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SOE president 'can't wait' to see EverQuest Next on PS4
In an interview with GamerHubTV, Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley hinted at a PlayStation 4 release for the studio's next big MMO, EverQuest Next. Smedley was coy on the details, explaining, "We haven't announced technically that we're putting it on the PlayStation 4, but it's fair to say that we're a Sony company, so I say that with a smile on my face. Can't wait to see it on PS4." Smedley cited the PS4's eight gigs of ram and connection to the PlayStation Network as major strengths for the SOE development team, claiming that developing for PS4 is like "developing on a really super high-end PC." SOE is no stranger to console MMOs; the studio brought both DC Universe Online and Free Realms to PlayStation 3 and is porting both DCUO and PlanetSide 2 to PS4 with the former already live.
The Daily Grind: Do you want to build or play content more?
Imagine an MMO where you had the power to both create and consume content in equal measure. Now wake up, because you were dreaming and I'm doing a Daily Grind here. But while you're here, let's talk about EverQuest Next Landmark. Those I've talked to who are on board the Landmark train (woo! woo!) seem to be divided as to what they want to get out of the experience. There are those who just want to sit around building and making content, and there are those who would much prefer to explore and see what others are up to. It made me think of The Sims, and how there's the two sides of the title: the building and the virtual life simulator. I prefer the building more there, but some are definitely in the other camp. So if you're given a choice, would you want to either build or play content in an MMO? 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!
SOE publishes new EQN Landmark producer's letter
SOE has released an EverQuest Next producer's letter for the month of November. Well, it's actually more of a video than a letter, but you get the idea. Your host is director of development Dave Georgeson, and he spends the clip's three-minute running time discussing Landmark and the recently concluded press tour. Georgeson says the tour was the first time that people outside of the dev team had a chance to lay hands on the product, and the result was plenty of useful feedback. Georgeson also teases some new lore that's on the way, but I won't spoil it for you here. Click past the cut to watch the clip!
EverQuest Next Landmark livestream delves into player-made structures
One of the most touted features of Sony Online Entertainment's upcoming EverQuest Next Landmark is most certainly the ability of players to alter the world and build their own structures within it. If you're a would-be architect who wants to get more details on EQN Landmark's construction process, then you're in luck because yesterday's official livestream consists of over 50 minutes of building-related questions, answers, and even gameplay. Of course, a 50 minute video can't be easily summarized without turning this article into a novella, but suffice it to say that the devs reveal plenty of tasty information morsels on topics including resource gathering, world size, territory control, and naturally, building construction. And if that isn't enough, the video also features a healthy dose of honest-to-goodness gameplay footage of a player-made structure being built in real time. For all this and more, check out the full EQN Landmark video after the cut.
The Daily Grind: What pre-orders were totally worth it?
Every time a studio announces a new game or expansion, there's always one issue that pops up early on for the community to consider: Is it worth it to buy the pre-order? EverQuest Next Landmark has its Founder's Packs now available, with all sorts of shinies including alpha access, beta head-starts, gear, inventory, and coveted forum titles. Forum titles, people! That's how the peons know that you're their better! Anyway, we were talking about what package might be worth it, and that led our staff into reminiscing about previous pre-orders. Some, of course, were a complete waste of money, but others delivered the goods quite admirably. So in retrospect, what pre-orders were totally worth buying? 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!
Here are a couple more EverQuest Next Landmark videos
Still have questions about the newly announced Founder's Packs for EverQuest Next Landmark? SOE has released a couple of videos that may fill in some blanks. The first clip features senior producer Terry Michaels talking about the basics including early access, special items, and the three tiers on offer. The second clip is a teaser trailer of sorts that shows off various in-game vistas as well as some of the game's construction and crafting possibilities. [Source: SOE press release]
Hands-on with EQ Next Landmark: Building my castle of dreams
If they can build it, they will come. When presented with the opportunity to get my hands on EverQuest Next Landmark and build something for myself, I leaped at the chance. Who hasn't been sitting back, eagerly awaiting the moment he could dive into the wilds of Landmark and let his creativity run rampant? As one half of the Some Assembly Required team, I knew it would be no great sacrifice to try out this upcoming beacon of player-generated-content. And man, was it worth it! I met with EverQuest Franchise Director Dave Georgeson to talk shop and check out Landmark's tools in my own personal hands-on pre-alpha experience. Instead of just gazing longingly at a screen while watching a demonstration, I got to test drive all the various building tools as I obsessively constructed my own amethyst castle. The only real problem I ran into was that my time ended all too soon, and now I must wait until February for the alpha to play again. So is it better to have built and lost than never to have built at all? I may have to get back to you on that when -- and if -- my withdrawals subside. Until then, here's the scoop on my experience along with a new video and some juicy tidbits of new info straight from Georgeson himself.
EverQuest Next Landmark Founders Packs, alpha announced
If you are anxious to get in and start building the home of your dreams (or treehouse or Orc-infested ruins or whatever) in EverQuest Next Landmark, you'll have that chance early next year if you purchase one of the newly announced Founders Packs. Players who want to get in on Landmark's alpha, which will launch on or before February 28th, 2014, can get access by purchasing the Explorer Pack for $59.99 or the Trailblazer Pack for $99.99 (with Trailblazers getting a headstart). Players who can hold off their building desires can buy the Settler Pack instead for $19.99 and get access to the first wave of beta testing that commences on or before March 31st, 2014. Each pack offers various other in-game perks such as titles, tools, storage pockets, and vaults. For a full list of all the goodies in each tier, check out the image below. And to learn more about EQN Landmark, read up on our our hands-on experience.
EverQuest Next's Georgeson teases cryptic tweet
Oh, Dave Georgeson, you coy rascal! What the heck does 11 11 11 11 mean? Georgeson, SOE's EverQuest franchise director and a prominent figure in the development of EverQuest Next, published the cryptic string of characters earlier this afternoon on his personal Twitter account. EQN's fan community of course hazarded a few guesses which ranged from a beta announcement at 11:11 a.m. on November 11th to some sort of binary code. Georgeson isn't talking, though, other than a follow-up tweet that shot down the beta rumor. So we're left to wait and wonder what the heck these numbers mean in relation to SOE's upcoming fantasy sandbox.
EQN Landmark video dev diary talks tools, materials
EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark lead designer Darrin McPherson is your host for the game's third video dev diary installment. The four-minute clip covers resource gathering and leveling up your tools, of which there are four types: a pick, a sickle, an axe, and a bucket. McPherson says there are five progression tiers and that players will be able to use each of the tools to create materials, "much like you would craft a recipe." The video shows off plenty of player-crafted material examples including riveted metal, wood flooring, gemstone blocks, and plenty more. There's also a brief walkthrough of a player-crafted castle around the three-minute mark. Get a good look via the video clip after the cut.
EverQuest Next may allow you to join multiple guilds
EverQuest Next's unique character structure is pushing SOE in the direction of allowing player characters to join more than one guild at a time. The community was nearly evenly split on the topic during the recent roundtable, with half loving the idea of one-guild-per-character, and the other half desiring a more... flexible arrangement. However, the studio saw a lot of discussion concerning creative ideas for connecting players with social groups. SOE is leaning toward allowing for multiple guild memberships because it anticipates that EverQuest Next's one-class-can-do-it-all flexibility will encourage players to reach out to several social circles. The following video posits situations like how a character may want to be in a social guild during the week but join a mass project guild for weekend work. Give it a watch and let us know what you think!
EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode
EverQuest Next Landmark's building projects will mostly take place in public although there might be a "black box" mode for private endeavors, SOE discussed in a new roundtable discussion. The developers explained that this issue wasn't something that's ever come up in other games, since Landmark is so different. Thirty-seven percent of players polled said they would like to build their creations in public, which the team found encouraging. There was concern about griefing, which the devs said shouldn't be an issue. When you stake a claim in the world, you're the only person who can build on it unless you give friends or the entire public permission to change that area. The playerbase also expressed concern about how to keep their player studio projects a secret so that other players can't rip off their ideas. SOE will look into giving such players a way to develop in private, although Landmark will remain focused on public building. However, there will be no offline mode for building because SOE believes that it defeats the social aspect of the game. Landmark's beta will begin this winter, with dates to be announced "in the next month or so," according to Dave Georgeson. You can watch the full discussion after the break.
SOE to run EQNext Landmark for all regions, offers beta sign-ups
European fans hesitant about working with Prosiebensat.1 will not have to worry about going through the company for EverQuest Next Landmark. SOE has just announced that due to the unique nature of the game, it will directly manage Landmark for Europe, North America, and all other regions. The official statement says, Since we are delivering an entirely new and unique approach to MMO game design and development with EverQuest Next Landmark, and given that SOE's Player Studio program is one of the cornerstones of EverQuest Next Landmark, SOE will directly manage EQNL and Player Studio for all regions. Players in all regions wanting to get in on Landmark's beta will use the same the same sign-up form. Beta for EverQuest Next, however, is still split into regions; EU players can sign up at either the EU site, the UK site, or the German site, while those in North America and all other regions head to one page.
New EverQuest Next Landmark screens show off possibilities
If you have been hungry for more images showing off the possibilities in EverQuest Next Landmark, Franchise Director Dave Georgeson might very well be your favorite person today! He just released via Twitter a number of screenshots depicting a small outpost keep he assembled yesterday in about four-hours time. With the images, players can get a look at architectural elements like arches as well as a variety of props, including a couch made out of totem pole pieces! See them all for yourself in the gallery below. For those of you eager to get in and show off your own creations, Georgeson noted that the alpha phase will be the only phase with an NDA. If you just want to see more of Landmark and EverQuest Next, keep your eyes peeled for the new livestream series; Senior Producer Terry Michaels announced in last night's Round Table livestream that players can expect to start seeing the game in future streams.
EverQuest Next debates which small race will make the cut for launch
The EverQuest Next team is tackling the issue of smaller races and is using a round table poll as a way to assist the devs in deciding which iconic shorties should make it to launch. While Dwarves are a given for a launch race, several other short races are up in the air as to whether they'll make it in the initial cut of the game or be held back until later. Fae and Gnomes ended up at the top of the poll, while Ratongas and Froglocks tied for last place. The devs were surprised by how popular the Fae ended up being in the poll, which in turn caused them to take a closer look at their potential as a launch race. One of the issues that the team is grappling with is the difficulty in giving shorter races the new "heroic movement" that will take place in EQN. Watch the debate after the cut!
EverQuest Next video producer's letter previews upcoming updates
SOE senior producer Terry Michaels has released a brief video producer's letter that talks about what fans can expect from EQN Landmark over the next few weeks. Michaels says that the devs will be talking about some as-yet-unannounced building tools as well as soliciting player feedback on said tools. He also mentions SOE's upcoming roundtable livestreams, the first of which is scheduled for this Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, there's more lore on the way including a new novella. Hear what Michaels has to say via the video after the break.
EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration
Today's EverQuest Next Landmark dev diary is all about globe-trotting, and no, we don't mean the kind that involves basketball trick-shots. In the latest dev diary video from the folks at Sony Online Entertainment, Creative Director Jeff Butler and Senior Art Director Rosie Rappaport sit down to give players a brief overview of why exploration matters in the upcoming reincarnation of Norrath. As you may already be aware, the world of EverQuest Next is made up of a number of procedurally generated continents, each with a number of diverse biomes to explore. While the motivation to explore in many MMOs is something to the tune of "kill things for XP and loot," the permeable nature of EQN's world adds a new layer of incentive. Each biome, as Butler and Rappaport explain, will contain a variety of different resources and materials that players can use to build their own structures within the world. The duo also addresses the existence of leylines, which, in addition to allowing players to travel around the world, give players the ability to travel between servers. And since players on each server will alter their world's landscape in different ways, there are plenty of opportunities for players to explore each server's unique version of the world. For more tasty exploration details, check out the full video past the cut.
EQN's Steve Klug talks voxels and making editing fun
Would you like to know more about EverQuest Next's voxel-powered sandbox? SOE technical director Steve Klug recently gave an interview at EQNexus that focuses on the technology used to power the fully destructible fantasy world. "There are many different approaches to rendering voxels, but they all boil down to what amounts to a three dimensional pixel," Klug explains. "Using voxels allows for a very editable world. They allow for meaningful destruction during combat situations. They also allow you to build the castle or dungeon of your dreams." Klug also says that players will have access to the same building tools that SOE's developers use. The company is attempting "to make all aspects of editing really fun," Klug says. "So we like to think of them more as games unto themselves than just plain tools."
EQ Next devs weigh in on friends lists in 8th Round Table Response
The seventh Round table question posed to EverQuest Next fans was whether friends lists should be account-based or character-based. And in the eighth dev response video, Senior Producer Terry Michaels and Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani discuss the direction the devs are taking based on player feedback. The most popular player answer, raking in more than half the votes, was to offer the option of adding friends by account but allowing a denial to show only that specific character on a friends list. Micheals noted that this was the direction the devs are going, pointing out that account-wide lists offers convenience for players who don't want to manage multiple friends lists, but also providing player privacy with the opt-out feature. At the end of the video seen below, Michaels slipped in a new question for players to answer: What other stereotypically character-based features would you like to see implemented account-wide? Offer your suggestions here and on the official site. And to watch all the other dev responses, check out our Round Table roundup.
EQ Next Landmark's first dev highlights harvesting, inventory
With EverQuest Next Landmark's focus on building, it's not surprising that the first dev diary would focus on gathering those materials needed for building up the world. In the video diary, Senior Producer Terry Michaels and Creative Director Jeff Butler reveal that over 50 different resources have already been defined in the game, such as gems, wood, and metals. Each resource type has five tiers; the higher the tier, the deeper in the world it will be found. Players will harvest these metals, gems, and wood to make better tools that will in turn harvest better resources. But resources are not the only thing players can find while exploring -- crafting recipes and objects that players can keep or break down into materials will also be discovered throughout Landmark. And of course, with players gathering so much, there needs to be a place to put it all. Butler and Michaels also talked about the three types of inventory space in game (personal, claim, and a vault) and noted that players can access anything put in a vault from any other vault, whereas items stored in chests at their claim are only accessible at the claim. All three inventories, however, can be expanded through play. You can check the full video clip after the cut.
