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Some Assembly Required: A virtual world roundup
If you are perusing this column, chances are you are a fan of virtual worlds and the sandbox genre. Join the club! (Dues will be due on the third Tuesday.) The aspect that compels many aficionados to delve into a game is the ability to make an impact on the world in some small respect instead of making them into Hive Member 1593072 running a static, predetermined gauntlet. How that impact is accomplished, however, varies; there are multiple features that can facilitate it, and which ones are considered most important depends on the player. With the loss of one of the best sandbox games just last month, some players may be feeling a void. Others still are looking/hoping for the "ultimate" sandbox that contains nearly every virtual world feature. Certainly, there are some upcoming games that make some drool-worthy promises, but what about playing something now? There are actually games out on the market that have at least one aspect of the genre, if not more. To start off the new year, Some Assembly Required looks at some of the top features of virtual worlds and lists games that incorporate these features. While this list isn't exhaustive (considering the sheer number of games when you include all of the smaller free-to-play titles, I'd run out of column space!), it is a comprehensive enough overview to point you toward some games worth playing that perhaps you hadn't considered before.
EverQuest II videos show off Freeport revisions and dungeon crafting
Are you a fan of EverQuest II who wants to know more about what's on the horizon for the game but who doesn't want to take the time to read anything? Admittedly, your presence on this site makes a distaste of reading rather unlikely, but even so, you're in luck today. There are two new viewos covering future developments for the game, with both of them embedded just after the cut so you can watch them at your leisure. The first (and far shorter) video covers the upcoming revisions to Freeport, showing off all of the changes coming to one of the game's most iconic cities. The second video is longer but also far meatier, covering the new Dungeon Maker system coming out with the Age of Discovery expansion. So head on past the break, settle in with a nice beverage, and enjoy a whole lot of information without having to scan a bunch of text.
Some Assembly Required: EQII's Festival of Discord
Over the last few months, Some Assembly Required has covered features within games (such as quest-building tools, music, and housing) as well as overviews of full games themselves, not to mention some existential ranting on the life and times of the sandbox genre. This week, we focus on another aspect: player events. Most player-created events range from RP tavern nights to full-blown tests of skill to races and scavenger hunts. These events are smaller affairs involving either a group of close friends, a guild, or perhaps even a mixture of a few guilds. However, there are occasions when events can grow larger... much larger. Such is the case with EverQuest II's Festival of Discord. Not only is this a server-wide festival designed and hosted by players, but it is fully supported by Sony Online Entertainment. And let me tell you, SOE has pulled out all the stops! Want to see what this festival is all about or (better yet) make some of these events on EQII's Antonia Bayle server in person? Grab your cloak and join me past the break for a rundown of the festival, its history, and even events yet to come!%Gallery-139023%
The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's year in review
EverQuest II may be the ripe old age of six, but it certainly isn't showing signs of slowing down. With 2010 coming to a close, it's time to look back on the past year, which was marked with several major changes to the game. Read on for The Tattered Notebook's year in review, and then share your memories of the past year in EverQuest II.
EverQuest II opens beta signups for Destiny of Velious
If you've been looking forward to EverQuest II's upcoming expansion, you've likely been waiting for the announcement that beta testing will commence. Good news -- the wait is over, as the official signup page is now available for players. The slightly less-good news is that there will be no open beta for the expansion, which means that the current registration is your one and only chance to test out Destiny of Velious before it goes live. Applications from any players with an EverQuest II account in good standing will be accepted through January 3rd; the pool will be decided upon and the selectees notified sometime before testing begins on January 5th. Fan Faire attendees get an automatic pass, so long as the account used to register for testing is the same as the account registered for the Fan Faire. It's an opportunity to get into a long-lost area of the world before anyone else, so if you're a player, it's well worth at least trying for the beta.
The Tattered Notebook: GU58 reactions and a happy ratonga
So the yin/yang monster has caught up with me this week, and it's taken the form of EverQuest II's latest game update. A few weeks ago, my Ratonga alter-ego was positively crushed under the weight of the awful spell effect changes wrought by EQII's Game Update 57. He was so upset, in fact, that he called me during a meeting and insisted I write a rather ranty column about it, complete with sidebar pictures depicting the gruesome before-and-after details. Happily, GU58 has arrived to right that horrible wrong (as well as add some other cool stuff). Turn the page to see what else the folks at SOE have stirred into the pot for the denizens of Norrath.
Go for the gold: Win a 30 day gold subscription to EverQuest II Extended
It's official: free-to-play EverQuest II is live and out of beta. While we just got done catching up with Dave "Smokejumper" Georgeson, we have one more EverQuest II related piece of news up our sleeve. We have 30-day gold subscriptions to give away to EverQuest II Extended! If you've been considering trying out EverQuest II or EQ2X but didn't want to pay a subscription fee or purchase items from the marketplace, then why not take a shot at winning one of the 15 gold subscriptions in today's contest? It only takes a minute (and a Massively.com commenting account) to enter, and you might just walk away with a code for a free month! Interested in entering or learning more? Then skip along after the break!
Destiny of Velious details announced for EverQuest II
This year's Fan Faire has been kind to fans of EverQuest II and EverQuest, with the announcement of new expansions and a mysterious further project for the franchise. The fine team at The EQ2 Wire sat in on a discussion of all of the new features and details of the upcoming expansion, Destiny of Velious, and they transcribed their notes from the event. While the notes are a bit disjointed, they should give players quite a bit to look forward to and a number of tidbits to munch on. If there has to be a downside, it's likely the fact that the Othmir will not be added as a playable race -- in fact, no race will be added to the playable roster. But there's a lot for fans to mull over even with the questions that the team declined to answer. Most interesting is that the expansion's release will be split into two parts, with part two possibly coming via update rather than a separate release. There are also plans for flying mounts in every overland zone of the game, rather than the "some" that was announced earlier. EverQuest II players should promptly take a look at the latest news, as it's going to be an interesting ride.
EverQuest II due for a major UI overhaul
The UI is simultaneously one of the most transparent and important parts of a game. EverQuest II doesn't have a bad one by any means, but the designers apparently aren't content with the current setup. They're already promising major changes to hit the test server in just over a week -- to coincide with game update 57 -- and among the many mechanical changes going along with the update will be a major UI overhaul. A post earlier today by lead programmer Greg "Rothgar" Spence confirmed that the team is re-skinning the default interface, as well as modifying several windows alongside it. While he's scant on providing exact details, he promises that players will get a chance to experience everything on the test servers very shortly. Although there are some concerns in the the thread regarding what the changes might mean for existing custom UIs, most seem cautiously optimistic. EverQuest II players should be ready for the test server in just over a week, with the patch likely not too far in the future past that. [via Zam]
The Tattered Notebook: Farewell, but certainly not goodbye
Heyo there readers. Seraphina here this week, stepping in for Seccia to announce some unfortunate news. While our Tier'dal reporter is dedicated to her mission to spread disease and death across the face of Norrath, she unfortunately has a few... character flaws. In short, Seccia has decided to pursue new opportunities blogging about kittens. She's left Massively.com very unexpectedly, leaving only a short note and her favorite purple stapler. Unfortunately, she also forgot to write a farewell column in her rapid exit towards balls of yarn and inevitable allergy problems. So that leaves me sitting here, filling in for her, and delivering my final thoughts on my return to EverQuest II. I just wish her desk chair wasn't so... short.
The Tattered Notebook: I'm in ur community, stalking ur threads
Last week's small little interview was fun, but this week it's time to get back to business. I haven't stalked threads in the forum for a while now, and I'm afraid that I'm losing my touch. So this week I've dived back into the official EverQuest II forums to bring up the most recent discussion topics -- many of them centered on the changes made during Halas Reborn. Freeport and Qeynos still dominate the hot topic list, suggestions for things Dave Georgeson should fix in the game are being collected, and one thread muses on the past and future of the game. In short, don't miss out on this week's entry in my Tattered Notebook. Do not disgrace the power of the Tier'dal, as the Community Manager Dark Elf has done! Otherwise I will have to invent stern punishments, like withholding lolcats from the internet. Do not force my hand!
The Tattered Notebook: Post-Halas Reborn interview with producer Dave Georgeson
Hello there, brave Norrathian adventurers! It is I, Seccia Ravenloft, back again from my recent excursion to track down "The One Final Truth." While I didn't find "The One Final Truth," I did run across Dave Georgeson again, and that made the whole excursion totally worth it. Last week, I noticed a fair number of you had some problems with Shader 3.0 in EverQuest II. I'm sorry to hear that your pathetic non-Tier'dal computers cannot handle the wonderous onslaught, but I certainly brought that up with Dave in this interview, as well as the controversial decision to remove the starting areas of Freeport and Qeynos. Plus, I may have even weaseled a small detail or two on the next expansion out of him, thanks to my incredible interrogation techniques. But why shall we delay the inevitable any longer? To the interview, quickly!
The Tattered Notebook: Nerding out on Shader 3.0
"Hello nerds. Look at your game, now back to me, now back to your game, now back to me. Sadly, your game isn't me, but your game could look like me if it stopped using that crappy 2000s-era shader and started using shader 3.0." That's what she would say if she could say things other than her pre-programmed voice-over. With the release of Halas Reborn today, many players will be undoubtedly checking out the frozen north's new content overhaul. However, Halas Reborn didn't just stop with a simple content update. The storyteller system was introduced in this update, and the game's graphics had new life breathed into it via Shader 3.0. So today, in honor of nerd day, let's take a look at what exactly Shader 3.0 does with the game's graphics and if it's worth all the hype. %Gallery-93688%
Ride around Norrath in style with a free prowler mount from Massively and SOE!
Foolish reading mortals! It is I, Seccia Ravenloft, here to publicly lament the decision made by Seraphina Brennan. She has denied me a stylish cat mount, all because she made some statements regarding ponies that sparkle and poor marketing decisions. Rubbish, I say, rubbish! Her foolishness has disgraced the Tier'dal, and I shun her! Shuuuunnnnnnn! But you! You dear, beautiful readers! You still have a chance to avoid Tier'dal disgracement! How would you like to cross Norrath in style on the back of a powerful prowler mount? Tempting, is it not? Well, we here at Massively (namely me) have 10 prowler mounts to give away to lucky, Tier'dal-supporting readers, thanks to our friends at SOE! How can you claim one of these $25 mounts for yourself for the low cost of absolutely free? Follow after the break and I'll hit you with details.
Anti-Aliased: Shut up woman, come buy my cat
Stupid sparkle cat. I'm sitting here in EverQuest II right now, basically staring at the Station Marketplace. My character, Miss Seccia, has had 2,500 Station Cash in her pocket for a while now. It's been sitting there since I last bought it, begging to be used for something in the Marketplace. There has been nothing that I wanted for two months now. No sets of armor, no potions, no character modifications. The cash has been sitting there unused, wasting away in my coin purse. And then, as if dropped down on a magical beam of light from the development team, EverQuest II introduced 25-dollar mounts into the game. A perfect 2,500 station cash for a mount that would be insanely useful to Seccia. Yet, for as much as I stare, I know I can't buy this cat. That would make me a gigantic hypocrite.
The Tattered Notebook: The forum thread round-up
Greetings fellow Norrathian travelers! This week, right on the heels of the Dave Georgeson interview, we're back to investigating the issues in the community. So far, this Tier'dal investigator has uncovered some community gold! Plus, we've got some big events coming up for the EverQuest II community, including the annual Fan Faire registration and the Mr. and Ms. Norrath contest! And, of course, I'm still looking for great tip threads for all of the new (and old) players who are wondering on how to play their MMOs better. So come along and check out what's been documented in this week's notebook entry!
The Tattered Notebook: A moment with Dave Georgeson
Foolish and pathetic mortals! It's another week of adventuring and mystery here in Norrath, as I, Seccia Ravenloft, have once again braved the depths of Sony Online Entertainment's inner sanctum. And by "I," I mean I sent Seraphina Brennan to do my work for me. Now who is the master and who is the slave?! Ahahahahahahaha! For this week's column, Seraphina was able to speak with Dave "Avatar" Georgeson, the brand new EverQuest II producer. Dave is stepping in for Alan "Brenlo" Crosby, as he has moved onwards, away from my might. (Little does he know that I pursue him still with powerful Tier'dal magic, but that's a story for another time.) Some of you may know of Dave Georgenson's works, as he has been producer of SOE's PlanetSide as well as Gaia Online's ZOMG! So come along, listen to Sera as I force her to ask questions of Dave, and listen to Dave as he answers to the avatar of my will! No producer is safe from the Tier'dal might!
The Tattered Notebook: The importance of storytelling
Hey Norrathian travelers! Seccia is off for the week, undoubtedly soaking up the rays on the shores of the Sinking Sands to welcome the warmer months. I, on the other hand, am stuck inside writing her column. Sheesh, I wish I had accumulated as much vacation time as she did... Anywho, I want to tell you a story about telling stories this week. As many of you may have heard, one of the newest features coming to EverQuest II in the near future is the storyteller system -- a simple window that will visualize your travels from one zone to the next. It's a UI element that will help link quests together, aiding the game in telling a continuous story as you travel around Norrath. Plus, if you wish, you can follow the Storyteller window as it takes you down the game's "Golden Path," a series of quests that will become a "main storyline" of sorts for the game. Out of all of the new things coming with the next set of updates (New Halas included), it's the storyteller system that I've been looking forward to the most. So why do I choose a simple UI addition over a brand new city? Simply put, I want to be engaged with my gameplay experience.
The Vigilant dungeons previewed on EverQuest 2 players
Ok, so, disclaimer: It's not actually a dungeon in the common definition of the term. The Vigilant is a massive airship used by the Paineel Erudites, abandoned by the Odus Erudites when the void leaked into Odus. The Vigilant sits silently above Paineel and watches the city like a hawk to protect it. Even though the Vigilant is flying, adventurers will find a way to board it in EverQuest 2: Sentinel's Fate to brave the challenges within. The ship is broken down into three distinct dungeons -- Vigilant: Incursion, Vigilant: Infiltration, and Vigilant: Rescue. But watch your step when you're in the Vigilant! The zone designer, Kyle "Kander" Vallee decided to insert a few areas where adventurers will be able to fall out of the ship to their deaths. So be careful up there, walk safely! We have, as usual, a few screenshots of the Vigilant to show off to those interested. Check out the gallery of shots from the ship below and be sure to visit EQ2Players.com for Kander's commentary on the zone! %Gallery-84287%
