rick-reynolds
Latest
The Tattered Notebook: A closer look at Player Studio with SOE's Joe Shoopack and Rick Reynolds
Just a few days ago, SOE launched the first wave of items submitted by players through Player Studio. EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms all have player-made items for sale in the Marketplace; the players who created the items receive 40% of the revenue. EverQuest launched its first player-made weapon, the Stormlord's Bludgeon; EverQuest II featured the Heroic Salesman's Chest and Cloak of the North Star; and Free Realms revealed the Swirly Railed Gazebo and Happy Heart T-Shirt. We had a chance to talk to Rick Reynolds, Senior Manager of SOE's E-Commerce team, and Joe Shoopack, Director of Artistic Development, both of whom have played key roles in the successful launch of Player Studio. They shared insight into what goes on behind the scenes after a player submits an item, and they hinted at future plans for the system. Read on!
SOE launching first Player Studio items for EQ, EQ II, Free Realms
During SOE Live, we got a more in-depth look at Sony Online Entertainment's Player Studio, a new feature where players can design items to be sold to others in game via the marketplace. Today, EverQuest, EverQuest II, and Free Realms will see some of those player-created items go live! When checking the in-game store today, EverQuest II players will find the cloak of the North Star and the heroic salesman's crate. Free Realms fans will get to choose a swirly-railed gazebo or a happy heart T-shirt. In EverQuest, hammer users will have a new skin they can slap on their weapon. Although this first wave of Player Studio items is not very extensive for any of the games, SOE has over 60 other trinkets spread across the three games ready to go, and more stuff will be introduced each week. Be sure to check the Tattered Notebook this Saturday for even more details and an interview with Rick Reynolds, SOE's Senior Manager of E-Commerce and Joe Shoopack, Director of Artistic Development!
SOE community webcast focuses on Player Studio
User-generated content is an awesome way to breathe life into games (and cash into your wallet, if you don't mind stretching that metaphor to the breaking point). Sony Online Entertainment's Player Studio has been generating interest since its introduction as a way for EverQuest, EverQuest II, Free Realms, and (eventually) Vanguard players to create and sell their own in-game items. In response to that interest, SOE's most recent community webcast focuses the spotlight on the Player Studio, with input from Director of Artistic Development Joe Shoopack, Sr. Manager of E-Commerce Rick Reynolds, and Global Community Relations Director Linda Carlson. Together, they talk players through the idea of the Player Studio and its origins in the wealth of fanart and persistent excitement about the games involved, what sort of effort will go into making items, and the magical journey that a submission undertakes before it emerges as a full-fledged, purchasable asset. While some of the initial item possibilities are still being nailed down, players can expect to be able to submit housing items, weapons, and shields for EQ, cloaks and housing items for EQII, and similar items for the other games. Skip below the cut to let the pros speak for themselves.
"Holiday" edition of AoC box in the works; 360 version on track for late 2009
In another of Funcom's E3 interviews (this time with MMORPG.com) Erling Ellingsen and Senior Marketing Manager Rick Reynolds discussed a new edition of Age of Conan which they hope to release in time for the holidays. For now they could not say what else this version might entail besides a fancy box (Keaira with a big candy cane?), but it may be something along the lines of a unique piece of gear -- undoubtedly it won't have any must-have function after the Totem of Origins debacle.A lot of the rest of the interview runs similar to what we've seen already, but there is a brief mention of the Kingship system. We don't really find out anything that wasn't mentioned in the newsletter which announced the system back in June, although Ellingsen and Reynolds commented that graphics engine improvements currently being made should allow "hundreds" more players to participate in massive PvP without issues.The last section of the interview covers the Xbox 360 version of AoC, which is slated for a release at the end of 2009. These uber-latecomers will be able to choose between mixed platform servers, or a console-only affair.
