EQ Never

rhinohelix

Dental Dammer
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I think the thing that is distancing me from this thread and talking about the game is the fact that it's simply too far out to really discuss more than we already have in the last thousand or so pages. Nearly every aspect that we know about has already been nitpicked into the dirt, and the amount of new info coming out is nearly nothing. Which was slightly expected. If anything, Landmark should be the big discussion, and I'm not even sure I'm that interested in building shit for SOE. I got tired of Minecraft in record time. I mean, discussion is fun and all, especially here, but I just don't feel like rehashing old topics that have already been discussed in depth.

Then again, the release date of EQNext might be a lot sooner than some people think if you consider the crutch they're using. Players building a lot of the world should save them a huge amount of development time. Add to that the fact that they are indirectly testing EQNext with the release of Landmark since it will use many of the same key elements such as voxels, crafting, guilds, mounts, and what have you. They might actually break the development cycle mold of 5 years or more. It should be very interesting to see how this plays out.
I think that EQN will launch much better than it would have without Landmark. I think releasing the tools as a separate game is part of the genius of this relaunch of the franchise; I don't think it will monumentally speed up launch from an April '15 launch, although it may pull it forward to Christmas '14. IIRC, most of that 5 year cycle is typically building the tools, which is where they are now, as we understand, without the water solution for voxels (which is something I find confusing, since aren't the underwater areas in most games more atmosphere/filter than voxel/mesh? but whatever).
 

Dahkoht_sl

shitlord
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One thing I can guarantee they will never release the details on , or just outright lie about , is the % of people actively using SOEmote when playing.

I don't know which dev/producer has such a hard on for the thing, that they have to mention it constantly , but for some reason they refuse to admit to themselves that most likely the vast majority really will not give a shit about it in EQN or L.
 

Xevy

Log Wizard
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One thing I can guarantee they will never release the details on , or just outright lie about , is the % of people actively using SOEmote when playing.

I don't know which dev/producer has such a hard on for the thing, that they have to mention it constantly , but for some reason they refuse to admit to themselves that most likely the vast majority really will not give a shit about it in EQN or L.
I imagine it's favored among the RP crowd quite a bit. But I think the RP crowd usually makes up 10% or less of most MMO's.
 

Tuco

I got Tuco'd!
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Even the RP crowd won't use that shit. Role players play roles with text and prefer to keep the game in their minds and the computer.
 

Ascendant_sl

shitlord
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One thing I can guarantee they will never release the details on , or just outright lie about , is the % of people actively using SOEmote when playing.
Do you really care? Does anyone care? SOEmote is pretty irrelevant to whether the game is any good. I don't really give a fuck how many people are using it to have sex with gnomes or whatever.
 

Dr Neir

Trakanon Raider
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Have they said anything about oldschool dungeons like guk and unrest?
I dont think we will hear much about it. Only teaser they have stated before was Crushbone will have thousands of Orcs. But Crushbone was on Faydwer and not Antonica/Amaril, its possible they could place it on Amaril with a goal to push the orcs off the land and they settle elsewhere, its hard to guess. It would be on another Continent if they want to TRY to follow some structure from EQ lore.

We could be a victim of a Sliders episode! Next! Elves wear Cowboy hats, Dwarfs have a passion for Doilies and Ogres are afraid of the sight of Blood!
Its not like they have talked about Ninjas or Modern Guns.
tongue.png



As some like to state, this isnt EQ. But with theory-crafting about some things.

Given that Unrest timeline is after Kaladim was created we could see this story at some point but the following will need to happen.
1. Faydwer will need to be discovered
2. Kaladim city created
3. There is no Quellious or Faceless thus replacements will need to be in place or Quellious and Faceless will need to surface as time goes on.


One thing to note is that in current state of EQNext, a priest from Qeynos goes to Faydwer, we could see this as some RC in the future.

Unrest Lore:
http://loreofnorrath.wordpress.com/c...ate-of-unrest/
Overview of The Estate of Unrest

This large abandoned mansion was built on a high bluff overlooking the murky waters of Dagnor?s Cauldron. The mansion rests in the center of a large plot of land surrounded by a high, but crumbling, stone wall. Rumor is the mansion is haunted by the powerful ghost of a dwarf named Garanel Rucksif, who went mad and killed the inhabitants; a human priest of Quellious and his family.

Though the mansion is teaming with legions of undead, there are many items to be gained here. Many lost items of magic and lore can be found being worn by the long-dead inhabitants. The difficulty of this area makes it an exciting place to adventure in.

Background Lore

According to legend, a cleric of Quellious had taken his family to the shores of Faydwer from their home in Qeynos. This cleric built the mansion for himself and his family with the intent of bringing the knowledge of Quellious to the beings of Faydwer.

Meanwhile, Garanel Rucksif of Kaladim had inexplicably gone mad and murdered his wife and children. During his escape, he stumbled upon the cleric?s estate and proceeded to brutally torture and kill the entire family in a small chapel dedicated to Quellious, which was built for family worship.

Quellious was so angered by this hideous offense to her worshippers, and particularly in a chapel dedicated to her, that she actually lost her temper and lashed out. She struck down Garanel, cursing his ghost to spend eternity existing in the pain he inflicted upon his innocent victims, and dooming him to walk the halls of the estate forever.

As time passed, the powers of Garanel?s ghost grew, as did his maddened thirst for blood and murder. All who disturbed the haunted estate ultimately faced his wrath. The spirits of unfortunate adventurers who met their demise at Garanel?s hands were revived as his mindless, undead servants.

Eventually the rumors of this haunted establishment reached the ears of a powerful erudite priest of The Faceless whose name has been lost to history. This priest entered the Estate of Unrest without fear and confronted Garanel, who immediately attempted to slay the mortal intruder. The priest was able to subdue Garanel?s ghost, threatening to destroy him for eternity.

The thought of being vanquished entirely into the eternal blackness of non-existence drove Garanel to strike a bargain with his would-be killer. The priest, amused and wholly fascinated with Garanel?s being and his tale, thought this the perfect opportunity to exploit the creation of his deity?s divine opposition.

The priest spent several days in prayer and eventually awoke the corpses of the human priest and his wife. For weeks the priest of fear tended to their bodies, restoring the appearance of life in their decayed corpses. He dissected each body in turn, stripping flesh from bone and removing their organs. When he was done with the dissections, the priest invoked the power of The Faceless and sacrificed himself to forever pervert Quellious? doing.

With the power of the priest?s final spell, each piece of dissected flesh grew and mutated into a full body, infused with the couples? spirits, stolen from Quellious and siphoned through the power of The Faceless. Garanel?s curse remains intact, but the taint of the The Faceless, made possible by the priest?s self-sacrifice, strengthened Garanel?s power and hold upon the estate, now forever polluted by Quellious? cherished followers, now undead and in eternal pain.

Dangers

This mansion is a very difficult area. Many undead creatures make their home here, and will swarm on any visitors to their home. Stepping foot into the mansion itself would prove unwise for unskilled adventurers.


Guk would be a bit easier or sooner coming give that it will be within the main lands Amaril (Antonica) and no travel to discover another land.
But you run into the problem of a missing God, Innoruuk.

Guk Lore:
http://everquest.wikia.com/wiki/Guk_Lore
Overview


Upper Guk Bridge
An ancient ruined city located off of Innothule Swamp, legend has it that Guk was once home to the Trolls. The upper part of the city is fairly intact and home to numerous Frogloks now. The lower section of the city is where the most ancient ruins can be found. Rumors persist of an undead legion of Frogloks being built in the depths of the ruins.

The citadel of Guk has many rewards for those successful bands of adventurers that brave this dangerous region. The Frogloks here have been toughened by the years of fighting the Trolls of Grobb and make excellent adversaries upon which to hone skills of blade or spell.

The Ruins' of Old Guk are perhaps one of the most treacherous regions upon the whole of Antonica. Many an adventurer has lost their life here, but a few have successfully emerged to bring forth ancient treasures out of the dank tunnels.

Lower Guk is an excellent training ground for seasoned adventurers of all professions. Here, one may hone their skills in preparation for more treacherous battles.


Upper Guk
When the Frogloks first arrived upon the shores of Innothule, they were exposed to the cannibalistic race of Trolls and were horrified. The Froglok nomads immediately began an assult on the Trollish citadel beneath the swamps, hoping to rid the world of what they viewed as evil abominations. The Trolls fought viciously but were ultimately unable to withstand the Froglok armies, who pushes them out of their city and took it over.

Outraged and fueled by a spiteful, malignant hatred, a powerful Troll Shaman entered his former city and began a massacre of Froglok citizens with his own bare hands. As the soldiers and guardsmen began to arrive upon the scene, the Troll Shaman, drenched in Froglok flshes and blood, conjured the very power of Innoruuk. This destructive blast killed the Shaman as well as many hundreds of Froglok witnesses. A curse was left in the wake of the blast that condemned the souls of the froglok victims to Innoruuk's Cauldron - their physical forms condemned to forever walk as the undead. The surviving Frogloks persevered in building the stronghold of Upper Guk, where they continued to struggled with the trolls of Grobb to this very day.


The Ancient Crocodile
?This monstrous reptile is rumored to have been a resident of Upper Guk since long before the arrival of the Frogloks. Ambivalent toward all races and beings, this ancient behemoth is revered by the Froglok citizens as an earth god of the swamp.


The Froglok Shin Lord
One of the last of the ancient froglok Paladin order, The Shin Lord defends the halls of Guk against the troll menace as well as the undead ghouls that continually pour from the low halls. Stories are told of his ancient holy blade and the ferocity he uses to wield it against all manner of evil creatures that would threaten his brethren.


Lower Guk
When the dead began to rise and hordes of unearthly, horrific creatures began to fill the walls of the grand lower citadel, the surviving Frogloks quickly retreated to the upper levels of the city. The lower level of Guk has since fallen into disrepair, now a system of ancient ruins slowly being eaten away by the swamp.

Rumors have been heard upon the whispering winds of Norrath that speak of an undead legion of Frogloks being built upon in the depths of the ruins. Some say that the Froglok hero and king that had successfully led his people in the campaign against the cannabalistic Trolls had risen again in the height of Innoruuk's curse. The Froglok of the upper city, unaffected by the curse, deny these rumors - unable to fathom, the possibility of one of their revered heroes being subject to such a debased torment.

The lower city is now a system of muddy, dank caverns and collapsing ruins of ancient Troll and Froglok architecture. These caverns are made up of numerous dark, catacombs where roots and rocks stick out of the walls and floors. Everywhere, water drips from the ceiling feeding the numerous underground streams, rivers, and pools. The tunnels and caverns are sparsely populated by various types of swamp plants, vines, and algae. Most of the water here is murky, brown with some stagnant pools covered by thin layers of slime. Mud puddles abound.

Rotting wooden boards and branches make up the Frogloks' bridges, doors, and furniture. Other Froglok structures are made of mud and tree branches. All of the large buildings are of ancient Troll architecture made from huge slaps of roughly cut gray stone and brown mud blocks, with crudely carved statues, stairs, and doorways. Some of these ancient Trolls buildings have been converted to Froglok temples and such, and have Froglok-sized wooden furniture and mud statues.

The Ghoul Lord
Led by the hero Hoptor Thaggelum, the Frogloks were eventually successful in driving the Trolls out of the ancient city beneath the swamp. However, the victory would be a shallow one at best, for the curse of a powerful Troll Shaman and the conjuration of Innoruuk's very hatred would kill nearly half of the Froglok citizens. Among them was Hoptor Thaggelum.
In recent times, Hoptor has been resurrected by the power of Innoruuk, under the control of the hateful prince the Ghoul Lord builds an army of undead Frogloks with the catacombs of Lower Guk.


Deepest Guk
Beneath the rotting stones of Guk and the surrounding swamplands lies the ancient under city of the Trolls. Long thought lost, these ruins now shelter a variety of unspeakable horrors. Yet this foul sprawl of mud and stone contains an even darker secret. A cabal of Froglok Necromancers converted to the service of Innoruuk by the magic of an evil cauldron. They seek only to build their strength and strike back a tthe newly blessed Frogloks that have taken the swamps above.
 

Mellent_sl

shitlord
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Right, but giving them the ability to float would completely kill any sort of immersion they're trying to build with the model of finding your own resources out in the world, having mounts and all that. At least to me. It seems like they could possibly find a more creative method of doing it than just giving your character the godlike power of unlimited flotation.
how does it break immersion if you just came back from an afternoon of whacking keys and pressing buttons to smack pieces of ore which then magically disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear inside of a neatly tucked away GUI element? i feel like people don't know what immersion means
 

misery_sl

shitlord
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how does it break immersion if you just came back from an afternoon of whacking keys and pressing buttons to smack pieces of ore which then magically disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear inside of a neatly tucked away GUI element? i feel like people don't know what immersion means
Wow, lets get super technical here. You mean a GUI element called a bag? Which is specifically designed to make it feel less immersion breaking? Hitting buttons which is outside the game and a process done by the player playing the game? I see where you're going with this, but I don't think it was well thought out.
 

Mellent_sl

shitlord
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the point is that i don't see how letting the players float through a (hopefully solid) explanation would "break the immersion".
 

Dandai

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The "ability to float" discussion is ridiculous. I'm sure if they found it to be terrible looking they'd just hide the character while in "build mode" so the casual observer would just see terrain being manipulated or 3D models being placed. The character placing the items wouldn't be seen, floating or not.

They want people to build their environments for the "real" mmo, so they're going to make the tools to do so as easy to use as possible.
 

etchazz

Trakanon Raider
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The "ability to float" discussion is ridiculous. I'm sure if they found it to be terrible looking they'd just hide the character while in "build mode" so the casual observer would just see terrain being manipulated or 3D models being placed. The character placing the items wouldn't be seen, floating or not.

They want people to build their environments for the "real" mmo, so they're going to make the tools to do so as easy to use as possible.
yeah, floating is immersion breaking, but building a giant castle or a huge, sprawling dungeon in a weekend isn't....
 

zzeris

King Turd of Shit Hill
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I don't even know how immersion can be used as an argument against a minecraft style building game that proudly pushes the ability to quickly change the environment. I guess knowing what the fuck you are downloading in advance is a plus here?
 

Felmega_sl

shitlord
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I am against having your character just floating along side where you are currently working in the build mode in Landmark. As is, I see no animation during the building process in the last video I posted. It is immersion breaking because the character is totally static. The character needs to be animating while the building is taking place.
 

Dandai

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I can all but guarantee there will be no "building" animation. I know you think you want it, but by the time you've placed your third block and had to wait a few seconds between placing for your animation to finish you'll be thinking, "I just want to build this wtf?"

Also, the video is time lapsed. I wouldn't use it as a judge for animations in action...

Edit: I'll go out on a limb and say that they will almost certainly have your character model hidden while building. The reason it looks so ridiculous in the time lapse videos is because they're using a separate world camera, not the player's perspective. Nobody wants to have to click through their character to do fine movements with terrain and placement. That shit will be in first person and a different UI than when you're frolicking about the countryside.
 
Fuck the building animation's just get landmark out because its what will build half if not more of EQN so the faster that rolls the faster EQN rolls out. People will bitch about the smallest shit. There is no "immersion" in landmark. If you wanted Landmark to be realistic and immersive you would spend 2 weeks with a fucking hammer and chisel just to make one stone block or spend hours with a knife whittling wood.