Live Update #8 and Mages/Priests

[RSimmonsJr20]

<DIV>Did they say that they were not going to be doing mage and priest balancing until the new fighting system is done? Now he's saying these new changes aren't going into live in the next patch.  Does this mean no balancing/fixes until LU #9 or #10 for mages priests?</DIV><p>Message Edited by RSimmonsJr2034 on <span class=date_text>04-24-2005</span> <span class=time_text>04:59 PM</span>

[Ziroc]

We'll find out in the next couple of days when Live Update #8: Revenge of the Frogloks hits test. <div></div>

[Scrav]

No major priest/mage balancing until sometime after LU8.  This may or may not be LU9 or LU10.  It could be LU15 for all we know. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> But lets hope not! <div></div>

[Grimjakk]

<P>What he said was that the balancing was being done across all classes... and that they wouldn't roll it to Live until it had all been Tested.</P> <P> </P> <P>Which, altho' I wish it could be done yesterday, makes more sense than reworking one archetype at a time.</P>

[Iro]

This is untrue. Baleful Efflux  and pretty much all the Baleful line now come off once damage is absorbed by the "sometimes" ward. I then have to RECAST it, meanwhile th HP and the AC buff this spell provides is gone during the battle. I NEVER had to watch my spells that delt with CONSENTRATION.....they have done 2 patches since then and no fix in sight. Another lame scenario. <div></div>

[Moorgard]

Neither combat changes nor class balancing, including priests, will be a part of Live Update #8. I'm not yet stating when these changes will be going to Test.

[Sute]

"mages/priest, please keep giving SOE your money while we keep putting this off another month or three"

[Soland]

/sigh I really have to stop wasting my time. <div></div>

[Dalchar]

I'm just hoping this is extensively tested and approved by the testers... the attrocity that I keep hearing about what happened in SWG after their complete revamp is enough to give you chills for weeks.  Over 8000 person petition I think and counting about those changes... and that's just people who visit boards etc I think... <div></div>

[Piz]

Cool, so when can we expect the pet fix's? If you go the way of SWG SoE will go bankrupt. <div></div>

[Kylan]

That last poll has scared me for life, I thought this post was "Live Update #8 and Mages/Pirates" <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Davi]

<DIV>:smileysad: This kind of development / support makes me sick </DIV>

[-Baz_al-Bo]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> DavinX wrote:<BR> <DIV>:smileysad: This kind of development / support makes me sick </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>I cannot agree more.  I'm tired of being gimped and having no end in sight for changes and fixes.  This is ridiculous to be kept on the hook for more time/effort/ and money and continually put off.</P> <P>Baz</P>

[Aelore]

<P>Yea, I quit SWG the minute I saw what was on test center there as a part of the "combat upgrade".     I don't care if the changes were good or bad, right or wrong, needed or extraneous ...the point for me was that they changed the game COMPLETELY and I have no interest in playing SWG2.</P> <P>Off topic, but perhaps the admins of these games should understand that people aren't typically interested in big changes.  That, and the audience for MMORPGs has aged ...we're not in college anymore, a lot of us.   That's why you see less grouping and more soloing ...we just don't have time for all those grouped time sinks anymore.</P> <P>EQ is dying....not because of new games ...but because a lot of the gaming population is growing up and the younger folks are not filling the void as much as they were (something else must have their attention).   SOE would do well to recognize this and start bringing their games in line with an audience that is older, more mature, and less likely to have 8 hours to spend a night on a game.</P>

[Laiina]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> -Baz_al-Boa- wrote:<BR><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> DavinX wrote:<BR> <DIV>:smileysad: This kind of development / support makes me sick </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>I cannot agree more.  I'm tired of being gimped and having no end in sight for changes and fixes.  This is ridiculous to be kept on the hook for more time/effort/ and money and continually put off.</P> <P>Baz</P> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>You don't even have a clue what the changes are yet, or even for sure if there will BE any changes, yet you are ranting and raving about the nerfs??</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>OK........</DIV>

[Bhagpuss]

<span><blockquote><hr>Aelorean wrote:<p> </p> <p>Off topic, but perhaps the admins of these games should understand that people aren't typically interested in big changes.  That, and the audience for MMORPGs has aged ...we're not in college anymore, a lot of us.   That's why you see less grouping and more soloing ...we just don't have time for all those grouped time sinks anymore.</p> <p>EQ is dying....not because of new games ...but because a lot of the gaming population is growing up and the younger folks are not filling the void as much as they were (something else must have their attention).   SOE would do well to recognize this and start bringing their games in line with an audience that is older, more mature, and less likely to have 8 hours to spend a night on a game.</p> <hr></blockquote> That's not actually my experience. I am 46 years old now. I bought EQ1 as a present to myself for my 41st birthday in November 1999. I have played a bunch of MMOs since then and in all of them the great majority of people that I have met have been in their mid 20s and up. Not only that, but most of the people I get into conversations with while grouping or in channels are not only working adults, but have children. The guild I was in in EQ1 had an average age in the mid-30s. We had two members that I knew of who were still at school, a handful in college, and all the rest were out of full-time education. The EQ2 guild I was in for a while was a bit younger, mainly mid-late 20s people with a fair few in college. In my experience, players in their twenties and above prefer to group rather than solo. They tend to be guilded or have solid friends lists, or to duo with their real-life parners.  I see solo gameplay as attracting much more the younger gameplayer. The recent changes to facilitate small groups plays well to both younger and more mature playstyles, I think, and I am very happy with the direction the game is taking. As for whether EQ(2) is dying - all I can see on my server (Steamfont) is it getting busier and more crowded day by day. </span>

[Maggyar]

Approved by whom? The 4 testers one the test server? Seriously i rolled a toon up over there to try and check stuff out and test and for one straight week that I've logged on I have seen like 4 people total. They need to change the server to increased xp if they really want people to test stuff out.

[Thakar]

This is getting rediculous.  How long have Summoners been promised an update and upgraded DPS? <div></div>

[Xlap]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Thakar wrote:<BR>This is getting rediculous.  How long have Summoners been promised an update and upgraded DPS?<BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>live update #3 (close to that) went into effect on test on february 9...we were promised fixes shortly after that went on live

[Beghard]

<font color="#cc0000">"EQ is dying....not because of new games ...but because a lot of the gaming population is growing up and the younger folks are not filling the void as much as they were (something else must have their attention).   SOE would do well to recognize this and start bringing their games in line with an audience that is older, more mature, and less likely to have 8 hours to spend a night on a game." <font color="#ffffff">Dear SoE. Please let me testify if i may. Do NOT nerff the 12hr evercrackedout content of this game. Soloing is all fine and good, i do it to. But this game is about raids, chalanges and stratagy. It is ok to have some good solo content but please for gods sake do not screw over the end game stuff because of complaints like these. The new lockout on raid bosses is a fine example of the same type of idiocy. Is it not possible for there to be both solo and group stuff to do? Why SoE, do you listen to the whiner 49ers who complain about not being able to get masters everyday cuz they "dont have time" or "arnt in a guild with 12 lvl 50 players." There should be a reward for being a hi lvl and there should be a reason to raid. Not  cuz of the junk you get, but because its FUN for god sake. What good is gear if you cant use it anyway? Catering to the 49ers wont make a diferance, not to them anyway. but it WILL [Removed for Content] the raiders off anuf to quit. Dont be their [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot]. As it stands now there are two sides to the argument, but there bot complaing about the other. Im sure you can please both without sacraficing the other. People who can raid dont effect people who cant. If there no raids or groups in this game at all, the soloers would never know the diferance. Who will it be SoE, The 49ers or the Raiders? Why not both? </font></font><div></div>

[Davi]

<DIV>I was going to remain quiet on this, but there's just too many issues that are bothering me lately.  Please bear with me as I vent them.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>1) The new solo mobs-  SoE, you have now created a disparity between group orientated combat environments.  Example, TS has mobs for mid 20's for groups, there are no early 30 group mobs, only mid 35's.   This causes a small but noticable gap for full groups, but the gap becomes much more pronounced for the small group dynamic.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>2)  The promises, I know MMORPG's change, not only do you all as the makers of these games know the the most about them, but we as the player base know our fair share, especially if we have been long time supporters of your product.  Furthermore, we may know better what is best for your game as we arn't financially motivated, we just want to have fun.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Here's the kicker, if we have fun, we give you money for the service.  Bottom line, recently with the bad information thats gotten out and plans for the future, it doesnt appear like you have noticed this fact yet.  Or, theres always the off chance that your looking to make money quick with plans to liquidate the game later.  I don't think that's the case though as the game has so much room for positive growth.  Believe it or not, I want you to prosper, I like the game, I don't like where it's going though.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>3)  Keep us in the dark, don't tell us about every little planned change.  We as people suffer from human nature and with that are bound to be pesimistic towards change as change is always difficult to take at first.  This is different than lying to us though.  I don't want to be lied to, but I would rather not know that summoner changes are comming 10 months from now.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>4)  The economy, this is the biggest problem I see with the game, and <FONT size=4>if nothing else is read in this reply, I do hope this point gets viewed at least</FONT>.  You have created a game based on an economy, that economy failed.  The very pulse and life-blood of this game is its economy.  The search for items, quest for gear, advancment, all of it revolves around the economy. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>My advice, go out, talk to a few economics classes at your local college's.  Students are usually more idealistic and alot of times due to their youth in their chosen profession are more able to think outside the box.   There are also some great games with fantastic structures built in for their economy that can help your game as well.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I would love to offer more advice in a constructive manner, please feel free to email me someone from SoE as you already have my email name.  I would love to do a proper outline for the benifit of the game, but to do it here and have the possiblity of it not being read would be useless to you and time wasted for me.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>**note**  To impliment a real, money based economy exchange in this game at its current game economic level is a mistake of the greatest calliber.  I can't stress it enough.  This is a can of worms I don't want to see opened by anyone at SoE, not because im a naysayer, but because I do like this game.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think an exchange can work.... but not now.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thanks</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[minem]

<DIV>Thanks for letting us pay to play a broken class since september....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>300k subscribers x15$us a month .... and you cant fix the [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] problems that we've had since launch , it boggles the mind</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Keep it up and watch your number of subscribers dwindle with other games being released.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I used to love this game when it 1st came out but this is starting to feel like a 2nd job, you might want to take a look at guildwars, its definitly not the best game but it as some great ideas on what fun should be....</DIV> <DIV>Stop playing wow and get your stuff together or this will be a failed project like eqoa sadly</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Minem/Guk</DIV> <DIV>50 Conjuror</DIV>

[Suraklin]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> minem wrote:<BR> <DIV>Thanks for letting us pay to play a broken class since september....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>300k subscribers x15$us a month .... and you cant fix the [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] problems that we've had since launch , it boggles the mind</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Keep it up and watch your number of subscribers dwindle with other games being released.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I used to love this game when it 1st came out but this is starting to feel like a 2nd job, you might want to take a look at guildwars, its definitly not the best game but it as some great ideas on what fun should be....</DIV> <DIV>Stop playing wow and get your stuff together <FONT color=#ff0000>or this will be a failed project like eqoa sadly</FONT></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Minem/Guk</DIV> <DIV>50 Conjuror</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>EQOA is more fun than this game a lot of the time sadly.</DIV>

[Ulb]

All this whine about paying to play broken classes, paying to play a bugged game etc really makes me sick. Take a look at what the Devs have done since the release, all that content, new features and fixes and still you guys keep whining... If you really disslike the game as much as your saying, well then stop playing it and go play WoW for a while and see what a great job those Devs are doing (NOT). Personally I think the Devs are doing a really good job. I never expected this much, but they keep surprising me. Keep up the great work guys <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /> <div></div>

[spyderopt]

<font size="7"><font size="4">I hope they atleast....</font> <b><font color="#ffff00">FIX INT <font color="#ffffff" size="4">(I'd make that blink if I could)</font> </font></b></font>

[Day]

<P>Is ssomeone under the impression that SWG isnt making money.... bzzzzzzzzzzt   wrong.</P> <P>Like it or not, SWG is a sucuessful game.</P>

[VizP]

<div></div>Because it has the two key words 'Star Wars. Think of its problems and imagine if it was not set in the Star Wars universe but some custom made one. How many people do you think will be playing now? How many people play Anarchy Online? Even with its hideous launch it clearly had less issues than SWO for a long time. But you see, it wasnt Star Wars. Franchises and affiliated games hold different rules and can get away with murder because of the name (see stupendous number of Lucasrt Star Wards products of an incredibly mediocre nature). Now the only other game such as that is Lord of the Rings Online which once more will have the same advantage. The most amusing one was The Matrix Online which would have had the same benefit if the creators hadn't destroyed their own credibility with the poor sequels! (but then one could say the same for Star Wars... but with the original triology still being classies, Star Wars was always going to be 'hotter' than the Matrix universe after the last two Matrix films). These things matter.. whats hot, whats not and whats unknown. Most MMOs are unknown, some try and put a franchise in a no longer 'cool' setting see Matrix and thus don't get the huge player base they thought they'd get (add average game to that) and then theres some settings with huge fan bases (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars) than can have a mediocre game but hold much more. <div></div><p>Message Edited by VizP on <span class=date_text>05-02-2005</span> <span class=time_text>07:57 AM</span>

[Day]

<P>Which is the same reason WOW as so many players...  Because it is WOW, it certainly is not becasue of the gameplay there! Notice that WOW did not take players from EQ or SWG, funny huh?</P> <P>My only comment is that SWG is a sucuessful game, that makes money. Someone mentioned SOE going bnakrupt, SWG is a money making game. So is EQ, so is EQ2.</P> <P>They are not going bankrupt making one sucuessful game after another.</P>

[Suraklin]

<DIV>Well all I know is I got my necro to 27 today and thought [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot]. Why am I still playing this broken game trying to find something in it to keep me interested? Every class I've played in this game has major issues. EQOA was actually fun to play when I played it, but I'm not going to go back to it because none of my friends except 1 still plays it. Plus they nerfed the last 2 necro pets in the game so whats the point in getting to level 60. I'm sick of paying to be a beta tester for these dumb[expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] programmers. Maybe in a year this game will be what it should have been from the start. So until then I'll be playing Guild Wars until Vanguard beta begins. Vanguard has a promising outlook to me. A game being made by the original EQ designers who didn't seem to screw the game up sounds good to me. EQ didn't seem to go down the crapper until SOE bought rights back from the Verant subsidiary Sony made for developing the game. I dunno why I took another chance on an SOE game after I played SWG and they screwed that up after patch 10. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Guild Wars is actually fun to play to me and that's all that matters atm to me. Plus it's free. That's icing on the cake for me. So for all the people who want to continue paying to be beta testers, I'll see you in a year maybe. Unless Vanguard is incredible. If things are still the same for EQ2 a year from now and Vanguard sucks I'll probably never waste my money on a pay to play MMO again. I'll probably just start playing console games again when I'm bored. Atleast I'll have 42.00 more per month now that my 2 accounts I was paying for are ending on the 13th of May. That almost enough to buy a new console game a month if I get really bored with playing what I have.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>This game has no soul to it in my opinion. It never has I guess cause I've been looking everywhere possible and haven't found it. So, I just can't see a reason to keep looking for it and making SOE richer off my money. Until this game finds a soul I won't be playing it anymore.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> And no no one can have my stuff. </DIV>

[Davi]

<DIV>I have to agree about lacking a soul.  I still play though, why.... because there's nothing better out there at the moment for me.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Maybe I was just expecting too much.  EQ I was my first MMORPG and it really knocked my socks off, I played from release untill Velious and it was an amazing game that i really enjoyed playing, at least untill late Vellious then I quit.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In my opinion, the developers did a wonderfull job creating EQ2.  It is by far the most amazing game of its type available today.  But once again, I have to agree... it does lack a soul.  I've sent many feedback's in game about ways to improve.... none have been answered.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The problem as to its soul is that it seems to lack any sense of progression.  I know you can advance through the content and you can advance through the levels.  But you dont advance the growth of your character.  If that makes sense?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It all seems very linear.  If I can explain this right...  In EQ1 you had the means to get from place to place quickly via porting, but you also had to take the long way and that gave a sense of travel.  The travel gave the world depth and structure.  You knew that if you were traveling from fay to freeport that you would run this direction around the world, catch a boat, mess around for a bit and look at people camping such and such, get to freeport and begin a new journey.  </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In EQ2 there is no sense of travel or depth, you simply click a bell and are in the zone of your choice.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So I guess to sumarize, the soul issue for me is the lack of connection between the zones. If I didn't look at a map, I would have no idea which island is near which island and in what direction.  This makes EQ2 a very flat world, and untill the world becomes round, then the game will continue to miss the mark for me.</DIV>

[Taninga]

<DIV>hmm so they seem to have found time to fix wizards/warlocks but none of the other mages yet.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>/sigh</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Taningard</DIV> <DIV>49 Conjuror</DIV> <DIV>Runnyeye</DIV>

[Harlequin]

<P>Well, I don't think people should get too excited here.  If I was in the development team's position, I would have come to the realization at this point that in order to balance priests and mages, you will need to balance fighters and scouts and combat as well.  It is practically impossible to balance one without getting the other fixed too.</P> <P>That being said, I am more disappointed over all of the little bugs, from graphics bugs to broken HO chains (such as when a fighter and healer are grouped, the fighter initiates an HO starter chain and then the healer triggers the next step resulting in a mage lightning icon!?!?) to broken skills (the steady aim skill for rangers raising BOW skill instead of RANGED skill!?!?).  These are the things development SHOULD be fixing right now, in addition to working on the balancing.  Many of these smaller bugs have been in existence for months.</P>