SoE Live 2013 - Daily Update

EverQuest related news and other things relevant to all members.
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Danille
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SoE Live 2013 - Daily Update

Post by Danille »

Hi everyone!

So last night everyone met up at Planet Hollywood! Unbelievable rooms and service so far. Nice change from Bally's!!! Way to go SoE.

The Hotel is much more compact than Bally's too.... so not a lot of endless walking. We all got a very nice EQ T-Shirt in dark grey with a Qeynos coat of arms,
as well as a full sized poster of Everquest Next. Now to get the developers to sign it!

We attended the opening address from 7-9 which included the new EQ expansion "Call of the Forsaken" (Launching September 27th/ with an August 14th beta). BTW this was the largest SOE Live (Fan Faire) of all time with well over 2000 fans in attendance.

Call of the Foresaken will be traditional EQ lore and with new content in old school inaccessible zones. The Dead Hills, Neriak - 4th Gate, and other zones on our existing maps which have previously closed. Also Plane of War (a side zone not really related to the expansion). The expansion roll out model of HoF (buy initial expansion, with free content over the year) will continue with this release too.

A new dragon appears in North Karana who pierces the Ethermere, (unknown forces open many alternative realities together.) This is a cross over from recent lore in EQ2 with the lore of both games now entwining lore and storylines Can anyone say "Lead into EQ Next?

All players will assemble in force to confront challenges in this new area and work with Dragons as both friends and enemies to obtain artifacts and follow traditional lore with new meanings and in lost areas across Norrath.

A new mission mechanic {(Heroic Adventures), will customize instances to constantly change from the old style of repetitive missions, to became a totally unique mission, every time you run it, based upon group class makeup and strength as well as aligning loot, mob strength and challenge.

Two new Hardcore Heritage zones will be opening in a few weeks too for 1 month. 1) Castle Mistmoore and 2) Nagafen's Lair! Oh and I won a Nagafen Hat! Silly cool hat plushie with wings sticking out the sides.


More details to come later today as things get announced........
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Danille
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Re: SoE Live 2013 - Daily Update

Post by Danille »

Ok to EverQuest Next is actually two games.

EverQuest Next Landmark which will allow you to go into the world for EQNext and stake a claim, just about anywhere in the world. This land will be yours to build upon and create objects from sctatch. They are actually giving us the same tools as the developers when creating items, objects, castles, etc from nothing. They will commission folks to work on a project or concept, and submit content, which the developers will vote on and actually make it part of the game. There will also be a players studio piece which will pay you RL cash for the sale of such items, and if another player takes one of your items and uses it for his/her items for sale you will receive a commission when that person's item sells as well

We on to the EQ Next core game.

8 classes and 40 sub classes which will be created by utilizing choices in both gameplay as well as items you equip. The experiences you witness will directly create the essence of your character as you evolve. It will also allow you to change constantly as Norrath changes as well. You see, every server and every day, Norrath will experience changes which are unique to each server. The Norrath Server you go to will be controlled by the players.

For example. In today's EQ there are static spawns, and when you enter a zone it always looks the same way with the same quests and the same mobs. Toss that all out the window.

The mobs will now have a new AI system which lets the mobs themselves decide where to set up camp. No longer will a bunch of orcs be setting up camp in the same place every day. If the intent is for orcs to hate guards but to love lonely roads to attack wandering travelers, SOE will unleash lest say 200 orcs into a zone, and the orcs will decide where to set up camp. If the lonely road becomes well traveled, then they will get pissed and move to a lonely road where they can ambush people. On the other hand, if the road is too lonely, they will move their camp to a less lonely location so they can kill travelers and take their gold. Also if the players or guards come and kill them too much, they will move to find a safer place to attack from.

Also the entire game will be destructible. So if you are sitting in Gfay you can grab a pick and start digging and fine catacombs, caverns, underground streams, monsters, and lava chambers below ground. As you forge into new areas, the game will create content for you, making new undiscovered quests come alive, of others go away.

Of course there will be developer designed content, but gone will be the days of knowing exactly what to expect, every time you log into the game......

Next panel is about the details of the new Everquest expansion in about 2 hours
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Re: SoE Live 2013 - Daily Update

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The game is totally EQ, from the lore to the storylines and even to the chain of events that is taking place in EQ and EQ2 is setting up the circumstances which cause the alternative reality that is EQNext to occur.

I have been reading what the press is saying too and let's just say that it is obvious that some of the must have conflicting agendas cause EQN is every bit EQ as it was in 1999. The reason why the world is destructible is so players can truly play in a 3d world. digging tunnels, going through walls, having an enemy chasing you and collapsing the bridge you just crossed so you can get away. Amazing stuff. Some zones and content you can only find, by digging holes and tunnels.

The main focus of EQN is the opposite of what the SOE haters have been saying for years...that Sony doesn't listen to it's customers. EQN puts the customers in charge. I am sure the SOE haters will quickly shift to a new thing to hate! :lol:

So onto the new expansion.

- Level Cap DOES NOT increase to 105 it stays at 100.
- New Spells and AA's
- Mercs are getting passive AA's and 4 armor slots (they acknowledged that thiswill enables pet gear slots in the future as well as pet stats. (I am not the least bit happy about this change to pets if it moves forward)
- New raid zones no announcement of how many although the developers said they designed whole bunch of new raids. Less complex than RT and more forgiving if one or two players screw up
- Undead in at least 2 zones (Neriak and Dead Hills)
-Lots of instanced content - think LDON on steroids- the instances have Also the content will change each time you zone in chosen by highest level player and class makeup. All made for level 95-100 players.

Fixes to look forward to......
- LLA and RAA's are going to be added to the game as passive skills for all players, and the old systems being removed from the game
- They are simplifying the Raid coinage systems
- They gonna fix issues with the quest/mission windows, Guild management and raid windows to ease functionality. possible asst. raid leader functionality incase the RL goes LD.

More coming tomorrow.....
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Re: SoE Live 2013 - Daily Update

Post by Danille »

Got some questions answered by Artisto and Jenn.

- Fire pet agro on raids when the fire pet nukes a mob, and that mob summons the mage and not the fire pet is a known bug, they said to /bug it again and it will eventually get fixed.

- Developers understand that pets agro showing in the new window is causing griefing during raids and that it is ruining their owners ability to just play their class. Developers have confirmed that agro mechanic has not changed. Also confirmed that agro dropping aa's having to be cast by mages every 10-15 seconds to prevent the pet police in raids from screamning PET every 10 seconds is not intended. The fix that will hide pets listing in agro window so the griefing will stop.

- Pet being summoned at 72% health is a known bug. There is hope that the new merc mechanics of handling stats will be applied to pet inventory and stat windows in the future, and this code should allow for the pet to be summoned at 100% health instead. ( I am not the least bit happy with pets getting inventory slots in the future, as the potential for a nerf grows, but the pets being summoned at 100% health would be a good thing.
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