Phrozen

80% of threads do... It's the will of the beast.

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tomthumb

Because in every thread there's some misinformed eq2 fanbois who feel that saying "WoW is teh suck!" gives more credibility to their posts.

Some who know WOW well won't stand for this bullshit, especially knowing now how RoK basically relegated EQ2 into minor leagues.

Zindi

In a last attempt to save the thread...Zindi here and in case you did not know me, LFG linked my gear on page 17 (?) of the thread.

I am not here to talk about my spear, which in all honesty, had already been replaced by an RoK loot before my character was copied to Unrest. I happened to be harvesting at that moment and the old spear was good for soloing. Then I went on a business trip and came back to this.

I want to talk about Test Server and raiding. I think one of the biggest mistakes that we made was to attempt to test raid content with the volunteered population on Test Server. I was raiding since early 2005 and our first raid target was good ol' Ladon. I was with just about every major raid force which had gone through ebbs and flos, like anything else. And then finally I was raiding with UT. We've always thought (and still may be thinking) that our biggest problem is low population. Well that is for sure a problem. However, the more I play on live (I have another set of live characters), the more I feel that one other biggest factor contributing to Test's inability to test end-game raid content is the overal mentality of the people who choose to play on Test. To all Testers, I am not making a blanket statement. I am sure some of you are different. What I want to say is overall, Test players are casual compared to live raid guild players. There is an atmosphere to promote everything that can be summized as "casual gaming" and to condamn most of the characteristics of a "hardcore gamer". While we can all have our definitions on "casual" and agree and disagree, the bottom line is, being casual does not drive to success in raids. We have trouble enforcing hard rules, for instance. The famous "Meet & Greet" event (and the very first one was held by my husband Kwoung, with whom I host the EQII Test Forum as well) is a reflection of the casual mentality. I am not saying what is good - casual or hardcore. There is no judgement made here. People play however they play and it's all good. I do believe that that fact is: If you cannot be hardcore about the game, there will be some content that is out of your reach. This is true for all games and part of the game design.

If you have kept track of all the relevant events that led to this mess, you would see that Test raiding is at the core and the root of what happened. Making sense of many strings of event is hard so I am not even attempting to relate how everything happened as it is all in the beholder's eyes and reading all the forums about this event makes me doubt that what I knew even was true or facts LOL.

Signing off...and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

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Zindi - 70 Defiler/70 Carpenter - Test Server

tomthumb

Good post, there was a lot of collateral damage surrounding this event, underscoring the fundamental breach that this decision has created.

Some executive at SOE simple doesn't understand the MMO nature, and all kinds of things that happend when you break certain rules and try to keep things hush. Which, obviously, isn't surprising, EQ2 wouldnt get to the state that it is now in under competent leadership.

Coriolanus

I disagree totally with your point of view on Test. The problem on test, or any test server, is that the players who have characters there and on live have a choice. Where do you committ your time on a character? Most people choose to put the time on their character on live.

I have some characters on Test, but I haven't levelled them beyong maybe level 12 --- why Time. I choose to devote my time to playing with my toons on live. Whenever noobie content is tested I do test hard and long for that few week period, but I am not going to dedicate time on the test server over live.

It has been silly to think that you can test high level content with folks on Test -- when major expansions come out, they do best to let people copy characters over from Live to play.

However, Those who choose to play on Test undrestand that they can't move their character. Unfortunately you and your cohorts in crime on UT thought you could use friendship with Kirstie to get illegally moved. But you got caught!!

It is players like you who feel the rules don't apply to them that cause trouble in EQ2 and other games. Usually these troublemakers can be associated with the raiding crowd since they never tire of demanding special content and time spent on their niche activity.

aduros

See what I'm getting at here?

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Saihung23

Wow vs. EQ2? What are you...idiots? What the hell does any of that have to do with the fact that SOE is a bunch of self serving wearers of asshats?

Nothing.

SOE + Devs + Friends/ preferential treatment = One screwed up game and a seemingly large portion of the playerbase pissed.

Thats what it is about. Not Mario vs. Sonic or whatever other bs game comparison argument anyone comes up with...

SOE sucks eggs for the initial action, subsequent apology that came with Blame and a self righteous attitude.

Tonight I will burn EQ2 discs and old underwear in a pagan ritual to customer service, integrity, and honesty.

I think it is a great game...if you can play without thinking of the crap they do...then by all means play. I personally can't.

Their apology was lame, and the attitude of the players involved is sickening, I want to vomit every time I read some schmuck like LuckyX or Kwoung try to give legitimacy to the whole drama episode.

.

Also...I hope Panthera was kidding about having his 13 yr. old look at this thread...or that he is a good moderator of sorts and kept the less polite posts from her innocent eyes.

Regardless...you really make me crack a smile with your posts Panther.

Panthera

Foul language doesn't bother us but no, she doesn't read the site. We were staying up late watching mindless TV when I opened my laptop to browse this thread. She asked what I was doing and I honestly admitting to competing in the Special Olympics.

She frequents her own forums where kids her age exchange story ideas and such. She fully admits to being a grammar Nazi and has asked if the guy with the horrible writing and stupid ideas has replied.

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Nitz

Corio, nothing in your post addresses anything that Zindi said and you do not show how you disagree at all. Zindi was making a point about why test server is inadequet for testing raids. You seem to agree while seizing the inopportune moment to take a pot shot. Weak post man.

Llewrend

Although I don't think this is a good move whatsoever by SOE, the people in the guild aren't that bad; atleast the ones I've come across lately.

One friendly fellow even gave me shards and helped me finish off a last mob during a fight when I ran out of power.

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Voted most like Gaige without the game by Wayn!