Originally posted by Ailingforale

As far as the mmo aspect of grouping in Rift goes I do love it compared to other games with the super ease of joining up with others to help with rifts.  Then turning parties into raids and so on.  Very easy and made getting rid of the rifts a lot easier since the first betas with people continueously asking for invites into rift raids or groups of people just standing around not knowing how to create a raid.  That button at the top of the screen was pretty smart for how simple it is lol.

Your right in the ability to form groups/raids is easier for the rifts, however I found it didn't promote more socializing. In the 5 or 6 rifts I did this week , No one chatted. I tried to form groups and no one was interested. maybe it was just because it was beta. But I can see this being a norm. You click a button for rifts to group/raid them, then as soon as the event is done. Everyone goes there own seperate way.

Maybe at higher levels, ( I only got to 23) The rifts will need more coordination. But the lower level ones were pretty much just a bunch of people grouped but still doing their own thing.

505

Originally posted by Exitar

Your kidding right?

Most of the best players were in those games. Compared to the lazyness found to day.

If you can't read your spells/combat arts and determin on your own when a dot times out or you can't figure out how much threat your generating then I think it is time to give up or learn how to play.  There is no excuse for not knowing how to play. Oh wait there is......

" I don't have an add on, I don't know what to do"

That is pathetic.

I personally don't think that add ons should be in any game. I have never used one nor will I use one.

 

You and another cast the put  the same three dots on a mob (six total). Other players cast other spells, so let's say there are 20 effects on the mob. Which icons among the 20 ones under the portrait are yours?

It does not matter when my "Icon" shows up.

 For starters almost every spell will have a cool down. So say for example I cast a DoT that lasts for 10 seconds and the cool down is 45 seconds. Having that icon up counting down the 6 seconds means nothing. Just the cool down does. And you can visably see when it is reset to cast again.  If the cool down is the same as the damage tick. then I just count down my time. To recast the spell.  The only good thing about the icons is to see what others have up.  So if you are trying to place debuffs that don't stack you can time yours off of the others. They inturn can see yours to time theirs.

There really is nothing hard about it. Just takes a little concentration. Also communicating with others helps.

Originally posted by Exitar

Originally posted by parrotpholk

Originally posted by Exitar

Without addons,

• How do you keep track of your DoTs duration, especially in group where the mob/boss have plenty of dots on him?
• How, as dps, do know your threat relative to that of the tank?

O yes how in the world did folks ever play EQ, UO, or even AC without a dps meter..o my those days were so horrible and we were so deprived.

 

Probably in EQ/UO/AC you just casted your spell randomly not caring if you actually played well or you were just carried by your group.

The raid size in those game was so high because the devs had to take in account that players weren't exactly aware of what they were doing, so adding more clueless players helped to kill bosses.

Your kidding right?

Most of the best players were in those games. Compared to the lazyness found to day.

If you can't read your spells/combat arts and determin on your own when a dot times out or you can't figure out how much threat your generating then I think it is time to give up or learn how to play.  There is no excuse for not knowing how to play. Oh wait there is......

" I don't have an add on, I don't know what to do"

That is pathetic.

I personally don't think that add ons should be in any game. I have never used one nor will I use one.

Originally posted by Dril

Originally posted by isolor

When it comes to graphics it is strictly personal opinion and taste. I perfer EQ2's graphics over LOTRO. Others like yourself think differently, Neither one is wrong.

I agree that it's a matter of taste, so I'll give a basic rundown of what I think of the two games:

EQ2: Character animations can be very jerky, and the fact that all casters share the same animations and walking (aside from a couple of races) makes it fairly boring after a while. However, some of the zones are breathtaking (Faydark) although others seem a bit strange and bare.

LOTRO: Running animation sans cloak can be dreadful, casting and fighting animations, while not unique, are far more varied than EQ2, so you feel as if each class is doing different things rather than just same spell recoloured slightly. World design is generally good/excellent, although some details are bad (no footprints in snow) and the way things become painted in the background and then change dramatically to actual can be very annoying.

As for which game I would play. I would chose Eq2x for a couple of reasons.

1) See above.

2) I think LOTRO will be more expensive in the long run. Needing to buy your quest lines. I think this is silly.

As opposed to having to do the same in EQ2 anyway (SF anyone?) as well as having to buy races and classes. 

Lets See, LOTRO 4 races 7 classes, EQ2x 4 races 8 classes. Seems a wash to me.

3) The fact that every couple of levels or every level. can't remember from when i played. You have to buy your spells/combat arts make that 2 gold limit seem really weak. Compare to EQ2x's where you get all your spells/combat arts for free. And you can find upgrades for them from mob drops.

You won't ever not have enough gold to train, simple as. And you don't have to worry about your spells being worse than other because you don't pay (spell ranks in EQ2X being limited.)

So your saying 2 gold will be enough to by level 50 spells? Glad to hear it.

4) Eq2x will have battle Grounds from level 30 up. LOTRO has no pvp at all.

LOTRO has monster play from level 10, so, you know, beaten there.

Actually Monster play is not accessable for free players or Premium players.

5) Armor and weapons are no problem in EQ2x. you can get treasured from mob drops and quests which will be fine to do all the content up to level 80. While I'm not sure about the armor and weapons for LOTRO I'm thinking it might be the same.

Quests and crafting provide very easy and very obtainable rewards, as well as the occassional drop (and the legendaries which level with you drop from mobs as well)

6) EQ2x has more dungeons starting at level 10 than LOTRO does.

(Won't argue, although LOTRO has the storyline which is an instanced version (sometimes) of things, which continues all the way to level cap, and that, imo, is more accessible than EQ2's dungeons and really makes you feel part of the story.)

I disagree I think the dungeons are more varied and easier to get to in EQ2x than the storyline in Lotro. But each his own, this would be personal opinion I think.

Both have limited or restricted Broker/auction houses, chat channels,  bag slots, and character slots. (EQ2x limits you to 2 for basic membership, LOTRO 1)

So for $10.00 I can upgrade to Silver for EQ2x where I get more Character slots, bag space, and can upgrade my armor/weapons to Mastercrafted, is a big plus. LOTRO you need to go to a subscription model to do the same thing. Minus the armor/weapons part. not sure how theirs works.

No you don't, if you buy one thing from the Turbine store, you become a premium player which relaxes the limits a bit.

You can't get legendary items in LOTRO unless you buy the Moria expansion pack, I think that is selling for more than $10.00.

For those that say EQ2x is a pay to win, except for a couple of mounts and apperance items everything else is found in the game . Again for $10.00 to upgrade to silver. You can mastercraft all your own armor/weapons jewelry, and craft your spell upgrades to expert. So it really is not a pay to win. In my opinion Lotro is more a pay to win scenerio due to the fact you need to purchase that next quest line in order to continue. or you can just grind mobs to level, which seems boring to me.

EQ2X is pay to win, since those with more money receive obvious and possibly dramatic stat boosts simply for spending money, and I said you do have to pay for content anyway in EQ2X, although admittedly not on LOTRO's scale.

So far as I have been able to see what is sold in the marketplace for EQ2x is the same as can be found in game. So I doubt there will be much of a difference in those that want to work for it than those that want to pay for it. For the monthly fee It would be wise to play on the live servers since that unlocks everything.  Seems to be the same for both games.

Just my thoughts, yours might be different. Either way for those that want to play either game I don't tnink anyone will go wrong. There is fun to have in both games.

I'd say try EQ2x anyway since it's coming out first. It's not a bad game, it's just that the person I'm quoting is getting things wrong. When LOTRO f2p launches give it a go as well, either one is worth your money, although my preference is LOTRO.

I agree I think everyone interested should play both games to see which they prefer. Just because I think is cheaper in the long run does not mean everytone will think that. Both games are good. I just prefer EQ2x.

http://www.lotro.com/betasignup/vipchart.html

http://everquest2.com/_themes/default/images/extended/membershipMatrix.jpg

Here are the links to the different plans of both games.

What ever your choice. Have fun.

Originally posted by Papadam

If you get 95% of the game for $10 how come they are having a monthly sub that is higher than the standard which doesnt even give you the rest 5%? (honest question)

 

And do they think there are people who will pay $200 / year to get the complete 100%?

And why would anyone want to play on the regular servers?

The more I read about this and the devs at soe talk about the more I tihnk they dont really know what they are doing.

The monthly sub is not higher that the live servers if that is what your asking. Both are $14.99/month. As for the other 5% is due to the fact you need to purchase the Sentinal's Fate expansion, wether on live server or EQ2x. to get the final 10 levels. You can do this with the bronze membership also.

I think people will pay the $200 a year membership. It automatically includes the Sentinal's Fate expansion. Unlocks all the races and classes. You get 10 character slots also. so Altaholics would love this option.

The gold membership still restricts what race you can play. On live that resriction is removed for the same price of $14.99/month. Would you want to spend the extra money to unlock a race if your paying monthly? Also some people may play the free version for a good trial but don't like the full marketplace of buying gear with stats. So would want to start over on the live servers where there is non of that in the marketplace.

So far after comparing LORTO and EQ2x I think SOE's is the better choice.

I hope this answers your questions.

Originally posted by teakbois

Originally posted by Pyrostasis

LOTRO simply due to the auction house.

I cant use the broker at all in EQ2 unless I subscribe. That means the 10 - 15% of the population that actually pays are the only ones that get a functional economy.

This kills gathering

This kills crafting

Add on to the race / class restrictions and I'll happily got to LOTRO.

Sure, I have to buy my content there, but Id rather buy an expansion to unlock most of the game for a set fee than have to pay every single month forever just to be able to use the auction house...which sadly very very few people will have access to.

 

This thread here on the EQ2x forum is why LOTRO is better hands down.

 

While I do think that is weird silver players cant use the broker at least, its not exactly game breaking. Remember, EQ1 didnt have a broker system. And while I prefer the auction house, many, many people preferred the old commonlands tunnel system of doing it via ooc chat.

 

The obvious reason they are doing this though is to get more people to buy their stuff hoping they will be lazy instead of spending the extra time to go to the auction zone that will almost definitely form.

 

No other game on the f2p market can compete with EQ2s amount of content for free. SoE has by far the least restrictive system Ive seen past the first 10 bucks. Unless you wanta new race or class theres very little incentive once you go silver to spend another dime, because at that point youll have more than enough gold carrying capacity, more than enough bag space, powerful enough spells, and more content than most, if not all besides eq1, p2p games. So while they arent forcing you to buy their gear (and harvestables from what I understand), they want you to be tempted enough to do it.

 

Its an experiment. Its not the restrictive cash grab that all other f2ps are. You dont need to spend a lot of money on content, or to level at a reasonable pace, or to be able to have gear strong enough to do the content. You dont have to 'rent' bags (yes I know you dont get the full amount of bag slots, but 3 bags in eq2 goes farther than all 6 do in lotro), you have the most robust housing system on the market for free.

 

Simply put, eq2 is the least restrictive f2p game out there, period. Its a big experiment as its the first f2p Ive seen where people wont have to spend money (past $10) to enjoy 95% of the game.

I totally agree with this.

I would like to expand on this a little further.

You can get by just on the bronze membership if you so chose to. Adept spells and treasured gear is more than enough now to do about 85% content easily. The rest can still be done with a little bit of strategy and good players. I know this due to the fact my friend and I playing a conjeror and a warden (Not classes available for free) on the live servers just hit level 80 on what we got from drops and quests only. (we did it for fun). Half our spells are still apprentice 1's lol.

The thing is in EQ2x you will get all your spells/comabt arts for free,  In LOTRO you will need to go to the trainer to buy your spells, and I don't know if having just 2 gold will be enough to buy them. So you may end up adventuring without abilities needed. You won't have that problem in EQ2x.

Like Teakbois said, for just 10 dollars, you will get so much more than LOTRO. You will be able to mastercraft your armor/weapons and jewelry, Make expert spells/comabt arts. Have unlimited chat channels to sell your wares.  Make mastercrafted house items.  You can do all this without spending a dime in the marketplace.

You also have more dungeons in EQ2x starting at lvl 10. Than Lotro offers. EQ2x has battlegrounds starting at level 30 for your pvp fix. Lotro none. You have to pay to unlock quests in Lotro. Eq2x has over 5000 quests for free.

So in my opinion EQ2x is the better deal. But opinions differ and you might think differently. Nothing wrong with that.

I would have to say either Eve or darkfall. While I don't play either. I know they have massive areas and think it has been that way since launch.

Originally posted by Mokwee

Originally posted by patrikd23

Originally posted by 5hadow

Hi,

I've been looking for a f2p game to play and these 2 seemed worth a try

Which one would u guys suggest be the most enjoyable to play?

 

Thx for any input :)

Everquest 2 for sure. Playability and content much better in EQ2 and also looks 100 times better even if Lotr got dx 10 support.

 

How much is SoE paying you? Do you seriously think eq2 looks better than Lotr? 

 

Fail troll is fail

When it comes to graphics it is strictly personal opinion and taste. I perfer EQ2's graphics over LOTRO. Others like yourself think differently, Neither one is wrong.

As for which game I would play. I would chose Eq2x for a couple of reasons.

1) See above.

2) I think LOTRO will be more expensive in the long run. Needing to buy your quest lines. I think this is silly.

3) The fact that every couple of levels or every level. can't remember from when i played. You have to buy your spells/combat arts make that 2 gold limit seem really weak. Compare to EQ2x's where you get all your spells/combat arts for free. And you can find upgrades for them from mob drops.

4) Eq2x will have battle Grounds from level 30 up. LOTRO has no pvp at all.

5) Armor and weapons are no problem in EQ2x. you can get treasured from mob drops and quests which will be fine to do all the content up to level 80. While I'm not sure about the armor and weapons for LOTRO I'm thinking it might be the same.

6) EQ2x has more dungeons starting at level 10 than LOTRO does.

Both have limited or restricted Broker/auction houses, chat channels,  bag slots, and character slots. (EQ2x limits you to 2 for basic membership, LOTRO 1)

So for $10.00 I can upgrade to Silver for EQ2x where I get more Character slots, bag space, and can upgrade my armor/weapons to Mastercrafted, is a big plus. LOTRO you need to go to a subscription model to do the same thing. Minus the armor/weapons part. not sure how theirs works.

For those that say EQ2x is a pay to win, except for a couple of mounts and apperance items everything else is found in the game . Again for $10.00 to upgrade to silver. You can mastercraft all your own armor/weapons jewelry, and craft your spell upgrades to expert. So it really is not a pay to win. In my opinion Lotro is more a pay to win scenerio due to the fact you need to purchase that next quest line in order to continue. or you can just grind mobs to level, which seems boring to me.

Just my thoughts, yours might be different. Either way for those that want to play either game I don't tnink anyone will go wrong. There is fun to have in both games.

The reason I did not stay is simple.

I hate click to move, I hated that I could only change my orbit around my targets. To me ( My opinion) it limits the tatics/strategy for combat. Yes I know there is some, but there could be so much more with free movement of using WSAD and 1-9 for speed.

Other wise I think it is an awesome game. I just could not get around above.

EQ2 or Lord of the Rings  Meet what your looking for.

 Give each a try. They both have trials.

I have played both classes, and even betrayed back and forth a couple of times.

I really enjoyed the swashbuckler over the brigand. Simple because the Swashy is better at aoe. The Brigand is a little better for taking on solo mobs, even heroics. But the swashy puts out more dps in my opinion.

The swashbuckler at level 55 gets a spell called Hurricane which if a master can give you a 55% chance of having your auto attack hit AOE. Plus you get a 20 second mezz which comes in handy.

The Brigand gets loads of stuns and a very high damage art called Ruse I believe it's called.

Both classes are fun to play although I prefer the Swashy. Both classes solo very well. Both classes are desired for groups and raids. Both classes can tank in an emergency if specked right in AA's.

So I guess it would depend on your play style. Want to take on more heroic mobs? Choose Brigand. Want to take on Lots of mobs at once choose a swashy.

Good luck in your choice.

I am just expecting to have fun. I am going in with an open mind like I do in every MMO. I'll let the game play speak for itself.

As long as it captures me within the first couple of hours, they will have a long term subscriber.

I will try to answer you question.

For me, The most interesting classes have been Swashbuckler, Shadownight and Fury.

I love the swashbuckler because they are very versatile. They can put out very good dps, They can be an emergency tank. They get a mezz at higher levels. They are great at area effect combat. You get position arts so your always moving. They get invis for themselves and for the group. With AA's you can pick pockets from humanoid npc's.

The shadownight is the evil counterpart to the paladin, they have very cool looking spell effects, life taps for health. spell and combat arts,  They can put out decent dps, and has good survivability. I have a ball playing mine, I like to pull quite a few mobs and burn them down with my AOE's spells and life taps.

The fury seems slow at first but at higher levels they are a blast to play. With some very good damage spells, AA combat arts that can you can add. Also through AA's you can become a mini Coercer and charm animals to fight for you. With the first AA point spent in the druid line you get some cool and beneficial spells. Like a snow wolf that increases your spells, a tiger that does extra damage or a treant that improves your heals.

I have a level 80 Swashbuckler, Shadownight, and a level 76 Fury right now. I'm also working on an Illusionist who is level 25 right now.

The thing is that most classes might seem slow or a little boring for the first 20 levels or so. But I do assure you that they all are a lot of fun later on.

My Shadownight.

So good luck in your choice and I hope you have fun.

If you play on the crushbone server look me up, My name is Jaidon.

I also agree with the person above me.

Originally posted by Fariic

Originally posted by Kentho

Just wanted to to bump this in the hopes that someone has some new information.

 

The closer it gets to monday with no announcement of the publisher the more I suspect Av is self publishing for the NA release.

I really don't understand why they haven't announced yet.  Especially when Tasos made it a point to say that they were only charging for the NA client because of the publishers rights.

New server opens on monday, who the hell is the publisher?

I think it would be a very bad move for Aventurine to self publish the game. What they need right now is a good publisher to help sell the game.

I do find it odd that being this close to NA release, that no one has heard anything. If they do have a publisher you wold think that, that company would be talking, trying to generate interest in the game. After all Publishers are in the market to make money.  The best way to do that is sell the game.

Originally posted by shukes33

Positive patch! theres a lot more activety now. the crafting changes make wearing armour cheaper and easier now so cuts down on the naked pvp. Chests are great if you dont look for them, coming across 100 gold at least lying on the ground is a nice little boost for me :)

The village system seems to have started a lot more skirmish wars going on now. Title quests have given the soloers something to do to advance. Mob changes i havent experienced much, other than fighting gnolls which seem easier but drop the same.

Overall a pretty positive patch thats added lots more pvp. Can only be a good thing. hope they continue this progress now!

With what I highlighted in red. Would this not weaken the idea of full loot? Since there really is no other penalty for dying, except losing your gear and money. With the new crafting system, easier mobs, and more drops from them. I would hope that Aventurine would do something to make death a little more painfull.

I know that there were a lot of players that would run naked most of the time and this may stop that, but in the process it weakens one of the main features of the game. At least in my opinion.

Thoughts?

Originally posted by SEANMCAD

The other threat to publishers with different approaches is an increased "expectation standard" then is formed and all future content has to match or exceed it. This is often very hard to roll back.

This is why many publishers involve themselves mostly in restricting content rather then expanding it. This is universally true is just about all industries as well.

Also, there is the "we dont need publishers" affect which is a big concern. So its three issues all in all:

1. afraid to make risks

2. do not want to raise the required expectations of the end users

3. (and this is the worst nightmare). If a game succeeds without publishers, that can create a new world for consumers the publishers would perfer them not to see, a world without them.
 

What does this statement have to do with this thread?

The thread is about a company that is trying to make a game that is different. You talk about publishers or not about publishers? Sorry didn't understand your thinking. Can you clarify please?

The problem is with games, mmo's espeially is that they get one chance to prove themselves (not counting EVE). If they fail to impress at release most players will never return and any new players interested reading old info won't start.

Look at Vanguard, That game has improved a lot and yet they can't get a large player base.

Unfortunately that is how it goes.

Why not give EQ2 or Lord of the Rings a try. They both have game trials so you can see if you enjoy them. There is also D&D online. It is now a free to play game. however you can still do a subscription, in which case you get all the content unlike the players playing free plus 500 of points to spend each month.

Just a couple of suggestions.

Originally posted by green13

I've been mmo'ing for years now and have gotten to know the kind of players who want free-for-all pvp with full looting by their forum posts.

So I had a fair idea of what to expect on entering Darkfall.

What I hadn't expected was how flimsy and in most cases exploitable the game mechanics are, so that you actually have to be more wary of "friendly" same faction players than the "enemy" ones.

And you're right - they are largely unpoliced. I actually took a few minutes to read their ToS just to see what it covers - and it prohibits a lot of activities that players openly talk about on chat channels.

Two weeks in - I've spent one week doing almost nothing but harvesting/crafting inside cities (yeck!), and another week on bloodwalls, trying to get my skills high enough so that I'm not instantly owned by any and every psychopath cursed with a small wang who gets a kick out of killing near naked newbies.

And realistically I'd have to spend at least another month or two mindlessly bashing/casting at afk players on bloodwalls before I might start enjoying the game.

On the plus side, if they're playing DF, they're not playing whatever other mmo I end up playing instead of this.

The problem is that if MO offers more content, I think the majority of Darkfall players will migrate to MO. Then you will run into the same that you are seeing now. Hopefully MO will make it hard to hack/macro, so they don't run into the problems this game has.

Neither game will be a huge hit in my opinion. I do think MO will be the better game though. I have no facts to back that up, but more of a gut feeling. I just think that Star Vault is more open and honest about what is going on in their game compared to Aventurine.