awww poop....I don't want to start over. Don't get me wrong, I am down for the next installment, and bringing Norrath into the 20's (weird saying that.) But I just started getting caught up after an absence, and the investment in over a dozen toons, housing projects I want to finish/do etc. I sure would love some of these updates on this game, if ever possible. I am not well off by any means, but I would invest in my (already) investment like Sturmlocke said. Like if there were somehow a special update, with a cost attached to it. Or some sort of upgrade pack. As long as it wasn't recurring (on top of my sub already which I am happy to pay,) I would be happy to pay a one time thing to give a boost to this game where it's needed. Or some sort of collector goodies to pay a one time thing for. If it would get these things fixed and upgraded, and keep this game going, I would be on board. Maybe re-release some old mounts, vault stuff, vaulted gear turned appearance, take some zone graphics and turn into house items, some extra features like video of behind the scenes art...the whole enchilada! I am not sure how well the forgotten recipe books did..but look at those. I scooped them up! We pay huge amounts for going to movies, for going to carnival, for entertainment values. This is MY entertainment value. I would scrimp and save for a big package like that if it could boost you in your resources, and keep my beloved game alive and REvived. Heck I would go around and take screenshots and clean up artwork for free for the package if it would boost this game. It's not just the devs baby anymore...even the players--its become our baby too. =D Am I crazy for hoping we one day celebrate 25 years? heh
Nah, EQ2 has lots of life and potential left in it, especially after going 64-bit and a few upgrades here and there Love the powerful engine and overall graphics, atmosphere, sound, lore and so much more. It can feel so different at times: Sinking Sands reminds me of Aladdin, some temples could be right out of Star Gate SG1, our underwater worlds remind me of my favorite water spa, Zoras Domain from Ocarina of Time + the little mermaid. If EQ2 gets to live another ten years, my sons will grow up playing it with me. Not trying to kiss anyones backside here, but after playing so many mmos, and most of them from you guys (EQ1, EQ2, SWG, Matrix Online, DCUO + our league, AoC, AO, DaoC, TSL, Teso and many, many more), I can openly say that EQ2 was a decade ahead of everything when it came out in 2004. There is nothing like it out there and it can't be replaced that easily (especially not with what I saw from EQN).
P.S...by the way, I realize that inflation just went up like 7% (and climbing,) and maybe it's time to consider going up on subs a dollar or two? I am sure many might be unhappy with me for saying it. But if I had to choose between this game closing, or paying a dollar or two more, I would choose the latter. It does not have to be a lot. Small enough to not hit players too hard, even people like me with incomes that are not very high (and fixed even,) but enough that collectively, it makes a difference for DB to keep things going. Even Dollar Tree just went up. It's part of the whole scheme of things. Inescapable.
Oh yeah, tell me about it. Over here in Germany our energy prices have doubled recently, oil and gas prices are skyrocketing and rent has gone up big time.
Oh yeah, these guys have always managed to capture the hearts of our family. I remember when I went back to Florida in order to visit some relatives. I decided to give my brother my Star Wars Galaxies collectors edition or complete pack, dunno which one it was, and he instantly got addicted. He started smelling bad, didn't shave at all, ignored his girlfriend and had Ketchup on his face when I came back + evilish red eyes from playing non-stop. Even to this day, he has fond memories of SWG and his dream is to recreate that experience one day by creating his own game, for himself. A shame SWG got killed, it was a wonderful experience. Anyway, for what it's worth, I'm glad that I was part of it. Darkpaw / Daybreak doesn't get the credit that it deserves for their innovation and balls of steel that allow them to at least try something new, something that hasn't been done before. To me, EQ2 is the Chronicles of Narnia and Jurassic Park of MMOs. Everytime these guys launched a triple a mmo, I got this feeling: Literally. The voice you will now be hearing is from Christopher Lee. Spared no expense!
Ok, if this doesn't make Tobey smile and laugh (or any dev,) I don't know what will. I don't know what got me laughing or smiling more, the smelling and ketchup on shirt, the balls of steel, or the thought of Richard Attenborough OR Christopher Lee speaking. Makes me nostalgic though. I first explored the world of Norrath back in...omgosh my poor memory, late 90's maybe? This was the console version of these beautiful worlds. Champions of Norrath 1 and 2. I played with my then, little son. Years later, feeling that very nostalgia, and looking for a new MMO to entertain me, during roughly the summer of 2010, I caught sight of the EQ2 name, and the world of Norrath. Memories of fun game time with my son and my love for the city of Kelethin drew me in. So I signed up for EQ2 ftp on Freeport server. Kelethin was even more beautiful to me, and still is...those buildings up in trees. That theme music is magical, and I even play it from youtube sometimes. It has the wonder and imagination and connection in its very notes and angelic strands! Though I was ftp, that did not last long. I was hooked, then silvered, then subbed. I then met my other half while in a small casual raid guild. (Together 9 years, end of summer this year.) Now, only just a year ago, I drew my now grown son and his fiance into the game, and while they don't feel the connection I do ( *YET* ---I'm working on it ) they do play with me and my other half here and there. So this game has so much more meaning to me than just a game. It is memories, nostalgia, community, and so much more. It even reminds me of when I played Atari 2600 with my brother and mother back in 80's, or D&D (graph paper and all) with my mother back then. It's a game that represents so many things, to so many people. Whether you want to raid and group and laugh, connect with community, or just escape the sometimes crazy world...it matters. It also warms my heart that I hear these stories constantly. It is not just a fictional world. It is a part of many developer's imagination and heart. It is a part of ours, and we have all grown *into* it. It has almost developed a "life" of it's own. Norrath is indeed...nothing short of an enigma. You should seriously write reviews and/or commentary about games. You're style is very succinct and light-hearted. =) And I agree with everything you said!
Why didn't you use the three headed rottweiler in Forlorn Gist? That's a cooler dog than the one they put in! Ha.
Ha, the funny part is that it wasn't on his shirt, because he didn't even have a shirt on, the Ketchup was on the lower left side part of his lips. God knows how long it was there, its color had already gotten a bit strange. Anyway, interesting story you got there. I never played EQ on PS2, but heard a lot about it. Back then I was too busy looking up girls and stuff irl, got my heart broken a couple of times, and came back to the EQ franchise a few years later, lol. I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said, can't add much to that, it's all true! I mean, just going from zone to zone can trigger so many different nostalgic feelings. I'm a 80s and 90s kid, thus I remember a bunch of old Disney stuff, Robocop, Jaws, number 5, Jurassic Park and I find so many things that the EQ franchise does has taken some inspiration by these things. It's like going into the past with a time machine - back to a time where things were much easier as a kid. I had a somewhat "flexibel" and challenging childhood, but it was great nonetheless. No regrets. In addition to what I posted previously, showcasing many zones in my screenshots, take a look at this: (Click any of the pictures above to feel the vibes) Each place and zone has a different theme, a different culture, setting and color to it. I absolutely love it. And to top it all off, it doesn't look like a cartoony version of WoW. Thank god. After SWG went rip, it left a deep crater in our hearts, but then we decided to let it go and move on and head back to things that are just as good or even better - enter EQ2.
Now that I read through my own post above, it got me thinking about something. This trailer just got released on the EQ2 Youtube channel, and I have to say, it's short but spot-on! Both the visuals and the music hit the nail on the head, something that rarely happens. It actually gave me goosebumps and reminded me of this: IGN also posted the new Kael trailer and I saw someone asking for the music in it - it's that good. Here's an idea, create a five to ten minute trailer with that type of quality (4k, 60fps, max settings in game, music and more), speed (between each of the scenes) and showcase some of the most beautiful zones, dungeons, lore, characters. dragons and places in EQ2, by including much of the old but golden content. And before someone says anything, yes, 60 fps gameplay is possible, if your pc can handle it. Call the new trailer: "still alive - even after two decades - a tribute to EQ2" and give it your best shot. Share it on Steam too! Show the world what you have been up to for the last two decades and be proud of it.
Added a few halfelf pics on page 1 for you Didn't have the time to change the skin tone, but can do that later on. I didn't change that much with the male char, so yes, merely upgrading the hairstyle can already make a huge difference. The female chars face was changed a lot, just to show the complete opposite to the male char and in order to please the soga fans.
- Click on the two pictures above in order to feel the arabian vibes - - Click on the three pictures above for a magic carpet ride - Gonna quote myself here, because I keep getting these strange ideas. Most of our videos feature powerful and epic music, but how about trying to reach out to existing, returning and new players hearts with something completely different? With something that I have yet to see anywhere else. Sounds kinda strange, I know. In addition to what I wrote above, I would also like to see separate three to five minute videos with a different approach. For example, and this is going to sound somewhat cheesy, but seeing how some of our EQ2 videos feature licensed (?) music, would it be impossible to create a Sinking Sands / Desert of Flames trailer with music from Aladdin? Would Disney even consider giving you the rights for an idea like this? Sinking Sands screams Aladdin on so many levels, it's beautiful. You can even go on a magic carpet ride either via npc or with your own flying carpet mount. Everyone here knows that I got sucked into a magic lamp the other day too. Brings back fond memories - I remember having a magic carpet mount on my old account, so I'm going to get myself another one soon. Which brings me to another topic, dunno if Tobey can answer this one, but how difficult would it be to allow two persons to fly on a magic carpet? For example, in SWG we used to be able to invite other players for a ride in our vehicles / mounts. Could this be done in EQ2 - only for some mounts that are big enough for two ppl (like a bigger version of the magic carpet)? If so, imagine a video with a couple flying through the Sinking Sands, all around the palast and through the windy desert, featuring some of the beautiful scenery and with the song "a whole new world" being heard in the background. Ofc the video would have to start off with "arabian nights", showing viewers the desert, dangerous wildlife, scavengers and the hot and burning sun. Then it can smoothly transition into a sunset where a player picks up his wife or girlfriend from the palast, which can be seen in the far distance at first, in order to take her for a magic carpet ride, which would then be the start of the song "a whole new world" and then you fly off in the distance until the night breaks in. If using Disney music is too much of an effort, too expensive or even impossible for that matter, you could use something else with the same feeling to it. I know we have very talented composers out there. This idea is not limited to Aladdin and the The Sinking Sands, because we also have a lot of zones and adventures that can be coupled with Frozen, Lion King or Africa in general, Little Mermaid, Harry Potter, Star Gate and so much more. Heck, the newest expansion, VoV, is basically Jurassic Park. This is one of the main reasons why I said that my sons will grow up playing this game with me. EQ2 is a magical adventure for young and "old". Our playerbase also consists of a lot of ppl being 30+yo, ppl that were allowed to grow up in a different time where Disney and the mmo genre was at its best. If you wanna hit the nostalgic vibe with ppl from that day and age, this is the way. Just an idea, not demanding or expecting anything out of this. Adding some very old pics from back in the day, still online on Gamestar, just to let that nostalgic feeling hit you (in other words, the following pics are not mine and old):
After I made my comment I swapped back to the original models and they don't look as bad as I remember. Definitely dated but I might leave them on. Honestly the entire game looks a little dated at this point so they're not really that out of place. (Though I do wish the hair looked better...)
That's some interesting feedback you got there. Been asking around lately, mostly talking to ppl that have used both model sets at least once in the past, and got comments similar to yours. I also feel like the overall graphics varies a lot between the zones, because some places are newer than others and because some have already been worked on versus the vanilla version, like Qeynos, for example: As a side note, would love to see more zones like this though. Some zones look jaw dropping, feel and sound great, while others are a bit dated, but that is to be expected after all these years. Ideally, the zones will get a small facelift one day, but right now I feel like our chars really need some love and spotlight since most of the newer and expac zones still look good and even great. Like my wife said, it could be a win-win for both the devs and us players improving on them and fixing the outstanding issues. Like others have already mentioned, all the customization styles that could be sold separately via the marketplace, after transitioning to an upgraded set of character models, could very well result in some nice income. Seems to work well for games like Swtor. Could - no guarantees ofc. There are risks attached to this, that's for sure. The customization stuff we have on the marketplace right now isn't all that diverse tbh, at least when it comes to our appearance. That could very much change with an upgrade like this (but don't overdo it with the marketplace ofc, you still have to give ppl something great to start with and some also things that can be earned by playing). Personally, I would like to see a more "realistic" type of approach to our chars face and the hairs, like some of the shots that I posted previously, because it fits them more in my eyes, and it could also attract more EQ1 players into our world, but that's debatable. I also feel like our current hairstyle looks too much like what we see in games such as Star Wars the Old Republic: Great game, but it just looks too cartoony and reminds me of games like SIMS. It fits the chosen art style perfectly ofc, it's just not my cup of tea. I feel like putting together what we have now (the faces and bodys) with a higher-res retouch of faces and bodyparts, and a new set of realistic hair, would go a long way. It wouldn't change too much of the original design, but instead both embrace it, and give us something new and shiny to look at. And now let's compare the above to our default chars (it was night time when I took this, a bit dark): Versus: As you can see, the only thing that I did here was change the hair, nevermind the vignette special effects and the veeery small contrast and color retouch, barely noticable when comparing the two. Added one or two more polys here and there, but that's it. Small change, huge impact. Curly hair getting that windy sand in there, lol.
Great, after looking at that female npc for one or two hours in the game, standing right next to her right now actually, thinking of what we could do to further improve things with our characters, it slowly but steadily got dark and cold and now I see her with that beautiful long and curly hair. I can't see her any different now. It has been seen and it cannot been unseen. These incoherent thoughts are starting to get the best of me. In fact, she is looking at me right now and telling me to stay with her. According to herself, allegedly she has a tent somewhere nearby. A bit sketchy, eh? A lonely but beautiful woman in the middle of the desert, asking me to take shelter from the sandstorms in her tent? Yeah, right. Oh well, seems like she's been feeding off the snakes, scorpions and beetles in this region for some time now. Her breath stinks. It's kinda sad actually; she looks so lonely but yet so friendly and open to newcomers at the same time. A lot of ppl pass by, but no one wants to stay here with her. They all come and go to different regions, zones and even worlds. She was left behind here by her parents as a small child and grew up in the desert, all by herself. She speaks with a broken tongue and in strange riddles, but at least she speaks my language. Gotta give her credit for that. She must have picked it up from the pirates that live down the beach to the north-east. Oh well, seems she likes the ocean view from up here. The reason why she stands up here, doing nothing, looking at the ocean for hours, is because she still has hope that her parents will return one day and give her the love that she deserves. A mother's and father's love that only a parent can give to their child. It's strange, she remembers that they left to go fishing all those years ago, but never came back. She showed me the direction that they walked towards to back then. It looks like they took the long way back through some of the most dangerous zones in the desert. If I recall correctly, the safe passage down in the opposite direction wasn't built yet back then and climbing down that huge land- and mountainedge would have sealed their fate for sure. It's practically suicide. Their options were limited and they relied on what they had known - or rather thought / assumed - to be safe back then. Completely understandable. Sadly, I suspect that they were killed by the now giant and fully grown tarantula queen that has been governing this corner of the desert. I'll go check it out. It might bring this young girl some disclosure. Edit / Update 3h later: Jesus, what a walk. First I had to follow a bunch of beetles that led me to a small group of disgustingly hairy spiders, then I had to fight off those damn spiders with nothing more than a knife, because I took an arrow to the knee recently and forgot my magic wand back at the docks. They were blocking the way to a huge crater in the middle of the desert. My suspicion has been confirmed: I did indeed find the watch that she said her father was wearing that day, after they departed all those years ago. It was in fact near the terantulas nest. The queen nearly killed me when I was trying to get the watch. Even with all my glorious power at level 120, even with the assistance of my loyal merc, it sure was one hell of a fight, but I managed to defeat the monsterous creature and exterminate her younglings in the end. They all perished by my hands. Revenge for, what was her name again? Ah yes, revenge for Samantha. May your parents rest in peace, Samantha. I'll be going up that hill again tonight, gonna give her the fathers watch back. She deserves to know what happend. Edit / Update - 4h later: I told Samantha of my findings, but she wouldn't believe it. I'm tired and heartbroken for this pure hearted and friendly girl. What to do? I asked her if she'd be intersted in coming with me on a magic carpet ride, offering to show her a whole new world beyond this cursed desert of flames, but she slowly and hesitantly nodded her head sidewards and declined. It felt like she was going to think about it for a second, but maybe that was just my imagination. This god forsaken desert gets to you sooner or later... Edit Update - 2h later: After breathing in a lot of sandparticles in this region, especially up here on this high and sandy hill, and after removing one booger after the other out of my dusty nose, I believe it's time to go. I asked Samantha one last time, if she'd be willing to come with me. I can help her start anew somewhere else. I can offer her a few coins to do so too, been saving up some money for the adventures ahead anyway. I'd be willing to take her somewhere more safe than this miserable desert. I asked her one more time: "Come with me, if you really want to live.", reaching out with my right hand and trying to gently grab hers. Again, she hesitantly pushed my hand away and declined, but only after taking a long and lasting glimpse over to the ocean. She said: "I'm like the wind, no thank you." I asked her one final time. With tears in her eyes and a softened voice, she replied to me: "No, I'll be right here waiting for you, mum and dad." My adventure continues with an unsatisfied feeling. Sure, I killed one of the most deadly and powerful creatures to have ever wander these lands, making this corner of the desert a better and safer place, but this entire situation made me want to scream. I will prevail of course, but it will take all that I have in order to survive around here. My best bet is to make it to the royal palace and find Ar-Shak'unan, my old but trustworthy friend from ages ago, as soon as possible. So let it be written and so let it be done.
I love the model changes. The hair on the females is amazing and far better than a most of the hair choices we have. Again, Sturmlocke, your amazing.
In addition to this two player mount idea - what if this would be wrapped up in a unique storyline themed towards the specfic mount that is in need for a group of two players to finish it? For example - the "magic" carpet: Let this quest start in the Sinking Sands and let the two players travel into a mystic cave where they find a broken carpet. In order to fix it and return its magic flying powers, the group has to venture through desert-themed zones. Would be a nice way to "reuse" old zones and content - e.g. by visiting dungeons. Another two player mount could be a big male deer as a ground mount. For this one I would have two ideas for a two player group to venture on: christmas festival special exclusive quest for a themed deer or a normal deer starting in the realms of Faydark. I do love Faydark in its greater or lesser form very much - music, flair, the ocean and streams and little ponds everywhere - well, some hidden secret of the wood elves could still linger here to maybe find their long lost breed of deers
Everquest Next characters Oh and so we meet again, my dear friend. Thank you! I really think that our chars will look better by adding a few more realistic touches to them, like the hair that you see on page one. For example, take a look at the picture above (EQN). This was the art direction that we were heading towards to before it got canned. Now, don't me wrong, you will attract a lot of ppl with that type of art, especially the younger Fortnite, Warcraft and Minecraft generation, but not me. EQN felt nothing like EQ1 and 2, and if I recall correctly, Holly even mentioned this in a video one time. If we ever get an EQ3, which is meant to replace EQ1 and 2, then I wouldn't want to see another Warcraft or Fortnight inspired approach to this. If EQ3 is going to look and feel anything like the image above, then please, for the love of Norrath, don't forget to keep EQ1 and 2 alive and improve on their original design here and there. As of this writing, out of all the newage mmos I have seen so far, it looks like "Pantheon Rise of the Fallen" has gotten the graphics and nostalgic atmosphere right. EQ2 is more colorful than say EQ1, but it isn't that colorful (EQN). By adding a bit of realistic vibes here and there, you can also add some uniqueness to EQ2.
Great idea, gonna create another forum thread for that topic. Let's gather some more thoughts on features like that! Plus, I just uploaded a fresh batch of new and "enhanced" / "stylized" character pictures on the first page. Tried to capture different types of changes. Because our community also consists of ppl that are a bit older than some other folks, I also added a few older models into the mix. That being said, I'm going to be taking a break from creating these what-if scenarios for a couple of days. I think we now have a bunch of pics demonstrating what a change could look like and what type of art direction is possible. If anyone else has an idea or a picture you wanna add to the list, feel free to jump in and post If there is something that you don't like, no problemo, let's talk about it.
