Fan Faire 08: Liveblogging John Smedley's keynote

The buzz coming into this evening's Fan Faire keynote is palpable. All the players know something is going on, but nobody is quite sure what's in store for this evening's festivities. As a service to our devoted readers, both old and new, Massively is on-scene and we'll be liveblogging John Smedley's keynote this evening.

Curious about what SOE has in store for the future of their various MMOGs? Join us behind the break for the up-to-the-minute news from the front lines!

[Note: all times are EST]

8:44 pm - We're waiting outside the Barron ballroom at the Las Vegas Hilton. Many people keep trying to sneak into the ballroom, but so far nobody has made it in beyond SOE employees.

8:49 pm - Sony PR was good enough to scoop us up and get us in so we could set up front row center.

8:56 pm - They're tweaking video settings. All we can think of is how cool it would be to game on screens that huge.

9:01 pm - Still finishing up last minute tweaks, but we can hear the crowd outside. We're wondering if Brenlo will get them to chant "SOE! SOE!" like he did yesterday at the opening of the evening.

9:04 pm - Now we're enjoying some jaunty piano music while they get finished with some last minute tweaks. We'd break into jazz hands, but we'd drop our laptops.

9:07 pm - John has been spotted. The fans are still waiting outside, however. There are some problems with the projector screens showing black bars on the side.

9:12 pm - They teased us with a few seconds of Outkast. Hey now! The SOE employees around us were bummed when they cut it off.

9:17 pm - Last minute prep. John: "Great, great, love it, put it in a box and ship it. Yep, people will love it." Outside we can hear players hooting and hollering. Sounds like they're having a blast.

9:21 pm - John: "Cut the mics", disappeared behind curtain. Apparently they were accidentally broadcasting the soundcheck. Whoops.

9:30 pm - We're still waiting. More people have filtered in, but the crowd can still be heard outside.

9:33 pm - Looks like they've got it all worked out. They're letting everyone in now.

9:34 pm - Overheard from SOE employees: "I hope there's a Dance Dance Revolution contest!" "We should motion-cap that and use it as a /dance command!" [they break into laughter]

9:37 pm - Correction, they've let some people in. Someone's working the crowd outside -- we can hear the shouting and cheering.

9:41 pm - Here comes the crowd!

9:45 pm - We're now sitting with the Dwarf, Brasse, who thinks this event needs more beer! Really, very few events couldn't use more beer.

9:51 pm - At this point, we're closing in on almost an hour past original scheduled time, but considering the mood of the crowd, nobody seems to really mind here.

9:58 pm - Someone from PBS is recording this. We're curious about that particular documentary.

10:00 pm - Brenlo has started up the crowd. Time for the show to begin!

10:02 pm - Alan: "Anyone from EverQuest Online Adventures? We know at least one of you is out there."

10:03 pm - Just called out EverQuest II and EverQuest. The response was deafening. Now Brenlo's getting everyone to sing Viva Los Vegas.

10:05 pm - SOE is calling an open bar later tonight. The response was deafening.

10:06 pm - "Please don't make me run again. I have a fine gamer's physique."

10:07 pm - Video of different SOE games. John Smedley now on stage.

10:09 pm - This is our favorite time of the year. we come out of this all pumped up and excited... Discussing the Living Legacy events, and upcoming Guild Halls.

10:11 pm - Living Legacy brought about 20% increase in EQ and EQ II population. [crowd goes nuts] Notes that EverQuest is opening new expansion on Oct 21st, Seeds of Destruction in time for their 10th anniversary.

10:14 pm - Clint Worley, Senior Producer for EQ on stage. Expansion will start you in a distant void and next to a sapling that will be about all that is left of Norrath. This will take you back into the history of EverQuest to "make sure the gods of Discord stay at bay." They will allow players to try out two of the areas previous to launch.

10:15 pm - Major feature - mercenaries. Player-controlled NPCs that will assist you while fighting. They are designed for extra support in PvE, and will be scalable.

10:18 pm - The Seeds of Destruction beta is open to everyone. Opened on the 4th, and looking to go open beta on the 19th of this month. It will not be full beta, but will give players an idea.

10:20 pm - Time for EverQuest II: Another expansion. The Shadow Oddessy. Launches November 18th. (We have lots of fantastic information about this covered in other posts, so be sure to check it out!)

10:22 pm - They are bringing back Befallen, Mistmoore, and many other areas that were well loved in EverQuest. Brings level of Achievement points to 200. Offering new mission systems for players to replay content with a different feel and different loot. Bringing guild halls in this fall.

10:23 pm - Jeff Moyer from ZAM network invited up on stage. Alla on stage. Announces that Zam.com is coming live, and that EQ2 will be first game to get the full treatment. They are bringing in real-time vendor data to the web so that you know what is being sold in game at any given time.

Profiler will allow players to check upgrades, suggest options, and check stats as you change gear in and out. Site will be fully customizable allowing you to pick whatever you want so far as format, your own graphics, etc.

10:27 pm - "Zam.com will be best of show. We are allowing them access to our data feeds."

10:28 pm - We will be giving everyone who is here free digital copies of both upcoming expansions.

10:29 pm - SWG, five years. Events planned. Halloween event called the Galactic Moon Festival. New Heroic announced that will allow players to fight on Hoth in Echo Base. Rebels and Imperials will be pitted against each other in the upcoming area.


10:34 pm - Legends of Norrath: over 1 million games played since Fan Faire last year. They are looking to expand these in-game TCGs to more of the SOE games. All SWG players will get 5 free booster packs per month, and all players here will get a free card for their accounts. Many of these cards include items, and even iconic characters.

10:37 pm - The first set has over 300 illustrations never seen anywhere else.

10:38 pm - One of the first people you will battle against is IG 88. Four different deck types: empire, rebels, Jedi and Sith. Showing some of the play, those who are here will get a chance to play it.

10:39 pm - new launcher. Will help save you time from all the long patch downloads, and will allow players to launch any SOE game, as well as letting you keep track of your friends no matter which games they're in. Next feature will be Station Voice, which allows players to have persistent guild voice channels.

10:41 pm - Players will be able to use Vivox in combination with Station Voice to not only allow you to talk via headsets, but also with a cell phone, per their demo. There is no need to download additional software for SOE players; it will all be built in. This will be built in from the ground up in Free Realms, DCUO, and The Agency.

10:44 pm - DCUO: "Fight against or alongside Superman, etc... The next legend is you." Talking about things that were shown at E3. Game in production at SOE Austin. Jens and Wes showing off some live play on stage. Talking about how working closely with Jim Lee, they've been able to create a really cool stylized comic book world.

10:48 pm - Jens taking over to show a play-through. It is the Braniac/Bizzarro invasion that we've seen this weekend as hands-on. Showing off picking up cars and throwing them around. Lex Luthor just got blocked into ice and launched down the street. Can we get a "hell yes" people?

10:50 pm - There is no death in the game, only a "knockout" mechanic. "Who doesn't sometimes want to wear their underpants on the outside?" Inviting everyone to come play hands-on this weekend.

10:52 pm - G.I.R.L. initiative. Gamers In Real Life, talking about scholarship program for women who are designing games. First ever winner of the G.I.R.L. scholarship, Julia Brazil. In her honor, they gave out many t-shirts!

10:53 pm - Introduce Laralyn McWilliams, Lead Designer of Free Realms.

10:54 pm - How many of you game with your families? Segue to Free Realms. No download, free, virtual world. Allows characters to have enormous customization options. Player housing, pets, mini-games, combat, live concerts, dueling, or cards. Questing, mazes, achievements, and more.

10:58 pm - Free Reams will be the next big launch for SOE. They feel this is the highest production value in a free title currently out there. World has option for combat-free play, allowing you to avoid combat if you do not want to. Players can be inside the game within minutes. They are offering subscriptions for 4.99 a month with premium subscription, and will have microtransaction options. Game is also COPA compliant

11:01 pm - They will have options for Humans and Pixies at launch. Combines Facebook-like social feeds. No credit card required. You are not locked to any server -- you can go to any server at any time. Showing off welcome screen we saw at E3.

11:03 pm - All characters can be all classes at all time. You may be required to unlock them via quests, but you will be able to do everything. All characters level up graphically. "We want you to be a walking leaderboard" -- showing off how gear improves and gets fancier as you level up.

11:05 pm - Explorers are able to level up as they go by collecting flags. To start combat, you pass by a gate, you'll get a start screen that puts you into the combat as a mini-game. Experience is handled by a star system. As you spend stars in different areas, you not only raise skills, but you raise your overall level as that class.

11:08 pm - Pets introduced. Showing off a dog (who loves penguins) that apparently will act independent of you. Dog howls at rock star (combat class) and stops to pee on a hydrant. Then he wandered to a mailbox nearby and pooped. Apparently the dog is self-cleaning, they say.

11:10 pm - You can also apparently go cow tipping. The crowd goes nuts. Beyond that, movement is handled by teleportation on the map. John: "All dogs and cats are programmed to be completely different." Showing off time elapsing, changes in shadows that are rendered. Showing off darker area in the game that contains a hedge maze. If you like exploration, you can go through the maze. If you hate it, there is a path straight through, but there are rewards to finding your way through the maze.

11:14 pm - Debuting in-world mini-games. Racing is new game. Shows off carts. Up to 10 total at a time; 5 players and 5 NPCs. Cars are customizable, lots of ramps, tight turns, curves. Game designed to cater to everyone; both those who are really familiar and anyone who is new. All of the race courses will look different in each area.

11:16 pm - Beta for Free Realms expected this fall. Bringing a lot more mini-games in. Soccer will be part of the game.

11:18 pm - John thanks everyone for coming out, hopes everyone enjoys all the free goodies that players are getting for attending this weekend. Alan came out to thank the crowd, wrap things up, and remind everyone of the party tonight. It certainly sounds like this is a good time to be an SOE fan between old favorites and new titles.

With two new expansions coming out, a bunch of new content for other favorites, and a host of ambitious MMOs on the table, we're looking forward to what the future holds. Rest assured that we at Massively will be there every step of the way to bring you all the latest.