So...where do we go for comprehensive info??

At one point, places like ZAM and LootDB had fully integrated and searchable databases with information on zones, mobs, quests, loot tables, and drop frequency plus more. But then database dumps stopped, yet the game kept moving forward. So what we have now is...

LootDB -- which is rarely updated (and has always been a player-updated system) and has numerous searching issues.

ZAM -- which hasn't been updated since back in DoV, and by my understanding will not be, going-forward.

Wikia -- which has some info, if players have put it in, and only to the level of completeness the players choose to put forth the effort.

EQWire -- Which has some database info and has player-character info, via database dumps I believe.


Database info is available again...Who will step forward and be the one to gather and organize all of the data together into an information bazaar for the masses?

I paid for ZAM at one time when it did so - who wants my money now?

I still use zam and the wikia - unfortunately as you say both are outdated and have erroneous info which I work around as best I can. Sometimes on zam the discussions have some updated info which helps out.

Cudos to those that set those sites up, but really it's practically a full time job to keep them updated and running well - a job I would certainly not want to have unless I was getting paid well for it, since it would erode my playing time.

Zam received treasure table data for several years but it required a lot of work on SOE's part to have a dev package up all that data and send it to them 2-3 times a year. This was raw game data including a lot of stuff we as players shouldn't see, so Zam were under extensive NDA's. These exports stopped ~3 years ago for various reasons. The preferred method now is Census. An EQ2 developer writes a reliable export script that publishes EQ2 data to Census with only the info we're supposed to see and not things like how a raid encounter works. Then the data is not limited to one fan site and people can create cool stuff with the data.

Now that Quests are exporting perfectly (check out the EQ2U beta site http://dev.eq2wire.com ), the product of great collaboration with an EQ2 dev, our attention shifts to Treasure Tables. Test exports have already been done. The data is dizzyingly complex but complete, and well formatted in Census. We've already done all the necessary back end work in EQ2U to support all this data (we had to add 18 SQL tables). Now its down to the EQ2 team allocating time to finishing the Zone/Spawncamp/NPC/Treasureclass/Itemtable exporter.

I'm in San Diego prior to SOE Live, so you know I'll be asking.

I should add that there is a plan B. If it looks like we're a long way away from this data, then expect an ACT plugin to track loot drops. It doesn't give percentages but at least it would be something.

Feldon you should also do an app like LootDB does. I know tons of people don't use ACT and then there are the people that I am surprised they even got ACT to work that us it. Even better you cold host a java app on your site to scan the users log and make it that much more of a one stop shop for your site.

We're working on Plan B at this point. The ACT plugin is done and working very well. It's now down to handling the data and the "special case" stuff like ToV heroic missions which will presumably be carried forth into the expansion.

Where can we get our hands on the ACT trigger to help with the data collection?

The ACT plugin is still in beta. Soon[tm]

LOLOLOL! [tm]

I have a question and I think it's sort-of on-topic here, so I won't make my own thread.

Is there any kind of database for AA info? EQ2U has a nice database list of all baseline Class abilities with tooltip popups and everything, but for AAs the only thing I've been able to find is the Beetny calculator.

That calculator is awesome, but when it comes to usable abilities you gain through AA, it tends to lack some important details — like Cost, Upkeep, Cast Time, Cooldown, etc. All you get is a description of what the ability does, but depending on the "mystery" factors that can make an ability range from "MUST HAVE" to "meh" (+5% dmg for 30s with a 10 second CD is a little different than +5% dmg for 30s with a 10 minute CD, haha).

EQ2i / Wiki seems to be really outdated, it looks like whoever was updating all the AA info manually burned out around 2-3 xpacs ago and a lot of the info is just totally wrong.

I know this isn't a huge deal because you can just look at the damn in-game window, but it's still convenient for quick build experiments or quick research on a new character, etc.

TL;DR
Is there any database that parses or lists accurate / up-to-date info for Alternate Advancement spells & abilities?

I understand what you are saying. EQ2U does support Casting, Duration, Effect Radius, Recast, and Recovery on AAs. Alas, we do not get Target (AOE, self, enemy), Number of Targets, or either Power or Recurring Power cost.

You mentioned the issue -- data entry is painful -- so we rely on Census to update EQ2U, and we don't get every possible detail on AAs. Also, AAs, Spells, and Items are exported on a nearly naked level 90 character so we don't get any of the casting speed reductions that one would get with 100% Ability Reuse. Also spell/melee damage and heal amounts are very low as the character has no gear and no AAs spent.

We can try to ask the EQ2 team to add more data for things we are missing like power cost and recurring power cost although it'd probably be after the expansion.

Oh, am I using EQ2U wrong or something? I couldn't even find AAs on the site at all.

Just the list of CAs/Spells under the "Search" drop-down. And the baseline spell list is really useful and robust, which is why I was hoping I could find the AAs catalogued too.

Have you found dragonsarmory.com yet? I find it to be very handy.

Edit: If you look up your character on that site you can open the Alternate Advancements tab and mousing over the various abilities shows you the power, recast, etc of the abilities.

oooooooooooooooooh you have to import a character first, lol

I was looking for like, a sorted list of AAs the same way the CA & Spell search is formatted and thinking it didn't exist.

But now that I know how to find the AA trees, this is exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks!

So have you got any feedback on how I can improve EQ2U so these things are easier to find?
I've thought of doing a 2-3 minute video that just quickly tours through the most popular features on the site.

Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with the site at all, it's awesome to have a database available like this. It was just me being clueless / inexperienced with the site's design intentions.

But if you really want me to be picky, I think EQ2 is currently lacking a comprehensive database of spells & abilities since the Wiki has fallen into disrepair.

The CA & Spell listing on EQ2U is great, it was just hard to find at first because the front-page Quick Search box doesn't have a tab for abilities, and I didn't realize the "Search" at the top of the page was actually a list of database categories, including the CAs (I skimmed past it assuming it was just a more advanced version of the Quick Search box).

It has a few quirks, like really low-level stuff like Sneak doesn't have tooltips, but you know... low concern.

That just leaves AA's as the other major 'ability' category that's lacking a well-documented / up-to-date reference. Ironically, the AA trees that show up for Searched / Imported characters are exactly that. There's just no way to access a 'generic' version of it independent of a character ID — this is what confused me at first.

If there was some way to give Beetny's calculator the detail level that EQ2U tooltips have, or give EQ2U a character-agnostic calculator mechanic like Beetny has, I'd be pretty much all-set personally.

What I'm doing right now is just opening Beetny in 1 tab, and bringing up a character on EQ2U in the other tab, haha. I distribute points and build with Beetny and then swap back to EQ2U to double-check the CDs and other important details on each individual ability.

Probably, for someone who's experienced with the game and has memorized the stats of each individual AA ability, or is building on Beetny while logged in to EQ2, it's a non-issue. It's just one of those things that disorients new players that don't know everything by heart yet. ^.^

You raise some really good points about some possible things we could do.

I always felt weird about "Spells & Combat Arts" being in the Search menu. I could move it to the Features menu as "Spell & Combat Art Browser". I guess it's possible we could make an "AA Browser" which shows each ability maxed out (all points spent). But that's still not a calculator.

Beetny has started using some of the Census stuff, but it would probably take rewriting his site to fully take advantage of it and the data it provides. I'm not sure how much time he plays EQ2 or works on his site these days.

I've suspected for quite some time that a good bit of our features are underused due to people not knowing they even exist.

Most people need help choosing the 'most beneficial' aa's, not really just lists of aa. There was another site that had lots of input on it about good builds, it seems to no longer be updated. The prebuilt builds are bad to me, but then maybe I just don't understand.

We never tried to implement anything like that on EQ2U, mainly because Beetny's calculator allowed people to link AA builds. That and I don't believe any of us at EQ2U would dare claim to be experts on what is or isn't a good AA build.