Disparity between casual and hard core

All right let me ask you differently - do you know how much worth 1 hour of work of surgeon and 10 hours work of landscaper you still willing to insist that more hours you spend - the more goodies you oughta earn? ... this is crony communism my friend
I am asking to stop turn everyone in landscapers and allow some people remain surgeons or solution architects etc. I think it should be plain clear amount of hours spend grinding in game should not be directly translated into how big gap you can build between yourself and casuals. More over I see nothing wrong and monetizing some aspects of game. You want to spend gazillion hours for PQ gathering planar fragments? - yeah more power to you, I will simply P2W my way here because I have money and don't have time - do you really want that EQ2 comes to this?

Just give it up DoomDrake and find something else. Stormhold or different game. It is very clear what this game has become. This is no game now bud, its the world where the ones with too much spare time can live in a illusion of them being a god and where those who work/have family can spend tons of money for shortcuts trying to catch up. Its a useless system and people like Rainmare, protector of the "Hardcore" fail to see how this is hurting the game as they failed to see how the idiotic eth rune RNG in old content hurt the game.

So if I have the cash to dump but not the time due to real life I should be chastised for wanting to dump the cash and keep up with my friends who do have the time? Or, I have a ton of time so I am going to spend it as efficiently as possible by running zones then grinding some tithe when I feel like it then I am wrong again and should be shunned for it because I am destroying the game? Isn't the whole point of a video game, to allow me the escape from reality and do what I want the way I want within the rules of said game?

Well ofc wich is the entire point im trying to make. Game has gone from a relaxing and fun RPG to a second job grindfest wich allowed P2W. Thats whats sad and i cant believe ppl are defending it.

The real problem:

Most want everything right now with no effort. If Tom, Dick, and Harry can have it why can't I and right now! Look, sorry you have a real life and or a job, sorry you don't have a life and too much time. This is a no win argument. Simple fact of the matter is that any game over a long enough life span is going to start to see disparity in its player base dues to outside, uncontrollable forces. So developers either allow for friends to keep up by alternative means or they risk losing the guys with time due to the fact the guys without cant grp up anymore chasing off people who enjoy gaming together and want to do it in current content. This is inherent to all games not just EQ2. Do I wish it wasn't so, yes, does that change the fact, NO! This is the state of any MMO that outlasts most other games. But it's still running because people could catch up. I fear with the prereqs on the Epic2.0 this is going to change that dynamic though. Unless something is added later to allow those with less time to catch up.

Nature of the beast guys and gals. Nothing else can be done that would make sense. No, you do not deserve more because you have been here since the beginning and never taken a break. Sorry, you got every expansion with every perk at that time and got to enjoy content at its peak each year. That is what you paid for, nothing more and nothing less. No one owes you anything. Nowhere and at no time were you guaranteed anything other than what was stated on the box or in the footnotes of the software you purchased.

Just sayin...

Eq2 a few years ago "Them Revelation dudes really seem to have sum skills"

Eq2 today "wow those (enter whatever raidguild) guys really have sum bigspenders"

Except this system they have now is new with KA, what was wrong with AoM for example? Ppl could catch up in a realistic timeframe, it wasnt gated by RL time. It was'nt highly favouring ppl with more money.

Sorry, but I only see your Blood Lust tag and they are not really a competitive raid guild and not sure why then it would bother you who is on top raiding wise? Unless of coarse you belong to another guild for raiding that is in say the top five and you know for a fact one of those guilds is dollar banking to win? But then again, why shouldn't they. It's how daybreak set it up for ascension spells. Pay to win, this way all toons can be relevant once they have the ascension level. Again...

Just sayin...

Oh I completely agree with your sentiment, I just also get the reality of what is happening and why. This is a money grab and nothing else. It is a way for DB to make some cash and allow for others to keep up where they don't have the time to invest.

I have not raided since EoF, that long ago.. Not because i didnt want to but because of overwhelming wife aggro =(
It was'nt facts, it was my PoV and probably a slightly exaggerated (however its spelled) statement. With a touch of humour. Also i have not played on live servers for months.

Catching-up systems for RL money is'nt really what i consider to be P2W really, Tithe pots, xp pots, even faction pots if they existed would be fine as a catch-up alternative for those who want to play with their friends but have less time to do so. Its the ascension spells that really bothered me. But for me? I have gotten over it, i enjoyed the time i spent in KA and time spent vs cost of xpac id say it was a good purchase. The only sad part is that i see no future for me in returning to live servers for next xpac now that i know how insanely far behind i would be. I bet u that i am not alone in this, and this is the doom countdown timer for this game and ppl are actually defending it with "u didnt put down the effort, deal with it"

They are haters, just /ignore. I love raiding and new content. Favorite parts of the game for me. However I have been in the thoughts of trying out a TL server for a change. Don't even know if they do any raiding there, but I have been considering a change. The only fear is the whole start over again problem I would have there. lol

But I see your point completely.

All I know is that over the years EQ2 has made things easier and easier for its players so they don't have to "waste" their time playing their game and they've repaid them by leaving. I'm even leaving again when the new EQ1 TLE server starts because I know I can come back to EQ2 and be no worse off than I am now. They will probably put everyone back on an even ground again next expansion. I really like this game but it does go out of its way to feel stale. So, I figure time I check back in, there will be accession classes for sale like beastlords. They might require a little work or they might be like that dungeon maker thing.

Trust me, there is (or was) raiding going on there, one of them spoke up quite vocally on the boards, named Onra. He doesn't post now, not even sure he plays anymore. But he was a raider and spoke up about problems in the expansions on Stormhold. Got tired of jousting at the windmills, I believe. Devs can only do what they are allowed to do, limited by game and bosses and money budgets, after all.

Eq2 is not a 'second job' to me. it's my hobby. that same thing as people who build model ships in bottles, or play a musical instrument, or go to the gym everyday, or like to garden or do martial arts, what have you. it's not a second job, I do have a life outside of just work and eq, but I budget my time according to what I enjoy. which means I'll wait until king Kong shows up on netflix or on dvd, and spend that time in game. I don't need to hang out with the buddies at a bar after work, I go home and game. if there's a big get together, I might hang out a bit, if there's a movie of a particular franchise I'm a big fan of, (star wars for example) I might go see that on the big screen.

yes, the end mob bonus fore the kills is the same. however, the solo ritual chamber, gives 2 timed quests 65k each, and the endboss kill, around 500k. the group zone is the 500k boss kill, and the 400k quest completion, and the 2 times quests if you can do them.

so yeah, the group zones will yield higher numbers if you can get a group that can run them consistently. So no, I don't think a returning player, or a newbie should be able to either toss out cash, or SLR and snap of the fingers become my equal. with Tithe, that is possible. you can buy yourself to level 100, you can SLR all the armor you want, you can buy all your spells to GM/ancient.

but if you want to reach my raw power output, you have to put in the time to get the Tithe, and see 0 wrong with that. You want your Epic 2.0? the best weapon in the game supposedly over the next 2 years? put in the effort to get the damn thing. you like to compare things about surgeons to landscapers and surgeons should make more money. great.

Surgeons spend a LOT more time learning their trade. mastering their tools, studying the books. and even then, there are surgeons that far outclass the others. be it natural talent, or a willingness to put in the extra effort to be the best of their peers.
I am that surgeon. while you go to class, and leave when the lectures done, I'm still there studying, learning, grinding out the hours mastering every detail of the trade.

which means when we're both out of school, I'm going to be the one making more money then you.

in Eq2, it's a similar principal. you play for two hours a leave. I play for 4-5 hours. Pqs, solo, group...whatever is available. which means I'm amassing more tithe. so then later on, when you want to group, they look at you, and they look at me, and pick me because I do more then you. then you come here and complain about the 'power gap'.

there damn well should be a power gap. and it shouldn't be one you can just hop over with ease. that's my '13 year veteran reward'. I'm a stronger toon then you. and the only way your going to close that gap in a hurried fashion is if you give up a few nights with the buddies or going to the movies or to the club and play the damn game. if your not willing to put in the extra effort, the game doesn't owe you the extra power to your toon.

Couldn't care less if you're a stronger toon than me. The issue is that because of the gap, content can no longer suit a broad player base, and therefore will be unsupportable by that section that remains "entertained" as the other half leaves.

^^^ THIS ^^^

You take things too personally. It's not complaining about your damage or a power gap (said it multiple times but you just can't read, are you stupid ????).

it's just the power gap created by Tithe made this game too hard for new comers and/or casuals, and not enough people can just enjoy doing heroics, because the game was balanced around people with many more tithe than newcomers.

When you finish the KA story line and you are able to burn through adv solo .. this means you should be ready to do T1 heroics (it may be a bit slow but you should be ready) ... it just isn't the case.

so you may enjoy playing but many people just quit because the requirements are too high just to group. Or they only do PQs

it is the case, because that is exactly what I did. it's not 'tuned to people with high tithe'. I was clearing the t2 heroics with friends before I even had 15 tithe in pot or cb. it can be done. did it take a little time to do it? sure as hell did. did we spend a couple nights with zones unfinished? sure did. but it wasn't about our damage output. it was about strategies in those instances. we had to learn the scripts.

but it can damn well be done.

the problem is with people like Doom, that if the zone can't be done in 10 minutes, then it's just 'obviously tuned for people with higher dps then me'. it's not. you aren't originally meant to clear the zones in 10 minutes. your meant to spend on hour in there, learning the strategies, figuring out what works and what doesn't.

this is the same argument that has been used every single time a new power method has been added. they'll tune everything to Ethereal owners! well they didn't. they'll tune everything to Challenge heroic folks! well they didn't. same thing with Tithe and Ascension. they won't 'tune everything' to the people that ground out tithe all day and all night so they have 50 points in every branch or more.

and it is complaining about the power gap. Tithe IS the power gap. the 'requirements' to group are not 'too high' onthe developer side, they are too high on the 'player side' of 'lets get this done in 5-10 min tops' so they look for people massively overpowered for what they are doing.

the only zones that really have harsh checks right now for people are the Expert zones, and the 1 Challenge heroic. everythign else CAN be done. wether you have 5 tithe or 50 tithe.

PSA, Tithe does not matter as much as player skill, or class knowledge

and definitely does not matter as much as having the right gear.

those people with over 50 points in potency.. all what .. 6 of them.. they matter to you in some way? they force you to game their way or something?

i came back to eq a tiny bit before KA released, and now im at 20cb/20sta/21pot, the gap is not as large as you might think.

when i first came back to the game in late october there was this huge gap between me and people having summer ethereals i could not obtain.

i felt it all the way through january too but then i got my ethereal ravaging adorn(at the cost of 4 kronos and 1 millionpp). the gap is no longer there with 21points of divine potency.

a new (fresh) player starting out first sees a gap between their class knowledge and others class knowledge. once they learn how to play (its an on going process here) then its collecting the right gear, either earned or bought or wtfburntkeygivingfullsuitsofarmor. then the next gap they will see is having ethereal ravaging (or similiar) then after that. is who paid to win their grandmaster ascended abilities or not. Tithe will only come into play when you see those like six people with amazingly high potency reking mobs, and you know what?.. they earned that.

You've lost your marbles if you think at least 3 hours a day, every day, is casual....