Sony needs to get with the times If this game is going to make it the next 2~5yrs+

How can you possibly have proof that every guild uses guildprogress?

By asking someone who has exactly the same resources to find that information out as you (pretty limited and VERY time consuming), it doesn't mean if they're not prepared to research it that they're wrong.

It's a bit like saying "In my city 80% of people use public transport, prove me wrong".

You'd have to ask EVERYONE if they use public transport to get the right figures to prove you wrong. I'd rather not waste time on the petty statement and use common sense that the figure is probably too high, rather than try and prove it.

Though I do have to say this, how am I supposed to list guilds that have cleared content that AREN'T listed? Do you wish me to conduct an extremely time consuming survey across all the servers to find out? If someone wants to pay me I would be willing to make toons on all servers and sit there for hours asking questions and at best getting probably dubious answers at best.

When talking statistics you have to use the data provided or spend the time and manpower to acquire more. Using provided and accessible data EM-Content is being cleared by more than 60% of guilds recorded on GuildProgress and were I to read post-dates I bet they did it in less than 2 months. Not a good sign. I am eagerly awaiting this new Test Patch for Heroic Content though and am trying to keep my opinions reserved until new things are implemented. No point in speaking of "past problems" when they are actively being looked at.

I must of missed the part where "all" content has turned into just "normal mode" content. All means everything, including HM.

For the majority of my argument and even the beginning of yours, you have said that the reason it is clear is "we play too much" What I only have been trying to prove is that EM-Content is too easy and is easily cleared and either needs/needed to be a bit harder for the majority guilds or we needed more stuff. I remember a few posts back you had said something to the effect of Raiders complaining that there is nothing to do because it isn't too easy, we just play too much. Well for the majority of the game EM-Raid IS the content they do. HM-Raid has always been for the select crowd who wish to do that kind of grind, with most of EM-Clear the point I make is just that it was too easy for the majority playerbase.

HM-Raid Guilds are outliers, they are a smaller crowd. I thought we were debating the majority playerbase here including those who would label themselves "Casual" style players. Solo, Heroic and EM-Raid Content really have the goal to keep the majority players happy while the HM-content is designed to satisfy that smaller crowd of players.

Stop you stupid crusade against this one particular Raider you are acting like a stalker.

There is plenty to do if you pace yourself, aka play casually. Then again, Estred does not consider himself "hardcore" as he stated in another thread, yet his guild selected "hardcore playstyle" from the drop box to describe themselves in game. These people won't even admit to themselves what they are.

So my guild calls themselves hardcore. I play in what many call a "Hardcore" playstyle. I don't view it as hard so I don't label myself as Hardcore, however others will. The content requires thought beyond a spell rotation even Plane of War is not really hard it's just scripted; follow the script the mob dies just like any boss the matter is execution by the raid. The terms Hardcore and Casual are conditional and are defined by the one who uses them based in interpretation.

I also do not see where multiple raiders have stated "We have already cleared ALL content, we want more." What I have heard is that

"Easy Mode is extremely easy for some guilds and not challenging enough for most, we would like to see more difficult content outside of hard mode. If possible we wish for new HM-Content beyond what there is for those select guilds"

If I am twisting Raiders words I ask that they speak up now, if not I will rest that the second phrase is the desired application. "Casual Style" guilds enjoy challenge to but many do not like the high-challenge that Challenge Mode offers to the "Hardcore Style" player, I desire to see those Casual players have difficult enough content that they may enjoy it for months. Ideally you want a boss to take 3 days to 12 days to figure out and down with 20 some bosses that easily is 3+months of content.

In other threads Guilds have stated they raid 1-2 hours per week and are almost done with EM content. This means most fights are taking less than 1-2 raid nights to kill for them or 2-4 hours of time spent trying to kill it. The question really should be at what point are players logging too much time and at what point is the content too easy? Playtime is a personal choice, difficulty is more controlled by design.

The lack of a strong X2 Zone on the progression curve hurts too. Normally EM-Raid is beyond last-expac Heroic Players without getting new-heroic first because there is an X2-Raid in the way before EM-X4. With CoE not possessing an X2 however EM-Raid has been accessed without much re-gearing which is a vital part of keeping an expansion fresh for longer times.

Estred is "hardcore", although I hate the word. He's committed and plays quite a bit, posts on here just as much and has some of the best gear currently available. Casual players don't do/get that.

BUT, he makes very valid points most of the time. Anyone who can commit to 5 hrs raiding a week can clear EM raid content in this xpac in a few weeks. It's obvious from the fact that there's only 3 zones.

There's a massive difference between EM and HM that usually requires every raid member to be fully decked out in EM raid gear to stand a chance, or HM raid gear from the previous xpac.

Not everyone wants to dedicate that much time to raiding so you'll always get the majority of raid guilds that do the EM stuff and that's it. And for them, this xpac is rather thin on content (although they could then start doing SS HM, Drunder and PoW.

Maybe its just me...but i think the game needs a total face lift. The graphics are starting to look pretty dated. You need a pc able to run some of the latest games to play this one on max settings so it can look like a game made 5 years ago. Also the UI and icons are boring and sorta cheap looking compared to todays standards. Maybe its just me...but for a game thats pretty driven by cosmetics anymore...an art buff would really do wonders to attract people. As now when i show it to other people they're like...wow...how old is this game? May seem stupid to some but its the truth.

The game actually looks pretty good considering it was made in 2004, also the UI is probably the best looking UI I've ever seen default in an MMO right beside Rifts.

Comparing it to a game in development, ESO, it doesn't look as good, but it's certainly comparable, which is pretty amazing for a game this old. I'm not saying an art overhaul is a bad idea, I'm just saying there are worse looking games made in 2004 that are doing considerably better, not naming any names of course.

If you want to compare EQ2 to say, Skyrim then yes, it's going to come up quite short, an MMO will always come up short in that type of comparison. People who don't play MMOs aren't likely to understand that right away.

Agreed with Terien, for a 2004 release game... this still looks decent. There were 2 projects though to enhance graphics.

Shader 3.0.
Skeletal Revamp Project.

I know both were abandoned and I would love to hear why/more on them. Oh btw Terieen how is Shattered Memories doing? I am too busy with my own things to even consider an "off-time" side guild to have fun with new people on, otherwise I would have posted on your thread. I am interested to hear how you all are doing though.

The data says you are in the minority. MMO players value interaction (strategic and social) and game mechanics. Graphics is a tertiary item for most of the MMO population.

EQ1 is still going, as is *gasp* UO.

These games dont die when their graphics are outdated. They die when economics (mudflation primarily and seignorage secondarily) blow the economy and game mechanics past the engine's ability to find interesting intersections of curves in the math it uses.

Aren't Repair Bills really the only major way EQ2 even combats MUDflation? As players we hardly buy from Merchant's anymore and I know a few players who are sitting on 10-50K platinum because they farm when they are bored. I am not very familiar with the term Seignorage though I did look it up... something about coin values?

Issues do arise though that old-players can farm thus inflating prices and devaluing currency. New players can't and are stuck almost with Krono to Plat conversions. Neither really helps the economy because it devalues the coin in game even further... remember back when 10p was like "ZOMG how did you get the coin for that Spirit Steed?" now... 10p is considered with the same value many used to value 10c or 10s.

Now 10p is my daily run of OOA. I don't play my 95 a whole lot to be honest, mostly due to being bugged to join guilds every time I spam for a group, but I need to farm plat because of the inflated broker prices, which is something I never used to have to do. It's a slipperly slope when players start feeling like they need to farm plat.

Probably the best I've ever done with a progression guild, took Darathar down in two pulls, almost got him the first pull but he got turned somehow at 20% and frontal'd the raid which stunned us all.

I'm very interested to see how we do in DoF when the difficulty spikes a bit.

Indeed, it also is a problem when players are farming because they feel there is nothing else to do... I know some Raiders who because they have 0 interest in Heroic do nothing but farm... and drive up prices by virtue of having a lot of plat.

Never been in a Progression based guild so best of luck taking Djin Master... I have heard nightmare tales about him.

Its the other thing.

Repair bills take money out of the economy. The reason to do that is if you think there is too much money in circulation, which is seignorage. It's impossible to fix this in a faucet drain economy. Half of my thesis is a way to fix this.

Mudflation is the tendency for the numbers on gear to get bigger over time. That stresses the combat engine and pushes the numbers it compares outside of the sweet spot(s) of intersecting curves. The other half of my thesis is a way to fix this.

Reforging is a higher 'cash cost' for me then repairing most of the time.

Setting all raid/group chests in the whole game to give plat amounts based on quantity of people there rather than a fixed amount would make a huge difference to the speed of currency coming into the game. So PR gives you 1pp per chest per person for example.

It wouldn't remove what's already there in peoples banks, but I know I'd stop farming these places if it was that low. Yet it wouldn't effect raiders actually raiding.

Ah, also I believe WoW actually implemented diminished monetary rewards the more you ran an old zone. Thus you couldn't farm cash-zones because after about 3 runs they would yield 0 cash-reward.

Yes, but it doesn't matter if you're creating a reduced quantity of money out of thin air to hand to players. If you're creating any at all, and a million players are doing it, it adds up. Fundamental change is needed to monetary policy to arrest seignorage, for just the reasons you specified earlier. The longer a game goes with a faucet-drain model, the more there is nothing that current players cant afford, while new players have that much higher an entry barrier.

Changing the underlying economics lets the game operate as designed, 'as intended' for 20 years or more, instead of 4-7.