In depth...Compare FFXI to WOW...Follow

just curious...what's your preview take on EQ2, nin? I don't have experience playing the game yet to argue with you, but it might help me understand your perspective.

unfortunately, all i've been able to do with EQ2 is read. the alpha is very closed, and only 3 or 4 companies have been given preview accounts. From what i can tell, abso-freakin-lutely stunning graphics. the original Everquest had, in my opinion (and often stated in reviews), a very robust questing system, long term playability and balance. One of the downsides was dealing with Verant, and the magic system, which aparently has improved drastically since the release of EQ. as for EQ2, they plan to run it along side of EQ. The storyline will have nothing to do with EQ, so atleast that's good that they are trying to be original. EQ2 developers and team leads have stated that the game is being engineered to target more casual players, with much less reward for hard core gamers.

Let me stop there and note that I don't consider myself a hard core gamer, but i don't know that i'd classify myself as a casual player either. I have some basic MMORPG experience that seems to make it easier to adapt to each new mmo i try. I play usually 2-3 hours per day, but i have a few days a week that i can play more than that.

EQ2 is being designed to cater to the casual player. to take a quote from EQ2's team lead, "..We want to be able to take someone that has never experienced an MMO, and immerse them in a world that is still comprehendable. [more babbling]...Many new commers try out mmo's and get disappointed at how the pros take over the game, making it hard for the new players to experience the game the way it was intended to be. That's what we're aiming for with Everquest 2, and we think it will spell success for us." In short, they are going to make sure that higher level players don't have ultimate power in determining the course of the game, or they will make it so that attaining high level is fairly easy (a less visible grind, which also sends new players away), so that more quests and options are left open. in my opinion, the grind is a kind of necessary evil. you must have it to make the game engaging, make it seem like you are striving for something. Ever play a non-mmorpg with all the cheats enabled and you just skate right through the game, destroying all in your path and obtaining the uber items/abilities, only to see them used a handful of times before it becomes boring? I have fear that this is how a game without the grind could be. Is that what EQ2 is going to turn into? WAY too early to tell yet. The game isn't out of initial development (WoW is out of initial development and has moved to closed beta). I'll keep my eye on EQ2, just like i am for WoW, but chances are, EQ2 won't be right for me. thus far, Meridian 59, DAoC, and FFXI are MMORPGs that have really grabbed my attention for either introducing elements that were ahead of their time (Meridian 59), for sheer fun and long term playability (DAoC), or for incredible balance, an impressive economy setup (run almost entirely by players), and storyline (FFXI). I'll try out other games for a few months, and really the only one that has slipped by me is City of Heros, and only because it just seemed way too corny for my tastes. I'm a picky MMORPG player, and i have a right to be when i have so many options. If more news comes out later about EQ2, set up a post where i'll be sure to see it, and i'll give you an updated response. ^^


I'm glad you realize the futitlity in arguing over the internet, but which beta experiences are you comparing this to? and for the record, Shadowbane and SWG were the most disappointing beta experiences...even thought that after 6 or 8 months of patching the retail of SWG, it succeeding in providing a good niche for those that like to be immersed in a star wars world, not necessarily the best MMORPG....but i'm looking forward to seeing what the space expansion adds in terms of depth.


ah yes, to my main point. I personally do not have a beta account. For this reason, i didn't include it into my experiences so far with beta because people would say "how about you get yourself a beta account before you bash it". However, my roommate does, and i'll often play on his character to get a feel for how the development is progressing. I think that even this experience gives me some taste of how gameplay works, a sample of the questing system, the economics...even though beta economics are always FAR different from retail economics. I will admit that's less than stellar experience, but its far better than just reading about it, which you assumed i was doing...


if that wasn't trying to bash me, then you sure fooled me.


you're correct. EQ2 is in the early alpha stages, and is still in initial development. I would assume that as they near a closed beta, more and more companies will be given 'review' accounts so that they can write up glossy reviews about the beauty of the game...which actually i really like, even about games like CoH, the glossy reviews are what sell me more than anything else to a game, they should be handing out free copies of the articles at retail stores to get you to buy the game if you ask me.

anyway, EQ2 is quite a ways behind WoW in terms of development. I think WoW is at a level where speculation can start to happen, and that EQ2 is really too early to tell....but i speculate anyway.

I've played Dark Ages, Evercrack, Galaxies, Lineage, and a friend has let me sit at his comp to play the WoW beta. Of all of the mmorpgs I've played, FFXI is the funnest for me. For the first time I actually see more than just "added damage and healing" when I group up. The game promotes teamwork and allows you to actually see your strength grow exponentially when you team up with other players. Doing a Distortion chain into a freeze burst, the rdm keeping everyone refreshed that needs it, while sub-healing, bursting off of chains, and then debuffing, the whm keeping everyone in PT alive and basically being the heart of the pt, the tank and subtanks keeping the hate on them instead of on the mages and at the same time managing the skillchains and positioning the mob in case of spawns or AOE. That sure is alot to do, every fight, for things to get stale. But then again these are things that a good PT will do, not just any PT.

The hours can slide away into nothing in FFXI, until I suddenly look up and think "Man, I should really get to bed". A few hours later I finally log out and crawl into the bedroom of my crappy little apartment. If the hours slide away in WoW, doesn't xp start going to crap? Isn't there a hard-coded limit to how much fun you can have? Just doesn't make sense to me.

Hey, someone's gotta be paying their bills.