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The Tattered Notebook: Back in Norrath
What a happy surprise it was to be able to log back in to EverQuest II after the extended downtime! I honestly didn't expect to see services up and running this soon, and I was even speculating with a few friends on the prospect of a Fan Faire with no gaming. I popped on shortly after news broke that services were restored, and it was nice to see familiar names start to appear. I realized that I missed my guildmates, and I was even happy to see the names of players who tend to get a little nudgy in open chat. It was like one big happy reunion party, but at the same time, there's a dark cloud still hovering over things. Sure, many of the loyal regulars returned, but did enough of them come back? And what about the more casual gamers -- the ones who play multiple games and tend to come and go? More importantly, is the downtime really over? As of Sunday morning when this article was posted, it seemed that services were down again. Read on for a look at some possible answers to these questions.
The Tattered Notebook: SmokeJumper talks GU60
The past week has certainly been difficult, both for Sony Online Entertainment and EverQuest II fans. The attack and the downtime has certainly been on players' minds as they wonder when the game will go live again and how much of their personal information was compromised. But while these seem like dark days for EQII, there will be lots to look forward to in-game once things are back to normal. A few weeks ago, Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson took time to answer some questions for Massively about Game Update 60, The Children of War. And he met again for a roundtable interview just before news of the attack on SOE broke. Read on for highlights of the interview and a look at what's on the horizon once services are restored.
The Tattered Notebook: Free level 90? Heck yeah!
I'm a bit late to the party, but I want to throw my two coppers into the discussion on the level 90 winback suggestion that Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson made recently. In a recent forum thread, he tossed out the idea of EverQuest II's offering level-capped characters to new players who purchased Destiny of Velious. After a fairly robust discussion, he pulled it off the table, but I actually think it should still be an option. Before you make fists of fury at the screen, hear me out! In this week's Tattered Notebook, I'm going to look at why this promotion is needed and suggest a way that it actually could work for everyone's benefit.
Free for All: Is a subscription the new sign of trouble?
I hate to continually harp on the payment model as a source for material, but let's be honest: How a player pays for a game does affect how and whether he will play. Heck, it's obvious through my comments and emails that some people will literally avoid the coolest-looking game they have ever seen if it has a cash shop tacked on or it is using a free-to-play business model. Oddly enough -- and this is an honest observation -- I rarely hear a free-to-play fan say that he will avoid a game just because of its payment model. Perhaps the long hair and free-loving ways of the free-to-player helps to keep his mind open to payment models from all walks of life? Damn frippies. Another common conversational theme that shows up almost every time we have this discussion is that free-to-play has done something wrong. Some seem to think that the free-to-play "movement" is equal to Walmart moving into their hometown, bringing lower-quality products and slower customer service with it. Of course, those same people might not admit to visiting Walmart for all of their needs and grabbing some batteries and chapstick from the impulse-buy section. It is often said that free-to-play is reserved for games that were in trouble, as if it were some sort of last-minute life preserver. Even in this scenario of free-to-play as the hero, the term becomes twisted into a shady businessman, swooping in on the elderly section of town after a tornado. Now, I've covered the possible racial and xenophobic connections to this hate for games and payment models from "Asia," and I would rather not rehash it now. I'm beginning to think the real explanation might be much simpler. Click past the cut and let's discuss.
Choose My Adventure: Into the cave I go!
Hello Massively Readers, and thank you MJ for passing the torch! It's been an enjoyable ride following her in her Xyson adventures, and I hope I can do the same for whatever game is chosen. And that brings me to the list -- what would you like to see me play? I made sure to include some of the bridesmaids from previous polls, as well as a few that were mentioned and not listed. So what's it going to be, Massively readers? Will Pirates of the Burning Sea finally get its comeuppance, or will I sport a jet pack and buzz around in Global Agenda? Are you curious about whether MYST Online has the same frustratingly difficult but gorgeous puzzles as the original, or would you prefer that I return to my roots and spend some time on the EverQuest progression server? And, of course, there's my long-lost uncle whom I never got to know -- EverQuest II Extended. Maybe you'd prefer to see an EQII vet head to free-to-play land. Whatever the game, I'm looking forward to your help choosing my path, and if you are also playing, I hope to get to know some of you during my adventures. Make sure to get your votes in by 11:59 p.m. EDT on Sunday, April 17th!
Free for All: A week of scheduled playtimes
After a loose week of playing scheduled games, I can say that I have a lot of work to do to perfect my system. Once again, Tim and Jon from the Van Hemlock podcast are my inspiration. They are both dedicated to the art of playing games, to "finishing" games, almost to the point of obsession. It's certainly not for everyone, but they seem to maintain a real balance while skipping around. Perhaps the podcast they host helps them with this balance? I've hosted several podcasts over the years, so maybe putting my weekly gaming thoughts into audio form is necessary to keeping my sanity? In reality, what I need to do is just stick it out and stay the course. I am not sure of many things in this world, but I am positive that repetition and scheduling are more powerful than almost any plan. Humans are habitual creatures, even with their gaming. Especially with their gaming. Over this last week, I started to settle into the role of a scheduled player and even looked forward to it each night. Click past the cut and I'll let you know how it went.
EverQuest II prepares for The Children of War game update
Sony Online Entertainment's premier franchise EverQuest II has continued grow year after year. Following on the heels of EQII's latest expansion Destiny of Velious, the developers have announced a new update. Set to release on May 17th, the new addition to the EverQuest II storyline, The Children of War, will be the 60th update for the fantasy MMORPG. What's in store for fans? Well, are three new dungeons, a new battleground, new pvp armor, new daily missions, and three new raids enough to whet your appetite? The Children of War update tells us the story of Rallos Zek and the Fortress of Drunder. This ruthless general plans to lead his war parties up the cliffs leading to the Western Waste to pillage the power of Roehn Theer. Only the bravest warriors and adventurers will be able to circumvent his massive crusade. Check out the four new screenshots added to the gallery below, then for all the new content information, fly over to the EverQuest II official web site. Also, SOE is inviting former players to come back to the game and experience Norrath again. From April 14th to April 21st, eligible account-holders will be able to log in for seven days to claim their winged mounts, hang out with old friends, and fight some new enemies. %Gallery-116188%
New EQII producer's letter outlines roadmap for 2011
Recent layoffs at SOE may have caused a certain amount of trepidation in terms of future development on some of the company's most popular titles. Thankfully, the most recent Producer's Letter from Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson should put many EverQuest II players' minds at ease. He took some time to sit down and give us an outline of plans the EverQuest II developers have for 2011, indicating that things are very good for the game's future. Those who purchased the most recent expansion, Destiny of Velious, will be glad to hear that en route is even more content that will further expand on the Age's End Prophecy storyline. That content will only be available to those who picked up the expansion, however, so if you've been thinking about getting it, now would be a good time. Next up, it appears that Freeport is going to be getting a pretty heavy makeover both in terms of layout and what it will offer to players -- along with becoming a single zone open to flying mounts! We don't want to spoil you for all the interesting information mentioned, so if you're curious, head over to the EverQuest II site and check out the newest Producer's Letter.
The Tattered Notebook: The value of vanity
I always knew Gnomes were evil, but a Gnomish pirate?! This was too much. As much as I wanted that new horse of a different color mount from Bristlebane Day, I could barely stand the thought of having to go toe-to-toe with the cabbage-scented Captain Gnoggin. In a lopsided battle, I emerged victorious, and as I did my turn-in for the new Bristlebane Day quest, I was reminded that EverQuest II offers an enormous variety of unique house items and appearance clothing. Cosmetic items might not offer any real advantage in progression, but they speak to the depth of content in the game and the quality of life that players enjoy. Being able to create an amazing home or make yourself stand out with a unique look is a real luxury for players. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look back at the evolution of vanity items in game and take a look at a few easy ways that players of all levels can add a little bling to their lives.
The Tattered Notebook: Game improvements and a fundraiser for Japan
With the past week filled with PAX East and then an avalanche of PAX write-ups, I felt myself playing a bit of catch-up in EverQuest II. The playerbase is well into Velious content, so we're starting to hear lots of feedback and see lots of fine-tuning. With two updates this past week and Game Update 60 right around the corner, it's time to do a little spot check on what's going on in EverQuest II. Read on for a closer look at changes to public quests, primal velium shards, and a new daily shard quest. Also, find out how you can help with Japan disaster relief through a new in-game fundraiser.
SOE offers bonus Station Cash for using game cards
Paying for subscriptions with a credit card is definitely fast and easy, but if you're a regular Sony Online Entertainment game subscriber, you might want to consider switching to a game time card this month! As a way of rewarding players for picking up and paying with universal game cards, Sony Online Entertainment is giving players $10 worth of Station Cash (1,000 SC) just for redeeming a $15 universal game card. The nice thing about these cards? They can be redeemed for either a month's subscription to an SOE game or 1,500 Station Cash. However, to get the bonus cash, you'll have to redeem your card between 3:10 a.m. EDT (12:10 a.m. PDT) on March 17th and 2:59 a.m. on March 21st (11:59 p.m. PDT on March 20th). Along with getting an extra Station Cash reward for using a universal game card during those days, players will be entered into SOE's Luck of the Irish sweepstakes, the details of which should be out sometime this week. We'd also note that SOE's disclaimer indicates that the promotion is only available to gamers in the United States/District of Columbia and excludes Puerto Rico and other outlying territories. Keep your eye on the forums or the SOE Facebook account for all the sweepstakes information and official rules.
One Shots: A bibliophile's heaven
One of the fun things about One Shots is getting to drink in pictures of all the fabulous locales around the MMOGscape that we may never see otherwise. Today's fabulously detailed screenshot from EverQuest II comes to us from fellow blogger Araxes, aka Ratwarlock, who captured this image on his recent adventures and writes in: "This was taken in the Abandoned Lab, one of the Vasty Deep dungeons, released with last year's Sentinel's Fate expansion. Here we are looking at the library. The texture work in the Vasty Deep dungeons is incredibly detailed, and the columns of books in this room are a great example of that. What you don't see in this screenshot is the giant glass enclosure that surrounds this room, which is essentially an aquarium, complete with shark swimming by." Have a great screenshot from your recent travels? We'd love to see it! Just email it to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a note telling us more about what we're seeing in the image. Then keep an eye on the site, as yours could be one of the great images we feature here on One Shots. %Gallery-112285%
The Tattered Notebook: What will Velious bring?
It's been a long wait, but tomorrow, EverQuest II players will finally get to explore the frozen continent of Velious. Longtime players, including me, worried that the expansion would not pay tribute to the features that made the original Scars of Velious so popular. The official site isn't very reassuring, either, as it's dominated by announcements of appearance gear and marketing promotions. Veteran players are left feeling like the Wendy's lady, pointedly asking, "Where's the beef?" With the arrival of launch day, what will the Destiny of Velious expansion bring to players? Is there more to this expansion than flying mounts and cute othmir illusions? Read on to see what players might expect to see.
Free for All: Playing pretend and the Vanguard F2P experiment
For a little bit of fun, I decided to perform a mental experiment. You know that whole "make Vanguard free-to-play" thing? Well, let's just say that it happened. There, it's done. See? That wasn't so hard. All we had to do was close our eyes real tight, do the Slappy dance three times and wish with all of our heart and it was done. Of course, it's not that easy. We need to see exactly how our pretend free-to-play version got to where it is now and how it might pan out in the future. How did pretend Sony Online Entertainment do it? Is it confident that this pretend move might bring in more pretend players? Do pretend players translate to more pretend profit? Click past the cut and let's play with it. Leave your ideas in the comments section.
EverQuest becomes ever after: A talk with Linda Carlson of SOE
When it comes to getting involved with community, Sony Online Entertainment's Director of Global Community Relations Linda Carlson knows it well. Most often seen tromping around conventions dressed as her beer-craving Dwarven alter-ego Brasse, Carlson was a fixture at SOE's Fan Faire events and author of her own gaming comic long before she ever started working for the studio. As we had the chance to find out recently, this was due at least in part to EverQuest changing her life many, many years prior. While these days meeting up with someone you've met online is considered fairly commonplace, when you look back to the earliest days of MMO gaming, it generally was not something many people did. Even if you did meet someone from "on the computer," they tended to be folks from one or another BBS -- local connections that were easily made and just as easily dismissed. The idea of not only meeting someone online in a romantic fashion but leaving the country you live in to see him/her was considered completely insane. "What if you don't get along? Or what if he/she is a murderer?" your friends might ask, since this was all really new territory and nobody quite knew what would happen. Still, some early MMO gamers like Carlson gathered up their courage and took that gamble. In honor of Valentine's Day, we interviewed Carlson about how her EverQuest connection became an "ever after" -- join us after the break!
Massively's guide to Valentine's Day festivities
Ah spring! 'Tis the time when young men and women's thoughts turn to love -- or at least scoring some nifty holiday-themed loot! This year there's quite a bit going on. Some events are old familiar ones that have stood the test of time. Others offer new twists and things to do for those who have been there, done that. If you aren't feeling the love bug biting, there's even the odd anti-Valentine's-type event, perfect for those who would rather rain destruction down on the head of anyone foolish enough to approach him with anything heart-shaped or pink. Curious as to what's going on? Check out our listing below -- and feel free to chime in if you know of a fun event others should check out! Rip out your Fallen Earth character's heart for Valentine's Day (February 11th-13th) What's better than surviving a nuclear holocaust and wandering your way across a blasted brown landscape rife with societal collapse? Why, sharing said wanderings with someone you love, of course (or at least, someone you lust after in that we've-got-to-do-this-for-the-future-of-mankind sort of way). In a novel spin on the traditional mid-February holiday, Icarus Studios is presenting Fallen Earth's Valentine's Day Massacre event, and clones everywhere can literally offer their hearts as a sign of affection (and a +3 stamina buff). Vindictus spreads the love with new update and holiday (February 1st-15th) Quirky events have quickly become one of Vindictus' staples. Right now players can participate in V-Day events for special rewards. If fishing and chocolate hunting isn't your bag, you can simply purchase a Valentine's Package at the Supply Depot for "sexy Valentine's themed Inner Armor." Cute undies, in other words. Valentine's events will end after the 15th, so players are encouraged to partake sooner rather than regret it later. Time for love in Final Fantasy XI (February 1st-15th) Valentine's Day is almost here, that special time of year when you attempt to distill the essence of a romantic relationship into chocolate form. And if you were hoping to escape from the day within Vana'diel, your efforts are rather misdirected -- Valentione's Day coincides nicely with the holiday in the real world, with just as much saccharine summation of liaisons in Final Fantasy XI.
The Tattered Notebook: More on flying mounts, public quests, and prestige homes
SOE has been slowly getting new information out about Destiny of Velious. As part of an ongoing promotion to showcase the upcoming expansion, Senior Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson and Greg "Rothgar" Spence took part in the second installment of the Destiny of Velious webcast. They took the opportunity to elaborate on topics from the first show and also revealed some exciting new features. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at the highlights of last Friday's webcast. Read on to hear more about flying mounts, prestige housing, and public quests.
One Shots: Relaxing with an old friend
Every day we get tons of great screenshots from readers both old and new. However, among those emails are names that immediately jump out, such as today's One Shots contributor, Johanis -- a man who has sent in dozens of images to share his adventures with us over the last few years. Today we have a recent screenshot from EverQuest II and a note to tell us about what he's currently up to. Johanis writes: "Here is Pollo -- my level 32 Wizard in EverQuest II. While he was busy doing quests and harvesting materials in Butcherblock Mountains, he decided to stop and enjoy the scenery -- something none of us does enough." Would you like to share some images of your recent adventures? We're always on the hunt for more screenshots of the many different MMOs out there -- but we need your help. Email your screenshots in to us at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. We'll post it out here and give you the credit for sending it in! %Gallery-112285%
Free for All: The difference between East and West
Like many gamers, I find myself going through stages of obsession. Once in a while, I'll get on a PvP kick, followed by having a thing for immersion, then I'll be consumed by running dungeons or grinding. Lately I have been investigating older Western MMOs, games like Asheron's Call, Ultima Online, Anarchy Online, and EverQuest. While I have already played all of these titles at one time or another, they can become different games between visits. This recent kick of mine started me thinking about the first free-to-play MMOs I enjoyed, as well. The first one was either Flyff or Rose Online, around six or so years ago. I've chatted with a developer who used to work on Flyff, and she claimed that those were some of the very first free-to-plays to see success in North America. What are the differences between the two, Western and Eastern? Is there a difference? If there were, are there still differences between Eastern free-to-play games and Western games? Click past the cut and we'll take a look.
One Shots: So much for stealth
Sure, most of the continental US is suffering snowmageddon, but in EverQuest II, Frostfell left yesterday, so it's back to normal. Mind you, in a fantasy world, "normal" is a relative thing. Take, for example, today's One Shots from Araxes, aka Ratwarlock. This Froglok may think he's being all sneaky, but he might want to go over his Rogue training! Ratwarlock writes in to explain: "Here is one of my alts, trying to hide in the shadows -- the bright and sparkly shadows only Kelethin could provide. Frogloks never were much good at being inconspicuous, and Kelethin can be blindingly bright in the late afternoon and early evening. Of course, there is a fae two feet from him. And it is really, REALLY bright... he didn't think that one through." If you've found something silly in your favorite MMO, we'd love to see a screenshot of it. It's easy to do! Email your image in to us here at oneshots@massively.com along with your name, the name of the game, and a description of what we're seeing. Please make sure your images are at least 1024 pixels across and have no UI showing. Your image could be the next one we pick to post here on Massively! %Gallery-112285%
