jake-sones
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Landmark roundtable video on giving the toolset love
In this week's Landmark roundtable video, SOE Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani is joined by Lead Building and UI Designer Jake Sones to discuss the results of a player poll about which Landmark tool needs the most work and love. Sones tells viewers that the results of the poll were even; apparently there's no one tool that needs serious work, just plenty of player sentiment that many of them need something. He specifically addresses changes being made to how tweak mode handles pasting large objects; ideally, the game will detach the preview from the mouse cursor and provide menus similar to those used by the prop tool. The pair also explain the studio's hesitation in implementing specialized and redundant tools like the cylinder tool, citing microvoxels -- a feature the developers didn't even know the game could do -- as something players came up with that might never have been discovered had every imaginable tool already existed to stifle their creativity. Enjoy the full video!
Norrathian Notebook: EverQuest Next Round Table roundup, round three
Quick on the heels of our second Round Table roundup for EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark comes the third, filled with the next bushel of questions! In these (lucky) seven queries, devs asked players to give their opinions on starter zones, modding the UI, length of the day and night cycle, grouping, preferred Landmark building styles, and the role of NPC merchants. And of course, devs also offered their personal opinions on these topics. Did you participate in all the polls the first time through? If not, we've got them all right here for you. Go ahead and join in the discussions; it is never too late to voice your opinions! You never know when your comment might be the one that turns the tide of thinking or offers a new solution no one had considered before.
EverQuest Next to feature a moddable UI
We're going to go ahead and just spoil the outcome of the most recent EverQuest Next roundtable discussion because Lead UI Designer Jake Sones answers the central question within seconds of the video's start. Yes, EverQuest Next will have a modifiable UI, and while EverQuest Next Landmark won't have the option at launch, it will be built to allow it in the future. Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani still has more questions to ask Mr. Sones over the video's full running time, but they're about not the if but the how. Sones explains that the team is hoping to build the best possible UI for the game right out of the box, but everyone's idea of what is best will be different. So in addition to building a solid core UI, the developers need to leave space for players to modify the interface according to their needs. Take a look at the full video past the cut for more views on the overall process of making a modifiable interface at launch.
The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest Next roundtable roundup, take two
Back in September, The Tattered Notebook gathered together the first 10 roundtable questions that EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark devs posed to fans, with their accompanying community thoughts, developer opinions, and video clip answers. However, that was only the tip of the iceberg. The Round Table discussions were not just an introductory fad; they are a permanent part of the development process. As such, new polls are put up every week for fans to vote on and to post their own feedback and thoughts about on the forum. So now that a couple of months have passed, it's time to round up the next wave of questions in one central location, focusing this time on the six questions with dev responses. Maybe there is a query or two that you missed as the weeks rolled by, or maybe you just want to see what direction the community is leaning. Got some strong opinions about death penalties or fast travel in EverQuest Next? What about in-game holidays? This is definitely the time to share them!
EQ Next's third round table response focuses on Landmark tools
Each week, EverQuest Next devs throw out a new question for players to weigh in on through voting and forum discussion. Then after gathering all the comments, devs put out a video to respond to the conversation. This past week's question focused on the desired complexity of EverQuest Landmark's design tools. Lead Building and UI designer Jake Sones and Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani got behind the camera to respond to player feedback. In a nutshell, players like powerful tools, but want them to be user-friendly. Complexity will come in the form of unlocking more advanced tools as a user becomes more skilled in using current ones. You can catch all the details in the clip after the cut.
