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Since SOE created Star Wars Galaxies, I am wondering if they plan to implement features from before the "pre-combat upgrade/new game enhancement" era of that game?
"The biggest sandbox ever made"
One of the unique things about SWG was the interdependency. There were reasons to do non-combat stuff that was genuinely immersive. Non-combat professions like Dancer brought cantinas/bars to life as combat players (both PVE and PVP) needed down time to heal via watching dancers and musicians. It created real, organic social hubs.
Is there any news/information on any type of features in EQ3 that indicate old SWG features making a comeback? Hopefully updated and better than ever? Did SOE finally realize the massive potential that their earlier MMORPG held?
I still play second edition AD&D at the table, and so enjoy player driven story content over themepark style play. A sandbox is the only way to go. SOE (ironically) may just be the outfit to bring this back, and has a chance to do it right this time (without LucasArts breathing down their neck).
I want to play a Farmer profession. I want to be able to play a farmer on the same level as the SWG-beta Farmer profession (which lost out to Chef). I want to milk cows, plant and grow crops, collect seeds, raise livestock for meat and furs, craft items related to farming, etc. And then sell my genuinely-needed products to other players at a farmers market in a city/town/village.
My second choice would be Ranger/scout. I want to be able to thrive in the wilds. I want camp building skills, hunting skills, harvesting skills, tracking skills, foraging skills, plant knowledge, creature trapping, etc.
If they are smart they will drop levels and go skills based. I'd prefer a skill based system like the Star Wars Roleplaying Game (from West End Games) over D&D-style class systems. It just works better for an MMORPG.
So blah, blah.
What can those of you in-the-know tell me about how similar the two games will be. Is SOE offering us a modern and updated version of their old SWG Koster-designed system with EQ3? EVE influences too?
All replies and any information is genuinely appreciated.
I miss the good ol' days when nerds were actually intelligent.
Comments
I totally agree with you in every aspect that you just stated.
I love the Scout class in swg, where they set up the those big traveling camps in a group of 20 playuers on Dantatooine(sp?) huntings voritors. This brings back so many memories.
On the fact that there should be non combative class that have more of a role then crafting, such as the dancers to mentally soothe a veteran warrior after a long hard day of battle. A bard could easily take this road if he doesnt want to gain skill through exp. I'm just stating ideas here.
There two things I love, and that was PRE CU SWG, and Eq franchise. I just hope they can deliver.
BOYCOTTING EA / ORIGIN going forward.
Honestly, I don't know that EQN will offer what you're looking for. It's a high-budget game that is intended to be consumed by the masses, not a small, niche subset of the gaming community who is actually looking for something as deep as SWG.
Probably the next closest thing to SWG on the horizon would be The Repopulation. It apparently offers a similar feature set to SWG, but I have yet to get my hands on it, so I can't confirm anything one way or another.
Either way, if I had to put any money on any upcoming titles that would be the one I'd bet on.
Crazkanuk
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Azarelos - 90 Hunter - Emerald
Durnzig - 90 Paladin - Emerald
Demonicron - 90 Death Knight - Emerald Dream - US
Tankinpain - 90 Monk - Azjol-Nerub - US
Brindell - 90 Warrior - Emerald Dream - US
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Correct, In Smed's AMA he said this to all of SWG Vets:
The Question:
If you could relaunch a shutdown title which one would you pick and what would you do differently this time?
Smedley's Answer:
SWG. I would do everything differently.
SWG PLAYERS - OUR NEXT GAME (not announced yet) IS DEDICATED TO YOU. Once we launch it... you can come home now.
https://www.h1z1.com/home
Looks like the "SWG"ish game will be announced tomorrow.
All signs point to no.
Almost every insight we've had into EQNext is "Yeah, we hear you, the polls say MOST of you want x hardcore feature... buuuut we think a more casual feature is better!"
Everything from removing race restrictions on classes and stats, to making sure nights aren't dark "They're different! That's all you wanted, right?" to making it so that the dynamic quests don't advance if you fail/aren't around. City under siege? Don't worry! Unless you see it, it won't progress!
Sometimes (a lot of the time) people don't know what they really want until someone tells them.
They are at least coming off as trying to be different. I think the polls and forum posts show a lot of people can't think outside the box and want to hang on to the same old thing that hasn't been working for years.
Those "hardcore" features don't work. If they did, people would play games with them and companies wouldn't have to causualize games. If the demand was there, companies would deliver. Such as there is a demand for more sandboxish games and we are seeing them pop up all over in different genres (Mincecraft, DayZ, Starbound, Rust, Landmark, EQN, EVE, PFO, etc.).
Also have to realize, not every game is designed with YOU in mind. What they are presenting, such as being able to play one character forever and do whatever I want without having to make 20 alts, reroll, or play the same content over and over is a huge selling point for me. Not having meaningless racial bonuses (night vision) is also nice, not sure if people missed the multiple sources of light that were possible in EQ or that most races had night vision to begin with, but it like most racial things are pointless after X time in game.
Seems many want to punish themselves or complicate things because they equate time sinks into hardcore or challenge, when to me they are just time sinks and a chore.
Not sure what you are talking about quests not advancing and what not. I know they have described some of how the world will advance, but until we have a tad bit more info, I'm still hoping they know what they are doing this time around. If not, what's the worst that can happen? Oh ya, we get another game just like all the rest that everyone complains about not being innovative or different enough.
Okay, stopped reading there.
First of all, people DO play games with those features. Rust and DayZ are the two top selling games on Steam and have been for months. They don't have in game maps, night is dark, the world moves on around you. I have to navigate in Rust using the freaking sun.
Initially EQN was touted as being less hand holding and more hardcore than the current offering.
You know what hasn't been working? Super casual WoW clones. Did it work for Rift, SWTOR, AoC, LotRO, STO, or any of the dozen other shallow games that died within minutes of releasing? No.
There are a million games catering to the casual audience, meanwhile there are millions of MMO veterans who want a return to the things THEY KNOW THEY LIKE, and initially, EQ3 promised to have them. Now they're going back, and the game it looks like they're making is far more boring and safe than it should be.
Rust/DayZ are a different genre. See H1Z1. SOE is making exactly what the "hardcore" want. The mechanics of survival games do not work in traditional fantasy mmorpgs. Especially not on the level that that some want. I don't care to look up the numbers, but I'd imagine that DayZ and Rust aren't pulling in millions upon millions of users on top of them actually playing the game more than a week.
I agree people do want those features, but pretty much any EQish game that has tried hasn't done well when making things over the top, hence why we are now seeing more survival type games pop up. Those mechanics can work when they are the game instead of being tacked on to classes/races/lore etc.
I don't remember EQN being sold as "hardcore." While I do believe they described it as being more more "challenging" then WoW and it's kind. Emergent AI, dynamic/procedurally generated content, no quest hubs or signs pointing the way etc. Things like needing a light at night is pointless in a game with magic. Maps hopefully aren't GPS with turn by turn navigation, but again, they do have their place, unlike in DayZ, where the point to the game is drastically different.
EQN will be a casual game to many, but that doesn't mean it has to be "easy". WoW basically plays itself. There is large scale of variation and hopefully EQN is on the other end. Those that want to be punished and live in fear have several upcoming games, now even one from SOE themselves (which I am very excited for).
EQN isn't for a niche market, it is for the masses. With them comes somethings that the "hardcore" don't like. It's just the way it is. It will be their cash cow. Seeing Smedley's energy though, it is obvious he holds H1Z1 at a high level and hopefully it gets the love it deserves.
I've been a EQ fan for 15 years, I have no clue how people think/thought EQN or any EQ IP would be "hardcore." EQ was never hard. There was a crap ton of tedious time sinks, but nothing that made me get the same feeling I get when running through a field in DayZ without cover. Different experiences for different genres.
Those that want to camp a spawn for 5 hours hitting tab 1234 or want to lose 10 hours of play time because of one death should realize that the fantasy market has rid itself of those things. They should step up and try something like H1Z1 and experience loosing everything in a blink of an eye, then come back and say they love being "hardcore."
I think "hardcore" is one of the worst buzzwords we use (sandbox not far behind). Having to grind 1000 orcs to get 1% of a level is hard to some, while full loot PVP is hard to others. Attempting to slap every single "hard" element into one game is too much for 99.9% of the population. Games don't need to play themselves, but it unrealistic to think that a game can survive and profit when most people just can't handle it. I like to drive fast, doesn't mean I'm an idiot and play Nascar on the freeway. Have to realize there are other people around us and we have to work with what is available and not assume the entire world revolves around our needs/wants.
Maybe a company will make some "hardcore" fantasy mmorpg, but I doubt it. Then again, it comes down to what that means. Do we base it on the need for mental/puzzle skills, physical hand-eye coordination, having no life and staring at a screen 8 hours a day doing a simple task over and over, etc.