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SOE Live 2012: Friday keynote highlights DCUO, EQ, and EQII
Day two of SOE Live wrapped up with yet another keynote, this one focused on DC Universe Online, EverQuest, and EverQuest II. Creative Director Jens Andersen of DCUO, Executive Producer Thom Terrazas from EQ, Executive Producer Holly Longdale from EQII, and Dave Georgeson, the EQ Franchise head, all took a turn on stage to give a rundown of what each game had launched over the past year, and more importantly, where each is headed for the future. But before that, SOE paid tribute to the military veterans in attendance (pictured above) and gave two of the longest-serving military members NVIDIA cards to thank them for their service. Read on for the highlights!
EverQuest II's Chains of Eternity expansion slated for November
Sony Online Entertainment has taken the wraps off EverQuest II's ninth expansion this afternoon. Chains of Eternity will release in November, and it will pile even more content on top of one of the MMO genre's most content-rich games. All the new stuff takes place in EQII's version of the afterlife, or as it's known in Norrath: Ethernere. Adventuring and tradeskill level caps will tick up to 95, new prestige abilities are coming, and of course there are plenty of new quests on the way as well. Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale also hints at "another event that we're keeping under wraps." She says it, whatever it is, will debut around the same time as the expansion.
The Tattered Notebook: EQII's level-agnostic dungeon maker
This past week, EverQuest II fans heard even more details about the upcoming summer update. The big news, of course, is the Qeynos revamp, but another nice addition will be the ability to play as ourselves in player-made dungeons. The announcement by EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale discussed the new level-agnostic system, and players were treated to a surprise as it hit the test server a few days ago. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at how the new system works and how it could even affect other areas of the game.
The Tattered Notebook: Reading the tea leaves of EQII's May update
The paint has barely dried on the Skyshrine Update, and already we're hearing tidbits about what's planned for this month. On Thursday, EverQuest II Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale announced a few highlights that players can expect to see in the May update. The monthly letters are always welcomed by players, and this one announces several changes that should shore up the foundation of the game even more. "More" and "new" are often used when it comes to update announcements, but if you heap too much on the very top, you need to go back and work through some of the older content and features to make sure they can support the burden. Read on for a look at the highlights, which bring a welcome change to Dungeon Maker fans, add a new tool that should make testers happy, and hint at changes to bring about more "low-impact" gameplay.
EverQuest II producer talks May updates, player-made dungeon tweaks
May is shaping up to be an interesting month for EverQuest II fans. Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale has given us a new blog entry that talks about new testing tools, NPC quest-update functionality, and of course, the usual optimizations and bug-fixing that follow any large game update. Also of note is the upcoming ability to take your own avatars into the game's Dungeon Maker utility. Initially, content creators and fans could select only from pre-made avatars when running through player-made dungeon constructs. Last December, EQII devs introduced the ability to run player-generated content with players' own avatars, but the update wasn't quite ready for prime time. It still isn't, according to Longdale, but she does say that substantial progress has been made. Look for the new "level agnostic" gameplay on the test server soon, and look for more analysis of EQII's changes in tomorrow's Tattered Notebook.
The Tattered Notebook: Skyshrine, mercs, Qeynos, and shields that roar
For those gamers who have been patiently waiting to hear about GU63, the past few weeks have been a treat. We've shown off a few trailers on Massively, the official site has hosted a couple of team interviews, and even the SOE Twitch TV channel has been focused on EverQuest II. In fact, the recent webcast was the second part of a featured series on the update, and this one took a closer look Skyshrine and also answered a few fan questions. EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale, Lead Designer Akil "Lyndro" Hooper, and SOE Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson sat down to preview what's coming to a server near you. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at the highlights and analyze what it means to both new players and old. Read on for the skinny!
EQII producer teases March update info, promises more communication
New EverQuest II Producer Holly Longdale has completed her maiden voyage around the good ship S.S. SOE, completing her first month of reviews and meetings as future plans are laid out. Now that she's gotten her feet wet, Longdale wrote a short letter to the community about the general activities and focus of the team. The March update -- centered around the Velious storyline -- is coming along, and the team will be unloading tons of information in the near future. Longdale reports that it's not just new content that the EQII crew is concerned about, as bug fixing and refining features are a major priority for the team's engineers. Players irritated with the quest feather graphic issue will be happy to know that it's high up on the priority list. Longdale also let players know that she's paying attention to "big hot-button issues" with the game and is trying her best not to overlook anything. She wraps up her post sharing the meaning behind her dev name, Windstalker, and promising that she'll be corresponding with the community frequently from here on out.
The Tattered Notebook: New executive producer, new wishlist
I was all set to sit down and talk about raiding and the big news of critical mitigation disappearing from gear, and then some even bigger news appeared. Executive Producer Dave "SmokeJumper" Georgeson has handed the reins over to Holly "Windstalker" Longdale. She is new to take the lead on EverQuest II, but she's not new to the team; in fact, she worked on EverQuest in the past under the name Vahlar. What's the first thing to do when there's a new leader taking over? Form a wish list, of course! EverQuest II has come a long way since its bumpy launch, but there's always stuff that would make the game that much more fun. Let's look at a few ideas, and then you can add yours to my list.
EverQuest II producer handing over the reins
EverQuest II players will probably be familiar with the name Smokejumper, the forum handle of the EverQuest franchise's Executive Producer Dave Georgeson. Georgeson has served as Executive Producer for EverQuest, EverQuest II, and the upcoming EverQuest Next while simultaneously filling the role of Producer for EverQuest II. As you might imagine, that's quite a lot of work for a single person. With that in mind, Georgeson announced on the official EQII website today that Holly "Windstalker" Longdale has rejoined SOE in order to take over the position of EverQuest II's Producer. Holly also takes the opportunity to introduce herself to the community, remarking that "the opportunity to be a producer on this team is surreal and certainly perfect." She goes on to say that "EverQuest... has had a place in [her] life for well over a decade now," making it clear that she's not just some corporate suit who doesn't care about the game -- she's a player who is passionate about the game and is in-tune with the playerbase. To read the full announcement from Smokejumper as well as the follow-up by Windstalker, just click on through the link below.
