Why I've Left, and Why I've Come Back

[Sebastien]

<p>This is to be a long and somewhat campy post.  Fact is that EQ2 has missed the mark, for me at least.  Here is my feedback post, for what it's worth.Initially, I was very enthusiastic about the game.  I dragged about a dozen of my friends here to play as well, in fact.  I was active and helpful in my game community of Neriak, and tried to do the same on these boards.  I know I was a PITA for some, at times, but always my feedback had been driven by passion for the game.  So I'd like to think I was a "good" customer.It needs to be said that I have had a GREAT time in the game.  For that reason alone, I cannot say EQ2 is a "bad" game.  No, in fact I thank SOE for the great times.  There are some features and places in the game that are truly merit-worthy.  Before I start criticizing, it is fair to mention <b>the good:</b>(1) <u>Archtype system</u> - yes, some intelligent people DO think it's great, believe it or not.  You folks are clearly having some trouble balancing it, but at the end of the day, it is a great idea and you need to stick with it for sure.  The classes have enough depth so that they can interact in small, untraditional groups in lots of fun ways.(2) <u>Combat system</u> - speaking not of mechanics but just gameplay, it's wonderful.  The pace is just right.  It's very engaging, and requires you to be on the ball, and even have some reflexes.  But you can learn it easily.  HO's add a lot here, as do the variety of skills.  The UI is flexible enough to handle all the information you need to see while you play.  Well done.(3) <u>Mentor system</u> - HUGE kudos.  For real.  You took CoH's basic premise but made it much, much better.  It's very hard for me to play a game without this feature now.  [look Moorgard, I'm foreshadowing! =p](4) <u>Realtime crafting</u> - excellent.  The current system is not perfect.  Somehow ideas seem to have gotten blurred along the way.  But you do get props for having such an innovative system, as well as giving it love instead of abandoning it when it was causing you trouble.(5) <u>Multiple advancement paths</u> - adventuring, questing, status, crafting, collections, home-owning, and then *guild* leveling.. yep, lots of paths; good thinking there.  Different people play differently and EQ2 can cater to many of them.(6) <u>Nek Castle</u>, despite the bugs, is such an amazing experience when played without a walkthrough, that it deserves to be mentioned as its own feature.  Bloodskull Valley demonstrated similarly creative thinking and is worthy of honorable mention.These are all excellent features of the game.  Despite that, despite the fact that I have an incredible group of friends and guildmates here, and despite all the energy I've put into the game, I am leaving.  [no you cannot have my stuff and its not even the point of this post so please get over it =D]What I didn't want to believe at first, and what a later came to accept, is that I am not part of EQ2's target audience.  I don't take it personally, and I'm not causing drama over it.  But it's just a fact that SOE and I both need to understand.  Steps have been taken, and will continue to be taken, in fact, to ensure that the type of player I am is not welcomed here.What type of player am I?  I play MMO's for team-based challenge.  I play them to socialize.  I play them to explore, and feel a sense of wonder.  Team-based challenge is dead in this game.  It perhaps has been so for a longer time than I wanted to acknowledge.  The game is not designed to reward longterm accomplishment, only shortterm.  The game is not designed to encourage teamplay, but rather give you every reason not to do it.  And there is little room left for a sense of wonder when everything is made, by design, to be meticulously predictable and as surprise-free as possible.I am not a "power gamer", in the sense that I care not about my exp.  In a futile effort to make the game last longer, I actually played with my exp completely off for the last month or two that I was active.  However I am an avid gamer, in the sense that I do play a lot and I get really into my game.  So <b>what is bad</b> for me:(1) <u>The downtiering</u>.  The gameworld, from my point of view, was cut to about 10% its original size, as a result of these changes.  Lets be clear.  What SOE did when it downtiered was not simply to make the overlands more "casual friendly."  What was done was to remove nearly all challenge, and in particular, to ensure that all mobs were methodically and predictably plotted and distributed.  There would no longer be surprise, excitement or adventure outdoors.  If I had wanted to play WoW, frankly I would, because WoW is a better WoW than EQ2 will ever be.  But I don't like that kind of game, nor do I like what this one has been made into.  To be honest, I am still in a state of shock at how extreme/over-the-top/heavy-handed SOE was when making these changes.(2) <u>The pointlessness of stats</u>.  Hey my STR is 10 points higher now.  Yay?  Oh look, this should be interesting: that SK spec'd for high STR, whereas I spec'd for high AGI.  I bet we are fairly different in combat.  No, we're not.  Stats mean very little in most situations.  They only seem to produce a noticeable impact when they are buffed to outrageous extremes.  But during the life and development of a typical Norrathian, it really just doesn't matter at all.  In an item-centric game, what effect does that have on my incentive to play, knowing that improving my stats does very little?(3)  <u>The pointlessness of gear</u>.  Gear is not quite as pointless as stats.  To be sure, having yellow armor is much better than having grey.  So there is a point to it.  But, looking more closely, is there much point to having one piece of yellow armor v. another?  Hmm.. this one gives me +PP, and this one gives me STR/HP.  One would think that is a big decision, but really it is not.  In a decent group you need not ever worry about your HP or PP anyway, and the +STR will do almost nothing for you.  So pick the one that looks better.  /shrug  Again, I ask, in a game that uses items and levels as its main incentive for play, what effect does it have to say that stats (related to levels) and gear have almost no value or meaning to your character?(4) <u> Loot tables</u>: poopoo.  Almost everything I find, in any game, I give to my guildmates.  So don't think this comment is about me, or wanting to be uber.  It isn't.  But again, go back to the incentives you use in your game.  I firmly believe, and will not listen to contrary reason (be forewarned), that the crappiness of the loot tables in EQ2 is directly related to a paranoia SOE has about the longterm stability and intrinsic value of their economy, and that this is 100% due the plans for Exchange that they have harbored from the beginning.(5) <u> Combat mechanics</u>:  SOE knows the problem, or at least Moorgard does.  They are all or nothing.  I came to Test originally to help oversee these changes.  I've lost faith.  Slower and more predictable fights is the current gameplan, according to SOE.  That doesn't solve the core problem and instead brings on additional reasons for me to feel disinterested.(6)  <u>No endgame</u>:  All we have are the raids.  And to be completely blunt, the raids are lousy.  Why are they lousy?  Well you can just combine all of my above reasoning to paint a picture.  Sonny has a dream to fight dragons.  He falls in love with EQ2, and over the course of three or four months, he builds himself and a team.  They work together, leveling, finding gear, improving themselves.  Finally the day comes when they will fight the dragon.  Expecting the worst, Sonny reflects on what his strategy might be.  They zone into a private instance, and rather than facing a challenge or puzzle or battle, they essentially have the dragon neatly packaged up and ready to go.  There is no "raiding" per se, just zoning into an instance to fight an epic boss then leave.  Sonny cries "charge!", and is killed by the dragon in one hit.Ruhroh.  That didn't work.  The team gathers up, gets another level, makes a bard friend, and decides to try again.  Very nervous, Sonny cries "charge!" and the battle begins.  The dragon misses every single time.  The "battle" goes on for 20 minutes, not because its hard, but simply because the dragon has a lot of hitpoints.  After dodging the dragon nearly every time, Sonny is "victorious".  Confused at the ease and predictibility of the fight, Sonny's guild crowds in to see the spoils of their victory.  Much to their dismay, they see a wooden chest, inside which is a crappy round shield that nobody wants, a necklace that is "ok", and an adept 1 that someone already had.What I have just described is the endgame that EQ2 offers.  There is no creativity to the majority of the raids at all.  Most of them will go the way I described, for most organized guilds.(7) <u>Broken vitality system</u>.  SOE broke the system early on, when they decided to simplify it as double-or-nothing.  Vitality regens so quickly that most players have vitality at all times.  Therefore, the system does not serve its purpose of adjusting the pace of the game based on the activity of the player.  Instead, it simply served to make the game twice as fast for everyone.  Now we are talking about adding crafted items that will make vitality regen even faster.  ::boggle::</p><p>In short, I feel no sense of adventure, and have nothing to look forward to.  Oh actually I did have one thing to look forward to: the expansion.  Here I thought we would finally realize some of the early promises of the dev team, to expand upon the city v. city content, to add player conflict, and to create a real endgame.  Instead I get mountain climbing, voiceovers, more predictable raids, pokemon, and some bizarely abstracted form of court v. court content since SOE now feels unable to disturb the city v. city situation.I add to this my concerns with SOE's general business practice.  The outright manipulation and deception over the Froglok quest is not excusible, and the manager that made that decision should feel a mix of shame and embarassment for doing something so bone-headed.  Exchange.. meh.. I don't really have a big gripe with SOE over this one.  What I do take offense to is SOE's blatant drooling over money.  Yes, all business is driven by profit incentive.  I am in business for myself, I understand.  But something changes when your primary motivation shifts from a passion for what you do to prostituting yourself for cash.  It is, in fact, a fine line, but one that SOE proudly crosses time and time again.  $100 for a transfer?  Give me a break.. how about offering a service as a form of appreciation for the MILLIONS that your subscribers pay you every month?  $3 for eq2players?  pfft.. It still amazes me that SOE allows themselves to be represented by a product that is so buggy and unrefined.And in an effort to chase that dollar, you can be sure there is no overriding plan or vision or direction to this game.  If marketing showed that making it open PvP would result in 10% more monthly revenue, the game would be open PvP.  If marketing showed that casual/solo content is the way to go, it will shift to that.  Again, there is a fine line between being responsive to customers (which is good), and losing your identity in the process (which is self defeating).Speaking of embarassing technical issues, I'd better CTRL+C this post because I'm quite sure I've timed out by now.Anyway, the short and sweet is that I am done.  No adventure, no challenge, no reward, combined with deceptive business practice, makes Jack a dull boy.  There are certainly some talented people at SOE working on this game.  But unfortunately I believe their good efforts are clouded by weak management decisions.  I appreciate the wonderful times I had during my first few months of EQ2, truly.  The only bitterness in my tone is due to my wishing that you would have done more with your game, instead of repeatedly taking what I perceive as backwards steps.My account remains active so that I can log in to help guildmates and friends for a time, and so that I can possibly see the result of the combat changes.  Other than that, I've lost interest, and when my mates follow suit the account will be closed.To any and all who disagree, that is your prerogative, and I am non-sarcastically glad you are still enjoying yourselves. =)</p>

[Laureli]

<DIV>Sebastian,</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Wow...</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>I've been an avid reader of your posts for a while now.  They are often informative, insightful and thought provoking.  You have shown a level of dedication to this game that will be sorely missed by this community.  I really hope that SOE does not dismiss this post of yours as you bring forth a host of valid issues.  I also leveled slowly and explored the game and I had a lot of fun at times.  Now that I'm level 50 and in a raiding guild all I can say is that I'm dissapointed.  I agree 100% with your comments about the end game.  It is a big let down right now and a lot of lvl 50 players I know have quit because of it.  You have articulated many of my concerns as of late and I applaud your ability to address them in a constructive manner.    </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Edit: I just wanted to add that I think a lot of your issues are the result of the fact that for the most part, at the high end, this game is not incredibly challenging.  The result of this is that (for classes other than the main tank) stats and equipment don't make a significant difference because most things can be accomplished without them.  </DIV><p>Message Edited by Laureli on <span class=date_text>05-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>10:04 AM</span>

[Shunidar]

<DIV>Reading this post makes me miss the simplicity of when adding +1 to your dex score was a really big deal.  I fear that I don't have anything constructive to add to this well worded post other than good-bye.  I understand about how you feel in many of the points you made.  If I wasn't enjoying the company of my friends so much, I would probably (try to) leave a similar post.  Keep your fingers crossed for the rest of us... perhaps the combat and arts system will improve in unpredicted ways <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></DIV><p>Message Edited by Shunidar on <span class=date_text>05-27-2005</span> <span class=time_text>11:53 AM</span>

[EtoilePirate]

<DIV>I disagree with some of what you've written, but on the whole this is a really well-thought out, well-explained line of reasoning, with a lot going for it.  Sorry to see you go, but at least you did a good job of making it clear why.</DIV>

[Silverdrop]

That was as well written as always. And as could be expected even in leaving you provide valuable insights. You'll be missed. <div></div>

[Sebastien]

<P>Hello Test community.  None of you here know me but I was an early fan of EQ2 back during its initial months.  I am back for a while after ~1.5 year hiatus I think.  I have not pursued creating a character on Test again, yet, although I will most likely do so if I plan to stay with the game for a while.  I know we do not like necro posting, but this game has clearly changed so much that I thought I would indulge, and look at the closing feedback I left behind me.  My post was divided into praise for the good and criticism of the bad, ultimately explaining why I left.</P> <P>I talked first in my post about what fun I had during my stay in EQ2.  After I left I was a little bitter, and I might have forgotten the many things that I did enjoy abuot the game.  Coming back, I am reminded of them, and looking forward to some good times.  The co-leader of my former guild is with me, and we're not sure if many of the old crew will return or not.  We have suggested it.  The positive points I raised were:</P> <P>(1) Archtype system - I see that this is gone now.  This is the kind of change I would have probably bashed SOE for, were I around when it happened.  But coming in well after the fact, I do see a lot of benefits to this decision.  Players are immediately presented with a rich variety of choices, and the flavor of the class is established early on instead of much later.  This seems in line with SOE's general philosophy of not forcing players to wait before they can do/see the "cool" stuff.  I have made a bby Fury and the flavor of the class is there within the first few levels, and it is quite fun.  So, while I liked the idea of the old way, the new way works well also.</P> <P>(2) Combat system - I could swear the pace feels slower than it was during the game's early months.  I have not had the same sense of tension or reliance on reflexes that I remember having in the past.  Then again I have recently been playing fast paced games, such as Guildwars pvp, lately, so perhaps it is my perception.  I am glad my friend the HO is still part of the game.  I always thought this was wonderful.</P> <P>(3) Mentor system - probably old news by now, but a second round of Kudos is still warranted.</P> <P>(4) Crafting - SOE you took an aspect of the game that I listed as a positive, and you have made it vastly better.  I would argue that EQ2 offers the best tradeskill experience on the market.  I have not progressed nearly far enough to see what sort of balance issues might exist, but it all seems great so far.  I believe the original vision of subcomponents, and a micro-economy of subcomponents bought/sold between crafters, is still an excellent idea.  But the implementation was painful at times, and this newer, more traditional approach is great.</P> <P>(5) Multiple advancement paths - Again SOE you took an area of the game that was already strong, and took it up a few more steps.  With two overlapping AA trees and a variety of other new things to think about, such as the Faith system, I don't think any game offers as many alternate ways to define your character's progress as EQ2.</P> <P>(6) Nek castle - Once I've leveled some more I will return and hope that all the pathing bugs have been worked out during my absence. =)</P> <P> </P> <P>Now for the criticisms I had at that time:</P> <P>(1) Downtiering - This is an area where I've personally just changed my position quite a bit.  At the time the changes were happening, I had a lot of liberty with my own time, I was passionate about being in game much of my free time, and I had a large enough group of guildmates/friends that were always there with me, such that I really resented the idea of making the outdoor game primarily a solo game.  Now, though, I work long hours, some of my guildmates have since gotten married / had kids / etc / etc, and I really do need a game that gives a rich solo experience.  I am working through the new EoF content with a fresh perspective, and it seems that SOE got the non-heroic mobs balanced well, so that they are an "appropriate" challenge.  When these changes were first being made, non-heroic mobs were simply-put so easy to fight that the idea of facing a whole zone of them was dreadfully boring.  Now it feels right.  So, while I fought you on this one SOE, in retrospect I have come to realize you were making a good change for the game.</P> <P>(2) Pointlessness of Stats & Gear - I could have summed it up much better by saying that I felt the game mechanics were dysfunctional.  They really were.  On the one hand, you had stat changes of modest increments meaning almost nothing, really killing a sense of progression.  On the other hand, you had avoidance mechanics so [Removed for Content] that people solo raids simply by dodging the boss for a few hours.  From what I am seeing in the game so far, this remains an area in need of improvement, although I believe it has gotten closer to the mark.  SOE I would suggest you consider game mechanics such that the size of a stat improvement is viewed relative to the character's level before the ultimate effect is determined.  For example, finding an item with +2 strength should be meaningful for a newbie warrior.  We should be able to see some direct change, through UI feedback, and/or through gameplay.  I do not find that to be the case right now.</P> <P>So, you could have the game look at STAT / LEVEL, rather than just purely basing bonsues or penalties on the stat itself.  This frees you from having to design all sorts of overly complicated curves and caps to get your work done.</P> <P>As for Gear, it is always a careful balancing act, to make sure gear matters enough so that you are motivated, but not that it matters so much that there is nothing else to the game besides what gear you have.  I am too early in my return to speak on this topic.  But when I see posts about tanks wondering whether they should bother to wear armor or just fight naked, it reminds me of this old concern.</P> <P>Overall, it seems the mechanics still need work.  And this is such a fundamental aspect of gameplay that, at this point in EQ2's life, we should mostly have this topic behind us imo.</P> <P>(3) Loot tables - Again I'm quite early in my career to decide this, but so far I'm pleased.  The acid test will come when I start engaging more heroic encounters, and see if I feel the additional rewards of doing so indeed are aligned with the additional challenges.</P> <P>(4) Endgame - Way too early for me to comment, but again, reading the boards, it seems this area still needs help.  When I read about raid encounters designed to spam an AOE over and over that can nearly one shot most of the raid's participants, I have to roll my eyes and say: this is not creative game design.  It might be difficult for the participants.  But it isn't a <EM>fun</EM> challenge.  This is one area where WoW really does excel: the raid encounters have much variety, involve a lot of genuine strategy, and while many of the encounters are certainly difficult, they rarely feel as though they are difficult in a dumb way.  Spamming said AOE is an example of an encounter that is difficult in a dumb way, imo.</P> <P>(5) PvP thoughts - briefly touched on in my closing post before.  I'm just going to say: I'm really disappointed that SOE never did manage to create much meaning to the Freeport / Qeynos conflict.  Even with PvP servers, it seems this subject remains a dead-end in your mind.  There is still a lot of potential here, especially if you are willing to introduce some alternate mechanics/features for the PvP servers.  Take note of how many of Blizzard's servers are PvP, as opposed to PvE.  I'm not saying you need to do anything to disturb your PvE community.  But I think the numbers indicate that expanding on your PvP ideas would be to your benefit SOE.</P> <P> </P> <P>Incidentally, I see that the forums do not kick me off every few minutes, and I have to say these are some of the nicest forums out there.  Overall I am happy to be back, and looking forward to re-learning the game.  I do commend SOE on its persistence, and in a way, the honesty to realize that things needed to be improved.</P>

[Gallenite]

Welcome back. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Zindicatt]

<P>Sebastien, I swear I should know you but somehow I don't.  I have seen you post before and I vaguely relate you to someone.  If I made a wild guess, I'd say you sound like Dagon.  Please do not get offended if you are not and please tell me who you are.</P> <P>Very nice post by the way.  Very fair and fact-based.  In the mean time, I'd urge everyone to not forget that as players we do also change in what we like about a game as our RL changes (as you have recognized).  Problems can be hidden behind exciting new things.  Addictive elements in the game can turn into a drag.  Having accomplished some long-term goals can be a blessing and a curse...</P> <P>I have left EQII twice and I still think it is a great game for the many reasons you have recognized.  With Kwoung's and my busy work schedule, we have found it difficult to gather up the energy for some real grouping adventures.  Solo and duo content, while dry with low return, has become the play mode of choice.  Honestly, the many ways you can find a sense of accomplishment have kept me coming back and playing.  </P> <P>I would agree that some of the very essential aspects of the game such as stats, raid strategies, and meaning loots leave quite a bit to desire at this point, especially if you are at max character levels and have had some success in raiding prior to the recent combat changes, which in my experience, have killed the game in my particular situation.  Stat caps got raised and existing benefits of stats got reduced.  While SoE insists that the impact is minimal, we feel it painfully and clearly.  That small notch of dropping in power means the content meant for us go from "fun and challenging" to "untouchable".</P> <P>I am not saying SoE should cater to us.  I am not saying it will kill Test.  I'm seeing Test go through another ice age.  We will rise again, as we have always done it, I am sure.</P> <P> </P>

[Bhagpuss]

I remember Sebastien from the first time round, as a poster on the forums that is. I would have disagreed back then with most of his analysis of what was wrong with EQ2, although I would have agreed there was plenty wrong with it. I also stopped playing EQ2 around April 2005. I spent 6 weeks in the then-new Guid Wars, which i absolutely loved for 4 weeks and then found I had "finished". Then I went back to EQ1 for another 6 months.EQ2 was originally promoted as light-hearted, less time-intensive alternative to EQ1. We were supposed to get Fellowships and fun, but even by the time I entered beta in September 2004, the game was moving towards the dour, dull grind it became by launch. The changes that were beginning as Sebastien left came too late to staunch the haemorrhage of disappointed subscribers, but it was the start of the extreme surgery EQ2 needed to survive. By the time i returned to try again in December 2005, EQ2 was massively improved and I have been here since, despite being in some betas for games I had very much been looking forward to in the meantime. EQ2 is now, in my opinion, very simply the most entertaining MMORPG available. I have played on Test since December 17th 2004, and for my money it's nicer here than its ever been. My preferred gameplay is duo/small group, and I have always hated raiding in every game i have played that had it, so the current state of both the game and the server suits me down to the ground. Solo combat in EQ2 is still a bit dour, but there is a vast amount of largely non-combat solo content (questing solo generally only involves a small amount of hunting and a lot of running about), so even if ihave to solo I enjoy myself a lot.I think there's a game launching early next year, avaialble on the SoE Station Access account, that might just suit you down to the ground, Sebastien. I'll be playing that one too, but at the moment I am dubious that it will have the hook to pull me away from EQ2.

[Sebastien]

<DIV><BR> <BLOCKQUOTE> <HR> Gallenite wrote:<BR> Welcome back. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /><BR> <HR> </BLOCKQUOTE><BR>Thank you sir. :smileyhappy:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Zindicatt, thanks for the thought, but I don't believe we know eachother.  My characters are almost always either Sebastien (the nice one), or Ashin (the less than nice one).  Sometimes there is Jynx (the non commital one), but I've never been Dagon.  Certainly not offended in any way.  And I'm glad you clarified a point I was vaguely stabbing at: the game has changed, but also I have changed, my situation is different, etc.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The true story of how I got burnt out on being so hardcore in my approach to gaming: I finally got what I had always wanted, while I was playing WoW.  I grew my guild to the point where we were an endgame raiding guild.  Not competitive with top guilds, mind, but we could raid.  And once I got to that point, I realized it wasn't at all what I hoped it would be.  The game didn't magically begin anew for me.  The challenges weren't particularly more fun or even more difficult, per se.  The difficulties were real life difficulties: organizing people, working through everyone's schedules, etc, etc.  I realized.. I do not play games so that I can incur real life challenges!  In game challenges are fine and welcomed, but never again will I take on real life baggage for the sake of my game.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So I went to Guildwars and I cannot say enough good things about it and about arena.net.  It really is not an mmorpg, though, but it's certainly a great sort of game.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>Eventually I got the itch for some oldschool rpg-ing tho, and the timing was just right for the playthefae trial.  I couldn't argue with 40 bucks for all expansions, either, so here I am.  Now, for example, its 8pm where I am, I left my home 12 hours ago for work, and the LAST thing I could possibly stand to deal with right now would be organizing a raid.  I just like to log in, relax, and if I can group with friends: awesome, but otherwise I need freedom to venture about and choose some goals on my own and do them.  EQ2 was always very relaxing to me.</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>So, yah, touchy-feely stuff, but chop-chop on the game mechanics devs! :smileytongue:</DIV><p>Message Edited by Sebastien on <span class=date_text>12-21-2006</span> <span class=time_text>05:07 PM</span>

[Sebastien]

<p>And.. I'm back again for round three.</p><p>I guess I didn't explain why I left the second time (which was a while ago now).. but basically it was because I felt like the server population (Permafrost) was too low, the old-world zones were dead because the rewards were so badly out-of-date compared to EoF, and I didn't feel much incentive for team-play or team-challenge.</p><p>I am in between games and I always like to see how EQ2 is progressing.</p><p>Cheers.</p>

[Beckah]

<cite>Sebastien wrote:</cite><blockquote><p>And.. I'm back again for round three.</p><p>I guess I didn't explain why I left the second time (which was a while ago now).. but basically it was because I felt like the server population (Permafrost) was too low, the old-world zones were dead because the rewards were so badly out-of-date compared to EoF, and I didn't feel much incentive for team-play or team-challenge.</p><p>I am in between games and I always like to see how EQ2 is progressing.</p><p>Cheers.</p></blockquote>Well, welcome back then! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

[Beckah]

<cite>Well...that's different, double posted.  Sorry!</cite>

[Drakaran]

welcome back. it's been a while. I'd forgotten about this post you made until I saw it at the top of the list.

[Sebastien]

<p>Thank you. <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I suppose I should rename this thread, since it has become kind of a chronicle of my praise and criticism for the devs, as I come and go.</p>

[Beajay]

<p>Unfortuantely grouping is still a pita in this game. Too many quests require you to gather X number of items which each member of the group must gather seperately. Then there are the quest items that have very long respawn time so the group stands around waiting for the respawn so each member of the group can harvest the item. This could be vastly improved by giving credit to all members of the party when a quest item is looted through harvesting or killing the mob. Some quests do this but there are still a ton of them that don't.</p><p>Then there is the loot distribution system. They have tried to make it better but there isn't a "decline all loot" option for those of us who hate having to click on a hundred items of junk loot. I know you can just let the loot time out but meanwhile it is taking up valuable space on my screen and often it covers up a mob that is trying to kill me. It surely can't be that hard to add a decline loot option.</p><p>Then there is traveling to and from groups. Omg is this a time killer. The higher you go the more porting is involved in getting to a hunting spot which increases the chance of link deaths and having to wait for players to relog and sometimes reboot their computers. Invis doesn't work worth a hoot so someone has to go out and help lower-level players get past the trash mobs to the hunting area. Meanwhile the rest of the group stands around twiddling their thumbs.</p><p>By the time everyone finally gets together someone finds they have to log off, and because the instance, dungeon, or quest requires a full group the process has to be started all over again. This problem could easily be solved by giving more classes the ability to "call" a player to them. This would be a huge help to forming and maintaining groups throughout a raid.</p><p>And what's with the die and you go back to the beginning of the dungeon/zone bit? I can't tell you how many times this has happened to me and has me totally bummed out on dungeons and instances. </p><p>Although most groups have a rezzer or two they can't always reach a body and even when they do it often rezzes right on top of the mob that killed it which makes absolutely no sense. I tried to rez my husband's toon five different times, during one encounter, before he just gave up and released. We didn't have time to get his toon all the way back to where we were hunting so we just gave up and ported back to town. We could have continued hunting if we could have "called" his toon to us. We never did finish that quest and eventually deleted it.</p><p>To me these are the primary problems with groups that cause me to spend most of my time soloing or grouping with a toon on one of my other accounts. I've gotten to the point where I don't even group with my husband's toons because of all the delays grouping causes. I generally only have a couple of hours to play each day and I want to make the most of that time. I save grouping for those rare times when I have time to kill because grouping will generally ensure the biggest waste of my playing time.</p>

[Thryth]

<p>Hullo Beajay (Almee),</p><p>   From the Fan Faire blogs discussed on the Test Channel chat, I believe the new expansion will have some features to impliment many suggestions in your post. I don't have time now to find the links, but what I heard sounds like it will work very well for your 2-hour play style.</p><p>   I left EQ1 just because I needed more time to study for school (MBA). I came back to EQ2 because I had too much time later. My reason for choosing EQ2 was about the community and not details of the environment; so, I'm pretty patient with the continuous improvements I've seen.</p><p>  The bigger challenges I've had are in playing, sometimes grouping, with people of different styles and backgrounds. Most people are more ambitious and enthusiastic than me, which is fun to increase my own energy level.  However, sometimes I see higher ambitions as pushy and selfish -- so, I'm pressed to put myself in their place to see things the way they do.</p><p>  I'm afraid sometimes people see my patience as just boring or dull, but I've got a thick skin and don't mind a little teasing.</p><p>Cheers,Thryth.</p>