Everquest's November Updates

This was posted on the EQ Live Site regarding the planned updates for November: ------------------- Here are some things we're working on for the November update: (Please note: my producer is making me tell you that in addition to this list, we'll still be bug fixing and maintaining the live game and that, while we hope to get each of these features in, nothing is certain. But this is what we're working on at the present time.) New LDoN raids will go Live - We be moving the two new raids that were introduced on Stormhammer to the Live servers. These raids will prove an interesting challenge for the best of guilds. Another new LDoN raid - We will also be bringing one more new LDoN raid to Stormhammer with our next update. This raid will be created with Elemental capable characters in mind. Font changes - Since EverQuest was launched, there has only been one font available. With the next update we plan to introduce the option for players to choose the font for their interface. Targeting - Sometimes it can be difficult to tell which NPC you have targeted. With the next update we hope to add a targeting indicator of some sort (something like the ring that surrounds your target in EQOA). The exact form hasn't been decided, but the goal is to make seeing what you currently have targeted much easier. Consider - Along the same lines as the proposed improvement to targeting, we want to add a way to distinguish the /con color of your target. We plan an indicator that will be easily distinguished once you have a target (probably someplace in the Target window), that should remove the need to use the /con command. Other interface changes - We are also working on some other changes that will help you to organize your information. We plan to add a new text color option for damage shield reports that will allow you to pick what color those messages use. We also want to split the "My Pet Attacks" filter into two separate filters, one for hits and one for misses. /tell windows - It is very easy to lose /tells in the confusion of combat. We want to add an option that would work much like an instant messenger. Each time you get a "tell" from a new character, a new chat window would open. That window will only display "tells" from the particular character, and any message sent from the chat window would automatically be sent as a "tell" to that character. Obviously this would be an optional feature. Help for new players - New characters will start with a bag. This will give them a little more storage space and the opportunity to learn how storage containers work earlier rather than later. We are also working on removing one of the more tedious "features" of the game, the need to practice Sense Heading. Most folks have that skill mapped to trigger along with one of their movement keys. Not an exciting skill to practice. So we plan to have all characters start with a 200 skill in Sense Heading. This will allow new players to navigate more easily, and will reduce a bit of tedium over the course of gameplay.

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Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 22 2003 at 5:18 PM Rating: Default
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508 posts
heh heh, all I can do is sit back and laugh.

Ummmm, sense heading was not a defining feature of EQ. It was boring, and frustrating. It sorta-kinda-might have been useful if you could max it out before level 39. But maxing it out is a trivial challenge, and not a difficult one.

If you like to promote that fact, go ahead. Let people know you worked so hard to max sense heading. But, its not like the druids foraging skill - that one is REALLY hard to max out. They aren't at all on the same level, and they never have been.

For 4 years now people had been complaining that "SOE/Verant can't even put a friggin map into the game!". So, they put maps into the game, which essentially makes sense heading irrelevant. All you had to do was move about and you could see which direction you were going. So, maps made Sense Heading obsolete; certainly enough that is hard to justify making people press the sense heading key 10,000 times over 39 levels of play.

Just say "Wow! I loved the Sense Heading skill, its the most wonderful thing I ever saw in a game", and be glad you had the experience to enjoy it in your life. Hopefully you will find some other way to justify your time in EQ, other than practicing Sense Heading, and joining your highly exclusive "Maxed Sense Heading" guild.

Sense Heading -- ITS GONE NOW!

There is still plenty of skill up torture in EQ, for your endless joy. Make a druid, and max foraging. THAT is an achievement. And no, I don't have a druid with maxed foraging.

The game will survive without Sense Heading. And, newbies WILL be able to play in LDoN, even though they never had this "knowledge" of the game.

Edited, Wed Oct 22 18:05:01 2003
RE: Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 23 2003 at 12:56 PM Rating: Decent
22 posts
It's actually more than just eliminating the sense heading and giving bags out now, much more. This SH change probably is needed due to the maps and I agree completely that the SH skill was an annoyance but the point here is that this is just one more change in a long line of changes that Sony has done which are slowly degenerating the quality of both the game and the players. Many who have jumped on this latest change and are voicing their concerns see this point. Some seem to be looking at it as this one little change will have virtually no effect on the game play, which is true, instead of looking at it in terms of all of the other changes that have been made to make the game easier and reduce the challenge and quality of EQ. In just about all cases, the one or two changes made a month to make things easier by themselves effect little but the cumulative effect of these changes do effect the overall quality of the game as time goes on.

While there does have to be a balance between attracting new customers and keeping the game challenging, the challenge of EQ is slowly being taken out. Changes to many NPC/MOB's have been done in many newbie areas so that most things are indifferent so the new players don't have to worry about being jumped by wandering mobs. There's really no need to use or learn about /con at the lower levels in most cases since you don't have to worry about the mobs aggroing on you since most things are indifferent in some of the zones. Even some NPC/MOB's in the teen levels outside of the newbie areas have been toned back because players constantly complained about how tough the mobs are and that they aggroed without being provoked. Where's the challenge of EQ when Sony is slowly reducing the toughness and aggressiveness of the mobs to satisfy the players that don't want a challenge?

What I see happening is that the real frustration curve for true newbies now starts at level 11. The arguements that these new players are now hooked by level 11 because they put so much time in the game is false as you can make level 11 in an extremely short period of time (usually just a few hours). Where people would give up previously at level 2 to 5, these same people would give up now between levels 11 to 13 simply because of the abrupt changes in experience per kill and the abrupt change in toughness of the mobs in the teens.

Granted EQ has many other issues, both inside and outside of Sony's control, that are slowly degrading the quality of play such as players that buy high level chars on auction sites and don't have a clue how to play them as well the bazaar issues but why degrade the quality on your own by constantly making things even easier? Think about it for a moment and ask yourself where EQ will be at a year or two from now if they continue to tone things back and make everything easier just because the newer players complain about how tough it is. Eventually they'll start toning back the 20 and higher level NPC/MOB's as the newer breed of players complain that they are to tough.

That is what I believe many are upset about here. As Sony continues to hand hold the newer players and make it even easier for them, they'll eventually have to continue hand holding them through the higher levels. When all is said and done, EQ will end up as a game that nobody will have to think about what they are doing and there will be no challenge left at all as there will be little danger out there to harm the players. If this trend of making things as easy as possible continues, that's what will happen. Not on the next patch, not next month but in a year or so from the cumulative effects of each "make it easier" change, it will.

Maybe Sony needs to have a server for those players that just want to level quickly, not have to use any brain cells thinking since nothing will hurt them since everything will be indifferent and have few hit points and want absolutely no challenges.
RE: Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 25 2003 at 10:05 AM Rating: Decent
I started EQ in August and in just the few months I have notice that the game is being made easier for the new and lower lvl players. One reason only " To keep new customers paying their monthly fee for as long as possible". The more effort(in this case time) you put into your character the more invested you are going to be to level up and then your hooked! That's is what Sony is counting on. How does it keep Sony in bussiness(servers running) if all a large number of new customers quit before the their 1st month because they can't get halfway thru a map or find their corpse?

As far as difficulty it's still there. I'm level 36 warrior( in 4 months time) real fast compared to the beginning times I know( ubers make sure u know this fact). The main reason for my quick rise? Equipment! and where did I get this nice array of articles? From the very same groups who complain about the Bazaar at the Bazaar.

Maybe if the older wiser players of Eq wouldn't equip their Alts with items and plat their Ubers aquire, then maybe the newbies wouldn't feel that they are at disavandage when competting for mobs with the expirenced players.

I've only been playing for a few months now( and I'm hooked) but I do see the game getting easier rapidly, which can only hurt the game in the long run. But if you don't want the newer players to have it so easy, stop selling your items in the bazaar that would be a start and petition Sony to get vendors to offer more plat for your items.

PS lest we forget Sony is launching EQ2 in November. I hear it's going to be more rugged, requiring maintance on equipment, if you die you lose an item, ,more social( a real challange for many hehe) and such. I don't know what the fee will be the games going to set you back $50 and Sony will be offering crossover incentives to current Eq members. Coralations of how easier the game is getting and the up coming EQ2. Just a thought.

PSS okay maybe 2 reasons.

PSSS No strike that just one reason more $$$$$$ :)
RE: Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 23 2003 at 11:00 PM Rating: Default
Now that is what I am talking about. I feel the same way about this and I am glade you posted. It is true that all the new playes want to do is level up quickly and get the phat loot, but what about the danger, exploration, and the feeling that you just did something that few have done. All theise things can't be found if you are trying to make it easer just so you can level quickly. Some of their newbie changes have accully made the first few level a bit more fun, but where is the fun if you are being walk from level to level.
RE: Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 22 2003 at 8:28 PM Rating: Excellent
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710 posts
I agree, I think skilling up sense heading is tedious and unnecessary - my concern was more with dwarves (see my posts below) who now are losing one of their innate abilities.

The game has been easy since LOY came out, for those of you who have made a froglok, you can reach lv 2 with one kill after doing the newbie starting quests. Plus they give you a beer, 5 gold.

I do however, think that making the game easier is taking a wrong turn as much of the game mechanics has not caught up to the reality of current game play. Many people have made comment to how they remember when having one peice of bronze was uber for a character. Now look at the same item and getting a peice of bronze is just good for 2 plat. Further, with newbie armor quests there is no need for much of what all the merchants sell, fine steel weapons or armor is useless and *WAY* overpriced - only serving a purpose if you really want to work on various tradeskills. Much like they did in SW Galaxies, I think a good step next would be to look at the prices of 'vanilla' items such as bronze and fine steel - reducing its purchace value (not its sale value). Perhaps bronze could be sold to the vendor for the same 1 or 2 plat you get now but instead of buying it for say 50 plat you can buy a piece for 5. Still not quite easy, but a little bit easier.

RE: Ummm, ITS GONE!
# Oct 22 2003 at 7:39 PM Rating: Default
The point is that the adults that play also pay. Whith all ther chages that they are doing to help the "newbies" is changing Everquest in to Kiddiequest. This game should not start off where you hvae everthing, you should have to work for it at first.

I play this game because I enjoy grouping and playing with people that I can relate to and share a common interest, not to teach and babysit a 7-year old while their parents are off doing what ever they want to do. I don't mind adding a little flovor to the lower level, that the part of the game that I like best, but don't make it so easy that the game playes like a D&D version of Pokemon (Just think what the Beastlord pets would look like, ouch!).

Change is good and things do outlive there importance, but don't ruin the game in the process. Most of us that are complaining have been playing for years. We stayed on even when Soney raised the monthly fee, and we have been paying our dues for a long time.

One last thing I would like to note since we all seem to be on the Sence Heading topic. What about the Dwarves, will they get anything to make up for the loss for one of their race advantages? If you remove Sence Heading you also remove a feature of the Dwarves. It no different then if you where to remove the slam ability from the Ogre, Troll, or Barbarian.
#Anonymous, Posted: Oct 29 2003 at 12:29 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) A child cannot play this game simply because they get sense heading and a free bag. These small changes don't ruin the game in any way. Higher level chars are not affected by it.
Why bother complaining?
# Oct 22 2003 at 10:41 AM Rating: Decent
Yeah, Yeah, ***** all you want. then sit down and think about this logically.
Yes, they are holding the hands of the newbs. yes, I too know the satisfaction of levelling up to not stare at that damn spellbook. But is anyone actually going to quit the game because they think newbs are getting it too easy? NO! but some people will keep playing when they otherwise would have gotten frustrated by the difficulty. and for each of those people, Sony gets another $13.95 a month. it's all about the money, and SOE will do whatever raises their bottom line.
so gripe and ***** about it (trust me, verant's done alot of things I'm unhappy about too), and by all means make suggestions to them using /feedback to let them know what you want added to game. but at the end of the day, none of us are going to cancel our accounts, so sony doesn't much care. they're still getting paid.
RE: Why bother complaining?
# Oct 22 2003 at 7:55 PM Rating: Default
They will care once they realize that they just turned the most secessfull MM online game into the worlds most expensive daycare center.
RE: Why bother complaining?
# Oct 23 2003 at 9:38 AM Rating: Default
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508 posts
Its ALWAYS been the that. It was that on the very first day. Its just that the babies have grown up and are pissed at other babies. lol
A really useful change
# Oct 22 2003 at 9:34 AM Rating: Default
Ya, ya, agree with the posts about Sony making the game too easy. You know, the back when I was a kid I actually had to open my spell book to med, my finger would cramp from hitting sense heading, which was very useful to me, as in RL my sense heading sucks too. Running my **** all over GF to find my corpse and praying the orc that killed me wasn't still hanging about. And now the magical, mystical trails in the bazaar, leading you to the very lap of the trader you're looking for, because learning to use the right click search is just too hard for all the new babies. All the work and time spent in learning the game, the skills needed to survive, and Sony wipes it out. Sucks big time.

New items for the interface. Big deal. I could care less what my font is, as long as I can read it. Miss a tell, big deal, if it's important, they'll tell again.

GIVE ME AN OPTION TO SAVE MY SEARCHES IN BAZAAR!!

Im sick of typing in the same thing time and time again when I search for the same things time and tifme again. We can save spell sets, so it can't be that hard to allow us to save bazaar searches. Give us something USEFUL for a change, instead of giving all the noobs EVERYTHING we had to work for.

RE: A really useful change
# Oct 22 2003 at 10:32 AM Rating: Decent
"Not an exciting skill to practice" Pfft what skill is?
omg
# Oct 22 2003 at 8:38 AM Rating: Default
wow lets just make it so newbies cant die till lvl 20 make it a little easier on them i grew up in eq w/o crap hella backpack didnt get one of those till like lvl 9 ish you gotta let new player be that new players earn there stuff what next doing there newbie armor quest for them? giving em 100 pp to start? its gotta end soon this is terrible..........
omg
# Oct 22 2003 at 8:38 AM Rating: Decent
wow lets just make it so newbies cant die till lvl 20 make it a little easier on them i grew up in eq w/o crap hella backpack didnt get one of those till like lvl 9 ish you gotta let new player be that new players earn there stuff what next doing there newbie armor quest for them? giving em 100 pp to start? its gotta end soon this is terrible..........
This is an insult to the people who invest time in playing
# Oct 21 2003 at 7:45 PM Rating: Good
WTH? You are smacking us all in the face. I have played the game a year and now you are making it so that a 6 year old can play it. Thanks for the INSULT to those of us who have tried, learned and practiced the damn game.. That Sucks.. it took me 3 months to get my SH skill to 200 and it was an ACOMPLISHMENT! Just give all the new toons, their Epic and get it over with.
/Edit
Thinking about my post.. how about a variation.. the SH skill maxed in your HOME city... but if you start in Gfay and go to Everfrost.. then you should NOT know the lay of the land
/Close Edit

You are making it so that people who do not want to invest time in playing can play.. Nice way to cheapen the game. Very nice.. thanks for nothing. You can expect me to cancel my account.

Edited, Tue Oct 21 20:54:43 2003
RE: This is an insult to the people who invest time in playi
# Oct 22 2003 at 12:51 AM Rating: Decent
22 posts
With all the hand holding of newbies that is being done in EQ anymore, why not just start them out at level 65, give them a few hundred thousand plat, max all their skill levels and fully equip them with gear suitable for a level 65?

Seriously, the game is generating more and more players that are totally ill-prepared for their adventures out of the newbie zones. The learning of your character's class and race as well as basic skills such as knowing how to fight are being rushed to the point that I sometimes question which is more dangerous to me, the red scowling NPC/MOB in front of me that wants me dead or the player standing beside me that doesn't understand how to play their character and has pathetic weapon and casting skills at half or less of what they should be. Your supposed to learn skills as well as your class and race early by working hard in the 1-10 range and now that isn't being done since EQ rushes players through the lower levels so quickly now.

EQ is supposed to be a challenge. Finding your Guild Master used to be your very first quest as a newbie and taught you how to look around and get used to navigating. Now your placed at the GM's feet. Fighting to earn money at level one through 10 so you could go buy a bag or basic newbie gear was a challenge meant to teach you how to fight, get your skills up and learn the basics of your class, race and the game itself. The questions we all were used to hearing from newbies at levels 1-10 your now hearing at level 20 and higher at times because the new breed of player just doesn't understand the game because they don't get to learn it when they should have learned it.

The clicking of the sense heading button was supposed to help people learn to work on their skills. The constant clicking on the sense heading helped train people to use the hot buttons as well as get them in the habit of using the buttons to increase other skills such as hide, sneak, etc. Annoying at times? Yes, but it worked. It's just one more thing that I don't think was fully thought out and will ultimately cause more problems in the future as they have to tone back the mobs, quests and adventures to match the reduced skill and knowledge levels of the newer hand held players. I'm already hearing whining from newer players who complain about how tough the mobs are both inside and outside of the newbie zones and that they should be easier to kill. When I started playing, I saw the tough mobs as a challenge to overcome (and I still have a wild desire to whap gnoll pups every time I see them), the new breed of player sees the tough mobs as an annoyance in their desire to make level 65 as quickly as possible.

It's just like in real life it seems, make it easier so as to pacify the people who don't want to work to achieve and who want everything handed to them on a silver platter.

RE: This is an insult to the people who invest time in playi
# Oct 26 2003 at 7:57 PM Rating: Default
hmm... not to be mean, but does anyone actually have figures on how many new people come in? how many quit? at what lvl's?

i mean, if these changes, are mostly for peoples alts... well, who the heck cares?

oh, i see, if it's for a newb, then forget that! heh, seems a bit crass to me...

oh well, either play, or dont... your choice.

/edit

btw - i still love to knock gnoll around too... ;)

/edit

Edited, Sun Oct 26 20:00:36 2003
RE: This is an insult to the people who invest time in playi
# Oct 22 2003 at 5:01 PM Rating: Decent
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75 posts
I totally agree...
(Flame ON) I have been playing this game for near 3 years. Some of the things that happened or were around then aren't now. I remember looking for a Rez at lvl 6 so I didn't go back to lvl 5 because I got turned around (then a noob) and wound up in the wrong place. It also taught us not to go where we didn't belong.

Maps???? well I got over that one. But now a days you tell a person a loc and they are lost. Most of the newer players don't know how to use /loc or how to read the coordinates.

Med with out the book lol... well, I have to laugh at that and I was happy when that finally went away. BUT... I still remember how that was, and how bad it sucked.

Then popping a newbie in front of the guild master... hmmmmm well... That just took the fun out of it. You should learn your way around your home city first and foremost. During your first 4 levels or so you are going to be heading to merchants, the bank, Guild Master, and newbie kills. Might as well start out with indiff faction to all races, classes, deities etc..

Sony is ******** the game... And starting with a bag??? What next?? Start them with 100pp so that they can go directly to the Bazaar and have a full set of Crusty (which shouldn't be gotten until 40-50) and have a Centi Short Sword in one hand and a Crystal Chitin Shield in the other? SoE needs to think about it.. and granted we know that all they want is the $$$$ bottom line..

Also I agree what is the deal nowadays with lvl 20-30 characters asking what does this do and how do I do that What does KOS mean lol? When the ones of us that have been playing for a while learned that at a very early level because we had to for survival.

You go up to a noob now and tell them how easy they have it, and they still whine that it is too difficult... I say learn like we did then... revert back to exp loss at lvl 6 and looting your corpse at lvl 1. lol let's see how long it takes them to learn.

I am also a little dubious about the consider thing. Do you still get a color coded faction message too? How is that going to work and be effective?

Oh yeah and the bit with noobs starting out with 5 already in their main weapon skill and 5 points to add still at will ?? WTH??? We started out with 5 Skill points. 2 went into weapon (1 if a caster) 1 always went into SH regardless if caster or not. 1 went into BW ALWAYS 1 went into as many casting abilities as I had points (If a caster and depending on class Evocation usually was first and foremost) 1 into taunt to kick it off if a Warrior, or other melee abilities, Bash, slam, kick etc.. Keys got remapped ("A" would be auto-attack no longer)for right and/or left was sense heading, then you hotkeyed other abilities depending on race/class. And now no more lol..

It's kinda sad really, to see all of these changes and answering a lvl 30 trying to explain how aggro works and the different types. lol oh well, it is a game (Flame OFF)

Oh and by the way. Duid has maxed SH, and Forage. I get something every time I forage lol. It is kind of annoying since I have it mapped to a movement key. =) But even still it took a loooonnnnggg time to max it.

I didn't even get started on the popup window thing. lol What is going on with that??? EQIM is already out there. I don't need a pop up window that lets me know that I have just gotten a tell. What is this?? I have 3 chat windows open. One is designated for Battle spam, one is designated for /auc, /ooc, /gu, and the last one is designated for system messages, /tell, /g and say. I don't miss tells, it's like I told a RL friend of mine. "I don't miss tells, If I want to talk to you I will. If I don't want to talk to you guess what??? I won't" I use other sites out there like www.eqgui.com to lay out everything like I want it and have the extra chat windows open. The world doesn't need another IM service. Jeeez every ISP out there has at least one already. Or at least I hope that it will be made where it can be disabled. Ok I am finally done. Let the Flaming begin.

Niltsaria Fastfeets
54 Wanderer of Karana
<Shards of Eternal Darkness>
Solusek Ro

Rozix Ld
36 Iksar Monk of Cazic Thule
<Shards of Eternal Darkness>
Solusek Ro

Vonsithlia Darkheart
38 Dark Elf Shadow Knight of Innoruk
<Shards of Eternal Darkness>
Solusek Ro

Delroza Deathmaiden
29 Dark Elf Necromancer of Innoruk
<Shards of Eternal Darkness>
Solusek Ro

Shamakat
9 Vah Shir Shaman
<Seige>
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There's no kill like Over Kill!!!!!

Edited, Fri Oct 24 20:53:17 2003
RE: This is an insult to the people who invest time in playi
# Oct 21 2003 at 11:12 PM Rating: Good
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710 posts
Another thing about this is dwarves, they have the racial ability of sense heading of 50

so basically this patch makes one of their racial abilities useless, are they going to compensate the dwarves in anyway for this?
RE: This is an insult to the people who invest time in playi
# Oct 22 2003 at 1:32 AM Rating: Default
Thats a good point there. I am just glade to read that people are just as mad about the newbie desperation stunt by Sony. It is true that now all the newbie questions are starting to be asked at level where you might think that they should know what they are talking about. I just hope that Sony does decide to leave the 200 Sence Heading in the test server, and not let it go live. Sence heading just like most skill is level restrective, you con't be master at it at 1st level, I know, I love to train skill and I have tested it.
Sense Heading
# Oct 21 2003 at 4:48 PM Rating: Decent
Sense Heading is is a Skill that should have to be practiced. Not just given to a character.

Especially, if the the only purpose is to make game navigation easier. What ever happen to exploring and learning?

STOP MAKING THE GAME EASIER!!! At some point it ceases to be a crossword and degenerates into a word search. I for one want to work for what I get.

Along the same lines: Make the Map system a Skill that needs practiced. Put an end to players having easy access to entire zone maps. One of the most intense things about a dungeon is the fact that if you travel to far from the entrance you just might get lost.

"Wipe my nose and you'll be doing it forever, teach me to wipe my nose and you won't have to do it." - Some little stuffed up kid


One other suggestion what about a "/who all group" command? Getting tired of hearing "lvls/class please." while grouped.

Well could go on but won't.

Shadowmarked / Gray Legion / Prexus

Edited, Tue Oct 21 17:47:51 2003
#REDACTED, Posted: Oct 27 2003 at 12:47 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) You do realize though, some of us who've worked hard to get 65 and get to the higher end would like things to be easier. Whether it be easier at high end or easier for their alts. Maps being unfair? give me a break, you're telling me you've never, once, looked at a roadmap to find out where you needed to go? sense heading a skill needing to be practiced? guess you never just bought a compass from the gypsy camps or from a passing gnome. But /gasp now everyone has a built in compass..so why not let it be mapped to 200 SH and be done with it? After all there -is- a bloody compass on the screen, it may as well be accurate.
So far on Test ...
# Oct 21 2003 at 12:49 PM Rating: Default
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508 posts
On test server:

1) All characters have their sense heading maxed, the compass works perfectly.

2) The fonts are selectable. Go to options, select a new font, then apply it. All text on all windows will be in that font.

3) The target window includes a box around the target name, the box is in the color of the con. I like that, its nice to target a mob and know the con color without having to look at the text box. Works for all targets, even yourself.

4) The dark blue color is brightened a bit, so you can actually read the text. This is my favorite change. lol.

There may be other changes, but these were obvious ones.
Sense Newbs Heading to the store for there new copy of EQ
# Oct 21 2003 at 12:10 PM Rating: Decent
I think people forget that EQ is a video game sold by a company and not this all inclusive little club. I for one think it's great that they are trying to make the game easy for newbs because it was such a ***** when I first started out that I didn't even want to play for awhile. Thankfully I got back into it and figured stuff out, mainly cause I had the time and I was bored =). Also, reading between the lines, the fact that SOE is making this game easy for newbies means they are expecting more new players to come to the game, even with EQ2 just around the corner. This means we won't be forgotten when that new fangled version comes out. Oh and the whole sense heading thing? Who actually USES sense heading anyway, 'specially since the maps became available!
RE: Sense Newbs Heading to the store for there new copy of E
# Oct 22 2003 at 5:13 PM Rating: Excellent
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75 posts
I will say to you what I say to everyone that I know who has started the game recently. Read your instruction manual, go to Allakhazam, Casters Realm, Everlore, EQ Atlas, EQ Traders, and then if you have questions ask. People that don't take the initiative to look it up don't deserve to have the hand-outs. Feel free to flame me all you want. But if I am not mistaken you have access to this site. If the game was too hard for you when you started, knowing what you know now after researching and learning, could you start a new character now and know where to go, what to kill, how to kill it, and gain levels? if the answer is yes, very good you did your homework. But if the answer is no... I will say to you.. You have all of that information available to you. SoE should not have to make it where every noob has it so easy that some of the most important points in the game are null and void. Look at it the big picture... SoE wants your money and if they can make it easier for you to reach lvl 10 and get you hooked and keep you paying then they have done what they set out to do. But why ruin the game for those of us who have been playing it for YEARS... yes YEARS... who know the game, respect the lore, respect the others of us who have paid our dues? I hate to say it, but when a lvl 30 asks me what an NPC is or what is a Mob or aggro. There is a problem.
RE: Sense Newbs Heading to the store for there new copy of E
# Oct 21 2003 at 3:51 PM Rating: Decent
ummm i maxed sense heading because i was bored and instead of having a dot marking your place on the LDoN maps it is an arrow that shows exactly which way you are facing and heading on the map. so i use sense heading all the time, i am frusturated on my alts because i have become so used to using my arrow......and one more thing thes update makes me angry, i spent a ton of time practicing this game and learning how to play it and doing dumb little quests that took forever and yeilded crappy loot ( 4 years ago it was pretty good for a noob ) and now they are turning it into an easy ame to play and handing the newbies things it took us a long time to get, (remember when 100 plat was like a thousand dollars to you?),this allows diablo 2 like players to enter our little world. i dont think they realise what they are doing to the game by making it easy to play. the lazy ( and by lazy i mean ******** ) players are often deterred by the hard learning curve aspect and they stick to their D2 and quake style games where they do not need to build a reputation and earn respect from other players. but on the otherhand more players= more money for them so i dont blame them...im done

Edited, Tue Oct 21 16:45:45 2003
RE: Sense Newbs Heading to the store for there new copy of E
# Oct 21 2003 at 3:32 PM Rating: Decent
sadly i dont agree like rilly if you take away the tedium and the dificulty alot of new players (thow not all) will become lasy and slopy like this new find key which i might ad stops funtioning after 10 and has pissed off alot of vet players who liked the ease of the who button.

how may of the vets out there have spent 10 15 hours hunting down a quest npc just to get a small trinket of value not worth the time spent now newbys are geting thies practily handded to them.
RE: Sense Newbs Heading to the store for there new copy of E
# Oct 27 2003 at 2:31 PM Rating: Default
The find button does not stop working after 10. My Warrior is 54 and cleric 53 and I use Find when in towns. I like that they added it, saves me the trouble of searching. I have been playing 3 years off and on and I could care less that they made these changes. It doesnt ***** everything up for me. Oh bummer I had to work my SH up but the newbies dont. Big deal. You think you all are mad now? Just imagine if they bring the /testbuff to the live servers so all newbies can start at 25 with full gear! Then we can talk about pissed off people.
#Trellium, Posted: Oct 21 2003 at 12:30 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) heh, exactly :)
Why do you need popup tell windows?...
# Oct 21 2003 at 9:05 AM Rating: Decent
30 posts
I have 2 chat windows up on all my characters, one for regular say, combat messages and such, and one specifically for tells, group, guild and raid speak. I just plain wouldn't want all new windows popping open while I'm playing, it would be too intrusive. Especially when you get the occasional unsolicited tell from someone you don't know nor want anything to do with. I was playing my Necromancer in CB once and a completely unknown Enchanter came up to me with a proposal of marriage, offering me a robe as a wedding gift. It was tempting, but I told him I just didn't want the obligation to play with him. He went on to explain the advantages of in game marriage, one of which was EQ Sex?!? I stopped him right there and told him I wanted nothing to do with it, and he started to get pleading with me so I put him on ignore. That's when you realize this is some nebbish teenager just trying to get to talk to a girl on an intimate level, which is just sad. So yeah, I won't be using this option, if you want to, go right ahead.

I'm excited that they're giving the option of different fonts. Anyone with a character whose name begins with a capital "I" can tell you, in the font they've chosen for us, capital I's look like lowercase L's. It makes it difficult for anyone to contact you from an /ooc or /shout, and your name is constantly misinterpretted. My Necro's name is Iambcomdeth, as in, I am become death, but because of the font, everyone calls her LAMB. I'm a freakin' evil necro, I'm not a lamb, lol!

Iambcomdeth Andurdogmeat(planned surname)
Erudite Necromancer in 15th season
Ayonae Ro
RE: Why do you need popup tell windows?...
# Oct 27 2003 at 11:05 AM Rating: Decent
With that name I would have guessed that you were the teen just wanting to talk to a girl.
Whats next!!!
# Oct 20 2003 at 8:18 PM Rating: Default
I have just about trained sease heading up 200 on my 31 warrior, and now they let everone start at 200!!!! This just make me mad. They are slowly but surly making the game to easy for the newbies. When I first started this game I still had to get my corpse at level 1, find my guild master, learn the game my self, and learn to kill things the old fasion way, by killing them with my weapon. Now I do think that some of the changes are cool, I like starting next to my guild leader, that is a big help even to an experenced player. The all items on you even after you die till 10 that I can take. The no xp lose untill 11 is ok, you never realy lost that much xp any way. But now they start with a bag and master status with sence heading. WTF!! They now even have maps and a compas!!!! Now don't get me wrong I don't have all high level characters, my highest ever is now 31, but I just thank that they are giving away to much to the young newbies. This is why I think there is a rise in the number of scams in the game, it because none of the new characters have any idea how hard items and how hard a skill is to get up to master status. I know I am getting mad about just a little skill like sence heading, but come on, why not just let them choose a tradeskill and let them start offr master on that, too. I don't usuly get mad about this kind of things, but I just feal that they are trying to hard to cater to the newbies. They will never learn untill thay experence it and live it. By giving them everything at the start, they wouln't feel that they have done anything until they steal or cheat to get it early.

Sorry if this does sound like a ranting from an old timer, but come on people, some things are just to far. I trained my sence heading while I was fighting, spell caters can do it while medding. Its not that hard to raise.

Thanks, and if you feal that EQ is now going to the newbies, replay to this thread.
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 21 2003 at 8:13 AM Rating: Decent
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710 posts
Ok, so now all newbie characters start with

1. Spells Memorized (if they have them)
2. a stack of bandages
3. a stack of food/water
4. a bag
5. a weapon (mind you an equiped weapon)
6. a candle (if human)
7. Newbie Note
8. 5 extra skill points put into main weapon skill.

I guess it makes sense, since what person would go out and start fighting without being prepared -

but are they going to raise existing characters sense heading to 200? my character is level 25, so his sense heading is only like 135, a newbie will have a higher sense heading than me?

why even bother with sense heading at all, why not just make the compass work all the time? What about the acutal compass item, thats now a useless item in the game.
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 21 2003 at 12:23 PM Rating: Default
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508 posts
Yes, on Test Server all characters are max sense heading (200). It essentially removes sense heading from the game, your compass works perfectly now for all characters. Mostly its good for all the twinks out there since there are far more of those than true newbies.
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 21 2003 at 5:52 AM Rating: Decent
I agree that the game is going to be too easy with newbies having a maved sense heading and a bag. I really ruins the whole idea of being new, fighting and selling every few minutes to get up the money you need. What's next, giving caster all mastery of channeling (which would make fizzles almost obselete)? The idea of the tell window is good and the targeting. I can't tell you how many times I've thought I had something targeted to find out that after I (thought) I blasted it, turned out to be the wrong one. Just my little two cents.
#Trellium, Posted: Oct 21 2003 at 12:35 PM, Rating: Sub-Default, (Expand Post) More to the point, why was sense heading ever implemented as it was? What purpose did it serve? What I learned about sense heading in the first month EQ was up was that SH was broken. lol. It takes you until level 39 to actually max it out.
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 20 2003 at 10:37 PM Rating: Decent
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195 posts
honestly, sense heading is one of the easiest skills you can learn. i put mine on hot keys and set them to work whenever i turned left or right. i had maxed the skill in no time. however, i think that it helps a person learn how to set up hot keys and use the options functions.

as for the bag. i think that's kind-of sad. i remember being so excited when i had collected enough bat wings and rat whiskers to buy my 1st bag! back then, i thought "woohoo" NOW i can make real money! LOL

i'd like to say that i AM really glad to hear about the tell window! i missed a ton a tells while i'm fighting. it would be cool if it dinged like IM's! that way, if i'm medding & AFK for a sec, i can tell if someone is trying to contact me! (just a thought)
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RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 21 2003 at 10:10 AM Rating: Default
I'd kinda like to see something in a patch message about them actually working on the melee balance, that's been up on live site for months. New Fonts? Tell window? Pfft. Pfft again just because.
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 21 2003 at 6:13 AM Rating: Default
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8,619 posts
to be honest if you have a class that has Newbie armour you can have upto 6 bags before you atually hit anything anyway so it really doesn't make a huge impact on the game play, i also have max Sence heading 3 mins after leveling<easiest skill in the game to increase apart from med>

it can be argued that the game doesn't even start untill lvl 20 these days as it is so easy to lvl now anyway. Even easier if you twink <made easy by bazaar> gone are the days when people used to give FS weapons to newbs, you can hunt for silks at lvl 2 and sell them at 5pp a shot and have a full set of lvl 40+ gear in a week, and if you don't believe me start on a random server and sell silks that you get and see how fast the PP rolls in. my wife has made 20K in a month 3 times from scratch.

i hope the /con idea works it would be nice for it to be clearer who you had targeted and a /con mixed into it.

the tell window i am not sure about <i get everything in 1 window anyway so i am used to reading incoming messaegs fast>

/cheer SoE for still looking to improve EQ even with EQII on the horizon, just hope it lives upto the hype. Graphics look sweet but i get the feeling that a new graphics card will be required

Jarkeld Hammerhiem
Druzzil Ro
Knight of the 55th sphere
RE: Whats next!!!
# Oct 20 2003 at 11:04 PM Rating: Default
I am excited about most of the other changes. The tell window would be realy great. The font and the targeting vision thingie that they plan sounds realy cool. Thanks for the replay.
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