Producer's Letter Time

Yes, it's that time again. Time for a Producer's Letter. This one comes before the launch of Live Update 24 and Fallen Dynasty. Let's hope that goes smoothly. I haven't checked out Fallen Dynasty at all yet so it may be some time before I formulate an opinion. And I'm still curious to see the final form of Live Update 24.

Scott lists some of the many improvements to EQII. There have certainly been a lot of great changes in EQII as I mentioned myself recently. I only have to take issue with one:

"Meaningful factions." I'm not really seeing that yet outside of Maj. Unless that's referring to changes coming in Live Update 24 (i.e. betrayal).

In the list of future plans, new creatures and quests for all levels are mentioned. This should be fun for casual players or those who are playing through again with alts. There will be a revamp of Commonlands and Nek. Nek is probably my least favorite zone (though I think it has the best Griff flights) so I'm looking forward to that one. And while I've grown to love the Commonlands, I think some of the itemization there is awful and there are a lot of "dead areas" with little going on. Nek Castle is also mentioned. They have a good storyline going with the Everling Clan so I'm looking forward to the next chapter.

They will also be adding a big chunk of NPC voiceovers. I'm kind of torn on how much of a difference this makes to me. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, it's just not a priority to me. And I actually prefer hearing voiceover from mobs as opposed to NPC's but that might just be me.

I'll once again discuss some of my own desires for the future of EQII soon.

So far, I agree with the Exile ruleset and I like Scott's separate explanation of it here. It will be attractive to some players but it will be a rough route.

As for the rewards for the Adventure Pack, I could use a Bonsai tree to bring some peace to my zoo of an inn room. I just have to figure out if I'm feeling tranquil or harmonious. As for raising the level cap for Adventure Pack purchasers, I don't have any problem with that. It lets people who choose not to buy either expansion advance a bit. (I actually read it quickly the first time through and thought purchasers would magically have their levels raised to 55. I was in the process of flipping out when someone told me to get a clue and re-read it. It just raises the level cap for those players, not their actual levels.)

Scott also gets into some class balancing. I guess he has to but it's rough because 99 percent of the thread replies become class grievances and debates. And if I have to read one more forum post about DPS tiers a thousand Tranquil Bonsai trees aren't going to help me.