Struggle between MMO's..

[Azuriell]

OKay, well I was considering to play a new MMORPG.
And I was considering EQ and EQ II.
BUT!
What one should I play?

I've got multiple questions like:
Are there enough players on EQ?
Is there any good RP?
What game is more balanced?
I know the graphics of EQ aren't as the ones in EQ II, but I don't care about.
I'm wondering wich has best gameplay?

And most important, wich one plays Woody the most? :D
I mean if he plays EQ I/II more it oughta be better. :P

And why that one?

[garac]

Not answering the question directly but the best thing might be to get the All Access pass for a couple of months and try them both.

I was always partial to EQII but I'm not sure what the current situation in either game is as my MMO time disappeared a couple months

[Almeric]

Play EQ1 if you want raids raids raids, and huge raids at that.

Play EQ2 if you like soloing, grouping, and maybe even raiding, but much smaller raids when they happen (max 24 people).

I am sick of big raids, so I'm never EVER going back to EQ1 again. EQ2 has really fun gameplay and buttloads of WORKING quests (unlike EQ1). It is far-and-away the best MMO on the market today. In my opinion. And I don't think anything coming out soon will top it :)

[Lythix]

aww comon.. no one mentioned World of Warcraft yet? no doubt eq and eq II are awsome games... i'd have to be lieing if i said anything else... but from what i've read nothing has really bested WoW... the subscription numbers alone points out that its godda be a great game. . having played only wow tho i can't compare it to eq so i'm not gonna try.. All i can tell you is it truely is a great game... there's pleanty of community feel in the game and you can definitly enjoy both sides (just don't go alliance side for battle grounds)

if i were you i'd go with World of Warcraft. good game good gaphics and lots of stuff to do..

[Cobble]

really depends on what you like and your history is. Personally, I like MMORPGs with more depth so Wow got boring in about 15 nanoseconds. I would recommend EQ2. It also is way easier than the golden years of MMORPGs but there is enough unique things about it to entice. I think at the moment EQ2 is the best out there for my tastes.

[powersurge]

Why not change it up and try out Eve Online? It has a truckload of different things to do. You can solo, gang (groups), or join a big alliance (group of more than 1 corp aka guild) and take part in large PvP Fleet battles (100+ vs 100+ players). Its offline skill training system is also great if your not 'hardcore' and only play an hour or 2 at a time.

Its sort of like Earth and Beyond but Eve isn't going anywhere its playerbase is growing all the time. Its also all on a single 'shard' and and at peak times I've seen over 25k players on at one time. The expansion packs are also free and they have just recently started EON Eve's own magazine.

[Elmora]

To keep on the PVP aspect of Eve (if that's your bag). You can be ready to PVP solo in as little as 15 hours time. And that's effective soloing at that. If you really are set on either EQ1 or EQ2, I'd probably have to say that EQ2 would probably be your best choice at this time. Although I do still have a soft spot in my heart for EQ1. The (non-raiding) gameplay is almost cathartic to me when I'm playing. Plus, you get these nice little bits of downtime where you can get to know your groupmates. I personally think that MMO's that have engineered out downtime have had their community suffer as a result because people don't normally have an opportunity to get to know each other. Some of my fondest memories are from times that I was with friends waiting for a spawn to come up.

[syri]

i've never really tried EQ1, unless you count downloading the classic game for free and falling in a moat somewhere and drowning to get out of it...
recently started playing EQ2 though after playing daoc a lot, and wow a little. must say, it's almost like they took the pve of daoc, most of which was ripped from eq from what i can gather, blended it with wow's good bits and made something great out of it. it's a good balance in my view, so far at least, of solo, grouping and easing you in. the island feels like an achievement, not just some dumb tutorial, and the game involves you in your city and it's people right from the start.
really didn't like wow, i did at first, enough to get to lvl 49 anyway, but it just got so repetetive so fast, and ran out of things to change. even alts didn't feel all that different, cause you just had a different set of abilities to reach almost the same end. not enough to make you unique.
daoc i still quite like, it's got some good character customisation through stats and gear, but it's starting to empty now, and finding groups for the big events like toa can sometimes be a pain.
anyway, hope some of this ramble helps in some way :)

[Techguy101]

I really like EQ...I mean I've been playing this game for years...but the honest to goodness truth, and this is from my point of view, I'm sure some don't agree...EQ1 is dieing..and it hits me in the heart...over 7 years of EQ1 I have over 500 days of playtime...and a few level 70's to prove it. I was end game when I took a break and tried WoW for a few months (Best way I've heard it put is: " It was fun...but I already have all the disney movies on DvD"). And when I came back less then 2 months later I was was under armored...2 expansions had come out and I had fallen behind while the few big guilds took off towards the top. It's hard to catch up with them especially at the rate new content is coming out...New Players get discouraged, and usually quit before making to far knowing they have a better chance in another game, and old players leave, for many reasons, monotary, wanting their Real Life back, so the player base is slowly deterierating..and I personally beleive that the only way the game could possibly be revived is if EVERYONE had to start over...In this new era if your not a twink or a level 70 with godly gear your nothing...Thats why personally I'm thinking about finally laying EQ to rest...For good, all my characters are at strange spots...There are no Guilds that are still raiding my mains content...there are the guilds at the very end game and the guilds who are starting a new to try and band together and reach for the top...EQ is dieing in my opinion...but not dead, it would take a lot of guts to start new in the game now, so if you choose EQ1 I give you the best of luck :).

And about EQs down time...it may sound funny but it really is an amazing part of the game, there is a lot more guilt in dropping a group, Training, or KSing if you've sat waiting for a clerics mana for 10 miniutes and met your team mates...You really get to know some people. My first character was a druid...and at 30 he was headed to a new zone to gain expirence...HighHold Keep...Now there is a way to get to HighHold Keep that is a very very...very long ramp, and I saw someone else coming down the ramp by...a higher level character, so I waved...and he stopped...Buffed me and said, are you new? and I was...and my point is...We shot back tells for a while and I joined the guild he was in and stayed in it for almost 3 years...I met most of the people in the guild in RL and made some amazing friends. So now my point: with out these long journeys and waits I would have never met some of the most interesting people in my life, I think EQ for it...But again...Almost Every zone in the game is empty...you feel like your paying 15 bucks a month to play by yourself...and it sucks...I hate to see it go.

So I guess i'll also ask for some advice...I'm looking for a new game, Right now I'm thinking about City of Heros/Villians, Also after reading this thread EQII, Eve really isn't my thing...Currently I'm on a two week trial to City of Heros and so far I'm loving it...There are just a few things i'm having trouble wrapping my head around, like no stat armor, all your abilitys are based on your skills and the way you manage your enhancements...which is very foriegn to me...Does this eliminate "Uberness" from end game? I would suppose so...And then...what is end game? are there raid bosses or is it the constant battle agaist the Villians? So what i'm looking for is some information on some new games (again not Eve...and I've tried wow if you read above and didn't like it), so if anyone has any thoughts please let me know :)

Peace

[DemonMage]

There are raid bosses in CoX... one raid boss on the hero side anyways. That drops Hamidon Origin enhancements (HOs) that modify multiple properties are are usually (always?) better than SOs to top it off. Villains get a hard 6 man to get the same thing -- the villain game is really a more polished and better overall game than the hero side. Depending on your build HOs may or may not be a huge thing, but they're still quite nice and do make a difference.

[Zarithar]

I would stay away from EQ1. It's glory days are long past in my opinion. EQII is worth a look however. Both Vanguard and Warhammer look compelling as well as far as upcoming MMO's go.

[Legerdemain]

If we're going to talk about things that aren't out yet, too, I'm eagerly awaiting Age of Conan.