Scott Hartsman/Gallenite is a free agent

[Gecko]

EQ2 isn't exactly flourishing, I'd wager, despite their changes and small fixes.

[Braen]

It's still a markedly better game all around after Scott, Dan and the rest of the team took over.

[Alarion]

Originally Posted by Dis

Guess what, we want Everquest with better graphics, and Asheron's Call with better graphics. Dont fucking deviate from a successful world you have created. If you want to improve certain aspects of gameplay, character creation/progression, graphics, etc. that is great. But dont fucking completely obliterate the lore and overall feel of your game, just because you want to do something new, then slap a 2 at the end of the title to try and sucker your audience into buying your crap game.

I have to agree with this. I want to play EQ, with updated graphics and some new "advances" in the genre. But I want to experience the same feel that that game delivered - as chaotic and annoying as it was at times. I want a challenge. I don't want to run around completing a zillion quests just for the sake of completing them.

I miss hitting a level appropriate zone, /ooc-ing for a group while I get to some of the leveling spots, and then spending a few hours playing and *communicating* with my group mates and others in the zone.

I am sure I am not in the majority here, but if EQ3 was an updated EQLive with some minor changes (ie: not the big difference EQ2 was) I would buy it in a heartbeat.

[dechire]

I thought Scott had been a free agent for awhile now?

[Genjiro]

Without him and those guys turning around the game after the Desert of Whogivesashit expansion, it might have never made it much farther than that. I like that he listened, because he DID listen to what we had to say, even when a lot of us did leave back then.

The combat system still desperately needs a huge revamp and consolidation, but EQ2 is definitely not the worst combat system I've played. That honor goes to lord of the rings, and its grandma can do it combat pace which is like watching a glacier for excitement.

[Braen]

Originally Posted by dechire

I thought Scott had been a free agent for awhile now?

For the last year or so, he was the VP of Development for the upcoming flash based MMO, Ohai.

ohai, we're here!

[Gecko]

Originally Posted by Alarion

I have to agree with this. I want to play EQ, with updated graphics and some new "advances" in the genre. But I want to experience the same feel that that game delivered - as chaotic and annoying as it was at times. I want a challenge. I don't want to run around completing a zillion quests just for the sake of completing them..

You can. It's called WOW.

Again, Scott may have fixed some things and been an excellent communicator, but my simple point in playing EQ2 pre and post Hartsman is:

The game sucked then. The game sucks now.

The root cause is, has, and will remain the horrid combat system. There are dozens of other major issues in addition, but the simple easily identifiable one was ignored.

Since no dev/suit fixed or addressed this despite numerous promises to do so, I personally don't think anyone should use EQ2 to promote or praise anyone involved. Again, just my opinion.

[Braen]

He also developed the "new" LFG system in EQ1. That was great.

[Zehn - Vhex]

I think that distinction for slowest gameplay would go to City of Heroes then though. Nothing more entertaining then 10~15 second cooldowns on your 3 combat abilities.

As for Scott and EQ2 my only issue is that while he succeeded in removing a few things that actively made me want to stop playing he didn't exactly add much that made me want to keep playing.

In that regard the only difference between myself and him is that while I just whined incessantly about it on the beta forums he actually got a job there 2 years later and did something about it.

It does make me feel warm and bubbly inside to know that there's a guy out there who can say, "Hey...this idea is fucking retarded, let's get rid of it" and is in a position to do something about it.

Which also leads me to believe if I may put my tinfoil hat on for a moment that it's why nobody has snatched him up. Not many companies want a guy who after months and years of hardwork and sacrifice will step back and objectively look at the game you've created and start pointing out where it sucks balls 2 weeks before it's supposed to ship.

That's for fans like me to do and whine ineffectively about it on forums because I'd much rather fix computers for a living for some god awful reason then go home to my obvious true calling of being paid to point out where games suck balls.

[Alarion]

Originally Posted by Zehn - Vhex

It does make me feel warm and bubbly inside to know that there's a guy out there who can say, "Hey...this idea is fucking retarded, let's get rid of it" and is in a position to do something about it.

Which also leads me to believe if I may put my tinfoil hat on for a moment that it's why nobody has snatched him up. Not many companies want a guy who after months and years of hardwork and sacrifice will step back and objectively look at the game you've created and start pointing out where it sucks balls 2 weeks before it's supposed to ship.

Which sucks, because someone like that is someone I want working on my game. Maybe I like this approach because in my company, I'm the one calling foul on the multitude of idiotic ideas coming from the higher ups. I suppose game development is a quite a bit different from application development in this regard, unfortunately.

Edit:

Originally Posted by Gecko

You can. It's called WOW.

Funny enough, Wow is the only MMO I have actually gotten a character to max level on. That being said - No. Wow is nothing like what I wanted EQ2 to be and what I want EQ3 to be. Wow, for me, was waaaay to easy of an MMO. I suppose this accounts for the mass appeal it has though.

[Genjiro]

Originally Posted by Gecko

The root cause is, has, and will remain the horrid combat system. There are dozens of other major issues in addition, but the simple easily identifiable one was ignored.

Since no dev/suit fixed or addressed this despite numerous promises to do so, I personally don't think anyone should use EQ2 to promote or praise anyone involved. Again, just my opinion.

The combat system still needs an overhaul to be sure, but that is not something you can pin on him because that was already in place. You just don't snap your fingers and fix the entire combat system overnight, or even in a short time -- that ends in disaster. You are WAY oversimplifying things.

Not only do you have monumental systems involved here, you have mob combat, raid combat dynamics, hell everything related changes. Not only that, but have you considered that a lot of the people (who I wish I could stab btw) simply do not want the game consolidated and changed? A lot more people than you know would think changing the game at this point would be like NGE'ing EQ2 and would lash out at changes like this. Hell, I remember reading some epic thread where people were screaming about even the possibility of something like this ever happening over on the official forums. You have tons of time and money spent on things like master spells that would simply cease to be -- how do you reimburse all these people? Oops, sorry tough shit? That doesnt go over well with their mostly super casual playerbase.

We all know the combat needs fixed, actually doing it is like opening Pandora's Box of other issues.

[Bongk]

Originally Posted by Genjiro

The combat system still needs an overhaul to be sure, but that is not something you can pin on him because that was already in place. You just don't snap your fingers and fix the entire combat system overnight, or even in a short time -- that ends in disaster. You are WAY oversimplifying things.

Not only do you have monumental systems involved here, you have mob combat, raid combat dynamics, hell everything related changes. Not only that, but have you considered that a lot of the people (who I wish I could stab btw) simply do not want the game consolidated and changed? A lot more people than you know would think changing the game at this point would be like NGE'ing EQ2 and would lash out at changes like this. Hell, I remember reading some epic thread where people were screaming about even the possibility of something like this ever happening over on the official forums. You have tons of time and money spent on things like master spells that would simply cease to be -- how do you reimburse all these people? Oops, sorry tough shit? That doesnt go over well with their mostly super casual playerbase.

We all know the combat needs fixed, actually doing it is like opening Pandora's Box of other issues.

Exactly it is hard and pulling that off would have made him an elite dev.

[Gecko]

Originally Posted by Zehn - Vhex

As for Scott and EQ2 my only issue is that while he succeeded in removing a few things that actively made me want to stop playing he didn't exactly add much that made me want to keep playing.

Precisely.

Originally Posted by Zehn - Vhex

Which also leads me to believe if I may put my tinfoil hat on for a moment that it's why nobody has snatched him up. Not many companies want a guy who after months and years of hardwork and sacrifice will step back and objectively look at the game you've created and start pointing out where it sucks balls 2 weeks before it's supposed to ship.

Maybe it could be because of the point made over and over that EQ2 is still a low performing title, like War?

There may be a lot of community love for Hartsman, but the truth is in the dollars and sense from his previous titles do not put him in the elite dev category, or any better than any other designer who has made a niche game. Perhaps worse, given the hype and cash poured into EQ2.

[Vorph]

I never really understood the hate for EQ2's combat system. Is it just because you have lots of buttons as a melee? I only ever played Defiler + various casters and I thought the combat was fine.

[Dis]

Originally Posted by Gecko

There may be a lot of community love for Hartsman, but the truth is in the dollars and sense from his previous titles do not put him in the elite dev category, or any better than any other designer who has made a niche game. Perhaps worse, given the hype and cash poured into EQ2.

I guess I need more detail. He was techinical director of EQ, and as someone mentioned made the LFG interface, as well as allowing users to customize their interface (however limited). I am not familiar with his other responsibilities in the game.

And he eventually was made lead dev for EQ2 correct, but after the game was already headed downhill. How much responsibility can he take for the mess that is EQ2?

Also, as a point of comparision, who do you consider to be an elite dev. Are we talking strictly MMO devs, or other devs outside of the MMO genre?