What will be the biggest difference between EQ and EQII?

Elf · Post by **Elf** » October 12, 2004, 2:45 pm

What will EQ II offer vs EQ? Opinions?

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » October 12, 2004, 5:10 pm

Start with the stuff listed here and go on through the site.

http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/ ... redir=true

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 12, 2004, 6:51 pm

Hollywood Talents Christopher Lee and Heather Graham Lend Their Voices to EverQuest II

- Graham Leads the Forces of Good While Lee Brings EverQuest II's Merciless Villain to Life -

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 12 -- Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced that legendary British actor Christopher Lee and Hollywood star Heather Graham have been cast to lend distinct character and voice to the two main characters of EverQuest II. Mr. Lee and Ms. Graham bring their high-profile acting talents to this revolutionary project which encompasses more than 130 hours of spoken dialog, the equivalent of more than 65 feature films worth of content.

"The voiceover component of EverQuest II is a huge project that has already raised the bar for future MMO games," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "Christopher Lee is an icon in the entertainment industry, having been a part of some of the greatest fantasy and science fiction franchises in history, and he has truly brought Lucan D'Lere to life. Heather Graham embodies the spirit of fantasy, giving life to Antonia Bayle, the leader of the forces of good. Both deliver compelling performances for our players that blur the line between blockbuster Hollywood films and interactive gaming."

Mr. Lee is a legend in the entertainment industry, having appeared in more than 200 films, including recent memorable turns in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones and The Lord of the Rings. In EverQuest II, Mr. Lee will provide voiceover for the character of Lucan D'Lere, the 1000-year-old overlord of the evil city of Freeport. In a recent voiceover session, Mr. Lee described the character of Lucan D'Lere: "He is an overlord, he is a tyrant, he is a dictator, and he is immortal." EverQuest II players can look forward to more than four hours of dialog from Mr. Lee in the finished game when it is released later this year.

Ms. Graham has appeared in more than 40 films, including such hits as Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, From Hell, and Boogie Nights. Ms. Graham provides the voice for Antonia Bayle, Queen of Qeynos and leader of the forces of good in EverQuest II. At the voiceover sessions in Los Angeles, Ms. Graham commented, "What's cool about EverQuest II is that it's an interactive experience where you are the hero in your own personal adventure." Ms. Graham's character delivers approximately 300 lines of dialog in EverQuest II.

Featuring more than 70,000 lines of dialog spread across over 1,700 voice actors, EverQuest II is setting a new standard in immersion for the MMO genre. As new quests are added to the game after launch, the voice library will continue to grow as the game sets the pace for the future of MMO gaming. EverQuest II is scheduled for a simultaneous release in North America and Europe later in the year.

About EverQuest II

EverQuest II is the next generation of massively multiplayer gaming, a huge online world where thousands of players come together for adventure and community. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful game world to explore, as well as voices for almost all non-player characters, EverQuest II sets new standards in gameplay and immersion. EverQuest II brings players into its world with a powerful epic storyline and gives them the power to be the hero or villain in their personal adventure. Players enter this world by creating their own unique character, choosing from 16 races and 24 classes. Players will encounter hundreds of creatures as they travel across majestic landscapes of rolling hills, barren deserts, dense forests, and bustling cities. Thousands of items, hundreds of spells, and unlimited adventure await all who enter the world of EverQuest II. EverQuest II also features:

* A new, massive online world for thousands of players to explore, filled with danger, adventure and mystery

* Voices for non-player characters (NPCs) in the game, a huge project encompassing more than 70,000 lines and 130 hours of dialog

* Unparalleled character customization capabilities. In addition to thousands of armor, weapons and items users can equip, players will be able to customize their character's facial appearance to an incredible level of detail and personalization

* 16 races, dozens of levels and 24 classes with a branching system that allows players to choose their class as they advance

* Player-owned real estate (such as apartments, homes, and guild houses)

* No race/class combination limitations, allowing players to truly choose who they want to be in game

* New user friendly game mechanics with reduced learning curve for both new and seasoned players

* More than 160 unique creature types, from Orcs and Goblins to huge dragons and menacing Living Statues

* Incentives for current EverQuest subscribers

* A state-of-the-art, cinematic quality 3D graphics engine that is tailor-made for current generation NVIDIA-based graphics cards, and capable of improving as hardware technology advances. The flexibility of the engine is also ready to harness future technology advancements, keeping the game fresh over time.

* State-of-the art combat, spell and skill systems

* Trade skills available to all player classes

Ennia · Post by **Ennia** » October 13, 2004, 12:22 am

are they still pro item decay in EQ2?

nm link answered that

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 13, 2004, 12:32 am

Ennia wrote:are they still pro item decay in EQ2?

There is item decay but it really isn't a factor. It's almost like food and water is now. You don't need food and water but it helps with regen if you use it.

I spent like 10 copper to repair my few items and it's really easy to do. It's cheap and you dont lose your item ever that I can tell.

Ajran · Post by **Ajran** » October 13, 2004, 1:32 am

The biggest thing for me is that i will have to spend money on my pc's to play it that i won't have to spend to play other new games coming out around the same time.. So therefore i don't even have to be tempted to buy it.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 13, 2004, 3:22 am

Ajran wrote:The biggest thing for me is that i will have to spend money on my pc's to play it that i won't have to spend to play other new games coming out around the same time.. So therefore i don't even have to be tempted to buy it.

It's very playable on a computer with a 2GHz+ CPU, 1 GB Ram, and a 128MB Video Card.

If you don't have at least that, I'd look elsewhere for entertainment. Those aren't really outrageous system requirements these days. If you happen to have a kick ass system, EQ2 also takes full advantage of it. There are a shitload of video options that you can adjust or use the dumbed down ones of low, medium, high, very high, balls out and ...dude! levels.

Rivera Bladestrike · Post by **Rivera Bladestrike** » October 13, 2004, 9:54 am

I imagine the biggest difference between EQI and EQII is the elimination of 70 person raids...

Rayquan · Post by **Rayquan** » October 13, 2004, 12:43 pm

EQ2 is a completly different game. Everything is different, just about.

I like the ARAC system, i enjoyed how it was used in FFXI so i guess illl enjoy it in EQ2 as well.

Im hoping item decay works like in Diablo2 (The item never dissapears, but it becomes unuseable if the decay is full, always repairable)

Trias · Post by **Trias** » October 13, 2004, 12:46 pm

biggest difference is endgame scale and raid size/guild size

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » October 13, 2004, 12:58 pm

For a guy that isn't in beta (DAMN YOU) - what's the size diff on raid encounters? I didn't actually look at the link myself. o.0

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » October 13, 2004, 2:17 pm

the whole "locked encounter" thing seems like a too harsh reaction to KSing

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 13, 2004, 2:23 pm

Tenuvil wrote:the whole "locked encounter" thing seems like a too harsh reaction to KSing

It seems ok so far. If someone runs into trouble, they can yell for help and the lock is removed from the encounter at which point they lose all opportunity for experience from it but others can jump in and help.

It's pretty seemless and a positive as you know right away that the mob isn't yours and you don't waste your time beating on it because the lock won't allow you to.

You can still train though Tenuvil! Training is verly limited though and it seems the mobs don't wander back to their locations and cause more trains, they sort of pop back into place. I need more time to see what's actually going on with this.

Elf · Post by **Elf** » October 13, 2004, 2:32 pm

Hmm saw the 24 person raid limit thing. That kicks ass and makes guilds even more important instead of having a "zerg".

Guess well see a lot more guilds in EQ 2 and definatley higher standards to get into guilds if people decide to look.

Elf · Post by **Elf** » October 13, 2004, 2:52 pm

Taken off my EQ 2 guild's board

Zeus of Gamergods has tested both of these games in Beta And here is his game comparisons.......

If there is one question I have been asked more than anything else this year, it has been: "What is better, EQ2 or WoW?"

That is no easy questions, but now that I have spent some quality time in both games, I am going to write my first impression on this matter. However, I hold reservation to change my mind in light of testing progress, patches, expansions and future content and game changes that may enhance and improve the games.

I will start by simply stating what both games offer.

Both games offer a beautiful atmosphere to enjoy online 24/7. They both have interesting storylines and a multitude of fantasy character types and classes to choose from.

They both offer unique lands that are different as you adventure further and further out from your starting location. Both have land varieties: Deserts, Oceans, Swamps, Plains, Fields, Cities, Forests, and more.

Both have several Metropolises; areas to come and trade, meet others, talk about adventures, set out on new ones, and access quests at.

These games, on the basis of what they offer gamers, are on par with each other, but we are not here for that, so lets talk about how they are different.

World of Warcraft is a virtual game that puts you in a very fantasy world. Even the art style is fantasy and cartoonish. I was at first taken back by this style, but found myself quickly immersed by it and even spending times just to get up on that hill and see what I could on the other side.

It definitely is beautiful in its own way and no other game looks like it that I've seen. If I could compare it to anything, I would have to say Saga of Ryzom, but that wouldn't be a close enough to really give you the idea. Lets just say those two games go for a fantasy cartoon look similarly, rather than trying to look like a real virtual world.

World of Warcraft summed up is a plethora of questing. You could literally quest the whole game and never group with anyone. If the quest is too hard, simply level up some more. However, it does encourage grouping enough to make it viable and worth the time invested in gathering a team.

Its quests are fun and short, more of a 1000 short stories leading you further and further across lands and up against tougher challenges.

However, if you level up, you can usually solo all of them. There are some instances where you simply need a team though, which are nice and allow you to socialize.

World of Warcraft offers some new features:

Death System - Very unique and exciting! You actually tend to not feel so angry when you die, like most games. However, it does tend to make dying sometimes a viable alternative. In other words, if you know you could die running out of a cave, you won't really hesitate, as the death will not slow you down too much if your respawn graveyard is nearby and getting back to your place of death is easy.

Sleep System - Definitely a nice addition to bridge the gap between casual and hardcore gamers. You don't really feel the pain if you level hours and hours a day, as the quest system, combined with the ease of soloing and leveling, makes the grind less of an effort, but also makes leveling up fast possible, which is never a good thing for hardcore players. It is really a great feature for everyone else though.

Crafting System - Much like Horizons with going out, finding resources, and then going to a building to craft. However, resources are much rarer. In the same breath; however, the amount you have to make is also much less to level than Horizons. In short, it is fun, but, in some cases, not very useful. I see this changing as more and more patches continue to tweak and improve the crafting system's usefulness.

Travel System - In short, it is amazing. There is nothing like flying on a Gryphon with the beautiful land below you passing by, watching the populated lands below you go on with their hustle and bustle. Truly I believe one of the coolest parts of the game. I could enjoy just flying around all day.

WoW is a game perfect for those who play 2 or so hours a day, but has plenty to do for those who play 20 hours a day for quite some time. It is a superb game in every aspect and on par with EQ2. There is one difference that, depending on what kind of player you are, will be what helps you decide which is better. But we will get to that.

EQ2 is the cutting edge of all MMORPG's out right now. No other game gives you better graphics, voice-over NPCs, and realism in a fantasy setting. This game is the same as its predecessor. It sets the bar and, so far, only WoW has been able to get within range of competing with this Goliath in the MMORPG arena.

EQ2 is very similar in play-style to the original game. You need to group to survive and experience is best in a well-balanced team. Classes are very unique and each has their perks. You will know what you want in your team to make it a perfect group. The game's draw will continue to be power and items. You will want to level to get 'phat lewt' and go on raids to kill the big dragons/uber mobs.

The difference, or definition, of this game (for those new to EQ) is that it is not catering only to the 100+ guild with the top-level players on the server.

You are able to take on encounters with groups of lesser numbers, even single teams in some cases. The set goal of encounter number is said to be around 24 players, making it much easier and less cumbersome of a game to organize in and play, but still making it the 'social king'. I believe the draw of EQ2 will is the fact that people buy these games to play with others. In EQ2 you can't survive without it. Sure, you can solo a bit, and it is even more possible than before in EQ, but really it is a grouper's game.

Crafting in EQ2 is brand new. There is nothing like it anywhere. You find little workshops in the various suburbs of the two main cities which have multiple workstations for each area of crafting. In the beginning it is a simple grind to advance game, with only a few items really worth marketing. However, I have found that marketing is very easy and you will empty your full inventory with the few items that do sell as fast as you can make them.

Unlike EQ, EQ2 does have craftable wares that are better than looted items or are only available from crafters. You can even become a crafter only, which is unique to EQ2, whereas in EQ, it was an after thought. However, most crafters seem to enjoy putting down the tools and getting in a nice group fighting and advancing their adventure level.

You can pretty much craft solo, making a nice viable option when that group is not easily found.

However, there are advantages to working in the mentor system, where someone a few levels below makes you sub-components for your higher level items. Both players get good experience and both can save/earn money in the endeavor.

Traveling in EQ2 is difficult. You cannot hop around the world in minutes, like in WoW, at least not yet. There is much in the game still being finished.

WoW seems much easier to travel in, regardless of what EQ2 does, but EQ2 is much more of a challenge, which is part of what makes traveling difficult.

This is also where the division between casual and hardcore gamers will divide. If you have more time to play overall, then traveling time is less of an issue than if you need to log in and get as much accomplished in an hour as you can.

EQ2 starts out very much a mesh of common class types and teaches you slowly about yourself as you level and learn new skills that eventually separate you as an individual. In WoW you pretty much walk out of creation who you are, forever and always. In short, the grind sets in earlier as you do the same type of thing from start to finish with WoW. In EQ2 it seems like something new as you go from base class (Fighter, Mage, Priest, Scout) into your next level of class choices, and then into your final class choice.

However, WoW advancement is quicker, so it doesn't pause long enough to make you feel like the grind is overwhelming.

There again, we see a division that decides which is best for you. Do you want to play for a long period of time before maxing out the character you play, or are you more interested in working hard for your maxed character, to feel like that much more was accomplished?

In the end, this is the true division of the two games.

World of Warcraft will please the casual to mid-level gamer (as far as those who have less time to play than the hardcore gamers). EQ2 will please the day to day gamer, the guy who logs in each day or several days a week and has hours to enjoy playing. It really boils down to this one question, because the two games offer just about everything else as the same.

Now, one other thing that sets the two games apart is socialization. Both have guilds and both have groups, but in EQ2 you thrive in your guild, groups, and large group raids. In WoW you don't really ever have to do any of that if you choose not to. This could be grouped into the whole time thing, because establishing a great guild with many active players is definitely something that thrives when players have lots of time to play together. But really casual games have many great guilds too that are just not so dependant on how many are online and ready to raid.

So here is my final definition on the large debate of EQ2 vs. WoW:

If you play a lot and love to socialize, EQ2 will give you a game where players are looking to group and a game that gives you plenty to do for a very, very long time as progress. It is slow enough to keep you doing new things to improve yourself, but fast enough to keep you excited your playing.

If you play when you can and have limited time to be in-game or enjoy being able to log in and just go, without worrying if you get a group or not, then World of Warcraft is a great game for you. You still have friends and guilds, but you are not dependant on them to get the 'big stuff' done. Well, at least not all of it.

In short, both games will be huge successes. Both companies have really outdone themselves and, for the first time in years, both games will release without to many issues. Both are definitely fun to be in and be a part of. You just have to ask yourself a couple questions in deciding which one is for you.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » October 13, 2004, 3:24 pm

Winnow wrote:
Tenuvil wrote:the whole "locked encounter" thing seems like a too harsh reaction to KSing
It seems ok so far. If someone runs into trouble, they can yell for help and the lock is removed from the encounter at which point they lose all opportunity for experience from it but others can jump in and help.

I guess I'd rather see a mechanism where a player in trouble that requests assistance would still get some xp while still not allowing KSing...

You can still train though Tenuvil!

WOOHOO TRAIN OF HILL GAINTS TO FEEROTT ZONE INC!!!

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 13, 2004, 5:19 pm

Elf wrote:Traveling in EQ2 is difficult. You cannot hop around the world in minutes, like in WoW, at least not yet. There is much in the game still being finished.

This isn't really true. The world is huge but there are griphon towers in EQ just like in WoW to ride from station to station on and see the populated land below. (very cool) There are places you need to travel to, I havent found anything outrageously far away and there is a very cool travel system built within cities to hop around even within the same city and also an additional instant travel system on top of the real time griphon rides to travel by outside of cities. On top of this, there is an excellent Way Point system that creates a sort of star trail to your destination or group member to make it easier to find locations.

You can also play mini Sims in EQ2 as you buy stuff for your apartment or upgrade to larger residences. I've sent in a /bug report because purchased mirrors can't be placed on the ceiling above your bed.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » October 13, 2004, 5:30 pm

Player housing, travel, waypoints, the quest system, crafting & tradeskilling, zoneless world, mob behaviour...all of the new features in EQ2 sound like SWG refined and grafted onto the EQ model. It's looking more and more that SWG was the beginning of beta for EQ2. I only hope for y'all's sake that the launch goes smoother and there's more content.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 13, 2004, 5:35 pm

Tenuvil wrote:Player housing, travel, waypoints, the quest system, crafting & tradeskilling, zoneless world, mob behaviour...all of the new features in EQ2 sound like SWG refined and grafted onto the EQ model. It's looking more and more that SWG was the beginning of beta for EQ2. I only hope for y'all's sake that the launch goes smoother and there's more content.

I played the beta of SWG. It sucked ass. EQ2 isn't SWG.

Tenuvil · Post by **Tenuvil** » October 13, 2004, 6:19 pm

Winnow wrote:I played the beta of SWG. It sucked ass. EQ2 isn't SWG.

LOL, the beta was infinitely better than production.

Rivera Bladestrike · Post by **Rivera Bladestrike** » October 13, 2004, 8:06 pm

I read that Heather Graham is going to be in the game as a voice actor, I'd be interested to see if her boobs would make an appearance as well...

Mr Bacon · Post by **Mr Bacon** » October 14, 2004, 1:46 am

Rivera Bladestrike wrote:I read that Heather Graham is going to be in the game as a voice actor, I'd be interested to see if her boobs would make an appearance as well...

She is the voice of Antonica (or something) while Christopher Lee is Sir Lucan D'lere

Akaran_D · Post by **Akaran_D** » October 14, 2004, 10:15 am

Antionia Bale.

Great grandaughter of the guy that's 'running' Qyenos now.

Funkmasterr · Post by **Funkmasterr** » October 14, 2004, 6:14 pm

I Played final fantasy online for a few months, and the lock on battle system was one of the few features I did not like.

The problems I have with this system are; say the mob is damn near dead, and you have to call for help, and someone does help you. I think you should each get a small percentage of the exp if the mob dies.

What I am assuming they did do different with eq2 than FF is that in FF you really could not effectively run from a lot of mobs, especially if they were difficult.

Lastly, contrary to how eq seemed to have always been, in FF, at least on the server I was on, you would be damn lucky if anyone helped when you called for help, and generally, when someone did, it was a japanese person that was like 40 levels higher than you.

At higher levels, with no exp gain, you would see people helping less and less.

Ajran · Post by **Ajran** » October 14, 2004, 9:09 pm

Winnow wrote:
It's very playable on a computer with a 2GHz+ CPU, 1 GB Ram, and a 128MB Video Card.

It won't run on my geforce2.. however World of Warcraft beta doesn't even hiccup on it... Just not in the budget to upgrade 2 video cards at the moment.. because if/when I ever upgrade them i'm gonna go with something thats going to last a year or so.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » October 14, 2004, 9:15 pm

Ajran wrote:
Winnow wrote:
It's very playable on a computer with a 2GHz+ CPU, 1 GB Ram, and a 128MB Video Card.

It won't run on my geforce2.. however World of Warcraft beta doesn't even hiccup on it... Just not in the budget to upgrade 2 video cards at the moment.. because if/when I ever upgrade them i'm gonna go with something thats going to last a year or so.

You don't meet the requirements with a GeForce 2. EQ2 is a much more intense game graphically. Your system is limited so go with the game that will run on it. Nothing wrong with that. I applaud SOE for keeping the game state of the art and waiting for people to upgrade if needed to play. They took a lot of complaints after upping the requirements for EQ over the years so best to make it high to begin with.

Considering they are up to Geforce 6 series, GeForce 2 is a bit dated. EQ2 will still be around after you upgrade if you decide to try it out then.