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The EverQuest II year in review
TenTonHammer's Coyote Sharptongue has a up a rundown on momentous year for EverQuest 2. From the echoes of Echoes of Faydwer to the rising respect for Rise of Kunark, I'm going to say 2007 was easily the best year SOE's flagship game has had since its launch in 2004. Excitement among the playerbase is high, hints are that people are returning to the game or trying it out for the first time, and the newest expansion is getting a lot of positive feedback from gamers who have pushed past their initial anti-soloing impressions.Coyote discusses the impact Faydwer had on the game early in '07, and then goes on to discuss the Estate of Unrest, Fan Faire, and RoK.Phat Lewts. Unrest offered it in abundance...IF you could survive long enough to enjoy your riches. Set towards what was at the time "end game" the Estate of Unrest offered something that no other expansion or update had ever offered before. A chance to crap yourself. Creepy dolls coming to life, disembodied whispers and howling, ghostly laughter mocking the fact that you just turned on every light in the room in which you sat. If you allowed it, the zone could easily submerge you in its doom and gloom and suck you into the game play. I like Coyote's list a lot, but it definitely left something out ... where's the love for the Arasai?
SOE President crushes EQ2 / Live Gamer speculation
This past weekend, Sony Online Entertainment's Grand Poobah, alias John Smedley, was out and about dousing the fires and dismissed SOE's alleged takeover by Zapak. (SOE had for a measly 300 million? What a crock.) During his flurry, Smedley also dispelled the crazy speculation talk regarding SOE's new partnership with Live Gamer over on the lovable EQ2 Flames. After the initial announcement regarding the two joining forces; the hysteria pot stirred yet again. The biggest concern was that the grey-market service would intrude on EQ2's non-Station Exchange servers."We aren't going to be allowing RMT in any way, shape or form on the non-exchange enabled EQ II servers. Period. End of statement. If we catch people, we ban them and have been for a long time now. The truth of the matter is it's very difficult to combat them, but we have people at SOE who fight the good fight each and every day. In the near future you're going to see us becoming a lot more public about this then we ever have been. I think we've done a bad job at communicating just how seriously we take this fight.We're interested in working with LiveGamer because they are unique in the RMT world due to the fact that they are pledging (and are putting technology behind it) to not buy from farmers. Farmers are the bane of our existence at SOE. They cause us endless amounts of grief and do real financial damage in a meaningful way."
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.
SOE caught red-handed: EQ2 Player / Dev relationship breached ethical boundaries
Several days ago Massively reported that EQ2 Flames administrator broke the story on a scandal that regards numerous members from Unhallowed Triad, a guild on EQ2's Test server that was transferred to Unrest, a Live server through an inside connection at SOE. Character transfers from the Test server to a Live one is not allowed and against current SOE transfer policy; albeit, the EULA has a clause that SOE may change this policy at any time. However, the case is made that a Player / Dev affiliation has led to corruption, leaving many infuriated players with lots of unanswered questions as seen in these two threadnaughts. To recap for those not following this closely or wanting to sift through 100+ pages on the forums: SOE employee(s) abused their power breaking various codes of ethics (confirmed & guilty) Numerous Test players accuse Unhallowed Triad with a history of exploitation and getting away with it in due part to their SOE connection (rumors) Someone at SOE made the call to transfer Test characters to a Live server breaking policy (confirmed & guilty) Not only were characters transferred to Unrest, but items as well. Unhallowed Triad's Guild level was also inflated to 60. (confirmed & guilty) Many Unhallowed Triad guild members admitted to transferring off test in Assassin's chat (confirmed) Several Unhallowed Triad guild members were transferred unknowingly (more than likely) Legitimately leveled characters belonging to several Unhallowed Triad members were transferred over from other servers or already leveled on the Unrest server (confirmed) Unhallowed Triad guild tag no longer exists but there other guild tag Unholy Trinity exists and their Guild level stands at 30 (confirmed) All players on the Test server have not been given the same opportunity to transfer to a Live server The evidence found via EQ2 Players alone is overwhelming. So much so that it's impossible to sweep all the allegations under-the-rug. Initially, SOE was quick to react as both Alan "Brenlo" Crosby, Director of Global Community Relations and Bruce "Froech" Ferguson, EQ2's new Senior Producer admitted to SOE's involvement. Well, rather that someone at SOE made the call to override the policy, but in a good natured manner to reward certain players for their hard work on the Test server. Not a smart choice of words or tone given EQ2 players warranted concerns. In any case, Ferguson claims the transferred characters will be removed. Since their initial statements and response there has been no further word from a SOE representative on this matter.
EQII's senior producer resigns
On his personal blog, Scott Hartsman has reposted a farewell letter to the EQ2 community. Originally put up on the official boards, Hartsman has been EverQuest 2's Senior Producer for some years; prior to that he worked on the game in a technical capacity. In the letter, he has glowing things to say about his time with Sony Online Entertainment but remains vague about where he is going next.It's time for me to see what else is out there waiting to be built. It might even end up being something involving SOE. Regardless, I'm sure we'll get a chance to meet up again, whether I'm making new MMOs, continuing to play them, or talking about them on the internet. I wouldn't be leaving SOE if I wasn't positive that the responsibility for EQ2 was being left in the right hands. Taking over for me is Bruce "Froech" Ferguson. Some of you will remember his name from EQ2 beta, others of you may have met him at Fan Faires. If you have met him, you know he's one of the most straightforward guys you'll ever be lucky enough to meet.Hartsman goes on to describe some of Ferguson's credentials. He also uses the term 'we' when describing his new venture, indicating he's already associated with a new project. Whether that's an all-new game or one of the numerous companies currently in 'silent running mode' isn't clear. For more on this, check out our discussion of the rumours of his departure from late last month and expect more as it becomes public.
Save Santug this Frostfell with Legends of Norrath
SoE is really keeping Legends of Norrath players busy, with all of the special events as of late, and today we've learned of yet another. LoN is getting involved in the Frostfell fun with the "Saving Santug" promotion. Players are tasked with defeating the mean Grinnuch to free Santug Claugg. Although anyone would surely save poor old Santug out of the goodness of their heart, you'll be rewarded for your efforts with Santug's own promotional card.As well as the Grinnuch event, any participant in a Holiday Bonus Tournament will get a Santug's Stocking pack that includes items randomly selected from a list (full list after the break), and not all of these items are in-game -- you can score yourself a Legends of Norrath poster, or one of five framed and signed sets of the Jim Lee Oathbound cards. The winner of the each Holiday Bonus Tournament will get a foil version of one of three Santug Claugg promotion cards, one of which is a Lump of Coal with no stats -- nice.On top of all this, log in on the 25th of December for an extra special stocking stuffer surprise. The Saving Santug promotion will bring Frostfell cheer to LoN players from December 21st through January 2nd.
EQ2 community zone reviews: Runnyeye
The EQ2 Players site hosts a player-written review of one of EverQuest II's zones every week, and this week the focus is the goblin dungeon Runnyeye. Player Xalmat of the Permafrost server shares his knowledge of the zone, including the basics like how to get there and what level you should be to visit, to a detailed and lengthy rundown of strategies to use when moving through the zone, and even a handy list of some named mobs to look out for.
New loot cards revealed for Legends of Norrath expansion Forsworn
Last month we reported on a new expansion for Legends of Norrath by the name of Forsworn. We now know that Forsworn will be released on the 19th of December, and leading up to this date, the EQ2players site is showing off the loot cards that the expansion will bring for both EverQuest and EverQuest II.The feature shows off every loot card, including this sexy pale rhino mount, that will be introduced, 44 in total split evenly between EQ1 and EQ2. As a reminder of some other major features being brought to LoN in Forsworn, there will be 2 on 2 multiplayer, raids involving a group of players bringing their decks and taking on an NPC boss together, and some new single player scenarios. If you want to brush up your skills prior to the expansion, or beef up your card library, there is a tournament going that offers some special cards and booster pack prizes -- but it's only for this weekend, so hurry along if you want to be involved.
Game Update 41 available on EQ2 Test Server
It's the time of year again where EverQuest II's Norrathian residents prepare to celebrate Frostfell, and the Gibblegibbers make their rounds of the major cities to offer quests and presents for the holidays. If you simply can't wait to get in to the Frostfell content, then you don't have to -- Game Update 41 has gone live on the test server, and Frostfell, among other updates, is in full swing.Apart from the Gibblegibbers, the update allows you to visit the Frostfell Wonderland Village to craft presents, do more holiday-themed quests and purchase Frostfell items. Gardy Giftgiver, the famous Frostfell elf, also makes a return and will provide one gift each day per character.It's not all Frostfell with Game Update 41 though, and there is a large list of changes and fixes in the test notes. It looks like there are a lot of important things on the list, too many to comment on them all, but here's a few: the Sarnak language primer can now be purchased, lava damage can be resisted, Exquisite Chests will always contain a Fabled item, Armorers and Tailors can make better Mastercrafted armor at all levels, and you can harvest while being attacked again. Phew! The rest of the exhausting list of updates has been posted after the break for your convenience.
Firiona Vie tournament this weekend for Legends of Norrath
EQ2Players informs us of yet another Legends of Norrath tournament this weekend. The theme this time around is Firiona Vie, and every participant in the weekend's tournaments will receive the Firiona Vie, Guardian of Growth card. Everyone will also get a choice between two different loot cards, one for EverQuest and the other EverQuest II, and each of those result in a shapeshift illusion item that buffs the player with a damage shield.The tournament begins at 7:00AM PST on Saturday and concludes at 9:00PM PST on Sunday. The overall winner will get 9 Oathbound booster packs, and the other top-ranking entrants will get between 8 and 4, but everyone who enters will receive 3 packs. So in the end, everyone will get at the minimum 3 booster packs, the Firiona Vie card, and their choice of one of two loot cards -- just for participating. Not too shabby. The fee for entering this contest is 10 event passes.
Behind the Curtain: Making your own lore with Fan Fiction
Last week, I spoke about lore, story and ideas for evolving World of Warcraft. I can't quite remember how, but it got me thinking about how we could create our own content in any game we might play, not just WoW. I came up with two answers – Role Playing and Fan Fiction. There are better writers than I who know more about Role Playing, and I'll not embarrass myself by trying, so I'd like to speak about Fan Fiction today. Like many other people out there, some of the experiences I've had in MMOs have been just as exciting, frustrating and rewarding as some offline ones. Much of my time away from the computer is spent planning how best to maximise the time I'll be spending online, and how best to wring every last bit of content out of my experiences in-game. For a lot of players, not matter how immersive the game experience is, it's simply not enough, and the static nature of a game's story frustrates them to the point where they are driven to expand on it themselves. Or perhaps they simply don't want to be restricted to the game mechanics to tell their character's story.
Magazine comes with EQ2 in-game item
EverQuest II's new Rise of Kunark expansion is the cover story of the November/December issue of Beckett Massive Online Gamer Magazine. That's fun in and of itself, but it's particularly worth mentioning because anyone who buys the magazine will get a code with which to claim an in-game item.The item is "a portrait of Venril Sathir, the infamous Iksar warlord" which can be displayed in players' houses. SOE has done several free-in-game-item promotions before, but something this small and insignificant is likely only to draw the hardcore EQ2 fans who would have bought the magazine because of the article anyway. But an extra bonus can't hurt, can it?
EQ2: RoK's screwy itemization to result in upcoming nerfs
I guess the leveling and itemization EQ2 devs cranked up the ez-mode a little too far, and completely spaced off during RoK's beta phase. Fyreflyte, dev extraordinaire, popped by the official EQ2 boards yesterday to deliver the news that a rather large tune (nerf) is in-store for the effects found on Rise of Kunark's Treasured items, such as Overflow and Divine Restoration. The reason given for the upcoming nerfs is that while effects will automatically scale down on lower quality gear, given how easy it is to acquire these items they did not scale down enough resulting in a huge imbalance as these effects were intended for Legendary quality gear and not Treasured. O'rly? The stats on the items will remain the same, but the effects power will subside by at least 1/3 in some cases. Swinging the ole' nerf bat on items doesn't end there as the four rewards from the Anaphylaxis quest will be nerfed from Fabled to Legendary quality. Don't you love the pleasantries like "hotfix" and "tune" that MMOG developers like to use today? I call it like I see it. Nerfs stink even when they are an evil necessary, but the devs blundered this one to the Ruins of Kunark and back. This should have never happened, but it did, and even the non-loot whores get to pay for it. What about all those players that replaced all their old gear with? This nerf is going to affect a lot of players.
MMOGs: missing a sense of mystery
Just this afternoon, Craig Withers was talking about the regrettably static state of Azeroth. Tying nicely into that theme is an article in the Guardian, a paper known for its thoughtful coverage of gaming news. Columnist Alexander Gambotto-Burke talks more about EverQuest 2, but makes much the same point: MMOGs need more of the unknown. Mystery is one of the most significant themes in culture. One of the most appealing aspects of the fantasy media and mythologies that inspire and inform games like EQII is the sense of uncertain, and most likely perilous, adventure. But in EQII and its peers, however, the unknown, basically, doesn't exist.Gambotto-Burke goes on to note that Tabula Rasa is attempting to fill in a bit of this gap, with its fluid control points system: The AI-controlled alien enemies, the Bane, will work against both player and computer-driven humans to capture towns, military bases and cities. Sometimes they'll succeed. Players will never really be certain of which areas are safe and which are overrun, as the battle constantly waxes and wanes - with or without player input.
Extra Legends of Norrath drops, new cards this weekend
SOE is promoting its new-ish Legends of Norrath online card game with the not-cleverly-named "Legends of Norrath Promo Weekend." The event begins at 2:00 PM PST this Friday (November 30th) and ends at 11:59 PM PST on Sunday (December 2nd).Players of the game both new and old will "enjoy an increased rate of card pack drops." Additionally, two nice new cards called "Laricel the Gatekeeper" and "Skyshield Maiden" will be obtainable only this weekend. So if you're a hardcore collector in the game, you'd better get to playin'! If you're not already familiar with Legends of Norrath, it's a trading card game playable inside EverQuest and EverQuest II as well as on its own through the Station portal. Players can receive special drops in both games that add cool new cards to their decks. Think of the card game in Final Fantasy VIII, only, y'know ... less lame.
Does Rise of Kunark offer enough to keep people playing down the track?
The question was raised by Ogrebear, in an article entitled "Rise of Kunark will hurt EQ2 in the long run": are the hardcore players burning through the EverQuest II expansion's content a little too fast? Of course, you always expect there to be a fraction of the player base that will race through a new expansion, hit the level cap together with their guild and storm the premier raid content. However, Ogrebear notes that some top guilds have already finished all but one of the raid zones -- meaning six other raid zones have been fully cleaned out. Surely the one remaining raid zone will not keep these people occupied until the next expansion?There will undoubtedly be content updates along the way, but for the core gameplay of this major expansion to have already been busted wide open comes as a bit of a surprise. Perhaps the last remaining raid dungeon, Veeshan's Peak, will be dramatically more difficult to conquer. But even still, how long will players be able to stand being stuck in the same dungeon if it is tuned to be stretched out so long? The average player is going to be well behind this curve, but with the speed at which everything has been trailblazed so far, the most obvious conclusion is that the raid content has simply been made easier than we've come to expect.
The Daily Grind: Home sweet home
In all the years we've played online games, one of the things that many of us have had some disagreement about the real use of was that of player housing. Some of us don't really care for it, equating having to bother with a space like that to playing The Sims Online. Others of us liked the idea, thinking it's a great way to show off our personal achievements and house things so we don't have to carry them around, if nothing more. In some games like EverQuest II, being a game veteran (or for that matter, having played the original EverQuest) can land you some extra goodies for your house. In games like Second Life player housing takes on a whole new meaning with people wheeling and dealing in land deals with one another. As for me, I always wanted a house in WoW, but that was largely to show off personal sets of armor that I'd collected from running both normal and raid instances to death. I also figured it would be nice to have a small cupboard somewhere that I used to toss in mementos of adventures I'd been on that I simply didn't need anymore. Blizzard has met the desires of players like me slightly with the creation of Guild banks -- thus allowing me to off-load all the bags I made for new people and make more room in my bank. But for those not in a guild, there still remains no real place to house all those bits and baubles without taking up valuable personal bank space, or having to go through the hassle of starting a guild just to get the extra room. So today we ask you to join in the discussion we've been having for some time. Do you think that player housing is just a form of mini-game or time sink for trophy hunters, or do you like the idea of having a place to show off the stuff you've gathered together on your travels in your favorite world? Are you one of the many who have a player house? If so, what kinds of things do you do with yours? Are there any games that really need to incorporate player housing that don't currently have it?
The Daily Grind: What's the rush?
Somebody always does it. Shortly after any expansion launches you can expect someone to plow through all those levels and reach the maximum cap in less than a few days. This recently happened again in Rise of Kunark, 36 hours after the EverQuest 2 expansion hit desktops, Monk Taucher from the guild Second Dawn leveled from 70-80 netting a 100 dollar prize and their claim to short-lived leveling fame. I can understand the achievement aspect of wanting to level as fast as possible, reach the end and be done with it, but even so in an expansion hardcore players who raid won't be able to raid until their guild catches up. Doesn't this defeat the whole purpose of relishing content instead of whining about how there is nothing to do on the forums? Or the all-to-common argument amongst the core hardcores that their guild is slow because they slack and can't play 12 hours a day? I know we all enjoy different things about a MMOG, but leveling up and waiting for your guild to catch-up isn't very enjoyable -- I've been there myself. At least it took more than a few people to achieve this goal when World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade launched. Gullerbone, a mage leveled from 60 to 70 in a matter of 28 hours with the help of some friends using area effect spells to grind out the levels faster. I'm a firm believer that everyone should enjoy the game how they see fit as long as they aren't breaking the rules (dupes, gold-farming, etc.) but I still think leveling this fast is a bit over the top. I think at some point we all power-level and wish we would reach a certain level already. That's understandable, but as soon as an expansion launches? If you could, would you skip to the end after an expansion launched or do you prefer to take it in small chunks and get there when you get there?
Rumor Mill: EverQuest 2's Senior Producer quits, Scott Hartsman leaving SOE
A surprising rumor regarding EQ2's Senior Producer, Scott Hartsman aka Gallenite, is spreading across various MMOG forums claiming that he has parted ways with SOE. What makes this rumor noteworthy and more than likely veritable is that it originates from the administrator who runs EQ2 Flames, one of the more popular EQ2 fan forums. According to Scott Hartsman's bio on his personal blog he has been with Sony Online Entertainment for over six years and his first SOE credit is EverQuest: Shadows of Luclin. If Scott Hartsman is leaving to pursue other interests we here at Massively wish him the best of luck, but I don't think he needs it! If this rumor turns out to be true it would be a huge blow to the EverQuest 2 development team and the EverQuest 2 community. Scott Hartsman is a class act, and is one of the best in his field at what he does. Whoever steps in to try and fill his shoes will have a hell of a time as Hartsman has not only set the bar high when it comes to running the show, but his superb ability to manage community relationships and wax philosophic with the players. During his tenure as on EverQuest 2's, Senior Producer, Hartsman has established a remarkable reputation not only amongst his peers, but also among the more tight-knit MMOG forum goers, which by any means is no easy feat. I'm a bit shocked, especially to see this coming so shortly after Rise of Kunark's launch, and various recent interviews conducted with Hartsman about the expansion, including our own with Michael Zenke regarding grouping concerns in Rise of Kunark. What do you guys think about all this? I wonder if Hartsman will go on to work on another MMOG. If the rumor turns out to be true is EverQuest 2 screwed or is this rumor unfounded, and shouldn't have been reported by Massively? Let us know in the comments.
