My Return To EQ2 [And The Only Two Suggestions I Have]

[SparraXD]

     Hey everyone.  Just to give you a little idea about me and why I'm even posting this message on the forums:      I'm a former avid World of Warcraft player.  I played the game since Closed Beta and have venture back and forth between that and other games since it's launch.  I've ran guilds in World of Warcraft and raided and raided... and raided - and by no means am I degrading the game, it's fun for a while - and well worth the money spent to purchase and maintain an account.  While taking a break from the constant raiding of World Of Warcraft (getting burnt out on it), I've tried countless other games as well (mainly MMORPG's); AQ, UO, DAOC, Tabula Rasa, D&D, Anarchy Online, MU Online, 9 Dragons, Hero, ect..ect..ect.. I think I've tried almost every MMORPG out there besides Maple Story. [Don't really have an interest in that one].  You're probably asking yourself right now, what does this have to do with me posting on the Everquest 2 forums, I'll tell you why if you're wondering that.     Out of every game I've played, WoW included, none of them compare to my enthusiasm I have whenever I return to Everquest 2.  (I've also played Everquest 2 off and on since it's release).  But since my latest return, and my prior experiance with all these other MMORPGs, I find that I only have two problems with Everquest 2 (Which I think is a fantastic feat.)       The first suggestion, and the main reason I left Everquest 2 the first time I played it, is the lack of unique armor designs and the need for more variety.  The game has a brilliant engine and the graphics are wonderful - but the armor and weapons seem so original and the textures are used repeatedly just displayed in different colors.  I'm not really a fan of WoW's cartoon feel, but the people in the art department for Blizzard have a wild imagination.  They have some excellent looking armors and very unique looking armors and weapons for a much dated game engine - I don't see why Everquest 2 should have any problem just adding a bit more of a variety in the armors and weapons designs.  By no means am I stating that Sony has neglected the game, it's just this gamer's opinion that the armor seems a bit too dull.  On a positive note, I've noticed since I've returned that some of the weapons are getting special graphic effects and that certain shields are getting nice designs that make them unique - I think that's definatly an improvement.     The second reason I originally left Everquest 2 was the PvP imbalance.  I know that creating a character on a PvP server is completely up to the gamer and that alot of people don't care to get involved with PvP which is fine and I'm not complaining about class imbalances.  My main concern with PvP is the fact that a level 12 character with adept I's in every spell, facing up against the same class and same level character with all apprentices I's, would decimate him/her.  I guess you could say a "twink" character versus and "average" character.  In WoW you had plenty of people that twinked their character, it was common pratice if you had a higher alternate character, but even still a average character faced up against a twinked character still stood a shot at winning if the average player had decent skills with timing and keystrokes.  To this gamer, it just seems like if you don't twink out your character, PvP at low / mid level's is not something you probably want to participate in.     On any case, I'm going to step off my soap box now, I appericate everyone listening [if you did] and appericate any feedback you all may have!

[Kenazeer]

Both valid points.

I think they are still working on the new body models (have been for a LONG time) which will give them more flexibility in armor design.

PvP balance is an ongoing thing. Although I don't play, from what I read one thing that sounds like a big problem on PvP servers, especially for new people, is dealing with level locked twinks.

Welcome back by the way. hope you stay for a while.

[Nophie]

I was going to yell to try not turning this game into WoW but that's a pretty good idea surprisingly.

[Lornick]

yeah, good points.  I'm not sure how you could fix the pvp thing though.  The game mechanics are what they are.  I suppose you could remove every spell/CA upgrade option and decent item drop to level 20 so everyone has the same ability levels and quest equipment, but it seems a bit harsh.  As for the armor art, as least they added in the appearance slots so you see more variety then before.

[Graywindnz]

Both good points i got sick of being ganked in PvP so stoped trying. and as to the armour designs I think they are working on new skeletal system so they can make more armour models quicker.

[Thunderthyze]

Don't play PvP so no comment on that one. As far as the armour models are concerned, as has been said above, SOE are working on new designs. Having said that though, now that you can "display" ANY armour via the alternate appearance slots the alternatives have increased significantly recently. I would also add that if you are able to display graphics at the high end you DO get a lot of detail that would be otherwise missed.

[Ni]

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

[Norrsken]

Good points, both of them.The pvp issue is however worst in the lower tiers of the game, as you progress, the difference between decent and good gear gets smaller. (Crappy gear will still get your [Removed for Content] steamrolled before you even blink though). I used to have a necro in t5 in t3 gear, killing people. Its doable. In t2, things are way unbalanced, but luckily, you can make it out of there pretty fast. And gear, yes please. the whole [Removed for Content] community have been clamoring for some new looks for forever.

[jagermonsta]

Nitz@Permafrost wrote:

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

Not really. It's still the same textures... just different colors. That was his point. Sure you can choose which plate armor you want to wear but behind the color of the armor your choices all look the same.

[Norrsken]

Ranadin@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Nitz@Permafrost wrote:

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

Not really. It's still the same textures... just different colors. That was his point. Sure you can choose which plate armor you want to wear but behind the color of the armor your choices all look the same.

Well, at least the appearance slots took care of the rainbow ogres running around.

[azekah]

Ulvhamne@Nagafen wrote:

Well, at least the appearance slots took care of the rainbow ogres running around.

I can't tell you how glad I was to get my necro out of that pink robe...I mean the stats were unbeatable...but a necro in pink? It just doesn't go well...

Of course now I'm in all black

[hobi]

Nitz@Permafrost wrote:

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

I wouldn't say it obsolete. the appearance slots  only gives one the option of keeping the appearance of a certain color or armor type while keeping stats of the better armor. but  still he does have a point there really is that much variations on the armor types  most are just different colors of the same type  with a different name. what i think he ment  was we need need a greater  variety  of armor types that look totally different. not  like for  example  ebon chainmail  is black and gold compared to cobalt  which is blueish but is no different in appearance other than the color. all the appearance slots do  is solve  is allow one to get around  not having to use dyes to color armor.  other than that there really isn't that much  in the way of appearance options as all the armors look to be of the same few designs just recolored. this is a big problem  with robes and leather armor especially where all of them are the exact appearance except color and trim design. i think what the op is referring to is like in guild wars  where they have over 40 different armor types per class and they all look completely different not only in design and color so you got more of a variety and choice in styles appearance slots mainly just gives you color choice but there are very few choice in styles in game since most armor uses the same model.so his critique is very accurate i think

[Soldancer]

Ranadin@Antonia Bayle wrote:

Nitz@Permafrost wrote:

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

Not really. It's still the same textures... just different colors. That was his point. Sure you can choose which plate armor you want to wear but behind the color of the armor your choices all look the same.

Simply wrong. The game has clothes with different shapes, different textures and different colors. Not tons of it and it's also true that many stuff looks similar but all in all there is enough variety to make a more or lesser unique look with the new appearance slots. Be realistic, people, You can't have all for 15 bucks per month. SOE want make profit, there is not enough money for legions of art designers. Introducing of a simplified skeletal model (which will never come I hope) costs a high price, the good looking char movements of EQ2 would be gone. This is your choice and you can't have both, want you A) good looking char movement but reduced appearance variety? B) wide variety of appearance but ugly char movement? For me the choice is clear, it's A so I say NO to reduced skeletal models.

[Tae]

SparraXD wrote:

     The second reason I originally left Everquest 2 was the PvP imbalance.

When I make a new character, I always start off in Greater Faydark. It's a longer walk for people to get to, so there are far fewer twinks hanging around. Of course that doesn't address the general issue of people who stay at level 17 for months and months, get fully fabled and fully mastered and go around killing full groups that can't even hit them. The PvP servers really need to have level locking utterly removed to stop this problem, I would say. We're on them to fight one another, not to see PvM content, and if level locking is ruining PvP (which it is) then it needs to go. The arguments against removing level locking are usually weak. Either people can't be bothered to grind to 70, or they just say they dislike the level 70 zones. With Kunark, the high end zones will be changing, making that point moot. And if they've got the time to dedicate two months to a level 17, why don't they have the time to dedicate getting him to 70 instead?

[Sapphirius]

Every time I think about logging back onto my PvP druid or guard, I see a post that reminds me of why I don't much care for EQ2 PvP, though I absolutely loved Venekor and the people on it.

[Thunderthyze]

Ryos@Lucan DLere wrote:

Nitz@Permafrost wrote:

Your critique about lack of appearance options is now obsolete with the new appearance slots.

I wouldn't say it obsolete. the appearance slots  only gives one the option of keeping the appearance of a certain color or armor type while keeping stats of the better armor. but  still he does have a point there really is that much variations on the armor types  most are just different colors of the same type  with a different name. what i think he ment  was we need need a greater  variety  of armor types that look totally different. not  like for  example  ebon chainmail  is black and gold compared to cobalt  which is blueish but is no different in appearance other than the color. all the appearance slots do  is solve  is allow one to get around  not having to use dyes to color armor.  other than that there really isn't that much  in the way of appearance options as all the armors look to be of the same few designs just recolored. this is a big problem  with robes and leather armor especially where all of them are the exact appearance except color and trim design.

I think that if you use, say, a zerker as an example. If you are progressing through the levels....AQ, Ebon, Cobalt, Xego, you are usually retaining Vanguard as the style. Therefore I see no reason to expect design to be THAT different. After all the armour you have is VANGUARD, the fact that it might be made out of a different material should be faintly irrelevent to how it looks. I don't really support the criticism therefore that the armour models lack sufficient variety. When you buy a loaf of bread and you may have the choice of white, oatmeal, wholemeal...etc etc. You would still expect it to LOOK like a loaf of bread however, not a giraffe?

[Sapphirius]

Actually, I can see where he's coming from. If you don't look at color and textural differences, or smaller differences like the panels, then EQ2 only has 5 armor patterns that they use (not counting the two gi patterns or tailored fluff clothing). Every single pieces of armor is one of these 5 patterns in a different color or texture. You can see this in the Armor Appearances thread. Every sleeve in the game is the same tube over the arm with a band around the upper arm and a pad on the elbow except the poofy cloth sleeves (not counting the invisible tailored cloth sleeves either). Even the vanguard arms are this pattern, but they added the spiky shoulder pad on the top.

I can definitely see where the armor is lacking in variety, and it's been a sore point for me for a very long time to play multiple MMOs that all have a wide variety of armor appearances and then go into EQ2 where all the armor looks pretty much the same. The fluff armor slots do allow us to customize our appearances, but we are still limited to the same 5 armor molds that SOE used on all their armor.

When you buy bread, you don't have just the same standard rectangular prism shape. You have loaves of bread, flat bread, hot dog and hamburger buns, rounds of bread, sticks of bread, muffins and biscuits, twisted/braided bread. French bread is a loaf of bread that doesn't even look like a loaf of standard white sandwich bread. Bread itself (even in loaves) has a larger variety of appearances than EQ2 armor does... and it still looks like bread to me.

[Shadowinajar]

and dont forget pancakes..rolled with nut cream or folded with

cheese..what about Dampfnudeln!? are the EQ2

Designers are capable to think about Dampfnudeln if they

let their fanatasy flow to make new armor!

or are they all in the ofen yet?

Bier!

Still would love if Sapphi would come back and send me a ping..quote:*"but only a single ping!*

hugs and vodkashots for everyone

[fugutait]

 "alternate appearence slots"

I'm still a fairly new player (about 3 days) what are these alternate appearence slots, how do you access/activate them?

Thanks

[ratdeath]

fugutaiten wrote:

 "alternate appearence slots"

I'm still a fairly new player (about 3 days) what are these alternate appearence slots, how do you access/activate them?

Thanks

You need to be level 20 and you will get a Apperance slot on your inventory window.

[Vifarc]

You have to be lvl 20. You then access this through your inventory.fugutaiten wrote:

I'm still a fairly new player (about 3 days) what are these alternate appearence slots, how do you access/activate them?

[fugutait]

Piyorat@Splitpaw wrote:

fugutaiten wrote:

 "alternate appearence slots"

I'm still a fairly new player (about 3 days) what are these alternate appearence slots, how do you access/activate them?

Thanks

You need to be level 20 and you will get a Apperance slot on your inventory window.

The game is too much fun, I can't decide on a class and keep rerolling ;-(

[azekah]

fugutaiten wrote:

The game is too much fun, I can't decide on a class and keep rerolling ;-(

Lol...I've been rerolling ever since I've started...only a few classes left I haven't tried...

[Sapphirius]

Shadowinajar wrote:

and dont forget pancakes..rolled with nut cream or folded with

cheese..what about Dampfnudeln!? are the EQ2

Designers are capable to think about Dampfnudeln if they

let their fanatasy flow to make new armor!

or are they all in the ofen yet?

Bier!

Still would love if Sapphi would come back and send me a ping..quote:*"but only a single ping!*

hugs and vodkashots for everyone

SOLEMONIE! I miss you guys so much, but PvP wasn't very healthy for me.

[Leatherneck]

Sapphirius wrote:

Actually, I can see where he's coming from. If you don't look at color and textural differences, or smaller differences like the panels, then EQ2 only has 5 armor patterns that they use (not counting the two gi patterns or tailored fluff clothing).

But that's a whole lot to ignore, and saying, as others have said in this thread, that it's just a different color does the game an injustice.  They're all basically the same shape, sure, but shape alone doesn't indicate uniqueness.

I sat down, when the appearance slot first came out, and pulled up every piece of armor on the broker at the time and looked at each piece (yes, this took quite a while).  There was certainly repetition to be found, but there were pieces out there that I'd never, ever, ever seen worn.  Then I went to the city merch and looked at the few pieces there.  Then I went to Freeport and Qeynos and checked out all the factions and the armors they offer.

Then I decided there was no way in hell I was going to do the 40k worth in terms of factioning I'd need to get those items and promptly forgot them, but there were some nice...unique pieces there as well.

[Dagorgil]

Holymoly@Runnyeye wrote:

I think that if you use, say, a zerker as an example. If you are progressing through the levels....AQ, Ebon, Cobalt, Xego, you are usually retaining Vanguard as the style. Therefore I see no reason to expect design to be THAT different. After all the armour you have is VANGUARD, the fact that it might be made out of a different material should be faintly irrelevent to how it looks. I don't really support the criticism therefore that the armour models lack sufficient variety. When you buy a loaf of bread and you may have the choice of white, oatmeal, wholemeal...etc etc. You would still expect it to LOOK like a loaf of bread however, not a giraffe?

What if I don't WANT a normal loaf of bread?  What if I want Chibatta bread, or a loaf of Italian bread?  Why can't I get a loaf of Asagio Artisan bread, or some Naan (Indian Flatbread)?  Why do we have to be stuck with 1 armor type throughout the whole game?  Just because we want certain stats on our armor doesn't mean that we have to be stuck with 1 look.

[Kestrill]

Leatherneck wrote:

Sapphirius wrote:I sat down, when the appearance slot first came out, and pulled up every piece of armor on the broker at the time and looked at each piece (yes, this took quite a while).

How did you do this? Did you simply spend a lot of money? Or is there a key command to check the appearance of an item before it is purchased? I "really" hope it is the later, I've been wanting that for a long time (and have just came back this week).

[Dagorgil]

Kestrill wrote:

Leatherneck wrote:

Sapphirius wrote:I sat down, when the appearance slot first came out, and pulled up every piece of armor on the broker at the time and looked at each piece (yes, this took quite a while).

How did you do this? Did you simply spend a lot of money? Or is there a key command to check the appearance of an item before it is purchased? I "really" hope it is the later, I've been wanting that for a long time (and have just came back this week).

Hold control and left click on the icon of the item you want to view.  It'll pull up the Dressing Room and show you what the item looks like.  Very useful for deciding what slots you'll have to cover with the Appearance slots.

[Sapphirius]

Kestrill wrote:

How did you do this? Did you simply spend a lot of money? Or is there a key command to check the appearance of an item before it is purchased? I "really" hope it is the later, I've been wanting that for a long time (and have just came back this week).

Yep! Ctrl + clicking an item will now bring up a dressing room. You see this thread? All those were taken in the dressing room, which looks something like this on your screen.

[dhvyse000]

The armor issue is still the BIGGEST issue for me.  I absolutely LOVE this game, and almost everything about it.  The speed of the leveling is still a little slow post 40 and 50, but there is so much content it doesn't bother me.SO lets talk about the armor/weapons.I have 3 accounts and a decent ammount of characters.  NONE of them are levle 70(yet) but I do have a good ammount of high level 40s I've been working on, and some 50s.  First lets talk about my monk.  He never quite looks like a monk.   There aren't enough Gis low-mid levels.  I've been wearing the level 20 one in my appearence slot so I at least look somewhat like a monk.  There aren't enough MONK HATS low-mid level.  Weapons?  They all look the same.  Katars, Bo staffs, fighting batons, or fists.  Boring.My fury never really has the "nature" look that my EQ1 druid had most of the time.  You could always tell it was a druid by just looking at his armor.  Not the case in EQ2, since we basically just use the same leather/cloth everyone else does.  Not enough nature-esque looking shields.  Every druid in EQ1 had a nice Scimitar at one point. My coercer has the same boring robe every other squishy caster has.  Boring.  The Circlets are nice, but could look better and more out there instead of just a plain looking circlet.  Can we get some funky looking caster gloves with nice effects or something?  Maybe nicer wands and staves?  More DAGGERS that don't look like the 4-5 dagger models used for EVERY dagger in the game?  Better looking offhand items?  How about Robe Adornments that affect the look of the robe?Not enough Dark looking armor for my SK.  One of the first videos I saw from EQ2 had a rat in some crazy looking crimson colored plate armor.  Why are there not more of those kind of sets going around?  How about some evil looking black armor for Shadowknights?  Dark aura swords.  Disease infested maces.  Spikey helmets that make us look badass.  Huge looming armor pieces that make us look intimidating.  Shields that actually look good?Just my 2cp.