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f13.net  |  f13.net General Forums  |  The Gaming Graveyard  |  Everquest 2  |  Topic: EQ2 Announces Expansion, Surprises No One 0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
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Author Topic: EQ2 Announces Expansion, Surprises No One  (Read 39390 times)
HaemishM
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on: May 05, 2005, 08:06:03 AM


Murgos
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Reply #1 on: May 05, 2005, 08:23:48 AM

Quote
New movement: Search for treasure and find adventure in new areas by climbing up and down walls for the first time in an MMO.

CoH should be kicking themselves that they wont be able to claim this one.


Quote
Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

Oh, yeah this one sounds like a good idea.  I can hear the cacophany of mindless voice emoting already, this might possibly replace the jumping in place for favorite stupidiot activity...

Wait what am I thinking?  They will just jump in place and spam voice emotes simultainiously.

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Furiously
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Reply #2 on: May 05, 2005, 11:50:24 AM

Seems a bit fast. If I had not just cancelled my subscription in boycott of their online selling deal - I would be thinking about it based on these expansions. I'd start thinking..."More content I will likely never have time to see."

MaceVanHoffen
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Reply #3 on: May 05, 2005, 03:47:15 PM

"More content I will likely never have time to see ...

... that your monthly fee pays for."  Nothing like financing the catasses to make you think about leaving a game.
kaid
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Posts: 3113


Reply #4 on: May 06, 2005, 08:27:53 AM

Their expansion schedual was stated early on in beta. They have since beta said they were aiming for 1 expansion pack and 1-2 adventure packs the first year and 2 expansions and 2-4 adventure packs per year thereafter. The only thing shocking would be a dev team actually keeping to a schedual they made that early in beta.


kaid
kaid
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Reply #5 on: May 06, 2005, 08:29:20 AM

Oh as for voice emotes for players it was only a matter of time. WoW already has them although most either don't know they exist or just don't use them. Since eq2 has voice almost everywhere else this was only a matter of time.

Also as for upping the level to 60 that also was expected. They have laid out the framework to take players in eq up to level 200 so expect every expansion to increase levels by at least 10. So basically twice a year your level cap will rise which while maybe not fast enough for the ubers it plenty quick for just about everybody else.

kaid
« Last Edit: May 06, 2005, 08:31:47 AM by kaid »
Yegolev
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Reply #6 on: May 06, 2005, 08:31:55 AM

Quote
Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

Oh, yeah this one sounds like a good idea.  I can hear the cacophany of mindless voice emoting already, this might possibly replace the jumping in place for favorite stupidiot activity...

No one uses this feature in WoW, at least no one I know.

Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
They called it The Prayer, its answer was law
Mommy come back 'cause the water's all gone
HaemishM
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the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring


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Reply #7 on: May 06, 2005, 08:47:57 AM

They have laid out the framework to take players in eq up to level 200

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

schild
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Reply #8 on: May 06, 2005, 08:51:23 AM

They have laid out the framework to take players in eq up to level 200

I just threw up a little in my mouth.

Oh man, I need to get you a copy of Disgaea. It would make level 200 seem like an 8 hour cakewalk.
Dren
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Posts: 2419


Reply #9 on: May 06, 2005, 08:52:56 AM

Quote
Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

Oh, yeah this one sounds like a good idea.  I can hear the cacophany of mindless voice emoting already, this might possibly replace the jumping in place for favorite stupidiot activity...

No one uses this feature in WoW, at least no one I know.

I do.  I'm almost always asked immediately after using them, "How'ed you do that?"

/silly
/flirt
ftw
kaid
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Reply #10 on: May 06, 2005, 09:10:14 AM

Why would levels to 200 make you throw up? AO and AC1 already have it. It is far better for them to plan a really long way out for future expansion than what they did in eq1 where they never thought it would be expanded at all and then had to break the game horribly to allow advancement.

People always bitch about lack of content so why would you be upset that a company actually is trying to plan for long term content?


kaid
jpark
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Reply #11 on: May 06, 2005, 09:10:43 AM

Quote
New movement: Search for treasure and find adventure in new areas by climbing up and down walls for the first time in an MMO.

CoH should be kicking themselves that they wont be able to claim this one.

We had quite a bit of this in CoH with the Badges for exploration (bridges, sewers, scaffholds, statues, roofs etc.).  Cryptic > SOE  evil

"I think my brain just shoved its head up its own ass in retaliation.
"  HaemishM.
kaid
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Reply #12 on: May 06, 2005, 09:13:34 AM

I am kinda puzzled by the whole climb up the walls claims. Hell Daoc has had wall climbing in specified areas for freaking ages. Its how stealthers sneak into forts and castles. COH may not have wall climbing but with free form flying/jumping/teleporting it has got to outdo in spades any manuverablity you could gain by climbing walls.

I was always kinda curious why COH didn't add wall crawling through.

kaid
HaemishM
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the Confederate flag underneath the stone in my class ring


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Reply #13 on: May 06, 2005, 09:31:27 AM

Why would levels to 200 make you throw up?

I get woozy at the thought of even 15 EQ2 levels. 200? Yeah, I'm sick already.

I don't consider the number of levels to be content unless getting those levels is fun, fun enough that I don't much notice what level I'm at.

AOFanboi
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Reply #14 on: May 06, 2005, 09:40:13 AM

I was always kinda curious why COH didn't add wall crawling through.
Probably too much of a "rip off" - the Wolv^H Claws Scrapper stuff is probably as close to the edge as they want to go, and it did lead to the inevitable clones.

As for wall climbing, MxO has drain pipes and ladders you can climb to get to/from rooftops. But then, much of MxO feels like CoH anyway.

Current: Mario Kart DS, Nintendogs
kaid
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Reply #15 on: May 06, 2005, 09:42:39 AM

Odd I have had my combat xp turned off for the last week and a half because I am having fun trying to explore both runnyeye and the bloodlines higher dungeons at the same time. I am having real issues leveling up to fast for the content I want to see so thank god for the ablity to shut off xp gain or mentor.

I would admit that the first 15 levels or so in eq2 are not super great. The problem is at those levels the characters just are not differentiated nearly enough so if you play a few alts you can get a bit bored. Once you start getting to higher teens they have opened up I think 2 or 3 new instances and there becomes a huge freaking pack of content that opens up at 20+. The higher I get the more content I seem to find and there just are not enough hours in the day to do all the random stuff I want to do.

I like wow as well but WoW content feels much more linear than EQ2. In wow I always felt I was on one of two or three quest paths and that the game was leading me around by the nose. Its still a fun game but EQ2's content I find more interesting because it gives you so many things you could potentially do that there is a great deal of replayablity. Right now my main is level 39 and holding and I have only been on zek twice and never really hunted there. This is a huge landmass with tons of content that I have not even scratched the surface of becaue I have to much else to do.




kaid
jpark
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Reply #16 on: May 06, 2005, 10:20:12 AM

Why would levels to 200 make you throw up?

I get woozy at the thought of even 15 EQ2 levels. 200? Yeah, I'm sick already.

I don't consider the number of levels to be content unless getting those levels is fun, fun enough that I don't much notice what level I'm at.

Oh come on - you know how many EQ2 players have "full" quest books?  There is so much fun there waiting to be discovered.

And wait it will :)

"I think my brain just shoved its head up its own ass in retaliation.
"  HaemishM.
Shockeye
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Reply #17 on: May 06, 2005, 10:28:35 AM

Fry's Electronics has EQ2 for $14.99 according to their advertisement today.
jpark
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Reply #18 on: May 06, 2005, 10:33:57 AM

I visited the DIE HARD warrior site today known as Steel Warrior.  This site was created for EQ warriors concerned with high level tanking.

http://www.thesteelwarrior.org/

Over the years the site now has other forums - WoW, EQ2 and CoH for tanks.

If you look at the forum activity - EQ tanking issues are big - followed by WoW.  There is very little discussion of EQ2 (even less of CoH but we know they have the smallest sub base).

This underscores HaemishM arguement:  all station pass users counted as subs for EQ2 are not spending their time playing EQ2.

That's the impression I get from looking at posting activity on that site.

"I think my brain just shoved its head up its own ass in retaliation.
"  HaemishM.
Murgos
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Reply #19 on: May 06, 2005, 11:22:33 AM

Quote
New movement: Search for treasure and find adventure in new areas by climbing up and down walls for the first time in an MMO.

CoH should be kicking themselves that they wont be able to claim this one.

We had quite a bit of this in CoH with the Badges for exploration (bridges, sewers, scaffholds, statues, roofs etc.).  Cryptic > SOE  evil

Sorry, I was referring to the wall crawling not the exploration.  CoH has been talking about putting in wall crawling and web swinging since mid-beta.  From what I recall they said they hadn't done it yet because they hadn't found an implimentation that they liked yet.

Anyway the wall crawling better be universal or I don't think it counts.  If there is a goddamn vertical surface my toon better be able to get up it or have a SOLID ingame roleplaying reason for it not too (magic ice or something).

If there are three locations in the game you can wall crawl with little flashing neon signs that say "Look unique content!"  then SOE needs to be bitch slapped yet again for half-truths.

"You have all recieved youre last warning. I am in the process of currently tracking all of youre ips and pinging your home adressess. you should not have commencemed a war with me" - Aaron Rayburn
Yegolev
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Reply #20 on: May 06, 2005, 11:37:23 AM


Why am I homeless?  Why do all you motherfuckers need homes is the real question.
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shiznitz
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Reply #21 on: May 09, 2005, 12:08:00 PM

I would admit that the first 15 levels or so in eq2 are not super great. The problem is at those levels the characters just are not differentiated nearly enough so if you play a few alts you can get a bit bored. Once you start getting to higher teens they have opened up I think 2 or 3 new instances and there becomes a huge freaking pack of content that opens up at 20+. The higher I get the more content I seem to find and there just are not enough hours in the day to do all the random stuff I want to do.

I agree that a lot of content opens up at 20+. However, most of it isn't content I desire to replay. The Heritage quests are fun once. I cannot imagine doing them again. For me, the game is "replayable" once - Qeynos and Freeport. No way in hell I am doing all the core Qeynos/Antonica/Thundering Steppes quests again. Not going to happen.

I have never played WoW.
Soln
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Reply #22 on: May 09, 2005, 01:00:43 PM

I would admit that the first 15 levels or so in eq2 are not super great. The problem is at those levels the characters just are not differentiated nearly enough so if you play a few alts you can get a bit bored. Once you start getting to higher teens they have opened up I think 2 or 3 new instances and there becomes a huge freaking pack of content that opens up at 20+. The higher I get the more content I seem to find and there just are not enough hours in the day to do all the random stuff I want to do.

I agree that a lot of content opens up at 20+. However, most of it isn't content I desire to replay. The Heritage quests are fun once. I cannot imagine doing them again. For me, the game is "replayable" once - Qeynos and Freeport. No way in hell I am doing all the core Qeynos/Antonica/Thundering Steppes quests again. Not going to happen.

I killed myself off and quit around level 25. I wasn't able to touch whole rafts of mobs in an area because of the fucking social chaining, and then I'd turn around and level and they'd all be grey....  Of course I was Ranger, which blows and was another good excuse... 
Strazos
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Reply #23 on: May 09, 2005, 06:22:08 PM

Anyway the wall crawling better be universal or I don't think it counts.  If there is a goddamn vertical surface my toon better be able to get up it or have a SOLID ingame roleplaying reason for it not too (magic ice or something).

My Super Speeder better be able to run UP walls if this kind of thing is implemented.

Fear the Backstab!
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"Hell is other people." -Sartre
HRose
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Reply #24 on: May 09, 2005, 10:36:17 PM

People always bitch about lack of content so why would you be upset that a company actually is trying to plan for long term content?
Because peoples are stupid and a company seconding them is even more stupid.
Quote
I would admit that the first 15 levels or so in eq2 are not super great. The problem is at those levels the characters just are not differentiated nearly enough so if you play a few alts you can get a bit bored. Once you start getting to higher teens they have opened up I think 2 or 3 new instances and there becomes a huge freaking pack of content that opens up at 20+. The higher I get the more content I seem to find and there just are not enough hours in the day to do all the random stuff I want to do.

I like wow as well but WoW content feels much more linear than EQ2. In wow I always felt I was on one of two or three quest paths and that the game was leading me around by the nose. Its still a fun game but EQ2's content I find more interesting because it gives you so many things you could potentially do that there is a great deal of replayablity. Right now my main is level 39 and holding and I have only been on zek twice and never really hunted there. This is a huge landmass with tons of content that I have not even scratched the surface of becaue I have to much else to do.
But how is the content accessible, especially in the long term? It's just pure mudflation.

Maybe it's ok right now but how you'll be able to do what you like if there won't be remotely enough players on the server to pack up every zone? LFG for hours, days and weeks?

The content remains accessible till there are peoples using it. When the content start to grow exponentially it just becomes a replacement of what was obsolete. The result is an actual erosion instead of an expansion.

There's LESS content available as the time passes.

-HRose / Abalieno
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Hartsman
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Reply #25 on: May 09, 2005, 11:47:12 PM


Maybe it's ok right now but how you'll be able to do what you like if there won't be remotely enough players on the server to pack up every zone? LFG for hours, days and weeks?

The content remains accessible till there are peoples using it. When the content start to grow exponentially it just becomes a replacement of what was obsolete. The result is an actual erosion instead of an expansion.

There's LESS content available as the time passes.

That's a really interesting point.  In EQ2's current state, I'm not sure that it's really a subtraction of content, though.

I'm basing that opinion on the way the population of the world is laid out right now in terms of the split between group-required vs group-not-required content -- Feel free to tell me if I'm completely insane. :)

The split used to be around 90/10, where 90% required a group, and now it's about 40/60.  (We've added quite a few instances for soloists and small groups, and changed the entire overland population to more accurately reflect people's desired playstyles.  New quest paths, and all of that as well.)


In the old 90/10 world - Absolutely.  Each addition distributes the potential LFG pool farther and farther. 

In this current world of EQ2, though, since the average person can run around and do quests, have fun, solo or with a friend or two (primarily overland and in specific instances), it really does serve to broaden the amount of stuff any given person can choose to do in a session. 

For those who are looking to group, the problem you describe will definitely hit eventually -- And it'll be time for an enhancement of the (somewhat simplistic) LFG tools we already have.  We did just do a pretty good round with the guild tools, but that doesn't do a lot for someone who's not guilded.

There is one thing that's for sure, though -- People love exploring new places.  We have to keep making new places.  It's really on us at that point to make sure they have something to do when no one else is around, or improve their abilities to hook up with others.

Apologies if I missed your point - That part of your observation was too interesting to not reply to. :)

Take care,

- Scott

Monika T'Sarn
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Reply #26 on: May 10, 2005, 01:04:18 AM

Quote
Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

Oh, yeah this one sounds like a good idea.  I can hear the cacophany of mindless voice emoting already, this might possibly replace the jumping in place for favorite stupidiot activity...

No one uses this feature in WoW, at least no one I know.

That's because sometimes during beta, they turned down their volume so much its impossible to hear them.

Monika T'Sarn
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kaid
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Reply #27 on: May 10, 2005, 06:59:49 AM

My normal group of 4 just finished the last of the bloodlines quests last night well aside from the uber raid in T'haens. I have to say that was a very fun quest track and we had hit it at just the right level and progressed from 30 to 40 doing it. The dungeons were well done and fun although I have to say vampires are dirty cheating gits and those 2k aoe'ing vampires should just be renamed magebane hehehhe. Still we did them even if I died more than a couple times to their blasts.

One thing about adding in new content that should help eq2 is lessening of linear zone progression. Eq2 still offers more choices than WoW but both have a few fairly well defined paths. Things like bloodline helped us alot and we have high hopes for the split paw dungeon. Replayability with alts is a big thing with MMRPG and the lead you by the nose early levels in WoW turned me off. Eq2 has some of that till about 15 but then you can start branching off more and more. The more they can do to give you different paths of advancement will help replayability alot. Our group basically is just skipping zek because we want to go that route instead of EL with our ebil frog alts we are planing.

kaid
Strazos
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The World's Worst Game: Curry or Covid


Reply #28 on: May 10, 2005, 10:08:06 AM

Eq2 has some of that till about 15 but then you can start branching off more and more. The more they can do to give you different paths of advancement will help replayability alot.

Oddly enough, when I played, it seemed I was locked into FP Newb Areas > Commonlands/Newb Dungeon > Fallen Gate > Nek > Thundering Steppes (Varsoons).

Just my experience.

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
shiznitz
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Reply #29 on: May 10, 2005, 10:20:56 AM


[a dev speaks]


I like the outside = solo, inside = group split EQ2 is doing.  Please add some kind of cross zone transport in TS and Nek, though. Traveling from Qeynos to Nektropos Castle/RoV every night is a serious pain in the ass. Both zones are largely gray so it is just a time sink. Or add 'recall friend' like CoH has.

I have never played WoW.
Pococurante
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Reply #30 on: May 10, 2005, 10:23:44 AM

Or add 'recall friend' like CoH has.

CoH features every game should have:
  • Recall Friend
  • Sidekick
  • Exemplar
  • Flying
Strazos
Greetings from the Slave Coast
Posts: 15542

The World's Worst Game: Curry or Covid


Reply #31 on: May 10, 2005, 10:29:40 AM

You missed Super Speed and Kick Ass Emotes.

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
kaid
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Reply #32 on: May 10, 2005, 11:03:05 AM

The initial level 1 to 15 or so is still fairly locked in but they have started to make more use of the other instances such as shattered vale so that you can branch off and do other stuff.

Still if you take the qeynos side if you are a sewer hound you can actually do levels 8 to about 25 or so and never leave the qeynos sewers. Or you can go do the black burrow storm hold route. Or the all instance route and spend your time in fyremyst gully and the new shattered vale instances.

They have also been adding so many quests its a lot easier now to do a ton of quests without having to do the same ones all the time when making alts.

The new story line chain quests in the zones have so far been pretty amusing. Nothing earth shattering but some funny humor decent xp and cash to be had.

kaid
jpark
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Reply #33 on: May 10, 2005, 03:19:25 PM

Quote
Voice-over emotes: Express yourself in a battle or expand your social circle with new voice emotes.

Oh, yeah this one sounds like a good idea.  I can hear the cacophany of mindless voice emoting already, this might possibly replace the jumping in place for favorite stupidiot activity...

No one uses this feature in WoW, at least no one I know.

That's because sometimes during beta, they turned down their volume so much its impossible to hear them.

I love the voice over emotes in WoW and in the random groups I find it comes up regularly.  It's great.  They are racial specific and for some voice emotes what is actually said is randomly chosen from a set (e.g. /silly).;

"I think my brain just shoved its head up its own ass in retaliation.
"  HaemishM.
kaid
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Posts: 3113


Reply #34 on: May 11, 2005, 08:21:44 AM

The voice emotes in wow are pretty well done and most are pretty funny. The volume on them is so low that unless you are activly trying to listen to somebody using them its pretty hard to hear them.

The funniest voice emotes in wow are from the dwarf males and the human males. The human male /silly jokes are all pretty damn funny most are silly bar jokes but his rambling about the wow version of fellowship of the rings is funny.

The night elf voice emotes for both gender are pretty sad and not funny at all the males are really pathetic.

kaid
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