A Simple Gamer's Perspective.. EQ2 vs WoW [Archive]

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Jethal

07-22-2010, 04:30 PM

<img src="http://external.ak.fbcdn.net/safe_image.php?d=69e5e15acdd059063262bd454dc964ff&url=http%3A%2F%2Fkithicor.org%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2Fwp-post-thumbnail%2FpwBi1e.jpg" />I'm a gamer. My game is EverQuest 2. Everywhere I turn, I see and hear about World of Warcraft. I've bashed WoW on my podcast, I've ruthlessly taunted my step son for his obsession with this WoW Rogue... BUT, where do I really stand on the WoW vs EQ2 debate? (<a href="http://kithicor.org/2010/07/eq2-vs-wow/" target="_blank">Click Here and Read More</a>)

awny

07-22-2010, 05:07 PM

Very nice read and I agree 100% on your perspective.For me, I enjoyed playing WoW very much, the bright colors and little world details of Azeroth were a joy. However, the community ruined the atomosphere for me and ultimately drove me to look elsewhere.EQ2 - the 2 months I have played, have been wonderful. The community for the most part is very helpful. I honestly do not see myself ever going back to WoW.

SisterTheresa

07-22-2010, 05:21 PM

I do agree with most of your points you bring up.It has been said that WoW was made for anyone from the ages of 1 - 100 with it's ease of game controls and playstyle. I always felt EQ2 was more strategic and more of a thinking game.Community can be a big thing for some. You still run into juveniles here as well but hey, at least in EQ2 you can ignore duels!

quiarrah

07-22-2010, 07:09 PM

I agree and couldn't have said it better myself.I play both. . . .but as I always say. . Norrath is my HOME. . . and I ALWAYS come home! I may have a 74 level Deathknight and a 60th level Rogue in WoW. . .but I have 5 houses in Everquest and wonderful guild that can honestly consider extended family.Lets hear it for EVERQUEST!

Zabjade

07-22-2010, 08:22 PM

Haven't even bothered with WoW Figured they should have done a WoS instead.

Juravael

07-22-2010, 08:41 PM

Very interesting article.I have never tried World of Warcraft nor do I have any intentions of ever doing so. I have been exploring the lands of Norrath since 1999 when EQ1 was released to the present day in EQ2 and plan on remaining here for quite a while. I like the story, the lore and the community that we have here, always have. That is what keeps me playing.

Blu

07-26-2010, 07:05 PM

<cite>SisterTheresa wrote:</cite><blockquote>... at least in EQ2 you can ignore duels!</blockquote>You can't decline duels in WoW? That would suck!

Enna

07-27-2010, 03:42 AM

I enjoy other people's kids... in moderation.That said, when I log in to play a game for my own fun, I don't log in to babysit.I much prefer interacting with people that are mature enough to behave in a "civilized manner" (or in other words, to be courteous and respectful toward others). I try to be courteous and respectful at all times, even when I disagree with someone else's perspective. I'm only human, but I do try. <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />I figure that if all humanity always agreed on everything, the world could get rather monochromatic and boring... so I'm fine with "agreeing to disagree" and still getting along with folk that see things differently.The extreme immaturity of people who "are so narrow-minded that they can see through a keyhole with both eyes" is a common issue in some other communities. Example: "You're not male / a raider / (otherwise exactly like me)? Shame on you! I'm going to harass you just to prove I'm superior."*shakes head sadly*Ridiculous stuff like that is rampant even in some sub-communities within Norrath, even though it's against SOE's "Play Nice Policy."Thankfully, in Norrath, that type of mindset is a minority and the /ignore function solves most of those problems.By all accounts I hear from folk who have played Warcraft for any length of time, instead of a minority that the game company frowns upon, that sort of immaturity is the basic culture of the community.I would not enjoy that community culture, not at all.It would be helpful if EQII veteran players were a bit more welcoming and patient toward new folk... so it wasn't needful to exit the 1-9 chat just to avoid damaged brain cells... but at least the channel can be turned off! <img src="/eq2/images/smilies/b2eb59423fbf5fa39342041237025880.gif" border="0" />I thoroughly enjoy all the wide varieties of options provided within EQII. It has spoiled me... a game with less to offer would likely feel too confined, and I daresay I'd not enjoy it long (if at all).Long live Norrath! <img src="/smilies/283a16da79f3aa23fe1025c96295f04f.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" />

quiarrah

07-27-2010, 01:00 PM

<cite>Xerq@Crushbone wrote:</cite><blockquote><cite>SisterTheresa wrote:</cite><blockquote>... at least in EQ2 you can ignore duels!</blockquote>You can't decline duels in WoW? That would suck!</blockquote>You can decline duels. . . .You Can't IGNORE them. So if some jerk wants to duel you. . .you have to keep hitting NO. . . .or decline. It is very monotonous.I actually had a 1st level character wnat to duel my 72 level Deathknight. It is ridiculous.LONG LIVE NORRATH

Sola

07-29-2010, 02:59 PM

I haven't quite figured out why that I prefer EQ2 over WoW myself. I've tried in the past, but there's some feel in EQ2 that makes it more enjoyable for me. It may simply be some nostalgia lodged deep in my brain for Norrath, but whatever it is, it does keep me coming back for more.I can say that EQ2 has the best crafting system I've seen in any MMO. All other MMO's seem to take crafting as simply a click-fest where EQ2 provides a simple, yet enjoyable game of it. When I'm watching television, I sometimes craft while passing time. It makes me feel that I'm doing something constructive for my toon while relaxing and watching a show. One thing I wish MMO's would do is take crafting more seriously. Crafters spend countless hours levelling up their crafting skills only to make sub-par items. What real reward is there for us besides our own gratification of accomplishment? It would be nice to see the best equipment, spells, gear, etc... REQUIRE CRAFTING! Yes, still drop the necessary components at raids, but require that the items be fashioned by the skill of a crafter! Most high level guilds already have high level crafters and it would make them feel more useful to the guild and also encourage guilds to support their crafters.Anyhow, EQ2 has my attention for now. Until I find an MMO that brings back EQ1's necro class play (i.e. the most fun solo class I've played in any MMO to date), I'll keep plugging more quarters into EQ2.

Eritius

07-29-2010, 04:56 PM

You can ignore duels in two ways in WoW. Ignoring the player, or turning them off.

Alenna

07-29-2010, 06:32 PM

Eritius

07-29-2010, 07:03 PM

I have to disagree with some of the points in the link given.Character customization in WoW while limited allows for characters to look much different then each other. In EQ2 even with Soga off (Soga is way worse about this) the only way to tell two people apart is by hair color and style. Some races have woads, shrouds, or ridges. But without that, everyone pretty much looks the same. Height is a good point to EQ2 however.Gameworld, pretty spot on. Though I don't think it is right to call WoW cartoonish. Warcraft's style has been that way since 1994 and hasn't changed. The resolution of the graphics is quite good and it is just a different art style. Granted the vanilla areas are dated, but will be getting a face lift sometime later this year.Your analysis on performance is just about spot on. Though it should be noted that upgrading a system will not cause EQ2 to run better. In fact many have had performance issues with better machines (EQ2 runs better on a 1.8ghz dual core laptop then it does on a 2.2 ghz quad desktop that has 4 times the ram). Its unknown really to what EQ2 is optimized for. Its CPU driven we know that. But even faster CPUs don't always do it.Community.. now this is where I see alot of EQ2 players say the one in EQ2 is much better. This could not be more biased a statement. I've played both games for a good while. Both communities have improved over the last 2 years, but to say one is more mature then another is false. Barrens chat is no different then 1-9. PUG groups are about the same, and just the general PVE attitude is about the same.In fact I'd say WOW has a more mature base when it comes to endgame raiding. Groups are more laid back about getting content done and more open with one another. In EQ2 the top end guilds keep their strategies secret and play a bit too seriously in my opinion. Not to say WoW doesn't have this, but the general raiding scene isn't like that in WoW.Roleplaying in WoW is a bit difficult. In EQ2 all the major events happened many years prior to the present. The earth shaking stuff has more or less happened. There's a few modern day happenings, but its not terribly world defining. In WoW the major stuff is happening at the present and keeps on rolling. Your character is directly influenced by this.For the new RPer its hard to keep up with. In EQ2 a newer RPer can just roll with the starter quests and learn whats going on as their character does. In WoW a character is supposed to know who Arthas is, why the dark portal is there and which war happened where, ect.The RPing community in EQ2 is actually quite better. It is (and it might be a surprise to some of you) quite a bit more drama free. The RP in EQ2 is also a bit more mature. Characters can do things that would get juvenile giggles out of the RPers in WoW.In short, the RP Community in EQ2 is more mature then WoW. The PVE community in WoW is more mature then EQ2. The PVP communities in both are attrocious.As for the extras, no contest there. Appearance slots, guild halls, and player houses take the cake. Infact thats the biggest selling point to EQ2 for me. Now if we could have more non-combat clothes to pick from in EQ2, we could have our cake and eat it too.Some points I'd like to place.UI, WoW beats EQ2 out of the water and every other MMO for that matter. With using Lua and Xml you can have your UI do anything, even make coffee if you could hook a coffee maker to a computer. Having parsers right there on the UI is great. As is playing sounds on events, emotes (that only I can hear, but thats all I care about), or other actions. You can make custom made titles that others who have the same addon can see (think Biography in EQ2 expanded).Questing. WoW has an edge here. Quest rewards equal the difficulty of the quest. Even as the expansions move forward. This brings the next point coming up. But other then that, I like both games' flavors. They are different as they should be.Itemization is horrendous in EQ2 pre-70. There's cloth with AGI, Fabled doesn't even match Handcrafted, and a slew of other issues. This is slowly getting fixed, Kaladim is outstanding... now go back and redo the other dungeons and hit up all those quests while you're at it. If that happened, EQ2 would beat the [Removed for Content] out of WoW.Controls. I felt like characters were more responsive in WoW. Hard to explain, but it seemed like my toon did what I wanted them to when I wanted. Feels like there's a .01 second delay in EQ2. This is at 90> ping and 40FPS both games. Targeting NPCs seemed more fluid in WoW as well. However implied targeting is a godsend in EQ2.My advice is that neither one is better then the other. You really have to try both to see which flavor you want. Ignore the claims that one is easier then other, or graphics suck or what have you. Most have trials and in the case of some have free to play options.