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Froech's last EQII Producer's Letter addresses item procs in TSO
As we found out earlier, Bruce "Froech" Ferguson is no longer the producer for EverQuest II. Before he left though, he penned one last Producer's Letter to the community to discuss some changes to item procs that will be coming with Game Update 52. It seems that items from The Shadow Odyssey that proc damage were getting a little out of hand, and a few nerfs will be applied to keep things under control. There are two main changes that will be made: firstly, critical damage will be removed from an item's base proc; secondly, the values of procs will not be subject to most modifications any more, meaning that generic bonuses will not make the procs bigger. Ferguson says that if these things are fixed, then items can be introduced later with intentionally large procs without fear of them growing too big through the aforementioned mechanics. In relation to these changes, some Predator spells will also be adjusted.Aside from item proc issues, the letter still does not tell us where Froech will be headed next, apart from confirming that he will remain in the SOE family.
Alan "Brenlo" Crosby moves into EQII's Senior Producer role
It looks like it's not just EverQuest that is getting a new producer -- Alan "Brenlo" Crosby, formerly in charge of the Community Relations team, will be assuming the role of Senior Producer for EverQuest II. He made this fact known himself on the official forums, which is fitting considering his previous title. His introductory post explained that, although his current and former jobs technically differ quite a lot, the underlying skills required for both fall under the area of management, so the move wasn't as strange as it might seem to some. He's chuffed about what's coming up in Game Update 52, and he mentioned that Game Update 53 is just as exciting -- but we probably won't see anything about that one for a while yet.Brenlo will be taking over for Bruce "Froech" Ferguson, who was in the senior producer role for about a year and a half. The forum post does mention that Froech will still be with SOE, but it doesn't reveal where. As for the Community Relations team, Richard "Greeblen" Schmelter will be filling Brenlo's old position.
EverQuest II Producer's Letter lays out changes coming to the game
The latest producer's letter for EverQuest II, from Senior Producer Bruce A. Ferguson (aka "Froech"), is a bit of a look back at how The Shadow Odyssey expansion was received by the players. More than that, it's a look ahead to the changes SOE wants to make with the Fighter classes. Ferguson writes, "Last summer, at Fan Faire, we discussed making some changes to the Fighter classes, in order to bring them back in line with our original vision, where all fighters manage their own aggro, instead of relying on other group members to channel them some hate. Making some of these changes will broaden the desirability of all Fighter classes, and help increase their role in groups, without altering others." Those changes aren't something SOE is simply rolling out, and they've been releasing the Fighter revamp in stages following some lengthy testing. To that end, they're still hoping to get the feedback of players trying out these changes on the Test server. Beyond class balancing, Ferguson drops some info about what EverQuest II players can expect in the short term:
Massively's readers (you) interview EQ2's Senior Producer
About two weeks ago we asked you to pass on some questions we could give to the EverQuest 2 team. Our own team of bloggers and columnists pitched in a few questions as well, and we brought the best of those to the attention of EQ2's Senior Producer Bruce Ferguson. He answered several of our questions in-depth, though some of his answers may not be exactly what you were hoping to hear.Read on below the cut to see your questions answered! Mr. Ferguson chats about the purpose of the Living Legacy program, future plans for developing PvP in the game, and even tackles that burning question about solo vs. group play. Also, about the possibility of flying mounts in Norrath ...
EverQuest 2 senior producer announces new zone, live content
Bruce Ferguson, senior producer on EverQuest 2, has put up a letter on the official game website outlining a number of the new gameplay pieces coming over the new few months. Tying into the Living Legacy promotion, numerous live events are slated to explore the world of Norrath like never before. Most exciting is Ferguson's announcement that the city of Veksar will be introduced to the game, a player-favorite from the days of the original EverQuest. Once submerged on the floor of the Lake of Ill Omen, where it stands in the Norrath of EQ2 is anyone's guess.Ferguson also touches on some of the initiatives we've explored here on the site, like the revamp to the Runnyeye dungeon, the Void Invasion, and upcoming double XP weekends. If you're wondering when you can get double your effort, the first opportunity starts tomorrow! 6.14.08 - 6.15.08 and 6.28.08 - 6.29.08 are the weekends in question; make sure to read the full letter to get all the details.
EverQuest II's senior producer on SOE's Living Legacy
Bruce Ferguson is both new to the EverQuest II team, and an old hand as well. Bruce was with the team back when the game first launched, and just a few months after his return we sat down to chat about the intriguing new Living Legacy program. Overlapping between the sequel and the original EverQuest, this ambitious recall program may be even more meaningful for EQ2 than the original game.Many players were thrown by the launch game's strange approach to design. Locked encounters, a confusing class system, and numerous idiosyncrasies plagued early EQ2 players. The EverQuest 2 of today, in contrast, is a study in listening to the needs of the players. Join us as Mr. Ferguson explains a bit of that philosophy, talks about the numerous bonus XP weekends coming up, and hints at the many live events that will tie the past into the future with the next EQ2 expansion.
EQ2 Game Update 42 to include epic quests
We have already had a preview of what is in store for EverQuest II's Game Update 42 with the recent patch notes for the Test server -- some new deities, house mannequins to display weapons and armor, a connection stats window etc. However, it appears that the Live server version of this update will implement, at long last, the epic weapon quests. The epic quests had originally been slated to release with the Rise of Kunark expansion, but due to the San Diego fires, development was pushed back. To make the original release after their setbacks would have meant a compromise to the quality of the quests or to the quality of the expansion, depending on how they channeled their resources, and neither of these options were preferable for the development team.EQII producer Bruce Ferguson has talked in the past about the epic quests, and in the above producer's letter, he mentions how careful the team is being with information relating to their completion. This is of course the reason that the quests were not released on Test along with the other GU42 features, as there would likely be a detailed walkthrough somewhere on the web before they even went live. Ferguson says that the team is on schedule and they hope to release GU42 in early February.
Bruce Ferguson on EQII's Epic Weapon quests
Like many EverQuest II players, you may have been disappointed to learn that the Epic quests were not being released alongside the Rise of Kunark expansion as was originally planned. Now-former senior producer for EQII Scott Hartsman let the community know that this was due to the San Diego fires, but Clockwork Gamer recently had an interview with Hartsman's successor Bruce Ferguson who was able to tell us a little more about the Epic quests.Among other things, we find out that the Epic quests should be released together, as opposed to be rolled out for different classes at different times. They will all be weapons (no shields, armor or anything like that) and most of the effects on these weapons will be unique to the Epics. Ferguson also says that Game Update 42 will introduce a feature that lets you display items in your house without changing them into something else, by putting them in a display case.Follow the related story link to read the full interview at Clockwork Gamer.
Senior producer for EverQuest II Bruce "Froech" Ferguson interviewed
Now that Scott Hartsman has stepped down as senior producer for EverQuest II, the folks at EQ2 Players decided to interview his replacement, Bruce "Froech" Ferguson. Ferguson is no newbie to EQII, and his appointment to senior producer marks his return to the game after spending a few years as a project manager for Sony Online Entertainment in general.In the interview, we find out about his feelings on returning to EQII, what exactly the position of senior producer entails, his gaming background, the future of EQII, and some other fun stuff. The interview is also available in audio form, so if your tired eyes need a rest from a hard day prowling the internets, you can let your ears take over for a bit -- otherwise, follow the related story link for the full interview.
