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Author Topic: EQ II Producer's Letter  (Read 8404 times)
Aenovae
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on: January 26, 2005, 12:08:01 AM

Scott Hartsman, the Senior Producer for EverQuest II, posted an update on the EQ2Players site:

http://eq2players.station.sony.com/news_archive.vm?id=336&section=Development&month=current

It's a very long, but very interesting read (at least, for those few f13 readers who still play).

He mentions how the live team hears about and responds to player concerns.  Assuming the post isn't a total lie, SOE has a team that actually slogs through obnoxious forum posts to find the players' issue-of-the-nanosecond.  They even parse recent petitions to see if a lot of players have been petitioning the same thing over a week's time.  According to Scott Hartsman, SOE actually has testers checking the validity of /feedback submissions.

Other than addressing player complaints, the post also describes how EQ2 is going to try to cater to the solo player a bit more.  The game will never be ideal for solo play (it's not designed to be), but maybe these changes will prevent friendless hermits (Sky) from quitting.  Personally, I could care less about solo play enhancements.

It's worth mentioning that the SOE of today seems very different than the Verant of yesterday.  Dev response has been frequent and informative so far, like the update above.  Patches have been coming faster than you can read their attached notes (nearly a patch a day).  Along with bug fixes, the patches have been adding a LOT of content.  In general, all parts of the SOE engine have been operating to my satisfaction, from programming fixes to content additions to dev response on the forums.

This effort is one of the reasons that I'm still playing the game.  I'm having fun now, and it's clear that EQ2 is going to be strongly supported and enhanced in the future, so my investment isn't wasted.


P.S.  Please keep WoW out of this thread kthx.
Polysorbate80
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Reply #1 on: January 26, 2005, 08:43:02 AM

Quote from: Aenovae
The game will never be ideal for solo play (it's not designed to be), but maybe these changes will prevent friendless hermits (Sky) from quitting.  Personally, I could care less about solo play enhancements.


Pet Peeve:  The phrase is "couldn't care less" (unless you meant to imply that you actually *do* care about solo play.)

And personally, I could not care less about anything related to group-related play.  Don't have time to waste on that noise.

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Righ
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Reply #2 on: January 26, 2005, 09:05:05 AM

Quote from: Polysorbate80
Quote from: Aenovae
The game will never be ideal for solo play (it's not designed to be), but maybe these changes will prevent friendless hermits (Sky) from quitting.  Personally, I could care less about solo play enhancements.


Pet Peeve:  The phrase is "couldn't care less" (unless you meant to imply that you actually *do* care about solo play.)

And personally, I could not care less about anything related to group-related play.  Don't have time to waste on that noise.


I bet somebody else's pet peeve is not starting sentences with a conjunction.

But I don't care.

The camera adds a thousand barrels. - Steven Colbert
Polysorbate80
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Reply #3 on: January 26, 2005, 09:12:39 AM

Quote from: Righ
I bet somebody else's pet peeve is not starting sentences with a conjunction.

But I don't care.


Obviously.

However, it is not incorrect to begin with a coordinating conjuntion.

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Calantus
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Reply #4 on: January 26, 2005, 10:25:31 AM

Quote from: Polysorbate80
Pet Peeve:  The phrase is "couldn't care less" (unless you meant to imply that you actually *do* care about solo play.)



Actully, both are valid. A phrase is defined by popular use and both are used often enough.

PS. I love derails. I'd add something, but what I'd add is verbotten by Aenovae. Maybe I'll start a new thread in the forum for the-game-that-shall-not-be-named-in-this-thread.
murdoc
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Reply #5 on: January 26, 2005, 11:03:36 AM

From the way this thread got derailed, WoW might as well of been mentioned. At least WoW is marginally more interesting than grammar.

Have you tried the internet? It's made out of millions of people missing the point of everything and then getting angry about it
Polysorbate80
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Reply #6 on: January 26, 2005, 11:40:32 AM

I don't think many people really care about either game, so we might as well pick nits over unrelated minutiae.

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
WindupAtheist
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Badicalthon


Reply #7 on: January 28, 2005, 01:35:30 AM

Quote from: murdoc
From the way this thread got derailed, WoW might as well of been mentioned. At least WoW is marginally more interesting than grammar.


UO!  UO!!  UO!  UO!!!!

[ricflair]
WOOO!
[/ricflair]

You goddamn kids and your 3D graphics!  Sprites are all you really need!!!

"You're just a dick who quotes himself in his sig."  --  Schild
"Yeah, it's pretty awesome."  --  Me
buttons
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Reply #8 on: January 28, 2005, 01:40:06 AM

I've come out of lurking to say, shut the fuck up about UO.
Azhrarn
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WWW
Reply #9 on: January 28, 2005, 01:43:36 AM

Quote from: buttons
I've come out of lurking to say, shut the fuck up about UO.
I'd have to say you were never actually lurking.

I came here to be drugged, electrocuted, and probed.  Not insulted! - H.S.
WindupAtheist
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Badicalthon


Reply #10 on: January 28, 2005, 09:15:49 AM

Quote from: buttons
I've come out of lurking to say, shut the fuck up about UO.


Asheron's Call! Asheron's Call! Asheron's Call!

The third most popular MMOG in the world!  (When there were only 3 major MMOGs...)

"You're just a dick who quotes himself in his sig."  --  Schild
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Avatard
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Reply #11 on: January 28, 2005, 09:34:45 AM

I love me some me.

I love me some me.
Big Gulp
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Reply #12 on: January 28, 2005, 11:58:32 AM

Quote from: Polysorbate80

Obviously.

However, it is not incorrect to begin with a coordinating conjuntion.


It is this kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.
Signe
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Muse.


Reply #13 on: January 28, 2005, 01:13:42 PM

You people are beginning to sound like Jedi.

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
Furiously
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WWW
Reply #14 on: January 28, 2005, 01:24:49 PM

Where not should I dangle my participle at?

Avatard
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Reply #15 on: January 28, 2005, 01:29:54 PM

Quote from: Furiously
Where not should I dangle my participle at?


Where at should I not dangle my participle?

I love me some me.
Mesozoic
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Reply #16 on: January 28, 2005, 01:49:54 PM

Quote from: Avatard
Quote from: Furiously
Where not should I dangle my participle at?

Where at should I not dangle my participle?


Is my fly open?

...any religion that rejects coffee worships a false god.
-Numtini
Kenrick
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Reply #17 on: January 28, 2005, 03:34:37 PM

Did you guys know that they're working on a re-release of UO using the Sims 2 engine?  Or is that old/lame news?
Polysorbate80
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Reply #18 on: January 28, 2005, 03:38:06 PM

Quote from: Big Gulp
It is this kind of nonsense up with which I will not put.


Me be am un-positive about what to which you be complainifyin'.  My pointless bitching about grammar, my argument about conjunctions, or...?

“Why the fuck would you ... ?” is like 80% of the conversation with Poly — Chimpy
Strazos
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Reply #19 on: January 28, 2005, 07:49:14 PM

Quote from: Polysorbate80
And personally, I could not care less about anything related to group-related play.  Don't have time to waste on that noise.


Then why bother playing a "Massively Multiplayer Online" game? Save your money and go with single-player games.

Fear the Backstab!
"Plato said the virtuous man is at all times ready for a grammar snake attack." - we are lesion
"Hell is other people." -Sartre
Signe
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Muse.


Reply #20 on: January 28, 2005, 08:25:49 PM

Yes, and it has to be one gigantic group or how does it qualify as massive?  

Gee, you really are quite the dullard tonight, Strazos.

My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
AOFanboi
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Reply #21 on: January 29, 2005, 01:42:43 AM

Quote from: Strazos
Then why bother playing a "Massively Multiplayer Online" game? Save your money and go with single-player games.
    [*]"Group-oriented play" aka gangbanging mobs is one (very limited) form of interaction possible in a MMORPG. There is a chance greater than zero Polysorbate80 engages in one of the many other more rewarding ways of interacting with other players, like chatting or PvP. I mean, RL is in many ways massively multiplayer too, but I don't cry if I go to the toilet all by my loneself for instance. Not everything is meant to be done with other people even though they exist.
    [*]A MMORPG subscription for a month is $15 or so. Switching to single-player games with a 10-40 hour duration will cast you anything from $40-$200 per month. Sine I have had MATH at school, I can easily see that single-player games is a more expensive hobby (unless you pirate them) than a MMORPG.
    [/list:u]
    HTH. BETEO.

    Current: Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs
    Alkiera
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    Reply #22 on: January 29, 2005, 06:26:12 AM

    Quote from: Strazos
    Quote from: Polysorbate80
    And personally, I could not care less about anything related to group-related play.  Don't have time to waste on that noise.


    Then why bother playing a "Massively Multiplayer Online" game? Save your money and go with single-player games.


    We so need an FAQ here.  Just for the 'pulverized horse' questions like this one.

    Alkiera

    "[I could] become the world's preeminent MMO class action attorney.  I could be the lawyer EVEN AMBULANCE CHASERS LAUGH AT. " --Triforcer

    Welcome to the internet. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used as evidence against you in a character assassination on Slashdot.
    Signe
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    Muse.


    Reply #23 on: January 29, 2005, 06:58:41 AM

    No, no FAQs!  People who make statements like that should just be pounced on and given a good verbal thrashing!  FAQs would spoil the fun and people would become dull and unable to communicate maliciously like God intended.  They would simply say, "Read the FAQ".  This board would become a wasteland.

    Anyway, they wouldn't read it.

    My Sig Image: hath rid itself of this mortal coil.
    Sobelius
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    Reply #24 on: January 29, 2005, 02:59:35 PM

    Maybe too little too late for some of you, but here's the "official" line on the recent changes for soloers and small groupers...I have yet to try this out -- been too busy levelling my lowbie alts in CoH with the awesome Winter Lords XP. However, prior to this XP boost, I did discover some new NPCs that offered highly soloable-quests.


    Quote
    Big Changes for Soloists and Small Groups!


    With all the recent buzz generated by Scott Hartsman's EverQuest II Producer's Letter, we thought we would take a moment to call out all the big changes in experience gain that have just occurred for soloists and small groups of adventurers. Yes, that's right, solo and small group experience gain has been boosted across the board. Loot drops have been increased for these soloers and small groups too! These changes went into effect after Wednesday's patch and immediately spurred a spirited discussion between player and developer alike. Here's a recap of yesterday's big news:

    For soloists and small groups, dozens of new quests and hundreds of new NPCs have been added all over the game world since launch. Expect the steady stream of additions like this to continue over the coming weeks and months.
    In yesterday's update, a significant boost in small group and solo experience across the board will allow for advancement that will be much more visible and feel much more satisfying.
    Brand new item rewards will be added for soloists and small-groupers. Additionally, some of the rewards that have been reserved solely for groups will also make their way, though more rarely, to the solo and small group encounters in the world.
    Group rewards have improved as well. The chances for some of the group-only ultra-rare drops have been increased.
    In the weeks following, expect new dungeon instances to be made available for those who solo, duo, and trio.
    Soloing and small grouping should be a way to advance at a satisfying rate. You should be able to earn good rewards that are exciting in their own right. Soloing and small grouping should also provide a chance at the great rewards that people might not expect in anything except the traditional six-person group.
    Grouping will still provide the fastest overall experience gain, but the advantage won't be as drastic as it is today. Grouping will also provide better chances at the spectacular ultra-rare rewards.

    "I may not agree with what you have to say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." -- Voltaire
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    Sky
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    Reply #25 on: January 31, 2005, 05:27:39 PM

    Quote
    but maybe these changes will prevent friendless hermits (Sky) from quitting.

    I may be a hermit by choice, but I'm hardly friendless.

    It's the huge amount of sucking the game does when my friends aren't around. Kind of reminds me why I got into crpgs in the first place...to play when my friends weren't around. Funny cycle thing.

    Here's the skinny on EQ2, though: it ain't lack of solo content. It's the extremely blatant anti-solo bias the game exhibits at its very design core. And beyond that, the punitive and unfriendly path it trods.

    And then there's those patch notes:
    Quote
    - First round of advanced solo encounters added for soloers and small groups!

    Quote
    The Thundering Steppes
    - "A Pirate's Hidden Stash" is intended for groups in their low 20s.
    - "The Rumbler Caves" is intended for groups in their mid-20s.
    - "An Open Grave" is intended for groups in their high 20s and low 30s.

    Zek, the Orcish Wastes
    - "Tallon Hording Halls" is intended for groups in their low 30s.
    - "Sullon Mines" is intended for groups in their mid-30s.
    - "The Dark Den" is intended for groups in their high 30s and low 40s.

    The Enchanted Lands
    - "The Cave of Wonder" is intended for groups in their mid-30s.
    - "Cavern of Tangled Weeds" is intended for groups in their high 30s and low 40s.

    I'm trying to not post in EQ2 threads, because the game will never be 'fixed', any more than SWG combat will be fixed. The game is broken at the very core, and short of scrapping major systems, wysiwyg. I can deal with that, I just don't play EQ2 nor have any interest in it at all (even though I thought it was pretty cool for the most part).

    But hey, you called me out.

    Reading the condescension that drips from every EQ2 staff post when discussing solo play....yegods I'd never pay them a dime. You can have your fucking group-only game, don't do me any favors. And really, then the asswipes who trot out ye olde "go play a single player game" will have a place to congregate without us fucking up their uber circle jerk.
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