EQ2 Forum Archive @ EQ2Wire - View Single Post

MurFalad · 09-09-2011, 08:25 PM

Silverzx wrote:

grouping up is simply not an option today. this isn't the game it was 7 years ago. if you tell me you can find full groups of unmentored players before level 80, you're a liar. Its not that we don't want to group. We just can't group unless you wanna spend 2 hours broadcasting the channels just to form a measly group of 3.

I have been in a full group of unmentored players before 80, DFC a few weeks ago in fact, they're rare, especially since its hard to get people to join them when the best rewards are to be had /following a level 90 around opening chests and looting bodies, but they do happen from time to time, and when they do I have to say they're really fun, in fact I cannot remember a bad one. I'm not saying they are easy to form, or common though.

There is a lot of unconstructive feedback on these forums, I guess that's par for course with MMO's. Things like people complaining that some numbers on their gear that were buffed to high heaven went down a bit (but their characters are still MUCH more powerful then they were 2 weeks ago, and they did nothing at all to earn it), yet none of these people actually said why this made their gameplay worse?

I don't get the problem with it being 7 years old (what age does it need to be? They're releasing games today that look worse then EQ2, have less content and have very similar gameplay mechanics today still... And if newer = better then why is Rift showing so many empty servers?).

Grouping up should be a key part of gameplay in an MMO since it defines the major difference between a MMO and a single player RPG, everyone knows that since that's the gameplay that is encouraged at the level cap. But expecting new players to wade through 89 levels of solo content just to get to the good stuff never was a good design, and I'm guessing the original designers never intended this either.

IMO I think everything that prevents and discourages grouping at lower levels should go, right now the current design of mentoring is just like the grey shards of TSO, people won't group up even with a DF if they can get better rewards by just getting someone else to clear everything.

Neither will they group up if they can solo the content because they can blow through heroics without any help at all.

Nor will people be motivated by phat loot from dungeons if they can swap to their level 90 and mow all the mobs down and pass the loot over to their alts, or buy it for coppers off the broker since its so easy to acquire.

Neither will the reward of lots of plat motivate people if they can three man PR for more plat then they'll get from running 100 quests. (I wonder if the horse has bolted on the plat thing, and I guess trivialising it at least does give gold farmers a headache which has to be a good thing SMILEY Although if they are rewarding us with plat for quests then it should mean something?).

I think EQ2 is by far the best MMO out there, and the game has improved in many areas a lot the past year (where we had really big problems with itemisation like multiple stats that were capped etc) there are still so many bad gameplay mechanics in EQ2 that discourage people from actually playing the game before the level cap, unfortunately its hard to remove anything from the game once its allowed to get out of hand.

09-09-2011, 08:25 PM	#126
MurFalad Loremaster Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Tonbridge, UK Posts: 1,360	Silverzx wrote: grouping up is simply not an option today. this isn't the game it was 7 years ago. if you tell me you can find full groups of unmentored players before level 80, you're a liar. Its not that we don't want to group. We just can't group unless you wanna spend 2 hours broadcasting the channels just to form a measly group of 3. I have been in a full group of unmentored players before 80, DFC a few weeks ago in fact, they're rare, especially since its hard to get people to join them when the best rewards are to be had /following a level 90 around opening chests and looting bodies, but they do happen from time to time, and when they do I have to say they're really fun, in fact I cannot remember a bad one. I'm not saying they are easy to form, or common though. There is a lot of unconstructive feedback on these forums, I guess that's par for course with MMO's. Things like people complaining that some numbers on their gear that were buffed to high heaven went down a bit (but their characters are still MUCH more powerful then they were 2 weeks ago, and they did nothing at all to earn it), yet none of these people actually said why this made their gameplay worse? I don't get the problem with it being 7 years old (what age does it need to be? They're releasing games today that look worse then EQ2, have less content and have very similar gameplay mechanics today still... And if newer = better then why is Rift showing so many empty servers?). Grouping up should be a key part of gameplay in an MMO since it defines the major difference between a MMO and a single player RPG, everyone knows that since that's the gameplay that is encouraged at the level cap. But expecting new players to wade through 89 levels of solo content just to get to the good stuff never was a good design, and I'm guessing the original designers never intended this either. IMO I think everything that prevents and discourages grouping at lower levels should go, right now the current design of mentoring is just like the grey shards of TSO, people won't group up even with a DF if they can get better rewards by just getting someone else to clear everything. Neither will they group up if they can solo the content because they can blow through heroics without any help at all. Nor will people be motivated by phat loot from dungeons if they can swap to their level 90 and mow all the mobs down and pass the loot over to their alts, or buy it for coppers off the broker since its so easy to acquire. Neither will the reward of lots of plat motivate people if they can three man PR for more plat then they'll get from running 100 quests. (I wonder if the horse has bolted on the plat thing, and I guess trivialising it at least does give gold farmers a headache which has to be a good thing Although if they are rewarding us with plat for quests then it should mean something?). I think EQ2 is by far the best MMO out there, and the game has improved in many areas a lot the past year (where we had really big problems with itemisation like multiple stats that were capped etc) there are still so many bad gameplay mechanics in EQ2 that discourage people from actually playing the game before the level cap, unfortunately its hard to remove anything from the game once its allowed to get out of hand.