Actual thought on EQ2...

[FoghornDeadhorn]

I'm going to make it very clear off the top: I think EQ2 is going to blow. Why would I think otherwise? What compelling evidence is there to convince me that it's going to be good? Now, I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the subject, the fact is that every time I go to their website I can't even get past the fact that the screenshots they provide are ugly as shit, the class system they lay out is way too fucking large to look balanceable (especially by SoE), and the website is gaudy as sin, to get very in-depth with the case they lay out for the game...the case of "why this will be a good game". The fact that there is a tradeskill class is also extremely queer IMO, and I disregard any argument that "you have to cater to many playstyles!" because, quite frankly: you don't. Not to the extent that a small minority should be allowed to force a system that makes actual players of the game inferior to them in that aspect -- unless you think people who enjoy beating ass shouldn't be allowed to also be interested in being competitively competent at tradeskills.

But the big reason I think it will blow: it's SoE we're talking about. And I'm not just laying down some "Fuck SoE" rhetoric that you should boycott the game based on the company (yet) -- you are certainly entitled to do that -- I'm saying look at their track record. What have they done lately that makes you think they are a company you trust to make the sequel to Everquest (as opposed to Sigil)? Was it PoP? Or LDoN? Or GoD? How about SWG -- did that tickle your pickle? You didn't get the feeling that they were selling people on trademark value, did you? Not that they would do that with EQ2 (It's your favorite old zones!!!!)...BTW when they say "Millions have experienced the adventure" are they including people watching over someone's shoulder? Because I can see over one million, but plural "millions"? Can anyone back this up? Anyway... What has SoE done that makes you believe that they are capable of making EQ2 a good game?

And look, I'm not trying to come down on the design team, there may very well be some incredibly great people working there with great ideas that are working around the clock to make EQ2 the best that it can be. But we're not talking about some hard-working chaps who deserve credit, we're talking about a company producing a game. When you talk about Blizzard there are certain things that go along with that: artistry, fun, approachability, and completion. Does it matter if designer X or Y left? In some ways, but in other ways you're talking about an entire team of people dedicated to making the game -- and the company behind their efforts. So while designer A and B at SoE may be better than anything Blizzard has sniffed at, there is a certain element that they lack, an element that they have demonstrated with their very latest release is still shit: the company releases things that are not ready. Is there another way you'd like to describe GoD? Or how about the graphics patch? Does it bother you that they advertised in a completely false manner who the expansion was aimed at? This is a company we're talking about. Right now, I don't know why people have faith in them to deliver on their promises. And to me, it's as simple as that.

Personally, I think a company should be held accountable for the ways they screw their customers. I don't think they should be allowed to continue to make barrels of money in the same way they have every other time if it has been...less than equitable. I think if EQ2 is a repeat of the same thing they've been pulling elsewhere they should lose a load of money on it and it should go under. I'm fucking tired of people having their infinite patience with them. IMO, if you buy EQ2 at release without incredibly reliable sources that it isn't the same crap then there's something wrong with you. Am I willing to check it out a few months after it's been rolling if there's been a demonstrable turnaround? Sure. Am I going to line their pockets based on name recognition that they did nothing to earn? Nope.

I want people to give their reasons for thinking this will be a great game (I mean, it's being put on par with WoW, which I think is laughable)... And their reasons for thinking it won't. There's a lot of it flying around, but when someone says something bad about EQ2 I don't have to ask them why. When I hear how great it's going to be, I always want to say "what makes you think that?" Here's your invitation. Please make the best of it.

[Bazael]

first - a quote that hits home:

Right now, I don't know why people have faith in them to deliver on their promises.

I should also note that its been quite amusing seeing some people do a complete 180 from their opinion 2 months ago. Everyone was like "eq2 is gonna suck, its soe" etc. Now after a few good screenshots show up, and some gameplay is demonstrated at the fanfaire, they are all changing their minds.

The gameplay didn't look like anything spectacular. Some new emotes were cool. Animations were 100x better.

But killing rats again doesn't appease me.


To get a little off topic, wtf is it with killing rats? Are they really that dangerous? Its a damn rat - wtf. And spiders. Jesus, god forbid I whip out my size 12 shoe and stomp on it. woo hoo free experience for walking around stomping on bugs! A little originality goes a long way!



I'm still waiting for the SimOffice RPG. I want to join up with a group of co-workers and go around killing bosses. Uber mobs could be CEO's, and their add's would be their pesky nephews.

[Kreugen]

Totally depends on how the gameplay is, which of course we don't really have a clue other than the piss poor reports from the hands-on demo, which was the old "click attack and wait for mob to die"

[masteen]

I haven't seen any screenies that look like anything but ass. The world looks very realistic, but without flavor. The character models still look like creepy mannequins.

[orcmauler]

to say something sort of nice about it, at least the demo appeared to have models that weren't so real-doll semi porn as the renders were a few months ago.

BUT

then again the video I saw of the demo was a stuttering piece of poop.

[Tuco]

I don't judge a game till I play it.

I didn't give much care or thought towards WoW until I started playing the alpha.

[Visions]

One can only hope that SoE has learned from their recent failures (SWG, Planetside) and release a game that is ready to be released. Impossible to say release a finished game when talking about this Genre. Of course we have good suspition to believe that EQ2 will be released before its ready I'm not quite sure if it will suck as bad as you think. It may not be the best but I'm sure it will be better than the hailstorm of shitty MMOG's that have been released in the past year.

And on a side note WoW is nowhere near ready for release either. If they stick to the schedule their on now for release they WILL release an unready product. Although looking at blizzards track record also you have to think release dates will be pushed back at least 2 more times. Don't be surprised if WoW is not released until Q2 2005. At least if they want to release the game everyone expects it to be.

[FoghornDeadhorn]

See, the problem I see is that people's positive expectations towards this game are mostly based on hope, while the negative expectations are generally based on experience with SoE, and some (like myself) see the approach they are taking with the graphics as symptomatic of the kind of decision-making that makes creating a great MMO rather difficult. I agree that it will probably be better than 90% of the "quick and dirty" MMOs coming out...but is that enough, do you think? It doesn't take much to compete with the likes of Horizons or SWG, but being better than shit isn't saying much. I'm still waiting for one of the many people who saw eq2more.wmv and eq2begin.wmv and started raving about what a great game it's going to be to actually back that up with some reasons.

I will say that while I always have a predisposition against voice-acting in video games (it is so seldom taken seriously enough to be good) the goddamned ratman quest-giver's voice has been in my head. I guess that's a good thing...but most of the voices were still crap.

"We haven't seen one of them around these parts for over twelve months!" -- that's one hell of a long respawn time!

I'll tell you one thing: that release date they gave of this year -- if they stick to it, don't buy it.

[FoghornDeadhorn]

20 votes on this poll are sure EQ2 will be good, 47 think it will be good, and yet not one person has posted why.

I can go on all day supporting why I am sure WoW will be a great game. Is it the fanboi in me? Maybe, but mind you I didn't go "Blizzard is making an MMO? Own!" -- it took me a long time to get enough info to get excited about it.

If you're excited about the game, speak the fuck up. Are you going to get flamed? Maybe -- this is FoH -- but take a goddamned stand FFS. I've got to go, when I get back in the morning I expect some supporting opinions or I'll flat out type some more...

[Soygen]

That anti-sony sentiment on this board is laughable.

That being said, I chose 'Wait and see'. I'm not planning on buying it, but if I hear good things after it's out, I may check it out.

[Samus Aran]

The somewhat extensive range of votes is surprising.

[Xaem]

Why would you want to play something that you have already played before and beaten?

[Ham n Cheese]

I voted for "I think it's going to be good, but I'm not sold yet".

Simply because the environments, sub-class system and the fact that it is Norrath. Despite whatever bad CS, or problems anyone has had with SOE, EQ is one of the best games I've ever played. I've "quit" (took breaks) from the game several times, and normally come back around expansions, I had an absolute blast raiding Velious and Kunark and POP was a pretty good expansion to me. Each game has its flaws, but now that it seems the popularity of MMORPGs has grown, people have become much more critical of old games and much more accepting of new ones.

I have no doubt, that if WOW lacks something after relases, the people praising it now will justifty it with something equally good (or better). However, I have a hard time believing that any game will capture the same freshness that EQ1 had, which is why I'm "not sold yet". I think the next market of MMORPGs will all be above average games, it will all just come down to personal preference in my opinion. If the WoW world/creatures/etc is what you're into, then I think it's much easier to get excited about it opposed to EQ2, and vice versa for everything else out there.

I could never get very into DAOC, but it's not because I thought it was a bad game. To me I thought the land regions were boring and I wasn't very much into the crafting, castles and large large fields of grass and woods. I'm more into variety and what a game like EQ offers, with fighting things from gods to dragons to giant snakes, etc. Travelling to planes is something I had a lot of fun with in the early days, and when my guild was unlocking new planes in POP (in time now) each new one was exciting for me to be in, except earth

I only really responded to keep the topic going and you seemed desperate for responses I'm not trying to 'speak the fuck up' I'm just giving you some insight into why I chose what I chose.

[Slick Willey]

I'll bite Foghorn . . .

I voted for "No clue, I'll wait and see" because I honestly don't know at this point.

Graphics? I think it looks OK, but that's obviously very subjective. For example, I can't stand anime, but other people love it. And believe it or not, there ARE many people who think EQ2 looks great, but WoW looks "silly" "cartoony" or "childish/kiddie." I know for many people on this board that will be almost inconceivable, but its true.

Gameplay? Who can say? I've read a lot of things at the EQ2 site I thought were pretty cool, and I've read some things I thought were absolutely retarded. But then again, until I start seeing alpha/beta reports (SoE probably won't allow them though like Blizzard LOL), whose to say what the Gameplay will end up being?

One thing I will say: If I were a betting man, I'd go to Vegas and bet everything I own that EQ2 will be no where near as polished and bug-free as WoW at release.

[bvnk3r]

And i selected "i think it will be good, but not sold yet." Mainly because it's Everquest 2, the sequel to the first. The graphics are far from poor; although after seeing so many pics and videos, they do have a sort of fake feel to them, nothing that will get me all worked up over. The reason people still play EQ is because right now it's still really the only fun MMORPG out there. It could just be that people have invested so much time into the game, they have so much knowledge about it and they don't want to let go of it. That knowledge for the most part will carry over into EQ2 and this is where the familiarity thing comes into play. It will lure folks in.

I really would like to think that SoE is capable of releasing a better version of EQ through EQ2 by learning from their mistakes and such. The only way i'm going to find out is by testing it or buying it when it comes out. If it sucks, well then it sucks... either way they'll be getting paid because a good portion of the playerbase of EQ2 will flock back to EQ1 if it turns out to be a flop.

Until another mmorpg is released that has fun gameplay, high end content(named mobs, etc...), fun quests, a quick and easy interface, and enough of that to keep people interested for long periods of time, they're going to stay right where they are. Another factor in a successful MMORPG will be if it can make a large portion of the EQ playerbase move to their game and actually STAY there.

Anyway, not sure how i got into all that, but i'm out.