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EverQuest Next will feature Ambassador D'Vinn and Fippy Darkpaw
EverQuest Next's 39th round table video is now live, and in it, SOE Senior Brand Manager Omeed Dariani and Senior Game Designer Bill Trost pair up to discuss the EverQuest franchise's nemesis characters and which ones players want to see in EverQuest Next. Ambassador D'Vinn, the Dark Elf NPC who terrorized newbs as the deadly caboose of pretty much every train to the Crushbone zone line in classic EverQuest, won the player poll and will be featured in the upcoming MMO. As to Fippy Darkpaw, Trost promises he, too, will be present in EQN. "I believe in his mission, and I hope someday he succeeds!" Trost joked. The devs also highlighted the alignment of the Dark Elves and the curious nature of NPCs who have agendas independent of the players. Enjoy the full video on YouTube.
The Tattered Notebook: A rose-colored celebration of EverQuest
In honor of EverQuest's 12th Anniversary, EverQuest II is holding a special event in the game. Players can travel back in time to several instances, and they get to meet some of the infamous named mobs of EQ. If you've ever dodged Fippy Darkpaw's attack on the Qeynos gates, sailed far out to search for Allizewsaur, or camped for weeks at a time to find Quillmane, the elusive Pegasus, then you'll enjoy this trip down memory lane. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll travel back in time to meet these legendary nameds. Be warned, though, this does contain spoilers!
Celebrate EQ's 12 years with a look back and an interview with John Smedley
Time grows many layers, and this is especially true in MMORPGs. After all, not only are new quests, stories and chunks of content added to a game as it goes along, but the players themselves add their own memories and experiences to the mix. MMOs truly are virtual worlds, and they change over time and become richer. EverQuest is no exception. After 12 years of adventure, danger, and story-telling, the game shows no signs of stopping. What is planned for the game? How will the last 12 years affect the decisions for the next 12 years? EverQuest has been one of the flagships of the genre, but how does a game of its age maintain any type of market visibility? Massively sat down with SOE President John Smedley, EQ Assistant Lead Designer Alan VanCouvering, and Associate Producer Harvey Burgess to find out. We'll also be taking a look back at the long history of Norrath and will even throw in some nuggets about EverQuest Next. Click past the cut and let's take a look!
EverQuest launches second progression server due to popular demand
Everyone's talking about the new progression server that launched yesterday in EverQuest -- and it seems that so many people are trying to play on it that they've outstripped its capacity. Players have reported that Fippy Darkpaw, a special server that's rolling out EQ's expansions at a measured pace, has been crushed by the crowds trying to log in. As a result, Sony Online Entertainment decided to create a second time-locked progression server named after the game's infamous dragon Vulak'Aerr. According to the company, the server went online today. This should help relieve the stress on poor ol' Fippy. If you're curious about what a progression server entails, SOE's set up a helpful FAQ to clarify the details. Players on EverQuest's other servers shouldn't feel left out of the celebrations, as they'll be enjoying a double XP weekend from February 18th through the 21st. It is important to note that this XP bonus will not apply to the new progression servers. During the same weekend, SOE is marking down a number of items in the Marketplace for a President's Day sale. You can read more on this special weekend over at EverQuest Players.
EverQuest devs talk progression server on new Live Cast
Ladies and gentleman, start your time machines! Today marks the launch of EverQuest's Fippy Darkpaw progression server, and SOE has a trio of new Live Cast videos with the dev team available for viewing on its YouTube channel. The discussion is hosted by Eric "Piestro" Cleaver and features lead designer Adam Bell, designer Ed Hardin, and lead programmer Steve Klug. Topics covered include the hows and whys of a progression server, the world and zone revamps, and the XP curve (which the team says will be slowed down quite a bit relative to the live game). "There are no 'hell levels,' but it will still be slower than it is on a normal server," Hardin says. The team also talks about how certain races and classes, and even the game's tutorial, won't be available from launch, as they're locked to certain expansions and will only become available as the progression server ages. Speaking of progressing, the devs have implemented a brand new voting system with a dedicated in-game UI in order to afford players the opportunity to choose when the server should move to the next expansion. As far as who gets to vote, Bell says that "you'll need to be on the progression server and at least level 30 in order to vote to unlock the next expansion, and we may raise that level as the expansion unlocks continue." Head past the cut to view the entire Live Cast in three parts.
The Game Archaeologist and the NeverEnding Quest: Your journeys
I have to say, this month's been everything I'd hoped it would be for EverQuest. As with many of these older MMOs, my working knowledge of EQ was spotty and anecdotal at best, and I'm personally glad to rectify that. EverQuest's always felt like a "You had to have been there" club to me, one that stopped accepting members a long, long time ago. It's great, therefore, to see that there's a thriving community, a rich history and an uplifting future in store for the game. Above everything else, I've come to realize just how crucial EverQuest was -- for better or worse, depending on your perspective -- to the development of the MMO genre for the past decade or so. If SOE never created EQ, just how different would our games be today? It's incredibly hard to imagine. As we continue our EQ month here at The Game Archaeologist, we have two things on the immediate agenda. The first is to share a few of your personal journeys that you emailed my way, and the second is a look at how you can plug in with EverQuest if you've never done so in the past. It turns out, quite fortuitously, that this is looking to be one of the best times to do so. Read on, courageous gamer!
The voice of the people: New EverQuest progression server named
Many current and soon-to-be-returning EverQuest fans are diligently keeping tabs on the new progression server. This unique server will allow players to travel back in time (in a way) to experience EQ from its humble beginnings through all of its expansion packs as they are rolled out at a measured pace. Now these fans have a name to put with the server: Fippy Darkpaw. This server name was the result of a one-week poll in which SOE offered six potential names for the new shard. According to EverQuest's website, "In the end, nothing could stop the raging juggernaut that was Fippy Darkpaw." Fippy is a well-known NPC with the suicidal tendency to attack Qeynos all by his lonesome. This new progression server is scheduled to open its doors in March. In the meantime, why not check out our recent interview with EQ Producer Thom Terrazas for more Norrathian news.
