Kriptini

This is a work-in-progress essay that I eventually plan on uploading to the official forums for everyone to see. I'd appreciate any feedback anyone might have, especially if it helps to improve the points I make in this essay.
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Let's start this off with a little riddle, shall we? What are the differences between Maplestory, Fly For Fun, Runescape, Combat Arms, Drift City, Gaia Online, Ragnarok Online, Puzzle Pirates, Toontown Online, ArchLord, Forumwarz, PoxNora, and Everquest II? Give up? The answer is simple: The owners and the playerbase.

Ever since Legends of Norrath was released, Everquest II has had its ups and downs with game additions, but until the recent release of The Shadow Odyssey expansion pack, it hasn't made too big of an impact on the playerbase. Around three years ago, Everquest II made took the second position on the Top 10 List of MMORPGs in the magazine, Game Informer. Today, Everquest II is mentioned in Game Informer as "...not living up to its immense hype, but using publisher and fan support to continually refine the game and serve its fans well." (Issue 193, May 2009, pg. 24) But do we really refer to refinement as having the "Mechanics Guy" preview some new content to the community, only to have it shot down by 90% of the playerbase and creating a flame war so bad that the senior producer has to step in and cancel the entire project?

On another note, what's with all the real-life money to in-game item transactions? These, more than any other additions to the game, are causing Everquest II to sail dangerously close to the Ocean of Generic MMORPGs. At first, Legends of Norrath caused the game to elevate to a "borderline" status, where buying in-game items with real-life money had a chance (but no guarentee) of receiving in-game bonus items for another game. But with the recent addition of the Station Cash feature, it now seems like the plan is to skip the middle man entirely and just have people spending real-life money on in-game items with less than fifteen clicks of the mouse.

What still seperates us from becoming a wholesome generic MMO, then? Two things, one of which is the core of the game itself (whether intended or not): Pay-to-play subscriptions, and 24 unique classes.

Attempting to balance and improve 24 different classes is an impossible task, but it is definately the bragging right of Everquest II, whether or not it was intended to be. But even with something so small as universal spell name changes, a little part of this core piece of the game dies.

Perhaps the single greatest achievement this MMORPG has ever seen was the release of the expansion, Kingdom of Sky, and the live update that came with it. Among the many changes brought about, we finally created a major difference between each class's counterpart (especially Illusionists and Coercers) and the ability to start out as your final profession added even more beautiful variety to the game.

Developers of Everquest II, I implore you to recollect the original vision you had for this game, and to be more cautious of implementing additions that will cause Everquest II to hop on the bandwagon of MMOs racing down the long road to ruin.

Kriptini Llusion
Veteran Player
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Also, I e-mailed the writer of the Game Informer article. If his response contains anything that can help prove my point, I'll be sure to add it in. A copy of my e-mail can be found attatched.

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Niber

Your essay is terrible.

Improve your points? I'm not sure what your message is. The whole essay is very disjointed. I assume you're preaching uniqueness but you pollute your point with random oddities like RMT and the opinion of Game Informer (whoever they are). I'm guessing you included GI as a shoutout and method for which to sneak into their e-magazine, whatever, it's blatant and obnoxious. You then have the audacity to presume that you know the "original vision" for the game; news flash: you don't.

Bottom line, you're a bad writer with no focus and your opinion on EQ2's spell consolidation is old news that has already been said with more eloquence and less words by posters on this board and the official forums.

Kriptini

Okay good start. Rough, but good start. Anyone else?

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Pink Poodle

First off, Gaia Online is failing. Second, SOE now owns PoxNora.

Also GameInformer is sold [read: nagged until you buy it] by GameStop employees. Yeah...

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Rave Ghost says: "EQ2Flames on ED: Click here! And Part two! Some NSFW content present."

Hoss

Can you sum it up in 3 words or less?

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SacDaddy

Game Informer fucking owns. Dont hate.

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Hell Yes.
How I roll . WIZARDS TILL WE DIE

Anurra

I agree with what others said. I don't really see your point, seems like a bunch of random facts/comments and seems quite disjointed.

Anap KaSplat

soe sucks balls?

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Maybe EQ2 just isn't your game. I know! Let's have a spelling contest!

Kriptini

I put PoxNora in there because I'd thought I'd like to troll them a little bit.

Apparently, I wasn't as organized as I though. If Niber graces me with editing rights, I can try to organize it better, but if not, I guess the thread will just die.

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Pink Poodle

Who the christ gets vidya magazines anymore.

who is them

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Rave Ghost says: "EQ2Flames on ED: Click here! And Part two! Some NSFW content present."