EQ 'Next'

[Big Gulp]

then they can compete based on something as easy a realistic graphics vs. Blizzard's generally cartoony look that turns many off.

EQ2's graphics were far from "realistic".  They were just bad.  Faces, animations, and the generally plastic sheen to everything were horrible.  More than that, though, was the complete lack of soul any of the art seemed to have.  It was just bland.  To quote Stephen Colbert, it was a manila envelope stuck to a tan wall.  And then there were the little things, like your character not seeming to really make contact with the ground.  I never got the sense that my toon was running so much as gliding around with a running animation playing as I went.

I guess you could fault WoW's cartoony aesthetic, but fuck, at least they have an aesthetic.  I'd go even further in saying that all their art is internally coherent and oozing style.  Think about what they've managed to pull off with a really low poly-pushing engine.  Best artists in the business, easily.

[Margalis]

I always found it amusing the in both EQ1 and EQ2 they insisted on sticking cat heads on human bodies and calling them a new race without changing anything except the head graphics. Shouldn't a cat person animate a little differently or something.

EQ2 did have the rat person that actually looked and moved like a rat person, but IIRC every other race was just a human with a different head, skinnier, or blue.

[schild]

Shouldn't a cat person animate a little differently or something.

You mean like sticking bunny ears on a human and calling it a viera? OH RIGHT.

[Bzalthek]

It's the voice actor for Fran that sold Viera for me.  Nicole Fantl did a good job.

[Kirth]

When I last played eq2 there was talk of a skeletal re-vamp. Not sure if that happened, but it did seem like they made some effort with the sarnaks to make them different.

I agree that the art people at Blizz did a great job with wow when it came out. and since they have pushed that engine in some interesting ways.

[Murgos]

When I last played eq2 there was talk of a skeletal re-vamp. Not sure if that happened.

Nope.  It was shelved.

Probably because if they were going to do all that work they may as well do a whole refresh.  But, like I said above, I think most players are at the point where limited launch content doesn't really get anyone excited anymore.

[DLRiley]

You can't blame them really.  They are thinking that despite recent failures and some past successes that they at least have to try to go up against Blizzard's next gen MMO, and if they do nothing but replicate WoW's polish, ease of entrance, and casual friendly atmosphere, then they can compete based on something as easy a realistic graphics vs. Blizzard's generally cartoony look that turns many off.  So no, I'm not saying they have any reason to be that optomistic, but it really isn't a huge stretch to think that after all this time they see a new window opening between WoW1 and WoW2.

For every 1 milllion gamer interested in WoW, 1 refuses to play it because of cartoony graphics.

[Murgos]

How about refuse to play it partially because of just plain old crappy graphics?

It's graphics looked old and chunky when it released 5 years ago.  Take the blinders off, it looks like shit.

[Big Gulp]

How about refuse to play it partially because of just plain old crappy graphics?

It's graphics looked old and chunky when it released 5 years ago.  Take the blinders off, it looks like shit.

You have no sense of aesthetics, apparently.  More polys and next gen goo does not equal good.

[Bzalthek]

How about refuse to play it partially because of just plain old crappy graphics?

It's graphics looked old and chunky when it released 5 years ago.  Take the blinders off, it looks like shit.

You must be disappointed a lot.

[Mrbloodworth]

How about refuse to play it partially because of just plain old crappy graphics?

It's graphics looked old and chunky when it released 5 years ago.  Take the blinders off, it looks like shit.

Most of the greatest works of art, are also the most simple, this applys to music too.

Having said that, I have always been a fan of EQ2 graphic techniques, I always thought they were quite brilliant, and quite sensible for the output achieved.

[Murgos]

You must be disappointed a lot.

Because I think WoW is ugly?  Heh.

[Bzalthek]

Yep.

[Ratman_tf]

[Nebu]

For every 1 milllion gamer interested in WoW, 1 refuses to play it because of cartoony graphics.

I hate WoW's character models to the point that I neglected playing it after beta.  The look of the world was impressive enough to draw me back in. 

[March]

For every 1 milllion gamer interested in WoW, 1 refuses to play it because of cartoony graphics.

I hate WoW's character models to the point that I neglected playing it after beta.  The look of the world was impressive enough to draw me back in. 

I would play WoW 1.0.1 if I could get away from their crap-ass lore and art.

/Shuffles off to Aion forum

[Rendakor]

I too was initially turned off on WoW's graphics; the cartoony look is one of the things that pushed me to try EQ2 when they both launched. (Of course, I'm playing WoW now, so...)

[Mrbloodworth]

I kinda wish people would stop using the word "cartoony". Wow has very little that is cartoon about it.

[Shatter]

Ill take "cartoony" but runs awesome over "realistic" and runs like shit any day. 

[Jayce]

I really do wonder what's next. The fact that it's taking a long time to get here makes me lose heart.

Is the WoW/EQ1/Diku model the only one that works?  And maybe Eve Online, which is really just a Diku IN SPACE with an (admittedly interesting) world conquering gameplay mechanic?

I don't think microtrans is where it's at.  The idea that the alpha players are those that not only piss all their time away but also all their money feels pretty dirty to me, and pathetic.  Besides, microtrans is not a game mechanic, it's a subscription model (such as it is).

[DLRiley]

The hardcore should be exploited to make the game fun for the rest of the playerbase. If it makes you feel dirty that's cause your more hardcore then you thought you were.

[Bzalthek]

The hardcore should be exploited to make the game fun for the rest of the playerbase. If it makes you feel dirty that's cause your more hardcore then you thought you were.

Suddenly it's all clear.  Now I can understand the mentality behind burning people at the stake.

[Tale]

It could be good, if they hired the right people. It's fun to bash EQ now, but for it's time it was revolutionary. And it still has some of the most imaginative design we've seen in an MMO yet.

I agree. For it's time, it was revolutionary. It was a very good online world and I was entertained as fuck. The fantasy of original EQ and the first two expansions was more engaging and atmospheric to me than anything in WoW. I'd take the minds behind everything from Nagafen's Lair to Velketor's Labyrinth over the minds that brought me Molten Core, Onyxia's Fugly Cave and the Burning Linear Crusade any day.

[DLRiley]

EQ was about as revolutionary as the first airplane. Sure it could fly, but that's about it. And if you thought flying was all that special, then you never driven a car or road a train.

[tazelbain]

Airplanes are awesome.  You are an idiot.

[Aez]

I kinda wish people would stop using the word "cartoony". Wow has very little that is cartoon about it.

Nope, nothing "cartoony", nothing at all.

[schild]

EQ was about as revolutionary as the first airplane. Sure it could fly, but that's about it. And if you thought flying was all that special, then you never driven a car or road a train.

STOP TALKING.

[Bzalthek]

They both use color!  Fucking Blizzard!

If you can't see the stark difference between those two images, buy a cane and a dog.

[DLRiley]

EQ was about as revolutionary as the first airplane. Sure it could fly, but that's about it. And if you thought flying was all that special, then you never driven a car or road a train.

STOP TALKING.

If you thought having something only .0000000001% of the world population could experience at the time of invention particular special then that's your prerogative...the airplane itself is revolutionary but the first inception of it was not ideal.

[schild]

EQ was about as revolutionary as the first airplane. Sure it could fly, but that's about it. And if you thought flying was all that special, then you never driven a car or road a train.

STOP TALKING.

If you thought having something only .0000000001% of the world population could experience at the time of invention particular special then that's your prerogative...the airplane itself is revolutionary but the first inception of it was not ideal.

Did I stutter?

[Rasix]

[Numtini]

I liked art in both EQ2 and WoW, but I have a top end PC and I'm getting 33fps in EQ2. It's been a major barrier for them. I would expect EQ3 to be based on the FR engine in some way.

[Count Nerfedalot]

I'm with the earlier poster who complained about the plastic look of the original EQ2 models.  The game is like a near-photorealistic implementation of plastic action figures.  With playdough hair.  The races added later look a bit better but still.   I'd guess that their graphics engine doesn't support transparency in textures, except that they've got marvelous looking water and glass. 

But it really seems odd to me that they would choose to toss all the existing content they've created, implemented, debugged and polished over the years to make a sequel.  They've actually got enough PVE content to compete with WoW.  AoC and WAR both showed how important content, or lack thereof, is.  Seems like they could get a much better return on investment by spending money on a new engine for EQ2 and all it's content than starting over from scratch.  Especially given their piss-poor track record of content-quality at launch.

On a related note, Sony also wasted a lot of marketing money and ideas when they tried to market EQ2 as a destination for players who had outgrown WoW about a year after launch.  If they'd started that marketing blitz about 6 months ago it might have gotten a lot more interest from bored WoW players looking for something new.  With many more races and classes, a much more interesting crafting and player-economy, and even a raid game that is a little more casual than that of WoW - EQ2 offers a lot of options for those who found WoW's end-game options of raid, pvp or re-roll a little too stifling.

[Rishathra]

It's good to finally be able to understand DLRiley.

http://translationparty.com/#1915754

[Kirth]

By train, the special flight, to drive the road is considered. 


I agree with Count nerfedalot, they would burn alot of good will by putting out eq3 and marketing it as a better version of eq2. Unless as I mentioned there was a incentive for players to migrate to the new game.