John Smedley Discusses: Towards the Future

[run]

One more idea if anyone reads this still, guild commander and leader specific chat, the bosses need to talk behind the scenes every now and then..........

[Daqrit]

Ill surely repeat some things said before in this thread, I didnt have the time to read all though it. Let me start by saying I enjoy EQ2 a lot and think it has by far the most potential of all games on the market atm.

 

Some reactions to previous posts and some things Id like to change ingame;

 

• Ive been reading many ppl are complaining they cant solo. I never understood this point. There is a decent amount of solo content, but ofcourse the majority is group or even raid based. After all this is a Multiplayer game! When I login to EQ2 I dont want to solo, or Id be playing a single player RPG (Wizardry 7 anyone?=). Ofcourse the opportunity has to be there, but in my opinion EQ2 offers enough solo content for the occasional days when you cant find a group and still want to kill some time by xping on some easy mobs.
• The loottables seem completely wrong in my opinion. Single mobs shouldnt share the loot table with groupx2, x3 or x4 mobs. Why would we raid some big [expletive ninja'd by Faarbot] dragon for a second time, if we know we could just kill a 45^^ mob near the zone entrance with the same chance on the loot we were after??? This is the biggest issue in the game for me at this moment.
• Like some others mentioned adding some ways to compete with fellow players would be awesome. Things like duelling can be great fun at times. Some of my best memories of eq1 were in the Arena.
• Please dont make the artisan classes like a hobby. The change were all artisans can make all items themselves was a big mistake in my opinion.
• Some more differentiation (? prob mispelled=) in the loot. All pieces for a certain body part seem to add to the same stats, with very few exceptions.
• The last thing that comes to my mind wont prob appeal to most. But I would like the levelling to decrease a lot in speed! In comparison to my eq1 days I spend a lot less time online. Still ppl lvl at such great speed (42 coercer, 36 carpenter). Is this because there is an expansion with a new lvl cap coming soon? Otherwise I think the 42+ zones will be so insanely crowded in a few weeks time , it wont be fun anymore to go there. A bit like Solusek B before Kunark = )

Keep up the good work !

[ganng]

I think that one thing most of us are forgetting is that this is a new game.  It is an extension of EQ1 in name and a few scattered surface details alone.  Are you going to hit the roof when GW crashes and has issues after launch?

As far as this whole WoW Vs EQ2 thing is concerned I would like to ask a question.  Did you ever hear the story of the tortoise and the hare? 

WoW has a little something that is called instant gratification.  It is easy and engaging for an initial period of play that is greater than EQ2 but then what?  What happens when your player base becomes top heavy?  Do you play to the power gamer or to the casual player?  What happens when the next game like yours hits the market (guild wars) not in content per say but for the instant gratification factor?  WoW has gone after the “make me happy here and now” crowd.  While they may be great in numbers they a very fickle and tend to ball up their collective fists and stomp off to pout when they feel displeased. 

EQ2 on the other hand is the slow moving belligerent tortoise.  They plot along tossing bones to the mildly discontent.  They make changes that seem to be annoying at first but if you look at the longevity of the game you begin to see the bigger picture.  They know what happens to a quest based game if you economy goes out of control… people stop questing.  They know that they may anger a lot of people but they feel that in the long run they will simply outlast the games like WoW that offer something fresh but decidedly shallow.  You can see that this already starting to happen.  The additions of solo full world content and solo instanced zones, entire solo quest structures and an increase in mid range drops (crafted and epic/group content is still better).  I for one also feel that they have gone to great efforts to thwart power gamers, a thing that I am happy for and that adds to the life of your game.

From my experience in EQ2 I feel that they designed a game that was intended to be played as a social activity.  When it first went live it was 99% group oriented but now there is a lot of solo content however there is still the need to group.  I have seen that the need for a group is primarily for the completion of higher end quests, guild quests or quests above your current level.  A solo player, a duo or trio can have a great time hunting minor mobs, grinding EXP and doing lower level high end quests… Seeing a group of four over leveled players doing the SBH comes to mind.  

I am pleased with EQ2 and have great expectations for its’ future.  Now the content provider SOE it is another story their horrid customer service, disgusting communication skills and this concept that it’s player base is an inexhaustible financial resource has really got me miffed.  But then again the real world is full of heartless greedy corporations that see you merely as a statistic why should the virtual world be any different?

[Tidena]

I agree with Ganng. I feel like this game is just starting out and will continue to progress and impress as time goes on. I play both WoW and EQ2. I love them both for different reasons.

 

I appreaciate WoW for its user friendly interface, easy click design & cartoony fun aspects. I like playing this game when I need a slpash of color or a game to play to cheer me up. I find the antics great and enjoy my friends there. It is all about community and its is packed full of players! I definately think it is like the hare. Moving really fast and will hit a burnout mode before other games imo due to the fact that they can not even supply enough copies for those who would like to play. That is an example of bad planning. There are people in WoW who are also unimpressed with the ease of levelling to high end and leaving the game to go elsewhere.

 

On the other hand there is EQ2, the tortise. I use this ideology in my play style and am taking my time levelling to max, as I know that the high end content will not match the low end for a time to come. It is my way of not burning out. EQ2 is realistic and believable as a real world someplace out there. I appreciate the realism of the scenes for the most part. I started EQ way back in the day when the graphics all looked like squares and my character had no fluid movment and everyone looked exactly the same. It was great times. The fun was learning new things, places, skills & meeting new friends. Many of us have these memories and want it to be that way again. But EQ2 is different. 5+ years have passed and the people have changed. EQ2 is no longer based on community (or not yet anyhow) and I dont fault them on it. The first game was not nearly perfect in its first year either. Its a game and is meant to be enjoyed, not nitpicked.

 

If you pay to play this game and are unhappy maybe your expectations are set too high. Maybe you need to choose another class, move to a different server, stop complaining about a pixelated character because type A is better then type B. My point is, its a game and we need to treat it as one. I for one, couldn't design a better game, so I say play it, have fun and realise there will be changes to come in the future. EQ2 is the tortise and will grow slowly over time. Instant gratification is not what's realistic for long term sustainability.

 

So thank you to SoE & the devs for giving my friends & I, 5+ years of good times and thank you for bringing us together. We've had a blast at the fan faires and have met many new people from all around the world in a fun, safe environment.

 

Cudos to you all.

 

Message Edited by Tidenaya on 03-11-2005 01:27 PM

[Lady Uaelr]

Your team has been very innovative and this is really the best game out there in my opinion.

 

1- Allow all characters the opportunity to solo and make them more of a match to your mobs.

 

2- Create quests for master spells in addition to the drops. Not everyone is lucky and questing for master spells would be incredible fun and provide more content for everyone. These would not be easy quests but moderate difficulty and class specific. This way you don't have other classess completeing quests for master spells to sell.

 

a- Make more class specific weapons and armor quests.

 

3- For all classess a specialization in combat on a particular type of ability. This would be to improve on a skill beyond the cap for that character level. This would also allow for higher efficiency of that skill or skills.

 

4- Let mage classess wear light armor and make current armor more fantasy like-- more sexy like the images prior to release. Running around in bland robes gets tired and specially when everyone wearing the same robes.

 

5- Allow quests for horses and carpets- and add other types of creatures as means of transportation such as griffons, lizzards, small wyverns, spiders - these creatures would not be for use in battle but could be used as aggro shield to escape from a complicated situation. These types of mounts would not be available until a higher level.

 

6- Make familiars have a a purpose like in all fantasy novels.

 

10- Give necros/conjuroros an option to select the type of pet they want within their level spell. For example: Level 50 pet spell- option: lesser demon, skellie, lamia, nightblood, water elemental in form of golem, fire elemental in the form of a watcher, burning phoenix, a large poisonous snake, and bring back the spectres. The point of this is to really let the individuality of the person come out and helps them be unique.

 

11- Illusionists: should be able to pick any creature and gain some of the creatures abilities- it would work like a buff but a very effective one- self only and it would be consistent with that characters level.

 

12- Don't make quests simple, just make them challenging-- lower quest spawn times-- challenge does not mean spend >2 hours waiting for a mob to pop-- that is a waste of time-- specially for a signle parent like myself.

 

12- And then fix all the balancing issues--- as long as all  the classes can hold their own in a solo encounter with a mob you will see everyone happy. Remember not everyone likes to group.

 

I am sure I left out other things and other issues with classes but these were the suggestions I came up with.

 

I think you have an amazing game in your hands. Please consider the posts and help make this game the most amazing game around. I really think it can be.

 

I will continue to play and hope to see amazing things in the near future.

[Lady Uaelr]

double post.

Message Edited by Lady Uaelrea on 03-11-2005 01:10 PM

[Alarye]

see below

Message Edited by Alarye on 03-11-2005 04:08 PM

[Alarye]

see below, fix the dbl posts...

 

Message Edited by Alarye on 03-11-2005 04:08 PM

[Badtidings]

Dear Mr. Smedley

 

Thank you for the opportunity to present our ideas on the future of online gaming. I would like to say that I have read all 38 pages of posts that precede mine and that I am offering 100% truly unique ideas, but that would be a lie. I only got a few pages into the thread before I simply couldn't go on. With that in mind, if you actually get to this post, I salute your stamina, sir.

 

Speaking personally, I play your game for it's immersive qualities and for its dynamic nature. The fact that 350,000 other people are playing is simply something I accept, and it is not the selling point of the game for me.

 

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that the thing I want from your game is the ability to feel more in touch with the classes I have chosen to play. When I log in as my Dirge, I try to become a Dirge. I take the personality traits of an entertainer and I try to be outgoing and social. I also try to remain cynical and dark humored. In that particular role, the fact that others are around to interact with is definitely a plus.

 

However, when I log in as my Assassin, I only want to speak enough to get the job done. I want to have a mission and focus on the mission until it is completed. A great example of this is the heritage quest where I needed to kill 60 patchwork men. The fact that the game had some solo instances wandering in and out of the groups gave me the opportunity to peel them off and take them on in the shadows. I started on them while they were still orange con to me. It took me several days and many deaths, but the risk of death, the mission, and the satisfaction that comes from choosing my targets and timing my attacks were all there. It was do-able, and it was do-able the way I wanted to do it.

 

Of course, when it came time to finish that quest, grouping or waiting until I was 10 levels past the mobs I needed were my only options.

 

So how do I get the best of both worlds? How do I get to immerse myself in my character and take advantage of the fact that there are other people out there at the same time?

 

One suggestion would be to simply take that type of play style into mind, seriously, as opposed to superficially. For example, I fail to understand why, if you already have encounter locking, and why, if you already have the ability to make my client see things that others do not (think waypoint trails), I should my options limited to what they are now. Why, when I ran to the tower to kill T'Sanne, couldn't a triggered spawn appropriate to my level that only I could see appear? No worries about kill stealing, no camping issues, no delays, and no cheating. No inconveniencing other players. Or why not a door in the back of the the tower that I could go through now that I'm at that part of the quest and I'm faced with an instance of T'Sanne?

 

Well, we know the answer to that. The belief among your developers seems to be that the only things worth while are things where you have to get a group of strangers together and wait for hours. Oh, and some of those people had better be healers. And some had better be tanks. If you and your three friends all wanted to be scouts? Eh. Good luck with that.

 

Dynamically spawning / scaling mobs that only appear to a specific player or group could be the answer to that.

 

Once that premise is accepted, the possiblities become very wide. Assassins popping up in cities trying to kill me for something I did to their faction. Mobs that are normally non-violent becoming agressive only when I pass and not to anyone else. Boomba going ballistic as you enter the Freeport gates would be a huge inconvenience to other players if you had to kill him and they needed to wait for a re-spawn. A dynamic instance of Boomba going ballistic and attacking only one player or group doesn't have that same negative side effect.

 

Being kidnapped and having to escape an instance instead of trying to fight your way into an instance.

 

Hmmm... I only got to one idea but I'm out of time. No matter, I can't imagine you're wishing for more to read at this point anyway.

 

Safe journeys to you Mr. Smedley, and thanks for the opportunity to talk.

 

 

 

 

 

[Alarye]

First off, the game is great.  Yes I have lots of friends going for the EQ2 Ligh...ER World of Warcraft, But in most cases my experience is that people are tired of the same old story with the quests and Mobs. 

 

Quest Completion = Sit and wait for this X Named mob and kill it.

 

I am not asking for you to make every quest mob just availible, but come on instead of all these excessive spawn times, can you not do like the Sabertooth Elders in Antonica, where you have to kill a series of grouped mobs and then these guys will pop, like clockwork.  Yes you can still have some mobs be random spawn times, or maybe not random, but maybe specific spawn times.  Like So and So Mob is up for 2 hrours every 3-5 hours and during the window if he is killed he will respawn 5 minutes after he is killed.  THe most important part is the times of day, I know you cannot appeal to everyone but you can get real close.  Maybe you should use in game time as apposed to RL time for the spawns.  That way time would move faster and anyone needing that mob could get him.  

 

I know I have posted in here my wishes for the game but here are some additions I would like to see:

 

More Fluid quests.

  -  Less Stop here and CAMP a mob.

 

Steady migration to a more player driven economy. 

  -  Create a Player Message board in game (instead of in game e-mail) set it up in all of the hamlets and link them together where people can put up 24 - 48 hour messages to other players and then they are wiped off if not taken (LND No Rent items).  Also there can be local quests offered by Merchants and Players alike such as "Aleryia need pelts - Go collect X num of pelts for X coin (Or Item)"  You want a PC driven community, this is how you do it.  

 

  -   Make PC items the BEST in the game only rivaled by Raid gear.  I am sorry but how do you expect crafters to craft if everythign they can do is worthless compared to quest drops or mob drops.  First off get rid of the chests, they are going to become completely useless now with Mentoring.  Then change the Rare Uber drops from Regular Joe Population Mobs (Non Raid) into TS items (Lore No Value) that a crafter can "Experiment" with and craft a new recipe that only I have.  This way there is a sense of accomplishment and knowlegde that everyone one and thier Alts have not already bought this recipe as it is now.  Adding Enchantments to Items, this is one of the few things I like very much about WoW.  Make it so Items can be enchanted and crafted into new items or esisting good itmes can be augmented to have better properties or procs.

 

Add PVP

  -  I cannot believe this even made it on my list as much as I hate it, and the fact SoE has stated over and over that there are no plans for it, but hey they said there were no plans to snare the Pally / SK horses either.  I would like to see a Controlled PVP introduced, you have the layouts for the Arenas in the cities already, open them up.  Make a once a week Gladiator style event, have the GMs, DEV's or players run it, or have Guild Leaders have to schedule them.  Make the whole Arena Floor a PVP and NO XP Debt Area.  Make it so it can utilize the Mentoring system to allow the really highlevel character fight lowbies on level play fields.  What a way to test class balance!!!  and make it so you can sign up for the fight and Winners get in game prizes OR Coin (Players Choice) and EXPERIENCE Not much but thow a bone, you are learning but you have to moderate it so that only the Events are rewarded with XP not the possible duels and or practice sessions.

 

Character Diferientation

  -  Please, Please, Please take all of your Plastic Character Cookie Cutters, toss them in the microwave and melt them.  Do this quickly.  I know I am beginning to ramble here, but this one is very important to me.  I want to be able to change my characters look, I want to dye my armor, hair, get tatoos and get piercings.  I look just about like every other monk at my level, and THAT BITES Gnoll Backside!!!  Bring back languages, I mean come on that would be really cool, I love talking to someone of my race in native tongue and no one else can understand us. 

 

 -  I can deal with the fact that we all have a very limited spell and combat are ability list.  Thats fine.  Bring back the Pacify line of spells and allow us to break group mobs up (I think you have done this).  I wish that we could have a more varied spell list or maybe we have to go back to our "Trainers" and do a quest for special spells.

 

Finally, last but not least,

  -  Can anyone explain to me why there is a good side and a evil side?  WE all understand, group, and hang out with each other, the Overlord delivers pizza for PIzza Hut so he can't be all that bad.  And I have seen enough Ogre's, Troll's and Ratonga to wish Antoina BAyle would please call the Orkin man.  I understand the betrayal quests and all but if you are not gonna draw a line between Good and Evil, why have them?  At least make the Betrayal quest later in the game, I do not think the subclass should matter in the betrayal.  I think the betrayal should be a multiple level quest that changes as you level up, so it will always stay at least white in your quest journal, so if you wait till 50 and betray the overlord for AB then you shoudl be fighting you level of mobs and the NPC's you talk to change as you level, say the lowest level has you talking to this laundry list of NPC's but you've outleveled the quest then the original directs you to a new path to betray. 

 

 

Oh well, I am logging in less and less, Playing PS mostly nowadays.  Waiting for EQ 2 to begin to mature into a game that is entertaining and not as much of a time sink.  I really do not mind that, but I do not have the time to play like that right now.  I still play a bit, just not enough to make a dent, I usually just jump in kill some stuff on some of my easy laundry list book quests as that is about all I have time to do in the 2 - 3 hours a session I play.  I hate grouping because I hate hearing "Your not gonna be on for X number of Hours,  don't bother" or " Monk's are not Tanks"  whatever.  I do just fine on my own anyway.

        

 

[LowfyrWildforge]

Smed -

 

Here's some of the things I would like to see:

 

1) More quests that require combat, but without the camped mobs.  I can't tell you how much I hate sitting on a spawn, and having X group of Chinese pesuedo bots (who play in to sell stuff on Playerauctions, etc, for next to nothing)swarm in and either train us, or grab the named as we kill the last mobs in the way.  It's seriously not fun.  Like the game, like the quests, hate the competition for spawns/camping.

 

2) Guild housing -- There's lots of useful things you can put in them, and they don't have to be cookie cutter.  It would be great if you could have an instanced zone or mini zone, where guilds could have their own quarters for members, etc.  I love the idea of small keeps or inn type buildings.  It would be incredibly super if people could design them from scratch/build them with harvested materials, etc.  Carpenters could actually, well, do carpentry and stuff.

 

3) More furniture, and usability of furniture.  Specifically, Couches, Curtains, Books for bookcases, etc.

 

4) Signs we could customize for our rooms.  Maybe have a unique graphic, or just use Truetype medieval style fonts, but it would be cool if that were possible.  I'd pay to buy a sign for my shop...

 

5) Solo writs.  I do tradeskill ones myself, but would be kinda nice if I could kill monsters for writs, too...

 

6) Make crafted items placeable, perhaps have items to mount weapons and armor on walls or in racks, for customers to see...

 

7) Faction bars for writs, so we know how far away we are for amiable.  Yep, we all know it takes 140 writs, people might get less discouraged if they see they are close to gaining faction...

 

An MP3 player, having an external one bogs down the game BIG TIME, for some reason... Even with two gig ddr2 ram. O.o

 

Those are my biggest wishes, I'm sure other people have good ones too.

 

 

[LowfyrWildforge]

Grrr, the forum keeps tricking me into double posting.

 

Message Edited by LowfyrWildforge on 03-12-2005 01:36 AM

[Kahl]

Here be my thoughts on eq2 feel free to discuss away with me.

 

Pros- The locked encounters I like the concept of it to keep from kill stealing and powerlvling.

 

Cons- The fact they changed the encounter system to group mobs then added single mobs then mixed the 2 so you cant help but trip over 10 every time ya take a step I dislike. I honestly and this is just me feel if they had left the combat system more like eq1 it would have eliminated a lot of hastle and clutter. I also dont like it because it really requires little skill to pull anymore. you pull 1 you get 1 you pull group ya get 5 9 times out of 10 you wont get much social agro. Every now and then you will but not often. So honestly I would like to see an encounter system such as that again is what i loved about eqlive and would make this game nice to see that type of fight style again. make em harder and single.

 

2. I have read a lot about the community not being very sociable. To be honest when you are hunting if you have the food and drink for your lvl you wont be stopping much for downtime which in eq1 was where a lot of people usualy talked and got to know each other. I know people hate downtime but im sure anyone that has played eq1 will agree on that. Not sayin they should bring back longer med breaks jus pointing it out.

 

And last but not least.......Where are the blasted Gnomish Fireworks !!!!

[run]

Umm agree with the last poster, get rid of locked encounters, make it how old games were with 'pulling' being a skill that one learned, and GET RID OF WAITING ON MOBS TO SPAWN, that is just idiotic, and unrealistic, and cery unfun.

[Kahl]

Heres my suggestion shoot me if you must.

 

1. This is a big one. Take all the nice lil mobs solo group all those nice ones we've added recently to clutter up the fields so every time ya take a step ya trip over 10 of them and take em out. Reprogram the entire interface in the true traditions of eq1 maybe with a tweak or 2 and make all the mobs single like the old days and harder like the old days. Locked encounters a good idea keep that one but make the mobs all singles with the old social agro. I and many many people I know loved that game style of play in eq1. (( Insert the take yer [Removed for Content] back to eq1 then line here)) This would eliminate the group/solo clutter that has now been created and add skill in pulling back t the needed resume of any self respecting tank. Trying to pull singles was fun running up and grabbin the group without caring whats beside em is kinda dull.

 

2. I have yet to meet a person nor do I expect to meet a person any time soon that has managed to actualy get all their adept 3 skills due to price trouble to make and rarity of minerals and such. It was a nice attempt but it needs some work some classes arte at points useless without adept 3's in given areas. And to be honest makin money isnt the easiest thing less yer allready a master tradeskiller cause becoming a master atm cost to much money heh.

 

3. Some classes really really need some balancing work pet classes ext.

 

4.Maybe just Maybe you could have a talk with yer gm's on a manner system had a quest problem a few weeks ago petitioned and word for word it went as follows.

 

GM- Hello do you still require my help.

 

Me- Hello yes I have a quest stuck in my journal it can not be deleted but I have finished it just sort of eating up a space.

 

GM- I cannot delete it. Thank you for playing everquest 2.

 

Now what kinda crap was that.

Message Edited by Kahlel on 03-13-2005 02:31 PM

[Darklord]

I would like to remember something to SOE:ELIMINATE MOB CAMPING!Just in case you missed the thousand of complaints in this thread............There are other ways to make quests or raid challenging, and sitting for hours waiting for the mob to spawn doing nothing, it s not one of them

[EQ2Co]

As much as I have critized EQ2 lately, let me say that the reason all these WOW dudes are posting here is simple:

 

The have all this time to do so because their servers are either lagging so much that you just quit playing, or if you are even a semi-decent player,  your instanced zones just keep on crashing leaving you with time to come around and post here.

 

Let's be real - comparng EQ2 to WoW is like comparing apples and oranges. Both are fruits, both have vitamin C, both have skins, but they taste different, have different textures, different colors, and well, they are NOT the same, period.

 

WoW is a game for those that just want to have fun and not concentrate on role playing or true character development. It is also a game in which you can kill mobs non-stop with just 3 nukes, but at some point, as soon as you hit level 60 in a month, you will run out of content and things to do, and the few raids that you have available to go to will be lagged as hell or not working at all. To a LOT of people that's exactly what they wanted in the first place, and EQ2 never promised that, and I doubt it will ever become that. May be EQ2 is the 20 percent out of the typical 80/20 equation, and while that might not be as enticing right now, I am fairly certain that EQ2 will outlast WoW by a long shot. Whereas WoW playability is fun in the short term, I already know way too many people that are absolutely bored and done with the game - not because of its many bugs and server instability, but because there is just not enough content for any serious adventuring.

 

That may change in the future, of course, but as it is, if you want a serious RPG, EQ2 is still the game to be. I just hope that SOE would stop changing the fundamentals of the game so I can create my characters with long term goals in mind, instead of having to react every month to their many shortsighted decisions.

 

Now, what was the point of this forum anyway? Post a one side view of the world, sound like a politician by saying everything we wanted to hear and present yourself as open minded about the things you did not agree, just to be ignored as soon as you were done saying them? Any sort of acknowledgment would be nice. I have to say that I have liked some of the latest changes, like the mentoring system and additional mobs at zones to keep you busy. I am also glad that some bugs are being fixed, especially around broken quests. Now fix the economy, or at least let us know if this is the way things will be for the forseable future.

 

For those playing WoW ... enjoy the cartoon, while it lasts. Trust me, I know, I own a gaming center and have seen how fast the churn is.

 

Message Edited by EQ2Colo on 03-13-2005 11:05 PM

[EQ2Co]

Doubtful - the appointment of a new CEO at SONY has little impact at a subsidiary like Sony Online Entertainment. The main concerns at Sony are around their consumer electronics division, which has suffered significant losses in market share over the last couple of years. SOE is in fact a very independant unit of Sony with management being US based as it is.

 

Message Edited by EQ2Colo on 03-13-2005 10:56 PM

[Sly]

Forgive me for not reading all these pages. I have played EQ2 for about a week and after that week I have come up with these wishes:

1. Surnames. Would be nice to be able to create surnames. Also fun when several people want to create a family of characters. A bit like the Hansons.

 

2. "Sit". I'd like to be able to sit on benches, or at tables in taverns. Fun when a whole group is sitting around a table just socializing (EQ2 needs more socializing)

 

3. More clothing/equipment. I want to have a flapping cloak, and i want to be able to have a crafter sew heraldry on it

 

 

[KudLenka]

you cna get surname at lvl 20

[Jazme]

I made a post here talking about a place where people can post what they would like to see get put in the game,  I made it short and to the point hoping that there would be a forum set up for posts that could improve the game.

 

However what I recieved in my email because I supscripted to this forum was a bunch of cry babies complaining about this game and how other games are better.  Well if you dont like eq2 then dont play it, dont participate in the forums because I personally dont care about WoW, if I did I would play it, I like eq2 and would like to participate in the Future of the game.  alot of posts will get ignored due to the clutter of whinning kids who just want to complain.   YOU ARE JUST GETTING IN THE WAY so please act like you have a clue and stay out of it if you dont like it.  I wish I could get some Crayons and a Coloring book for the babies so they would have better things to do then get in the way. 

 

now if someone knows where there is a forum for suggestions for the game, as in "could you designers consider adding_______ to the game if it is feasible and does not change the design of the game".  Then please reply to this so I can get to that forum.  and someone please tell me how I can unsubscribe to this forum so I can stop getting emails from whinning little kids.

[ganng]

You can do it, just set up the channel.

[TheJoe]

Ok, here's a suggestion that I've been thinking about for a while, now.

Summoning is fun. But I don't like it that the pet I summon depends entirely on which spell level I am currently using.

Instead of making so you get XXX at skill levels a-c, and then it changes at d into YYY, why not let it be selectable?

I'm not saying App1 tellurian recruit should give you the option to summon a demon lord, far from it. I think it should be based IN PART on level, but also on PLAYER CHOICE.

Maybe grant a new pet skin option every 2 levels, so at App3 you get a new skin, then Adept 1 gives another, etc. etc.

So finally you can select from a small list when you reach the master levels.

I currently have a spider. Which is nice. But I actually like the look of the beetle.... so why can't I summon a more powerful variant thereof?

Another suggestion which a friend of mine came up with was to have different elemental Special FX based on the spells you cast on your pet.. eg, I cast a fire shield on my beetle, and it suddenly is encased in flames... but I realize that would be a bit more complex than merely letting us select a pet skin from a list.

I want to emphasize this: I am only talking about the pet SKIN. You can simply have a set of stats for each level of pet, with the skin being seperate... kind of like a "if player_choice = C then petskin Puma else if blah blah" statement, which doesn't directly affect the power of the pet at all.

Also, letting us choose pet names would be nice. And not having them change at every zone. Slap a tiny filter on, and we're good to go!

 

Good game so far. I agree that it needs more variety, though. I first picked an Iksar because my human is ALWAYS running into a twin.. Same armor, same clothes... We need more variety in appearance. And dye kits. For the love of Antonia, give us dye kits!!! I first played UO back in 1997 when it came out, and I LOVED playing around with dyes and dye tubs... SWG got me hooked on tailor because I LOVE making cool clothing.

EQ2 was a disappointment because when you make something... well, you're just carbon-copying an item already made... no  personalized touches.

Oh, here's a crafting suggestion or two: First, give food/drink more effects than just regen. When you get down to it, you could just have 1 food and 1 drink for each lvl range as it stands.

But my friend was practicing making items last night, and we noticed that you don't ALWAYS want pristine. I play a mage, and the pristine fashioned turq. orb was actually not as good for me as the lvl3 orb, because the lvl3 orb gives a boost to Int.

So instead of it being set in stone what each level gets, how about (again) leaving it up to player choice? Instead of saying "at Pristine level, this item gives +1 to Str, Int, and Sta" let the players choose which stats get the bonus. Sort of like "+1 to X, Y, and Z. Player picks Wis, Int, and Agi, but the next person wants Int, Wis, and Str.

Just a thought.

 

 

[gaebrel]

only suggestion or even whiny complaint please please give the templars away to move faster.  You have given every other priest class a form of speed.  You have given paladins (why i am not sure) horses.  But you have yet to give clerics a way to keep up.  When disaster happens it is doubly hard for us to catch up to heal and save the day.

 

Brittainy

templar

Permasoft

[Mclettu]

This post is longer than I expected it to be, but I hope you read it, John, or someone else in the dev team does.

 

I'd like to start by saying that every time I read a dev letter like this one it's great to see the enthusiasm you guys have for what you're doing.  I'd also like to say I played EQ since it's release in Australia, played SWG and played WoW and I think of the lot, Everquest 2 is the best overall. 

 

When I started playing the original Everquest I was a Uni student and had a lot of time on my hands.  Now I'm older and I'm only able to juggle a few hours every other day; normally during evenings, which in Austrlalia always coincides with the daily downtime.  I'm not complaining about that - there are a surprising amount of us Aussies playing EQ2 and WoW but the more sensible of us realise that the majority rules and we're ok with this. 

 

However,

 

I do get a little agitated when I read that your major goal with the project is to make the game more appealing to the casual gamer.  I can't talk about other people, but I'm a "casual gamer" these days with a very active life.  I still love my computer games, but I find it increasingly hard to fit them in.  Several times I've seen on the patch messages "Even greater experience rewards for soloers and small groups!" 

 

I'm only trying to be constructive when I say that I don't believe this is reflected in game.  I'll give you an example:

 

My character is a 29 human monk that I absolutely love (Best part of the game, I think, are the awesome skills and spells we learn every level - great job there and so much better than the original!  This evening, 15th March, I came back from playing sport at about 10pm and thought I'd log on for a couple of hours before I went to bed.  This is what happened:

 

I logged into Zek at the docks ready to rock and roll.  I ran out, saw a 29 templar friend soloing an orc.  I cheered her on, she vanquished her foe and we joined forces.  We killed six orcs together - tough fights against higher level monsters that we needed to catch our breath after - and made precisely 2% experience.  We spent the next couple of minutes discussing how all our friends and guildmates were racing ahead of us because we just couldn't keep up with them.  The servers then went down for the daily patch and now I'm posting this before I go to bed.  That's my EQ for today as a casual gamer - 2% xp and 30 minutes of play.  That's not every time I log on, just this evening.

 

I'm not trying to bag what I feel is an incredible game and an amazing sequel to my favourite computer game of all time.  I'm just saying don't kid yourselves - it's exactly the same as the old Everquest - you need to devote long stretches of time putting a solid FULL group together, and staying in ONE PLACE for an EXTENDED TIME in order to really get anywhere.  I'm a very experienced player, but because I can only play casually it's taken me over a month to make three levels.  My best friend in game is another Aussie guy who's off work because he messed up his knee.  He plays all day, every day on various characters and does mentoring and everything he can to keep me in level range - a true friend.  However, it's not working - he's now five levels higher because he can spend long stretches organising full groups and staying in one spot.  I can't. 

 

Soloing and duoing is riskier than full group partying, and often results in death.  If you defeat a monster of higher level than yourself in single combat, you should be rewarded with significant experience - I'm thinking of 3-5% xp per yellow or orange kill, rather than 0.3%, which it currently seems to be hunting orcs in Zek at my level.  

 

Let's Draw a parallel to our world - just imagine being a viking or a samurai, and have to fight several hundred opponents ALL TOUGHER THAN YOU in order to raise one rank in the estimation of your peers - sound ridiculous?  That's because it is. 

 

I'm not saying make the game too easy, but I am saying that the experience you get for life and death struggles in the game is simply anally retentive, does not encourage active, engaging and risk-taking play, and will turn off any true "casual gamer" once they reach level 10 and over.  As with the original Everquest, the rewards for "going out on a limb" and pushing your character to their limits are simply not worth the returns.  Boring camp-style play over hours and hours is still the only way to level fast because it's steady and safe. 

 

If you want to attract/keep casual players, you need to stop kidding yourselves that people can make any real progress soloing or in duos/small groups.  The only time I solo is when I'm waiting to find a group, or don't have time to be in one.  I guarantee nearly everying playing EQ2 has this stance on soloing.  Perhaps some people can make progress - but I bet they're not casual players!

 

-Straken Soulstriker

29 Monk (Antonia Bayle)

 

 

 

[CyranoDK]

I can understand your point of view. However..

IF solo'ers got a lot more xp as you suggest noone would group.

Mages... what about mages? They probably cant solo higher leveled mobs.

 

SOE has to try to balance the experience and they may not always succeed from our point of view, but I'm sure they will listen and react if there is a REAL balancing problem.

 

What you are talking about isnt a balancing problem. What you are talking about is, that you want to level just as fast in a few hours as one that is dedicated and plays a LOT more than you. Sorry to say so, but THAT wouldn't be fair.

[AOE]

More bank slots please.

 

Shared money slots please.

 

Place on Guild Management to put information guild can use as in 'alt of xxx' or 'sage of xxx'.   Would help to look at that and see who is the sage in your guild or if a certain toon is the alt of which main.  With a larger guild, it is difficult to remember all these particulars.

 

Thank you,

 

 

 

 

[Lethalweff]

I'm sorry, I haven't read any of the previous pages so I don't know if this has been covered at all.  But one thing I would like to see would be some sort of sub-guild.  I'm a member of a guild with over 150 members, most of which are well below my level.  I really like my guild, but I only really know and group with a select few.  I have no problems helping my lower level guildmates, but it'd be nice to have something like guild elites or guild fighters or something like that to help keep things separated.

Thanks.

[Darklord]

In EQ1 wasn't unusual for a Guild to have a sister Guild for lower levels......

[Onyx Cu]

One more suggestion from the disaster I've encountered named "LaunchPad" ,This program is the most flawed piece of work on your profile it has a tendancy to continue a subscription EVEN if you were to choose only a 1 Month plan. Maybe the wording is wrong as i got in touch with (suprissingly this time) compatent TSR and was told that hidden deep in your EULA that all my phantom payments were because of my error and nothing to do with the wording of the subscription screen.So your off the hook aparently.

 

I always thought when I subscribe to something for 1 month and i see only 1 month visually on a screen that is what it is, not an "Indefinate" contract that will not expire however many months i choose to select on that screen. Its another astounding screw-up that seems seems to be overlooked and forgotten about just like the customer service phone contacts.

 

If you want more indication as what to change for the better i suggest you read alot of the posts here.I was only planning of paying and playing for a month but I was charged again for TWO more months afterwards without my knowladge.

 

If the Launchpad subscription screen is trying to indicate that its a STATEMENT plan NOT a SUBSCRIPTION then make it say it, dont mince words and fool customers with EULA loopholes and cheep finishing techniques.  

 

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Hers a detailed account of the minor trouble before the phantom billing...

 

 

Im probably a notorious character in the eyes of several GM's and forum moderators here.But i am also a displeased customer so im going to explain the reasons and ask for very simple answer from the sony team.

 

After being registering playing through the free trial and then becoming a subscriber I have to say that I find the customer care for this game to be very bad.This is not restricted to a few departments its many of the most essential services. My first experience of the sloppy way things get handelled was with the online technical support team named "Livechat".

 

I was given a referance to that team in hope that they would be able to advise and help me with the technical issues that i had at the time.After filling out a detailed summary of my computer and the problem I entered the LiveChat session.Sadly the TSR was more than happy to give me false infomation regarding the components of my PC.I had at the time an N'Force 2 chipset motherboard and I clearly stated this on the application form that is presented before you get talking to a technical support agent.But this trained individual tried to tell me otherwise by saying that my components was not supported and that he would not be able to advise me on the issue.Please check this link for the supported hardware

 

hardware.http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/support_article.vm?label=AudioTroubleshooting

 

After I corrected this "technical support" agent I was given "voodoo" advice that did not fix the issue,with my experience from that leaving me with a sence of doubt I did not return for further help and set to fix the issue on my own.

 

At that point I was content with just having one bad experience with the online side of the Everquest 2 team and decided to let the matter be forgotten.

 

Now onto another episode with the billing and accounts side of the team.

I remeber without a doubt that my last payment which was aknowladged online via the launchpad program was only selected to be for 1 month of subscription along with a few of the online tools that are roughly $1.50 per upgrade.But after checking the credit cards statement a month later i have been charged for a 2nd month as well.If im guessing correctly by the current trend of things from Sony this subscription may not be refundable.However i have yet to talk directly to the billing and accounts department so this is a grey area at the moment.

 

Now onto another rant concerning the availability of essential departments.

 

After the news of this self subscribing game i quickly entered the Chat channel located in the Launchpad program and tried to get contact infomation for the billing team.The untagged GM was quick to respond with a pasted message containing an Email address, And a Live Chat team link and this phone number [18585 537 0898]. I dislike all forms of sensitive infomation posting especially online and will avoid them like the plauge if its at all possible. And going by the "techinal hitch" regarding my subscription I choose the phone line as my contact mode. Ive found that the phone line as its displayed cannot be dialled from current location on a land line.After finding this out i tried to politely ask the GM for another contact phone number, one which is located in the UK or Europe but i recieved no answer.I asked a few times always re-wording my request and trying to be clearer than previous attempts but i was still given no reply. The chat channel at the time was not busy there were maybe 16 people at the most when i was asking for the details but i was still blatently ignored by this customer support agent who prefered to post emoticons than answer a simple question.Check the log from the time 21:40 GMT to about 22:15 GMT for details of this complaicency.

 

At this point you may feel im being trivial and picky but I am the proverbial camel and this has honestly been the last straw.I would like anyone with a phone number that works and one which is not going to cost me an arm and a leg to post here.

 

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I did post this before but your top notch customer service decided not to go even near it , Apart from the locking that is...

Message Edited by Onyx Cube on 03-21-2005 12:24 AM