in-game-weather
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In-game weather is really important to the EQN Landmark community
EQN Landmark's latest roundtable video, hosted by SOE senior brand manager Omeed Dariani and senior producer Terry Michaels, is all about in-game weather. With the new technology behind the game, Michaels explains, SOE can make weather a major gameplay factor. Dariani says that the Landmark community responded with a resounding desire for immersion and for weather to be "a real part of the world." That said, Michaels explains that weather is not on the immediate roadmap for the next few months. It's a core system, he explains, "but it's not something that needs to come in before groups or guilds." Michaels also suggests that Jeremy Soule's music score will change based on seasonal or weather variations. Click past the cut to see the full discussion via SOE's latest roundtable video.
The Daily Grind: Is in-game weather important?
World of Warcraft introduced it early on, then largely abandoned it. Games like Battleground Europe, Fallen Earth, RIFT, and Lord of the Rings Online have it. PlanetSide 2 promises to have it. What am I talking about? Weather, of course (but you knew that because you read the title, you sly dog). Dynamic weather systems don't come standard in all MMOs, and even in the ones in which they appear, they aren't always noticed. For some, weather adds a layer of immersion that helps one pretend that one is in an actual world. For others, it's an annoying factor that reduces visibility and makes one wonder why the devs couldn't be putting their efforts to better use elsewhere. Storm clouds are sweeping in over this Daily Grind and a warm front of flames is predicted. What do you think? Are weather systems important (or at least welcomed), or are they just a waste of coding space? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
