Tag: Everquest Next

Everquest Next Avoiding Bad Design Decisions


PVP Shutdown

For some reason I will never understand, members of the free to play sandbox community have taken Everquest Next to be Sony Online Entertainment’s answer to games like Mortal Online and Darkfall: free for all deathmatching with full loot and hardcore gameplay. Apparently I wasn’t the only one wondering why Sony would make such a poor decision to force full loot pvp. On Twitter, someone asked Lead Game Designer Darrin McPherson if pvp would be forced on players, to which McPherson stated that “we avoid bad design decisions.”

Although his words were vague, likelihood points toward Everquest Next at least offering players a choice similar to the options between PvP and PvE servers on almost every other MMO on the market. Whether or not Sony will experiment with a hardcore server is up for grabs. Back in the day, Sony opened up Rallos Zek on the original Everquest, a pvp server with full loot. Sony has a habit of rolling out experimental rule servers with the Everquest brand and seeing how they perform, so a hardcore pvp Everquest Next is an absolute possibility.

Storybricks Collaborating On Everquest Next


storybricks

Remember Storybricks? The last we had heard, the game Kingdom of Default had been cancelled so that the AI structuring technology could be properly developed and used on other video games. We were told that several projects were in development, however nothing specific could be offered at the time. Well buckle your seatbelts, because the Storybricks team has put out an email explaining that they are collaborating with Sony Online Entertainment to bring the Storybricks AI platform to Everquest Next.

After several months of working together with Sony Online, we can finally reveal that we are collaborating on EverQuest Next. EQN is “the biggest sandbox ever designed” and we are extremely happy to be working on the most innovative MMORPG under development. This is just a tiny announcement as we can’t give any specifics about what we are doing on EQN yet.  But we want to thank all our supporters for your patience and let you know that we are doing remarkable things.

More details to come.

(Source: Storybricks Newsletter)

Permanent Death For Everquest Next? John Smedley Likes It


eqnexttown

[Update] That was fast. Permanent death is not coming to Everquest Next, circa Dave Georgeson.

[Original Story] We already know that Sony wants Everquest Next to be the largest sandbox MMO in history, but how do they feel about permanent death? Positively, if a Tweet today by John Smedley is anything to consider.

We like permadeath for EQN

Hopefully there will be more details to come.

(Source: Twitter)

Everquest Next Will Be The Largest Sandbox MMO Ever


It’s been a while since we’ve heard anything substantial about Everquest Next, and Sony’s reasons are pretty solid: They’ve blown up the game. At Sony Live 2012, John Smedley took to the stage and talked about how the industry needs to end the current system of launch and decline, and follow strategies laid out by games like League of Legends, who launch and continue to grow. This, Smedley explains, can only be done by adding more emergent gameplay, something the company hopes to do with its current and future MMO titles. As a result of this thinking, Everquest Next has been redesigned as a sandbox MMO:

What we are building is something that we will be very proud to call EverQuest. It will be the largest sandbox-style MMO ever designed. The same exciting content delivered in a new way. Something you’ve never seen before. The MMO world has never seen before. We didn’t want more kill 10 rats quests. We didn’t want more of the same. If you look at the MMOs out there, they’re delivering the same content over and over again. So are we. We need to change that. When we released EverQuest, we changed the world. We want to do that again with a different type of game.

Expect plenty more to come in the future on Everquest Next.

(Source: EQ2 Wire)

Smörgåsbord of Sony Online Entertainment News


Sony Fan Faire 2011 is still live until tomorrow, but there has been a plethora of information coming from the Las Vegas convention center. New expansion packs, updates on upcoming games, and more.

Everquest and Everquest II respectively are set to receive yet another expansion in the coming months. In Everquest, Veil of Alaris opens up a new continent, and releases Guild Hall exteriors so players can place their guild halls in neighborhoods which will be part of a further revamp. When the expansion launches this November, it will also raise the level cap to 95. In Everquest II, Age of Discovery brings with it a ton of new content, including new hired mercenaries and the ability to design your own dungeon. Also coming this November, the expansion will bring in a new class: Beastlord.

Plenty of updates were announced for DC Universe Online (including a fight against Brainiac at the Fortress of Solitude), Free Realms and a cross promotion with McDonald’s Happy Meals for Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures.

What is likely to draw the most attention is Planetside 2, which Sony revealed will bring back all three factions and has been redesigned from the ground up to not only ensure that most if not all of the field is worth battling over, but so even players with old computers can play. Players will fight over resources and will have to coordinate with their individual goals to boost their faction’s overall progress. There was also talks of player generated content, customization with weapons and vehicles, and user generated content. Planetside Next will be PC exclusive and still has no release date.

Everquest Next received very little information, other than a screenshot and a note that the game would also run on the same engine as Planetside Next.

Check out this trailer for Planetside Next:

Planetside Next, The Agency, Everquest Next Oh My!


Bringing the finest in Smedlertainment

Sony Online Entertainment remains the juggernaut in the MMO industry, with more than ten titles currently on the market, with more on the way this coming year. Already released is DC Universe Online, based on the popular comic books characters and worlds. Aside from DCU, SOE has three titles that are on their way, two of which should be released by the end of the year.

First in line is expected to come in March, the sequel to Planetside codenamed Planetside Next. The next incarnation is anticipated to take the large scale battles of Planetside, and make them even bigger. As John Smedley stated in an interview with Eurogamer:

“And we haven’t announced a release date for it but you can expect it… We’re looking at late first-quarter, early second-quarter [2011].”

Next up, The Agency, expected to launch late this year. The Agency may be smaller in scale than Planetside (expected to be mostly instanced with social lobbies), but Smedley has big hopes for the game post-release, and is allowing the team to take as long as they need to make sure the game is up to snuff.

“One thing that we’ve learned over our company’s history is that it takes time to make great games. And we’re not trying to make cookie-cutter MMOs. There’s some stuff coming out in the next two or three months, MMO-wise, and a lot of it is generic copycats of other games. That’s not what we want to do. We want to make new experiences for people. So The Agency is a new kind of MMO so we want to make sure it’s as good as it can be.”

Third in line is Everquest Next. Although not slated to release for a good while, Everquest Next is expected to take the world of Norrath and turn it on its head. The number of classes and races is confirmed to be reduced, less than Everquest II and likely more around the numbers in Everquest. With a new art style, new lands to travel, and no doubt tons of lore to become accustomed to, Everquest Next may also be heading onto the Playstation 3 to saddle up with Sony’s increasing number of MMOs slated for release on the console.

Planetside Next, The Agency, Everquest Next Oh My!


Bringing the finest in Smedlertainment

Sony Online Entertainment remains the juggernaut in the MMO industry, with more than ten titles currently on the market, with more on the way this coming year. Already released is DC Universe Online, based on the popular comic books characters and worlds. Aside from DCU, SOE has three titles that are on their way, two of which should be released by the end of the year.

First in line is expected to come in March, the sequel to Planetside codenamed Planetside Next. The next incarnation is anticipated to take the large scale battles of Planetside, and make them even bigger. As John Smedley stated in an interview with Eurogamer:

“And we haven’t announced a release date for it but you can expect it… We’re looking at late first-quarter, early second-quarter [2011].”

Next up, The Agency, expected to launch late this year. The Agency may be smaller in scale than Planetside (expected to be mostly instanced with social lobbies), but Smedley has big hopes for the game post-release, and is allowing the team to take as long as they need to make sure the game is up to snuff.

“One thing that we’ve learned over our company’s history is that it takes time to make great games. And we’re not trying to make cookie-cutter MMOs. There’s some stuff coming out in the next two or three months, MMO-wise, and a lot of it is generic copycats of other games. That’s not what we want to do. We want to make new experiences for people. So The Agency is a new kind of MMO so we want to make sure it’s as good as it can be.”

Third in line is Everquest Next. Although not slated to release for a good while, Everquest Next is expected to take the world of Norrath and turn it on its head. The number of classes and races is confirmed to be reduced, less than Everquest II and likely more around the numbers in Everquest. With a new art style, new lands to travel, and no doubt tons of lore to become accustomed to, Everquest Next may also be heading onto the Playstation 3 to saddle up with Sony’s increasing number of MMOs slated for release on the console.

Everquest Next: With The Everquester In Mind!


And John Smedley Said: Let there be light!

If Sony Online Entertainment’s abbreviated name was NSD, I could point out that their name could also spell out Never Shuts Down. However, since it doesn’t, I’m stuck with my next best idea: Soldier On, Edith which, although surely touching to anyone named Edith who enjoys Sony’s products, only appeals to a limited audience.

But enough of my attempts at word play. At the 2010 Fan Faire, SOE fully announced Everquest Next, the third Everquest MMO to come out at some point in the future. So, very little was offered in terms of when we might actually see Everquest Next, but the SOE staff present were more than willing to give out information regarding the title.

Everquest Next is not a sequel, nor a prequel to Everquest, but a re-imagining. Sony is going for the original charm of Everquest, and notes that fans of the original will feel right at home in the title. They hope to give more engaging content, better combat, immersive story lines, and a more streamlined approach to players with less classes (think Everquest).

More importantly, however, was the fact that Sony is committed to supporting both Everquest and Everquest II, neither of which will be going anywhere anytime soon. We were also promised that players will not be shepherded to EQ Next like they were with Everquest II, a move that was wholly rejected by the Everquest community when Everquest II released those many years ago. Everquest Next will also offer scalability to lower end machines, something Everquest II sorely missed.

And even more importantly, Everquest Next is not being made for kids, and you can take that to the bank.

More on EQ Next as it appears.

2009: Surprise Sequels and Drama Aplenty


2009 in a nutshell...

2009 has come to a close, and has brought us plenty in terms of surprise sequels and drama. Here is a comprehensive list of the surprise sequels and drama that hit this past year.

Continue reading “2009: Surprise Sequels and Drama Aplenty”

Everquest: Not Going Anywhere


“So you can see there’s a lot to wrestle with as we begin laying the foundation for EverQuest ‘Next.’ As I write this, we have concept artists and game designers working hard in our studio-taking the lessons of the past, the best parts of the present and the most promising ideas for the future-to bring the world of Norrath to a new generation of players, as well as the dedicated legions of fans who made the EverQuest franchise timeless. I hope we’ll see you there.“

Everquest once again proves itself to be the Granddaddy who not only refuses to stop dancing, but continues to go hiking, bungee jumping, and is always ready to throw down in the wrestling ring. Fresh off of its 10th year anniversary, Everquest continues to remind us that the franchise will not be going anywhere, with the announcement of Everquest Next. The announcement is from the Everquest 10th anniversary book.

Considering the massive changes between Everquest and Everquest 2, the third go at the series can bring nothing less than innovation, a strong player base, an excellent development team, and fifty expansion packs. So cheers to Everquest Next.

Via Zam