Roleplaying games

I’ve read somewhere that after the boom of WoW and the so-called “free MMORPG” (in which you buy items paying with various funny in-game currencies, using micro-payments), Everquest 2 was losing lot of players.

It must be true, since I found a pleasant surprise when I was checking the website for the Rise of Kunark new expansion: they gave me 60-days of free trial. I heard that is a promotion they’re doing with people that were previously paid-subscribers like me. However I stopped playing it in 2005 for time problems, so I was pleased to see that Sony was remembering the people who paid even so long ago.

So I downloaded the client and all the various patches (almost an entire afternoon gone!) and resumed playing with my old character. Quite lot of stuff has changed, new AA (Alternate Advancement) that help people solo. Talking with people in game I also understood that Sony did a very strong job to fight the EQ Gold vendors / sellers, by applying a strict banning to everyone was caught sending in-game email to sell gold!

Also, I’ve found that soloing now is more enjoyable, with the new Kunark zone perfect for my old character (that was a level 62 inquisitor).

So it’s all good? well, no, not exactly – soloing is great but grouping is really a problem now. Maybe because there aren’t many players around, or simply because everyone is playing with people they already know. And I can understand why: last time I found a group we waited 45 min (yes you read well, 45 MINUTES!!) for a tank to come!!! of course after the 45 min was gone, I camped and left the group (I have a real life too!).

So there are still the old problems: takes a while to travel from one place to another, and if you’re like me that can’t spend too many hours a day on a MMORPG, you really don’t watn to waste precious time traveling on Everquest lands…

A pity because the game itself, with his detailed combat system, is really good now. And has depth, with lot of quests and storylines. But if takes 15 min to reach a zone I want, I don’t see myself playing it for long time in future. I know that would break the realism, but some fast teleport thing available to every player, would be much appreciated!!