Question: May i solo again past LU24 ?

Zichius · 05-25-2006, 07:09 PM

Hi all,

just want to read something about my question.

Attached my cp on what i read and i think now.

One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons.

Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps).

Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU.

I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented.

I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game.

Thks to all.

Melchiah · 05-25-2006, 07:16 PM

No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Xanoth · 05-25-2006, 07:22 PM

Zichius wrote:
Hi all,

just want to read something about my question.

Attached my cp on what i read and i think now.

One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons.

Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps).

Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU.

I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented.

I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game.

Thks to all.

i dont think solo must be a priority, but it certainly should be a major consideration.to many people log on, can't find a group, dont have anything else to do, then log out. this isn't because people can't solo, there is simply too little for them to do on their own IMO, or so that its enjoyable at least.but to me reading the notes from LU24 doesn't say its the solo nerf or that only raiders are being considered, it simply seems like they are trying to balance the game to what it really should have been. one of the early LU's (6 i think) seen some big nerfs in this area, but i was an alt-aholic back then and didn't really care enough to read into it. balance has yoyo'd ever since and despite the nerfs this LU brings, to me it seems that balance is the issue, not favouring any type of game play.and you can still go far with just 3 people in this game, the only heroic content i've not tried is HoF, and thats simply because i can't be bothered to spend hours trying

Greenie · 05-25-2006, 07:31 PM

When I wasn't playing mmorpgs I payed $60/month for single player games I didn't enjoy much after 2-3 weeks of the initial purchase. I like mmorpgs because they tend to be more in depth, allow social interaction, and have a community. If I'm paying money to a company I don't need justification of my playstyle. I'm paying them to play, not the other way around.

Honestly tho, I have to solo because I can't have people depend on me. I can't say there will be a single night when I don't have to go afk for 30 minutes. Seriously, if the solo game is removed I have two choices. Group with people and risk putting them out by going afk or leaving suddenly or quit playing. It has more to do with lifestyle than playstyle. I can't just shut myself off like some people can.

Tendas · 05-25-2006, 07:33 PM

Absolutely none taken but you dang betcha I can. The game is a hoot, plenty of things to do, folks to talk with, etc. Best expenditure on entertainment in my budget.That said, I don't think the game should be centred around soloing, but I do think that soloing should be possible. I like how things are just now. There's plenty to keep me (or us when I'm online at the same time as folks in my guild or when my husband can spare the time to play) busy. I'm not freaking out about LU24. Been through too many updates here and in other MMOs to not know that I'll adjust or quit. Adjusting usually works just fine.

Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Dasein · 05-25-2006, 07:37 PM

Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged.

Bassist · 05-25-2006, 07:48 PM

Caswydian wrote:
Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged.

Depends on the OP's class. Troubs have trouble with blue solo ^ in any real sense. Yes, given the right circumstances, a troub could take down even-con heroics in 30 minutes or so. I don't think that's what you are talking about.Soloing a troub was possible with crowd control. Not possible after LU24, hurting the casual troub. Yes, I made a troub on test and the stun doesn't hurt, even though the stun change was only to solo encounters. Mezz/charm loss is the end of any viable soloing beyond what is needed to harvest.

Tendas · 05-25-2006, 07:59 PM

That's why I'm not freakin' out. From what I understand the changes won't overly affect me and if they do, well I'll just have to figure out another way to carry on. Lacking that, I'll leave but I highly, highly doubt things will be so bad as to ruin everything for me. Heck, I like a challenge once in awhile, a need to rethink how I do things because I can get awfully complacent. :smileyhappy:

Caswydian wrote:
Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged.

Jebaris · 05-25-2006, 08:14 PM

Zichius wrote:

I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented.

I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game.

Thks to all.

Yes. All single encounters will be replaced with epic encounters. All group encounters will be replaced with epic x4 encounters.

Additionally the two existing expansion packs as well as the 3rd (which were origionally designed to favor singles and small groups) are going to be revamped into raid only zones.

Madmoon · 05-25-2006, 08:19 PM

I love people who take time to respond. Really. To death, I do.

I think you will still be able to solo. I am often forced to, because of the odd times I play. My absolute preference is groups (not raids - yech!) but I cannot always get one. Also, I am a card carrying member of Questers Anonymous - I have SO many old quests just waiting to be done. As hard as it is to get a group, try getting a group to help you on green or gray quests! I think solo content is a vital part of the game, but should not be the most important, by any stretch. The BEST advice? You'll see it all over the boards - wait and see how the patch actually plays out, then wait a month or two for the denerfs, and then try and see how it effects you.

Melchiah wrote:
No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Jooneau · 05-25-2006, 08:32 PM

Madmoon wrote:
You'll see it all over the boards - wait and see how the patch actually plays out, then wait a month or two for the denerfs, and then try and see how it effects you.
Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

I can justify $15/month to play alone. I can't justify $15/month of waiting "a month or two" for them to fix the classes they break. So as a Troubadour I rolled up a Moorgard, err I mean a Bruiser, and let me tell you, it is like [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]ing night and day the solo ability between these two classes. Now I see why some people love the game -- they just have to pick the right class aka a SOE game designer's pet class.

Message Edited by Jooneau on 05-25-2006 12:40 PM

KBern · 05-25-2006, 08:35 PM

Zichius wrote:

Hi all,

just want to read something about my question.

Attached my cp on what i read and i think now.

One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons.

Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps).

Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU.

I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented.

I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game.

Thks to all.

Honestly, even though my class is taking as big of a hit in LU24 as any....I am not too worried.

Will we be able to solo the same things? Probably not, but we will still be able to solo. I really dont see small groups effected too much, though some of the more unconventional groups may have to try some new tactics, but overall, I think we will adapt and still be able to do what we used to, just possibly slower or in a different way.

Geakor · 05-25-2006, 08:36 PM

Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Someone might have already said this but I have to....Can you justify $15/month to not play? So far getting a group is hard enough because of low population on servers and downing players abilities to solo makes it even harder to exp when you CAN'T solo.Can you think of anything on that comment?

Darian · 05-25-2006, 09:06 PM

I agree, the servers have been merged and there still doesn't seem to be many people playing, hard to find a group SMILEY

. Oh but the Devs are doing whats good for EQ2! SMILEY

Tendas · 05-25-2006, 09:55 PM

I'm not sure if they are or aren't but speaking for myself, friends and family we find the game a LOT better now than it was a year ago. I don't have problems finding groups (aside from the time zone), I just prefer to avoid like the plague PUGs. I'm pretty cynical about games though. I pay and play whilst I'm having fun and if changes are made that ruin it for me, I just trot off and play another. It's not as if there's a dearth of MMOs out there. When EQ got to the point where it was raid or quit, I had no trouble giving my guild to an officer and quitting.

Darian04 wrote:
I agree, the servers have been merged and there still doesn't seem to be many people playing, hard to find a group . Oh but the Devs are doing whats good for EQ2!

Wingrider01 · 05-25-2006, 10:03 PM

Melchiah wrote:
No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

In a New York minute it can be justified. By far still the single most affordable form of diversion available. cost me more to go to a 3 hours show by myself then a month of single play of the game

Melchiah · 05-25-2006, 10:42 PM

Wingrider01 wrote:
Melchiah wrote:
No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

In a New York minute it can be justified. By far still the single most affordable form of diversion available. cost me more to go to a 3 hours show by myself then a month of single play of the game

I don't think I could make the same statement. Even restricted to games alone, there are better things I can be doing when I can't find a group, and they don't cost me a monthly fee. :/

Tendas · 05-25-2006, 10:50 PM

Yeah, I know some folks who are really put out that MMOs tend to charge to play. I don't get it but there you have it. They think that after having bought the game everything else should be free. /boggleBut, like everything else, we're all different. I generally plow through games at a pretty rapid rate and at sixty bucks a pop that's not very cost effective for me. I won't even go into what spending a commensurate amount of time reading would end up costing. Heh.This is dirt cheap for the amount of fun I have and having played MMOs for a pretty long time now I have learned that usually all the flap before a change is just that...flap. I can see where it would really irk some. I have to say that when I found the time to come back to EQII (after the last major update) I could barely walk, nevermind play well but in pretty short order, I adapted and am having a ton of fun.I don't see, from what I've read and seen on Test, anything upcoming that'll ruin it for me. I feel badly that there are those who feel it will for them. Shame, really.

Melchiah wrote:...I don't think I could make the same statement. Even restricted to games alone, there are better things I can be doing when I can't find a group, and they don't cost me a monthly fee. :/

Alaeth · 05-26-2006, 12:11 AM

Tendas wrote:
Yeah, I know some folks who are really put out that MMOs tend to charge to play. I don't get it but there you have it. They think that after having bought the game everything else should be free. /boggleBut, like everything else, we're all different. I generally plow through games at a pretty rapid rate and at sixty bucks a pop that's not very cost effective for me. I won't even go into what spending a commensurate amount of time reading would end up costing. Heh.This is dirt cheap for the amount of fun I have and having played MMOs for a pretty long time now I have learned that usually all the flap before a change is just that...flap. I can see where it would really irk some. I have to say that when I found the time to come back to EQII (after the last major update) I could barely walk, nevermind play well but in pretty short order, I adapted and am having a ton of fun.I don't see, from what I've read and seen on Test, anything upcoming that'll ruin it for me. I feel badly that there are those who feel it will for them. Shame, really.

Speaking as a non-raiding (and uninterested in raiding...been there, done that in other games, and no desire to do it again in this one) Coercer, I don't think LU 24 will ruin the game for me, despite the fact that it hits my class harder than just about any other except Troubadour. I do, however, think that it will make the game less enjoyable for me, and I doubt I'll play as much as I do now.I started playing EQ2 because of the number and variety of quests offered; I got more than my fair share of straight exp grinding in FFXI, and being able to level at a decent rate and get moderately nice equipment from doing quests is a welcome change. With the decrease in solo ability that will result from this patch, though, many quests will no longer be soloable at an appropriate level, and it's quite difficult to find a group that wants to do quests--HQs and certain quests like the CQs aside--rather than simply sit in one spot and grind exp for hours on end.As a Coercer, I've soloed many things that "shouldn't" be soloable at the levels I did, but in nearly all of those cases, it was out of necessity rather than desire. When the alternative is trying for hours to find people not only interested in doing certain quests but also on the correct stages--especially if it's a multi-quest progression--and still probably not finding anyone, being able to solo well is an important consideration for me. Yes, sometimes I can do quests with guildmates, but many of them are in fairly incompatible timezones or, like most players, simply more interested in grinding than questing.If it were easier to coordinate quests between members of a group, perhaps more people would be willing to take part in quest groups, but at the same time it seems most people are primarily interested in gaining levels and getting good items--which is perfectly understandable; I like those too--and quests, for the most part, cannot measure up to grinding in |insert dungeon of choice| in either of those areas. This, along with the annoyance factor of trying to coordinate quests between other people who may be on different steps in a quest or different quests entirely in a sequence, provides a disincentive for many people to make the effort involved in group questing. The end result, of course, is that I end up questing solo the majority of the time, and that's why I am very much not looking forward to LU 24. It won't cause me to quit, but it won't make me magically want to join someone's grind group either, which seems to be what the developers want.

Suraklin · 05-26-2006, 02:50 PM

Melchiah wrote:
No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Hmm $15.00 a month versus buying a new console game every 1-2 weeks. You do the math.

Trillien · 05-26-2006, 04:53 PM

Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

Why not? It's often better company /snicker.

Falha · 05-26-2006, 05:44 PM

Check the poll result on the playstyle, this justify that solo need to be the top priority if they don't want to lose to many customers. I don't know why they bother to make alot of heroic quests, since most people that group do it for xp grind. I think all kill quests in outdoor zone should be doable solo or heroic (have choice to kill the mob at a solo or heroic version). That way I wouldnt mind they nerf the soloability of heroic encounter.

Ebjelen · 05-26-2006, 06:48 PM

Try dinner and a movie for $15. WIthout popcorn or soda you're looking a McD's, or some other fast food, and that's solo. Try convincing your girl it's a quality date. That's just for one night, now add in the other 29 days of the month. Guess it's cable movie time. Better hope you got a good deal when you had the cable modem installed. Also, history tells us people would be willing to pay much more for such a service. In the 80s and early 90s people were paying hundreds of dollars a month for text chat. (flashback to Q-Link.) AoL made it big when they offered unlimited text chat at a mere $75 a month. Oh! and we also saw unlimited access get defined in the courts. Seems unlimited access does not equate to 24/7 legally. I don't really see the stun changes as that big a deal. Plus we haven't seen the release yet. We know there are going to be more changes. If you can still solo an even con at lvl 50, then that's a good deal. Remember trying to solo low blues in early EQ1 at 50, if you could find them? there's still a lot of content aimed at the solo crowd. With so many of the locked private zones getting unlocked there will be even more solo content. No more group quests to get solo access. That's what I'd like to see.

Tro · 05-26-2006, 07:22 PM

Melchiah wrote:
No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

If thats what I prefer to do then the answer is.. Yes!!

05-25-2006, 07:22 PM	#3
Xanoth Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Durham, UK Posts: 928	Zichius wrote: Hi all, just want to read something about my question. Attached my cp on what i read and i think now. One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons. Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps). Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU. I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented. I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game. Thks to all. i dont think solo must be a priority, but it certainly should be a major consideration.to many people log on, can't find a group, dont have anything else to do, then log out. this isn't because people can't solo, there is simply too little for them to do on their own IMO, or so that its enjoyable at least.but to me reading the notes from LU24 doesn't say its the solo nerf or that only raiders are being considered, it simply seems like they are trying to balance the game to what it really should have been. one of the early LU's (6 i think) seen some big nerfs in this area, but i was an alt-aholic back then and didn't really care enough to read into it. balance has yoyo'd ever since and despite the nerfs this LU brings, to me it seems that balance is the issue, not favouring any type of game play.and you can still go far with just 3 people in this game, the only heroic content i've not tried is HoF, and thats simply because i can't be bothered to spend hours trying __________________ Xanoth Leader of Xanadu EQ2 Raid Loot Database

05-25-2006, 07:33 PM	#5
Tendas Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	Absolutely none taken but you dang betcha I can. The game is a hoot, plenty of things to do, folks to talk with, etc. Best expenditure on entertainment in my budget.That said, I don't think the game should be centred around soloing, but I do think that soloing should be possible. I like how things are just now. There's plenty to keep me (or us when I'm online at the same time as folks in my guild or when my husband can spare the time to play) busy. I'm not freaking out about LU24. Been through too many updates here and in other MMOs to not know that I'll adjust or quit. Adjusting usually works just fine. Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ __________________ -She who has entirely too many alts. to keep track of

05-25-2006, 07:37 PM	#6
Dasein Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,847	Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged. __________________ Troll Lord Casywdian

05-25-2006, 07:48 PM	#7
Bassist Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Austin, TX Posts: 124	Caswydian wrote: Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged. Depends on the OP's class. Troubs have trouble with blue solo ^ in any real sense. Yes, given the right circumstances, a troub could take down even-con heroics in 30 minutes or so. I don't think that's what you are talking about.Soloing a troub was possible with crowd control. Not possible after LU24, hurting the casual troub. Yes, I made a troub on test and the stun doesn't hurt, even though the stun change was only to solo encounters. Mezz/charm loss is the end of any viable soloing beyond what is needed to harvest. __________________

05-25-2006, 07:59 PM	#8
Tendas Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	That's why I'm not freakin' out. From what I understand the changes won't overly affect me and if they do, well I'll just have to figure out another way to carry on. Lacking that, I'll leave but I highly, highly doubt things will be so bad as to ruin everything for me. Heck, I like a challenge once in awhile, a need to rethink how I do things because I can get awfully complacent. :smileyhappy: Caswydian wrote: Unless by solo you mean solo even-con heroic mobs, your ability to solo will remain largely unchanged. __________________ -She who has entirely too many alts. to keep track of

05-25-2006, 07:09 PM	#1
Zichius Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 30	Hi all, just want to read something about my question. Attached my cp on what i read and i think now. One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons. Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps). Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU. I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented. I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game. Thks to all. __________________ Bye Zic.

05-25-2006, 07:16 PM	#2
Melchiah Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 224	No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

05-25-2006, 07:31 PM	#4
Greenie Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 18	When I wasn't playing mmorpgs I payed $60/month for single player games I didn't enjoy much after 2-3 weeks of the initial purchase. I like mmorpgs because they tend to be more in depth, allow social interaction, and have a community. If I'm paying money to a company I don't need justification of my playstyle. I'm paying them to play, not the other way around. Honestly tho, I have to solo because I can't have people depend on me. I can't say there will be a single night when I don't have to go afk for 30 minutes. Seriously, if the solo game is removed I have two choices. Group with people and risk putting them out by going afk or leaving suddenly or quit playing. It has more to do with lifestyle than playstyle. I can't just shut myself off like some people can.

05-25-2006, 08:14 PM	#9
Jebaris Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 142	Zichius wrote: I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented. I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game. Thks to all. Yes. All single encounters will be replaced with epic encounters. All group encounters will be replaced with epic x4 encounters. Additionally the two existing expansion packs as well as the 3rd (which were origionally designed to favor singles and small groups) are going to be revamped into raid only zones.

05-25-2006, 08:19 PM	#10
Madmoon Loremaster Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Antonia Bayle Posts: 413	I love people who take time to respond. Really. To death, I do. I think you will still be able to solo. I am often forced to, because of the odd times I play. My absolute preference is groups (not raids - yech!) but I cannot always get one. Also, I am a card carrying member of Questers Anonymous - I have SO many old quests just waiting to be done. As hard as it is to get a group, try getting a group to help you on green or gray quests! I think solo content is a vital part of the game, but should not be the most important, by any stretch. The BEST advice? You'll see it all over the boards - wait and see how the patch actually plays out, then wait a month or two for the denerfs, and then try and see how it effects you. Melchiah wrote: No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/

05-25-2006, 08:32 PM	#11
Jooneau Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 264	Madmoon wrote: You'll see it all over the boards - wait and see how the patch actually plays out, then wait a month or two for the denerfs, and then try and see how it effects you. Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ I can justify $15/month to play alone. I can't justify $15/month of waiting "a month or two" for them to fix the classes they break. So as a Troubadour I rolled up a Moorgard, err I mean a Bruiser, and let me tell you, it is like [expletive haxx0red by Raijinn]ing night and day the solo ability between these two classes. Now I see why some people love the game -- they just have to pick the right class aka a SOE game designer's pet class. Message Edited by Jooneau on 05-25-2006 12:40 PM

05-25-2006, 08:35 PM	#12
KBern Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 2,372	Zichius wrote: Hi all, just want to read something about my question. Attached my cp on what i read and i think now. One of the best thing that i saw in Eq2 at day #1 was the ability to do some good hunt in small groups, let's say max 3 toons. Even an unbalanced group (Not the usual Tank,healer,dps). Now after 23 LU that went live, i saw that opportunity going to doom LU past LU. I read many post about LU24 and it seems that all changes will be RAID oriented. I really think that solo MUST BE a priority of this game. Thks to all. Honestly, even though my class is taking as big of a hit in LU24 as any....I am not too worried. Will we be able to solo the same things? Probably not, but we will still be able to solo. I really dont see small groups effected too much, though some of the more unconventional groups may have to try some new tactics, but overall, I think we will adapt and still be able to do what we used to, just possibly slower or in a different way. __________________

05-25-2006, 08:36 PM	#13
Geakor Loremaster Join Date: May 2005 Location: United States Posts: 79	Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ Someone might have already said this but I have to....Can you justify $15/month to not play? So far getting a group is hard enough because of low population on servers and downing players abilities to solo makes it even harder to exp when you CAN'T solo.Can you think of anything on that comment? __________________

05-25-2006, 09:06 PM	#14
Darian General Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 101	I agree, the servers have been merged and there still doesn't seem to be many people playing, hard to find a group . Oh but the Devs are doing whats good for EQ2!

05-25-2006, 09:55 PM	#15
Tendas Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	I'm not sure if they are or aren't but speaking for myself, friends and family we find the game a LOT better now than it was a year ago. I don't have problems finding groups (aside from the time zone), I just prefer to avoid like the plague PUGs. I'm pretty cynical about games though. I pay and play whilst I'm having fun and if changes are made that ruin it for me, I just trot off and play another. It's not as if there's a dearth of MMOs out there. When EQ got to the point where it was raid or quit, I had no trouble giving my guild to an officer and quitting. Darian04 wrote: I agree, the servers have been merged and there still doesn't seem to be many people playing, hard to find a group . Oh but the Devs are doing whats good for EQ2! __________________ -She who has entirely too many alts. to keep track of

05-25-2006, 10:03 PM	#16
Wingrider01 Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5,999	Melchiah wrote: No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ In a New York minute it can be justified. By far still the single most affordable form of diversion available. cost me more to go to a 3 hours show by myself then a month of single play of the game __________________ Fixing computer issues, one SOC7 at a time. Yes Jim, the user has experienced the dreaded PICNIC error

05-25-2006, 10:42 PM	#17
Melchiah Loremaster Join Date: Jan 2006 Posts: 224	Wingrider01 wrote: Melchiah wrote: No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ In a New York minute it can be justified. By far still the single most affordable form of diversion available. cost me more to go to a 3 hours show by myself then a month of single play of the game I don't think I could make the same statement. Even restricted to games alone, there are better things I can be doing when I can't find a group, and they don't cost me a monthly fee. :/

05-25-2006, 10:50 PM	#18
Tendas Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 5	Yeah, I know some folks who are really put out that MMOs tend to charge to play. I don't get it but there you have it. They think that after having bought the game everything else should be free. /boggleBut, like everything else, we're all different. I generally plow through games at a pretty rapid rate and at sixty bucks a pop that's not very cost effective for me. I won't even go into what spending a commensurate amount of time reading would end up costing. Heh.This is dirt cheap for the amount of fun I have and having played MMOs for a pretty long time now I have learned that usually all the flap before a change is just that...flap. I can see where it would really irk some. I have to say that when I found the time to come back to EQII (after the last major update) I could barely walk, nevermind play well but in pretty short order, I adapted and am having a ton of fun.I don't see, from what I've read and seen on Test, anything upcoming that'll ruin it for me. I feel badly that there are those who feel it will for them. Shame, really. Melchiah wrote:...I don't think I could make the same statement. Even restricted to games alone, there are better things I can be doing when I can't find a group, and they don't cost me a monthly fee. :/ __________________ -She who has entirely too many alts. to keep track of

05-26-2006, 12:11 AM	#19
Alaeth Loremaster Join Date: Sep 2005 Posts: 144	Tendas wrote: Yeah, I know some folks who are really put out that MMOs tend to charge to play. I don't get it but there you have it. They think that after having bought the game everything else should be free. /boggleBut, like everything else, we're all different. I generally plow through games at a pretty rapid rate and at sixty bucks a pop that's not very cost effective for me. I won't even go into what spending a commensurate amount of time reading would end up costing. Heh.This is dirt cheap for the amount of fun I have and having played MMOs for a pretty long time now I have learned that usually all the flap before a change is just that...flap. I can see where it would really irk some. I have to say that when I found the time to come back to EQII (after the last major update) I could barely walk, nevermind play well but in pretty short order, I adapted and am having a ton of fun.I don't see, from what I've read and seen on Test, anything upcoming that'll ruin it for me. I feel badly that there are those who feel it will for them. Shame, really. Speaking as a non-raiding (and uninterested in raiding...been there, done that in other games, and no desire to do it again in this one) Coercer, I don't think LU 24 will ruin the game for me, despite the fact that it hits my class harder than just about any other except Troubadour. I do, however, think that it will make the game less enjoyable for me, and I doubt I'll play as much as I do now.I started playing EQ2 because of the number and variety of quests offered; I got more than my fair share of straight exp grinding in FFXI, and being able to level at a decent rate and get moderately nice equipment from doing quests is a welcome change. With the decrease in solo ability that will result from this patch, though, many quests will no longer be soloable at an appropriate level, and it's quite difficult to find a group that wants to do quests--HQs and certain quests like the CQs aside--rather than simply sit in one spot and grind exp for hours on end.As a Coercer, I've soloed many things that "shouldn't" be soloable at the levels I did, but in nearly all of those cases, it was out of necessity rather than desire. When the alternative is trying for hours to find people not only interested in doing certain quests but also on the correct stages--especially if it's a multi-quest progression--and still probably not finding anyone, being able to solo well is an important consideration for me. Yes, sometimes I can do quests with guildmates, but many of them are in fairly incompatible timezones or, like most players, simply more interested in grinding than questing.If it were easier to coordinate quests between members of a group, perhaps more people would be willing to take part in quest groups, but at the same time it seems most people are primarily interested in gaining levels and getting good items--which is perfectly understandable; I like those too--and quests, for the most part, cannot measure up to grinding in \|insert dungeon of choice\| in either of those areas. This, along with the annoyance factor of trying to coordinate quests between other people who may be on different steps in a quest or different quests entirely in a sequence, provides a disincentive for many people to make the effort involved in group questing. The end result, of course, is that I end up questing solo the majority of the time, and that's why I am very much not looking forward to LU 24. It won't cause me to quit, but it won't make me magically want to join someone's grind group either, which seems to be what the developers want.

05-26-2006, 02:50 PM	#20
Suraklin Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 350	Melchiah wrote: No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ Hmm $15.00 a month versus buying a new console game every 1-2 weeks. You do the math. __________________ Relax...it's just an update for the patch to fix the nerf that nerfed the fix for the update of the patch that broke the fix that was fixed on the previous nerf they called an update... Friends don't let friends ask for another classes nerf.

05-26-2006, 04:53 PM	#21
Trillien Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 75	Melchiah wrote:No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ Why not? It's often better company /snicker. __________________ When the ship lifts, all bills are paid. No regrets. Robert A. Heinlein

05-26-2006, 05:44 PM	#22
Falha Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 1	Check the poll result on the playstyle, this justify that solo need to be the top priority if they don't want to lose to many customers. I don't know why they bother to make alot of heroic quests, since most people that group do it for xp grind. I think all kill quests in outdoor zone should be doable solo or heroic (have choice to kill the mob at a solo or heroic version). That way I wouldnt mind they nerf the soloability of heroic encounter.

05-26-2006, 06:48 PM	#23
Ebjelen Loremaster Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 412	Try dinner and a movie for $15. WIthout popcorn or soda you're looking a McD's, or some other fast food, and that's solo. Try convincing your girl it's a quality date. That's just for one night, now add in the other 29 days of the month. Guess it's cable movie time. Better hope you got a good deal when you had the cable modem installed. Also, history tells us people would be willing to pay much more for such a service. In the 80s and early 90s people were paying hundreds of dollars a month for text chat. (flashback to Q-Link.) AoL made it big when they offered unlimited text chat at a mere $75 a month. Oh! and we also saw unlimited access get defined in the courts. Seems unlimited access does not equate to 24/7 legally. I don't really see the stun changes as that big a deal. Plus we haven't seen the release yet. We know there are going to be more changes. If you can still solo an even con at lvl 50, then that's a good deal. Remember trying to solo low blues in early EQ1 at 50, if you could find them? there's still a lot of content aimed at the solo crowd. With so many of the locked private zones getting unlocked there will be even more solo content. No more group quests to get solo access. That's what I'd like to see. __________________ -- Just because everyone does IT doesn't mean IT is right. EQ2 is an entertainment venue. The only measure of success here is fun.

05-26-2006, 07:22 PM	#24
Tro General Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 698	Melchiah wrote: No offense, but can you justify $15/month to play alone? :/ If thats what I prefer to do then the answer is.. Yes!!