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EverQuest gearing up for more content despite SOE layoffs
In the wake of last week's layoffs, fans are no doubt wondering which of their favorite Sony Online Entertainment MMOs will be feeling a possible staffing pinch. The company's venerable EverQuest title is apparently safe -- and none the worse for wear -- according to a letter by producer Thom Terrazas that was posted last night on the game's official forums. Not only will EQ business continue as usual, but the original incarnation of Norrath will be receiving even more content than it has in the past. "We're going to bring you high-level and enjoyable content throughout the year, even more than we have in past years," Terrazas explained, before mentioning the dev team's plans for more frequent seasonal events and the desire to "beef up the gameplay experience" during the spring and summer months.
Star Wars Galaxies producer's letter talks space bounties, new player ships
Star Wars Galaxies just launched its 19.12 Entertainer update, but that doesn't mean the dev team at Sony Online Entertainment is taking it easy. Tony "Teesquared" Tyson has posted a new producer's letter to the official SWG forums that offers a hint of what's to come over the next few patches. The main thrust is the ongoing development of Galactic Civil War 2, and Tyson says the update will be released in three parts. Part one will focus on the space game, part two will involve player cities, and part three will be "a balance pass on the different GCW systems including planetary control." The space update looks to be particularly juicy, with a new player ship and space-based bounty hunting on the way. The new hardware is a Scurrg H-6 prototype bomber, an example of which is the heavily modified Havoc flown by the Feeorin pirate Nym in Star Wars lore. The Scurrg will be available to freelance pilots, and Tyson says the team is also planning to add new craft for Imperial and Rebel pilots in a future patch.
SWG producer's note talks rare loot, GCW changes
Tony "Teesquared" Tyson, producer on Sony Online Entertainment's Star Wars Galaxies, has posted a producer's letter on the official SWG website that mentions a few noteworthy additions in store for the long-running sandbox title. He also takes a brief moment to tease some new content in the works, hinted at in the screenshot above. The letter talks about everything from Galactic Civil War and profession tweaks, to no-trade removal, to a new rare loot system. "The Rare Loot System will allow us to add some really cool loot to the game that players will have a chance to loot off of any mob they encounter. There are restrictions however. The restrictions are in place so that farming mobs or generally killing trash mobs (AOE FTW) won't give you a chance to get this new loot. You have to play the game and fight challenging mobs to earn a chance to find this loot," Tyson says. Visit the official website for all the details.
SWG producer talks vehicles, no-trade removal
The team behind Sony Online Entertainment's Star Wars Galaxies have been busy little bees as of late, and the game has taken on a few significant changes that are neatly summarized in a Producer's Note released yesterday on the official forums. SOE's Teesquared details two changes to the Galactic Civil War mechanics. "We have two new changes coming out for the GCW. The first change will be ground Factional Presence scaling. We heard the complaint regarding gaining FP when you were not at risk. To prevent this, the amount of FP you gain will scale relative to the "FP eligible" players of either faction around you. The second change will be for player placed GCW bases. We're working on tying player placed GCW bases into the GCW scoring system," he writes. He goes on to summarize the recent Bonus Everything Weekend and Empire Strikes Back 30th anniversary events before dropping a couple of noteworthy nuggets. First is the possibility of new player vehicles, long rumored (and hoped) to be the traditional AT-ST walkers as well as the AT-XT pictured above. Finally, Teessquared discusses the removal of the reviled no-trade mechanic (your father wanted you to have this when you were old enough...but it's no trade!) Check out all the details on the official forums.
EQ II March Producer's Letter gets technical, talks test server
This month's EverQuest II Producer's Letter is all about the test server, and the multiple changes affecting the fighter classes. The team wants fighters to revert back to a more traditional tanking role and alter their damage figures, because they're starting to horn in on DPS classes' territory. This initially meant tanks would deal less damage but manage aggro better, but response from players on the test server has caused the dev team to "re-examine the structure of the fighter revamp."And if you've been on the fence about rolling a character on the test server, the team is working on new incentives to get people playing new, unfinished builds. No word yet on what they're planning, but stay tuned on the forums to hear what the team is planning.
