So, the Tabula Rasa and Rome Rising betas are that bad?

Have you tried getting into the Hellgate London beta?
 

I'm not even sure Hellgate London is a MMORPG. :)

Except for Tabula Rasa I can't say in which betas I'm in, except for saying that it's *not* WAR, unfortunately. Not only am I not allowed to talk about the quality of any betas I might be in, but also I would consider it unwise to do so in the early stages. Lacking content might still be added, and the server stability and availability of a beta or stress test beta server are in no way indicative of the retail version.

And then, not playing a beta can have reasons beyond quality. For example the Burning Crusade beta I deliberately didn't play past Hellfire Peninsula, because I didn't want to consume all of the content before it was even released. I play betas not because I'm too cheap to pay for the real thing, but because it helps me decide what I want to buy. And it helps me to evaluate games early in their life cycle, so I can write about them right when the NDA drops, which is when people are still very much interested in reading about it. Evaluating a game in beta doesn't require me to play it all day long. With most games wiping your beta character before release, once I decide I'm going to buy a game, I might actually play it less, to save the effort for the real thing.
 

BTW, File Planet is offering TR beta accounts.

As to whether HGL is a "real mmo", does it matter? I've gotten positive beta feedback
from a trusted source, and the demo movies look freaking fantastic.
 

You can play EQ2 on any server with any copy of the game. So if you buy it in your local UK shop, you can still play on the US PVP servers. You can also still use Station Access.

Nice huh? :)

I never understood why WoW restricted these things...

Also, if you buy the EoF game you will get all of the expansions. Double check this but I'm pretty sure I'm right. You can usually find it for £15 or £20 in shops.

So... no excuse for not playing now :)
 

I am playing in Europe and bought two weeks ago EQ2 all-in-one bundle from Direct2Drive. Took me some 16 hours to download 9 gigs, though that was mostly because of one part of download, which was incredibly slow. I am happily playing, though I didn't see the expansions content yet. It cost me only 40$, plus some 18% tax, still hell of a bargrain.
 

I seem to recall reading that EQ2 includes all expansions and the base game in the most recent expansion; something about Blizzard not being sure whether to use this model or force you to buy every expac to use the most recent one.
 

Finally somebody integrates a trading card game into a MMORPG, I couldn't possibly miss that.

I advice to collect more information about this, then you would know, that it is the first online trading card game, that doesn't even allow to ... you know, TRADE cards. They scared of RMT for this.

Another advice is to not jump onto EQ2, well i won't - i'll stick to betas until WoW 2.3 goes live. EQ2 is great, so are a lot of other MMOs besides WoW, problem is i won't quit WoW and with that in mind, no other MMO is worth it's subscription fees.

I seriously would companies like to consider lower subscription fees, when you compete in a market that is dominated like this. I know many players who would like to pay for something besides WoW, but not at the same price tag. I mean it sounds rude, but when you're fine with positioning your product in the lower league, than adjust its price accordingly. And no, SOEs model of selling undead MMOs bundled together isn't a role model.

As for EQ2 it won't work out if you approach it with the best EQ1 moments in mind. EQ1's quality declined when certain people left the design process and now SOE tries to ride on those best-of-moments with new people adapting old material. What makes EQ2 so viable for a lot of experienced players isn't the content, but the community and that's my trouble with EQ2 right now. Just to experience this community isn't worth the money for me.
 

I advice to collect more information about this, then you would know, that it is the first online trading card game, that doesn't even allow to ... you know, TRADE cards. They scared of RMT for this.

I think you got that one wrong. As far as I know it is only in EQ/EQ2 where the cards / boosters you find in the game as drops from monsters are untradeable, thus preventing any connection with RMT there, you buying gold from some farmer and using it to get Legends of Norrath cards from the AH. But once you got the booster unpacked in Legends of Norrath, you are able to trade the cards, no problem.

Having said that, I agree that the trading card genre in general has a problem with illegal gambling. MtGO has draft tournaments where you have to pay for cards to participate, and then the winner gets a prize in the form of more cards, which he can then resell to other players who need them for the next tournament. Thus if you win more than you lose you end up with more money than you had, while the losers pay a lot more money for playing. If that isn't gambling I don't know what is. Even if the prize isn't cash, but something easily convertible into cash, you are still playing for money.

But thanks for your view on EQ2, it is good to hear arguments for and against that game. There seems to be a wave of people who left WoW going over to EQ2 at the moment. But just like the last wave of people moving to LotRO, that doesn't necessarily last.
 

If that isn't gambling I don't know what is
Isn't that true of every competition with a resellable prizr though?
 

What really turned me off when I tried the trial for EQ2 recently was that the artistic quality and interface design was nowhere near the level of World of Warcraft while the game still seemed to be very similar in how the abilities work, what kind of quests you get etc.

The engine may be more advanced but at least for that part of EQ2 (I played with a fairy) the level of detail in for example armor pieces was just not there and icon sets looked like something I would expect to find in a freeware game.

I ended up leveling a few levels and exploring until the trial didn't let me go any further but much of this I did forcibly while not really finding anything better than what I've got in WoW. Other areas/classes might of course be more interesting at least...
 

I just recently repicked EQ2 back up after a long while away, like you.

It sounds odd to say, especially as one who once hated the game in its original form... but I do believe it's the best fantasy MMO available right now. That may change when Warhammer comes out, but for now, nothing beats EQ2 in sheer depth and scope.

Your fears of the game being too hardcore should be put to rest. There's no corpse runs anymore, just a little xp debt like CoH. The leveling speed is on par or better than WoW (especially in the newer zones like Faydark and Neriak, pick one of them for your starting city and you won't be displeased).

The crafting's received a major overhaul, and is now far less confusing, but still just as worthwhile as it always was. Unlike WoW, crafted goods actually matter.

The art-style we do agree on, however. But you can go into the graphical options and turn on the "Alternate Models" that were made by Sony Online Games Asia. They have more of an artistic slant, and the uncanny valley is a little less prevalent.

As for expansions and whatnot, I believe from here on out, when you buy the most recent expansion for EQ2 you'll get all previous expansions with it. But you have to buy the boxed version not the download. The download is meant for those players who just want one expansion for whatever reason.

I don't know anything about Europe though...

For any and all info on how the game is these days, try eq2i.wikia.com
 

I tried playing EQ2 a few months ago, after quitting not long after the initial release. The first time I quit was because, while I didn't mind grouping, I also like to spend time soloing and the solo game ceased to exist around level 20.

My second time around I had a hard time putting my finger on why it didn't keep my interest.

It probably suffered from the same things all seasoned games do. Lack of players at low levels.

Once I had to start traveling far and only seeing the occasional player I got the feeling of vastness....and loneliness.

I quit with the feeling most players were hanging out somewhere - I just didn't know where.
 

I picked it up after I left vanguard...http://i184.photobucket.com/albums/x10/fookerss/EQ2_promo_3.jpg

I've enjoyed my time in eq2 for the most part..the biggest catch for me was the lack of other players..I had a hard time finding other players ...leveling up is really easy..in fact if you dont turn off combat exp you level up too fast and good quests go grey..one of the more complicated things you need to masster before starting out is the AA system..its like wows talent system but uses quest exp and exploration..

anyhoo..I think i'd still playing into the game if I found a community to play with..I would recommend any new player start on the crowded server he can find..keeping in mind that this is eq and when they get to higher levels they will be camping mobs and sharing and encounter caladar with other guilds are as there are no instances.
 

Here are some useful eq2 links

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/forums/list.m

http://www.eq2-daily.com/

http://www.eq2ref.com/
 

I picked up an EQ2 bundle pack with all expansions about 2 weeks ago for 40 USD.

I've been having a blast so far just soaking in all the depth of EQ2 vs WOW. It's nice not having to run to trainers for new skills (just upgrades to existing skills), and I haven't had a problem thus far finding a group on the Crushbone server.

On the other hand, EQ 2 still suffers from interesting graphical bugs such as my sword disappearing 40% of the time when I strike an enemy for the last time.

All in all, I would say give it a shot if you're getting bored with LOTRO, or, if your not planning on diving headfirst into any of the upcoming titles.

-Wolfgangdoom
 

I am playing in Europe and bought two weeks ago EQ2 all-in-one bundle from Direct2Drive. Took me some 16 hours to download 9 gigs, though that was mostly because of one part of download, which was incredibly slow. I am happily playing, though I didn't see the expansions content yet. It cost me only 40$, plus some 18% tax, still hell of a bargrain.

As my local store was sold out of EoF boxes, I went for this Direct2Drive option as well. $40 for the game plus 3 expansions really is a bargain.
 

I *love* EQ2 -- I'm currently focused on WoW and LotRO (weekly groups) but I maintain my sub to EQ2 so I can pop in and out. It's casual friendly to a goodly extent (I generally duo with my husband). What you need a group for is the more complicated questlines that send you into instances (same as WoW really) and of course they too have raiding.
Smaller raids though. Crafting is considerably more complex, which is a plus to me but not to everyone.

Get Echoes of Faydark -- it contains the base game and all the expansions. Simple.
 

Pick the right server (antonia bayle is where I'm at) and you'll do great.

Pops are actually up since the very well recieved EoF expansion (added content for lvls 1-70), there is way more content than you can ever experience before you outlevel it (espically if you do quests)

Heroic content is still there, but sony removed MOST of it from the < lvl 40 places.

Generally they are moving towards solo content for 'overland' zones, and each overland zone has a 'dungeon' or two which is heroic, and usually contain one or two 'instances' which are at the top of the level range for the zone, have named mobs, that drop very nice loot.

Get the boxed EoF if you want all expansions, or one that counts as 'retail' key, so I think D2D is ok... if you do Sony's in-house digital download you don't get all past expansions.

I have no idea how anyone can cry about the graphics... must be "extreme performance" settings. If you can run eq2, even on balanced (higher settings are stunning), the game looks unreal. Go run around the sinking sands dessert right around sunset and just try not to sit there and stare for a while.

I've always hated the super-simplified 5 button UI in some *cough* other games *cough*, so I really love eq2's UI which is xml driven and totally customizable in every minute detail and there are MANY UI mods out there.

The community is great, the only critical comment I read above that I could see is lack of pop if you happen to get on a bad server (sony did free server transfers recently, so some consolidation took place)
 

@evrett -- the raid targets are a mix of instanced and contested, just like WoW. And for the record, most of the EQ1 raid content is instanced.

@tobold - start on Nagafen. It's crowded on nearly all levels, great, involved community, lots of people willing to help, very vibrant. I started on Antonia Bayle before restarting on Faydark to be with friends, and I can vouch for that community as well.

The best server is always the one where friends play.
 

I think EQ2 is great nowadays when it comes to game features and mechanics. As far as servers go - unless they changed it recently you can buy the game and choose yourself whether you want to play on European or US servers - you will have a different copy of the files for each of the regions though.

My problem with EQ2 has been lack of people lack of people in low- to midlevels who like storylines and quests and who do not already have maxed out characters. I.e. those that do not rush through quests, do not just want to group to maximize xp and not just farming master spells from named mobs.
If you find a good group of people to play with I think you will have an excellent time.
 

Gooood decision to start EQ2 again. Its really good now in terms of user friendliness, content and community.

I can´t compare population densities, but on Innovation (one of the german speaking servers) a lot of people started alts when the Arasai came out so there is an active population in the low/middle levels- Apart from that soloing is possible for most classes. If you end up on Innovation give me a tell (Diogenes).
 

also remeber unlike other games..a 70 can just mentor down and play with 23s or whatever if she wants..and a lot of them do..AA points are much easier to get at lower lvls
 

I am excited to see this post on your blog. I have been playing WoW for the past year, and felt I needed a change.
I purchased the basic EQ2 game online yesterday to give it a shot.
I tried the Trial-O-the-Isle a while back,and it seemed pretty fun.
I still really enjoy WoW, but it just seems to get a bit repetitive after a while.
Keep us posted on your experience!
 

Do people use Bots in EQ2?
I have running a mission to find out some Hunter (unguilded and using a boar most of the time) has already killed all the MOBs in the area.
They seem to be EVERYWHERE in WoW nowadays.
\grumble
 

There is a boxed EoF version that comes with all expansions for ~€35.

You can level to max level in Faydwer, you never even have to look at the old content - which is a good thing because the old content sucks and it's essentially deserted. I only went there for exploration AXP and a few quests.

EoF is what turned the game into what it was supposed to be at release. They finally implemented zones that were actually reminiscent of the old EQ zones, something which was implied from the very beginning but never actually done until EoF.

Back in december, when I gave EQ2 another try, there were plenty people in the EoF newbie zones, prolly old players starting over as Fay. No idea how populated it is nowadays, but there is plently solo content.

Btw, uncanny valley is most certainly not a problem in EQ2... especially the player models look for too crappy.

I quit EQ2 when WoW was released and I can't say I particularly enjoyed the two months or so I played. It's a much better game now, probably among the best Fantasy MMORPGs... the EoF content, that is.

It's a much more casual and solo friendly game now, there is a huge amount of content and it's actually fun.
 

Juste to precise something.

The crafting's received a major overhaul, and is now far less confusing, but still just as worthwhile as it always was. Unlike WoW, crafted goods actually matter.

That's totally false. It happens to be the contrary those time with crafting suits better than T5 (look at mages/shadow priests).
 

My main MMORG is EQ2, though I play on the PVP servers.

Many others have already commented on how much the game has changed in terms of levelling and such, and if you choose a popular server then grouping should never be an issue. Probably Ant Bayle for PVE and Nagafen for PVP

When you get the game and launch the start-up screen make sure you change the location to US and not EU or you will have to redownload some files once the EU one has finished :)

The game itself is fantastic now, ive been saying on ORC web page for a while how much I love it but there all still stuck in WoW :)

The hardest part of the game is choosing what class to play! I currently run an Illusionist on Naggy, and a Defiler and a Dirge on Venekor. But Ive got (and had) many many alts


let us know how you get on Tobold

Konnor from ORC
 

It most definitely is worthwhile to pick it up. I played at release and wasn't very thrilled with it at the time. I went back two years later to a much better game. The EoF expansion was extremely well done.

Like you, the character graphics I never found appealing and ultimately this led to my leaving once again (along with other reasons). I just never could connect with my character because of her appearance.

But still, it really is a great game, and one of the best out there. Both of the roleplay servers have excellent communities.
 

gamersloot can sort you out with a us copy. https://gamersloot.net/catalog/index.php?cPath=162_125
 

Hmmmm, EQ2 now with 100% more Grimwell eh? Why can't I be evil too? ;)

I'm going to roll down your points and share my very biased views. :)

Crushbone. I didn't play EQ, but I like Crushbone a lot in EQ2. It could be me. EoF is a solid adventure area and I spent most of my first months on the job in the EoF zones and never ventured to the original content until Neriak hit. Not joking.

Legends of Norrath. It's a game. You can buy boosters that only work in the TCG interface. The 'loot' boosters you can pick up in eihter game can be traded, but the cards that have in-game rewards can't. At least, at this phase of beta that's where it stands. It's not another stab at RMT, nobody has to payl, and nobody has to play. It's just something else to do as an option.

Technology. The game has been refined heavily since launch. Optomized is the fancy word I think. Pretty much any computer you buy at stores these days can play it (thank you Vista and DX10).

The Vision. That 'vision' thing has no place in EQ2. Scott Hartsman leads the dev team well, but we focus on a good game, not some crazy vision that the game has to be mashed into. EQ2 is much more solo friendly, which is why many people note that it's hard to find groups at low level... you don't *need* groups to advance, only to be social and take down a few Heroic ^^^ critters along the way. You can move from 1 - 70 without a group if you want.

The Uncanny Valley. I never found it photo realistic, but art styles are very subjective. I play a lot of Fae and Arasai (floating is good) so I may be benefiting from it in an unconsious way (it's hard to get uncanny with wings?)

Other things to do. I hear ya there! It's really a good time in the MMO world.

Expansion jungle. Get the EoF Boxed set at the store... or the Direct2Drive download. Then you get the game and all expansions. D2D is a huge DL, but the game isn't exactly small anymore.

European play. My coworkers in Community who handle community stuff for Europeans are here in San Diego at SOE. Europeans can even play on US servers with ease (install to a second directory). Game updates are held on a different time schedule so it does not hit Euro prime time. Beyond that, it's the same game.

Looking over the comments...

Lack of other players... our subscriber base went up with the EoF expansion, and is doing fine. The solo factor is the likely culprit, as people don't need to group anymore at low levels.

Evrett's links are rock solid. I'd add in eq2players.com but I'm biased.

"Start on Nagafen" only if you like PvP EQ2 Style! I'm on Naggy these days, but it is PvP so you have to be alert.

Crafting... it did receive a major overhaul and Dominoe, the new crafting dev, is kicking ass and taking names. The crafting results are fine as far as gear needs, but yes - the high end players can pull better from raids. That said, I do fine in the gear I craft, and pull from the non-raid content I usually see.

Even if you don't find it to be the best game for you, as an old friend who I read daily (save for during Fan Faire), I'd love to see your take on the current game.
 

I picked up EQ2 just a little while ago. I really like the art direction and design of EoF, and things like mentoring, AA, and the ready availability of worthwhile group questing are appealing. The community is also uniformly better.

The engine/animation are still not as immersive as WoW, in my opinion. With WoW I feel no disconnect from my character, and with LOTRO I didn't feel connected at all. EQ2 is somewhere in between, it's passable but feels a bit "floaty." Not sure how else to put it. Also, melee design class sucks, it's pretty much a set string of buttons to spam. The WoW combat rogue's 222223 or ambush rogue's 123234 with various energy decisions is a lot better, in my opinion, than the 123456789>button whack-a-mole of the EQ2 swashbuckler.

I recently found out some RL friends are picking up WoW, the first time I've ever gotten an RL group playing an MMO, so I'm heading back there casually. Still, the EQ team that's in place now is doing a good job.
 

Good luck, Tobold. I've considered EQ2 after finally leaving WoW, but there are three things stopping me.

First, I'm tired of the fantasy genre.

Second, I'm definitely tired of the fantasy genre when there's nothing compelling to do when you max out your level. If I'm going to grind all the way to 70, I'd want some sort of PvP with controllable territory options, like DAOC or Eve. I'll play WAR, even though it's fantasy, because I want to have an effect on the gameworld, unlike WoW, EQ or EQ2.

Third, I drifted into Eve Online when the WoW burnout hit, and I'm enjoying it far more than I ever thought I would. Part of that was falling into a good corporation (new players to Eve Online should check out the Eve University corporation, it's a good idea and a good group of people), but part of it is solutions to problems 1 and 2 above.

Whatever you choose, I'll look forward to reading about it!
 

To allivate one of your fears, eq2 is now very solo friendly. I recently went back and solo 99% of the time. Granted some classes solo better than others but you can solo any class to one degree or another, even healers (and not just druids :P )