Well that was......interesting (EQ2 multiboxing experience)

[d0z3rr]

Started 6 accounts (took FOREVER to register and refer all 6 accounts).

Played the game for about 3-4 days (maybe 2 hours per day). Got to level 10 on my first team on the fourth day (after 2 days of setting up their ui's, binding keys, testing macros, getting innerspace and keyclone to work, etc.) Canceled all 6 yesterday. Why?

Requires wayyyy too much effort on my part to learn the game while multiboxing, I just don't have the patience. I would have to roll one character and get to a decently high level before I have any idea what I'm doing, what to do, and how to play the game properly. But apparently I am not in the mood to learn another MMO from scratch.

Here is what I liked about EQ2:

1. Awesome buffing, buffs do not seem to expire either!
2. Better /follow than wow, does not cancel when you strafe or move. Perfect for melee multiboxing.
3. Many different classes, cool races. Blows WoW away IMO.
4. All you pay is a monthly fee, no need to purchase the game (unless you want the xpac) to get started. Saves lots of $ in the end, and makes it easier to try out. I wound up paying $15 to try it out when it was all said and done (well 55, cuz I had to spend $40 on 4gb more of ram for my comp to run EQ2 better).
5. Nice graphics


Here's what I did not like about eq2:

1. Horrible interface. You can't see party targets, and there's hardly any useful addons.
2. You have to click chat bubbles to talk to NPCs, got really aggravating.
3. Hard to get your party members to face a certain way, extra maneuvering required.

That's about it. I would definitely recommend it to people who are sick of WoW and want to try a new MMO. Provided you have more patience and ambition than I did. I would recommend it over WoW period actually, the community of WoW is incredibly stupid, elitist, annoying, I could go on. The people in EQ2 seemed nice and well spoken. i.e. no "can i hav sum help with this quest plzzz kk thx".

[Frosty]

Here's what I did not like about eq2:

1. Horrible interface. You can't see party targets, and there's hardly any useful addons.
2. You have to click chat bubbles to talk to NPCs, got really aggravating.
3. Hard to get your party members to face a certain way, extra maneuvering required.


I agree with you on #1. There aren't a lot of addons.
But I haven't had any problems with targets. There is the same lag/delay in EQ2 as there is in WoW as far as I can tell.

#2 This doesn't bother me as I had to do it in WoW inside the quest boxes.
if It's possible, I just pick up the quest with the main and share it with the slaves.

#3 Just add /autoattack 1 to your slave's dps macros after they assist you. This will cause them to face the mob..and you can even move them around a bit on the target if you like.

Sorry to see ya go.

[Lyonheart]

I kind of feel the same way( /re eq2 ). I have been dabbling in LotR last few days. It is just as good looking, if not better, than any other mmo out atm. But it has ZERO addons, they do not allow 3rd party programs of any kind in the game. That is one reason I am sure it has such a small player base. The player base is large enough that it is a successful MMO, but not allowing the mod community in, IMO, is limiting the game in a very big way. It NEEDS mods IMO. But the game itself is fun and more for the RPr than anything.

[Redbeard]

I like a lot of the systems in eq2 better but its always felt clunky to me vs wow. Wow seems very fluid and smooth.

EQ2 is still pretty good times. Definitely would be beneficial to play 1 class to end game though before boxing.

[Noxxy]

Hey d0z3rr,

Sorry to see you go but at least you gave it a bash.


Interface - probably agree with you there - it is limited in what you can do but there are some nice player submitted interfaces at eq2interfaces ('www.eq2interface.com') - highly recommend getting the map mod ('http://maps.eq2interface.com/index.php?action=download') as it is far superior that the ingame plus it's free

Click chat bubbles - well that's the same as most other games in that you have to click 'something' - but I have always done exactly what Frosty suggested, collect quest on your main then share

Facing same direction - there is an autoface when attacking command in your options which you can check - simply makes everyone face the mob

Seeing targets - options, you can change the target pointer to be anything up to a huge honkin' pointer thingy

..and don't worry d0z3rr we have out fair share of elitist pr!cks at the raiding end too...


As for much effort - well honestly, they all are different to a certain degree but mostly they are the same thing - fed-ex, whack-a-mole, kill the uber fire breathing thingy, get naked, /dance

On another point, something which you hinted at in your OP, unfortunately your a bit short on available options in which games to choice. IMHO, it is a shame WoW is so big as it has really squashed all the niche games - like pre-wow there were literally a good dozen? games to play like DAoC, EQ1, UO, AO, etc etc - ..all these games are pretty old now and your current choice is widdled down to basically wow, eq2, gw, lotro, wh and that's probably about it (apologies if I miss any big ones - just off the top of my head) - so, maybe like the rest of us, we just have to stick with 1 game and wait around till something comes along to challenge wow

[Khatovar]

The only thing I hate about EQ2 is the lack of mods. I spent a solid week trying to create new party and player bars using the UIBuilder because what was out there was crap. Party bars I got working, but I can't get the player one to work to save my life since there's so much hardcoded crap in the interface that I have to pull my hair out to get it to do something remotely similar to what I want.

Most other frustrations are things I usually just have to write off because it's not what I'm used to. Playing WoW for 5 years or whatever is going to make people crazy when it comes to other games. Unlearning what you've been doing for ages and learning to do it differently is beyond frustraiting. I went through the same things going from AC to WoW, then going from WoW to EQ2 and back again. Hell, I go through the same thing when I get a different keyboard or mouse, lol.

And yeah, I certainly would suggest solo-playing any game before jumping into boxing it. I'd played EQ2 before and I still played it solo for about a week when I went back before I decided it was something I could box.

[Buefurd]

I played EQ and EQ2 for many years. The biggest selling point for me (aside from the huge world and all the exploration you can do) is the community.

The community in these games is the complete opposite from the blizzard games, which is unfortunate (for blizz not for SOE). For the most part the players are very mature and in fact if you act like one of the Bnet kiddies in EQ/EQ2, chances are you won't last very long as they will chew you up and spit you out.

Aside from that, the game world is just so amazingly detailed and there are tons of things to explore and do. The crafting system, although a pain at times, is pretty useful as well and can be very rewarding. For me, EQ2 has a much more "organic" feel to it than WoW does. I'm playing WoW now because for one its waayyy easier to multibox in my opinion, and doesn't chew up my PC as bad as EQ2 did even only 2boxing it. Plus I have much more to accomplish in WoW than in EQ2, which is funny because it's harder to progress really far in EQ2 than it is in WoW. Anyway..im rambling...

[Frosty]

The biggest selling point for me (aside from the huge world and all the exploration you can do) is the community.
I agree with this 100%. I have yet to have any rude comments by anyone in the game.
I've had several nice ones though. I've also not seen any "OMG canz u halp plz" speak.

I also agree on the learning curve from changing games. It took me a long time to get used to WoW after playing EQ1 for so long.

[Frosty]

According to the info Sony recently relesed about the player base, the average EQ2 player age is 31.
Frosty > 31

:P

[Noxxy]

>31+++++++++++