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When did this game start sucking?

Veiled_lightVeiled_light Member UncommonPosts: 855
in Everquest II
I remember being in the beta 0 and loving it, the game had one server and it had several instances for each zone. I thought this is how they would do it so people were kept together.... I thought it was a good design. I had so much fun in that beta, I had hoped the boats would be implemented all the way around instead of bells, but instead they got rid of them and put bells everywhere which was a shame.... even if when you loaded to a new area they dropped you in the Ocean lol. 

I wanted the class system to change however, I remember so many people spending 20 levels to work out if they liked a class or not, then quitting for good. So then eventually made a change to get rid of the archetype system for classes as it just didn't work. 

I remember the game being so well polished and amazing from the Isle of Refuge through the cities and CL and Antonica.... but after that it fell apart. I remember every zone being so poorly made, even CL and Antonica looked barren, but at leas they had a bit of content. However my best times were questing in the cities which blew me away! The first timeI ever encountered an MMO where you could quest throughout the levels without grinding.

What really amazed me about EQ2 questing even over WoW is the quests were original, they made you think and you had to solve puzzles. Where WoW you just got a waypoint and killed 10 mobs, in EQ2 you got a riddle, had to work it out and then did something different when you got there. I remember those Froglok Quests and the two Adventure packs and they had some really cool stuff in them. 

This brings me onto Desert of Flames and Kingdom of Sky which I have fond memories of harder content... Kingdom of Sky not so much, but Desert of Flames felt really more of an extension of what EQ2 was meant to be. 

However Echoes of Faydwer came and I felt like it was trying to copy WoW, it made the game easier and I hated it...


Just wondering where you think EQ2 was ruined? I know the launch killed it, we all warned them in beta it was too early. However beyond that, where did the game really start to change?

Comments

  • AmatheAmathe Member LegendaryPosts: 7,630
    A lot of people like this game. I liked it when I played it.
    Tokken

    EQ1, EQ2, SWG, SWTOR, GW, GW2 CoH, CoV, FFXI, WoW, CO, War,TSW and a slew of free trials and beta tests

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    There were only a few zones i could say were poorly done,Nektulos being one of those.I enjoyed my long stay in the game.I have been thinking of going back to play it again with a new player.

    If you are going back to the very beginning,then yes a fair bit changed but the overall gaming experience is imo pretty close to the same.
    I do this a lot over the years i go back and play games again because my memory is so bad it feels brand new again.Also there are soooo many zones and still to this day some i never even entered or could barely remember that again it gives it a fresh feel.

    Like i said my memory is pretty bad but i am certain they even changed the noob training isle,actually i am certain of it.I can't even really recall the first iteration of noob isle.

    I spent 90% of my play time in the evil side,so i think i'll try more of the Palladin side "Qeynos" "SonyEq lol" this go around.Like i would likely know the Commonlands like the back of my hand even though my memory sucks just because i played through it so many times.

    The only two real peeves i had were the cramming of too many creatures in one small area and not a big fan of the sewers.Too bad DBG doesn't pickup on Square's QOL features inside of FFXI,i can make an entire party by myself.

    Yep i made up my mind ..lol,red leader i'm going in.I'll likely make a liar of myself and start in Evil side :p
    cheyaneTokkenSevenwind

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    edited June 2020
    Well sadly i don't have it installed on this PC so it'll be a 2 hour wait ...

    If anyone wants to tag along,let me know otherwise i'll just search for a merc and hangout do some tripping around.Well i'll be on starter isle i assume if it's still there.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • cheyanecheyane Member LegendaryPosts: 9,385
    I played this game too from Beta and then at launch. Things were bad at launch and many left for WoW. I stayed but my guild fell apart from so many leaving. 

    I came back a year later and things were changed but I felt it was for the better. I enjoyed it and made some carpenters and two amazing (*if I may say so myself) houses. 

    Then I came back again and played on the Time Locked server and enjoyed that too.

    I think Everquest 2 is a good game and might have done better but not against that juggernaut WoW releasing a few weeks later. That was an impossible rival and perhaps it diminished what it could have been.
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  • vegetableoilvegetableoil Member RarePosts: 768
    Wizardry said:
    Well sadly i don't have it installed on this PC so it'll be a 2 hour wait ...

    If anyone wants to tag along,let me know otherwise i'll just search for a merc and hangout do some tripping around.Well i'll be on starter isle i assume if it's still there.
    I completely forgot the game exists, but last I played you can't solo the game, it's a group base trinity system. I'm going in to see how it is now.
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    edited June 2020
    Yep i remember the modem days very well,i started way back trying to game with a 14.4 modem.I was one of the last 56k users trying  to compete in UT99,was rough.The local cable business went under and took awhile for a new buyer and they took awhile to update all the old cables across the city.I think i may have even been playing FFXi on 56k for a year but can't remember.


    Well i logged in to see all my players were on Skyfire.I did grab a 1 month sub using Steam Wallet and rolled a new character on Traditional server.I do see what i think is the starter isle .Already forgot this isle but i remember seeing Queens Colony so i assume that is the friendly side starter isle but i don't know,maybe they renamed Qeynos.

    Anyhow on a boat,i kind of remember this part,have to do a few things before landing.Sometimes it's good to have such a bad memory lmao,it feels like a new game for me.

    Installed EQ2 interface as well,should be good to go.

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • centkincentkin Member RarePosts: 1,527
    DMKano said:
    As a diehard EQ1 fan who at the time mistakenly believed that EQ2 was made for EQ1 fans and not entirely different playerbase - the game sucked for me since launch.

    I thought that EQ2 was EQ1 with better graphics - didnt realize that gameplay was significantly changed. 

    Man did I hate EQ2 - and I never liked the game as for me to this day EQ1 is simply far better game.

    What really messes EQ1 up for me is the veteran rewards.  If I were to come back, I'd always not be able to do some very key things.
  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,976
    I thought it started sucking when they completely revamped it and made it WoW 2......
  • TheocritusTheocritus Member LegendaryPosts: 9,976
    DMKano said:
    As a diehard EQ1 fan who at the time mistakenly believed that EQ2 was made for EQ1 fans and not entirely different playerbase - the game sucked for me since launch.

    I thought that EQ2 was EQ1 with better graphics - didnt realize that gameplay was significantly changed. 

    Man did I hate EQ2 - and I never liked the game as for me to this day EQ1 is simply far better game.

    I didn't hate EQ2 but it was not the same feeling as EQ1...The world just wasn't the same...The classes were not as good....About the only thing I thought EQ2 improved was our homes and those were instanced so take that for what it is worth.
  • IselinIselin Member LegendaryPosts: 18,719
    I don't think it sucks but just how Asherons Call 2 was not a better AC, EQ2 was not a better EQ.

    If you make a "2" or a "3" of anything you'd better make damn sure it's equal to or better than "1" in every way or it will be received poorly.
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  • kitaradkitarad Member LegendaryPosts: 8,164
    Theocritus said:
    DMKano said:
    As a diehard EQ1 fan who at the time mistakenly believed that EQ2 was made for EQ1 fans and not entirely different playerbase - the game sucked for me since launch.

    I thought that EQ2 was EQ1 with better graphics - didnt realize that gameplay was significantly changed. 

    Man did I hate EQ2 - and I never liked the game as for me to this day EQ1 is simply far better game.

    I didn't hate EQ2 but it was not the same feeling as EQ1...The world just wasn't the same...The classes were not as good....About the only thing I thought EQ2 improved was our homes and those were instanced so take that for what it is worth.

    The housing was superior I enjoyed that aspect of the game immensely.

  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Eq2 is not meant to be the same as EQ1.
    Eq2 is similar to Wow,matter of fact it is identical even to where Wow has the Wailing caverns similar to EQ2 and Wailing Caves.

    EQ1 is more akin to FFXI.

    Wow and EQ2 were a different take on how you play,mostly hand holding/questing.
    Eq1 and FFXi were mostly no hand holding and not really quest oriented.However in saying that both have quests,FFXI has a LOT of quests.

    Yep no question that housing was EQ2's strong point and why i cannot understand why anyone would have chosen Wow.I have a good eye for decorating homes but i am not good at it.I saw some AMAZING decorated homes in EQ2,stuff that blew me away,i didn't even think possible.

    I look at some of my homes from past days and a few just have a pile of stuff all clumped into one room waiting for the day i am motivated to decorate lol.

    IMO EQ2 is the best at that type of mmorpg,the Wowesque design,it offers a lot of small things to give you more options of things to enjoy.Like the fair/events,collections,furnishing homes,mercenaries,crafting trainers,pack pony,all sorts of little ideas.The way guilds are implemented is also a nice touch ,again gives you something to work on.






    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • TeakStrangiatoTeakStrangiato Member UncommonPosts: 34
    The problem with EQ2 is its combat.  Its a giant mess of insane amounts of hotbars and a lot of whack a mole.  So much bloat.

    However it has some of the best quests in the genre (heritage quests are great) and the best instanced housing ever.

    I also like it had a mix of instanced and non instanced dungeons, and many of the instanced dungeons had puzzles to solve to progress.

    It got dungeons right, at least at launch


  • TeakStrangiatoTeakStrangiato Member UncommonPosts: 34
    Iselin said:
    I don't think it sucks but just how Asherons Call 2 was not a better AC, EQ2 was not a better EQ.

    If you make a "2" or a "3" of anything you'd better make damn sure it's equal to or better than "1" in every way or it will be received poorly.
    Just ask Naughty Dog about this one...
  • KyleranKyleran Member LegendaryPosts: 43,975
    Iselin said:
    I don't think it sucks but just how Asherons Call 2 was not a better AC, EQ2 was not a better EQ.

    If you make a "2" or a "3" of anything you'd better make damn sure it's equal to or better than "1" in every way or it will be received poorly.
    Hmm, very insightful, in fact I'd say the very concept of a MMORPG sequel was perhaps flawed, or at least poorly executed by developers in the early years.

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  • AkulasAkulas Member RarePosts: 3,028
    When they did main stat + stam or when they introduced critical mitigation or w/e it's called. Or earlier maybe EoF era onwards it started to suck. Or, about a month or so before it went f2p. Take your pick. Can't comment on the last couple years though but it's most likely not as good as it once was.

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  • TillerTiller Member LegendaryPosts: 11,449
    It started sucking after everyone cleared each expansion as there was no incentive to go back to the expansion zones or help newer players in them.
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  • TokkenTokken Member EpicPosts: 3,644
    It sucked when everyone started power leveling to end game.  I loved questing and doing dungeons in groups.  I enjoyed the ride and didn't want to level too fast. 
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  • NyghthowlerNyghthowler Member UncommonPosts: 392
    remsleep said:
    Kyleran said:
    Iselin said:
    I don't think it sucks but just how Asherons Call 2 was not a better AC, EQ2 was not a better EQ.

    If you make a "2" or a "3" of anything you'd better make damn sure it's equal to or better than "1" in every way or it will be received poorly.
    Hmm, very insightful, in fact I'd say the very concept of a MMORPG sequel was perhaps flawed, or at least poorly executed by developers in the early years.

    I think that unlike single player games - mmo sequels were never meant to compete with the original game. Instead the devs would make them to attract a new playerbase that the original failed to grab.

    This is why the fans of original often didnt like the sequel- and vice versa

    I like EQ1 and disliked EQ2 for this very reason, as EQ2 just lacked all the goodies that EQ1 had
    As long as some games take to develop I think they are being aimed at the next generation of players. We as posters on these forums loudly lament the fact that players now a days want things fast, Fast, NOW! 
  • kitaradkitarad Member LegendaryPosts: 8,164
    remsleep said:
    Kyleran said:
    Iselin said:
    I don't think it sucks but just how Asherons Call 2 was not a better AC, EQ2 was not a better EQ.

    If you make a "2" or a "3" of anything you'd better make damn sure it's equal to or better than "1" in every way or it will be received poorly.
    Hmm, very insightful, in fact I'd say the very concept of a MMORPG sequel was perhaps flawed, or at least poorly executed by developers in the early years.

    I think that unlike single player games - mmo sequels were never meant to compete with the original game. Instead the devs would make them to attract a new playerbase that the original failed to grab.

    This is why the fans of original often didnt like the sequel- and vice versa

    I like EQ1 and disliked EQ2 for this very reason, as EQ2 just lacked all the goodies that EQ1 had

    The two games are not the same. Everquest and Everquest 2 are very different games. I liked both of them for different reasons. 

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