Hello all, Captain Jooma here leader of EQ2 guild Gods Among Men. Some of you know me as Ulyden the Dr00d from EQ Live on Ayonae Ro.

EverQuest 2 will hopefully be launching late next month with Beta going as smoothly as it has been. Many of you have no plans to make the jump over because of all the time you've spent in your current accounts and many of you are welcomeing the fresh start and new adventures.

This post is for 2 things.

First for those of you making the jump to EQ2 who are looking for a guild then please check out our website http://www.godsamongmen.com and if you like what you see and read then please apply! There's still many slots open before we reach any class caps.

Second, for those of you wanting a little more info on EQ2 and what sort of changes you can be looking forward to seeing here's some useful links.

http://everquest2.station.sony.com/
http://eqiiforums.station.sony.com/eq2/board?board.id=faq&no_redir=true
http://www.eqii.com/faqtree.php
http://www.eqii.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=5993

Also we have a few members in the EverQuest 2 beta right now. If you have questions for them that doesn't violate their NDA I know they'd be happy to shed some light on their experiences thus far.

Why would anyone need a guild? Thought the whole idea behind EQ2 was solo ablility and no need for guilds or anything else to strap you down...main reason people left EQ right? Ah so its same old same old again. Ill stick it out in EQ then.

Thought the whole idea behind EQ2 was solo ablility

That's WoW. I will say no more of the gestapo may get me!

EQ2 downsizes the need for massive guild strength (raids @ 24 people versus 72), but guilds are still important.

I'm still not sure where I'll turn. I do know that I won't be able to afford to play all three.

IF Sony was smart, they would charge an extra 5 bucks and combine the EQ and EQII subscriptions. I've played WoW and yes it is fun, Lots of fun in fact. I can't say EQII sucks because I haven't tried it, but if Sony combined the subscriptions, I think they would retain more people due to: a) people not losing the work they've put into EQ and b) being able to play EQII, enjoying a new game.

The big thing that's making people reluctant to give up on EQ is the bloody time investment. Some people have 5 years sunk into this thing! If Sony allows people to protect this time investment, they will retain their market.

If not...................well, lets just say Sony's game and expansion launch record hasn't been exactly stellar (IE: Luclin, Star Wars Galaxies)

Guilds in EQ2 are a bit different than in EQlive. Your guild name actually means something to NPCs in your home city and they will react to you appropriately. In other words prestige :) Each player or "patron" actively contributes to the guild, if he/she leaves then all their contributions go too (or so I hear).

Yes, you can solo but some mobs are just not possible to solo and grouping will also allow you to earn experience more quickly.

You can play for an hour or two if you wish at one sitting or you can be hardcore and play for hours. It's the same in EQlive the ones who can dedicate more time to it will reap better rewards I don't care what SoE says it's the truth.

There's going to be plenty of raid content, or so they say.

I'm still not sure where I'll turn. I do know that I won't be able to afford to play all three.

IF Sony was smart, they would charge an extra 5 bucks and combine the EQ and EQII subscriptions. I've played WoW and yes it is fun, Lots of fun in fact. I can't say EQII sucks because I haven't tried it, but if Sony combined the subscriptions, I think they would retain more people due to: a) people not losing the work they've put into EQ and b) being able to play EQII, enjoying a new game.

The big thing that's making people reluctant to give up on EQ is the bloody time investment. Some people have 5 years sunk into this thing! If Sony allows people to protect this time investment, they will retain their market.

If not...................well, lets just say Sony's game and expansion launch record hasn't been exactly stellar (IE: Luclin, Star Wars Galaxies)
Here ya go bud, I think this might be what you're looking for :p - http://www.station.sony.com/allaccess/

IF Sony was smart, they would charge an extra 5 bucks and combine the EQ and EQII subscriptions.
The Station: All Access Pass
For only $21.99 per month you will have access to the following games:

EverQuest(both PC and Mac version when it's released)
EverQuest II(when released)
EverQuest Online Adventures
Planetside

They are smart enough to put it for $9 more than base monthly fee. ;)

Edit : Gah Jooma was faster!! :p

Well if you are too lazy to click the link... It's helpful here.

Wow, I am out of the loop LOL.

played both WoW and EQ2 beta, they are both worth playing much fun. As with anyhting both have strenghts and weaknesses. EQ2 you can solo, with some ease, but like posted above, some things are made for groups.

Has anyone done any pvp on either beta's? I would much rather have the option to go frag a few people, especially the L337 type jokers (did i get that right, elite?).

kung fu rules


can't really talk about pvp in eq2 yet

I imagine that EQ2 will have something like the RZ server. but that doesn't seem much different than just going into a pvp pit. But I also imagine eq2 being TOO similar to EQ in gameplay.

example: PVP in EQ was all about the gear. doesn't matter if I can kite you all over the arena, if my spells wont stick because you're geared for the top end of the game, I'll be running until you get tired and just leave (been there, done that with my old druid in a 65/65 duel vs. nickle 'n dime bow shooting tanks). I'm hoping there will be more than this in WoW but im skeptical.

until then its Virtua Fighter 4 Evolution (what I play now instead of kung fu), this damn game is almost impossible with PS2 controllers but I haven't looked into a j-stick solution yet. some of the combo's for the first guy, Akira, are nearly impossible with default button configuration as you really need to be able to "whip" the stick to get the combo's off fast enough.

well that was off topic, I'm just looking for the next mmorpg (as in currently unreleased) that wont be a "stand in the corner all shrunk to hell, watch 6 channels, and press macro keys in a sequence." BORING.

I look at it like this, if my friends come over and see what I'm playing and say that sucks i dont want to fucking play that for hours on end. it stink (for me that is). It has to have "better" PVP action. Not sure where I'm going with this. oh well, its time to leave the workplace. Until tomorrow, drink more beer.

Cheers

WoW > EQ*

They've announced that WoW will have PvP vehicles. They are trying to make PvP akin to being inside a Warcraft game only in first person. It'll be faction against faction (horde vs. alliance).

Has anyone done any pvp on either beta's? I would much rather have the option to go frag a few people, especially the L337 type jokers (did i get that right, elite?).

I do recall Sony saying that there will be absolutely no pvp at launch. No duels, or pvp servers, or anything.

WoW pvp on the other hand looks quite interesting.

This is True. At launch time EQ2 will be completely focused on PvE, no PvP.

It is true no PvP for EQ2 at launch and I seem to recall saying possibly not ever. It will be solely PvE.

It is true no PvP for EQ2 at launch and I seem to recall saying possibly not ever. It will be solely PvE.
"Oh you bastards!!!, I fooken hate Pikeys. This could get messy."

well that seals it for me, no eq2 for me when it launches, I just hope WoW comes out soon. I've got an itch for something other than FPS and fighting sims. I've been so bored lately, I ran though Baldurs Gate 2 three times in the past 2 weeks. gawd, that gets repetitious, been thinking ill go though it and kill everything in sight, including the merchants and such and see if it can handle a 1 reputation party.

I think WoW is suppose to come out around the same time EQ2 does. Also a friend of mine is beta testing EQ2 and he said that the lag sucks, it's like bazaar lag, and that you zone more in EQ2 then you do in EQ1.

hmmm I wish I could comment on that statement in a detailed way :)

I will say that I contest it.

As for the zoning more, that one really has me confused.

I think WoW is suppose to come out around the same time EQ2 does. Also a friend of mine is beta testing EQ2 and he said that the lag sucks, it's like bazaar lag, and that you zone more in EQ2 then you do in EQ1.
Your friend may need to upgrade a bit or turn his specs down. I experience 0 lag. And I'm not sure what he means about zoning more in EQ2 then EQ1?

His graphic specs where turned down to crappy looking graphics and he still got lag. Plus he's never really steered me wrong so i'm just going to trade my EQ2 for WoW when i get it in. However i will be keeping my EQ1 account, the one i play the most on.

I agree completely with Jooma :)

Since we are on the topic of guilds and such I thought I post a little thread I placed on my EQ2 guild's forums :) It covers much about what guild's mean in EQ2. Oh and since it was a compilation from other web sites that were approved to post it I don't think I am breaking the NDA by reposting it :) Ah yes and the discussion about PvP is in here too.

Questions on Guild Level, Patrons, Followers and such.

Most times, I feel that asking questions before release is usually kind of pointless. I feel I'm just here to enjoy the ride, and absorb the information that is given out, as it's given out. But on the matter of Guilds, it's different. Information now can change the approach and structure of how Guilds prepare for the release of EQ2. Being that I'm part of a planning group, that is putting together a Guild for EQ2, I have prepared a list of questions in the hopes that we can get some better information, to better prepare us. In advance, sorry for overlapping questions.

My sources are at the bottom of the post, as the basis for what we do currently know about Guilds, levels, ipvp points and player status.

1. We know that Guild Members can either be Followers or Patrons, and the amount of Patrons is ideal between 12-36. This would mean penalties outside that range. Patrons contribute their status to the guild by doing writ quests. Do Followers also do writ quests, and by doing so do they increase their status the same way Patrons do? Is the process the same for both Patron and Follower, and the only difference is that Patron status is equated in the Guild level and the Follower status is only used for personal use?

2. The reason for the first question, is to lead into this question. If a Patron is switched out, you lose his contribution to the Guild. If you change a Follower to a Patron, do you add a Follower's personal status to the Guild if that Follower is made a patron? I realize that if a Patron is dropped from a Guild, all of his contributions go away, but do they stay if he's still in the Guild as a Follower, just not added to the Guild level?

3. Questions 1 and 2 are specifics of a basic question. How is a Follower and Patron different, in how the accumulate ipvp. Do they run the same totals, but the only difference being that Patrons are tallied for the Guild, whereas Followers are only used for personal. If this is true, then can it be said that by switching a Patron with a Member, you are swapping ipvp totals. If this were true, then it would make sense that at some point you may want to trade out a Patron for a Follower if the Follower has been contributing more than the Patron. If it's not true, then any time you demote a Patron, you take a big loss and have to build it back up again with a new Patron.

4. Can both Patrons and Followers spend ipvp on individual guild perks, or are Patron ipvp points used only for the Guild?

5. If a Patron or Follower drops from a Guild, do they lose their purchased Prestige items or purchased individual perks?

6. What restrictions are there on Followers in their ability to purchase Prestige items? Do they have to be a member of the Guild for a minimum period of time?

Posting these questions here is a double edged sword. In a perfect world, we'd get factual answers. In an Everquest2.com world, we'll get lots of personal opinion. Now, I realize that the more bad information that's posted here, the more likely Moorgard will stop by and clarify a few of our questions. So post away. Whatever happens, I'll be happy with any useful information that is discovered.

Sources:

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www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.c...e/1/page/1 (http://www.mmorpg.com/gamelist.cfm/setview/features/gameID/2/loadFeature/1/page/1)
August 15, 2004

When you say the Guild rises in level, what does that mean or entail?
It allows them access to different areas and access to different quests. It also allows them access to more prestigious merchants. Basically think of it as you have to have a certain amount of status to buy something from the Prestige merchants, and you also have to have a guild at a certain level. This isn't set in stone but let's say there's a mount that you want to get and it costs X amount of status and your guild has to be level 30. In other words, this is a pure prestige item and that prestige is represented both by what you're willing to spend individually and by your guild's status. They don't just give these things out to everybody.

Do you automatically have access to a Guild's status when you join the Guild if they've already built up a couple levels?
Well there is a level of distinction here; you actually have two kinds of guild members beyond the normal "Member", "Officer", "Leader" and "Applicant" status. That's what is inherent in our guild structure. You have on top of that "Patrons" and "Followers". Patrons are contributing members, think of it like a football team. There are only so many people who are on the field and everyone else is on the bench. The team itself is of a larger size, but what's actually out there playing and effective is a smaller group. So the Patrons are the people who contribute their status to the guild. Right now it's set at being between 12 and 36 for the ideal number of Patrons. These are the people who contribute the most, the hardcore guys who are out there doing the Writs and earning the status for the Guild. But the guild size itself, as far as Follower size is unlimited. This way you can have your Alts in there, still have access to the guild channels, etc but they're not going to contribute to the actual status earned for the guild. The reason for that is because it's a level based system; we had to have some sort of efficiency restriction. Otherwise people would just tend to zerg it, you know, you'd end up with a 500 member guild, it would level up the fastest and it would be the only one anyone would want to join.
We definitely want smaller guilds intentionally, because we find that they fit better with our whole theme of smaller, more intimate and immersive content; smaller raid sizes, etc. Patrons will be chosen by the Officers and Leaders of the guild. However there is a Cost of Change cost associated with switching them out. Think of it this way, I have my Patrons, all of the status they've ever earned adds up to make my Guild's level. If I switch one of them out, I'm losing his total that added into the Guild's total. If someone leaves the guild all of his contribution goes away with him, but he does not get to take it to his next guild with him. You only count what you earn while you're a patron in that guild. The Followers still enjoy the benefit of being in the guild of that level tho, so if they want to buy a mount that requires a level 30 guild and even if they're not a Patron, they are still a member of a level 30+ guild and therefore are able to buy it.

What if someone likes to fly solo basically? Will he be able to get enough Status himself to access that Prestige merchant?
Well there is some content that you can only attain via the aforementioned status methods. You can get a mount, and a mount is prestigious, but it would be far more difficult and expensive because it wouldn't just be status, it'd be status and coin as well. And you would have fewer options, for example the really cool titles and really cool mounts and the best house layouts are only going to be available through the guilds and will be awarded as social structures. It's very similar to the other side of the house in the Adventuring path, the really cool loot isn't generally something you can solo; it's going to be on that Raid encounter dragon or something along those lines. The other thing to note though is you might want those solo type players in your guild, if they really crank on the Writs and do the status because realize they can go out and do that on their own and make a valuable contribution to the guild without raiding and doing other guild activities.

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eq2vault.ign.com/ (http://eq2vault.ign.com/)
August, 2004

The third breakout session dealt with social structures. It is in this session that many revelations were delivered unto us. The first, there will be absolutely NO PvP at launch. You heard me correctly, there will not be duels, there will not be arenas, there will not be anything. Further, the developers refused to speculate on whether there ever will be. So if you are hoping for PvP, the wait may be a while. Senior Producer John Blakely said this, and when questioned about it, said that is the stance of the team at this time, and that there will be for 100% sure no PvP at launch. Second, the guild system was explained a bit by Chris Cao. Basically, guilds will have levels. As players within the guild earn iPvP for the guild (through doing special quests which don’t grant normal experience to the player, but grant experience to the guild instead called writ quests), the guild will increase in level, which will allow members of the guild to purchase prestige items from higher prestige vendors. These items include special titles, guild housing, special mounts, etc. The cool thing about guilds is that in addition to the four classifications the members of the guild can be classed into (guild leader, officer, member, and applicant), there are two types of guild members. The first type is called a patron, and only the iPvP points earned by patrons can be attributed to the guilds level. The other type of guild member is a normal member, and these members can still earn personal iPvP points to spend on individual guild perks, but they can not create iPvP points for the guild. Using this system, the ideal number of patrons in the guild is 12-36, any number less than 12 or more than 36 will place a severe penalty on the guild, making it more difficult for the guild to level, and thus making it more difficult for that guild to have access to the top level of perks. A guild can be 500 members, as long as there are only 12-36 patrons, that guild competes in iPvP just like the smaller guilds. Doing this allows for guilds to be large, and for small guilds to bring in their alts without incurring a penalty. Guild crests and heraldry will not be in at launch, but is one of the most important post release features to be brought into the game. Again, there was quite a bit more discussed, and if you want to hear the full conversation, check back with EQ2 Vault on Monday.

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www.eq-squared.com/module...page_id=50 (http://www.eq-squared.com/modules.php?op=modload&name=PagEd&file=index&page_id=50)

It looks like at release guilds will have some limits that we may not be use to. I suspect from the comments from the developer that we spoke to, that the guild management system is not ideal, and that changes will come later launch.

All guilds will have at launch 4 hard-coded ranks. Leader, Officer, Member and an Initiate. I raised some concerns about this, that many people really like to make there own ranks and privileges. The dev said that it may change, but most-likely not before release.

The other thing is the guild influence. This is a mini game within the whole. Here is how it works. Within a guild you have 2 types of people; they call them patrons and followers. Now, do not think of this in the AC way, you are not swearing to anyone. Here are the differences. A Patron is an active member of the guild. As they work on their prestige, they also contribute to the prestige of the guild, while followers can work on there own prestige, but there points to not count to the guilds prestige. There is a formula that is used, so it is not smart to make everyone a patron, the “decay” of your guilds influence is related to the amount of patrons you have. So the developers said ideally, you would have 12 – 36, that should keep you prestige in a zone.

Prestige is a great thing to have, there are special merchants in the game that you can spend for special Items such as a bigger house, a mount, and more. The guild can also spend their points on things like guild halls and so on.

Here is a civet, If a Patron leaves your guild, he takes with him the points he earned, but, if he rejoins another guild those points are gone. His personal prestige is unchanged, but his guild points vanish.

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pc.gamespy.com/pc/everque...?fromint=1 (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/everquest-ii/522775p1.html?fromint=1)
June 13, 2004

GameSpy: Players can advance their status in a city by joining a guild that accomplishes tasks on behalf of that city. What kinds of perks and benefits can players expect by advancing their social standing in this way?
Chris Cao: Benefits gained through player guilds are all about prestige. Fancier mounts, bigger houses, special titles, special clothing, and privileged tasks are just some of the types of rewards players can expect to earn through service to their city.

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pc.gamespy.com/pc/everque...851p3.html (http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/everquest-ii/522851p3.html)
June 13, 2004

Every guild is associated with a home city, either the good city of Qeynos or the more nefarious city of Freeport. Once established, the guild can start to receive "writs" from the city, giving the guild particular tasks. Early on the writs amount to simple errands, but before long characters will become embroiled in the politics of the city. Infiltration, subterfuge, and outright combat with the city's enemies is the norm. Completing these writs improves the guild's standing within the city.

Once a guild builds up a solid reputation, that's when the perks start coming. NPCs will treat you differently. You'll have access to new cool furniture, new mounts, and new rare items to show off your status (what the designers affectionately call "bling bling.") Guilds can start off with a small instanced building off the map as their headquarters, but can eventually earn the right to buy larger buildings within the city proper where everyone can see just how influential they are.

A guild's status with a city can degrade over time if the guild isn't actively helping the city, and that's how guild sizes are balanced. Larger guilds lose their status faster -- so, while it's possible to have a guild with 100 members, it'll be really difficult to keep it in high standing. Sony hopes that this will allow smaller, well organized guilds to still be relevant -- again, making the game experience more intimate, and giving more people the chance to feel what it's like to lead powerful guilds.

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boards.stratics.com/php-b...v=&vwhich= (http://boards.stratics.com/php-bin/eq2/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=eq2development&Number=6931&page=&view=&sb=&o=&vc=1&what2=&selv=&vwhich=)
Feb 25, 2004

Question: From what I understand, basically, the more people there is per guild, the more bonuses/advantages its members will have.
Moorgard: Actually, the exact opposite is true. The benefits that successful guilds receive are mitigated by the size of their membership. The larger the number of players, the less significant the benefits become. Thus, the way to reap the greatest reward is to accomplish the most with the least number of people you can.
While there is a limited quantity of free-standing guild houses available in either city, there is still a significant number of them. And keep in mind that there is a limitless supply of instanced housing available. Some of the floorplans are of considerable size.

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www.eqii.com/phpbb/viewto...ht=#154890 (http://www.eqii.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?p=154890&highlight=#154890)
Dec 11, 2003

Moorgard: Another solution is to scale the reward based upon the number of members in the guild. Using purely arbitrary numbers: a guild of 20 players might get a 5% bonus on something, 25 members would get 4% each, 33 members would get 3%, 50 members would get 2%, 100 members would get 1%. You'd want to be as efficient as possible to maximize the benefits.

It seems like players who want to have a mixed faction guild are going to have issues.

For example, if somebody wanted to *really* play a shadowknight, but all of their friends wanted to run a Qeynos guild, it seems that player wouldn't benefit from being in that guild at all in terms of guild perks.

Well that is partially true.......

There is a betrayal quest that can be done by any class/race once. It's not easy and once you do it you can't go back. But I have seen a few Dark Elves and Ogres running around Qeynos :)

Is it just me, or does this sound more like EQ2: The Sims? Half of that long post was about clothes, furniture, and playing house...