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Anyone starting to feel like EQ Next is still deep in concept phase?
Karble
Member UncommonPosts: 750
What have we really seen so far?
A tech demo of a mob busting a building...which was probably not in engine.
Some jumping around (acrobatics) of a few characters
A few fighting styles with mobs lined up like bowling pins
A tech demo of how a mob can bash open a hole in the ground.
These were all how long ago now? Last August??
It's April 15th almost a complete 9 months since those videos.
9 months
Where are we now?
What is the level of completion?
How far are we from Alpha?
Will we have the same options of joining early as the current art making game (Landmark)?
I am starting to lose a bit of steam in the wait for the game I really wanted to play.
Don't get me wrong. I really have been interested in it ever since the initial talk leading up to last August.
Then there was the slow unlocking of the new picture via social media for EQ Next.
Quite a bit of hype for something that is still seemingly so far away.
I have been off of the MMO scene for a while and really had some hopes for this new crop of games. I guess I will put those hopes on the backburner for a bit longer or maybe try ArcheAge since it seems almost completed at this point and right around the corner (guessing June).
EQ Next is probably my most anticipated game, however I will not just play decoration games and call them an MMO in the meantime until it comes out.
Comments
no. the concept is Landmark except 'Next' will have content made in house and not by the players. if you want to know what 'Next' is. look at 'Landmark'. they've told us this several times.
My take on this is that they never intended on making two games here but realized just how much time and money it was going to take to get to EQN as they are wanting it so they decided to release it in steps with a proof of concept game minus the really expensive hand made content (Landmark) and use that release to learn what works and what doesn't for EQN. If that's true they probably have not even started serious work on content creation in EQN except maybe some high level things as they are still working on basic systems in Landmark.
I would imagine that once they get the systems working in Landmark and can prove EQN is viable they will start to work on content to fill in the world. If that's really the case I wouldn't expect EQN until 1-2 years after Landmark hits a flushed out state which it's not even close to right now.
I'm not beating up on SOE over this as given what they are trying to do I think this is really a good idea releasing such a ambitious project in stages but I do wish they would be a bit more honest about what's going on rather than trying to make us believe Landmark was always in the plans.
They are working on both games at the same time, but none of us know how many people are working on Next. The systems that will be used in Landmark are supposedly being developed on Next and ported to Landmark (where I imagine they will be polished for Next).
I would Say Next is going to take probably 6-12 months as a optimistic timeline after Landmark officially launches, but that is probably best case. It just all depends on how fast they can put the content into Next, after the tools are developed. I mean Next could go into "alpha", right after Landmark launches....And yes, before someone wise cracks, they probably will do the same thing with Next, as they are with Landmark, money wise.
Since they didn't speak about eq next during pax east I see them waiting until SOE live in august 2014 where they hopefully make a huge presentation on the game again.
Until then I expect its going to continue being about landmarks.
Exactly and the state of Landmark is very early ALPHA despite what they tell you. It has a basic gathering system and a basic progression through resource Tiers and Crafting tools. There is really nothing else.
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The Voxel engine is also very basic. It has a lot of bugs and they have not even integrated PN Triangles with averaged normals to get rid of the seams (This is a standard method used in meshes and Tessellation called PN-AEN you can look it up, it can be done in a vertex shader).
Performance of the Engine is also way below standard even with debugging turned one (which i assume it is)
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Judging by the state of EQ: Landmark i would not expect this EQ: Next to come out before 2015
Unfortunatly everyone was given fluff during the last press release. They are struggling to to put something together. They built the engine to syphon money from fans. It's for sure in a late concept stage.
This won't come out for awhile. I bet you'll also see major changes from what they said last year to what the game really will be.
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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Have flask; will travel.
Chi puo dir com'egli arde é in picciol fuoco.
He who can describe the flame does not burn.
Petrarch
I think by sheer accident they stumbled upon landmark, said "Oh it'll be a holdover until EQ3" then realize, shit, this is going to make us WAY more easy money than EQ3, and now they're milking it for all its worth. 100 bucks for alpha access, jesus.
I've more or less lost interest in EQNExt anyone, considering how insanely casual they're going with it, and the fact that it'll have instances, and the dynamic quests won't progress unless you're there to see it.
The problem here is you people, yes, I do mean "you people" are getting excited about a game well before it even is slated to be released. The developers, for some ungodly reason, seem to think we need to know about that little itch in their pants, and proceed to tell us about their glorious child before it has even been conceived.
You people run out and start buying gifts for that baby on the notion that it will happen imminently. Well months of trying go by before anything happens and you start wondering where that baby is. Stop it already. Both of you... and I'm talking to the developers here as much as the consumers.
When the baby has been delivered, then tell us about it. Really, all this clamoring about something that is going to happen x days or months or even years in the future is stupid. When it's on the shelf, ready to buy, then it is a game. Until then, it might as well still be an itch. We don't need to know about your sex life. When the baby is delivered, then you can brag.
You people do this to yourself. You fall for it every time. No wonder half the games ever conceived are total crap... you'll accept anything at this point.
Sounds like you need to avoid playing games before release. Even paid betas / alphas.
Most MMOs take years to develope. We're talking 5-8 years of developement. And most of these had systems nowhere near as complex as what EQN is trying to do.
There is a reason most developers wait so long to start public betas. While it's certainly honest to involve people in a project from the very start, few people truly understand the process of creating a game. Most people have experience playing the end product, and then assume that makes them experts on the development process. It doesn't. There have been multiple attempts in the past to involve gamers from the ground up with a developing game. However, most of those have lead to people getting burnt out on unfinished products, or people treating an alpha / beta under the same standards as a fully polished / released game.
So yes, the game IS early in development. They've admitted as much. The question is whether or not you should be involved in the game at such an early stage. By the sounds of your post, my answer would be 'no'. Alpha / Beta tests, when genuine, are far different from the public demos most of us have come to equate as the same thing. They are not. If you are someone who gets burnt out on games easily, you really need to discipline yourself to avoid playing games before they are ready. Otherwise you will just be jumping from disappointment to disappointment.
Developing games is a bit like creating a magic trick. Once you've seen too much under the curtain, it starts to lose it's mystique / it's fun.
You call what we have so far hype? They just teased the game. It's not more different than SWTOR having trailers 3 years before its actual release and the dev going radio silent for the majority of that 3 years. They are also releasing novella at a decent pace since SOE Live.
Looking at Landmark development, they are struggling with a few systems integral to show a playable Next game right now:
I'm currently playing Landmark and while it is exponentially better than the Alpha stage they still have a ways to go before adding all the parts of the game. I feel that the rate at which Landamrk releases will indicate how ready EQNext will be. My gut feeling is that whenever Landmark releases (I have no idea)add a year from that point to the release of EQNext. Essentially, Landmark is the canary in the coal mine for EQNext.
What SoE is working on IMO is the first MMO I have seen in a long time that could be a game changer. We dont see them often and I have to say I am excited to see the outcome. With the unknown comes unknown problems and we need to give SoE a break as they work this out. Myself I am happy to wait for a polished product or a alpha invite lol, what ever comes first lol.
I totally agree with you on this, new technology usually means taking more time to get it right.
https://forums.station.sony.com/everquestnext/index.php?threads/what-are-you-most-interested-in-participating-in-at-soe-live-2014.404/
If you are like me and tired of hearing about Landmark in lieu of EQNext info, there is a thread on the main forums concerning SOE Live 14 and content of the event. Let them know you want to hear about EQN specifics.