Why don't they release an EQ 2? Ok, so this new expansion will have a new race and a new class...but it will still be the same slow paced game that i never want to play again... such a pity... i love the eq engine, the graphics and models are still the best in any mmrpg, but its all wasted on SLOW AS MOLASSES gameplay. Plus "average" players (those who don't play at least 40 hours a week), will probably be forced to wait it out in the last expansion as every uber guild will load the new expansion... uhm just venting i guess.

Ill give it to Verant though, this is smart marketing to keep all the addicts playing... its the neverendingquest.

ACtually i think Verant should do a solo rpg with limited multiplayer (ala diablo) with a souped up EQ engine, and maybe allow your characters from EQ to be played solo in the game and have a world as big as EQ and stuff is open ended. I think this would sell at LEAST 300,000 copies since there are that many subscribers in EQ. just an idea...

I always thought that about UO. I love the way the skills are set up i UO, and love how much you can tailor you character to be a blacksmith, boyer, farmer, or fisher -- whatever you like. Character development like that is way too rare. I'd like UO almost as much offline.

Anyone still playing EQ? I just reinstalled it and the two existing expansions, and finished patching it last night (took forever, on a dial up, because I started from a fresh install). It's been so long since I played that I forgot how things work. For instance, I now have my buff icons in the lower right of the screen rather than on the upper right, and the command toolbar that is usually only visible in certain views is now promiinently displayed in the lower right as well. Very odd. And my USB Intellimouse Explorer optical mouse sucks with the game.

Bob, you can rearrange the interface now. You can put your buffs anywhere you want.

I got sucked back into it as well. I know people bitch about it, but I've never really had too many complaints. Of course I never reached the higher levels, either. For all the time I put in the game, I spread it out across 5 characters, so my highest level character is only level 25. I've also always played characters that can solo fairly well, so I never lack for something to do.

Um, ok, HOW do you rearrange the interface?

I think there are little drag handles in the corner? If that doesn't work, try clicking and holding the button down and dragging. I don't remember what I did exactly. It's a feature of the Velious expansion, so maybe it's explained somewhere with whatever doc came with it.

Docs? Me, read docs? Hahahaahaha....

Thanks, Mark. I'll look.

The first 20 levels is the best part of EQ IMO. Everything is fresh and you get some neat abilities. After that it is semi interesting until 30 then it is completely downhill from there. Again IMO.

Like Mtkafka I would appriciate an EQ game that would allow for soloing. I like adventuring with people sometimes but in a lot of instances I would rather go it alone and be able to do some damage. Also being able to log on play for an hour then do something else would be great.

"Like Mtkafka I would appriciate an EQ game that would allow for soloing. I like adventuring with people sometimes but in a lot of instances I would rather go it alone and be able to do some damage. Also being able to log on play for an hour then do something else would be great."

Why can't you do this now? This is exactly how I tend to play. Is it because I'm not a high enough level yet?

If you like the first 20 levels, why don't you just play some different race/class combos up to those levels? I've played a magician, necro, druid, wizard, and now a ranger and they all play differently. I'm interested in playing a shadow knight and enchanter still. I've also never played as a dark elf, troll, gnome, or ogre.

Hehe, my characters are fairly lame. I have a L35 Ranger, a L34 Wizard, a L30 Cleric, and some smaller fry. No where near high enough to do much it seems. And no, I didn't play night and day to build them up--for reviews and previews I had Verant "bump" me (the highest I ever got on my own was level 13 :-))

There are a handful of classes you can solo at the higher levels. Clerics can solo some undead. Magicians/Necros can solo some things with their pets. Druids can kite about anything in the open field. I soloed quite a bit with my wizard up to about 20 but after that you are pretty much bound to a group. And when you get really high, you pretty much kill runners and act as the "scotty get us the hell out of here" guy. By the time you reach the planes you are just in the sit around and be ready to rescue everyone role.

Obviously you can say, go play a druid or whatever but I spent 10 months getting my wizard up to 40. I wasn't about to put in another 10 months to get a druid up to 40.

I suppose I could play a bunch of things up to 20 but then it is like what is the point? I guess about as much as going up to 60 just takes less time. I would rather play dozens of other games I would miss from sinking hours into EQ.

Hey if anyone's interested maybe we can setup some kinf of EQ qto3 group going like once a week or something... anyway just a thought. I was thinking like Torvinillos as a server since i played a little there the general players there seem polite...compared to my uber guild whore server of Veeshan.

I got a lvl 40 or something Druid (with my friends playing him after i hit 33..), then I have way too much chars between level 10 - 20... wizard here warrior there, cleric and Shaman ...the only characters i never played much was an enchanter, SK or Bard.

yes the game is very slow paced after 30...even after level 25 about...though EQ still has no comparison when you have a good group going at it in a dungeon...its real fun if you get in a group with like minded ppl. I like putting the chips on the table when playing EQ, though when you die at higher levels the penalty is severe...which is annoying. I hate the "camp the safe spot" of the game...so friggin boring. but then again the strategy of group tactics in EQ is the ultimate in maximization of time vs xp vs loot. the best players in EQ never take risks, or very little.

etc

"I suppose I could play a bunch of things up to 20 but then it is like what is the point? I guess about as much as going up to 60 just takes less time. I would rather play dozens of other games I would miss from sinking hours into EQ."

There's no real point to games like EQ. It's like playing Diablo after you've beaten the end boss. You just keep playing to get new items, more XP, etc. There's no real payoff.

I wouldn't mind getting a once-a-week EQ group going. It would be nice to start on a server where someone has a high level character who could twink us a bit, though. :)

There's also going to be a new PvP server that may be a roleplaying server. That could be interesting, depending on the rules they implement.

Count me in to a once-a-week EQ-fest. I haven't been playing as much lately but would like to get Doarkus going again (he's only lvl 16).

I sold my account for $350 to a member of my guild when I quit. So I would have to start over from scratch. :/

I will probably wait and try out one or more of the upcoming MMORPGs like Horizons, Shadowbane (this one seems neat), Anarchy Online, or Neocron (trying to get into the beta for this one). Maybe even SWG although I have serious doubts about anyone being able to pull together a Star Wars world that would feel right. You need space travel and many worlds. I don't think the technology exists to do this well in a MMORPG setting. And don't even get me started on the fact that only the l33t d3wds are going to be able to be Jedi due to the time commitment involved.

Verant is saying that not as much time commitment will be required to be competitive as is required in current MMRPGS.

I, for one, hope this turns out to be true, as I'd love to get into SW:G, but certainly don't have the 10+ hours per week that some people do.

Raph Koster and Jeff Vogel are designing Star Wars. They designed UO and in that game, you can become a grandmaster pretty quickly.

Personally, I like levels because it's a tangible goal with immediate rewards. I just wish you could level twice as fast in EQ.

UO had levels, of sorts. Personally, I really liked the way they handled the whole situation, where your "title" is derived from your highest skill, and your proficiency with that skill - i.e. Grandmaster Swordsman, or Novice Bowyer. Then you factor in fame, or good/evil. Very cool.

The skill system was phenomenal, too. I'd like to see some of that integrated into Star Wars.

Change EQ to AO and I'd be in. I've no interest in returning to Everquest. I plan to try Anarchy Online though. (Not that anyone here would be greatly enthused about playing AO with me.)

Hey I'm up for an AC meeting as well, plus its faster paced and less level dependent (group wise) too. Sunday night would be good once a week, or whichever works best with others. EQ or AC Sunday night Bloodshot Joe meeting! anybody interested? If it was EQ I have a 13th level Iksar Shaman on Torvinilos (I'm not ready to play EQ on Veeshan again though if anybody wants to im fine with it)...not much in any way of twinking...but in AC on Harvestgain i have a lvl 20 something that can give items away (not great but better twinkage than EQ imo). plus you can all be my vassals MUAHAHAH.

or maybe a once a week online game-of-the-week meeting. like of recent i'd be interested in playing Kohan or B&W or Evil Islands/Summoner online. something ... anything (i have a big library to choose from!) Just not hh2002, me and a friend had a bitch of a time trying to get an online game going for it. email me if anyone's interested (i generally check email every other day...)

etc

I'd probably be up for an EQ group. I never really did care that much for AO. I like a lot of what they do, but ultimately the underlying system is needlessly complex (especially for spellcasters) and the way every enemy in the world just stands there until you get near them is lame.

I wasn't planning on getting into EQ at all until the Luclin expansion. The new graphics look really quite nice, and if they manage to upgrade the look of earlier areas as well, it might suck me back in. I can't imagine they wouldn't overhaul the old terrain as well--otherwise EVERYONE is gonna play only in the new zones where everything looks five times as good. =)

I used to play a LOT with Cindy Yans. Got a wizard up to like 23 or so. If I played again, I'd start fresh, though. Maybe with a Ranger or something.

I totally agree that the first 20 levels are the best part. I'd even say the first 15. After that, the effort -> reward feedback loop is just too damn slow.

The changes they made to how experience is handled between classes sounds interesting. It might make some of the classes a little less slow-going and a little more fun.

Yes, the early levels of EQ are very good. since the characters aren't too set in there "roles" at the easly levels, EQ is more "open" to character roles (ie clerics can still melee up to arnd level 10-15). Whereas at the higher levels it is slow, and requires too much time to get much of anything done and a cleric is a cleric is a cleric (same with warrior).

I would be interested in starting on any newer server with a new character... I was thinking of starting around the Erudin area (as Erudite) what with the Warrens area being recenlty open...it could sort of be a "new" experience for the ppl who played the other "newbie" dungeons. I've seen enough of Crushbone and the Qeynos Catacombs/Blackburrow to last me a lifetime!
Plus the Erudin area has Kerra isle which is another "underused" low level dungeon we could all try out.

or maybe the iksar, though the class limitation for the iksar would limit choices...plus you'd have to have the expansion.

etc

I tried the Iskar when that expansion came out. Didn't like it--as an evil race and one sequestered off as they are, you spend the first 10 levels doing nothing but looking at other Iksar and exploring a big swamp.

You should have gone to the Field of Bone instead of the swamp. It's a better hunting ground for the Iksar.

The Iksar have the best newbie areas imo...but they lack so much in classes...no cleric or druid or wizard really limits the iksar. I think that the new EQ expansion should include ANOTHER race with the above mentioned classes on Kunark.

etc

Well the Iksar have shamans, who are essentially druids. Basically you play a lizard if you want to be a necro, monk, or shaman. They're great as necros because they heal so quickly. There's a necro spell that trades hit points for mana, so the Iksar can cast it to get extra mana and still regain hit points while medding due to the accelerated healing rate.

I wonder what the Beastlord class will have? Think it's a pet class? Or do you think it's a shapeshifter? Maybe the Kerran Beastlords can shapeshift into big lions or something.

I played an Iksar only guild for a month (up to arnd mid to late teens..) and we really lacked in a Cleric or a primary nuke character. Shamans aren't bad but when you really need a healer they lack...though in the early levels it isn't so big a deal. Really though, the Iksar are primarily Monk masters (though players argue that Humans have it made with the higher str...).

I think the beastlord would be able to do both shapeshift and be pets...sorta like a shaman meets druid meets enchanter sounds like to me.
It would be pretty friggin cool to turn into a big lion or tiger. Even turning into a grizzly bear would be way cool...though the way EQ is setup you have to play 15 days (10 if you are an EQ expert) b4 you can get that ability....doh!

etc

Looks like the Beastlord is a pet class. From the official FAQ:

"Beastlords are essentially hybrid class with a heavy reliance upon pets."

I wonder if maybe they charm their pets but the charm spells last longer or don't break at all? That would be pretty cool. It would also be neat to have multiple pets, though it would be hard to balance. How'd you like to have three lions at your beck and call?

A weekly EQ group, eh? That would be a blast. I still play EQ on a daily basis (on Vallon Zek mostly, the PvP keeps the game fresh for me).

I'm pretty excited about the expansion, just because it's going to be in the same vein as Kunark; Zones for levels 1 - 60, new race to try out, new city designed for players instead of as dungeons, etc. Velious added a lot of great new ideas into the game, but I'm sick of trying to go to the town I have good faction with and finding out that someone killed the guy I need to buy my muffins from. :)

As for the Iksar, I was in an all Iksar guild for a while too. :) Our guild realized that we needed porters, enchanters, and clerics to be competitive after 20th level or so. Me being the one with over a year of experience playing a Cleric on another server was recruited as the first guy to leave his Iksar and start a dark elf cleric. The guy is still my primary characer.

Damn I love that game. People can complain about it, but they complain about how this needs to be a little better or that needs to be tweaked a little. I never really hear people saying that the game sucks because of A, B, and C. Eventually people get bored with it (somehow I haven't, even after playing since the end of Beta VI), but they still have typically 6+ months of game time when they quit. I have a hard time finding a game to keep my interest for more than 2 weeks, much less having one that lasts for over 6 months.

Yeah, I still play EQ. It's pointless, but so is Diablo, and I love that game too. I always want that next level or better item.

A once-a-week group would be fun. Maybe we can get something going after the furor over E3 dies down. I'd also like to see what the new PvP server will be like. They're implementing new rules, so that might an interesting place to play.

I just signed back up after taking a year off. I'd be up to play with a group. I've got a couple of characters on Saryn, Fennin Ro, Bristlebane and one of the PvP servers as well.

I'm fairly impressed with the new character models from Luclin. I'm interested to see just exactly how good it looks.

Well, Luclin's a long way off, December at the earliest. I'm interested in it also. It should really boost EQ's chances to hold their ground when the new generation of MMORPGs come out.

Hey Lando are you in any guild on saryrn? i used to be in a guild that went from veeshan to saryrn...i think theyre Heaven and Earth now...and i remember grouping with a lot of Japanese players from Veeshan...ah the best days of EQ when it was all fresh...

Yes the character models do look good, but graphics aren't the only thinf EQ needs to upgrade. Don't get me wrong I really like EQ, but I would rather play a new mmrpg when they come out, then play Luclin... I can only see myself playing EQ casually again...like a once in a week type group.

Actually the thought of spending night after night with ANY mmrpg doesn't seem fun to me unless it offers gameplay that can rival solo player rpgs.

etc

mtkafka, what guild were you part of on Veeshan? I was the leader of Crimson Guard (they are gone now from what I hear). Veeshan was power gamer and Japanese player central. I remember being the only non-Japanese player in a group. It was hilarious. I couldn't understand a damn thing. :)

No guild here. I was in a dwarf-only guild for a short, short while. Then I realized it was just a bunch of teensomethings with big chips on their shoulders.

Now, I take my time and enjoy myself.

I was in Travelers of Norrath. ToN for short. I was one of the original players in it! Not that we were big but alot of our players who stayed on Veeshan ended up joining FoH. wow big deal! anyway, it was a cool guild...i had a regular group going of 4 - 8 of us daily played over three months.

funny thing is some of the coolest ppl i met on Veeshan were the japanese players...some of them were dicks as well (just as some US players etc), but i remember a core japanese group that i played with for a few levels. language wasn't so much a barrier since half the japanese players i grouped with understood some english was kinda cool.

btw, i remember seeing ppl from Crimson Guard! I never met many ppl from that guild...what was your chars name? i was Kafkala...who is actually still being played as port taxi dude...by some friends. Lando, i had a few friends in the the "shorty" guild on Veeshan...i heard they were strict ... forgot name of guild...

etc

My main character was an Erudite Wizard by the name of Elidain and I was often accompanied by a Dwarven Cleric named Balek. I think I may have grouped with you at one point or another. Kafkala sounds awfully familiar. I remember Travellers of Norrath, like you I don't remember knowing many people from them either.

FoH was the scourge of Veeshan for anyone not in the guild. :) From what I understand after I left my guild joined up with several others to form Obsidian Guard and they now are one of the top guilds on Veeshan.

I ran across a "shorty" guild meeting one time it felt like I was wading through the kiddie pool. :) I don't remember their name either.