Lucrez

I hope they never merge any classes...
Reducing the total number of spells will be ok if they combine the right spells.

What about a new DirectX10 engine? and 64Bit Interface? That would be a chance to renew the game.

Please don't destroy the game by randomly merging anything together to make it easyer to play... Most people im playing with will quit if EQ2 gets one of this O I have 4 Classes and 4 How to Play my Class Perfect for Dudes guides...

I know no one realy cares about what a german player wants. I've played this game since the old LU13 days and I like it as it is, some changes more, some less....

Wormy

I think Illuminator and others are right when they say that the game could use improvement in the area of quest involvement. Characters don't feel like they're changing the world, the way they do in single person or small group games. These aspects of RPG play are difficult to code into MMOs, and perhaps the devs need to look at questing using a storyboarding approach. Then again, we don't know if they do so already and simply fail to execute.

Live events made Asheron's Call players feel involved. When guild leaders (Monarchs in that game) were contacted by higher powers (in this case, a dark godling) directly, and forced to take a test, the guild knew that their leaders were involved, and so the players felt involved. When PvP was added to a single dungeon, and players were allowed to protect or destroy a prison holding a dark power, players felt involved.

Live events, combined with epic quests, could bring back that feeling of involvement.

But none of this has to do with class consolidation. I simply don't see any need for it. Instead, I think the devs must re-think how itemization is done. Crap drops in three year old content doesn't help the game. New tools need to be developed to help the developers re-balance existing items. It should be very easy for SOE to get an intern to re-balance the crap items in the game. If it's not, the tools are to blame.

Firesys

I agree with Lucrez. I have to say that a consolidation of classes is a BAD idea. I play a coercer ( level 80) and im damn good at what I do. Its what makes people like me better than you. the skill of the player. Fuck the noobs who cant handle it because they have a counterpart that appears to be better suited for combat. Im a prime example Coercer Vs illu. I DO NOT want this to be one enchanter class. Both are very different and play different roles in game/raid. though both are enchanters the last thing I want is to be the same as the illy and lose half of my utility just to put up higher numbers.
man, i say screw the noob who cant play their class well ( which we all know is like 75% of the total game population) to make it a little easier on the guard with down syndrom who's excuse for not holding agro is that he's not a zerk. Consolodating spells, I can see a few instances but classes? its a little much for me.

PS: excuse all of my typos and mis-spelled words Im sure that there are a few in there.

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Wormy

Yeah, there's a marketing slogan I'd like to see... I say condense it to "Let's f*@% three quarters of the people buying our product." It has a nice ring to it, eh?

btw: I agree with the other content in your post; class consolidation is a bad idea.

Templarii

MMO history says: Large scale overhaul = ALL BAD.

No company yet has pushed a major game overhaul without devastating its customer base. My (conservative, admittedly) view is that we're all much, much safer by addressing the specific things that are wrong with the current game rather than introducing a whole new set of imbalances and broken mechanics by pushing a full-blown overhaul.

Identify what's wrong and fix THAT. Don't fuck up the entire game, then identify what's wrong with it after half the community leaves, and fix what's left. Even if it is possible to overhaul a game without imploding it in on itself, do you think SOE is the company that could achieve it?

Seriously? Really?

You know better than that.

Deson

Leaving the SOE track record out of it...

3+ years of experience so far says that the problems of mechanics, lackluster classes, itemization and overall class balance are just symptoms of a crap core design. That makes all calls to " Identify what's wrong and fix THAT," calls for core game redesign.

A coercer can be a better player than an illusionist but it doesn't change illusionists bringing more to the table. It's the complaint tanks have had almost since launch; it doesn't matter how skilled a player is when on an all things equal basis another class simply does the job better while bringing more to the table.

Itemization? How do you create a unique itemization feel for 24 subclasses, each with their own specialized needs spanning 4 gear types and, thanks to AP, different sub-specialites within them? Add in now the gear restrictions for each of those subclassses, the bottom of which is the mage. That alone is a tremendous amount of work that it just seems SOE is unable or unwilling to do right. Even with what appears to be template generated loot, it doesn't cover the chief complaint of the gear not feeling special or even good.

Class uniqueness? How do you divide amongst those same 24 subclasses with all their specialties, skills that are not redundant between them all and still useful? How do you balance it all out rationally so you don't end up with with one party completely outstripping its competitors? I've still got some of the scars of the post LU-13 fights between sorcs and summoners(and between preds and both) that prove even some of the smallest differences matter a lot and that's just amplified when you have so many classes fighting over the same little piece turf. And that turf is just too small and too well covered for much allowable crossover or general expansion.

Adding in the SOE history...

No, I can't say I have too much faith in SOE pulling it off but then, I also look at the game now and see a bad situation getting worse if they don't do something about it. It's clear they either can't or won't get the resources needed to do itemization for this game's sprawling niche needs and it's also clear they are pretty tapped for class specials/unique spells. Given those realities, it may just be best for them to strip down to what works ( and by extension what they can support)-- something players are effectively doing anyway through betrayal and rerolls.

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Firesys

are you slow? lol. know exactly what a class does prior to making an accusation like that. Just because you don't see what the class does doesn't mean it doesn't do anything. Just keep in mind that 60% of what the class does in behind the scenes.

And the problems with itemization are easily fixable with an inceased diversified loot table making people UBER with stuff that will make everyone else un-happy because said item is over powered. man, The problems with this game are within the population itself. if people would stop bitching over a robe that has TOO much INT, so nerf it, people would be much happier. So the problem is fixable. Make new items ( RAID DROPS PLEASE) and increase the loot table on trash/named mobs.

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Flaming Homo

Despite what today's crop of fanbois is posting, EQ2 desperately needs class consolidation. Anyone who actually thinks this game needs two bards, for example, is a pure USDA Grade A fucking retard.

Wormy

Dildo, try to follow the bouncing ball here... Some people are smart enough to understand that the issue isn't needing two bards, it's having two bards. While the game doesn't NEED two bards; it has two bards. Consolidation means large-scale change. Large-scale change results in mass player exodus. Mass player exodus is worse than having a flawed number of classes. Thus, the solution can't be consolidation, so other options need to be considered.

MonkeyBob

omfg. I can see whats gonna come from this...

1) Player starts new toon, chooses race, chooses starting city. Starts playing. WTF? no class choices????

2) Reaches lvl 5, has to choose broad option (maybe cleric, warrior, rogue, mage or bard?). Gets generalised class specific spells/CA's.

3) repeat 2 above every 10 lvls thereafter, with narrower and narrower choices until lvl 75/85/95/105/whatever lvl is reached where you are UBER.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!