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Everquest 2 Launches
Though it's being drowned out by the Halo 2 news, Everquest 2 officially launches today. RPG Vault has a review available for perusal, GamerFeed has a hands on look, and if you're looking for crunchy, low fat coverage Gamespy has an interview with Heather Graham about her role in the game. If you're already tripping the light fantastic in Qeynos check out GamerGod's Qeynos Quest feature, or just cut out the middle man and look forward to the first content on Allakhazam. Finally, F13 provides usefully cynical commentary about the beta and launch of the game.
Suddenly drops 72%.
Let me warn most of you who were not in the Beta that this game is far from ready. They rushed it to market to beat out WoW.
I've been telling most people to wait till the beginning of next year to play it after a few patches...
This live launch will basically be like a "paid beta". Expect to see alot of server downtime for a few months as they fix the things they didn't get to in time to beat WoW.
On the other hand I just shutdown my EQ1 account after the announcement that despite Beta tester's please they decided to rush it out the door. And decided to not follow through with my preorder of EQ2.
4 years... time to go see what the outside world looks like I guess.
"why don't you just slip into something more comfortable...like a coma!"
Despite the obligatory misleading text in the Slashdot header (patent pending)... The RPG vault article is NOT a review. Heck, they aren't even willing to call it a preview. Its a "first first impression piece" and very low on content.
By a coincedence, Ive been looking at the warcraft game today, dreaming about playing it. Probably dont have the time or money at the moment, but it looks pretty shiny.
But answer me this: Everquest 2 will, one would assume, appeal to all the EQ addicts already out there. But the EQ addicts are already playing EQ: so whats this trying to achieve? Why should I play this over, say, world of warcraft or city of heros (which ive heard is meant to be excellent)
I have no doubt that this will be massively popular, but honestly whos the intended audience? Do old EQ players get to transfer their characters over, or is it start again from scratch for all?
It seems the progressquest authors were to first to streamline the gameplay enough to remove the tedious parts and remove the tedium from the user that cames in this category suffer from.
I found out last weekend that WoW will run pretty well on my two year old laptop with rather unspectacular video hardware. The integrated video hardware has some 3D accelleration and 32 MB of memory on it. That machine can't run Star Wars Galaxies, and no way will it run EQ2.
Fun with Anagarams! LADS HOST, SHALT DOS. HAS DOLTS. AD SLOTHS, HATS SOLD. ASS HO, LTD.
I was in the Everquest 2 beta, and I have to say this: Its not ready !
The graphics are fine, the gameplay oddly like World of Warcraft, and some of the quests are quite nice (I was particularly fond of the reference to '8-bit-theaters' sword chucks in a quest in Freeport...) Yet the zones are to big for the servers, the lag too familar, and the stability - not so good. My opinion: The game cannot currently support the great numbers it is sure to attract.
If your fond of the pain of lag, the bitter load-time, and being overly clunky, go right ahead and buy EQ2. If you like a smooth, sweet, and overally tasty mmorpg, wait a few more weeks and get WOW.
3 degrees of separation from Vladimir Putin
No it doesn't. I had to install a windows machine just to beta test it... and tried frantically to get it working under cedega. the directx 9c req. kills it currently.
"why don't you just slip into something more comfortable...like a coma!"
I already warned my future ex-girlfriend that this was coming out. I was there on week one of Everquest. Sold my account 18 months later for $2,250. You gotta get there early to get the good stuff before they turn off the overpowered items drops.
Will this "Everquest" help me in getting an Open Beta CD-Key for WoW from the duct-taped together webserver that is FilePlanet.com? Or perhaps assist me in my perilous presuit of refreshing "signup.worldofwarcraft.com" every 5 seconds in hopes of grasping -- ever so quickly -- that final bliss-filled orgamsmic joy of actually getting to play?
/Already got CD-Key suckers
I think we all know why they wanted Heather Graham *NSFW* involved with EQ2. People are tired with elves. I wonder how long until the nude patch is leaked.
For those of us who don't pre-order EQ2, our chances of surviving and reproducing just went way up.
Sorry.. but World of Warcraft is simply going to destroy EQ2.
EQ2 only took almost 6 years to be released after the original - way too long, imo. I hear it isn't ready, and they rushed it to compete with WoW. Sony is probably nervous.. and for a good reason.
Blizzard is poised to win big with this game. They've had HUGE success with Warcraft, an extensive fanbase, and the MMO really does immerse you. I was part of the limited beta(s) and it's been quite a trip.
The graphical stylings of WoW (and the sheer attention to detail) really make it a contender. Sorry to come across sounding like a fanboy, I probably won't play due to the fact that i'm broke and i've got other things on my plate. But if I had the time & money, i'd be on my troll shaman right now.
I urge any MMO fan to give Blizzard's new project a shot, it's worth your cash. Oh, and play on Sargeras, cause I said so.
And while EQ1 may have been they game that ruled them all (for a while) EQ2 is hopefully going to be a major failure for SoE.
Why? Well in game play terms its a massive step backwards...locked encounters, limited number of classes (basically 4 with a bit of flavouring to make it look like more),poor options for solo play, no pvp etc. etc.
I couldnt help but feel that the game was designed by SoEs accounts and customer service departments with the sole purpose of minimising the main reasons for CS calls....Oh but it IS visually STUNNING and almost up there with morrowwind in the audio department, but even so I couldnt help but feel it was the most shallow gameplay experience I had in many years.
I can hear the paperwork of divorces and welfare being shuffled across the desks of america already.
WoW started their open beta test today. Play WoW for free. The signups are down tonight, but should be up tomorrow.
http://www.worldofwarcraft.com
occultae nullus est respectus musicae - originally a Greek proverb
Part of the fun of online games is doing things for the first time. If you wait a year, yes you may avoid a few bugs but you will be missing out on the most interesting time of the game when everything is new and exciting.
Except that with SOE's tendency toward "supermodel" releases (they look pretty but have no content), you won't miss the opportunity to do all that new stuff until at *least* six months after launch.
You'll just not be sick of staring at the prettiness when you do finally jump in.
In other news, you can finally fly spacecraft in SWG, just 200% longer after release than originally stated...
Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
... Duke Nukem Forever has announced that they "would like to rescind the comment about DNF being released before EQ2."
Food for thought:
"Duke Nukem Forever is a 1999 game and we think that timeframe matches very well with what we have planned for the game." - George Broussard, 1998
"Trust us, Duke Nukem Forever will rock when it comes out next year." -Joe Siegler, 1999
"When it's done in 2001." -2000 Christmas card
"DNF will come out before Unreal 2." -George Broussard, 2001
"If DNF is not out in 2001, something's very wrong." -George Broussard, 2001
"DNF will come out before Doom 3." -George Broussard, 2002
The Voyager 1 spacecraft has travelled approximately 2.5 billion miles since the announcement of Duke Nukem Forever.
The rovers Spirit and Opportunity were proposed, authorized, announced, designed, launched and successfully landed upon Mars within the timeframe of Duke Nukem Forever's development.
The majority of the children who were entering high school the school year following Duke Nukem Forever's announcement are now eligible to drink.
And last but not least:
"We're confident that DNF will be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, game of 1998. And this confidence is not misplaced." -Scott Miller, 1997
Indeed, I would have to agree. When DNF finally does come out I'm sure it will blow the games of 1998 away. Or, at least, I sure as hell hope it does.
(Sources were from all over the net, mostly the DNF forums)
I have to say that this game just isn't ready for prime time.
I found the CD to be dry and tasteless. There wasn't even any salt on it. If Sony is going to ship CDs that are so completely devoid of flavour they should at least ship it with a nice salsa or a cheese sauce.
And one other thing. I serious doubt that CD was biodegradeable. Don't ask me how I know. I'd rather not talk about it.
Where it takes a real time year to get from level 1 to 50? (As opposed to a the month it should take)
;-) and I'm level 25 (almost 26!) which seems about right to me. If I get a solid block of a few hours and a good group, and I have a lot of rested exp saved up, I can get a level or so in one sitting... that feels about right. I make enough progress to feel like I got somewhere even when I can't dedicate a whole lot of time, but it's not so quick as to feel trivial when I get a new level. The pacing is really quite good as far as I'm concerned.
"Should" according to...?
A year is probably too long, but a month is way too short, for my satisfaction. I've been playing WoW for a couple months, very casually, because I have a four-month-old baby to take care of
Now, if you have no life, and play 40 hours a week in long uninterrupted blocks, you might make 50 in a month. But I wouldn't want to be you, if that was the case.
Don't you wish your girlfriend was a geek like me?
Everquest 2, Halo 2, Firefox 1.0.... it's like christmas a month and a half early!
--You will rephrase your request for me to go to hell. Goto statements are not acceptable programming constructs
I ordered two copies of the Collector's Edition (one for me, one for spouse) from Sony at $90 a pop and paid for next day delivery.
Not only will I be getting it after the folks at EB Games (which is okay), but I probably won't be getting it tomorrow, either. And probably not even Wednesday. As far as I can tell, Sony haven't shipped it yet. All they can offer me is an email address to apply for a refund on the shipping charges.
What a nice way to treat your loyal customer base, Sony!
I'd like to cancel the order right now, but they won't let me.
I've had a chance to play both EQ2 and WoW.
IMHO EQ2, while it still has some bugs in it, is a good overall game.
SoE made alot of interesting decisions this time around.
First off, the graphic engine is designed to be flexible and able to be upgraded as time and new developments in video come along. They say that EQ2 will still look top of the line in five years.
Secondly, the game itself is supposed to be able to scale up to Level 200 (only the first 50 levels are in now, and more will be added as expansions are made). This gives them a chance to really expand the mobs, gear, and abilities if they really have thought that far out. EQLive has just reached Level 70 with its latest expanion "Omens of War", and it just seems like a serious case of mudflation in the type and amount of items that are coming off of "yard trash" (ie the common mobs that spawn all over the zone).
Every Online Game can and should be considered a "Paid Beta", since from Day One they will be patching, fixing exploits (no team of beta testers, even fanbois, will find every exploit -- they will come), adding new features and features that should of really been there at launch but were put on the back burner, and more content (quests, mobs, zones, etc) which may or may not break code somewhere else and will need even more patching.
EQ2 is not perfect, but I'm looking forward to their overall story arc.
When I had a chance to beta test WoW, I was impressed with what Blizzard has done. I was never a real-time strat game fan, but I have played some Warcraft and I enjoyed Diablo I and II. I know that Blizzard can write a good story and does have a long history of good games as well as support (both patches and new content) that is second to none outside of the Online Game Industry.
WoW has gone a completely different way with its graphics. It went for more of a cartoony look than EQ2, and it is a freshing change of pace. The graphics are sharp and clean as well as being able to perform well on older machines.
The play is just what you would expect from any MMORPG -- make character, get quests (can be optional), fight mobs, loot mobs, get more powerful. But WoW makes it alot easier to find out who has quests for you -- there is a glowing question mark above their heads. I find it nice to be able to see who has quests as compared to having to talk to every NPC in the zone to find them.
Both games will appeal to a different crowd. To those who are long time fans of Warcraft, while WoW may not scratch the itch of RTS'ing, it will keep them in the story line and I can see tie-ins to new Warcraft games easily coming out of WoW. EQ2 has alot more depth in my opinion. It was made for those who really want to explore a world and delve deeper into its mysteries. I really feel that it was designed for the long haul and will not really come into its own until further down the road when the major story arcs start to play out. But even until then it will be an interesting experience.
T
A friend of mine sent me this excellent criticism of EverQuest 2 written by an EverQuest MVP Beta Tester. The thread is long but the writer is well spoken and she goes into great depth about all aspects of game play, their strengths, and their [numerous, critical] flaws:
http://eq2.forums.thedruidsgrove.org/showthread.ph p?t=7973&page=1&pp=15
This is a must-read thread for anyone even remotely thinking of dropping money on this game.