Originally posted by tixylix

Really it's all on EQ Next to deliver the goods, if it doesn't then I'm not sure what SOE have left? They've probably made profit on everything they've done but I really think they need a new CEO, John Smedley might be passionate but he hasn't done a stella job over the years.

Smed definitely has many faults but he did 2 good things last year

- he reversed his decision to kill off EQ Mac (even tho EQ Mac is not on the freemium model - its truely ftp)

- he reversed his decision to cram ProSieben down existing SOE players throats

I agree w you that SOE is putting all their eggs in ftp model

I disagree w you that EQNext is all that SOE has left (altho that may be true for you)

no question that EQNext is their flagship 

SOE has a long history of trying different things - that are not EQ

Originally posted by Nadia

Originally posted by tixylix

Really it's all on EQ Next to deliver the goods, if it doesn't then I'm not sure what SOE have left? They've probably made profit on everything they've done but I really think they need a new CEO, John Smedley might be passionate but he hasn't done a stella job over the years.

Smed definitely has many faults but he did 2 good things last year

- he reversed his decision to kill off EQ Mac (even tho EQ Mac is not on the freemium model - its truely ftp)

- he reversed his decision to cram ProSieben down existing SOE players throats

 

I agree w you that SOE is putting all their eggs in ftp model

I disagree w you that EQNext is all that SOE has left (altho that may be true for you)

no question that EQNext is their flagship 

 

SOE has a long history of trying different things - that are not EQ

I just don't think John Smedley has the talent to run the company for what is best for the games, he might be good at other things on the business side, I don't know. However every decision SOE has made in terms of where they take their games has been a bad one. See where CCP make bad decisions, they've never done anything to ruin the overall original concept of EVE, it's always stayed the same idea of having an MMO that is a virtual world, one that they plan on running forever.

SOE look at their MMOs as games where they tack on a bit of content, however there is no feeling of them being worlds they need to maintain, they just run them into the ground and move on to the next project, or in many cases move on to the next project and just let the game die out on its own. 

They really need to understand that an MMO should be treated as a service they need to maintain, not ignore major parts and just keep adding end game. I don't even know why we have this end game notion anyways, I just want fun things to do in a sandbox, I don't want some gear or or whatever.

EQ2 right now is at the perfect balance of depth with effort vs. reward.

Dying once because someone in your group has downsyndrome and loosing a day's worth of grinding exp will not float anymore.

It has superb questing, dungeons, terrain variety, mob variety and basically everything that makes a game - is superior to WoW and every other MMO.

Combat is a little iffy, but I enjoy having 87 9slot bars full of buttons.

The engine is utterly horrible and ruins every other positive aspect. I don't mind that for the most part the game is horribly ugly but I can't stand it being ugly and running at 20fps on a box that can floor Skyrim with every mod known to man, too.

That said even with it's horrid engine I've played off and on since '07, and everytime I have a great deal of fun until the engine starts to get to me too bad and I leave again in disgust. (Certainly not from a lack of things to do, though.)

The game wasn't the success it could've been because it's taken them awhile to get to where it is now - and the engine is *THAT* bad, which they'll never fix.

I dunno I play a lot of Dayz, you can spend a good hour or two running to your friend, then die and have to do it all over again. Yet it manages to be so fun trying to get to each other because the world is dangerous and you lose all your stuff when you die so you fear death. If you could just spawn right next to each other or warp to each other then grouping together wouldn't have the same impact, it wouldn't feel epic like meeting each other for the first time after an hour.

You don't need to constantly progress to have a good time, for some reason MMOs always feel the need to reward you constantly and players wont do anything that doesn't reward them any more as a result. However again in Dayz, I can log on, die, lose everything I had and it manages to be fun to start over, it's sometimes a relief lol. You're not constantly rewarded to the point when you do find those NVGs or the DMR etc, it feels special and such an epic moment. I don't care about any of the loot in MMOs today, they throw so much at you it becomes boring.

I would just like to be able to play and feel part of a world, where I log on just to be in a virtual world instead of a game where I have a load of quests to do and it feels all about stats, quests, loot etc etc.

I used to log into SWG and chat to people in the Cantina for hours and not do anything but that, it was so fun. I could play SWG Pre CU for like 5 hours a week at times and not really get anything done when playing, however that was fine, I enjoyed being in the world.

MMOs just don't give that any more, their worlds are dead and they've just turned into games.

The only reason I quit playing (again) is the DM.  It completely ruins the ladder to max level.  More often than not you see people just getting PLs in DM for relatively cheap as opposed to fighting it out to max like in the old days. 

While I was able to get a group every 10 levels or so, I mostly soloed as a paladin.  They should think about digi-bombing all the content that isn't endgame.  Why would anyone in their right mind grind or quest or hell put any effort forth when the good ol' Dungeon Maker is right there to steal any point to those actions.  Its an exploit GIVEN to the gamers.  I for one will never again play a game that has a feature even remotely comparable to this.

SOE do you not want your adventurers to......adventure?!

Besides that the game has some of the best lore I've ever seen MMOwise and the potential for high-fantasy fun is endless. The potential has sadly been  kicked to the curb with the fast food style leveling process now known as the DM.

Its most certainly not a failure.  It just didn't quite live up to its potential.  In my personal opinion it only lost that ability with the implementation of the DM.  PVE-wise I say its still king.

I think the OP just wanted to stir up some heated opinions.

Originally posted by Swiftrevoir

The only reason I quit playing (again) is the DM.  It completely ruins the ladder to max level.  More often than not you see people just getting PLs in DM for relatively cheap as opposed to fighting it out to max like in the old days. 

what you decribe was a valid issue but the DM pling got a major nerf last Tuesday (1/15)

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/19/the-tattered-notebook-pitfalls-of-powerleveling-in-eqii/

Originally posted by Nadia

Originally posted by Swiftrevoir

The only reason I quit playing (again) is the DM.  It completely ruins the ladder to max level.  More often than not you see people just getting PLs in DM for relatively cheap as opposed to fighting it out to max like in the old days. 

what you decribe was a valid issue but the DM pling got a major nerf last Tuesday (1/15)

http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/01/19/the-tattered-notebook-pitfalls-of-powerleveling-in-eqii/

Hasn't this been an issue with EQ2 for some time now? Like the game is so instanced and zoned up that you never see any one... well that and there are too many servers, seriously only one is needed.

Originally posted by Vorthanion
My biggest gripe about EQ2 is a pet peeve I have about any game that forces you to use combos in combat.  So, I hate games like EQ2, AoC and FFXI.  I want to use my abilities in any order I please and not feel punished for doing so.

Eq2 doesn't force you to use combos.  You must be thinking about GW2 ;)

You can choose whatever casting order you want.  I know I do, no matter what class I play.  Now, the min/max people will spout off about optimal rotations for DPS, but those are self-created and based on opinion as well as many variables.  There is a ton of freedom there, so I'm not really sure what you are basing your statement on.

Originally posted by Telondariel

Originally posted by Vorthanion
My biggest gripe about EQ2 is a pet peeve I have about any game that forces you to use combos in combat.  So, I hate games like EQ2, AoC and FFXI.  I want to use my abilities in any order I please and not feel punished for doing so.

Eq2 doesn't force you to use combos.  You must be thinking about GW2 ;)

You can choose whatever casting order you want.  I know I do, no matter what class I play.  Now, the min/max people will spout off about optimal rotations for DPS, but those are self-created and based on opinion as well as many variables.  There is a ton of freedom there, so I'm not really sure what you are basing your statement on.

No, EQ I has no combos, EQ2, definitely does and hunting is based on you using those combos.  I know, I played a Fury and I had combos for both damage and healing.  Rogues were able to set up combos for groups.  You can of course, forego the combos, but you won't do well without them.  My Fury started his combos with the Ankh button, that shows up after level 5 or 6.  When you press that, a mini window shows up and randomly has you press an attack, debuff or heal button to continue the combo and then another mini window comes up and has you press an attack or heal button for the finisher, once completed, you get a big flashy display as the damage or heal bonus goes off for the completed combo.

I never used EQ2 combos for solo leveling or dungeon grouping

yes they can make a difference but they are not needed

Originally posted by Vorthanion

Originally posted by Telondariel

Originally posted by Vorthanion
My biggest gripe about EQ2 is a pet peeve I have about any game that forces you to use combos in combat.  So, I hate games like EQ2, AoC and FFXI.  I want to use my abilities in any order I please and not feel punished for doing so.

Eq2 doesn't force you to use combos.  You must be thinking about GW2 ;)

You can choose whatever casting order you want.  I know I do, no matter what class I play.  Now, the min/max people will spout off about optimal rotations for DPS, but those are self-created and based on opinion as well as many variables.  There is a ton of freedom there, so I'm not really sure what you are basing your statement on.

No, EQ I has no combos, EQ2, definitely does and hunting is based on you using those combos.  I know, I played a Fury and I had combos for both damage and healing.  Rogues were able to set up combos for groups.  You can of course, forego the combos, but you won't do well without them.  My Fury started his combos with the Ankh button, that shows up after level 5 or 6.  When you press that, a mini window shows up and randomly has you press an attack, debuff or heal button to continue the combo and then another mini window comes up and has you press an attack or heal button for the finisher, once completed, you get a big flashy display as the damage or heal bonus goes off for the completed combo.

You mean Heroic Opportunities.  Gotcha now.  Back when the game launched those really made an important difference in failure or success.  Now, in the early few levels of the 1-95 experience, they are optional and nice for a little added oomph.  Forced to use them and punished for not doing so?  Far from the truth.  Honestly, the majority of players blast through the levels without them.  At endgame no one uses them.  I just spent the last few weeks with my necro and can barely recall using HO's as a part of my leveling experience.

Yeah I only had 4 abilities on my hotbar when I played though, all you need as DK. The game is so easy, I've worked out every ability is useless but 3 that drain the life of the enemy and heals you over time. I can literally aggro 10 mobs, hit these 3 abilities once every min or so and always be safe and it brarely drains mana too. If I want to face an elite then just it Harm Touch and it takes them down to like half health...... 4 abilities, just so boring, no skill involved in the combat like when it used to be hard back in the day.

Problem is with the game things are either too easy, 90% of the content that has been dumbed down for solo play. Or they're either too hard because they are made for big groups, only that content is almost all instanced now and barely exists from what I've played. There is never any middle ground in the game like there used to be where you'd always just win a fight and have to spend ages in down time waiting for your bars to recharge cause each fight was hard.

I miss that and it encourages grouping too, sadly though the servers are dead unless you're end level.

Everquest was my first MMO.

EQ next will hopefully be my next gem that gives me that real MMO feeling.

I hope.