Avian Gamers Network

You guys have been in the game for 3 or 4 days now. Beyond listing your characters and the spells you've not said much about the game. Is it because you're having too much fun playing?

We want an honest review of the game, strengths and weaknesses. Experiencing any issues? Some of us might be playing someday. When you get a chance tell us what you think about the release version of the game.

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

Alright, I'll start. First you have to have a monster rig to run this game really smoothly, I'm on a 1gb RAM radeon 9800 XT 256mb, with a p4 3.2 ghz and I have to run the game on high performance to not experience much lag.

Heres the gameplay review. I haven't experienced some of the things they put a lot of work into such as the crafting system, from what I've done it looks promising, very detailed; as opposed to a lot of games crafting systems where you find the resources, hit craft, and wait for the little build bar to fill and you got the item, eq2 changed this some by adding "crafting abilities." For example, you might have a situation happen called "day dreaming" then you use the correct ability to counter that situation and also abilities have a secondary effect (ie, increases progress, but decreases durability). So you use these crafting abilties to get the most out of the item you're crafting.

Then combat, my favorite part of the game. They've added something called heroic oppertunities (call it a combo if you will) to the game. Where you use an ability that triggers the start of a heroic oppertunity then you follow it with another ability that blinks on your hotkey bar. Or you can start it and another person in your group can continue and eventually it ends and can do a number of things, from damage(usually is damage) to buffing you or debuffing the enemy.

Group maximum limit is 6 people. Six people isn't enough to do some of the more difficult quests. They added something called raid groups so you can have 5(?) groups come together to take down a very difficult task. You won't get much xp at all for normal kills and getting loot in raid groups is pretty much hopeless, but if there's a very hard enemy you need to kill for a quest then raidings the way to go. I experienced my first raid group today and it was a lot of fun.

One of the coolest features in everquest 2 though isn't even part of the game. Eq2players.com allows you to see your character's and others stats/kills/accomplishments/screenshots/biographies/etc (see my signature). There's also an item database on the site even though it costs extra/month you get a free month of use of it so I'm enjoying that while it lasts.

I'm not sure if you've ever played the original Everquest but for those who have all know death was a major pain in the ass. Luckily they made it much less harsh. When you die now you'll get an experience debt, when you kill rougly 50% of your xp goes to repaying the debt and 50 to your normal level gain. When you die, all your equipment's durability goes down by 10% but it's fairly cheap at early levels to repair. If you revive not by a player you go to wherever your location is that you chose to revive at and a trail leads you back to your body, where a soulshard is. If you collect this soul shard 75% of your experience debt goes away .

I'm afraid I'm a bit biased as I was looking forward to Eq2 a lot before it's release so I can't really think of any weaknesses other then the major speccs you need to run it. All around a good game in my experience thus far. Maybe I'll update this as I do more things and get higher levels.

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Bjorn - Antonia Bayle
http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/pplayer.vm?characterId=126571104
Darcia - Antonia Bayle
http://eq2players.station.sony.com/en/pplayer.vm?characterId=138049104

/Agrees with burnolot

A couple additional points:

- I have same amount of ram, 2.4 ghz processor, and X800 XT and I have to run the game on Balanced to experience little to no lag. The insane thing is I don't even think a new FX55 2GB SLI running dual 6800 Ultras (spec it out at Voodoopc) would be able to run this game on the highest setting. It could get close, but I don't think it would be able to do it.

- Combat is awesome and much, much better than SWG. Battles last a while and aren't over in 2 secs. There are tactics involved that are immersive and require you to think about your moves. For example, I am a scout and one of my strikes requires me to be in sneak (invisible) mode. So I use that action and sneak up behind the MOB and coordinate my attack with the group. I can dual wield which is also very cool.
Something tells me as well that none of the combat actions are broke...or if they were, they'd get fixed in a jiffy with EQ2.

- Content is mind boggling! You can have like like 200 quests in your quest journal at any one time. And it's not repetitive, boring content like SWG (yeah some of the high end DWB, 'vette stuff is good - but it's all high end). Let me give an example. In order to advance past level 10 you need to do your sub-class quest. So for me, it was to go from Scout to Rogue. It has 3 parts and the last part isn't about going to killing anything. I have to sneak past a lieutenant and his guards to steal some instructions, plans, etc. So I zone in, find the safe house, and walk in...BLAM...dead. Okay, round two. I zone in, go to the house, go into sneak mode, enter the house, and start skulking. It's not as simple as sneaking to find the plans either. The guards may start to hear something so you need to only go a few steps at a time, avoid lights, etc. THAT'S CONTENT, THAT'S IMMERSIVE.

- Zones. There are more of them than SWG, but they are smaller, in some cases much smaller. Not sure if this matters to me or not. Hasn't really impacted my game play.

- Player Housing. This ain't your grandma's player housing. Wow. EXPENSIVO. SWG was great in that accessibility of player housing, player cities, etc...and our ability to put them where we wanted and however we wanted, cantinas, hospitals...much, much better than EQ2. I definitely don't think its a focus in EQ2. You want your own house to decorate as you see fit? You can have it, but you better start having sex with your wife now so you can pay for it with that first born child. Also, from what I've seen so far, you don't place your house, they're are in certain locations and you just click on the door and if its available you acquire it. What I don't know is if they are instanced. If not, power gamers will own them for sure. If so, I may get one around level 45 (there are 50 implemented in the release version) lol.

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You guys are right that the specs to run the game well are extremely high. I've read in more than one place that the devs put in waaay high-end graphics because they have a long life-expectancy for EQ2, longer than EQ and want to avoid the graphics and look of the game becoming outdated. They shot for (and it sounds like they made it, too) a graphics system that will be able to make use of the newest and highest end equipment for a couple years if not longer.

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Liro
"The english language is not a wedding gown, it doesn't get better the more lace you add. It is instead a thong. Less is more." From /.
I need to remind myself of this regularly.

I really enjoy playing. I have been meaning to do a SWG V EQ2 post but to be honest I am to busy playing.
What do I like most? No grinding!
Seriously. I am level 10 and I have only been on 3 hunts. The quests are so great and BUG FREE! You get XP for just seeing something you havent seen before.

Will write more when GF isn't standing over me.

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Moge

ok. Part II

The Basics
In general I would consider EQII a very traditional MMO. Nothing really fancy about it and is tried and true and fun. The funny thing is, what I like most about it is that is just works! Very few bugs and none so far in over 25 quests this to me is such a relief.

Graphics
True the demands on the old Comp are high but they make it easy to balance so I have it running very smooth. I cranked up the graphics to about 50% the other day while I was out just looking around (and gainig XP whenever I land accross a landmark of some sort) and I must say I was like a Movie. The Graphics are really very well done. Clearly a forward looking game.

Quests
Easily my favorite part. I took 2 almost 3 days just in the noobie area doing the quests there and now I don't even grind I just run around and do missions. The quest loot is very nice and most I sell for a pretty penny (or silver piece). I know I will have to start grnding someday but for now it is very fun doing what seems to be endless quests. 1 quest per NPC (Talking NPC at that) so you are always talking to someone new.

No Kill Stealing
This is a great amazing wonderful feature. If I or my group start combat no one else can steal my kill. This makes camped areas much better and groups much more fun. If I 'Call for Help' others can attck my Mob but no one, not even me, will get XP or reward for the kill.

Archtype
I am really enjoying the archtype system with sub-classes. I find this really fun and very (very) well balanced. Looking back on SWG I much favor the archtype over straight class system.
Basically you have 4 major classes. But within each class you have subclasses that you can choose to your play-style. So really the Devs just have to make sure a Healer heals, Tanks tank, Mages cast and scouts sneak. After that you choose a sub-class that you find fits your play-style. Really is a wonderful system.
I love knowing not really what each sub-class does specifically but knowing that if I have a healer - be it cleric, shamam or Druid - I will get healed. This also makes grouping andcombat more interesting as you always have different mixes and people really do have specific tasks to play and do.

Comabt
Im a healer and really have not grouped that much but so far I like the combat system. I like not running missions and I like knowing what my job within the group is. I'll write more once I start combat in earnest.

Its the small things
Well that is my praise. Here are a few complaints. Just like in SWG it's the small things that make the game. I wish they had a better system for friends list so I knew if please where online or not. I wish there was an ingame email system. I wish the chat system wasn't clunky - this is probably due to my not having fully customized my keys. Remembering to hit Enter to start speaking is tough to do.

Conclusion
I really must say they nailed this game. Not surprising since they had EQ1 and many other versions to 'get it right' with. But the game is solid, it does not crash, you do not have to 'excuse' bugs or 'over look' balance issues. The game just works and it is fun to play. I do wish I could surrender my Archtype if I choose to but oh well. Just pick wisely I guess if not, then start another character in one of your 4 slots.

btw. The name gen is great. I Deleted Moge as an Orge and was able to remake a Moge as a dwarf right away. Very nice thing.

I am a one MMO guy and right now EQII is winning. Im not realy to cancel my SWG account but if I keep playing EQII this much and likeing it I just might.

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Moge

Great info, this is the kind of thing I need to hear! Keep these reviews and personal experiences coming. Everything sounds cool so far.

Question: Everything I have seen of EQ2 is visually dark and drab. The only exception I have seen was one movie showing some LotR-ish hobbit homes, green hills, and deer that all looked great. Even the website is dark and drab. Does the game get more colorful?

that game is very colorful. I do wish there was a personal light like in SWG. You can buy a Torch but inventory space is a premium in this game.

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Moge

This is great!

This is the kind of info I was looking for. I have a great computer so the specs shouldn't be much of a problem for me. Glad to hear you guys are having so much fun. I was absolutely loving WoW until Monday but now I am unsure if the game will be ready for release. I still have my fingers crossed for that one for the time being. Good to know I have some place to go if it doesn't work out.

So how easy is twinking a friend???

j/k

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

crafting update
Following Mantisons lead I started grinding out Artisan. Im level 5 now should be 6 soon. At level 10 you can choose an artisan subclass to specialize in Runes, Armor, weapons, jewelery, scrolls and more.

The grind process is pretty straight forward. Put in your resources, click begin and then wait. You toon does an animation based on what type for tool your are in front of, forge, loom writing table etc.

I make about 2-4% xp (of 100) per item so it takes a bit to level. But the good part is, to repeat the process just hit 'repeat' and 'begin' and whamoo you are crafting. The buttons are even in the same spot!
It's so easy I am actually typing this and crafting at the same time. No more clicky-finger-itus!

As you level up and make more complex items there are more steps a 'events' to dodge around but I am not there yet.

need resources to grind? Well go to the wholesaler vendor guy in the workshop you are in and buy them. Then when you are done making your grind items just sell them back.
Its a wonderful system. I buy enough to grind 20 items, thats 20 refined tin bars, 20 pieces of coal and 20 fossil tempers for 8silver 20 copper. I then make the 20 items and then sell them back to the same guy for a total of 41c per item that 8silver 20 copper. Free grinding!

I plan to start making spell upgrades soon to start selling to people to get some income. Ill post more once I level a bit.

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Moge

http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/ ... ge.id=1427

I good link about how the vendors work in EQ2.

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Moge

So.... WoW or EQ2. Which one should I play?

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--The Hermit

There are more Avians playing WoW but it had it's first hiccup this week. Really bad lag when the Open Beta started. I thought the game was unbelievable up until then. I am pretty sure they will fix it but it's been a disappointment this week.

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

Why not try them both and see which one you like?

After playing WoW for a little while and reading this thread, the two games seem very similar in features and playability but it's hard to say without first hand knowledge of both.

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"It's sort of a philosophical question...if a tissue fails to modify a skill that doesn't exist, and no one is around, will any devs hear you screaming?"

I'm of the same mind as Kharlaq. Luckily, I have a copy of EQ2 coming my way sometime next week so I'll get a chance to play them side-by-side and develop a better feel for which I prefer.

I'm not as worried as some about the lag issue but it has made playing recently a pain in the neck. Last night however, the lag was gone but today I've had a hard time getting in. They're likely doing more tweaking.

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Liro
"The english language is not a wedding gown, it doesn't get better the more lace you add. It is instead a thong. Less is more." From /.
I need to remind myself of this regularly.

Crafting Part 2

I made it to level 7. At Level 6 I started making all my Apprentice Level 3 spells (you can buy level 2 but you have to have level 3 player made). That was actually quite fun. Very imerssive, I love the tradeskill houses. Making your own items actually Feels like making an item not crafting something like in SWG.

It is a slow process and I have no idea how people are going to bulk craft if they do it will be quite the process. Teh 'Events' that pop up require quick thinking and provide something to do when crafting objects that are at or above your skill level. Anything well below your skill level you have little chance of getting an event.

Quality is also different, I made a Cude Ink Quill and I made one of a higher quality as well. I do not know if that effects my spells or not. I also made a few backpacks for myself, these have proven every handy as storage space is tiny in game.

I look forward to gaining more crafting skills and I will probably go and become a Scribe so I can continue to write my own scrolls.

Again, very immersive. I saw the huge hulking players pounding away at the forges clearly making there own armor and I saw little dwarlf and halflings over the chemistry tables and scribe tables making spells and potions. The animations, sounds and chance all make an interesting crafting process. I think some of our more hard-core crafters would really get into the process. Bulk will be a pain but personal or guild orders sound remain fun.

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Moge

Can you have a regular player who crafts things on the side or do you have to roll a guy specifically for crafting?

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"Chatfield, I think there's something wrong with our bloody ships." Admiral David Beatty, upon watching the battlecruiser Queen Mary explode at the battle of Jutland.

My name is Tobias Smith and I approved this post.

IMHO..it's the former Rho. They made artisan a completely separate archtype whose primary attribute is creativity. You'll note that creativity is not a listed attribute of any of the races.

But, if you just want to play EQ2 and do no fighting whatsoever, you will be disappointed. You really need to play the combat side of the game until probably at least lvl 10 while crafting along the way.

Some of the others may say you only need to do combat till level 6 or so, which could be...not exactly sure. After that though, you can just craft if you want.

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each character ges two Archtypes. One Combat One Crafting.

Moge is a Druid and a Scholar.

The crafting Archtypes are:
Craftsman
-->Provisioner
-->Woodwoorker
-->Carpenter

Outfiter
-->Armorer
-->Weaponsmith
-->Tailor

Scholar
-->Jeweler
-->Sage
-->Alchemist

At Level 0 crafter you are just a crafter. At Level 10 you pick your Archtype, Outfiter, scholar etc. At Level 20 you pick your Subclass, Armorer, Sage etc.

Remember you can be a level 50 Sage AND a Level 50 Druid, fighter whatever you want. Everyplayer can have a combat Archtype and a Crafting Archtype.

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Moge

I am at level 13 Enchanter, and level 11 Scholar...

Moge is going Sage, I am going Jeweler, hehe...

About to head in game, will give you more detail at work tomorrow. Loving the game.

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SW:TOR - Mantison Gunslinger, Ironmant Trooper, Manni Jedi Knight
WoW - Dalaran - Manni 85 Mage, Ironmant 83 Warrior, Mantison 80 Hunter
SWG - Chilastra Retired Mantison, Commando / TKA Master aka Trogdor !!!!

So Moge/Kharlaq/all, what can you tell us about Sage?

I'm thinking of going Mage/Sorcere/Warlock and Scholar/Sage if I do...

I hear that Warlock's hurting, but that's cool...

Also, any preferences for Erudite vs Gnome?

Also, good sites? It seems that htttp://eq2.allakhazam.com/ is useful.

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--The Hermit

Well Im working on Scholar/Sage and Manti is a Scholar/Jeweler.
With the inter-dependencies of this game it would be great to see some more people in other crafting professions. Not sure what all is needed but a good mix cannot hurt.

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Moge

Most of my impressions have been stated already but I will say that it looks and runs great on my "lower end" machine: P4 2.4ghz, 512mb ram and my new GeForce FX 5500 card that I needed to buy to play the game.

It is a dark game visually. At least to me it is. I do like the graphics and feel but I prefer WOWs to EQ2. But that is secondary to me. It's all about gameplay.

The combat system is really cool. The Heroic Opportunity system is just great. The character system is something I can't wait to really flesh out. Looks really fun.

I'll play both EQ2 and WOW together. The seem to compliment each other. I'll probably play more WOW but I'm not disappointed with EQ2 at all.

Okay....

I played the game obsessively all weekend...

Graphics: I love 'em... the effects are wonderous and the environments are very nice... I have no issues with the lighting or mood or design... love it..

Crafting: Excellent implementation... possible difficulty higher up with a questionable selling system and forced interdependance.. but we will see.. I like the crafting system, it is fun and involved. Harvesting can be time consuming, but I imagine folks will start selling the harvested resources soon enough on their billboards... I know I will be, hehe....

Combat: ROXXORS !!!! Heroic opportunities keep the feel fresh, and the old style of class roles and support and everyone doing their thing is a great break from the SWG style combat. They nailed combat... everyone has cool moves and skills to use, even the tanking warriors can do neat things... BEST COMBAT EVER.

Lag: Noticed it from time to time in the big city areas, but NEVER in combat out in the adventure zones.

Quests: Holy crap there are quests... the quest journal ROCKS. I have gotten most of my XP and gear via quests... hunting quests, delivery quests, exploration quests, crafting quests... you name it, they go it.. and ALL of the quests have cool back stories... THAT MAKE SENSE !!!!

OVERALL: 10 out of 10. This is the game that could end me in SWG if I hadn't promised to keep Mantison alive there forever... but as you have seen, my SWG time is WAY down... as in none since last weekend.

I am sure I will be back in from time to time for some space combat, but honestly, EQ2 is so much fun, it feels like SWG is just something I would do out of loyalty to the group...

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SW:TOR - Mantison Gunslinger, Ironmant Trooper, Manni Jedi Knight
WoW - Dalaran - Manni 85 Mage, Ironmant 83 Warrior, Mantison 80 Hunter
SWG - Chilastra Retired Mantison, Commando / TKA Master aka Trogdor !!!!

one more note on Quests...All NPCs TALK! Actually speak. Just sit back and listen to the backstory! And they used a different voice for every single one!

Crafting: I am now a lvl 12 so most of my current spell/rune/essence upgrades require interdependance. I find this a bit annoying but I have already made decent coin working as a part maker. They give you the resources and you pop out 20-40 builds for them, you make coin and XP - win win.
In the end I find crafting very fun but time consuming. However after 3 hours to make 12 scrolls I didnt get bored. I could have made them faster by buying premade parts from a vendor but I am broke and needed the XP anyway. Selling is a real drag though, you must be online and sitting in your house to sell. I understand it is "emmersive" but damn is it boring. I usually load up my vendor and go AFK. You can also only sell that which is in your inventory. This is good I guess as it keep you from overwhelming the market and other sellers. As Bags get bigger this will be less of an issue I think.

All in all I still love the game. I leave in a few days and will be bummed to miss two weeks of leveling. Everyone will be far ahead of my by then

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Moge

No worries Moge, you can level with Mhia (my fighter chick) when you come back, hehe...

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SW:TOR - Mantison Gunslinger, Ironmant Trooper, Manni Jedi Knight
WoW - Dalaran - Manni 85 Mage, Ironmant 83 Warrior, Mantison 80 Hunter
SWG - Chilastra Retired Mantison, Commando / TKA Master aka Trogdor !!!!