With Anarchy Online just around the corner, I find myself again being hopeful that I can move on.With Anarchy Online just around the corner, I find myself again being hopeful that I can move on.
The Vault boards, where E'ci players post, in recent times has become, at the best of times, nothing more than trivial babbling about what did you do on your work break, and at the worst a bashing of the most sever kind against a group of people or an individual.
I still go into EQ to play every few days, but I find myself rapidly dreading the decision.
Don't get me wrong EQ itself is not bad.
As a growth tool it has allowed me to realize my true strengths lie in my opinions and view in psychology and sociology, and for that I will always remember EQ fondly. It has opened me to the understanding that my view, my society, my lifestyle is not the only one. And it is no better or worse than any other.
However, the reason I, and probably a great majority of others play, can never be filled by EQ. I'd bet a lot of others out there, like me, play EQ, not for the game aspects, but for the socialization. We play because we have base level needs that are not fulfilled in our real lives, and we come to EQ in the hopes of having them at least temporarily satisfied.
After nearly 2 years of playing, one and a half of which I have spent in the body of Darkpact, I've come to realize some of these needs will never really be filled by EQ.
I lack companionship and friends. Just now I'm starting to regain a circle of friends to replace the ones I've lost. I seek self validation and worth, which I am realizing I already have, even though it's unspoken, just by being me and the path I'm now starting on.
Through gaming I've always sought challenge and adventure, and will probably always be a gamer for that reason. Yet EQ no longer provides that. In many of my rants I point out EQ is the same at first level as it is at max level; Kill, Rest, Repeat. Verant has proven, especially in recent times, they don't belive in rewarding you for your base level of achievements and investment in time and money. You must, in fact, struggle in heavy competition with others in a contest of how many friends can you gather together, to seek out that rare drop item.
Summary / Solution / Truth
To me, EQ was about filling needs I couldn't otherwise fill. However lately it can't fool me anymore. It hasn't really filled any of these needs, and never could.
EQ will always be remembered by me, and I'm sure the world, as the first of it's kind. It broke new ground in gaming, making changes and additions to keep the players interested.
However, it has it's limits. It will never be what some games have the potential to be.
Anarchy Online promices to have randomly generated missions. It promises characters to not be limited by class, only by the play style of the person playing. It promises to have equal benefit from playing solo or playing grouped. There will be nothing required of you, it will be your choice.
EQ was a wonderful start, but what kept it going so long was not so much the fact that it is a decent game, but the fact it has a chat box.
It was a wonderful ride, and I don't regret any of it. But with the approach of a new online game, I hope I can move on to something which better suits my style, and my choice.