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SOE suffers a 'reduction in workforce' [Updated]
SOE has just announced layoffs to an undetermined number of presumably MMO-related staff. Head of community management Brasse confirmed earlier rumors on the EverQuest II official forums: Today we announced a reduction in our workforce at SOE. As a company, our goal is to focus on our core expertise of MMO games and as part of these efforts, we had to make the difficult decision to eliminate positions to help reduce costs, streamline our employee base and strategically align resources towards our current portfolio of games and upcoming slate of MMOs, including EverQuest Next Landmark and EverQuest Next. We deeply value our employees and are grateful for all they've contributed to our company and games. They will be missed by colleagues and friends, and we wish them well in the future. We have contacted SOE for clarification on which MMOs are impacted by these layoffs and will update when we know more. [Thanks to Jeremy for the tip.] [Update: While SOE has declined to officially comment further, an unnamed Gamasutra source claims "the layoffs affect both its San Diego and Austin offices." SOE president John Smedley tweeted his condolences, posting, "Sorry to say that we did have layoffs. We're still moving forward with all our current games and games in development including EverQuest Next and other unannounced titles. The people who got laid off are very good people. Very sorry this happened. Layoffs suck. These are really, really good people who don't deserve this."]
SOE publishes panel schedule for PAX and Dragon Con
Going to PAX or DragonCon this weekend? Excited for news about the EverQuest franchise or SOE's other MMORPGs? You should check out the firm's convention schedule, then, because there's a little something for everyone. Whether you're hungry for EverQuest Next tidbits, you're looking to break into the game industry, or you're wanting to brush up on your online gaming history, SOE has a developer panel with your name on it. And of course don't forget to check in with Massively through the weekend and on into next week as our on-site staffers bring you the best DragonCon and PAX scoops! Massively's on the ground in Seattle during the weekend of August 30th to September 2nd, bringing you all the best news from PAX Prime 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, The Elder Scrolls Online, EverQuest Next, or any MMO in between, you can bet we'll have it covered!
The Daily Grind: What kind of death penalty do you want in EQ Next?
SOE hasn't mentioned much about about what it has in mind for the death penalty mechanic in EverQuest Next. You might recall that the original EverQuest was famous for its unforgiving death penalty, which included corpse runs and XP loss. EverQuest II, on the other hand, did what most newer MMOs do and reduced the death penalty to an inconvenience, and in some cases, a preferred form of fast travel! So what'll it be for EQN? Inquiring minds want to know. A lot of inquiring minds, if an article and the resulting discussion on fan site EQ Nexus are any indication. What say you, Massively readers? What kind of death penalty do you want in EQN? [Thanks Maclypse!] 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!
See EverQuest Next Landmark building in action
Looking forward to getting a copy of EverQuest Next Landmark later this year so that you can start molding the world in your fashion? Yeah, you and a couple of million other folks, we imagine. While the wait is hard, SOE is easing our suffering with a trio of timelapse videos showing off a few of the possibilities for terrain manipulation and structure creation. Check them out after the break and let us know what you think! [Thanks to Leendert for the tip!]
Gamescom 2013: In-depth looks at EverQuest Next and EQ Next: Landmark
SOE's David Georgeson walked Gamescom attendees through some of the finer points of both EverQuest Next and EverQuest Next: Landmark today, focusing on the emergent gameplay, destructible environments, and vast flexibility you'll potentially find in both halves of the game. Most of the information provided on EverQuest Next falls into the "things we already knew" category: The world is procedurally generated, destructible, tiered, and made of voxels. AI responds to your actions in lieu of sticking to specific spawn points; for example, Orcs will naturally search for areas with low guard patrols and high traffic so they can make the most of their thievery and will leave for greener pastures should you start making their work difficult by killing them or alerting guards. There were new details on Landmark, however (check out this great post from MJ to see what we knew before). You can choose between male and female heroes and will begin as an Adventurer class at one of the world's great landmarks. From there, you can adventure freely into the world, find a spot you like, and claim it as your own. Once your spot is claimed, you can build on it however you see fit or move on to claim other areas and link them all together.
The Tattered Notebook: Quips, quotes, and EQ Next tidbits from SOE Live
It's official: I survived SOE Live! (I'd have included "with my sanity intact," but we all know I didn't have any going into it.) It's not that I seriously doubted this conclusion; I did successfully survive my inaugural visit after all. But with so much to see and hear and do, there was bound to be a casualty of some sort. In this case, it was sleep. Even sacrificing that, there was still no way to experience it all -- and I tried! If you haven't been to SOE's annual "family reunion" in a while, you might not realize just how big it has grown. And adding EverQuest Next and EverQuest Next Landmark to the already expanded portfolio of games represented made for more news than could reasonably be condensed into nice little packages. That's where The Tattered Notebook comes in! I'm going to share an assortment of hidden gems and hilarious moments from the convention, including plenty of EQ Next intel from various developer interviews.
SOE Live 2013 recapped in just two minutes
SOE Live 2013 was a blur of tournaments, panels, announcements, and keynotes. It brought news for games like PlanetSide 2, Vanguard, Free Realms, Dragon's Prophet, and DC Universe Online, along with the industry-shaking reveal of EverQuest Next. In other words, it was kind of a big deal. And you can see what it was like to be there in person by watching the two-minute recap video just released by SOE. Check it out after the break, and feel free to browse back through our coverage for in-depth looks at everything that was on display.
The Daily Grind: Have you returned to EQ or EQII thanks to EQN?
I'm pretty excited for EverQuest Next even though I've never been a huge fan of the franchise. I do enjoy EverQuest II to the point where I have a max-level character and dozens of houses, but I was never smitten with the original game due to its lack of features in comparison to Ultima Online and later, Star Wars: Galaxies. EQN looks to be channeling at least a few parts of those two titles, though, and since Landmark is several months away, I've returned to EQII in order to get my Norrath fix. What about you, Massively readers? Are you an expatriate returning to EQ or EQII thanks to EQN? 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!
The Tattered Notebook: It's OK if EverQuest Next is a niche game
I'd like to open today's column with my favorite quote from SOE's EverQuest Next reveal: "Enough is enough. Enough of the same game already. It's time to get some new ideas into the genre." Now, you would think that this sort of unambiguous mission statement would be picked up on and understood by everyone who has even a passing interest in EverQuest Next. After all, the quote rolled off franchise director Dave Georgeson's tongue during the first two minutes of the EQN reveal speech. And if it wasn't clear from that opening monologue that EQN isn't going to be your daddy's combat lobby, the rest of the reveals that focused largely on the game world, the building tools, and a wee bit of the ol' ultraviolence should have been the second clue.
Tamriel Infinium: Audience expectations, Elder Scrolls Online, and EverQuest Next
Last week was a huge week for MMO fans. We were expecting some cool news from Sony Online Entertainment about EverQuest Next from SOE Live. Despite not being a huge EQ follower, I was enormously interested in what SOE (one of my personal favorite game developers and publishers) planned on doing with its staple franchise. Then Bethesda announced that for the first time ever the ZeniMax team would show in-game footage of the Elder Scrolls Online on Twitch TV. Specifically, players wanted to see the first-person view not seen at previous conventions. ZeniMax delivered, and the crowd went wild. I believe both presentations were wonderful, and I would be lying if I said that both presentations didn't pique my interest. I would also be lying if I said that I had no concerns about how each of the games will be received. I talked about it with my guild, Nefarious Intent. We have some hardcore Elder Scrolls fans and some MMOers who have been playing EQ games since the '90s. During the course of the debate, we came to the conclusion that the audience of each game expects something completely different and that pitting these two titles together is completely unfair. So of course that's why I have to do just that in today's column. Why are there different expectations between ESO and EQN? How is it going to be completely possible for both games to be highly successful?
Storybricks and Voxel Farm: The indie contribution to EQ Next
Here at Massively, we've had our eye on Storybricks for quite some time; the idea of NPCs reacting to players individually was just drool-worthy. So there was definite excitement when this indie outfit announced its collaboration on the upcoming EverQuest Next. But Storybricks isn't the only indie project playing a major role in the development of SOE's new game: Voxel Farm, the voxel-based procedural engine, is responsible for the landscape of both EQ Next and EverQuest Next Landmark. In recent interviews, US Gamer talks with both Storybricks developer Brian Green and Voxel Farm creator Miguel Cepero about their respective work on the games. Cepero spoke about why he created the software ("I became obsessed with creating virtual worlds.") and his hopes of moving into voxel-based creatures. Among other things, Green shared this tidbit about using an intelligent AI: "It might also be something like maybe if you're fighting something and a second monster comes and the second monster hates the monster you're fighting more than it hates you, it might actually join in on your side. This is a possibility; something that could happen. It depends on the situation." [Thanks to Matixzun for the tip]
The Daily Grind: Has a mega-hyped MMO ever met your expectations?
The MMO hype machine is in full swing for SOE's forthcoming EverQuest Next. It's inevitable given the combination of a long-lived franchise, a big-budget studio, and plenty of update-hungry followers. We've been here before as MMO fans, though, most recently with mega-hyped titles like Guild Wars 2 and Star Wars: The Old Republic. While hype in and of itself isn't necessarily a bad thing, I'm curious how many of you feel like a much-hyped MMO has actually met your expectations. Has any game managed it? Which one? 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!
EverQuest Next confirms cross-region play
Amid all of the revelry surrounding EverQuest Next's announcement are a few grumpy faces concerned that SOE was looking to region lock the upcoming title. President John Smedley took to Twitter to address the confusion. "Clearing up a few misconceptions about EverQuest Next in Europe and UK," Smedley tweeted. "All players -- including ones from Prosieben -- can play on all servers. If you are from the EU or UK you will go through Prosieben, but [you] will be playing on SOE servers." So there you have it: We will soon be one happy family with an infectious case of the voxels.
The Guild Counsel: EQ Next, guilds, and you
Once again, SOE Live has come to a close, but with all the news about EverQuest Next, there are several questions left unanswered, particularly when it comes to the social side of gameplay. Each week here, we look at questions related to guild leadership, but over the years, the design process of MMOs has had as much a role as anything in how guild leaders make management decisions. It's been less than a week since we first saw the EQ Next reveal, and there are already many guilds mobilizing and preparing for their first adventures together in game. So let's look at a few of the questions related to guilds and the social side of EverQuest Next in this week's Guild Counsel.
EverQuest Next groups will function without 'the stereotypical tank'
The holy trinity has been a hot topic ever since SOE introduced EverQuest Next at last week's SOE Live convention in Las Vegas. The firm is clearly trying to move away from traditional MMO combat, and more evidence of this comes courtesy of a USGamer interview with producer Terry Michaels. "The dedicated roles of the holy trinity are not going to be present in Everquest Next. There will be different classes and different builds that are angled towards some of the roles," Michaels explains, "so there might be a class or a build that is more tankish but you don't need that person to accomplish that goal and content. You can go in there without having somebody who is the stereotypical tank." Not only that, but EQN is attempting a new spin on aggro in general. "The combat's very different. There's not the common threat mechanic that people see in MMOs where there is somebody who can generate enough aggro that the NPC will never ever turn away from them," Michaels says. [Thanks bardamu1999!]
Leaderboard: What classes do you want in EverQuest Next?
OK, I know what some of you are thinking. That damn Massively! Just milking the heck of out EverQuest Next! And yeah, I guess we kinda are since we've had several SOE Live features, a Daily Grind, and now a Leaderboard focused on SOE's upcoming fantasy sandbox over the past few days. But you know what? We're not apologizing! It's an exciting time to be an EverQuest Next fan, even though we have as many questions as answers after last week's reveal. Speaking of, SOE has thus far mentioned but five of a reported 40-plus classes. We don't know yet if these will be starting classes, advanced classes, or really anything else about them other than that they're called Rogue, Warrior, Tempest, Wizard, and Blademaster. With that said, what other classes or class types would you like to see? Vote after the cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Peek behind SOE's EverQuest Next development curtain
Remember that meany-pants teaser vid for EverQuest Next a couple of weeks back? Of course you do. Who could forget the sight of senior producer Terry Michaels about to open the door to the SOE inner sanctum only to be thwarted by a quick cut to black? Well, SOE has finally aired the rest of that video, and it's basically a quick five-minute tour through the offices where EQN is currently taking shape. Along the way there are interviews with key team members, including creative director Jeff Butler just before he dons an Oculus Rift device, as well as some glimpses of art and in-game vistas. See for yourself after the break. [Thanks Paul!]
SOE Live 2013: SOE and Wikia unveil The Lab and new EQ Next site
If there's one thing we learned about EverQuest Next over the weekend, it's that we all have a zillion questions and are eager for more information. Thankfully, Wikia is prepared to help fill that void with the official arrival of the Wikia Lab, a community-driven project that allows fans to access a growing repository of information. Wikia sites have been a valuable resource across many of SOE's titles, and this weekend saw the arrival of a brand new EverQuest Next Wikia site. Read on for a closer look at the Wikia Lab, and an update on what they've already put together this weekend at SOE Live to help fans get the answers they seek!
SOE Live 2013: The lore of EverQuest Next
In the lead up to the big reveal for EverQuest Next, one note that gave a number of fans pause was that the world will be re-imagined for this iteration of the EverQuest franchise. The next Norrath will be familiar, but definitely not the same. But just how different is different? That question was on the lips of lore enthusiasts (who can most likely recite the entire history of the pantheon) and casual players (who've grown comfortable with their surroundings) alike. Thanks to SOE Live, we now have a partial answer to that very query. During a dedicated lore panel, attendees were treated to a Norrathian History 101 class. Those in attendance heard the philosophy behind the lore design of EQ Next as well as a sketch of the history leading up to the start of the game. And now you can benefit from the class notes!
SOE Live 2013: EverQuest Next's mechanics and more
Anyone who attended SOE Live this year heard quite a bit about EverQuest Next. Even if the upcoming sandbox was not the reason you came, you couldn't help but learn a thing or two. And for those who braved the crowds to attend multiple panels focused on the game, chances are you are still trying to sort through all the information and remember everything that was said! That's where we come in. After attending all the panels and sitting down with multiple devs, we've complied and summarized as much information as we can for you. Today's focus is on various mechanics (such as armor, combat, and classes) as well as a few other odds and ends we tossed in. So why are you still here? All that good stuff is after the break!
