Comments on: EQ2: Response to Scott Hartsman

By: Tipa

Tipa — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 13:33:18 +0000

And I didn’t get a dungeon group all weekend! Granted I was away or had company through most of it, so couldn’t really play. That said, those lucky guildies who are a little higher level and are getting CoA (not sure what that stands for, Crypt of Agony I believe) and Maiden groups are reporting excellent loot and experience. With luck, I should ding 75 tonight, and be able to start getting some of these groups.

By: Redrinn

Redrinn — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:35:33 +0000

…the weekend ended and the exp gain was dropped again!

By: Tipa

Tipa — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 00:29:25 +0000

I love the EQ2 devs!

By: Kendricke

Kendricke — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 19:37:30 +0000

They’ve adjusted dungeon experience. It’s a first step at least:

http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=395052

By: brackishwater

brackishwater — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:16:44 +0000

Nice post Tipa and I have to agree with some aspects of your argument here because they are very well explained. I too enjoy running through dungeons just for the grind/loot/adventure of it and not having to stop every 5 minutes and say “Did everyone get the update?” or “Who needs 3 more foozles?”. The group I belong to is not level capped or AA capped but we enjoy ourselves. However, I could care less if the exp is less when grinding mobs rather than doing quests because I’m just enjoying the adventure.

What bothers me is that I can halt my adventuring exp to stay within the same levels as my friends but I have no control over the quest exp which has increased dramatically over the last week. I like choices and freedoms, not restrictions. This decision to change quest exp just forced me to level cap that much faster. You know what? I don’t want that.

By: Cameron Sorden

Cameron Sorden — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 16:11:16 +0000

Nice commentary. I’ll be the first to agree that quests, while nice, make progressing through later characters less fun.

By: Tipa

Tipa — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 12:41:24 +0000

AAs is a semi-valid point, but at least in my case, I had all the AAs I wanted in Hour One of the expansion. I respecced everything out of the Troubador tree and spent my 70 points in the Bard tree, where I added DPS back to my heretofore buffin’ fool spec. Then I started filling the Troub tree back in, and now I have pretty much all the AAs from there, too. After I finish my charm AAs, I’ll be back where I was before, putting AAs in random places just to have them spent.

Other classes may have more useful trees, and it is a valid point. My last fifteen or so points previously, came a little slow.

And mind, I am not saying questing is bad or has no purpose. I just want the old dungeon grind back, too. They aren’t mutually exclusive.

By: JC

JC — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 06:55:05 +0000

Tipa,

I have to disagree, actually. It seems like you’re overlooking something that didn’t exist in the original game, but now is a big part of it: AA’s.

Yeah, up through level 60 in DoF you didn’t have to quest becuz you could go in the dungeon and get xp and loot and it was nice to do that. I too have my fond memories of crawling through RoV, Stormhold, WC, FG, RE, et al.

But then in KoS we got AA, and to get that while leveling up, well sure you can kill named and discover new places and find the rare loots that give it, but your primary way of getting it is . . . . . quest like a madman. Or do you really want to get up to level 80 with only 110 or so AA’s and have to grind out the last 30?

Me, I’m hoping to hit about 135-140 AA points as I hit 80, and if the price I “pay” for that is to do lots and lots of(IMO really fun) quests solo or in small groups. . . I’m actually thrilled to do so.

This isn’t to say that I don’t like heroic dungeons. Don’t know why, but I still love to hit up BSS, PoA, Vaults, and HoF just for the heck of it. Earlier today I mentored my warlock down to 65 in an SoS group. Didn’t have anything going on, just did it for fun. But tomorrow I’ll be back in the Fens questing for sure. Why? Becuz I’m loving that also, and I’m loving getting AA. I only had 82 when I hit 70 a few weeks ago on this toon, and 91 when RoK came out. Now I’ve got 104 and am level 73 and can’t wait to get some more points. Frankly, I’m more excited about getting AA xp than I am levels. I know the levels will come. Heck, I gained my 1st 2 levels in about 6 hours from doing the KP quests. . . but even so, I was far happier with the 10 aa points I got from doing them. I really don’t want to have to grind out AA, so I’m very happy to have tons of quests to help me get them.

That said. . . I would hope that there’s better loot in the heroic zones at the very least. So far what I’ve been hearing is kinda disappointing on that front.

By: Genda

Genda — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 02:55:29 +0000

Tipa, I tend to agree with you, and I often wonder why designers feel the need to mess with things once a game reaches maturity. I think most gamers would like more content of similar dynamics (game-style dynamics, that is) rather than a new way to interact with the game, guild, and how you group. Social aspects of the game are so important that it’s very dangerous to mess with that. I saw a guild implode under the changes that POP brought to Everquest.

Anyway, good read. Thanks!

By: Spyte

Spyte — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 22:02:51 +0000

There’s a dozen different ways to say it – but you got it nailed. When are we going to get the other half of the expansion? The half where they let you do “multiplayer” as well as “massive”?

I’m a quester first and foremost – but RoK’s content balance is bizarrely weighted towards solo quests. A lot of which are really boring, unimaginative quests. I’ve killed my 10 rats. About 121 times so far. Now can I have some fun with my mates please?