All exciting stuff to see but really nothing new information wise that has not already been out there. We will not be getting any new information for another two weeks sadly.
EverQuest Nexus - http://www.eqnexus.com Head of Social Media and part time writer/interviewer.
"We have two EverQuest games we can already use as testbeds for what we plan on with the next one. While we're doing that we're putting a huge focus on storytelling over the next year. We want characters to become memorable parts of the story arcs. We want to bring back the world to virtual worlds. This is a re-imagined Norrath. Think of the EverQuest games as three separate universes--a multiverse."
OMG!!! More damn prescript story BS.. And here I thought it was suppose to be a sandbox.. If they go story telling like other games I won't even bother to look at EQN anymore.. Very Very disappointing to read this.. Multiverse? Starting to sound like a clusterf*ck of features.. I"m sad
Don't get all upset ...until August 2.
I want to whine like baby on August 2nd. It brings back my youth..
Dave Georgeson: I don’t like the term MMO. It’s generic and it means nothing. I actually like the older term that never caught on which is virtual world. That’s really what we’re building. We’re building a reality that’s better than reality. One where you can customize a character that you want to be, and then perfect yourself.
You have complete control over a virtual world in a way that you do not have in real life. It’s a better experience, it’s a better life experience, and it’s fun to have connections with people internationally and all that other stuff. You meet a broad class of people, and are able to be involved in situations you’re never going to become involved in here in the real world. Very heroic, bigger than life kind of things.
A virtual world is more like that, rather than just a persistent game. The persistence is important because it’s not a world if it’s not persistent, but that’s the least of the things that makes a virtual world or an MMO what it is.
"Wait until you see spellweaving in the next EverQuest," Georgeson teased. "I've said too much but you've never played a game like it. I can promise you that.
"We have two EverQuest games we can already use as testbeds for what we plan on with the next one. While we're doing that we're putting a huge focus on storytelling over the next year. We want characters to become memorable parts of the story arcs. We want to bring back the world to virtual worlds. This is a re-imagined Norrath. Think of the EverQuest games as three separate universes--a multiverse."
Hey time for some anti-hype IMO.
customize character could also be talking purely about Storyline of the character .i heard the same use of words to describe story elements like in gw2 and SWTOR.
spell weaving can be combo fields like Guild Wars 2, Skyrim, and other games.
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
Mathew Chilton @TuxedoMat @DaveGeorgeson if cazic thule died in eq1....how was he at the council of the gods in eq2....?
David Georgeson @DaveGeorgeson @TuxedoMat each Norrath is different plane. CT dead in EQ, not EQII. Reverse true for rallos zek. But all Norraths touch in Ethernere.
TTH commentary:
For those less familiar with the lore, Ethernere is a realm introduced to EverQuest II with the Chains of Eternity expansion. It’s described as “a realm never intended for living souls.” There’s been a few, um, “god and dragon incidents” since that have wrought havoc across Norrath. It’s also a testament to just how far ahead SOE was thinking about this in terms of the lore and weaving it into the project in some way. But what they’re up to, and where this is going, is anyone’s guess.
as far as gods go, you cannot really ever kill a god, only kill his form on that plane .
Therefore, Cazic thule did die in EQ1 , was banished from the plane, and managed to re-enter the plane around the time of EQ2.. Or, as a matter of conjecture, the council is held on a different plane entirely.
"We have two EverQuest games we can already use as testbeds for what we plan on with the next one. While we're doing that we're putting a huge focus on storytelling over the next year."
So over the next year... Looks like the people hoping for a release this year will be disappointed!
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
"We have two EverQuest games we can already use as testbeds for what we plan on with the next one. While we're doing that we're putting a huge focus on storytelling over the next year."
So over the next year... Looks like the people hoping for a release this year will be disappointed!
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
While those games are considered themeparks, they still have features that are usually found in sandbox games. For example, EQ2 has an extensive crafting system that allow to make housing items.
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
While those games are considered themeparks, they still have features that are usually found in sandbox games. For example, EQ2 has an extensive crafting system that allow to make housing items.
They are moreso testing things like Krono, player-made items, cash shop stuff, etc. And, maybe SoEmote =P
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
You can keep saying it won't make it true. EQ was as far as you can get from a themepark without being a sandbox. It had elements of both but was neither. EQ2 is a themepark.
How can a themepark have no direct linear story, 12+ starting areas, 12+ races, 12+ classes, skills that you need to level or you won't be any good at using that item or casting that spell.
If you're talking about today's EQ i would define it as a themepark because the end game fits that but original EQ did not. It was more SandPark.
If they focus on personal story like GW2 and SWTOR..... /shudder
EQN should be focusing on dynamic and engrossing online world, let the players create their own stories through gameplay like we did in EQ1.
I don't need a scripted story to tell me who my character is, I am playing my character, I have my own ideas already, can't we just leave it at that?
Just my opinion.
I look forward to it if there is story involved personally.
I agree with you both. I think there needs to be deep lore and story-telling, but it needs to be world lore and progressing story(think like the crazy cool GM events in EQ1 with Firiona and such).
The story should never be like SWTOR/GW2 etc., where you are the savior of the world, and the entire core story revolves around your one character. It's so out of place and dumb when they make you "the one".
Sounds like massive world storytelling like EQ1 and AC's monthly events. Aka, the kind of memories MMos SHOULD tell.
By mentioning characters it sounded like NPCs and GM played characters and such.
Good.
This is exactly it. This is one area SoE shined in. This is something that other games I've played have completely not touched on much. SoE really takes an active role in the world through GMs playing famous characters, random GM events, even just seeing GMs roaming around the world now and then(back in the old days at least).
I don't think I ever even saw a GM in most MMOs I've played. Mini-events and holiday content is nowhere near the same as actual GM interactive stories playing out(I do like holidays and small content events though, just saying :P)
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
You can keep saying it won't make it true. EQ was as far as you can get from a themepark without being a sandbox. It had elements of both but was neither. EQ2 is a themepark.
How can a themepark have no direct linear story, 12+ starting areas, 12+ races, 12+ classes, skills that you need to level or you won't be any good at using that item or casting that spell.
If you're talking about today's EQ i would define it as a themepark because the end game fits that but original EQ did not. It was more SandPark.
Huh? The number of starting areas, races, classes, and skills has nothing to do with whether something is a Themepark.
Themepark is not a synonym for "bad".
User-generated content in EQ consisted of... uh, banded armor and marking "Killroy was here" on tavern bulletin boards.
Yes, having a hopelessly underdeveloped quest environment made EQ less of a theme park than EQ2, but the absence of fleshed out themepark features does not make something remotely sandbox.
Huh? The number of starting areas, races, classes, and skills has nothing to do with whether something is a Themepark.
Themepark is not a synonym for "bad".
User-generated content in EQ consisted of... uh, banded armor and marking "Killroy was here" on tavern bulletin boards.
Yes, having a hopelessly underdeveloped quest environment made EQ less of a theme park than EQ2, but the absence of fleshed out themepark features does not make something remotely sandbox.
Off topic: That reminds me, those tavern bulletin boards were so cool back in the old days. I'd love to see something like that return
It's the little things...
On topic: EQ1 wasn't a sandbox. It had no sandbox elements whatsoever that I can recall. And, it's pretty hard to classify it as what we've come to know as the themeparks of today. EQ was in its own category. Thankfully, it wasn't a quest-hub game, but it definitely had no sandbox features. There was no player impacting the world and its development/progression. It was just an open, non-linear world. I'm not sure how there's 100 definitions of what a sandbox or a themepark is, though, the internet is so confuzling =x
There are alot of single player games that have a Free Roam mode, that's what EQ was... a Free Roaming MMO. That's about the closest thing of which I can compare it to.
The non-linear qualities of EQ 1, especialy on a PvP server, gave it much more of a sandbox feel than that of a themepark. I say this knowing PvP has nothing to do with sandbox per se, but it was about the number of options and the fact that everything felt open ended.
Players would log in for any number of reasons, often none of which had anything to do with quests or pve. Calling EQ1 a themepark just means you're retroactively applying a term created to describe World of Warcraft simply on account of a few of the features WoW has in common with EQ. Definitely wasn't a themepark, and was never referred to as such until long after WoW was.
The non-linear qualities of EQ 1, especialy on a PvP server, gave it much more of a sandbox feel than that of a themepark. I say this knowing PvP has nothing to do with sandbox per se, but it was about the number of options and the fact that everything felt open ended.
Players would log in for any number of reasons, often none of which had anything to do with quests or pve. Calling EQ1 a themepark just means you're retroactively applying a term created to describe World of Warcraft simply on account of a few of the features WoW has in common with EQ. Definitely wasn't a themepark, and was never referred to as such until long after WoW was.
EQ is what created the "themepark" mmo.
The world of Everquest was balanced on levels.
You could not take a level 1 character and just explore wherever you wanted to (unless you wanted to die). The world was designed, like a themepark, (hence the term) to guide you through area and the next based on your leveling experience and quests. EAch zone was designed with specific level ranges in mind for that content in that zone.
Also one of the core things about themepark mmo's is the gear focus. Plus the fact they usually have an "end" (IE doing the end game raid's and getting the "best" gear, to many people that's when they quit and wait for the next expansions which usually raises the level cap and introduces even better "uber" gear to grind for in raids.
Yes it was more "open" then some other themepark mmo's, but it is still to the core a themepark mmo.
Sandbox mmo's, like UO, are completely and utterly open. The world isn't designed to guide you down a mostly linear pathway from here to here based on quests and leveling up. There was no "end" game in UO because it was simply not designe dthat way. You played in the world and made of it what you wanted, there was no "Raiding" for uber gear or a focus on quests (There weren't even any quests! at least back in the early days of UO circa 98-2000).
Both are completely different experiences and mmo's like WoW come directly from EQ's design and frame work with it's themepark designed world and loot focus.
It's like comparing TES games (sandbox) to say, Neverwinter Nights or Dragon Age (linear/themepark design).
The non-linear qualities of EQ 1, especialy on a PvP server, gave it much more of a sandbox feel than that of a themepark. I say this knowing PvP has nothing to do with sandbox per se, but it was about the number of options and the fact that everything felt open ended.
Players would log in for any number of reasons, often none of which had anything to do with quests or pve. Calling EQ1 a themepark just means you're retroactively applying a term created to describe World of Warcraft simply on account of a few of the features WoW has in common with EQ. Definitely wasn't a themepark, and was never referred to as such until long after WoW was.
EQ is what created the "themepark" mmo.
The world of Everquest was balanced on levels.
You could not take a level 1 character and just explore wherever you wanted to (unless you wanted to die). The world was designed, like a themepark, (hence the term) to guide you through area and the next based on your leveling experience and quests. EAch zone was designed with specific level ranges in mind for that content in that zone.
Also one of the core things about themepark mmo's is the gear focus. Plus the fact they usually have an "end" (IE doing the end game raid's and getting the "best" gear, to many people that's when they quit and wait for the next expansions which usually raises the level cap and introduces even better "uber" gear to grind for in raids.
Yes it was more "open" then some other themepark mmo's, but it is still to the core a themepark mmo.
Sandbox mmo's, like UO, are completely and utterly open. The world isn't designed to guide you down a mostly linear pathway from here to here based on quests and leveling up. There was no "end" game in UO because it was simply not designe dthat way. You played in the world and made of it what you wanted, there was no "Raiding" for uber gear or a focus on quests (There weren't even any quests! at least back in the early days of UO circa 98-2000).
Both are completely different experiences and mmo's like WoW come directly from EQ's design and frame work with it's themepark designed world and loot focus.
It's like comparing TES games (sandbox) to say, Neverwinter Nights or Dragon Age (linear/themepark design).
The ability to explore has nothing to do with sandbox. Constraints like those you spoke of may or may not exist in any game - they're irrelevant. Those same restraints exist in almost all sandbox games with PvE, including UO. Before you achieve a certain amount of skills (UO equivalent of levels), you would not only die to NPCs while exploring, but players as well. The further away from cities you got in UO, the higher the likelihood of running into more powerful mobs. The zones in EQ didn't exactly scale the way you are describing either, as - very much like UO - there were many random mobs throughout all zones that were much more powerful than the common mobs. You could make a halfling and step out the wrong side of rivervale and be killed by a level 35 zombie. Whats more, quests in classic EQ did not lead you based on levels or proximity to the quest giver, they were almost completely random. Soo, I guess its safe to conclude that not only are you confused about what constitutes a sandbox mmo, but that you obviously never played classic EQ, nor do you know why a themepark MMO is actually called a themepark.
Of course, like every other MMO, EQ1 did become much like WoW over the years, so I guess its sort of moot at this point. When one person refers to Everquest 1, they could be referring to a very different game depending on the era they played.
Comments
EverQuest Nexus - http://www.eqnexus.com
Head of Social Media and part time writer/interviewer.
I want to whine like baby on August 2nd. It brings back my youth..
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
Hey time for some anti-hype IMO.
customize character could also be talking purely about Storyline of the character .i heard the same use of words to describe story elements like in gw2 and SWTOR.
spell weaving can be combo fields like Guild Wars 2, Skyrim, and other games.
for that last part. The first two Everquest games are Themeparks. So how can that be a test ground for a sandbox unless they are using a different definition of sandbox. Interesting to think about. But yeah. Sometimes a little anti-hype comes in handy.
Philosophy of MMO Game Design
as far as gods go, you cannot really ever kill a god, only kill his form on that plane .
Therefore, Cazic thule did die in EQ1 , was banished from the plane, and managed to re-enter the plane around the time of EQ2.. Or, as a matter of conjecture, the council is held on a different plane entirely.
over 20 years of mmorpg's and counting...
"We have two EverQuest games we can already use as testbeds for what we plan on with the next one. While we're doing that we're putting a huge focus on storytelling over the next year."
So over the next year... Looks like the people hoping for a release this year will be disappointed!
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
George Washington
The interview is not new, it's from June, 2012...
original source: http://www.tentonhammer.com/previews/everquest/soemote-and-eq-next
While those games are considered themeparks, they still have features that are usually found in sandbox games. For example, EQ2 has an extensive crafting system that allow to make housing items.
Government is not reason; it is not eloquent; it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master.
George Washington
They are moreso testing things like Krono, player-made items, cash shop stuff, etc. And, maybe SoEmote =P
You can keep saying it won't make it true. EQ was as far as you can get from a themepark without being a sandbox. It had elements of both but was neither. EQ2 is a themepark.
How can a themepark have no direct linear story, 12+ starting areas, 12+ races, 12+ classes, skills that you need to level or you won't be any good at using that item or casting that spell.
If you're talking about today's EQ i would define it as a themepark because the end game fits that but original EQ did not. It was more SandPark.
I agree with you both. I think there needs to be deep lore and story-telling, but it needs to be world lore and progressing story(think like the crazy cool GM events in EQ1 with Firiona and such).
The story should never be like SWTOR/GW2 etc., where you are the savior of the world, and the entire core story revolves around your one character. It's so out of place and dumb when they make you "the one".
Sounds like massive world storytelling like EQ1 and AC's monthly events. Aka, the kind of memories MMos SHOULD tell.
By mentioning characters it sounded like NPCs and GM played characters and such.
Good.
This is exactly it. This is one area SoE shined in. This is something that other games I've played have completely not touched on much. SoE really takes an active role in the world through GMs playing famous characters, random GM events, even just seeing GMs roaming around the world now and then(back in the old days at least).
I don't think I ever even saw a GM in most MMOs I've played. Mini-events and holiday content is nowhere near the same as actual GM interactive stories playing out(I do like holidays and small content events though, just saying :P)
Huh? The number of starting areas, races, classes, and skills has nothing to do with whether something is a Themepark.
Themepark is not a synonym for "bad".
User-generated content in EQ consisted of... uh, banded armor and marking "Killroy was here" on tavern bulletin boards.
Yes, having a hopelessly underdeveloped quest environment made EQ less of a theme park than EQ2, but the absence of fleshed out themepark features does not make something remotely sandbox.
Off topic: That reminds me, those tavern bulletin boards were so cool back in the old days. I'd love to see something like that return
It's the little things...
On topic: EQ1 wasn't a sandbox. It had no sandbox elements whatsoever that I can recall. And, it's pretty hard to classify it as what we've come to know as the themeparks of today. EQ was in its own category. Thankfully, it wasn't a quest-hub game, but it definitely had no sandbox features. There was no player impacting the world and its development/progression. It was just an open, non-linear world. I'm not sure how there's 100 definitions of what a sandbox or a themepark is, though, the internet is so confuzling =x
There are alot of single player games that have a Free Roam mode, that's what EQ was... a Free Roaming MMO. That's about the closest thing of which I can compare it to.
The non-linear qualities of EQ 1, especialy on a PvP server, gave it much more of a sandbox feel than that of a themepark. I say this knowing PvP has nothing to do with sandbox per se, but it was about the number of options and the fact that everything felt open ended.
Players would log in for any number of reasons, often none of which had anything to do with quests or pve. Calling EQ1 a themepark just means you're retroactively applying a term created to describe World of Warcraft simply on account of a few of the features WoW has in common with EQ. Definitely wasn't a themepark, and was never referred to as such until long after WoW was.
EQ is what created the "themepark" mmo.
The world of Everquest was balanced on levels.
You could not take a level 1 character and just explore wherever you wanted to (unless you wanted to die). The world was designed, like a themepark, (hence the term) to guide you through area and the next based on your leveling experience and quests. EAch zone was designed with specific level ranges in mind for that content in that zone.
Also one of the core things about themepark mmo's is the gear focus. Plus the fact they usually have an "end" (IE doing the end game raid's and getting the "best" gear, to many people that's when they quit and wait for the next expansions which usually raises the level cap and introduces even better "uber" gear to grind for in raids.
Yes it was more "open" then some other themepark mmo's, but it is still to the core a themepark mmo.
Sandbox mmo's, like UO, are completely and utterly open. The world isn't designed to guide you down a mostly linear pathway from here to here based on quests and leveling up. There was no "end" game in UO because it was simply not designe dthat way. You played in the world and made of it what you wanted, there was no "Raiding" for uber gear or a focus on quests (There weren't even any quests! at least back in the early days of UO circa 98-2000).
Both are completely different experiences and mmo's like WoW come directly from EQ's design and frame work with it's themepark designed world and loot focus.
It's like comparing TES games (sandbox) to say, Neverwinter Nights or Dragon Age (linear/themepark design).
The ability to explore has nothing to do with sandbox. Constraints like those you spoke of may or may not exist in any game - they're irrelevant. Those same restraints exist in almost all sandbox games with PvE, including UO. Before you achieve a certain amount of skills (UO equivalent of levels), you would not only die to NPCs while exploring, but players as well. The further away from cities you got in UO, the higher the likelihood of running into more powerful mobs. The zones in EQ didn't exactly scale the way you are describing either, as - very much like UO - there were many random mobs throughout all zones that were much more powerful than the common mobs. You could make a halfling and step out the wrong side of rivervale and be killed by a level 35 zombie. Whats more, quests in classic EQ did not lead you based on levels or proximity to the quest giver, they were almost completely random. Soo, I guess its safe to conclude that not only are you confused about what constitutes a sandbox mmo, but that you obviously never played classic EQ, nor do you know why a themepark MMO is actually called a themepark.
Of course, like every other MMO, EQ1 did become much like WoW over the years, so I guess its sort of moot at this point. When one person refers to Everquest 1, they could be referring to a very different game depending on the era they played.