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SOE Live 2012: EverQuest II interviews highlight focus on crafting, player stories
It is undeniable: Between panels, keynote addresses, and interviews, SOE Live offered fans a smorgasbord of information this year. Even as we reported on some information, more came our way. Such is the case with EverQuest II and its upcoming Chains of Eternity expansion; no sooner had I shared the new tradeskill AA and prestige lines than I was able to sit down developers to gain more insights into the new features. And of course, another panel came along offering even more tidbits about the expansion and beyond! Did previous announcements leave you wondering whether crafters will be required to grind their own AA tree up from 0? How many crafted items can actually be mass produced at one time? And what's in store for the Dungeon Maker and SOEmote? These questions and more were answered as I sat down with Brain Ferguson (PvP and tradeskill game designer), Holly Longdale, (Producer), and Dave Georgeson (Director of the EQ franchise).
The Tattered Notebook: Touring EQII's winning player-generated dungeons
In my spare time, I love to watch cooking competition shows because I can sit back on the couch and pontificate about how the contestants did this wrong and plated that poorly and how I could do it so much better. And then when I get into the kitchen, I thank Tunare I don't have a clock at my back and that no one's judging me on my knife skills. It's pretty much the same with creating a dungeon in EverQuest II. I have all these blueprints, items, and tools, and I've seen plenty of examples for which I swear I could do it sooooo much better, and yet I just can't seem to put together one that's worthy of publishing. Back in the spring, I resolved to construct a Poet's Palace dungeon for SOE's official dungeon maker contest, and I had several ideas in mind, but once again, my ambitions were larger than reality, and I just couldn't get the job done. Fortunately, there were over 80 players who did, and the winners were announced this week. I visited each of the four winning dungeons and was blown away by what I saw. Read on for a look at the real dungeon masters of EQII!
EverQuest II announces finalists in Dungeon Maker contest
EverQuest II's Dungeon Maker is a love-it-or-hate-it feature. Some love it for the story possibilities and the player-generated content; some hate it because of the number of 50 Tokens Solo Nao dungeons that infest the feature. In a move that promoted the former use of the feature, Sony Online Entertainment hosted a contest utilizing the Poet's Palace map with entries being judged on creativity, originality, and theme, meaning storytelling was just as important as design and action. The judges were so taken with the talent displayed in the 82 entries to the contest that they couldn't decide on just 10 finalists, so they chose a lucky 13 instead (although they will apparently be going without lunch now). The top finishers all received a set of heritage armor of their choice, the in-game title Dungeon Maker, and 2,000 Station Cash. Congratulations to all the winners! For a list of 10 of the winners (the top three will be announced next week) and where to find their dungeons, check out the official announcement. Then tell us what you think of the dungeons!
