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"chainbreaker" <noone@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:d11lgp0b28@news4.newsguy.com...
> An alternative would be a server completely full of 100% forthright,
> honest, loyal, anal retentive types--a haven where you know that you'll be
> safe unless you ever make the unforgiveable error of breaking out of
> roleplaying character or speech, then god help you.
> Since I don't see any way for that to ever happen, MMOs, the way I see it,
> will continue to be a haven and paradise for munchkins, griefers and those
> who can abide the associated BS. That's not me, I'm afraid.
Yeah, I said it from the beginning and I realize now it's even more true now
than I realized. At one point I even apologized for what I believed was an
overly broad criticism of the WoW player population. It was, and I was wrong
to so generalize. But it turns out that I was more right than I knew; that
game's biggest liability (even beyond the server problems) is probably its
audience, and the griefer's world you predict may indeed play itself out
there just as it did in Diablo.
But my point here is that this is not necessarily inherent in MMOG's and
anyone familiar with the MUD universe will know what I mean.
The player population issue was actually the reason I gravitated toward EQ2
in the first place. I knew that of all the games I'd played EverQuest
traditionally had a generally more mature audience (I lived and experienced
this difference) and I guessed that that tradition would continue with EQ2.
I think I was right. The game has its legendary flaws and many people have
struggled with these as the game has evolved. The population has churned and
turned over many times. People that I started with are in some cases gone,
and new faces have replaced them. Many of the munchkin, l33t-speaking
gnome-wizards and kewl dewds that looked so out of place in EQ2 have gone
(many have confided to me that they were headed for WoW), and in their place
have come a pretty steady stream of generally more mature, patient players
seeking depth rather than a fast track, reminiscent of the type who
eventually made it to the endgame raiding high-end content in EQ.
I know that this message won't resonate with most in this newsgroup, EQ2 has
enough of its own problems and limitations that it's generated a significant
bad buzz around here and elsewhere from folks who in many cases gave it an
honest shot and still left, disappointed. The emphasis on grouping, the high
system requirements, SOE's legendary stupidity, the high hand of control the
game exerts over behaviors, whatever particular dislike people have about
the game, these things are all significant liabilities, they're true, and
have cost subscriptions. Many of these same people disliked EQ for the same
reasons, so that's nothing new and nothing more needs to be said about it
other than, to each his own.
But to your point, however, the two things that I believe keep the core
audience coming to EQ2 are:
1) The maturity of the player population. I'm pretty proud of my guild and
the people in it, for example. We value skilled play, we respect other
people's camps, we know how to fully form the word "please" and we value
discipline and skill in our grouping and know how to play our classes and
how to depend upon our partners to play theirs. We disfavor hacks and
exploits. We don't spam group invites or guild invites, we always have
conversations with other players before inviting them to either.
2) The depth of gameplay. At level 42 (of 50) I'm now running around in the
highest zones the game offers today and the exhiliration I get from figuring
out how to manage a zone like The Obelisk of Lost Souls remains thrilling
and challenging. Nektropos Castle is like a gothic horror movie with ghosts
of dead sisters (poor Melanie Everling ...) and the tragic drama of their
father gone over the edge. The Obelisk of Lost Souls is a fascinating maze
to puzzle out and conquer, fast-paced and yielding up extraordinary loot and
wonderful mysteries tying into the EverQuest lore. The Temple of Cazic Thule
is a swamp-infested jungle, teeming with heart-stopping wildlife,
vine-covered pyramids and bloodthirsty natives, but the treasures and
mysteries unfolded there are worthy of Indiana Jones. It's pretty high
adventure. And I'm just now getting into Lavastorm and Everfrost where I'll
meet and fight the dragons of Norrath ...
These two factors are what make EverQuest 2 satisfying to me. I've had to
adjust to some things. I gave up crafting, for example, and went back to
full time adventuring and questing. As the leader of a guild with a solid
population of dedicated, honorable, skilled players, I have no shortage of
good groupmates (not to mention that I play one of the more popular healer
classes), and this of course makes a significant difference in my personal
frustration factor (relative to someone else who can't get a group). I've
been able to complete ten Heritage quests because I've been able to count on
the cooperation of an oustanding group of skilled players to help me get
there. Many of the players I know who chose classes they thought would lend
themselves to soloing, left in disappointment when they realized that
soloing, despite all SOE's claims to the contrary, just isn't a viable way
to get through EQ2. For the universe of soloing players, WoW is heaven and
EQ2 is hell.
The EQ2 vs WoW threads usually miss the mark when they focus on which game
is "better". Both are great games in so many ways, fun to play when they are
played optimally. But, as with most things in life, what you get out of them
depends a lot on what you put into them and what you expect from them in the
first place. Most of the dissatisfaction I see over both games seems to come
from failed expectations, mis-alignment of objectives and a certain social
pre-disposition that favors one game over the other. Both games have their
technical failings and so things like WoW's server failures are balanced by
EQ2's own technical problems elsewhere, I think that's a wash.
So I don't agree that MMOGs inherently lead to the kind of munchkin,
griefer's world you postulate. Some do, WoW may be one of them. EQ2, for all
its own flaws, will probably wind up very similar to EQ in setting itself
apart from the rest through its own unique positioning. Everyone reading
this will of course have different opinions on the appeal of these
differences. On the content side, one man's depth is another man's tedium.
On the player population side, one man's view of maturity is another man's
view of insufferable arrogance. So I'm really only speaking for myself with
these observations, but for those folks out there reading this who feel
disappointed by your less than optimistic forecast, I'll state the obvious
and remind them to keep in mind that YMMV.
--
Redbeard, the Lore Seeker
<Veritas>
Dwarven Mystic and Alchemist
Loyal Citizen of the Antonia Bayle
Current resident of Qeynos Harbor
http://veritas.everquest2guilds.com
Descendant of the Elder Winterfury Thunderwolf
<Resolution, Retired>
Barbarian Prophet of The Tribunal
Retired Citizen of Firiona Vie
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