Everquest 2 Remastered?

That is 3 relatively low key additions. So I believe my comments are far more accurate than harsh

The folks working on the ART team in EQ2 have never been the problem. They have actually been a standout for good reasons. But sadly, a good art department isn't going to cover up for everything else.

I admire your faith in SOE/DBG/DPG. But be careful, it also sounds a bit like Stockholm syndrome.

Sure, playing SOE games from the late 90s to 2010 was a decent run. But it's over a decade gone now. A decade of a lot of money being spent, so little of it on EQ2, and for what result?

EQ Next was so bad they nuked it from orbit. They held down the shift key when mashing delete. Regardless of what I think about animation styles, we are talking about 100+ million dollars of vaporware. This only demonstrates how much this company has changed from the powerhouse era you spoke of.

But who knows. Maybe the miracle will happen and a good EQ3 will appear. If it does, I will give it a whirl.

Stockholm syndrom? Wow, just for understanding and being a fan of their original vision and for ackknowledging what they are doing to keep our servers open? Sorry, but I have been through countless mmo worlds over the many, many years as a gamer, some of which have sadly been shutdown in the end, and I have come to the conclusion that I prefer what former SOE and the now rebranded DBG / DPG still hold in their arsenal. I also appreciate that these worlds are still online after all this time, especially after witnessing the closure of SWG and Vanguard, two games I wish they could bring back. The negativity towards many of these mmo companies nowadays is everywhere, and that includes both big and small names like Blizzard, Bioware, Amazon, smaller indie devs plus many more, and I am not going to be a part of that rage. Doing that is only going to lead to more stuff being DOA, have seen this happen before and have no doubt it can happen again. It sickens me to no end actually. In fact, I regret not supporting these games more from the getgo in the past, which is something I am going to do differently today. If that's what you consider to be a Stockholm Syndrom, then by all means, freedom of speech. My family and I are enjoying our stay in these worlds, especially when considering the fact that EQ2 isn't making nearly as much cash as say DCUO or EQ1, and we also cherrish the fact that they're still putting out good content in the form of expacs and game updates after nearly two decades of online service. Could they do more? Hell yeah. Could they do less? Ooohhh for sure, see other games in a similar situation that have come to a complete halt in terms of game development.

They literally just spent cash on 64-bit and in recent comments they are further indicating that their dev team is taking a closer look at hair and char models. In addition, their dev team actually answered our call alias bug report the other day, and by the looks of it, they're at least looking into fixing shadow and water related issues in EQ2. This hasn't happend in over a decade of reporting this single issue, wherein I see a positive trend. Yes, I have faith in them at least fixing one of these long outstanding graphical glitches and enhancing some of the parts that are used to form EQ2.

We don't know what they'll be doing with what EQN was supposed to be and if, how, when or in what shape or form they will reuse those assets for future projects. Blizzard also cancelled their Titan project and EA nuked Anthem. This happens in the game industry all the time and a lot of times it's not even discussed openly. Doing stuff like this doesn't make it right ofc, still mourning the death of Anthem tbh, but I honestly prefer them cancelling a project before it officially gets released instead of doing crazy things afterwards (see SWG or Anthem for example). I don't think this means the company or ppl involved aren't capable of great things anymore, or that the fire isn't raging and burning high for that matter, it could also just mean that they're using their energy more wisely and refocusing their effort on something else, something with a different vision. Don't know if that's reenergizing the existing EQ franchise - or - trying something completely different with EQ dna in it. I can't and won't judge anyone before I don't get to see and play whatever they have in store for us next. What I would like to see are more open discussions about future content or possible upgrades, and that's what some of my topics have been getting lately (see the thread where we talk about upgrading our EQ2 models).

Look, they have taken interesting and somewhat questionable risks before, with all of the tremendous amount of backlash that followed that decision afterwards, IP damaging backlash that is, and it's ok to be a bit more careful nowadays. The gaming landscape has changed, and so have the ppl that play these games in todays world.

But yeah, I am open to EQ3 as well, but I am also open to anything else they might be working on rn. Now if whatever they do actually scratches the itch for something new is on a different piece of paper, but I will give them the benefit of the doubt and wait before coming to any conclusions or verdicts beforehand.

So it has been written, so it shall be done:



Enjoy everyone. Four more videos are uploading right now and EQ2 raining vids are coming this weekend Also, please pay Nathan Napalms and Elder Gamer Girl's channel a visit as well, as they also like to cover EQ1, 2, Vanguard and now SWG too.

May the force of relaxation be with you, always.

Alrighty, kids in bed, now is the time to party.

Back to the original topic. Just for conversations sake, Funcom actually did upgrade the Anarchy Online engine, a DirectX 7 and 8 engine that looks a lot like Everquest 1, to the same engine they're using in Age of Conan, IIRC.

So basically they went from this:



To this:



I think the main argument was that by doing this, it's easier to maintain the games they have in their portfolio, because they're using the same underlying tech (Secret World, Age of Conan, Anarchy Online). Not a bad idea actually. Imagine if EQ1 and 2 were using the same engine and underlying tech. Wasn't EQN using the Planetside 2 engine? Let's just say you use the same engine and part of the work that you were going to use for EQN before it got cancelled, and modify it to each of our games art- and visual style. One engine to rule them all? This could benefit EQ1, 2, Planetside 2 and future titles if done right. Not sure if DCUO would benefit at all from something like this, but hey, we're dreaming here, right? So let's say DCUO could be done in the same way too.

That said, Age of Conan has been starving for content in the last few years, which just goes to show that some online worlds have indeed come to a complete halt in many aspects. Tbh, AoC is another great mmo that I also played for a long time and I still think it can be saved and fixed in order to appeal to more players. Oh well, that's an entirely different subject though.

What other games do you know of that have gone the extramile for their existing playerbase and what do you think of the idea one engine to rule them all? Anarchy Online is a good example tbh, and the playerbase there is miniscule when compared to the EQ franchise.

Edit: In fact, now that I think of it, imagine Vanguard and SWG getting the same treatment. All of the games mentioned - one engine - same underlying tech. If they spent so much on what was going to be EQN, why not use that to enhance the virtual worlds that we have right now. IIRC, EG7 documents revealed that DCUO was going to get a visual upgrade somewhere down the line, same thing for Lotro too, and seeing how both EQ1 and 2 communities would like to see an upgrade to what we have right now = doing this could make DBG / DPG go bankrupt - - - or it can make everyone around here very, very happy and generate some well earned cash. *continuesdreaming*

I would love it, personally.

You know what, let's take this a step further.

Say you do what I said above AND get rid of F2P elements in these games altogether, replacing it by a single All Access sub like we used to have back in the old days. Say you market it this way: ONE engine to rule them all - ONE sub to play them all.

And then you release everything on Steam with new and enhanced graphics and promote it that way.

Shiiiii... going crazy here.

And: https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/09/08/anarchy-online-alien-invasion-review-2

Imagine all of these games with an enhanced version of:



Seems like the engine has gone from dx9 to dx11 too, making it even better now. Just looked it up and it seems EQN was indeed using the same ForgeLight engine, which explains why it looked so beautiful. Even the water was top notch ---> https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...ocks-not-the-only-one-with-aquaphilia.606081/

The more I think of it, the less crazy it actually sounds. Just out of sheer curiosity, and without actually commiting to anything, how much of an undertaking both from a manpower and financial point of view would doing what I posted further above actually be @dbg? Let's say you were to do this only for EQ1 and 2 for the time being.

Let's see if someone answers the call. Again, not expecting you guys to actually do this, just want to read how crazy an idea like this would be from your perspective. Maybe management or even Chen can jump in and say a few words. No harm in doing that, I assume we'd all appreciate a nice convo.

I think it is safe to say that most of us would want EQ2 to get the basics right at this point which have been neglected for years. Who in their right mind would want to remaster this..

Good to know. I am sure you departed all of the "countless MMO worlds" you have played "over the many, many years as a gamer" singing nothing but complete praise of the Dev teams and their company. As someone who started playing EQ2 in 2004, I have no qualms expressing my view on how this game, franchise, and company has been run.

32 bit or 64 bit does nothing to address the primary issues affecting the playability and quality of EQ2. It barely even qualifies as a band-aid, so to sum it up as a change of little consequence is generous at best. If the 64 bit client makes you think all is rainbows and sunshine, then I am glad the 64 bit client made someone happy. If the Dev team taking 10+ years to state they are going to look into known issues is a win in your book, it is nice to know how low your bar is.

Blizzard turned Titan into Overwatch, and made bank. I have no faith in Daybreak being able to achieve a move within the same ballpark, or block, or city, or state, or country, or continent, or planet, or solar system, or galaxy. If you believe otherwise, good for you! But don't go holding your breath hoping for anything good, as the last decade indicates you will be holding it for a very long time.

Nope, I did not only praise every single mmo that I played. I also more often than not offered constructive and goal oriented critique and I also worked fulltime in the mmo genre as customer support, as GM and even in some CLI and IT related background tasks. In each and every case, I tried my very best to stay on topic and remain respectful to the ppl or the company that I was engaging with, staying on point and not overdoing it. After seeing how things work in the background, I understand certain situations a bit more. On top of that, my wife and I both work in IT and in her case she's even a software dev with an A+ masters degree, and we have both seen that the struggle behind the scenes is very real in todays world, which is why we have developed a certain amount of sympathy for game devs and the likes.

64-bit does in fact help address primary issues of the playability and quality of EQ2. First, it fixed a ton of OOM issues that we were all experiencing. Furthermore, it will allow for more headroom and fixing to be done in the future. Try seeing the vision and the bigger picture mate. In addition, it also means that we might be able to squeeze in more features, better visuals and more over time. Seeing how the game now literally sucks up 8-10 GB of RAM on a short playing session, this just goes to show how an upgrade like this was long overdue. 32-bit was holding it back big time. And no, it doesn't make me a happy bunny on a raindbow road, but it does make me appreciate the effort and it also gives me hope for more future upgrades like these, as stated by Chen in one of her community letters. The water and shadow bug issue I described has only now been upvoted by enough ppl in order to make it an important topic to look at. Before our post, you would see ppl mentioned it here and there, asking for others to upvote, but hardly anyone did. Now it finally happend. If anything, it's sad that we, as a community, didn't come together much earlier to make this a discussion worthy point. Gladly, our post is now filled with enough information and upvotes that someone on the dev team has it on his radar.

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/ambient-occlusion-on-mouse-over.605542/

My standards are actually very high, which is why I have been reporting this non-gameplay-affecting issue for all these years. It means that I look into the small details of this world, and cherrish them for the enhanced immersion that they deliver. I take joy in simple things within these worlds, and love all the small details that add to the bigger picture.

If you don't have faith in the company anymore, that's alright, you have your reasons, but yes, I will hold my breath and hope for the best. Seen these kinds of threads and discussions on all mmos during my career as gamer, no matter if it's Swtor, AoC, AO, EQ1, EQ2, Dcuo, FF14, WoW, GW2, Destiny and Anthem franchise and about a hundred more. It's always the same discussion, no matter what game, what company, what devs, what situation, what update, what change etc. pp. There is no perfection and this is an ever evolving and changing genre. It will never be a finished product - or a perfected one for that matter. There is always going to be room for improvement, always. That said, not gonna let that take away the joy I have playing these titles in their imperfect state, as you might describe.

Planetside 2 + Everquest Next = both using the ForgeLight engine.

EQN cancellation: 2016
Planetside 2 DX9 to DX11 upgrade: 2019

https://www.planetside2.com/news/ps2-producers-letter-a-big-update-april-2019

Sounds a lot like they might have used some of the experience and ressources spent on EQN in order to upgrade PS2 with newer tech. Who knows, maybe they're even using a more up to date version of Forgelight for PS2 now, after putting so much work into it with EQN.


Hope for the future

You acknowledge the bug has been reported for years, but the bug was only recently "upvoted" enough to warrant Dev attention. The fact a visual bug that has been reported for years requires upvotes to be attended to, is truly sad, and demonstrates how low your bar actually is.

All the 64 bit client achieved is masking memory leaks, and allowing more unoptimized code to run. It's like a band aid coated with an anticoagulant solution.

I wonder how long it is until you add EQ2 to the list of the many, many MMOs you used to play.

It's not that big of a deal honestly, bc other more pressing and gameplay affecting issues were prioritized. I get that, and it's ok. The time has finally come to fix it, and I appreciate the effort. Going by an upvote system is actually a good way to see what the majority of ppl want to see fixed. You could consider it a "top priority" way of checking for things that ppl want to get fixed asap. Sure, there are other ways to do this, but if I am sitting in front of a live ticket system, which I often have in the past, and I see 500 ppl reporting X gameplay affecting bug and only 2 ppl reporting Z fluff bug, which one will I take care of first? Hm. 1+1=3?

64-bit, we'll see which one of us is right in the long run. We'll see. Only time will tell.



Wonder all you want, everything in life must come to an end one day. "No King rules forever, my son." - to Arthas Menethil after being killed on the Frozen Throne.

And just like SWG found a way to survive and flourish in the afterlife, EQ2 will find a way too, when that day comes and when we reach that point. Heard ppl saying that EQ2 was going to shutdown in the first five years of EQ2, and here we are, almost two decades later.

Not gonna let that stop me from having fun right here, right now though.

Then don't promote it as some kind of community achievement.

I get it, you're loving your time in EQ2 right here, right now. Guessing you came in late, and didn't see the litany of bad decisions, such as SOE try to sell off a huge chunk of the player base to ProSiebenSat.1, with no regard for established community, guilds or friendships.

Enjoy it while you can.

I can and will promote it anyway I see fit, and I am filled with joy of this small but important achievement. Love good looking water and shadows in games, and this one is no different. Actually quite impressive for the time, other games took decades to achieve the same visual fidelity.

I didn't come in late, in fact, I was here when the servers opened in 2004. ProsiebenSat.1 was handled badly, no denying that, I agree, even though the idea in itself wasn't that bad (= more marketing, better local language support for EU players). It's just that they chose the wrong ppl to partner with and Prosieben + EQ being a startup project made things worse, which actually solidifies my point even more in which I said it's a good idea to sit back, take a deep breath and brainstrom things before doing crazy and spontaneous stuff again. No doubt, mistakes have been made. Said this before, will say it again.

Thank you for your kind words. I will enjoy my stay, and I hope you enjoy yours too one day.

Geez dude, let him have fun. How is it hurting you?

Well <cracks knuckles> thanks for asking >
imho Sturmlocke has set forth a well thought out perspective, backed by decades of exposure to real accomplishment gamming.
It is stunning how right he is, in the face of how many times I did not agree with him in the past.

"How is it hurting you?" you ask < of another >

Easy peasy - the other is dead wrong and well nigh on fire no one sees it their way Badabing-badaboom ~There it is!

- I also do weddings & garden parties 8)

Be well!









Screen Shot for Posterity

This you?

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...more-underwater-wildlife.606297/#post-6704214

ahaha! He can post all he wants there. I didn't tell him to stop. Just wondering why my ratonga has an english accent and his, well who knows where in Norrath he's from.