Monday, January 25, 2010

Played Lately: Everquest 2

  • Back in December, I mentioned that I might check out the most recent goings on in Everquest 2. What I didn't mention was that I actually did log in during the most recent free trial period. Then I logged right back out and did not look back.

  • I'm not sure if this is a problem I have with EQ2 specifically or MMOs in general. When I logged in to my wizard, I found her on the docks in... huh... I'm not sure where it was. It's the zone you fly to after you leave Kunark. You must have a sense of how disoriented I was. I didn't know where I should go or what I should do. I knew a holiday event was going on, but I didn't know how to find that either. So I said good bye to my wizard again and logged out. It's still installed on my desktop, but I might as well uninstall it.

  • As MMOs have shifted over time toward a more Gamist model, following in the footsteps of World of Warcraft, I've found it to be a lot easier to return to some games over others. A game like Champions Online is so straightforward that there is no opportunity to get lost. All you can do is complete missions so you either return to your mission log or check the crime computer for the next available mission vendor.

  • The open world of Everquest 2 and its ilk are well suited for those who want to avoid the rails in the WoW-alikes. You only have to read Stargrace's adventures to see how a self-guided experience can be accomplished. If you have the goals and resources to tackle them, there is obviously a lot you can do.

  • For me, though, I run into something like Analysis Paralysis. With so many choices available, I am immediately overwhelmed by both the wealth of choices as well as the lack of information to help me make a decision. So in the end I do nothing and seek a game that I can stretch my tiny little mind around.


© 2010 Marty Runyon. All rights reserved.

5 comments:

  1. It's not just you. Each time I've played EQ II I've eventually gotten stuck the same way. The game does a really poor job letting you know where to go next once you finish a given zone. Even if you follow a leveling guide, just figuring out how to get to a new zone can be confusing in my experience.

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  2. I'm finding it the same way, but I'm going slow and I found a nice guild.

    I dont think we play in the same time zone but I can point you to a nice guild.

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  3. @ Yeebo - I have to agree. Just some sort of personal assistant that hangs out in your home to remind you what you should be doing would be a good start.

    @ Warhammerer - I played on the Antonia Bayle server, so you'd think it wouldn't be hard to find a guild. Nonetheless, I'm really bad about that.

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  4. I have played EQ2 many times, and the amount of content along with no knowledge of where to progress when leveling have caused me un-sub many times too.

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  5. I forgot that eq2 has more than one server. If you check the guild finder thing in the popup window at starter you can find guilds to join.

    I'd suggest to join one, best a big one. Guild halls give cheap/free repairs, portals to all over the place, a lower cooldown portal, and a guild most importanrly will answer your questions and give you tips.

    I joined for the tips, but its the best decision I could have made.

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