Crafting is well and truely ****** in BoL

And that, somehow, justifies REMOVING information that HAD been in game for over a decade... because...?

 

If it's not a conscious decision, then it reflects poorly on the capability and qualifications of The Team.

If it is a conscious decision, shame on The Team for lazy design.

Either way, it's not a good look for second gen. games and beyond.

 

There is a story here...

 

Copying my response to Sigrfrida from the OF.

There are lots of unknowns here. And Kander (and other devs) may not have necessarily made their case clear. How much time and effort does it exactly take either way? Cost-benefit analysis? Are there other game issues (i.e. performance reductions) that we don’t know about? Is this to save time and effort for future development? Perhaps, the dev working itemization is leaving and the system would be too complicated for his/her successor?

 

Niami is married in real life to one of the lead EQ1 devs Ngreth.

She did express concern about the change in the Bug Reports forum. If anything is amiss, Niami will let it be known.

It would be good to touch base with her.

P.S. I’m not gossiping about her but praising her support for the game.

 

LOTRO has (and honestly has had), an issue for the past two years, where for some unimaginable reason, one cannot search on the Auction Hall for crafting mats over T9 or T10, except by the actual name, but that isn't game-breaking, just annoying. At least searching for part of a name returns results, and even my babies there, can happily manage to learn new tiers.

EQ2 has been trying to actively eliminate crafters since they became a Gninja's "Everyone Must Be A Raider" model. Domino was amazing at designing crafting content, when she left, I gave up on my crafters, and just tried to keep up with the 'Adventurer' line, but that isn't even the tiniest bit interesting to me now. PoP was my final straw.

 

I was hoping for like, an 80's hair band trashing hotel rooms type story, but I see the logic.

And you are correct.

 

When I first started playing a few years ago, fan sites only gave out fake or limited raiding information, it was hard to find reliable information online. I had 3 friends who played with me who started in Beta, so they were reliable.

 

Great. She has an inside track then. She’s not just us randoms.

You think it’s possible the itemization dev is quitting Darkpaw (even not immediately) and wants to simplify (clean up or declutter) the system for a successor? (This idea just crossed my mind and seems like a totally valid explanation. Again, an unknown though).

 

I have to agree here. Just doing a quick search, EQ1 has many, active fan-sites, including (still) guild sites and public forums. EQ2, not so much.
Even on Reddit, EQ1 has over 13,000 members, and is very active. EQ2 has about 3200, I'll even add in Everquest2 on reddit, which is only about 400.

Point being, EQ1 is HUGELY more popular than EQ2, and there is a bloody reason. EQ1 is not 'Easy', by any means. I'd really consider it one of the more challenging MMORPG's out there, but EQ1 is CONSISTENT. Everything progresses naturally, and it is very populated, even in the lowbie zones. EQ2 is all about Insta-Max-Level, Cash Shop, and repeating the same boring thing over and over and over ad nauseam.

 

If you think things are simplified and decluttered this expac, compared to others... well, have you PLAYED the current expac?

 

EQ1 has about 500-1000 logged in on each regular server at any given time. Probably thousands on newer TLP.

That may be the problem with the studio. The studio wants to apply EQ1’s hardcore mechanics (RNG for good loot, no levels on mats) because they think it will be appealing. That is speculation.

 

The expansion was developed before the Darkpaw announcement. Perhaps the news played a role in this individual’s decision making to call it quits? This is all speculation (not a theory I’m pushing).

 

I don't even want to reply to you, but Domino's last term as crafting dev was KA. She went home to Canada to see her family, and, was not allowed back in to the US because <reasons>.
How long have you actually, really, honestly been playing EQ2? Gninja took over crafting with PoP, and decided to make it essentially a Raid for the sig line, but with mobs that could CAREFULLY be avoided, but had no clue about actual crafting.

<shrug>

never mind.

 

But "Breaking up the company" really wasn't. They are still wearing the same hat, and the have the same players... Just makes it easier to sell off the assets, as if they every had any left to sell.

 

I know but it wasn’t official until late. Furthermore, registering a trademark is different than actually seeing the studio leadership, hierarchy, rules and procedures, policies, pay and benefits (or promotion opportunities), and other pros/cons that might make any generic employee want to move on from a firm.