EQ2 Impressions
Ok, so somebody had to do it.
Ill sum it up for the ADD viewers at home. I like it. However, I feel there are two mandatory requirements before playing. One is wait for the powergamers to increase the knowledge base for this game before stepping in. It has newbie friendly aspects but quests are cumbersome. I.E. NPC's give vague directions and even using the map in game and from the box, it is difficult to tell zone connections and early quests can force you to trudge through 3-4 zones.
Two is you need 1 gig of memory. The game looks great on the performance setting that is just below balanced. That setting runs well for me in a most of the small areas. However, in Qeynos North and South it constantly paged to my disk and stuttered everytime it did. I had to lower my settings to extreme performance to make Qeynos "playable" and its still frustrating. The game does still look attractive in the lowest detail/ highest performance setting.
Details-
Quests can be given that are way too difficult for you to complete.
The waypoint system is nice. However, you are supposed to be able to ask guards where NPC's are but their knowledge is extremely limited. I am 1/10 on successfully asking for an NPC's location. And that was a test since the NPC was standing just down the path from the guard.
The citizen quest was nice... for the Wood Elf. I tried this with the Halfling and they told me to go to the Caves. Well there is nowhere on the map that says where the Caves entrance is and its not on the map that came in the box. Yes I now know how to find the Caves but I had to create another character and explore to do so. It turns out that there is a wharf in the Halfing zone and many other of the racial starting places that will "teleport" you to several places inside and outside of Qeynos. Of course this place is not marked on the ingame map.
The heroic opportunity combos are nice. However, the symbols are cryptic. It seems they use the symbols for evocation, divination, abjuration, etc to get the timing to perform them. If you have a spell that fits in the sequence, it will flash. If you dont, you cant perform the heroic combo.
The intrazone quests are neat little bonuses. They dont really provide much xp or coin. The interzone quests are cryptic and cumbersome.
Text spams by so much that it is easy to miss messages sent directly to you. I bet a lot of people are pissed because it seems people are ignoring them.
The UI, despite others claims, is no better or worse than WoW.
The voice acting doesnt add anything IMHO. It is nice in that its usually a good clue based to who has an errand for you. Sorry but Heather Graham sounds too much like she's just reading lines rather than performing them most of the time. Bad casting on SOE's part allthough you have to commend them for getting Sarumen for her nemesis.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
I seem to remember that you get a little audible cue when someone sends a tell directly to you. Other than that, one gets used to wading through the spam (I''m awfully rusty, myself). I''m all but certain they''ve also got options to separate out separate channels into separate chat windows (I''m sure it''s there - didnt'' play with it in beta, though).
Joedeth
Ironjoe
Questing imo gets better post level 10 (from beta experience), much less running back and forth through the various city zones. I also found the later quest more rewarding than say in WoW, more of a sense of accomplishment, than running from exclimation point to question mark.
Posting on the boards is easy. The trick is to kick someone's ass the first day, or become someone's bitch. Chiggie Von Richthofen on how to transition from lurker to poster.
I could see that Ferret...
The only problem I have is that this is supposed to be more casual friendly and accessible. In a lot of cases, I think they just rounded the edges. This is a lot more like EQ, than people want to admit/believe.
After level 5, at level 6/7 Id almost rather play EQ. Which is totally unfair since I know so much more about EQ than EQ2. However, I would never say the same thing about WoW. There is no way in hell Id ever remotely consider playing EQ over WoW.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
Oh I will agree with you there. If you want true casual, WoW or especially CoH is the way to go. BUT coming from a way back EQ player (beta 2- to lvl 47 retail) it is much friendlier than Live, now if the high end game demands guilding and hours or prep time to accomplish anything, then I will move on to greener pastures.
Posting on the boards is easy. The trick is to kick someone's ass the first day, or become someone's bitch. Chiggie Von Richthofen on how to transition from lurker to poster.
Have you used the chat filters?
I''m not sure why anyone would claim such, since they are both fully customizable.
Hi, I'm the new guy.
GO BENGALS.
During the beta at around those levels I was getting the same feeling. I felt lost and a little overwhelmed. I had a dozen or so quests in my journal and no clue where to go for any of them. I didn''t know where zones were. I didnt'' know what to do. I stuck it out, and by level 10 I was starting to feel right at home. Once you find a zone you''ll always know how to get there, and that sense of being lost fades away. Quests start getting completed faster because you''re not wandering aimlessly, and you start establishing personal goals because you know what the heck you''re doing. I was really starting to enjoy myself at that point, and can''t wait for my retail box to arrive so I can start playing for real.
My impression, from playing characters in both games to level 10+:
WoW is better than EQ2 for the first 6-8 levels, and pretty much keeps the same pace.
EQ2 is better than WoW after those initial 6-8 levels, as it really starts to pick up.
Nevertheless, EQ2 is not as casual friendly as advertised, except in that the first 20 levels seem to be fairly easy to attain.
Graktar, Orc Hunter
I agree with some of the points in the earlier posts but I have not had too hard a time finding out what to do in the quests. Usually they are pretty specific except for the Hallmark quest where you have to find certain NPCs. It tells you what zone they are in but not a specific location like a scribe or tavern.
As far as the interface goes I don''t see how anyone can say Wow and EQ are even on interface. WoW interface (with the cosmos ui mod) is easily superior to EQ''s. I played EQ2 before WoW and thought the interface was great. Then I went to WoW and really liked the UI. Now that I have gone back to EQ interface I think it is nowhere close. There are a few things that I like like not having to target yourself to heal but I think it is just ugly. I suppose you could say that WoW with Cosmos UI is an unfair advantage and you might be right. But even with just the plain WoW interface I think it is so much better.
The only other issue I have with EQ2 is the graphics. No matter what resolution I play at the graphics look ''washed out''. It''s like you have a filter over your screen that you are looking through that makes everything look dull. I had a similar problem with FFXI but when I bumped it to 1280x1024 it was fine. It''s not the case here. Maybe there is a videocard setting I haven''t tried but as for now its somewhat of a problem.
These are really the only negatives I can say about the game after playing the Beta quite a bit. I came into EQ2 with very low expectations and was pleasantly surprised at the results. However when WoW comes out final it will be the true test to see which I stick with. I don''t know if there is going to be room for 2 MMORPGs in my life with all the other games coming out but I''m sure as hell going to try to play both.
Send Optianna a tell sometime if you are on Mistmoore and want to group. I''m sure once we get the Guild going it''s going to be a blast playing with you guys.
I think this game is pretty good.
I played in beta up to lvl 14 and completed 60 quests wothoug making a whole lot of effort. Some of them are cryptic, but you will find you have completed some while just adventuring.
I never played EQ so not sure about comparisons, but after a little bit of experimenting and exploring I had no problem finding my way around, etc, so I think it is unfair to say it is too tough.
As far as info, just like everything, you learn through experience. Also for me, I run it in windowed mode, so if I need to look something up or check something on my voice program it is well within easy reach.
Quests -- some are difficult, but why give you a bunch of quests you can complete right then. You get so many, you would lvl right past them. Also, those could probably be done with a couple of friends.
I think it really comes down to the solo vs. group.
In beta, I soloed up to 11 and then some of the quests really started to get into group mode, while WoW you can solo alot more.
Even crafting took hold of me and I DO NOT like it.
So, I enjoy it. As long as everyone has fun playing their prospective games, I''m happy!
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
Real fast about the UI and especially the text spamming past.
Unlike WoW was when I played it EQ2 is very flexable out of the box.
Chat spamming by to fast? Make some new windows and seperate out your chat. I have 1 window for combat and 1 window for all else.
Not enough hotbar buttons on screen add more.
All of this is done by right clicking on a window and select add new. Then you can right click on windows again to set chat options, window setings and a view others.
I agree.
For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches in a baseball. When I learned that, I gave Jesus a chance. ~Ron Shelton, Bull Durham, 1988
The interface is pretty good in fact one of the best I have seen in terms of adaptability. One thing I also like that is pretty innovative is the letterboxing. It''s pretty cool since it improves your framerate a bit and still allows you to put your toolbars and stuff in the black space. I also kind of like that the quests are a bit cryptic and take a bit of figuring out. I mean the quests in wow got a little mundane when all you did was go from exclamation point to question mark.
The citezenship quest in Freeport was pretty cool as you had to interrogate a bunch of prisoners and kill them. Also at one point the guard kicked me out because I started talking back to her. I thought the fact that the dialogue choices actually made a difference was pretty cool as well. So far I like the game a lot. The engine could definately use some tuning but i''m sure it will get better. Also up to level seven the game feels more like Morrowind then EQ the only time I have had to group was for the orc leader quest and that was a very short group.
PSN ID: Stric9
I want to note about the caves. I too had trouble finding them as a brand new player out of the box and I often stated on the beta boards that the caves need to be linked to the world by some zone other than the bell.
SOmething to watch though is that at sometimes you get information in the chat for a quest, or in the journal, that was not in the other. Say for example your quest journal may say use the bell to go to the caves where there was no mention of it in the task. In other cases an NPC may say go visit my associate in the Fish and Ale tavern in Qeynos Harbor and the journal may only have Qeynos Harbor.
These are little things that I think that could be tightened up to make them consistent.
WoW is certainly more solo friendly but all in all I have found EQ2 to be a lot more casual player friendly than EQ was and have had no trouble soloing.
WoW has this as well right now and it is seamless and easy. Just fyi.
Xbox Live: Kooter06
That''s nice Flux. I actually prefer EQ2''s multiple window method over WoW''s chat interface but considering this is an EQ2 thread and not a comparison thread it hardly matters.
I''m looking to do some initial impressions once I get to level 15 or so in retail. See how it stacks up compared to how it looked when I started beta.
Certis beat me to it. - Elysium
The chat system is not really that good - but with the right tweaking at least I have chat and messages in one box - and everything else in another. I am considering a third for combat only - but we''ll see.
I like the way you can customize everything.
-Xino
For me the immersion is there. After been through a few MMORPGS I was kinda worried that''d I''d be getting into EQ2 just for nostalgias sake, but fortunately that hasn''t been the case.
Even with the smallish zones in the newbie areas, I do feel that, to murder a phrase, I''m in their world. I really like what they''ve done with Freeport, the crafting halls, the docks, and I can''t wait to see what lies ahead.
If you give me immersion and worthwhile exploration, I''m a happy camper.
How many GWJ''ers are actually playing together? I get the feeling most are playing with other friends/family/guilds, etc. Also, some of you seem to be playing on different servers. Only reason I ask is, it sounds like EQ is going to require grouping at higher levels and I can''t see myself sticking it out if I can''t group with friends.
I like reading all these impressions - both sides. Keep it up. I flirt with the idea of getting it, but I keep reminding myself I can''t play two mmorpg''s at the same time (can I?).
Only if you feel like losing your job, friends and family!
I don't think I've ever said this sentence before, but man would I love to hump that butterfly.-- KrazyTaco
One phone call and you're melting like butter over my kettle pop. -- Edwin to Mex
2005 GWJFFL2 Champion
I still liked EQ2 better than WoW and I''m the same way propa, I''m not going to play it because everyone is playing WoW.
Spiderman wouldn't sneak, Spiderman would go. -Elysium
XBL: TheZedian
Its so give an take with this game. Which identity is it going to have? I guess the answer is both.
On the one hand you have the brilliantly laid out areas like Isle of refuge, Willow Wood, Forest Ruins (which fondly reminds me of the area outside Unrest), almost all of the Freeport City Zones.
On the other hand you have the Qeynos City Zones, the Caves, the Sunken City (hello... not so fond memories of aggroing everything in EQ dungeons and bringing the whole house down on everyone else) Oh and did I mention if you die in the Sunken city since the ground is water, you cant find your spirit shard and just have to except the death penalty. Now mind you this is on the extreme performance setting so the water isnt transparent. I could not find a setting to turn the water transparent. Makes you wonder about who they let Beta test this game!
The class system isnt that bad but I didnt enjoy the DAoC system where you had to get to 5 to choose your profession and this system seems both better and worse at the same time. Worse because I have to wait a lot longer to get to the class I want to play. Better because I get 3 distinct ""generations"" of the class I want to play and the generic classes are pretty fun and rewarded with new skills every level (so far) And, plus, the heroic opportunities are fun.
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.
You know what I''m not liking so far? Is the complete and total lag. Now let me say this lag *is* me. It''s my machine paging badly, because of the 100+ people in the little bitty Qeynos suburb zones. I''m running at better thanthe minimum spec on ram (640MB) - you''d think I could get better perfomance. Hell, I''ve even dumbed down a lot of the graphics options from where I had them in beta.
Weren''t they supposed to have their instanced zones to combat this? I''ve seen no evidence of this so far... I really liked this game in beta, but I''m not going to enjoy it so much in prod if it''s nothing but a slideshow in town.
Oh well, guess I''ll fast-track getting my new PC online with a gig of ram.
Joedeth
Ironjoe
I''m not sure all zones in the game get instanced. Adventure zones definately do, but I''m not sure about the city zones. Guess we''ll see.
Christmas needs to hurry up and get here. I need Christmas cash to upgrade my CPU and Mobo. This game kills my system more than the Doom 3 demo ever did
Graktar, Orc Hunter
Seems to me they were in beta, but I could certainly be mis-remembering.
Joedeth
Ironjoe
The game really isn''t playable with less than 756 RAM. I upgraded from 512 to 1gb yesterday and it''s night and day (as it should be... since it''s twice the memory).
Hi, I'm the new guy.
GO BENGALS.
You can waypoint your spirit shard and it will lead you directly to your spirit shard. Unless something odd is going on with you I never had much problem finding my spirit shard in sunken city.
The WP lead you to the general area. Its a small circle but I still had an impossible time double clicking hoping to get my shard... especially with yellow ^^ group monsters at my feet!
Being fangoriously devoured by a gelatinous monster.