look rushed and unfinished. And, no, I'm not referring to how a forest would be more detailed than a desert. I mean the attention to detail in the design and construction itelf..
Some creatures are wonderfully animated. Others move like cardboard cut-outs (slight hyperbole there, of course). Some "ambient" details are beautifully implemented... Others are really poorly done; a few examples I've seen every time I've gone back, including the last time which was only a few months back: flocks of birds will nose-dive straight into the ground and then back up. Fish will swim up out of the water and hover above it. Falling stars will shoot up out of the ground. Things like that - especially after all this time - really could have been fixed.
If SOE would go back and do one or two "polish passes" to the game to even things out, make everything more balanced and consistent, it would go a long way.
EQ2's not a bad game by any measure... I've enjoyed it my share when I've played. It just gets old before long.
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
So I couldn't for the life of me put my finger on exactly what it was that left such a bad taste in my mouth about the EQ2 community... until I read your post.
It's that truly old and bitter feeling about it all. I mean, you've got players like Girlgeek, who, through many MMORPG.com posts professes her once-love for WoW - a game she admits to having played happily for years - yet at the same time admits some pretty bitter hatred towards Blizzard for what they've done to the game. So, they pack their shit and leave to find a new home, now that theirs is ruined, and sometimes end up in EQ2. Then, in their guise of a will to help, they watch global chat channels and try to assist new players with their problems because, hey... they loooooovvvvee EQ2 and only want to help it grow. But then, just like any other game, they see the same questions asked daily, and after time can't help but get annoyed - as anyone would - with the stupidity of it all. So, finally, they lash out - like a bitter old man at kids on his lawn - at the very same folks they once set out to 'help' and blame their now arch-nemesis WoW because it's clearly to blame for all the problems.
The problem is, regardless of how much truth there may or may not be to that, instead of just keeping their damned mouths shut, they can't. There's just too much pent-up frustration there to hold back anymore. Rather than taking the advice of the old adage, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all", they constantly feel the need to give every poor soul who might have a cross word towards their new love and home a solid piece of their mind. The sad thing is, if they were truly over WoW, they'd just keep their mouths shut and enjoy the game they claim to be enjoying.
TBH I also find it funny how veiled everyone is about what server they're on. Everyone here is all "On MY!!!11oneone!! server things are like..." but fail to mention just which one they play on, as if hiding some well-kept secret. Well I'll tell you right now I played on Antonia Bayle and saw just enough of this bitter tripe to last me a lifetime, and it's a very large part of why I wouldn't bother to head back to EQ2, as I stated in my earlier post. It's a shame too, really, because it is a very decent game. However, to pretend it doesn't suffer from some pretty glaring issues that wear on most people over time is a bit fanboi-esque. Sure, some folks live with them and might not hardly notice them at all, but it doesn't mean they aren't there. Sort of like that super-tasty, ultra-delicious (excuse me - I threw up in my mouth a little) mayonnaisse on that totally awesome Burger King burger. Sure it might be tasty at first, but some of us realize that we're eating egg whites beaten with vinegar/oil, and note that over time, that garbage is just gonna clog up our arteries and kill us. There's a lucky few of us who are outright repulsed by the mere smell, let alone the taste, of mayo to begin with however (yay me!) and just don't stomach it at all and instead, have a natural gag-reflex and spit it out the second it hits our throats. No sense getting upset at the folks who can't stomach your beloved EQ2. Some folks just prefer ketchup and WoW-burgers. Deal with it and move on.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
and the cash shop selling asphalt..." - Mimzel on F2P/Cash Shops
Touche!
However, the attitude I'm talking about here - and don't get me wrong, I'm using Girlgeek's post as an example - is one that's shared by many of the players. Sure, when I played I saw exactly the exchanges she uses in her example. Giving them credence is precisely why such trolls exist. They want a reaction, and guised by sincerity they get them, regularly.
I always found it amazing how the community in EQ2 could be so steadfast in outright ignoring trolls (and making them feel as little as they are) who'd try diligently to get a reaction with some poor Chuck Norris joke or a racist/politically charged statement, yet would completely fall prey to the same people who'd bring up WoW. Rather than letting them spin their wheels and sling mud only on themselves, the EQ2 community perpetually allowed these idiots to get traction and take over whatever global chat they were in. Being the type of person who wanted to actively participate in the community at large, this type of thing made it impossible as chat would degrade constantly throughout the day into this sort of anti-WoW rhetoric.
All of that said, the reason I bring the whole thing up is as a means to point out the issue and discuss it. While my post above may seem a bit harsh, I'm only responding in kind to the poster, who when pressed, reacted rather poorly to her detractors. Specifically, though, my point about saying something nice was with regards to how often the elitists of the EQ2 community would lash out against folks who would sincerely ask questions, particularly if they related it to what they knew of games they've formerly played, and especially if it was WoW.
Again, the whole experience was a rather poor one IMO, and while many will profess that EQ2 has some grand and mature community, I found a rather different thing altogether. On top of that, it was on the most populated server in the game at the time I played (probably still is), which was and RP-PVE server - one which you would imagine would hold a higher level of maturity to begin with, and would have a lesser population of the poor attitudes you might find on a PVP server.
"The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
George Bernard Shaw
What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing.
Oscar Wilde
President of The Marvelously Meowhead Fan Club
Eq2 is a great game i played when it launced before i played wow, but quit due to the eu server being in the usa !! which they changed eventually. I went back a arounda year later and stayed for a while but i eventually quit again the performance was always up and down for me but still really enjoyed it had a great community was great pve loved questing in it.
Quit again tho got bored with leveling in it its a massive goal to max out a char in this game i found.
Anyway last time i played was when they added the fairys ...... id been playing a few months at this time before it and then when the fairys came it just destroyed the game for me i couldnt stand playing with fairys around me !!!!!!!! so i quit lol
Wow suffers from the "hiding among a crowd" mentality of a game that attracts a wide variety of players. It is easy to act out and remain hidden among a crowd.
EQ2 suffers from the hive mind clique mentality of a game that is reduced to hard core fans. A sort of refined elitism if you will. In a strange way the hatred for wow is sort of a bonding glue for the eq2 community. It seems to be the center stage for most arguments about the positives of EQ2, instead of the actual aspects of eq2 itself.
Both communities have their problems. Both communities have their benefits and boons.
Rofl, I want viel the servier I am on. Come join the Party. I am in Just Havin Fun guild, I am an officer and a guild recruiter so you want a guild swap servers, or better yet come own down and create a new toon, I will be glad to sign you up. Now mind you Nektulos server is medium load even on the best of nights at least were not ab who continually crashes do to its huge population load.
Isest - 90 SK, Ibiteandscratch - 90 Troubadour, Garibaldi - 90 Warlock, Ratycat - 65 wizard, and others.
No hiding here all you got to do is go to eq2players.com and look me up not hiding there either like some folks try and do.
I think EQ2 is a great game there always lots of stuff to do.
The only reason I wish WoW had never come into existance, is that it retarded the overall development of MMOs. MMO's are about 10 years behind where they should because of WoW. Anyone that defends WoW as anything other than a brand recognition free for all that photocopied its existance from previous games is lying to themselves.
I dont begrudge the fans their game, in fact like it was forementioned, I hope too that it retains ALL its players. Frankly I dont want most of them ruining my time in other games I might enjoy just because Im babysitting Wow babies and not getting paid for it.
Frankly, WoW is the wound, but its players are the disease that has infected it. I hope the infection stays localized.
And yes people in EQ2 hate on WoW. Just like arena rock fans back in the day hated disco.
The masses rarely know whats going on, thats why popular opinion terrifies me.