EQ Never

So here's how I would handle things if I was in charge of EQNext and had the following constraints:

-I'm at my3rdreboot.
-After more than 18 months all I have to show CONCRETELY is a demo built on tech I've barely begun to integrate into my engine.
-I haveLandscapewhere players will probably gleefully recreate large swaths of Norrath very soon.
-I have toSHIPsomething in the next 18-24 months.
-My game has to work/be fun with a PS4 controller.
-Assuming Voxel Farm and Storybricks end up working as intended.
-Assuming my people are capable of creating, if not a complete game, at least a functional_framework_of an MMO in about a year. I won't have tons of content ready, but my base is going to be solid-ish.

What I do is:

-I ship withONEcity/newbie experience (this is confirmed already), Antonica completely mapped out but basically empty/full of "ruins" from the previous wars.

-I slowly use Rallying Calls to progressively add content to the game geographically starting from Qeynos. That allows me to have players "build" towards each objectives while my team & the Landmark people try to keep ahead of them in terms of content creation. The goal of players is toLITERALLY"build" the game world (or something close-ish to it) we know from Everquest 1:

Example1: Soon after the game ships, a Gnoll horde lays siege to the new city. This is a Rallying Call; Qeynos must be saved. When the players succeed, the Gnoll's lands are ruined by the players and the horde is pushed back to a nearbyBurrow.
Example2: After Qeynos's immediate surroundings are secured, players startfanning out.They explore Everfrost; a Rallying Call is started where they are asked to buildHalas.
Example3: Later on, players start needing to move around quite a bit during the same play sessions. The world is getting "bigger" and its somewhat tiresome to explore without teleportation. Rallying Calls are progressively created that allow players to work the reactivation of theWizard Spires.

-I use theunderground layer/procedural contentto make sure there's things to do for players when they are unable/unwilling to participate in Rallying Calls.

-Most of the player progression outside of Rallying Calls (which are really "Theme Park" sort of events in the sense that they are much more directed than the rest of the world) involves usingStorybricks/procedural event mapping:

Example1: While a newbie warrior is wandering around the Qeynos hills area not long after the game launches, the system detects the PC has yet to unlock "whirlwind". It spawns an NPC that starts a dynamic quest leading to the unlocking of Whirlwind.
Example2: A group of players is digging into the ground. The system detects that two of the players have almost reached Tier 2 (they're just missing one piece of equipment each). The system spawns a tough, difficult Boss encounter. After a close fight, both players loot the last piece they need (or, if crafting is necessary for the equipment, the last component they are looking for) giving a strong sense of reward.
Example3: A tier 3 Druid player is wandering around the mountain. The system detects he has yet to unlock the East Karana Druid Ring teleport, which was added last week as a potential procedural system reward after players successfully completed a Rallying Call leading to its in-game construction. The system spawns a "Elder Druid" that challenges the player into a duel for the right to use the newly enabled Ring.

Rhinohelix_sl said:

Exploring in every direction, taming the continent, establishing new starting cities, etc. sounds purely amazing. If they can make the world free of invisible walls, with climbable/surmountable with magical help/levitate, etc. I will be in nerd heaven.

Just thinking of the Founding of the various cities, helping to "shape" the world in which many of us spent so much time, carving paths in the wilderness, unlocking races and building cities, I am really having to work to keep my enthusiasm in check for what will be at least a 16-month wait and surely be less than the dream game I am imagining.

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I'm basing this completely on gut instinct (ok, and 15 years of mmo market obsession), but I have a feeling that what you just described isexactlythe illusion EQN wants to present and will beexactlywhat EQN fails to actually deliver.

Ayeshala_sl said:

snip

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Save for a few things that will only be in EQN (rally being the major one), you basically just described EQN Landmark.

Edit: And they haven't actually confirmed that it will only be one starting city, but everything seems to be pointing in that direction.

Ayeshala_sl said:

-I have toSHIPsomething in the next18-24months.

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Too specific, also correct. Confirmed Ayeshala has l33t insider info and we'll see a lot of his post in EQN (not that it wasn't semi-obvious from the reveal/Found of Halas RC - but good to see confirmed.)

Not sure about the quest unlocks but seems plausible.

They want one starting city but are afraid of the shitstorm that will occur. They will try to justify through lore to feel out the fan base the probably do it anyway.

Big Flex_sl said:

Article on lore/gods.

http://www.eqnextfans.com/news/25360...everquest-next

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Bullshit retcon.
Confirmed: My guild name will be "Children of Tunare" consisting entirely of Elves.

Bellringer_sl said:

They want one starting city but are afraid of the shitstorm that will occur. They will try to justify through more to feel out the fan base the probably do it anyway.

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Bingo.

tad10_sl said:

Too specific, also correct. Confirmed Ayeshala has l33t insider info and we'll see a lot of his post in EQN (not that it wasn't semi-obvious from the reveal/Found of Halas RC - but good to see confirmed.)

Not sure about the quest unlocks but seems plausible.

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I'm actually using YOUR winkwink nudge nudge post from a few days ago on roughly when we should expect to have our hands on the game as a reference

Apologies if already mentioned , but thought this was an interesting tidbit said by Brian Green , Storybricks developer , about how the AI could work,

"It might also be something like maybe if you're fighting something and a second monster comes and the second monster hates the monster you're fighting more than it hates you, it might actually join in on your side. This is a possibility; something that could happen. It depends on the situation.""

I really hope an expect there to be more than one rallying call at any given time. I also will hate not being able to start in Freeport. That's my home city damnit.

I'm still not very enamored by the idea of very flat progression and MOBA-style combat, but you know with their engine a potential Rallying Call could be to literally "Create the East Karana/Highpass ramp & canyon"

Ayeshala_sl said:

I'm actually using YOUR winkwink nudge nudge post from a few days ago on roughly when we should expect to have our hands on the game as a reference

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I was just reading bird entrails, take it as you want, I know nothing. Anyway all sounds plausible to me and handy for SOE to not have to build a lot of stuff before shipping.

But they have to fix the shitstorm over combat ASAP. We're all getting bored of the hype and lack of concrete info about some important stuff.

Memo to Sony Marketing: Dribble out classes/races. Release other info.

@Dandai

Yeah when he said "Iskar", I nearly went insane with nerd rage. Talk about poor literacy skills, jesus.

Dandai_sl said:

For the love of god, stop linking these videos. I know "seraph" isn't an every day word for most people, but I'veneverheard anyone pronounce it serAFF (like giraffe). It's not like SOE made up the word seraph... With a name like Geekdomo you'd think he'd have watched The Matrix a time or two.

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How do you pronounce it?

Bellringer_sl said:

I really hope an expect there to be more than one rallying call at any given time. I also will hate not being able to start in Freeport. That's my home city damnit.

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Didn't someone say there could potentially be two RCs at once? Or am I making that up? Anyone? Bueler?

Ser-eff

Bellringer_sl said:

Ser-eff

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Yeah, that sounds better. Fair enough.