Can't say I trust Smedley to make a good game for it's own sake. But I definitely do trust him to look at EvE Online's subscriber base and say "Damn... I want me some of that pie."
That's... not a very big pie.
It's more than 400.000 subscribers.
It's definitely in the top 10 of MMOs and probably even in the top 5.
Beyond that EVE is about the only subscription-based MMO that's actually growing. Can't say that about many others.
In the NA-EU market, EvE is probably #2 in subs. SWTOR might still be above it, but its close.
In fact,only 3 games in the history of MMORPGs have been able to sustain 400K subs in the NA/EU market. WoW, EQ and EvE
Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game.
With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system.
In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now.
Originally posted by dustyhayes Originally posted by FoomerangJohn Smedley's intentions are to crush his enemies, see them driven before him, and to hear the lamentation of their women.
Bioware thought it was "The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair." Haha indeed!
I think he's articulating a vision at SOE that gaming is moving beyond themeparks... or even themeparks with few new shinies each expansion.
There seems to be a trend toward players wanting developers (and developers thinking they can now deliver) getting back to creating virtual worlds for us to play in.
If it doesn't work, it doesn't work - but I certainly won't fault SOE for trying.
Originally posted by GrayGhost79 Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game. With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system. In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now.
Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!
"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."
Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?
And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!
Can't say I trust Smedley to make a good game for it's own sake. But I definitely do trust him to look at EvE Online's subscriber base and say "Damn... I want me some of that pie."
That's... not a very big pie.
It's more than 400.000 subscribers.
It's definitely in the top 10 of MMOs and probably even in the top 5.
Beyond that EVE is about the only subscription-based MMO that's actually growing. Can't say that about many others.
In the NA-EU market, EvE is probably #2 in subs. SWTOR might still be above it, but its close.
In fact,only 3 games in the history of MMORPGs have been able to sustain 400K subs in the NA/EU market. WoW, EQ and EvE
Except doesn't have that many players in just in NA/EU, eve is played on the world market.
Can't say I trust Smedley to make a good game for it's own sake. But I definitely do trust him to look at EvE Online's subscriber base and say "Damn... I want me some of that pie."
That's... not a very big pie.
It's more than 400.000 subscribers.
It's definitely in the top 10 of MMOs and probably even in the top 5.
Beyond that EVE is about the only subscription-based MMO that's actually growing. Can't say that about many others.
In the NA-EU market, EvE is probably #2 in subs. SWTOR might still be above it, but its close.
In fact,only 3 games in the history of MMORPGs have been able to sustain 400K subs in the NA/EU market. WoW, EQ and EvE
Except doesn't have that many players in just in NA/EU, eve is played on the world market.
It is still one of the highest in the west though.
Looks like its almost all NA/EU. Australia, while geographically far away, is typically part of the NA/EU region for MMORPG terms. Not positive about Russia though. And then there is 10% other, which probably has a bunch of NA/EU in it anyway. So at worst, 85% NA/EU. Which still puts out it #2 or 3 current and #3 all time (sustained)
Presumably, to stash away more cash for retirement?
Silly question, really. Just assign him whatever intentions you'd like him to have, in the traditional straw man manner.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Or.../shock... maybe he actually listened to the public outcry of all the heart broken SWG fans when Lucas Arts pulled the plug. Then took a good look around, saw there was no market for a AAA Sandbox and is trying to fill the hole.
I know the general hate on this site is geared towards causing mass hysteria and malice toward anyone with an opinion or product that charges more than a cent, but maybe, and I do mean maybe. Take a look at things and actually research before jumping to snap conclusions.
Smedley has actually been thinking with his head lately instead of his wallet. SOE has been making some great strides. I have, in the past, seriously disliked them at times, but, I am starting to want to give Smed and SOE another chance. As long as EQNext is not a F2P title with an enormous cash shop, I'll be playing it. If they go with the F2P model but offer a sub based (Gold Subscription) model like they do EQ and EQ2, I'll be happy.
Smedley just announced that Everquest Next will be sandbox.
It will be the largest sandbox style MMO ever designed. The same exciting content delivered in a new way. Something you’ve never seen before. The MMO world has never seen before. We didn’t want more Kill 10 Rats quests. We didn’t want more of the same. If you look at the MMOs out there, they’re delivering the same content over and over again. So are we. We need to change that. When we released EverQuest, we changed the world. We want to do that again with a different type of game.
Is he trying really hard to bankrupt SOE or whats going on in this head of his? Did he ever make anything decent? Any sane disission? Also, isnt he kinda late?
gaaaaaah im so mad right now and its just a game...
I've been a longtime EQ player, both the original and EQ2. Love the games, the world of Norrath, and the dedicated community. But, I have a mixed view towards Smedley, as I think a lot of people that have played SOE games do. While I haven't been fond of him often, I like to think he's going to produce the next EQ product in a favorable way. I'm trying to sound cautiously neutral, because I hope to god its freaking awesome so I will make it my next home, but I also know that it could be heavily weighted to a Cash Shop (and it will have one) to make it unsavory. The way they implemented the CS in EQ and EQ2 was fair, so it could be they'll still keep a happy balance.
I'm tired of hype-trains though. There have been way too many failures and letdowns in the recent past. I just hope his new vision of Norrath does it justice.
If anyone here has been actively participating in the beta process for PS2; I will say I have regained respect for Smed. He has hit a new level of developer-player communication with all the beta testers, and they've been pushing the game in the right direction and implementing our feedback.
I used to HATE Smed for the NGE, but he's been slowly winning me back, even more so with this announcement.
I love the idea, I am tired of everything released in the last 6-7 years. I am interested in what spin they will put into the sandbox though. I do hope it will be sub based, as I am not a big f2p, b2p fan.
Or.../shock... maybe he actually listened to the public outcry of all the heart broken SWG fans when Lucas Arts pulled the plug.
You know you're anthropomorphising human emotional response onto a corporation, right?
I mean, sure, Smed could be the biggest bleeding heart that ever walked the Earth. Genuine, human responses; he cried for all of those poor, disenfranchised gamers.
But even given this construction is somehow factual--His corporation is still going to act like a corporation.
Have people actually forgotten that SOE held the Evil Empire title for a whole lotta years, before Bliz and Funcom and EA and all the others?
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
If anyone here has been actively participating in the beta process for PS2; I will say I have regained respect for Smed. He has hit a new level of developer-player communication with all the beta testers, and they've been pushing the game in the right direction and implementing our feedback.
I used to HATE Smed for the NGE, but he's been slowly winning me back, even more so with this announcement.
Isn't PS2 now a cash shop game where half your skills, or whatever they are, are now available through RL money?
Actual amount of eve players is about a third of its subscription numbers. Multiple accounts are common so are bots.
Does it matter?
Regardless of whether the money comes from 400.000 people or just 100 people it's still 400.000 subscriptions being paid.
And before you start on PLEX you should realise that each and every PLEX has been bought for $20 as opposed to the normal $15 subscription fee. Meaning that every account PLEXing is earning CCP 1,33 subscriptions, even if that money doesn't come from those accounts themselves.
CCP is pulling in nearly seven million dollars a month from EVE. I'm quite sure that's more than most, if not all, of SOE's other MMOs. And, unlike standard themeparks, the competition for sandbox MMOs is minimal.
SOE attempting to go the sandbox route is, imho, a very smart move. Whether or not it's successful and leads to games that aren't just good for the publishers but also the players will remain to be seen.
We are the bunny. Resistance is futile. ''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\ ( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o) (")("),,(")("),(")(")
Originally posted by GrayGhost79 Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game.
With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system.
In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now.
Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!
"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."
Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?
And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!
The part in red. He did not say they were making the wold's largest sandbox MMO ever made. He took care to specifically say Sandbox Style.
But as I said, currently we don't have enough information so it's all simply speculation and we will have to wait and see.
Is he trying really hard to bankrupt SOE or whats going on in this head of his? Did he ever make anything decent? Any sane disission? Also, isnt he kinda late?
gaaaaaah im so mad right now and its just a game...
What are you talking about? Out of all the MMOs I've ever played, my favorites happen to be SOE games,:EQ, EQ2, SWG.
SWG just happens to be one of the most talked about games in this forum. People yearn for it...especially after experience the 20 post-WoW clones, e.g., AoC, WAR, Aion, SWTOR, etc...
I'm sick of WoW. I'm sick of Theme Park. I don't think I'm alone here. There is a reason why almost every Theme Park flops these days.
I expect nothing but great stuff from SOE. I know they have a bad rep with the whole NGE thing. But business is business and lessons are learned. They had a lot to deal with - Lucas Arts etc.
Originally posted by GrayGhost79 Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game.
With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system.
In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now.
Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!
"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."
Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?
And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!
The part in red. He did not say they were making the wold's largest sandbox MMO ever made. He took care to specifically say Sandbox Style.
But as I said, currently we don't have enough information so it's all simply speculation and we will have to wait and see.
Exactly. It's not going to be a Darkfall. I honestly think that it will be something like EQ1/EQ2... but with a ton of social options, e.g., world housing, huge worlds, player cities, deep crafting, etc. It will have it all.
Comments
In the NA-EU market, EvE is probably #2 in subs. SWTOR might still be above it, but its close.
In fact,only 3 games in the history of MMORPGs have been able to sustain 400K subs in the NA/EU market. WoW, EQ and EvE
Ahhh ... so that is the guy who wants Wow clones and nothing else on the market.
Glad to meet you cyandk! You truly are an enigma!
You stay sassy!
Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game.
With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system.
In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now.
Bioware thought it was "The open steppe, fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair."
Haha indeed!
I think he's articulating a vision at SOE that gaming is moving beyond themeparks... or even themeparks with few new shinies each expansion.
There seems to be a trend toward players wanting developers (and developers thinking they can now deliver) getting back to creating virtual worlds for us to play in.
If it doesn't work, it doesn't work - but I certainly won't fault SOE for trying.
Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!
"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."
Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?
And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!
Except doesn't have that many players in just in NA/EU, eve is played on the world market.
http://community.eveonline.com/ingameboard.asp?a=topic&threadID=1458477
It is still one of the highest in the west though.
Looks like its almost all NA/EU. Australia, while geographically far away, is typically part of the NA/EU region for MMORPG terms. Not positive about Russia though. And then there is 10% other, which probably has a bunch of NA/EU in it anyway. So at worst, 85% NA/EU. Which still puts out it #2 or 3 current and #3 all time (sustained)
Actual amount of eve players is about a third of its subscription numbers. Multiple accounts are common so are bots.
What is John Smedley intentions?
Presumably, to stash away more cash for retirement?
Silly question, really. Just assign him whatever intentions you'd like him to have, in the traditional straw man manner.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
I think its a smart move..
he's now paying attention to a starving part of the MMO market.
Or.../shock... maybe he actually listened to the public outcry of all the heart broken SWG fans when Lucas Arts pulled the plug. Then took a good look around, saw there was no market for a AAA Sandbox and is trying to fill the hole.
I know the general hate on this site is geared towards causing mass hysteria and malice toward anyone with an opinion or product that charges more than a cent, but maybe, and I do mean maybe. Take a look at things and actually research before jumping to snap conclusions.
Smedley has actually been thinking with his head lately instead of his wallet. SOE has been making some great strides. I have, in the past, seriously disliked them at times, but, I am starting to want to give Smed and SOE another chance. As long as EQNext is not a F2P title with an enormous cash shop, I'll be playing it. If they go with the F2P model but offer a sub based (Gold Subscription) model like they do EQ and EQ2, I'll be happy.
I've been a longtime EQ player, both the original and EQ2. Love the games, the world of Norrath, and the dedicated community. But, I have a mixed view towards Smedley, as I think a lot of people that have played SOE games do. While I haven't been fond of him often, I like to think he's going to produce the next EQ product in a favorable way. I'm trying to sound cautiously neutral, because I hope to god its freaking awesome so I will make it my next home, but I also know that it could be heavily weighted to a Cash Shop (and it will have one) to make it unsavory. The way they implemented the CS in EQ and EQ2 was fair, so it could be they'll still keep a happy balance.
I'm tired of hype-trains though. There have been way too many failures and letdowns in the recent past. I just hope his new vision of Norrath does it justice.
If anyone here has been actively participating in the beta process for PS2; I will say I have regained respect for Smed. He has hit a new level of developer-player communication with all the beta testers, and they've been pushing the game in the right direction and implementing our feedback.
I used to HATE Smed for the NGE, but he's been slowly winning me back, even more so with this announcement.
You know you're anthropomorphising human emotional response onto a corporation, right?
I mean, sure, Smed could be the biggest bleeding heart that ever walked the Earth. Genuine, human responses; he cried for all of those poor, disenfranchised gamers.
But even given this construction is somehow factual--His corporation is still going to act like a corporation.
Have people actually forgotten that SOE held the Evil Empire title for a whole lotta years, before Bliz and Funcom and EA and all the others?
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Isn't PS2 now a cash shop game where half your skills, or whatever they are, are now available through RL money?
Does it matter?
Regardless of whether the money comes from 400.000 people or just 100 people it's still 400.000 subscriptions being paid.
And before you start on PLEX you should realise that each and every PLEX has been bought for $20 as opposed to the normal $15 subscription fee. Meaning that every account PLEXing is earning CCP 1,33 subscriptions, even if that money doesn't come from those accounts themselves.
CCP is pulling in nearly seven million dollars a month from EVE. I'm quite sure that's more than most, if not all, of SOE's other MMOs. And, unlike standard themeparks, the competition for sandbox MMOs is minimal.
SOE attempting to go the sandbox route is, imho, a very smart move. Whether or not it's successful and leads to games that aren't just good for the publishers but also the players will remain to be seen.
We are the bunny.
Resistance is futile.
''/\/\'''''/\/\''''''/\/\
( o.o) ( o.o) ( o.o)
(")("),,(")("),(")(")
The part in red. He did not say they were making the wold's largest sandbox MMO ever made. He took care to specifically say Sandbox Style.
But as I said, currently we don't have enough information so it's all simply speculation and we will have to wait and see.
What are you talking about? Out of all the MMOs I've ever played, my favorites happen to be SOE games,:EQ, EQ2, SWG.
SWG just happens to be one of the most talked about games in this forum. People yearn for it...especially after experience the 20 post-WoW clones, e.g., AoC, WAR, Aion, SWTOR, etc...
I'm sick of WoW. I'm sick of Theme Park. I don't think I'm alone here. There is a reason why almost every Theme Park flops these days.
I expect nothing but great stuff from SOE. I know they have a bad rep with the whole NGE thing. But business is business and lessons are learned. They had a lot to deal with - Lucas Arts etc.
Exactly. It's not going to be a Darkfall. I honestly think that it will be something like EQ1/EQ2... but with a ton of social options, e.g., world housing, huge worlds, player cities, deep crafting, etc. It will have it all.