Danger - long post ahead.
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Enough. Man, didn't think I still had that much rage against EQ2 and SoE in me. Man, I hated SoE for tricking us into buying it...
Whoa man, put that keyboard down and take a cold shower. In that case, never mind. Stick with WOW.
As I remembered it you were a person/persons who enjoyed the game quite a bit and wanted to leave for many problems both niggling and major. I was wrong.
Now on points here though, I'll respond.
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I can't get around the beancounter mentality of the people who run the game
I don't like that part one bit either - but I got past it. I see an awesome game that will change as time goes by, won't disappear in the next 3 weeks like many computer games do, and that kind of stuff makes me get past the nasty marketing ploys.
I don't have to give in. I don't have to buy another account, and I haven't, and what I see instead is they are making enough changes to keep you from *having* to buy additional accounts in order to enjoy the game. What fun is it to make the game, become *work*, nothing but grinding various parts of the game? I see that aspect being addressed, at any rate.
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There is no tactical variety in EQ2.
That and the weirdness of pulling ... there kind of is no pulling
Well tactics which work for any particular mob get repeated by me. Maybe I'll get lucky or unlucky the next time I try it so I can handle that, plus the necessity to monitor if your plan is working or not, and if not adjust. Reminds me of EQ1 actually.
But how can you complain about immersion and pulling? Pulling always has been an artificial "computer-ish" tactic, and I'm glad to see it lessened, or even gone. "Wow, they're killing Bob over there - but he's outside my patrol zone so I'm not going to react at all, I'll just stand here and have another cigarette". No, EQ2's system is better. Not perfect yet - but better.
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See, they have changed a lot of stuff in eq2 (much of it arguably to copy WoW), and they could even change more. But what they can't change is that they invested way, way, WAY too much of development in the by-committee-graphics (yeah, detailed, but not very stunning - boring actually) and the talking NPCs (I got very tired of them- ended up playing w/ sound shut off) ---- and they put way, way, WAY too little time and effort into content, tactical variety, and (most important of all) SOUL.
EQ2 doesn't have a SOUL in it.
WoW does.
I think they HAVE indeed copied the best stuff out of World of Warcraft. Sony got their asses handed to them on creating better tools for MMORPGS by Blizzard. I give them credit for turning things in a different direction and realizing they had big problems. Here I think they've done great.
Now soul - SOUL - that's what only EQ2 has my friend.
WOW is a cartoony fun pasttime, but does not let me get into my character's skull and pretend that I'm him. My hunter was always..... a toon. So was my paladin and my shaman. They were computer creations I controlled for my amusement.
But my summoner is presently a scared Iksar scratching the dirt for some food to eat, trying to prove himself to Qeynos, kicked out of Freeport for daring to defy the Overlord, and determined to do his part to bring the Iksar out of squalor and back to their former glory. He's convinced the Qeynosian way is better; not perfect, but better - and wants his fellow lizzies to join him.
My shaman is a determined soloer who likes to harvest items. He either turns them into scholarly goods or sells them and accumulates wealth. He's a picky Kerran who's fussy in all things, and as a Mystic, is in touch with the good spirits and destroys the undead whenever he can.
That's the difference; not so much in game behavior as what I'm thinking when playing.
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What am I grinding for in EQ2? Maybe there are some uber items now, but there certainly weren't when I quit.
To be honest, I don't even know what spells or items I'll get as I level up (My chars are at 15 and 20 now). I don't care. I'm knocking out quests and experiencing the world. I'm enjoying the journey. I played EQ1 for 2 years, after it had already been dissected, and this has much of the same world and fun but much more mystery involved.
Maybe you're an item chaser. I'm more of a stats chaser. I'm completing quest after quest after quest, and enjoying the challenge of getting that damned shattered Dwarf and Orc bone; of becoming tough enough to mine in the Thundering Steppes (Danger! ). Of gaining prestige for my workshop and wholesaler - you get the idea. So I guess I can see your point, but I'd just look elsewhere rather than items or spells.
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EQ2 - well, EQ2 reminds me of the old joke, how "a camel is a horse designed by committee". EQ2 has a feeling of "we took 89 surverys of players and decided to satisfy everyone" (and then they did this with the beancounters riding herd on them, big leather bullwhips in hand).
Coming from a place with such a long history in the business as EQ has, I think this was inevitable. You're spot on with this point; but the trick is, it works. A camel gets you where you want to go, in fact; if perhaps in a clunky fashion. And EQ2 succeeds in giving me entertainment, as a soloer and alt-player and mercenary businessman.
Anyway - enjoy WOW. We both quit largely because of too few characters; but I changed my perspective and they begrudgingly game me more slots. So I'm back. If you're that pissed at them still, the only sensible thing to do is to stay away.
My character journal