[EQ2] 5 things that can be improved

The Hiram Key · 06-09-2007, 06:28 AM

1. Quest item nicknacks - Items that are used in various steps of a quest, but are not required to complete the quest (only a certain step). Can we get these things to auto delete once the step is complete ? Half my bag space is full of shit I don't know where or what it goes to, and the examine window is not helping any (nor is the quest log) . If that is too complex, how about a label in the examine window telling us what quest it is from so we can at least try and figure it out ? Yeah we can google using the limited functionality browser (or alt tab) but it ruins the immersion, and you guys are going for that amirite ?

2. Overhaul the quest log. The log does not have sub categories for all zones in game (example, bloodline chronicles). If I have quests in a zone, there should be a sub category (for when I sort by categories) that contains it. Not having this, and having an "Unknown" category is fucking bullshit. Additionally, Why do quests have to change name over time ?? I am fine with adding fancy names for steps, but it should ALWAYS be "Quest X; substep here" Okay, I guess the polish is not in the quest log (or the housing) so I will keep lookin !!!

3. The Raid UI - Do I really need to go into detail here ? More functionality, more options with the Raid UI window, more information. Would be nice to embed a DPS meter in this thing while you are at it.

4. Furniture (carpenter) and dressing room. I realize it will probably cost millions of dollars and hundreds of lives for the EQ2 dev team to develop a tool that already exists in other premier MMO's but it's more then a little annoying to craft a piece of furniture, armor, weapon, or to purchase the same and not know what it looks like on your character (or in your house) until you try it on/place it physically. Would you like me to call Blizzard and have them send a guy over to show you how to do this ? Oh wait, lemme guess, it's in development it's just a low priority, say around zero. /rolls eyeballs

5. Shadow engine - Enough of this has been said across many forums that we could probably write a book. This thing is a piece of fucking shit okay ? It doesn't work okay ? We need something new okay ? Reducing shadows to "blobs" is putting a band aid on a broken, shitty system. I hear it uses the CPU to do this instead of the GPU, and all I can say is "shitty move". This game ALREADY is a pig for the cpu, and it doesn't want to share either. I run 2 logical processors and the game running maxes one of them, if I turn that feature off and run as 1 logical, it maxes that. Are you saying it needs double the resources (cpu wise) to run EQ2, or are we just dealing with some seriously dog shit optimization? Fix this already, were going on four fucking years.

With all that said, I am having fun, but the above issues are chipping away at my fun factor each and every minute that I am logged into the game. You want to keep me around, keep me paying and active, keep the positive word of mouth flowing and subscription numbers rising?

Get on the fucking stick here please. Please !

Denonia2 · 06-09-2007, 08:30 AM

/raready

The Hiram Key · 06-09-2007, 08:51 AM

Someone explained to me the CPU issue, so I have a better understanding of why it does that. I still don't see a clear need to have the CPU running at 99% while the game is running, be that standing still in your house, or in a raid with all the bells and whistles on.

Vorph · 06-09-2007, 09:30 AM

Pretty much every D3D program ever made will peg your cpu while in the foreground. At normal priority it will still have to allow other apps (MP3 player, torrents, whatever) their cpu cycles. As long as it drops down to 40% or less when tabbed out it shouldn't really matter to you.

bEER · 06-09-2007, 09:30 AM

Sorry to go off topic, but I can't control what I say, it just comes out:

How is charm handled now in PvP? Still the same shit as it was years ago? (A 5 second mez that takes 10000 seconds to cast)

How is charm in PvE? Still the same shit it was years ago, or worse? (no idea)

Much obliged.

Zerai · 06-09-2007, 09:34 AM

Yeah, the quest journal really is awful. When I get a quest in zone A, I should see it under Zone A. Why is this so hard. The 8 million classifications are awful.

Gnocchi · 06-09-2007, 09:53 AM

I don't remember where i read it, but someone once profiled EQ2 with a modifed version of PIX (one which isn't limited to profiling apps linked to static DX libs) from the DirectX SDK and found out that the reason it appears to be heavily CPU limited is due to massive SDK overhead caused by way too many state-changes, which is a big no-no when developing under Direct3D versions prior to DX10, and suggested they add a tiny layer of code between the application and D3D in order to cache previous state-changes and compare them to the most recent ones.
On the other hand i have no idea what all of this means, i have trouble spelling my own fucking name right, heh.

Menion · 06-09-2007, 10:33 AM

damn double post

Menion · 06-09-2007, 10:38 AM

Here is my #1 annoyance with the game right now. The Camera!

This is the WOW camera at max zoom out. I am that pirate skeleton in the middle of the picture.
http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f7...Menion_WOW.jpg

This is the max that you can zoom out your camera in EQ2
http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f7...urrent=KOS.jpg

The camera annoys the crap out of me especially when I am in a populated zone with a lot of agro mobs around me. I understand that there will be a performance hit for letting me zoom my camera out but let that be MY decision!

Edit: Hit enter too many times, apparently I suck at the Internet.

Penalty · 06-09-2007, 11:10 AM

3 words that ruin this game-

trivial loot code

Menion · 06-09-2007, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penalty

3 words that ruin this game-

trivial loot code

TLC is fine IMO because you have the ability to mentor down and experience any content that you may have missed. Do you really want level 70s running through level 20 dungeons killing named mobs with their twink in tow? Although I hate TLC in most games, I have come to accept it in EQ2 when it's coupled with a great mentor system like they have.

Vorph · 06-09-2007, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Penalty

3 words that ruin this game-

trivial loot code

I disagree completely -- TLC was the only thing that made non-instanced dungeons bearable and even with it you'd still sometimes run into bottomfeeding assholes in places like SH and FG.

The Hiram Key · 06-09-2007, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vorph

I disagree completely -- TLC was the only thing that made non-instanced dungeons bearable and even with it you'd still sometimes run into bottomfeeding assholes in places like SH and FG.

I will echo the sentiments on the mentor system, it's top notch. The best system hands down in any game for playing with your friends across any level gap. Bravo.

There are still bottom feeders however, they are freaking everywhere, the named mobs in some of the very popular dungeons like RE etc, die within 1.4 nanoseconds of spawning because they camp there and know when the spawn timer is up.

It's a strong case for 100% instanced dungeons if I ever saw one.

Pinski · 06-09-2007, 01:20 PM

I completely disagree that the raid window needs any change. The raid window has only 2 purposes. To show who is in the raid, and to show what groups they are in. The raid window does that job just fine. You can move people around the groups if you're the raid leader without any issues. If the people in your raid can't figure out who the MA is then they should pay more attention on your raid, same with if they can't figure out who the MT is.

So, yes you should go into more detail about the raid window, because as a person who raids a lot and has been raiding for 2 years in EQ2, I see no problem with it at all. As for a DPS meter, you can't do it without them changing the distance you can be from an object before you stop logging that object. Not to mention there is quite a lot of CPU, filesystem, and memory usage in EQ2 and adding anymore to add a DPS meter would be a horrible choice for the performance of the game. Plus, there's already a great DPS meter program outside of the game that will always be far superior to anything inside the game, ACT.

Menion · 06-09-2007, 01:31 PM

Things I wish EQ2 had:

A better mapping system: The zone maps just plain SUCK. The size of the maps make them very difficult to read, they would not be half bad if you could actually zoom in on the damn things but unfortunately you can not. Even mapping tools such as EQ2maps do not make up for the problem of the maps not having enough detail.

The entire mapping system needs to be scrapped and more detailed maps need to be added to the game. Especially since most of the zones have climbable walls which do not translate very well on the current maps.

Wardrobe: It would be nice to be able to see what a piece of gear looks like on the broker without having to equip it. Or to be able to see the graphic of an item that has been linked in a chat channel. Wardrobe added a lot to WOW in my opinion.

Vendor Buyback: I absolutely D-R-E-A-D every time I open a sell window with a vendor that I am going to sell something that I did not want to. They seriously need to add a buyback feature to their vendor system. I know you can mark items not for sale but I shouldn't have to be super paranoid every time I visit a vendor that I am going to sell the wrong item!

06-09-2007, 09:30 AM	#4 (permalink)
Vorph Never Go Full Retard Join Date: May 2002 Location: Hell Posts: 5,680	Pretty much every D3D program ever made will peg your cpu while in the foreground. At normal priority it will still have to allow other apps (MP3 player, torrents, whatever) their cpu cycles. As long as it drops down to 40% or less when tabbed out it shouldn't really matter to you. __________________ Last edited by Vorph : 06-09-2007 at 09:33 AM.

06-09-2007, 10:33 AM	#8 (permalink)
Menion Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 577 +5 Internets	damn double post Last edited by Menion : 06-09-2007 at 10:38 AM.

06-09-2007, 10:38 AM	#9 (permalink)
Menion Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 577 +5 Internets	Here is my #1 annoyance with the game right now. The Camera! This is the WOW camera at max zoom out. I am that pirate skeleton in the middle of the picture. http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f7...Menion_WOW.jpg This is the max that you can zoom out your camera in EQ2 http://s45.photobucket.com/albums/f7...urrent=KOS.jpg The camera annoys the crap out of me especially when I am in a populated zone with a lot of agro mobs around me. I understand that there will be a performance hit for letting me zoom my camera out but let that be MY decision! Edit: Hit enter too many times, apparently I suck at the Internet. Last edited by Menion : 06-09-2007 at 10:46 AM.

06-09-2007, 01:20 PM	#14 (permalink)
Pinski Registered User Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 185 -3 Internets	I completely disagree that the raid window needs any change. The raid window has only 2 purposes. To show who is in the raid, and to show what groups they are in. The raid window does that job just fine. You can move people around the groups if you're the raid leader without any issues. If the people in your raid can't figure out who the MA is then they should pay more attention on your raid, same with if they can't figure out who the MT is. So, yes you should go into more detail about the raid window, because as a person who raids a lot and has been raiding for 2 years in EQ2, I see no problem with it at all. As for a DPS meter, you can't do it without them changing the distance you can be from an object before you stop logging that object. Not to mention there is quite a lot of CPU, filesystem, and memory usage in EQ2 and adding anymore to add a DPS meter would be a horrible choice for the performance of the game. Plus, there's already a great DPS meter program outside of the game that will always be far superior to anything inside the game, ACT. __________________ Calaglin, Illusionist of Confirmed on Unrest in Everquest2

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

06-09-2007, 08:30 AM	#2 (permalink)
Denonia2 Registered User Join Date: May 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 63 +0 Internets	/raready

06-09-2007, 09:30 AM	#5 (permalink)
bEER Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 26 +0 Internets	Sorry to go off topic, but I can't control what I say, it just comes out: How is charm handled now in PvP? Still the same shit as it was years ago? (A 5 second mez that takes 10000 seconds to cast) How is charm in PvE? Still the same shit it was years ago, or worse? (no idea) Much obliged.

06-09-2007, 09:34 AM	#6 (permalink)
Zerai ~ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: An Igloo Posts: 2,758 -9 Internets	Yeah, the quest journal really is awful. When I get a quest in zone A, I should see it under Zone A. Why is this so hard. The 8 million classifications are awful.

06-09-2007, 09:53 AM	#7 (permalink)
Gnocchi Registered User Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 9 +0 Internets	I don't remember where i read it, but someone once profiled EQ2 with a modifed version of PIX (one which isn't limited to profiling apps linked to static DX libs) from the DirectX SDK and found out that the reason it appears to be heavily CPU limited is due to massive SDK overhead caused by way too many state-changes, which is a big no-no when developing under Direct3D versions prior to DX10, and suggested they add a tiny layer of code between the application and D3D in order to cache previous state-changes and compare them to the most recent ones. On the other hand i have no idea what all of this means, i have trouble spelling my own fucking name right, heh.

06-09-2007, 11:10 AM	#10 (permalink)
Penalty ¨ Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 267	3 words that ruin this game- trivial loot code

06-09-2007, 01:31 PM	#15 (permalink)
Menion Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 577 +5 Internets	Things I wish EQ2 had: A better mapping system: The zone maps just plain SUCK. The size of the maps make them very difficult to read, they would not be half bad if you could actually zoom in on the damn things but unfortunately you can not. Even mapping tools such as EQ2maps do not make up for the problem of the maps not having enough detail. The entire mapping system needs to be scrapped and more detailed maps need to be added to the game. Especially since most of the zones have climbable walls which do not translate very well on the current maps. Wardrobe: It would be nice to be able to see what a piece of gear looks like on the broker without having to equip it. Or to be able to see the graphic of an item that has been linked in a chat channel. Wardrobe added a lot to WOW in my opinion. Vendor Buyback: I absolutely D-R-E-A-D every time I open a sell window with a vendor that I am going to sell something that I did not want to. They seriously need to add a buyback feature to their vendor system. I know you can mark items not for sale but I shouldn't have to be super paranoid every time I visit a vendor that I am going to sell the wrong item!