No spirit shard, say goodbye to the challange of exploring new area!

[Moussie]

<DIV>Ok they removed spirit shard, with it they removed the fear of dying in hard place.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Here is a good example:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Guild want to go in a new area, unexplored.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One of the level 60 volunteer to go explore, first he is 60 so no big deal with penalty, he can worry about the max 50% 1-2 months before the next big expension with level raise, until then there is no penalty of losing exp for a level 60. Second he just ned to removehis equipment and no repair, even if he keep is armor on the cost of repair is not that high, you can even ask the guild to pitch in a few gold for every member to cover the cost of repair. Third we are ready to explore strange new world without any penalty (or so little you dont even bother with it).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now you can see that with the removing of shard, people can explore new area and check where every mob are with no trouble.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>With the improvement of exp for crafter (now it is so easy to level a crafter its not even funny) and now the removing of shard this game is starting to be way too easy, why not give everyone a level 60 char with full fable armor.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Instead of fixing bugs in the game they make it more and more easy.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[SonicZ]

Yah! I love it! <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span> It was so annoying before, having to go get your shard. Not challenging by any means, not like EQ1, but just annoying. -Soniczap- <div></div>

[g0thiC_iCe_cReaM]

i kinda liked the penalties for dying...made it a little more challenging

[Soccerfourlyfe]

<DIV>Garbage....... bloody hell SOE, stop making this a game for mindless zombies.   I, for one, want my shiny little clone's (shards) BACK!!!   GIMME GIMME GIMME!!</DIV>

[lancekortesoja]

Yep, One time in EF i was so lazy I didn't feel like walking so I just used my shard wand lol if you don't like an update don't whine quit.<span><blockquote><hr>SonicZap wrote:Yah! I love it! <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span> It was so annoying before, having to go get your shard. Not challenging by any means, not like EQ1, but just annoying. -Soniczap- <div></div><hr></blockquote></span><div></div>

[Amise]

<span><blockquote><hr>Moussie wrote:<div>Ok they removed spirit shard, with it they removed the fear of dying in hard place.</div> <div> </div> <div>Here is a good example:</div> <div> </div> <div>Guild want to go in a new area, unexplored.</div> <div> </div> <div>One of the level 60 volunteer to go explore, first he is 60 so no big deal with penalty, he can worry about the max 50% 1-2 months before the next big expension with level raise, until then there is no penalty of losing exp for a level 60. Second he just ned to removehis equipment and no repair, even if he keep is armor on the cost of repair is not that high, you can even ask the guild to pitch in a few gold for every member to cover the cost of repair. Third we are ready to explore strange new world without any penalty (or so little you dont even bother with it).</div> <div> </div> <div>Now you can see that with the removing of shard, people can explore new area and check where every mob are with no trouble.</div> <div> </div> <div>With the improvement of exp for crafter (now it is so easy to level a crafter its not even funny) and now the removing of shard this game is starting to be way too easy, why not give everyone a level 60 char with full fable armor.</div> <div> </div> <div>Instead of fixing bugs in the game they make it more and more easy.</div> <div> </div><hr></blockquote> I have already been doing this for my guild in new raid zones.  Even with spirit shards it's not that dangerous or difficult.  Removing shards from the game doesn't really change anything, simply because <i>this does not prevent you dying</i>.   The hard part about exploring is never the spirit shards.  It's about avoiding mobs that can kill you in one or two hits, and trying to work your way past roamers that see through your sneak (and if you don't have sneak or invis at all, it's that much harder).  Explorers still need to do this even without the existence of shards because if you die, your exploration is over, and you must go back and start again. People shouldn't be afraid to explore an online world and I like this change because it encourages exploration.  With the removal of shards, people might be more inclined to be adventurous and do things that are challenging and difficult, because they don't have to worry about dying in a bad spot.  I fail to see why that is a bad thing. </span><div></div>

[SonicZ]

Oh don't get me wrong, I like challenge and definitly think they should add more. But if your going to make death pointless, you may as well just go all the way. That's why I like this update. Now I know that EQ1 and EQ2 are two different games, but I think EQ2 should adopt EQ1's death system. Then you REALLY wouldn't want to die, lol. I remember the good old days of running naked through 4 zones just to get my corpse lol. Dying was something you desperatly tried to avoid. So that's it, my point: Either have a death avoidance system or don't, none of this annoying "shard" stuff. WTG SOE!! <span>:smileyvery-happy:</span> -SonicZap- <div></div>

[Myst]

<DIV>Yeah one of the worst moves Soe has made in an update.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Stinkin]

<P>Agreed.  We post all these threads complaining that the game is too easy, and what do they do?</P> <P>Spirit shards are NOT just a time sink!  They require planning and tactics to retrieve them without dying again!</P> <P>Hell, what is the use in bloody evac now!  Just let the mobs kill you, you'll respawn closer anyway.</P> <P>Well, I quit.  Need something a bit more challenging, like WoW...</P>

[Linkdead_Phoen]

yes, it is dissapointing to see such a great MMORPG become nothing but  a WoW clone, and a bad one at that. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Back in November-February I remember when this game actually had a challenge.  Nearly all of the mobs were  group cons and everyone grouped all the time.  Soloing was still possible but it didn't make up the whole game.  People had to work together to achieve a common goal, and yes, death sucked.  A full group wipe could get you tons of debt that took you forever to get back and going without your spirit shard would often cripple your character.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now, the entire game has changed.  Grouping just for XP is becoming rarer and rarer since nearly every mob in the overland zones are now solo cons. Even  the combat upgrade dumbed the game down.  EQ2 is now a 7 class game that just happens to have 20 something unique names. First group debt was lessoned, then almost removed entirely.  Debt that you get just for dieing yourself was entirely trivial since debt would only take about 5-10 kills to get rid of.  Travel time is nonexistant.  I can now go from Lavastorm to Feerott in under two minutes and those zones are on completely opposite sides from each other.  What happened to realism?  Oh, I forgot, realism is a timesink, challenge is a timesink, working together is a timesink, hell SOE, just give em a potion to auto level to 60.  Leveling is even becoming a timesink.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I once went around everywhere telling everyone what a great game EQ2 was.  I used to say it had sooo much unrealized potential.  I defended the game against even my best friends from EQ1 ,and now it seems like it's just trying to copy WoW's sucess.  I played EQ2 because it WASN'T WoW.  It seemed like the last truly challenging MMORPG.  Now, SOE is doing everything it can to turn it into the game I hated so much.  I love EQ2.  I've played it since November 16th of 2004 and I'm not planning or really wanting to quit, but when Vanguard rolls around and if it's everything that Sigil promises it to be and EQ2 hasn't turned back into the game I once loved so much then I really can't seem myself staying with EQ2 long afterwards.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As much as I hate to say it, why do I have the feeling that SOE is slowly doing the same thing to EQ2 as it did to SWG?</DIV>

[Linkdead_Phoen]

<DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> lancekortesoja wrote:<BR>Yep, One time in EF i was so lazy I didn't feel like walking so I just used my shard wand lol if you don't like an update don't whine quit. <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE>We pay 12 dollars a month to play this game just like you do.  We have every right to voice our oppinion on the changes, even if it's not what you agree with.<BR></DIV> <P><SPAN class=time_text></SPAN> </P><p>Message Edited by Linkdead_Phoenix on <span class=date_text>11-30-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:03 PM</span>

[Atmosphear1993]

<DIV> <DIV>The devs tried to make this change as softly as possible.  Why must every "experiment" go live?  Here is exactly what test update 17a said in one little line:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000>- As an experiment, we are trying out an alternate death penalty on the Test server.</FONT></DIV> <DIV><FONT color=#ff0000></FONT> </DIV> <DIV>Well this certainly wasn't an experiment since it ended up going live.  They did not describe the death penalty change in the test update, they just said they are experimenting on an alternate death penalty.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>These recent changes are starting to really turn me off from the game.  I honestly don't want the game easy, I want the challenge and the spirit shard recovery just makes another part of the game easier.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Yes, it did have a purpose.  It increased the fear of dying and created a strategy for players to retrieve their shard from where they died.  Dying has become an after thought.  Like many posters have stated, just remove dying all together since armor costs are practically nothing.  Instead of dying, just call it "knocked out" or something along those lines.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I am dissappointed with the direction the game is heading.  This game is not EQ1 and it is designed for a more casual crowd, but it doesn't have to hold your hand either.  Having an easier game simply means you'll grow tired of it faster.  It seems to me the game is being stripped down into 2 simple goals with no layers in between: Earning the most coin and obtaining the best equipment.  Any challenges in the way are slowly but surely being removed so more players can get to the end faster.</DIV></DIV><p>Message Edited by Atmosphear1993 on <span class=date_text>11-30-2005</span> <span class=time_text>03:13 PM</span>

[g0thiC_iCe_cReaM]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Atmosphear1993 wrote:<BR> <DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>These recent changes are starting to really turn me off from the game.  I honestly don't want the game easy, I want the challenge and the spirit shard recovery just makes another part of the game easier.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV></DIV> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>yeah, we need more heroic content wandering around, too much solo crap is getting rediculous...i can solo ^^^ heroics with my SK...thought it wasn't supposed to be that easy...when i started in december of 2004 it was a real challenge, then by april it was almost nothing to just run around and kill everything, then it changed back to difficult immediatly after the combat revamp now it's getting dumbed down again...slowly but surely the same nerfs that made the game too easy are creeping back in b/c a few people here and there whine b/c there's not enough supposed solo content, but really all that's happening is the game is getting exceedingly booring again...</DIV>

[infernus006]

i agree this is a very dumb idea to take spirit shards completely out of the game like this...[Removed for Content] are they thinking? they already had just put a vendor in the city that woud sell you your shard back for a price...that was good enough imo. yes getting shards back after dying could be a real pita sometimes but so what? it added another dimension to the game...one they now removed making it a bit less challenging and less interesting than it was before. since you never really die in this game (you can always just revive) it makes sense that you leave a piece of your spirit in the place that you died until you can get back there and retrieve it, making yourself whole again. i remember back when you had to actually click on your shard to get it back, it didn't just go in when you got close enough to it. as annoying as it could be at times to try and get a shard back, especially if it was being "guarded" by a bunch of mean mobs or stuck in a weird spot, it made sense and it was accepted as a law of nature. i remember one night i spent like 3 hours and died at least 20 times in a row trying to get a shard back out of a really bad place and i finally managed to get them all them back and gate home without any missing and i was so relieved. also it would sometimes require you to get help from other people in order to get your shard back or at least make it easier, which (and this may sound cheesy to some people but oh well) would oftentimes help to forge or reinforce friendships by providing another means for people to show their devotion or loyalty to someone in need. i just don't understand it...with all the things in this game that actually are really annoying and stupid and shouldn't be happening they go and take something out that did not need to be taken out. next thing we know there will be no xp debt or need to repair your items either and then we might as well be playing an fps instead of an rpg. <div></div>

[Nosewar]

<DIV>Challenge? In EQ2?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Bwahahaha! Ahem. I'm from EQ1 and haven't seen anything like challenge in EQ2 yet.  Good thing the game is so pretty. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Takaris]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Linkdead_Phoenix wrote:<BR>yes, it is dissapointing to see such a great MMORPG become nothing but  a WoW clone, and a bad one at that. <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Back in November-February I remember when this game actually had a challenge.  Nearly all of the mobs were  group cons and everyone grouped all the time.  Soloing was still possible but it didn't make up the whole game.  People had to work together to achieve a common goal, and yes, death sucked.  A full group wipe could get you tons of debt that took you forever to get back and going without your spirit shard would often cripple your character.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now, the entire game has changed.  Grouping just for XP is becoming rarer and rarer since nearly every mob in the overland zones are now solo cons. Even  the combat upgrade dumbed the game down.  EQ2 is now a 7 class game that just happens to have 20 something unique names. First group debt was lessoned, then almost removed entirely.  Debt that you get just for dieing yourself was entirely trivial since debt would only take about 5-10 kills to get rid of.  Travel time is nonexistant.  I can now go from Lavastorm to Feerott in under two minutes and those zones are on completely opposite sides from each other.  What happened to realism?  Oh, I forgot, realism is a timesink, challenge is a timesink, working together is a timesink, hell SOE, just give em a potion to auto level to 60.  Leveling is even becoming a timesink.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I once went around everywhere telling everyone what a great game EQ2 was.  I used to say it had sooo much unrealized potential.  I defended the game against even my best friends from EQ1 ,and now it seems like it's just trying to copy WoW's sucess.  I played EQ2 because it WASN'T WoW.  It seemed like the last truly challenging MMORPG.  Now, SOE is doing everything it can to turn it into the game I hated so much.  I love EQ2.  I've played it since November 16th of 2004 and I'm not planning or really wanting to quit, but when Vanguard rolls around and if it's everything that Sigil promises it to be and EQ2 hasn't turned back into the game I once loved so much then I really can't seem myself staying with EQ2 long afterwards.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>As much as I hate to say it, why do I have the feeling that SOE is slowly doing the same thing to EQ2 as it did to SWG?</DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>Oh my gosh, dont say SWG..i got chills. Let us hope they learn from the experience that SWG is going through now....the Devs from EQ2 will see the empty SWG servers and make sure that they think every change through....</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>SWG will fail im sure...and i really hope the EQ2 team will see it and learn from their mistake.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>With the death of SWG i tested  Wow and Wow has little to no death penality...ive played it. Didnt like the game. Cartoon characters and visuals. Come to EQ2 and the Devs want to change it into Wow...Come on now.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Please learn and listen. Check the SWG boards. They didnt want a Wow clone. They wanted starwars...PLease dont do it to this game.</DIV>

[Atmosphear1993]

<P>Another thought I have been pondering about and slightly off topic:</P> <P>Someone told me in-game that Smed made a statement about how he wants all SOE games to be like someday.  He wants it so we don't have to pay for suscription fees but rather pay real life cash for in-game items (which will fund SOE instead of the Suscription fees), something like what is going on in those Station Exchange servers.</P> <P>Now I am not sure how true that statement was.  It was supposedly echoed into the SWG forums, but I have not read it myself.  But I will probably never play an online game that sets up their gameplay like that, ever.  Has anyone heard/read about this statement?  I am curious.</P> <P>------------------------------</P> <P>Well back on topic: I love how the devs used the word "alternate" death penalty, as if we had a choice to which type of penalty we wanted.  I don't think we had a say in this update, unless the majority of the test server people actually liked the change...hm.</P>

[retro_guy]

Yeah well look at it this way, you no longer have to find a cliff to jump off or water to drown yourself in to "evac". Infact, you could even Manastone yourself to death LOL Yeah, while I don't agree with the change, in the end we'll get used to it, but every little change like this takes away a bit more of the integrity of the game, hopefully something will be added to make up for it and add richness back, to replace that which has been taken away. PS Sorry I'm not on Test, but all the other forums are so boring! <div></div>

[Suta]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Moussie wrote:<BR> <DIV>Ok they removed spirit shard, with it they removed the fear of dying in hard place.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Here is a good example:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Guild want to go in a new area, unexplored.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One of the level 60 volunteer to go explore, first he is 60 so no big deal with penalty, he can worry about the max 50% 1-2 months before the next big expension with level raise, until then there is no penalty of losing exp for a level 60. Second he just ned to removehis equipment and no repair, even if he keep is armor on the cost of repair is not that high, you can even ask the guild to pitch in a few gold for every member to cover the cost of repair. Third we are ready to explore strange new world without any penalty (or so little you dont even bother with it).</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Now you can see that with the removing of shard, people can explore new area and check where every mob are with no trouble.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>With the improvement of exp for crafter (now it is so easy to level a crafter its not even funny) and now the removing of shard this game is starting to be way too easy, why not give everyone a level 60 char with full fable armor.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Instead of fixing bugs in the game they make it more and more easy.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P>Agreed Fully.</P> <P>EverDumbedDown 2: We can be lamer than WoW</P> <P><BR> </P>

[Zephanor]

I agree that removing the spirit shard removes some of the penalty for dying.  My initial reaction is this is bad but then again I don't know how much I'll care about it in the end.  Many times dying in certain places sends out of the way or back outside.  There is still a penalty, loss of time and effort depending on the situation.  The shard are absorbed in due time and if you really can't get it no big deal, you can sleep it off as well as the exp debt. I just don't know that this will make that big of a difference.  The example given of the level 60's just walking where they want is interesting but I have a feeling they would do it anyway with or without the need to recover a shard. As with all things I will just see how this works out.  If it annoys me and I feel it impacting my game I'll feedback it and ask my friends if they feel like minded to do the same. The devs have been pretty good at receiving player input and implementing changes the majority ask for.  Their goal is to make the game fun and so far it still is, at least to me.  Peoples tastes change, some don't like change and others just have to find that next fix.  Whether that's here or there no one can say but you.  I like most all of the changes from LU1 up (except for the blue UI, ugh and the stealth fix on my pet from a cute female human to a copy of me.  Ew.  Oh well, I understand I suppose, heheh.) <div></div>

[MisguidedAngel]

The Spirit Shard was just another crummy ploy to keep you in the game longer. I'm glad that I don't have to risk dying over and over just to get the stupid thing, there are plenty of other annoyances I have to deal with it.

[jpowe]

People are blowing this WAY out of proportion.  Crafting still takes an eternity to max unless you're a botter.  Leveling still takes time unless you're a grinder.  The game is still nothing like WoW and never will be.  Another thing is this death penalty whining.  Death penalty doesn't equate to challenge.  It's a timesink and a detterent to exploration and risky adventuring.  Whether I lose nothing on death or 10 levels does not make the game harder.  I'll still die due to dumb pathing and line of sight issues and I'll have to pay why?  A high death penalty just turns away new players which I'm sure SOE doesn't need with Blizzard taking such a massive share of the market already.  If you want a real complaint, how about the ease of encounters, the unbalance in classes and so forth, not something as insignificant as the death penalty. People always talk about the "good old days", but when you go back it's not the same.  Walking across 4 zones and losing a level seems cool when you aren't playing the game, but you go back and realize that it's nothing but a timesink.  You notice that the amount of noobs in the game is the same with a big penalty or not. <div></div>

[Atmosphear1993]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> jpowers wrote:<BR>People are blowing this WAY out of proportion.  Crafting still takes an eternity to max unless you're a botter.  Leveling still takes time unless you're a grinder.  The game is still nothing like WoW and never will be.  Another thing is this death penalty whining.  Death penalty doesn't equate to challenge.  It's a timesink and a detterent to exploration and risky adventuring.  Whether I lose nothing on death or 10 levels does not make the game harder.  I'll still die due to dumb pathing and line of sight issues and I'll have to pay why?  A high death penalty just turns away new players which I'm sure SOE doesn't need with Blizzard taking such a massive share of the market already.  If you want a real complaint, how about the ease of encounters, the unbalance in classes and so forth, not something as insignificant as the death penalty.<BR><BR>People always talk about the "good old days", but when you go back it's not the same.  Walking across 4 zones and losing a level seems cool when you aren't playing the game, but you go back and realize that it's nothing but a timesink.  You notice that the amount of noobs in the game is the same with a big penalty or not. <BR> <BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE> <P><BR>To you, shard recovery was a time sink, to me it was apart of the core gameplay which I enjoyed.  Not everyone agrees that shard recoveries were annoying.  Shard recoveries added another layer to adventuring.  You knew you'd leave something behind if you died.  So when you do die, you set the goal of getting that shard back.  If your in a group, your group often works together to get back the shards.  I found this kind of experience entertaining and enjoyable.  I also enjoyed the thanks I would get for helping a group mate get their shard back even though the group was going to disband.</P> <P>Everything in this game can be considered a time sink.  Once a certain feature is nerfed or removed from the game, there will be a group of people who agree it was just a time sink and other groups of people who felt it was an integral part of the game.</P> <P>If you want EQ2 to have less layers and simply be a hack and slash mmorpg, then I can understand why you do not want shard recovery.  But EQ2 is suppose to be more than just grinding your toon until he has the best equipment.  There should be other goals in the game along the way, and shard recovery was one of those goals.</P> <P>I will miss this part of the game greatly, death did concern me before.  Now death = free port to safety spot rather than being aware of the dangers around you.  Yes, it does make the game easier, it is one less layer to the gameplay.  Does it fulfill the dev's goal of keeping the game as fun as possible?  Not for me, the game is less fun now.  The debt is laughable and the cost to repair equipment is far less than the gp I can make in a few minutes off of some mobs in SS.</P> <P>I don't really care for the "good old days" anymore.  Mmorpgs are this way for a reason, its not just for a small crowd of people anymore.  However there is a difference between designing the game for a broader crowd and removing things from the game to make it easier than it needs to be.</P>

[Generi]

There is a fine line between a "hack and slash" online-adventure (D2 comes to mind) and a MMORPG.  I just dont know which side of the line EQ2 stand on anymore...

[ambrial]

<DIV>Why don't they just make it so it's impossible TO die, LOL</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[MisguidedAngel]

There are worse problems with this game right now than the fact that they removed shards.

[Windaana]

I'd very much like to see this changes about shards getting taken back and best the lessend restrictions of the DoF carpets too. The later is more a nuissance, but well, if you don't do the quest you gotta run like I do. But the shards change makes dying even more casual than it already is. I wonder if they really believe WoW has more players because the game is easier. The long term impact of this change will be heavy and nasty, attracting the wrong people of rewarding people for silly behaviour. I did like the alchemists to buy shards back, that came in really handy if you died just before a raid, the 30g (at 60) did hurt enough to prevent casual use. But this now, lol. Fortunatly the people one plays with are not affected by the updates, so it still gonna be fun, but well, waiting for Vanguard, the reason I came back and stopped playing WoW more and more vanishes. Ortlinde <div></div>

[Giral]

<DIV> <DIV>News Flash ::::::::</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>In a freak Mishap today a Test Server Try out went Way off Course and wound up On live Servers ,</DIV> <DIV>This very unfortunate event streaked thru the lands of Norath and killed 2 of the long time Players of Eq2</DIV> <DIV>they Were none other than "Challenge" and the equally known but never openly liked "Death".</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>One Toon had this to Say " It was like my heart was ripped from my body, but strangly i was just all numb inside instead dieing becuase my main organ was removed,  i just had a little pile of debt in the back of my pants"</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>another Toon had this to say "No Death penalty , Master Drops out the Wazzu, heck i hear they gion to implement a Buy a level NPC , fine by me i always found adventuring in a RPG game to be tedious and a waste of time "</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i can't believe this wen't live : (</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I think i have found out what Test servers have become on eq2 They figure that most of the hardcore gamers play on Test and give them Feedback , so what ever gets a Hefty NO NO on Test immediatly goes to live</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>reading thru the Test forums i would have to say that IMO it was a 10 to 1  Against NO shards and then it goes live : (</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Thier also were SO many idea's of diffrent ways to make Death have significant meaning OR to just make the game easier in beginning</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>i don't see the need of removing shards from level 40+ we have all gotten thier WIth the shards why cant everybody else ?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>can we get a Dev response on WHEN the statement of EXPERIMENTING means this is Definetly gion live in it's current State?</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>WHAT IS THE PURPOSE of TEST Anymore ? with stealth updates to live that don't even go to Test and Totally Misleading statements like the Removal of shards from live , this was utterly a Stab in the back ; ( ,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>What is Fun INgame ? now you truly do nothing in game But LEVEL and Collect LOOT , their is nothing else , no Debt , no Shard , No Fear , No challenge, ( For those who say their is STill TONS of challange we shall see how you feel in a month )</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>O GOSH if i die now INgame i lose a whole 30 seconds and have to run all the way back to Group O Gosh O Gosh i can't handle that at all SOE , SOE , i can't take the time sink of runnin(FASTER) Back to the place of my Death Just make me revive at my death spot and be untouchable by mobs till i click a button saying i will rejoin group , or i get far enough away when solo ,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>if this wasn't so sickening it would be laughable ; (</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Big Double Thumbs Down , I'm a Casual player and i can't see the need for this. just really so let down WHY did you even put this on test ? as a Shock breaker for players never expecting it to go live : (</DIV></DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Soccerfourlyfe]

<P>This was previously posted, but it fits here as well, and im sorry, i dont know how to link directly to the other post(not just msg) yet:</P> <P>Quoting myself:</P> <P>/agree</P> <P>When i noticed this today i thought i was playing on test</P> <P>SOE, please take your time when moving things from test to live,  something that does not work properly should not be moved to live, EVER. I  dont care if everyone loves what the change is doing, if its not doing it properly, DONT MOVE IT TO LIVE.   And when you say you're testing something in test, we expect that there is a good chance this will not go live, so feel free to run test and experiments on test, that's what it's there for.  If you've already decided to move it to live before it hits test (which seems to be the huge majority of the time)then:</P> <P>a: dont call it experimental</P> <P>b : : and i stress : :  make absolutely SURE it works....before it moves to live</P> <P>i feel like after every single LU, im playing in beta and test for at least a week</P> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Phenoum Argour</DIV> <DIV>60 Wizard - Faydark Server</DIV> <DIV>Proud member of Clan of Shadows</DIV> <DIV> </DIV>

[Gandi]

[Removed for Content] @ the OP

[Brentielal]

<DIV>I hear everyone complaining about this game beeing easy and yes I agree one-hundred percent. This complaining to make the game harder and easier from both sides is something that should be able to be solved... Here is my Idea..</DIV> <DIV>Alow ppl when they start there character to have a choice of  toughness. If you choose hardcore gamer then you get to have certain things only happen to you, such as XP dept, Shard recovery, More Epic Mobs, and harder challenges.. The ppl that choose to be casual can choose this and have Mobs show up more as solo and have to not get get there shards so they do not have to feel the TIMESINK that they feel they should not have too... But here is the catch, if a casual player groups with a hardcore gamer they have to have the hardcore gamer effects apply to them as well...</DIV> <DIV>I think this could cause things to be much easier and plus give the hardcore gamers such as my-self satifaction, plus make the casual players satisfied... Think about that DEVS.. Pass this Idea along if ya like it.. I think it would work out GREAT!!</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Brentielal, LVL 50 Paladin, Highkeep server</DIV><p>Message Edited by Brentielal on <span class=date_text>12-01-2005</span> <span class=time_text>06:22 AM</span>

[Brentielal]

<DIV> <DIV>And yes the idea of not having to get shards is kinda ok, but how bout this, make it a 2.5% total xp loss, and 1.5xp dept, now that would even it out <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV></DIV><p>Message Edited by Brentielal on <span class=date_text>12-01-2005</span> <span class=time_text>06:25 AM</span>

[Sunrayn]

<BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> StinkingD wrote:<BR> <P>Spirit shards are NOT just a time sink!  They require planning and tactics to retrieve them without dying again!</P> <P><BR></P> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR> <DIV>Oh god yes, yes, yes, I agree 150% with that statement.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>It was so difficult deciding what to do for the 72 hours I had to wait for my shard to be automatically absorbed if I didnt want to go back and get it.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Do I continue playing a character with a shard out and very minimal stat reductions or do I log in a lowbie alt and have fun with the rest of the guild playing alts that havent been dusted off in ages....</DIV>

[Yennik]

<DIV>at lvl 60 I can now port back to zone in any time I want.  just get killed <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV>

[Linkdead_Phoen]

I was hoping that with the loss of shard retrieval that at least XP debt would play a bigger part.  I was dissapointed when I died and only recieved .5% XP debt.  Now yes, I am a low level so I don't know exactly how much higher lvls get but I do recall others in /gu saying they only recieved the same ammount.