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A warning to all potential Sony Online Entertainment custome

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 15
Date: November 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you are looking for a MMORPG game to play, I'd urge you to consider this warning before investing your time in any game produced by Sony Online Entertainment.

I am a veteran everquest player with 150 days of time played since just before the Kunark expansion was released. In the three years I have been playing this game, I have seen what I can honestly say is the worst level of customer service and respect for paying customers that I have ever witnessed, in any industry.

Sony is content to change the rules of the game, as well as the abilities of any class, on a whim. Their changes are seldom tested, almost never achieve the desired effect, and more often than not hurt the game and lessen the value of the considerable time investment that any MMORPG player makes in his character and his online friends. I am not exaggerating when I say that the bad changes outnumber the good changes by a ratio of 3 to 1. Sony will very, very rarely repeal a bad change, and only then if they are convinced that they will lose thousands of paying customers over it. Sony does not consult its customers about these changes, nor do they listen to their customers for information about the direction they would like the game to take in the future. Any attempt to reason with them about such changes is an exercise in futility.

On several occasions they have made changes to a class that has utterly broken that class. In such situations, large numbers of players leave the game, robbed of the hundreds of hours of time they invest in the character. Some players continune on playing a different character, only to have that character changed for the worse some time later. Sony does not respond to emails, they VERY rarely respond in any official fashion on the various class community bulletin boards that players have set up to share their knowledge about the game, and they have to this day not apologized once for any negative change they have made.

The most recent bout of bad changes came after Sony's first public apology for making several fundamental "mistakes" in the underlying design of their game. This led to an unprecedented number of fundamental changes to the game that has left several classes in an unplayable state. Sony will not acknowledge that this is a problem and continues blindly proclaiming that everything is "fixed" and "working as intended".

Sony is also content to willfully ignore several thousand paying customers demanding an explanation for these changes. If their constant meddling in the game was acceptable to some, their constant refusal to acknowledge the customers who's play experience was ruined (yes, ruined) by these changes most certainly is not. For that reason, and no other, I stopped playing Everquest.

If you would play a Sony game, understand that any powers, abilities, items, and roles for your class will be subject to change without notice, and that the company making these changes will not hear or act on your feedback about them. In other games, changing the rules of play after they have been set in stone is considered cheating. For Sony, it's simply business as usual. Take any of SOE's corporate announcements about how they are "changing for the better" with a grain of salt. They told everquest players for three years that they would be changing for the better. What they did instead was cut the development staff, release a few sub-par expansions and a great deal of broken content, discontinue the customer service and guide programs meant to help out players who had problems in the game, and turn a deaf ear to any suggestions and concerns voiced by the playerbase.

Their track record speaks for itself. Any internet search on this topic will uncover thousands of disgruntled ex-everquest players. Do a search on the Monk, Necromancer, and Shadowknight classes if you would read the thoughts of those hit the hardest by Sony's lack of consideration.

Commitment to an online game is more serious than other games. In order to advance, you must invest a lot of time into your character. If, years down the road, the character is changed and is no longer effective or fun to play, one cannot simply start over, without investing a great deal of time catching up to where one used to be. When such lack of respect is shown to players with this much time invested, why would someone continue to play, knowing full well that it will happen again?

Some say that Sony's new games, Everquest 2 and Star Wars Galaxies, will not be plagued by these problems. They are designed by the exact same people, run by the exact same people, and the customer service is still handled by the same company. It is very reasonable to suspect that these new games will be plagued by the exact same problems. For this reason I will not be playing any future SOE games.

Consider yourself warned.

Find a better game company

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: November 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Although the game in of itself is ok, players depend on the company to run it well to enjoy the time spent playing it. Sony has perhaps made every mistake in the book and a few new ones managing this product. Customer support is almost non-existant, quality testing of game changes is a joke, and the rule set of the game appears to be written in disapearing ink. Pick the wrong class and you could find your character's abilities or equipment completely changed for the worse even after years of play. The latest high impact insult to loyal customers were of the Monk class, an excellent and fun class to play before recent changes. Monks are not the first nor will they be last to suffer from the horrid mismanagement of Everquest. I highly suggest you view the recent EQ player message boards before investing money or time into this product.

Do not buy, do not trust

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 6 / 10
Date: November 20, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Everquest is a classic and was groundbreaking in many areas. If you're considering buying this game and starting from scratch, you're much better off to wait until Star Wars galaxies comes out or Everquest Two.

Everquest is repititive. You'll often do the same thing for hours. The exact same thing. EQ does not reward risk-taking. If you dare taking on a lower level "named" mob, without having researched it on a website, you'll risk a quick death. Even if this mob "cons" or ranks lower level than you, some mobs in everquest are not as equal as others. . . you will die and have, maybe, play three hours more to regain your body, equipment, and experience lost.

I agree with the rater who remarked about the large time sink and the unreliability of Sony and their development team and how they've nerfed monks and other classes. Their customer service is horrible. Their attitude is that they control their world and they'll make any changes they like, with little testing, without having played the game, and without recourse.

When you play Everquest you do put a lot of time into the game. The game is absorbing... and although it doesn't take a large skill element, it takes a lot of time. Two years down the line, Sony feels free to change everything, and you'll lose what you've worked to accomplish and gain. Characters don't transfer to EQ2, so this edition of EQ is doomed and you'll be getting into it on the tail-end.

EverJunk!

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 18
Date: March 01, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Okay, let me just say that this game has to be the first game that I have ever bought that I really feel that I wasted my money! I really wanted to like and get into this game, but the server/communication problems are just horrible. First of all, I only connect at 45K (the box recommends 56K) and although that is not too bad, everytime I want to play, the program goes through this autoupdate phase and it could take anywhere from 30min to 2.5hours before I can play the game because it has to download all the updates. Good Grief!!! When I double-click my Icon, I want to play...I don't want to wait 2 hours. Then, after the downloading and update, the game begins. Talk about a delay of game. Just loading the game up (after the downloads) takes about 2 minutes for the game to come up (there is constant Hard Drive churning). I have a Dell 8200 Inspiron laptop with 256MB of RAM and P4 1.6Ghz and a 64MB graphics card. ... Anyway, once the game is up and adam, it is just plain boring. No one wants to talk to you cause you're new. Conversing with the interface is just plain weird. You can't just type away. You have to always press enter first before every line. Just weird. Often I ended up attacking when I was just trying to type a sentence because hitting the 'a' key causes Attack mode to be on. Anyway, after my second session, I actually got the hang of it and it was sort of getting addicting. But then comes the kicker, every time I have played EQ, I have always been disconnected from their servers. Have no idea why! Just these big letters come on the screen that says: YOU HAVE BEEN DISCONNECT. Back to the 2minute wait to load up again. This is not fun! Maybe if I had High Speed it would not be so bad, but has it stands with a 45K connection. FORGET IT!

Constant crashes make the game unplayable

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 0 / 9
Date: February 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

This was, without a doubt, the most disappointing game I have ever purchased. Not because of anything in the game, or the game play itself, as both of those things will forever remain a complete mystery to me. You see, from the moment I attempted to play this game, it began to crash (in some cases Blue-Screening the entire system) literally every minute or two. In some cases, the game wouldn't even start completely. I spent a total of 12 hours, reloading the game, reloading my computer, and talking with Sony's tech support to no avail. The game continued to crash every time I tried to play. I was never even able to exit the building in which you begin the game! Tons of people play this game, but I guess I?m not going to be one of them.
My advice is that unless you're willing to take the time to trouble-shoot random, frequent game crashes and spend 45 minutes at a time on hold for tech support only to get no help, you should take you money elsewhere.

Raster of Guk... and more

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 13 / 18
Date: December 15, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Today, I'd like to talk about one Raster of Guk. Yes, to those of you who are in the know, Raster is the self-proclaimed bane to every monk's existence, bar none. However, to those of you who are thinking of trying EverQuest for the first time and are unfamiliar with the man and the myth, I have for you a brief tale...

Your first departure from life into the virtual lands of EverQuest's Norrath and it's moon, Luclin, is earthshattering. There's no better way of putting it. Given the proper nurturing and effort, you can become completely indulged with your new character; giving it an attitude, personality, and an appearance that is all your own. You're exploring new lands, seeing many, many new faces, and adapting to one of the richest online communities there is to this date.

And then, be it a week or a month later, the learning curve wears off, and you subconsciously delve into the bread and butter of EverQuest's low-to-mid level lackeys: grouping and camping mobs. To "camp" a "mob" basically means to mark your territory for the time being, and kill everything that spawns in this area. This is fun the first handful of times, and the sense of enjoyment renews itself once you venture farther along the seasonal spectrum of experience and camp harder, bigger mobs.

So you've managed to scrounge together a group of culturally diverse new friends and are ready to go out and... well, kill. You'll be doing a lot of killing in EverQuest. Herein lies the problem. Once you've called a camp for your own, and killed all of its inhabitants, you are then entitled to the most beautiful part of EverQuest's adventurous offerings: respawn downtime. Yes, you get to sit and stare at a wall (or, if you're feeling ambitious, you can stand up and cast a few spells on your party and yourself) and laze through a grace period of what can be anywhere from six to thirty plus minutes. But wait, it gets better...

Raster of Guk. We'll skip the formal introductions and get to the facts: MANY (dozens!) of my good friends (in the world of EverQuest, mind you) have spent OVER TWO-HUNDRED REALTIME HOURS camping this single mob. Why, do you ask? Raster of Guk arguably NEVER SPAWNS. Many people, mostly monks, joke about how they believe that he doesn't really exist. Anyhow, killing this infamous Raster of Guk results in obtaining his loot, "The Idol" to be specific, which is used in the monk's epic quest. All monks strive to get this item. If there is an end-all to EverQuest, it is questing and finishing your epic. While the game doesn't "end" at this point (nor does it ever,) it certainly feels more completed.

You're probably still interested in trying EverQuest, while at the same time, staying as FAR away from the monk class as you possibly can. Bad news -- EVERY class in the game will experience something like this, guaranteed. In fact, there are SO MANY mobs in EverQuest that are so rare, that people are turning into cutthroats for the loot! Yes, my grievance for the game is this exact problem. See below.

The last 147 cumulative realtime hours I've spent in the world of Norrath have been in Lower Guk, camping Raster of Guk. I've been down here for over three weeks. One hour ago, Raster finally spawned, and it felt incredible to see him standing there... I couldn't believe my eyes. I stood up with a smile on my face, marched towards him, and laid down my flurry of fists and heels. All of a sudden, I start seeing some strange red particles that I'm sure didn't come out of MY fingertips -- a wizard had come along and nuked Raster three times. I failed to out-damage him, which resulted in me losing the kill. The wizard quickly runs forward, steals MY loot, and disappears; most likely off to the Bazaar (trading grounds in EverQuest) to sell it to some poor discouraged monk in the form of a multiquest for an outrageous price.

To conclude, the last 147 collective hours I have spent "playing" the "game" of EverQuest have been utterly wasted. I've gained nothing from camping Raster of Guk, and when I really think about it, I've gained nothing from this game at all. In fact, I was steadily losing $13 a month just to "play." Note the past tense: was. After my run-in with the wizard at the Raster camp, I promptly logged out, deleted my three characters, and cancelled my subscription. I just finished uninstalling the game, and my first thoughts were to come unveal the truth to those newcomers out there, thinking of buying this travesty of a game - DON'T DO IT! You'll lose money, time, your tan (optional,) few-to-many friends, your girlfriend/boyfriend/spouse, impending social skills, and your ability to fit into pants that weren't tailored for "huskier" people. Raster of Guk exists to keep you hooked into the world of Norrath for as long as humanly possible, and you know why; EverQuest costs money to play. There are plenty of great role-playing (and non-role-playing) games out there asking for you to bring them home, that DON'T cost a monthly fee, and will more than likely leave you feeling much more rewarded once you complete them. Don't waste your hard-earned money on this travesty of a game. Charging up to $13 a month for this is a crime. I have explained only ONE of Sony's dirty methods of addiction to you as completely as I possibly can in this review. Feel free to read it again if you are still interested in this lifestealer.

Surprisingly bad, for the gaming revolution it caused...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: December 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Love it or hate it, EverQuest is responsible for much of today's online gaming experience. With more subscribers than any other American MMOG, its tendrils are almost inescapable. Its 'economy' has been the focus of college theses. Its design has been copied and diluted by numerous imitators. But for a game that almost single-handedly revolutionized the genre, it's surprisingly...bad.

Even though most of the original designers have left, the core of their design...their 'Vision'...cannot be undone without a total rebuild. Forced grouping is rampant, and if you don't have three hours to spend finding a group, you may as well not log on. Though the experience has been improved recently for newbies, many fundamental flaws still remain at the very core.

Your equipment is as important as your level when it comes to your effectiveness, and with no level limit for much of the older equipment, 'twinking', the act of placing high-level gear on a low-level character, is rampant. Sony has a history of adversarial relationships with its players, ranging from the infamous Mystere fiasco to the Alchemy tradeskill for shamans.

All that said, the game does have occasional moments when it shines...mostly, however, those occur when you reach the 'real game' that is 50+. Total newbies to the genre would do best to avoid EverQuest, and instead play one of the many games that has improved upon its glaring flaws.

As a Newbie...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 7
Date: April 21, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a new EverQuest player, talked into trying the game by friends, this was simply too over-whelming for me to enjoy. Had I had some background of EverQuest, had I actually ever SEEN or played it before, I might have felt differently. As it was, I should have started off with the Basic game, or perhaps the Trilogy set, to see what all the hoopla was about. This has four expansions within it, three of which you will not be able to play about in, until you're of a particular level. That could literally take a year to achieve. I would have saved a lot of money, had I known that, started out slower with the first (and now reasonably priced) expansions and package-bundles, then when I reached a level of accomplishment where I could and wanted to move on and up in the EverQuest world, by then the expansions I would be ready for, would be ready for me -- not to mention, in all liklihood, more affordable.

Alternately, though, if you already know that you love EverQuest, and you will play it to the exclusion of all other hobbies you formeraly enjoyed, then it would be worth the investment.

Can be good, but only if...

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 12
Date: January 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

What you have to understand about everquest is that peoples opinions on it vary according to when they started and how long they have played.

Personally, I have played since the very start. The early part of the game was what it was meant to be when I started. People exploring and working together and helping each other. To start the game from scratch today, you will run in to a lot of "twinks". Its not uncommon to find people of low levels killing things that should be impossible for them, and killing whole areas of creatures leaving none for the less experienced new players. Don't be surprised to be running around almost naked, whilst the same level guy next to you is wearing equipment that wouldn't put a lv50 character to shame.

People who write about the early part of the game being fun, are remembering what it was like 3+ yrs ago or how it was to them playing as a twink. But, its not the same for someone starting the game for the first time.

If you manage to stick it out, you will find lots of high level characters being generous to you. Giving you items for free and casting protection spells on you. You need to realise that the vast majority of people that do this, are doing it because they are bored. Something you will inevitable become at some point as your level rises. The person that said everyone can solo, is slightly distorting the truth. Some classes can solo, but as your levels rise it eventually reaches the point where soloing is impossible at worst and risky at best.

If you are to have any fun in EQ these days, the most important thing is to get in to a guild as soon as possible and make great efforts to make as many friends as possible. At higher levels, who you know and your popularity with other players is as important as your equipment.

If you are thinking of starting EQ for the first time, I would not recommend it. Unless, you have a friend or friends that play already, as you will all benefit from playing together. They can help you through your early levels and it will give them something to do, as they are probably bored already :)

Forming friendships/relations with other players is how you will get the most fun out of this game. If you want to start from scratch alone, then wait for Verant to create a new server and start playing at that time. That way you can rise in level with all the other players as the game was originally meant to be played.

The real deal with this game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: November 26, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Okay, I have read the [bad] reviews of this game and have to say that new players should be aware that the ones who write those are the ones who are bitter and disillusioned. I have somewhere close to 200 days played in this game and seen the worst and some of the better things you can see (and do) in this game. I have been so mad I cancelled my account on the spot swearing to never come back and I have laughed so hard I came to tears.

The first thing new players should be aware of is that this game is not a computer version of roleplaying games. In fact roleplaying is almost nonexistant in this game (unless you choose to play on the roleplaying server). They have the traditional roleplaying classes but that is about as far as the similarities go.

You CAN solo in this game, there are classes that are better suited to it sure, but everyone has the ability to solo to some degree. This game is about grouping with friends and/or strangers for the most part though.

First thing your friends will say when they see you playing is that it doesn't look fun for them. Quite honestly thats what my roomate said when he saw it. The difference comes when they actually play the game though. My roomate is now an addict like the rest of us.

The second thing first time players should be aware of is that this game is about time invested. You can be dumber than a box of rocks but as long as you keep plugging away at it you can get the same things as everyone else. Sad but true. I have seen people with the brain capacity of a gerbil have better things in this game than I ever will simply because they spend 40+ hours a week at it. If that bothers you that bad then you may want to look elsewhere.

The third and last thing for new players to know would be that the learning curve is kind of steep for the first week or two. That sounds like a contradiction from my last paragraph but you don't actually have to learn anything to go places in this game. Just to make any friends. Groups don't like getting killed because you don't know how to control yourself and won't listen to advice (there are people like that in this game). For my last bit of advice if you are buying this game (and even if you are a vetran) is don't take all the whining at the message boards to heart; in fact don't listen to it at all. I quit everquest for 6 months because I thought my class was unfairly treated with regards to changes. Once I came back and ignored all the message boards I was amazed at the fun I had. While message boards are a wonderful tool for learning things about your class and the game in general, they are also where the whiners go to take the joy out of this game for everyone else.

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