Tag: Everquest

Weekend Wrapper:


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It’s time for another Weekend Wrapper, where we look at some gaming news that didn’t quite make it to MMO Fallout’s floor.

News/Updates:

  • RuneScape’s Road Trip is in full gear, although players might find their quality of life improved via ninja patches.
  • Old School RuneScape patches in slayer partners, new teleport animations, and more.
  • Marvel Heroes is running a Buy One Get One sale on heroes and costumes. Buy one from the in-game store, get a token for a random hero/costume.
  • Warhammer 40k: Eternal Crusade devs discuss melee mode, pistols, and more.
  • Gazillion Entertainment discusses Marvel Heroes post-Ultron updates.
  • Everquest’s Ragefire progression server is now in beta.
  • The Division is being developed by four different studios.
  • Zynga cutting jobs, games, and studios.

Release Spotlight:

  • Black Mesa (Early Access): Currently in early access, Black Mesa is an approved remake of Half Life on the Source engine.
  • Warhammer 40k: Regicide (Early Access): Regicide is a turn based strategy game with very positive reviews.
  • ARMA 3 (Released): Not a new release, but those of you who haven’t picked this game up can play for free on Steam all weekend.
  • Wolfenstein: The Old Blood: $20 gets you a great single player campaign.

Daybreak Game Company Embraces Project 99


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It isn’t too often that developers acknowledge, let alone embrace a private servers emulating their games, especially if the title in question is still in operation. Daybreak Game Company, however, has decided to embrace the Project 1999 private server, an emulation project of Everquest as it was in its early days, to officially recognize and approve its existence.

We have recently entered into a written agreement with Daybreak Game Company LLC that formally recognizes Project 1999 as a fan based, not-for-profit, classic EverQuest emulation project. The agreement establishes the guidelines that we as a project must follow, but it will allow to us continue to update the game without risk of legal repercussions.

P99 players can rest easy knowing without the threat of legal action hanging above their heads.

(Source: Everquest)

Everquest Progression Server Voting Commences


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Everquest is set to release a new progression server, and the team wants player feedback on how the game should transition into new expansions.

Our Progression Server player poll is now live in game and asks you to select from 4 options. Below is a summary of the options that the Designers put together. Mechanics within these can be refined or changed, like using player voting to progress, but in general this is how we see the options for a new Progression Server at the high level. (They are very complicated under the hood.)

Players can choose between existing rules, time-locked progression, slower progression, and seasonal challenges. The options, with their individual requirements, can be found at the link below.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

(Source: Everquest)

Breaking: Dave Georgeson Departs Daybreak Game Studio


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Dave Georgeson has announced via Twitter that he is no longer involved in the Everquest franchise.

Update: Daybreak Game Studio has confirmed a big round of layoffs. An unknown number of employees have been affected.

(Source: Twitter)

Everquest 15 Year Anniversary Graphic


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Sony Online Entertainment has released an infographic detailing just how technology and the internet has progressed since Everquest launched in 1999, not to mention detailing a decade and a half of the franchise’s achievements. Do you remember when hard drives cost $25 per gigabyte? I do.

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SOE Releases Revised List


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Ask and you shall receive. Owing the massive amount of feedback regarding SOE’s recently announced changes, John Smedley has posted a revised list of coming changes to Sony All Access. In short, the “pick an item” system won’t be coming, however players will be forced to claim the stipend monthly.

  1. We’re lowering the price of All Access to $14.99
  2. We’re going to make it so every subscriber to all our PC games an all access member. Basically there will be one SOE membership for our PC games. Please note there are some minor restrictions around our kids titles (simply put – if you’re a 12 year old who signed up for FR you won’t have access to the adult games so we’ll likely leave the lower priced kids offerings as separate subscriptions for under 12 for the same low prices).
  3. We’re keeping the 500 SC included with the subscription instead of going to the “pick an item” system. We heard you. You didn’t like the change. The only change we are making is that we’re now going to make you claim it monthly. You can still hoard it though I realize this is a bit of a pain but honestly it’s the best compromise we could come up with that solves the problems I mentioned in the other thread.
  4. we are going to be giving our members a 10% discount in our marketplaces.
  5. European players – we have an idea on how to include you in this but we need to discuss with our partners.We have a pretty good idea on this though. give us a bit of time to suss this out.
  6. Nothing is changing with Player Studio items – you’ll still be able to buy them with your 500SC.
  7. Console titles – you’ll notice I only mentioned the PC titles. Our goal is to include the PS3 and PS4 games that we have, but I want to be up front and say that isn’t a done deal.

So you can still hoard station cash, but you will have to claim it manually rather than allow it to accumulate automatically. I have a feeling that something is coming to alleviate SOE of the station cash hoarded on accounts that haven’t been used in years. While a few things have been reversed and cleared up, the details surrounding Sony’s plans for all access are undoubtedly not over yet.

(Source: Reddit)

Sony Online All Access Changing In February


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Sony Online Entertainment has announced upcoming changes to gold membership in Everquest, and not all players will be happy. Instead of the monthly stipend of 500 station cash, members will be able to purchase one item up to two thousand station cash, sans bundles, studio items, etc.

The week of February 3rd, 2014 we will be making a very important change to the Gold Membership level in EverQuest The current benefit of receiving 500 Station Cash (SC) monthly will be replaced with a new program that allows you to select one single item valued up to 2000 SC each month. Nearly all items within the games’ Marketplace will be available for this selection. Players Studio, bundles and additional exclusions may apply. This new benefit must be claimed each month that you are a member as it will not carry over to subsequent months.

The new plan benefits those who save up their station cash for large single purchases, while those who use their stipend to buy multiple cheap items may feel the value of their subscription lessen.

(Source: Eqwire)

Everquest Mac Shutting Down For Real This Time


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Some of you may remember that Sony Online Entertainment originally slated Everquest Mac to shut down in 2012, but decided against it due to passionate feedback from the community. Well passion can only get you so far, and in a letter posted to the community, John Smedley has announced that Everquest’s Mac iteration will be shutting down effective November 18th.

We said this before and now we really have to do it – we’re sunsetting EQ Mac. As a passionate Mac player, I’m disappointed to have to share this news. We decided to keep the game running after receiving your feedback when we originally announced the sunset plans early last year, but with all of our development aligned towards our upcoming slate of games, we simply cannot justify the resources required to continue to support this version of the game.

Everquest on the PC will not be affected by any of these changes, and it is unlikely that players will be able to move their characters over due to the massive difference in versions. EQMac was never updated past Planes of Power, the fourth expansion released in 2002.

(Source: Announcement)

Sony Online Entertainment Layoffs


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Sony Online Entertainment has confirmed that the developer has laid off an unknown number of staff from an unknown variety of divisions. SOE’s Linda Carlson posted on several of the official game boards that the reduction aims to reduce costs and focus efforts on the current slate of games.

As a company, our goal is to focus on our core expertise of MMO games and as part of these efforts, we had to make the difficult decision to eliminate positions to help reduce costs, streamline our employee base and strategically align resources towards our current portfolio of games and upcoming slate of MMOs, including EverQuest Next Landmark and EverQuest Next.

Although the developer refused to comment on the number of staff laid off, a representative told Gamasutra that the reduction has affected the San Diego and Austin offices. MMO Fallout hopes the best for those finding themselves unemployed as of today.

(Source: Gamasutra)

MMOrning Shots: Everquest 14th Anniversary


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Today’s MMOrning shot comes from Everquest, in celebration of the game’s fourteenth anniversary. Yes, in two more years Everquest will be of legal driving age, and then presumably will be able to pick up the pizza you ordered through /pizza in-game.

MMOrning Shots is a (somewhat) daily line of screenshots from various MMOs. If you would like your screenshot featured, send it over to contact[at]mmofallout[dot]com with the subject “MMorning Shots.”