It amuses me how Scott talks about the way the game used to be as if it was something SoE found in the street and are just now fixing up to be all shiny and new. Surely it's mostly the same people who designed and developed the original four-archetypes sructure, cross-class reliant, complex crafting system and refugee-based backstory that are now changing it to the current (very much improved) version?

The truth is, in my opinion, that while the original conception of EQ2 was solid and well-thought-out, the gameplay was very stolid, plodding even, and the economic model and guild progression relied far too much on a high level of social interaction and communitarianism. All they are doing is bringing the whole game back in line with current genre expectations, because the big leap towards a more "mature" playstyle and setting didn't attract enough paying customers.

I'm not sure what the bit about EQ2 being too "realistic" graphically is all about, although that's the only time Scott actually owns up to it being a design error rather than some law of nature. I don't recall seeing a lot of griffins, giants or undead wandering about the countryside where I live last time I got some real reality. If he means the trees and water always looked quite convincing, I'll go along with him that far, but beyond that realism and EQ2 were never words I put in the same sentence.

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Originally posted by Bhagpuss
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I'm not sure what the bit about EQ2 being too "realistic" graphically is all about, although that's the only time Scott actually owns up to it being a design error rather than some law of nature. I don't recall seeing a lot of griffins, giants or undead wandering about the countryside where I live last time I got some real reality. If he means the trees and water always looked quite convincing, I'll go along with him that far, but beyond that realism and EQ2 were never words I put in the same sentence.

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yep for 'fantasy' read 'cartoony' or more like WOW 'cause they must be doing something right' we will bring EQ2 more into line with them.

Not that i want to troll or anything... But i'm starting to really hate SOE now.
First of all i enjoyed SWG in it's normal state, i survived the first CU but after that it was too much to bare.
So now i was going to try EQ2 because i love those realistic graphics, the second i saw those skeletons i thought.. "WOUW"..... The main reason i quitted WoW are those damn cartoonesque graphics that are far from 'realistic'.... I mean look at The elder scrolls: Oblivion or Gothic III.. do they get complaintments about being TOO realistic? Skeletons in Oblivion are awesome, and it's even more scarier since it's supposed to be played in first person, bringing you directly in contact with 'them'.

Than why would you complain about 'realistic' graphics? Graphics in games are improving as we speak, in fact while Graphic Whore used to be a term for the lucky people with big pcs a long time ago.. It now becomes a term for every gamer with an average pc system.

Just wanted to give you all my 2 cents on this matter.