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The Daily Grind: Why do you play an anthropomorphic race?
A Daily Grind discussion last week on MMO races that we detest got me thinking about anthropomorphic races -- you know, the animals-on-hind-legs dudes and dudettes. The frog-people. The cow-people. The cat-people. The wolf-people. The leopard-people. The rat-people. The lizard-people. The panda-people. Really, the sky's the limit when you can turn any animal into a humanoid playable race. I'm only disappointed that we haven't seen platypus-people or manatee-people yet in MMOs. Without bringing the "imaginary racism" this time, I'm genuinely curious what propels people to play an anthropomorphic race. The easy jab would be to say that it's just catering to the furries out there, but I think that's not universally true. What's the appeal of playing a dog-person? It can't just be racials such as "mark your territory" and "excess slobber." So I want to hear from the folks who play one of these races and hear what your reason is for picking an animal-humanoid character. Don't be defensive. I'm not attacking you; I'm merely curious. Is it the road less traveled? Is it an affection you have for a particular animal? Is it a rebellion against the boring fantasy races out there? 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!
One Shots: Whistling up a furious storm
When it comes to fancy mounts, you might think of having a mount that can take passengers, a unique mount you had to work extra-hard for, or perhaps one of the fanciest ones you've seen in the cash shop. However, unless you can harness the power of the weather to get around, we'd say this one stands a chance as being one of the most unique ones out there! Today's stormy EverQuest II picture (and witty title) comes in to us from fellow MMO blogger Araxes, aka Ratwarlock, who writes in to explain: "[Here's a picture of] my Sarnak Fury, crouched atop his magical storm cloud. The Sarnak have some great animations, and the way they peek out from this cloud as they fly along really looks great. It's pretty funny to see one go flying by, too. Of course, no Fury would be complete without a little lightning." One Shots is always on the lookout for more screenshots from readers. If you're playing an MMO we don't often see here, we'd love to hear from you. Just email your screenshot 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. We'll do the rest! %Gallery-112285%
One Shots: Riding to the Fields of Bone
With the recent talk of mounts here on Massively, we thought we'd show off one of the unique mounts that we've gotten a screenshot of lately. While many games boast horses, cats and the like, there's something intimidating about the idea of being run down by a heavily-armored rhino. Today's EverQuest II One Shots comes to us from Robert S. who writes: This is Firelore the 72 Warden, atop his newly acquired Rilissian rhino, just outside the Field of Bone. That mount just screams out for mounted combat, don't you think?Do you have a screenshot of a unique mount, or perhaps a cool-looking monster? If so we'd love to see them! Just send them to us here at oneshots AT massively.com. Yours could be next!%Gallery-9798%
Interview with Thomas Sincich, EQ2 character artist
SOE recently posted a new video developer chat. In this month's edition, Midori "Momochi" McDaniel chats with EverQuest 2 character artist Thomas Sincich, about his work on EQ2's fifth expansion and Legends of Norrath, his character work on the Arasai and Sarnak races, and his designs for epic armor and the Soulfire weapons. You can download the entire DevDiary chat and see some of Thomas' absolutely stunning artwork, but it's a bit large, so we've transcribed it here for your enjoyment. Click through the break to read the whole thing, and check out some of our previous EverQuest 2 developer interviews.
One Shots: A Sarnak cowboy sunset
Okay, we know EverQuest II isn't a western cowboy-type MMO, but this particular screenshot put us in mind of old-school cowboy TV shows from the 50's. It was sent in to us by Firelore, who plays a L42 Warden. It features the swirling winds and blazing sun of the Sinking Sands zone. We keep expecting to see tumbleweeds blowing by every time we look at it. If you've got an interesting image of your journeys, (with or without cowboy-themed vibe) what are you waiting for? Join the fun and send them to us at oneshots@massively.com! Add in a blurb about what you were doing/why it's so cool so the rest of us can share in your adventure, and voila. Yours could be the next up on One Shots!%Gallery-9798%
One Shots: The beach in Timorous Deep
Today I thought I'd show off a spot that I've been in somewhat recently that hasn't been shown here as yet. This screenshot is of the newest starting area in Everquest II. Timorous Deep was introduced in the most recent expansion, Rise of Kunark, which introduced the Sarnak as a new playable race. The architecture is heavily Asian influenced, as is the art style for the design of the Sarnak race -- their heads certainly resemble more traditional Eastern dragons. In any case, it was certainly a lovely area to play through for a just-starting character, so I snapped a screenshot on my machine to share!Have you seen a starting area or location in a game you've played that just looked really cool? If so, send those screenshots (and related quick info) to us at oneshots@massively.com. Your screens could be up here next for the world to see!%Gallery-9798%
EQ2 Sarnak dance movie
With every new playable race comes the most important element of them all: the new dance. For the Sarnak introduced in today's EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark expansion, that dance is a little different than what we've seen before.The Sarnak are a race of creatures magically bred from dragons. But the exact origins of their species is unknown, driving them on a quest to learn the truth about their people.SoE has reflected their ancient struggle with identity by giving them a tribal themed dance. My beta tour guide felt that the dance was also something popular among the Rugby crowd. Can anyone verify that?For the latest EQ2: RoK info, keep your browser on Massively today and the rest of the week.
Massively Sarnak starter quest guide
Let's face it. At some point after EverQuest II receives its Rise of Kunark expansion, you'll be making a Sarnak. Sure, you may not stick with it, or even take it very far at all, but you'll want to at least see what they're like and check out their newbie area. With that in mind, we present to you this sneak peek at beginning life as a Sarnak, including a detailed walk-through of the quests, and the characters and monsters found in this first snippet of Kunark. Whether you want to use the guide to blast through the early quests, or simply check out some screenshots in our quest-guide gallery, click on through for more.%Gallery-10174%
EQ2 Sarnak character creation video how-to
Servers are down for the EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark expansion patch and you can't wait to make your new Sarnak. Now you don't have to wait. Almost.Massively knows you dream of how your new toon is going to look so we are giving you a head start. This 8+ minute video shows all the options in creating a Sarnak at the character creation screen.Horn length, horn angle, head horns, scale patterns, scale colors, nose, chin and jaw shape. You name it, we covered it. Watch it a few times and when the servers come back up, you'll already know what options you want and you'll be ready to play.Keep checking in on Massively for the latest news on EQ2: RoK as well as two more videos spotlighting the unique characteristics of the Sarnak coming your way today.
Rise of Kunark interview with Scott Hartsman
We almost missed this one, but Massively's own Michael Zenke put together a terrific interview with Everquest II Senior Producer Scott Hartsman about Rise of Kunark, the upcoming expansion, which features lizard-men called Sarnaks. You know any game that features lizardmen already has a lot going for it, and from what we saw in Dan's walkthrough, lizardmen are just the beginning..Zenke and Harsman talk about developing the game (this is the first expansion that's had almost a full year for development), and the ambitious schedule for all of EQ2's development-- Hartsman says that the advent of WoW was a kick in the pants for all MMO developers, and that it set the bar not just for competition, but for survival. They also cover what there is to find in Kunark-- Hartsman especially loves the storyline on the war between the Sarnak and the Spirroc (parrotmen, apparently-- what will they think of next?!), and the updated tradeskills, which should offer lots of interesting items for crafters and consumers alike.Definitely a must-read if you're interested in the new expansion (or if you have fond memories of Kunark in the original Everquest).
The Massively EQ2: Rise of Kunark beta tour
The continent of Kunark holds special memories for long-time EverQuest players. It was the focus of the first expansion of the original game, The Ruins of Kunark, and it opened up the world of Norrath in many new ways. It introduced the first level cap increase, the first zones dedicated to raid content and the best class weapons in the game through epic quests, some of which took over nine months to fully discover.EverQuest II is looking to recapture that magic with their fourth major expansion, The Rise of Kunark. And from the tour of the new expansions lands I had last week, I would say they've done a damn fine job.You've probably already heard about the level cap increase from 70 to 80, the new playable Sarnak race with a new starting city, the new Rhino mount and the return of Epic Weapons. But there may be a few things you haven't yet learned. Things revealed to me when Community Manager Grimwell led me into the jungles of continent both familiar and strange.
We're giving away 15 EQ2 expansion beta keys
To celebrate the launch of Massively, Sony Online Entertainment has graced us with 15 beta keys for their upcoming expansion, EverQuest II: The Rise of Kunark. Unlike those other sites giving away beta keys, we're not even going to make you work for it.That's right, no creative writing contests or screenshot submissions or badly cut machinima efforts to apply. Just post below in the comments section before Saturday, November 3, 2007 at 11:59pm. We'll choose among them randomly and send the winners a beta key with instructions on getting into Kunark.Though we are free-wheeling with the beta key love, there are two restrictions that you should know about. First, you will need to have a paid subscription to EverQuest II. The beta key doesn't work if you're not already paying for the game. Second, you will have to agree to a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). This means no talking about what you see or posting screenshots until the NDA is lifted.If you wanted to try out the new Sarnak playable race before everyone else, this is your chance. What are you waiting for? Get to commenting!EDIT: Give-away is over! E-mails are all out to the winners. For those who didn't get in, keep an eye on Massively for, well, massive coverage of EQ2. First with our beta walkthrough feature. Then, when the NDA lifts.
EverQuest II upcoming expansion details: Set sail for the Rise of Kunark
Since we've now heard that pre-orders are becoming available for the fourth expansion to EverQuest II, expected to be released November 13th, let's take a look at what players will have to look forward to. Rise of Kunark will focus on the continent of Kunark, including its dragon-lizard inhabitants, the Sarnak. Veterans of the first EverQuest game may remember these annoying fellows, introduced during its first expansion, and be keen to relive old memories by relentlessly hunting them down all over again. But this time around, you can expect them to have a little help.The Sarnak will be greatly bolstering their numbers, as for the first time they become a playable race. Sarnaks will have their own new starting city located in the islands of the Timorous Deep, and the surrounding areas will support advancement to around level 20. The Kunark mainland is designed for the upper echelon of levels, and the expansion itself includes an increase of the existing level cap from 70 to 80. Along with the raising of the level cap and new race, other highlights of Rise of Kunark include an increase in the current achievement point limit of 100 to 140, and a new player mount, the Kunarkian Rhinoceros (which for some reason instantly brings to mind Donkey Kong Country and the rampaging Rambi) to traverse the lands upon. There will of course be new dungeons and raid encounters for the high level folks to sink their teeth into, with Veeshan's Peak (making its return from the original EverQuest) for the top raiders. You can read about the expansion or pre-order the game from Sony's Station Store. Those that pre-order will receive a new pet for their house, a Burynai Seeker. If you wanted to give the game a go before the expansion hits, EQ2's main page includes a download link to a 14-day free trial.
