Very little was actually revealed about EQN, IMO, but one thing that did stand out to me was that there was zero mention of "normal" group PvE. They did mention PvP. Oh yay. Griefer community rejoice.
Did you watch the same presentations as me? They mentioned group content and raiding multiple times, but spoke very little about PvP.
Although the fact that they said that they 'want folks to have time to really wrap their heads around the new concepts and vision before really delving into the nitty-gritty details' indicates to me that they were deliberately holding off on PvP information so they don't scare the PvE crowd away straight away.
Honestly I don't see how many of the concepts they described would work well without PvP (for instance if one person decides to help the farmer, and one decides to help the orcs... its either a stalemate or PvP).
Thanks for a good article with an interesting point of view. The truth is that we do not know enough yest to say that EQN will be this or that. Everybody talks about GW2 but TSW also has a skillbased system where you can learn everything and that works fine (it is perhaps a bit overcomplicated).
I am very hyped for a game where you can choose if you want to kill mobs or explore or craft and still get xp. If they manage to do what they have said they will do it might actually be something close to a living world.
EQN is most certainly not for everybody that is true, and it might attract more non standard MMO players that classic Min Maxers.
I don't think it does anything at all for the community.They already have the player designed capes and dungeon maker and to be honest,nobody talks it about it at all.The ONLY people involved with it are the people willing to throw money away to SOE. because it was all tied into cash shop.
Even in NW,i really couldn't care less who was making the quest/dungeons as they all seemed to look a like and play alike,so nothing ever felt different.There is going to be a lot of look alike in this game as well.
Still none the less,players just want to play,if a cool feature comes along,they don't want to look and see you need to spend extra to use it.Also there has to be some thought into what and how you can destroy things otherwise it ends up monotonous and will ruin the community more than help it.
There is ONE thing that ruins communities,competition,once you have it there is drama 101,lots of bragging lots of annoying players.That is why i detest pvp in my RPG games,i don't like people pestering me while i have my own agenda for game play.
I am still on the fence,i have not seen enough from the presentation to warrant me playing,but i will give the courtesy to finish the game and show me what is different or show me why i should drop the games i already have fun in to play this instead.Presentations don't do a single thing for community nor to persuade me either,so we need to see the game.then we can talk community.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Societies are built by bringing different people together who have different talents.
"I'm a Farmer."
"I'm a Soldier."
"I'm a Priest."
"Let's work together to make a better life for ourselves and our kin."
Distinction between player characters is what creates community in a MMORPG.
Combine that with content that requires different players who enjoy different play styles and fit a different role in the group is what builds a community.
"We need more healers, another tank, and a few DPS for a raid (or for our PvP squad.) Let's recruit new like-minded members who fill those roles."
The % of players that want to sit around towns working on their houses or RP'ing is quite small compared to the % that wants the above.
Guilds create community. Guilds need cooperative (and/or competitive) content and systems to survive.
Guild Wars 2 figured this out very quickly, and tried and is trying to add guild specific larger group content.
Interdependency between players with varying skill sets, combining their efforts to overcome challenges they could not surmount alone is like... the very soul of the MMORPG.
What GW2 is and what they seem to be making EQN into is not a MMORPG, it's more like a MSPOAG.
Massively Single Player Online Action Game.
No reason for grouping with lots of people, finding a larger group to join (guild) and no roles in that larger structure for a player to fill.
When everyone is the same, no one stands out. Players aren't given opportunity to showcase their skills and what makes them unique without being able to differentiate themselves from others, and without being able to own and maximize their chosen style of play into a specific role.
This is a common misconception borne from ignorance. Many people who only touched the surface of GW2 thought there was no diversity. People who actually played the game in large groups will be able to correct you. When you played in large groups (not 5 man dungeons), you needed people from every class with multiple builds and armor types to be successful.
A dagger/dagger elementalist was not the same as a staff elementalist. You needed a completely different build for both to be successful. It was the same for every class, every weapon type had a unique build, different roles required different armor stats, and even with just those 3 things to customize, you still had a uniqueness to you. 2 of the same class could be usinig 2 different weapons. Same class, same weapons could still be using different builds. Same class, same weapon, same talents, could be wearing different statted armor. There was choice, and in larger groups (WvW especially) you HAD to have those differences.
Now looking back at EQN, if you watched the videos, not just making baseless accusations, just because you are the same class as the guy next to you, doesnt mean you are the same. Two warriors can have completely different abilities/hotbars. They can be using completely different armor, which also effects their abilities differently. Those even lead to different roles. I can be a warrior built to repel mages, while you can be a warrior built to combat melee opponents. Maybe a third warrior is built specifically to deal with ranged, and has all gap closers. To make a statement about no diversity is pure ignorance.
As far as the need for large groups, they havent said whether there will be raids or not. We dont know what a group size is, and we have no information on PVP, world, instanced, or serverwide. So to assume anything in those areas is also ignorant.
As for aggro management. This is the one thing I can almost agree with you on. Yes they said there is no direct hate, and no "taunting". But they also said the mobs will know whats hurting them and seek to stop it. GW2 aggro was very random, still to this day I dont think people know for certain why a mob targets a player. Thats not what SOE is saying. If you are standing there, nuking away, dealing large damage, the mob is going to be mad at you specifically. This could mean, healers are still safe, since they arent doing damage. It could also be assumed you can control a mob by the damage you do. If I do too much, mob comes for me, so I stop all DPS, he could move on to the next target. It may not be direct hate control, but as long as the players know what makes aggro it can still be controlled. We can just as easily assume there will be a way to control it as we can there wont. They havent given those details out yet.
Personally, Im glad games are moving in this direction. Old school hate, like what trinity games give you is absurd. A tank stands in the corner and "taunts" and the mobs are supposed to just ignore all the DPS thats actually killing it. Meanwhile the healers stand in another corner, or behind everyone else, and can do their job completely unmolested. Seriously, whats wrong with you players who want to stand in one spot completely out of harms way. Why bother to play a game, if theres no challenge or danger? Seems to be, most of those arguments will be made by bad players who dont understand how to avoid damage, and therefore need to rely on better players to keep mobs off them. If thats the case, learn to play or try a different game. Im all for having everyone involved in a fight (and yes, I always play ranged caster DPS, so Im used to standing in the back and nuking from afar, safely standing next to my healers). It was absurd in the 90s, and its even more so now, 2 decades later.
I just want to touch on the highlighted part. That issue has only come up in the past few years because developers have dumbed down encounters. It's not because there is a problem with the trinity. Using WoW as an example, now days if you run a 5-man it's simply tank picks up all mobs, and the DPS AOEs them down while the healer heals. There is almost no aggro to speak of.
However back in vanilla WoW, the tank did not pick up 4-5 mobs. A good tank could hold 2-3, while you had to have some form of "cc" for another mob or 2. If the DPS started attacking before 2 sunder armors were applied, the mob left the tank and came at them. The same happened to a healer if they cast a big heal right away. It wasn't that the healer just stood in a corner with no fear. The DPS and healers were just as much responsible for aggro management as the tank. It's not the trinity that has failed, it's the developers who have done away with it due to basically removing the relevance of threat.
Sandbox? More like a player made theme park, and once the sandbox crowd realize this... And btw, do you think you will be able to build every where and any where for free, in this F2P game? Real estate will be bought with real world cash. I'm sure that use of the Structures builder tool will also be a cash shop item. The Quest building tool (theme park tool) will also be a cash shop item.
I am not complaining about the use of cash shop, I am all for it. I just suspect that the vast majority of f2p players who don't use the cash shop will be distraught.
To the OP, If some destruction enjoying player came along and decided to demolish your RP building, how would your feel? Everything is destructible, and everyone is DPS. I suppose that indestructability will be a cash shop item. But when the sandbox crowd hears that that world is not totally destructible. Remember the fun is not in the destruction, it's from the pain and suffering the destruction causes for others.
Pardon any spelling errors
Konfess your cyns and some maybe forgiven Boy: Why can't I talk to Him? Mom: We don't talk to Priests. As if it could exist, without being payed for. F2P means you get what you paid for. Pay nothing, get nothing. Even telemarketers wouldn't think that. It costs money to play. Therefore P2W.
Sony's been really smart. By looking carefully at why all the supposed best games are falling on their faces or losing population, and by looking at why their titles like EQ1 and 2 are just chugging along without growth, they've been able to be bold. They've turned everything on it's head by coming up with a completely new game composition.
I think that the biggest danger is if Sony starts to compromise on too many fronts, because too many cooks will spoil the broth. For example, regarding the art. The art's perfect for this kind of modern gaming experience. This isn't Skyrim. Let Bethesda do that. I think it's an improved take on the Everquest universe, with far wider appeal than a mere sequel.
I think the game should do very well since it's graphics appeal across generations, very inclusive and ageless. My guess is that many of the vets who are upset will settle down as they see more of the game. Just give it time.
BadSpock, from what I have seen so far, the complexity of the multi-classing combined with loot choices seem to indicate that not everyone will in fact be the same. Just because everyone has the same potential does not mean that they will all be the same.
Didn't turn out too well for GW2, maybe EQN will do it better?
Based on what they've said, there will be no threat mechanics, and without threat, tanking will be about positioning and collision detection, unless there is no collision detection...
And without that, how does a healer stand in the back and heal? They don't.
ESO looks to be doing the same kind of thing, and based on their presentation Friday too - combat is just as much of a mess in a group setting as GW2.
Do you really have faith SOE is going to be able to pull off somehow what both Zenimax and Anet have failed (or appear to fail) to do?
The funny thing about this statement is that, GW2's Ai works pretty exactly as they explained EQN Ai to work. They have a bunch of factors, closest target, most damaging target, squishiest/downed player (you'll notice that many a time, bosses will stand over a downed player and whack him till he dies) etc. So really, you thinking the Ai would be any different here is just you hoping.
I probably didn't clearly state this in my last post but, it's all about how they design the encounters. Artificial intelligence could be absolute crap but if they design the dungeon to force groups to strategize, Ai wouldn't matter for anything (that's not to say it doesn't matter at all).
EQN's claim of "every server will be different" is a bit of a snow job. As we all know (and by SOE's own words), content creation is where games run into trouble. EQ1 with it's super-grind isn't going to fly anymore if you want to make cash. So, if server A has orcs running Qeynos because of a storyline choice (failure by the server to defend it, whatever) and Server B has humans running it because of a different outcome, that's all fine and dandy...
But if they ever do expansions (and I am sure they will), they have two choices:
1) The new content is completely disconnected from the old, no choice made prior to the expansion will have any effect on the new content.
2) Or, the connections will be such that whoever runs Qeynos doesn't matter, it'll end up back in human hands (for example) because the new expansion requires humans to be running it.
They can't possibly create content for every "server choice" combination in mind. 1 choice = 2 outcomes, 2 choices = 4, 3 choices = 8.... and so on. And they have trouble with just creating content in general (0 choices lol).
Eh, they've said that some outcomes will eventually happen, e.g. founding of Halas. Even tho players may be able to help slow that down, like burning the forest, it will still get to the same outcome, perhaps later than other servers tho.
So much for sandbox, control your destiny thing...
I suppose it all depends on what you mean by community. Having player created content is great for the game, as it really adds a lot to the sense of a dynamic world and provides a lot of additional content. That said I don't think it is necessarily a big thing for community. When I think of community I think of direct player interaction and communication. Game content can have a limited effect on community, but more importantly the rules and tools specifically related to player interaction are what will decide whether or not the game has a good community. If the game is small/niche you will probably have a great community, but as a game grows and you get more and more players, without the proper rules and tools the community can go to crap in the blink of an eye.
Wish I had seen what everyone else has seen. In the presentation I saw they were quite vague on the ability to multi-class other than it could be done. The only mention of PvP was one group defending a castle while another group tries to tear it down. And other than a few abilities mentioned and demonstrated, combat, healing, crowd control and pretty much everything else was also quite vague. I think quite a few people have already started building EQN into what they want it to be or think it will be and Landmark hasn't even come out yet.
I think it all looks promising and some of it groundbreaking, but many games have been promising and have had groundbreaking features but it all comes down in the end to is it fun and is it engaging in the long term. And it has to be both. No one wants to play a game that isn't fun and there have been lots of games that have been fun to play in the short term but boring or repetitive or pointless in the long term.
Speaking socially, I am intrigued by how the server community will have the Power as a whole to determine the atmosphere and direction of Norrath itself.
In the Q&A it was asked if "Evil" players could directly restrict the outcomes of rallying calls. They responded that it was not their intent to create systems that would allow for intentional griefing, that the only way to prevent say Halas from being built would be to not answer the call at all. I admit to looking forward to becoming a proper villain. And whilst there will likely not be as many systems in place as I might imagine to allow this to happen I can take comfort in knowing that they have given us the most important system of all. Choice with consequences.
And not just with rallying calls. We as players can decide how to manipulate Norrath's inhabitants through our actions and reactions. Will your server want a safe and prosperous realm where guards patrol tirelessly protecting giant caravans of trade goods, or will it favor an untamed wilderness stretching from sea to sea where you will need to travel in groups for even the simplest needs outside a city wall. Will the city itself even truly be a safe haven? That's up to us, and it should be.
This gives a purpose to server choice like we've never had in an MMO. It creates a real reason for guild interaction. This provides another deeper level of tension for PvP.
Watching the videos of what they have planned, all I could think was... so, all the F2P 14 year old testosterone laden fools are going to be destroying Norrath while all the old school players are going to be forever in the Landmark game just building stuff with their long time friends from EQ1 and 2.
Why does F2P, PvP and 'completely destructible world' sound like an imminent disaster. I refused to get hyped about this title until we are a week from release and I have all the details lol.
And to top off all these lovely new features, SOE tears the community into two, forcing EU players to play with a provider none of them want, PSS1. Given that The EU is a larger MMO market than the USA this could be disastrous for EQ Next and its burgeoning community. Since moving EQ 2 EU over to PSS1 the EU server has become a ghost town, their customer service record is appalling and despite all the threads complaining, SOE and that halfwit Smedley continue on this path.
My Colour Is Vomit green, I puke on the tards with stupid colour sigs. My symbol is ,,!, O ,!,, My enemies are any prat with a colour sig, a meaningless personality test, or a pointless list of games and classes.
BadSpock, from what I have seen so far, the complexity of the multi-classing combined with loot choices seem to indicate that not everyone will in fact be the same. Just because everyone has the same potential does not mean that they will all be the same.
Didn't turn out too well for GW2, maybe EQN will do it better?
Based on what they've said, there will be no threat mechanics, and without threat, tanking will be about positioning and collision detection, unless there is no collision detection...
And without that, how does a healer stand in the back and heal? They don't.
ESO looks to be doing the same kind of thing, and based on their presentation Friday too - combat is just as much of a mess in a group setting as GW2.
Do you really have faith SOE is going to be able to pull off somehow what both Zenimax and Anet have failed (or appear to fail) to do?
I dont have any faith that SOE is going to pull this off.....If they really wanted to bring back community then they should have used the blueprint from the best community driven game they ever had: EQ1......Instead they went about as far away from it as you can and are using GW2/minecraft as the main influences for EQN.....Like I have said many times, SOE isnt about making a great game...They are about trying to make the most money possible.
He is getting quite famous and he has plenty of customers.
And then SOE introduces Auction house.
(real story from Anarchy Online ,Why Devs could be bad for community)
Cash shops are usually quite the disincentive to creative sandbox-y development. Cash shops usually provide "potions" to make the game play the way it should (less grindy, better stats, etc.), items that are more desirable and/or superior to anything that can be crafted, looted or rewarded in-game and abilities/emotes that should already be part of the core game.
For me, the hype train stops at the cash shop. Until I know how truly intrusive $OE's cash shop will be, I will reserve my judgement. $OE rarely fails to under-deliver and disappoint.
He is getting quite famous and he has plenty of customers.
And then SOE introduces Auction house.
(real story from Anarchy Online ,Why Devs could be bad for community)
Cash shops are usually quite the disincentive to creative sandbox-y development. Cash shops usually provide "potions" to make the game play the way it should (less grindy, better stats, etc.), items that are more desirable and/or superior to anything that can be crafted, looted or rewarded in-game and abilities/emotes that should already be part of the core game.
For me, the hype train stops at the cash shop. Until I know how truly intrusive $OE's cash shop will be, I will reserve my judgement. $OE rarely fails to under-deliver and disappoint.
Cash shop is another devil.
A man wants to start a business of his own.
He trains his combat skills ,swing by swing.
He desings his own leveling methods,finds good hunting areas and gets even better with his fighting skills.
He is getting quite famous,adventurers around the world wants to hire him,some need help with leveling,some need help with evil boss monster and some just wants to see how he does it.
And then SOE intoduces XP potion and lfg tool.
So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014. **On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **
Well it wont be anything like the original EQ. This will be another meh game that everyone goes nuts over for 2 months and then realizes that its just a dumbed down game ,with games inside it, cash grab. Yay you can make a whole in the ground!!! Dont let me down FInal Fantasy 14!
I've often wondered over the years how SOE could top the housing system they designed for EQ2. It's early days yet, but what they've shown thus far has given hope that what EQN will provide will be as good as, if not better than, that wonderful system.
In fundamental terms of defining a 'great online community' there are many facets that provide the building blocks upon which one grows. Some of these have already been stated by others. An MMO excelling and providing novel ideas in just one area will mean little (if anything at all) if other, equally, important areas are left wallowing in the mechanical mediocrity of the multitude of MMOs around today.
Like you say, Christina, the potential is big from what we've been show/told so far, and I personally, as an EQ fan for over a decade, am thoroughly impressed, but it's just one step along the road. Thankfully so far it seems they're walking mostly in the right direction.
Comments
Did you watch the same presentations as me? They mentioned group content and raiding multiple times, but spoke very little about PvP.
Although the fact that they said that they 'want folks to have time to really wrap their heads around the new concepts and vision before really delving into the nitty-gritty details' indicates to me that they were deliberately holding off on PvP information so they don't scare the PvE crowd away straight away.
Honestly I don't see how many of the concepts they described would work well without PvP (for instance if one person decides to help the farmer, and one decides to help the orcs... its either a stalemate or PvP).
Thanks for a good article with an interesting point of view. The truth is that we do not know enough yest to say that EQN will be this or that. Everybody talks about GW2 but TSW also has a skillbased system where you can learn everything and that works fine (it is perhaps a bit overcomplicated).
I am very hyped for a game where you can choose if you want to kill mobs or explore or craft and still get xp. If they manage to do what they have said they will do it might actually be something close to a living world.
EQN is most certainly not for everybody that is true, and it might attract more non standard MMO players that classic Min Maxers.
Chi puo dir com'egli arde é in picciol fuoco.
He who can describe the flame does not burn.
Petrarch
I don't think it does anything at all for the community.They already have the player designed capes and dungeon maker and to be honest,nobody talks it about it at all.The ONLY people involved with it are the people willing to throw money away to SOE. because it was all tied into cash shop.
Even in NW,i really couldn't care less who was making the quest/dungeons as they all seemed to look a like and play alike,so nothing ever felt different.There is going to be a lot of look alike in this game as well.
Still none the less,players just want to play,if a cool feature comes along,they don't want to look and see you need to spend extra to use it.Also there has to be some thought into what and how you can destroy things otherwise it ends up monotonous and will ruin the community more than help it.
There is ONE thing that ruins communities,competition,once you have it there is drama 101,lots of bragging lots of annoying players.That is why i detest pvp in my RPG games,i don't like people pestering me while i have my own agenda for game play.
I am still on the fence,i have not seen enough from the presentation to warrant me playing,but i will give the courtesy to finish the game and show me what is different or show me why i should drop the games i already have fun in to play this instead.Presentations don't do a single thing for community nor to persuade me either,so we need to see the game.then we can talk community.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
I just want to touch on the highlighted part. That issue has only come up in the past few years because developers have dumbed down encounters. It's not because there is a problem with the trinity. Using WoW as an example, now days if you run a 5-man it's simply tank picks up all mobs, and the DPS AOEs them down while the healer heals. There is almost no aggro to speak of.
However back in vanilla WoW, the tank did not pick up 4-5 mobs. A good tank could hold 2-3, while you had to have some form of "cc" for another mob or 2. If the DPS started attacking before 2 sunder armors were applied, the mob left the tank and came at them. The same happened to a healer if they cast a big heal right away. It wasn't that the healer just stood in a corner with no fear. The DPS and healers were just as much responsible for aggro management as the tank. It's not the trinity that has failed, it's the developers who have done away with it due to basically removing the relevance of threat.
For any community to flourish I would argue it needs:
1. Easy to join and participate (ex. click here to join us)
2. Common purpose (ex. Our mission is to wipe out gnolls since they yip a lot )
3. Justice. Bad people in the community are punished, Good are rewarded.
(Ex. Fred Workbane hasnt fixed any Qeynos barricades around the city in weeks, so lets crucify him on the barricades )
(Ex. Sally Lazyslayer has built the Ballista Tower of Doom in record time. Lets give her bonus resources and a month pass from future crucifications )
Has anyone seen EQN address these 3 areas? I haven't seen much discussion on social tools, just structure tools.
-WL
Werewolf Online(R) - Lead Developer
Where did you see a combat showing? The tiny bit we saw in the tech demo looked fluid and fun, but far from the extent of what there will be.
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Sandbox? More like a player made theme park, and once the sandbox crowd realize this... And btw, do you think you will be able to build every where and any where for free, in this F2P game? Real estate will be bought with real world cash. I'm sure that use of the Structures builder tool will also be a cash shop item. The Quest building tool (theme park tool) will also be a cash shop item.
I am not complaining about the use of cash shop, I am all for it. I just suspect that the vast majority of f2p players who don't use the cash shop will be distraught.
To the OP, If some destruction enjoying player came along and decided to demolish your RP building, how would your feel? Everything is destructible, and everyone is DPS. I suppose that indestructability will be a cash shop item. But when the sandbox crowd hears that that world is not totally destructible. Remember the fun is not in the destruction, it's from the pain and suffering the destruction causes for others.
Boy: Why can't I talk to Him?
Mom: We don't talk to Priests.
As if it could exist, without being payed for.
F2P means you get what you paid for. Pay nothing, get nothing.
Even telemarketers wouldn't think that.
It costs money to play. Therefore P2W.
Sony's been really smart. By looking carefully at why all the supposed best games are falling on their faces or losing population, and by looking at why their titles like EQ1 and 2 are just chugging along without growth, they've been able to be bold. They've turned everything on it's head by coming up with a completely new game composition.
I think that the biggest danger is if Sony starts to compromise on too many fronts, because too many cooks will spoil the broth. For example, regarding the art. The art's perfect for this kind of modern gaming experience. This isn't Skyrim. Let Bethesda do that. I think it's an improved take on the Everquest universe, with far wider appeal than a mere sequel.
I think the game should do very well since it's graphics appeal across generations, very inclusive and ageless. My guess is that many of the vets who are upset will settle down as they see more of the game. Just give it time.
.@TaliskerDev @DaveGeorgeson Concern about lack of team/class synergy without clear roles in combat seems to be the biggie! Help!
#EQNext
Details Expand Collapse
@real_lethality @TaliskerDev We'll prep a response soon. Too detailed for twitter. Try to resist compare to GW2. Surface similarity
Random Forum Poster: I want an MMO that is different, original and fun.
Me: So you want something like EQN
Them: Nah dude, I want a Holy Trinity, Tab Target combat, Instanced Raiding, and Rigid classes.
Me: Double Facepalm.
The funny thing about this statement is that, GW2's Ai works pretty exactly as they explained EQN Ai to work. They have a bunch of factors, closest target, most damaging target, squishiest/downed player (you'll notice that many a time, bosses will stand over a downed player and whack him till he dies) etc. So really, you thinking the Ai would be any different here is just you hoping.
I probably didn't clearly state this in my last post but, it's all about how they design the encounters. Artificial intelligence could be absolute crap but if they design the dungeon to force groups to strategize, Ai wouldn't matter for anything (that's not to say it doesn't matter at all).
This is not a game.
This is not a game.
A man wants to start a business of his own.
He builds a shop brick by brick.
He designs his own armors and swords.
He is getting quite famous and he has plenty of customers.
And then SOE introduces Auction house.
(real story from Anarchy Online ,Why Devs could be bad for community)
So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
**On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **
EQN's claim of "every server will be different" is a bit of a snow job. As we all know (and by SOE's own words), content creation is where games run into trouble. EQ1 with it's super-grind isn't going to fly anymore if you want to make cash. So, if server A has orcs running Qeynos because of a storyline choice (failure by the server to defend it, whatever) and Server B has humans running it because of a different outcome, that's all fine and dandy...
But if they ever do expansions (and I am sure they will), they have two choices:
1) The new content is completely disconnected from the old, no choice made prior to the expansion will have any effect on the new content.
2) Or, the connections will be such that whoever runs Qeynos doesn't matter, it'll end up back in human hands (for example) because the new expansion requires humans to be running it.
They can't possibly create content for every "server choice" combination in mind. 1 choice = 2 outcomes, 2 choices = 4, 3 choices = 8.... and so on. And they have trouble with just creating content in general (0 choices lol).
Eh, they've said that some outcomes will eventually happen, e.g. founding of Halas. Even tho players may be able to help slow that down, like burning the forest, it will still get to the same outcome, perhaps later than other servers tho.
So much for sandbox, control your destiny thing...
Wish I had seen what everyone else has seen. In the presentation I saw they were quite vague on the ability to multi-class other than it could be done. The only mention of PvP was one group defending a castle while another group tries to tear it down. And other than a few abilities mentioned and demonstrated, combat, healing, crowd control and pretty much everything else was also quite vague. I think quite a few people have already started building EQN into what they want it to be or think it will be and Landmark hasn't even come out yet.
I think it all looks promising and some of it groundbreaking, but many games have been promising and have had groundbreaking features but it all comes down in the end to is it fun and is it engaging in the long term. And it has to be both. No one wants to play a game that isn't fun and there have been lots of games that have been fun to play in the short term but boring or repetitive or pointless in the long term.
Speaking socially, I am intrigued by how the server community will have the Power as a whole to determine the atmosphere and direction of Norrath itself.
In the Q&A it was asked if "Evil" players could directly restrict the outcomes of rallying calls. They responded that it was not their intent to create systems that would allow for intentional griefing, that the only way to prevent say Halas from being built would be to not answer the call at all. I admit to looking forward to becoming a proper villain. And whilst there will likely not be as many systems in place as I might imagine to allow this to happen I can take comfort in knowing that they have given us the most important system of all. Choice with consequences.
And not just with rallying calls. We as players can decide how to manipulate Norrath's inhabitants through our actions and reactions. Will your server want a safe and prosperous realm where guards patrol tirelessly protecting giant caravans of trade goods, or will it favor an untamed wilderness stretching from sea to sea where you will need to travel in groups for even the simplest needs outside a city wall. Will the city itself even truly be a safe haven? That's up to us, and it should be.
This gives a purpose to server choice like we've never had in an MMO. It creates a real reason for guild interaction. This provides another deeper level of tension for PvP.
It's speldt adventure.
Watching the videos of what they have planned, all I could think was... so, all the F2P 14 year old testosterone laden fools are going to be destroying Norrath while all the old school players are going to be forever in the Landmark game just building stuff with their long time friends from EQ1 and 2.
Why does F2P, PvP and 'completely destructible world' sound like an imminent disaster. I refused to get hyped about this title until we are a week from release and I have all the details lol.
No bitchers.
And to top off all these lovely new features, SOE tears the community into two, forcing EU players to play with a provider none of them want, PSS1. Given that The EU is a larger MMO market than the USA this could be disastrous for EQ Next and its burgeoning community. Since moving EQ 2 EU over to PSS1 the EU server has become a ghost town, their customer service record is appalling and despite all the threads complaining, SOE and that halfwit Smedley continue on this path.
My Colour Is Vomit green, I puke on the tards with stupid colour sigs. My symbol is ,,!, O ,!,, My enemies are any prat with a colour sig, a meaningless personality test, or a pointless list of games and classes.
Regards Hexcaliber
I dont have any faith that SOE is going to pull this off.....If they really wanted to bring back community then they should have used the blueprint from the best community driven game they ever had: EQ1......Instead they went about as far away from it as you can and are using GW2/minecraft as the main influences for EQN.....Like I have said many times, SOE isnt about making a great game...They are about trying to make the most money possible.
Cash shops are usually quite the disincentive to creative sandbox-y development. Cash shops usually provide "potions" to make the game play the way it should (less grindy, better stats, etc.), items that are more desirable and/or superior to anything that can be crafted, looted or rewarded in-game and abilities/emotes that should already be part of the core game.
For me, the hype train stops at the cash shop. Until I know how truly intrusive $OE's cash shop will be, I will reserve my judgement. $OE rarely fails to under-deliver and disappoint.
Cash shop is another devil.
A man wants to start a business of his own.
He trains his combat skills ,swing by swing.
He desings his own leveling methods,finds good hunting areas and gets even better with his fighting skills.
He is getting quite famous,adventurers around the world wants to hire him,some need help with leveling,some need help with evil boss monster and some just wants to see how he does it.
And then SOE intoduces XP potion and lfg tool.
So, did ESO have a successful launch? Yes, yes it did.By Ryan Getchell on April 02, 2014.
**On the radar: http://www.cyberpunk.net/ **
I've often wondered over the years how SOE could top the housing system they designed for EQ2. It's early days yet, but what they've shown thus far has given hope that what EQN will provide will be as good as, if not better than, that wonderful system.
In fundamental terms of defining a 'great online community' there are many facets that provide the building blocks upon which one grows. Some of these have already been stated by others. An MMO excelling and providing novel ideas in just one area will mean little (if anything at all) if other, equally, important areas are left wallowing in the mechanical mediocrity of the multitude of MMOs around today.
Like you say, Christina, the potential is big from what we've been show/told so far, and I personally, as an EQ fan for over a decade, am thoroughly impressed, but it's just one step along the road. Thankfully so far it seems they're walking mostly in the right direction.