EQ Next - the curtain is about to fall...

[Godefroi]

See you in LV !

/nerd

[khanable]

SOE has done good things with PS2. They seem to really listen to the community.

I don't think it'll be the second coming of Veeshan, but I do hope they hit a home run with it.

[Godefroi]

the leaked animation video was a huge fail imo, but then again, they said they wiped it all and started from scratch again...there is no way we can tell until the 2nd

[myriverse]

Only thing I didn't like about the video was the shiny armour, and that could easily be fixed with proper lighting.

[t0lkien]

Only thing I didn't like about the video was the shiny armour, and that could easily be fixed with proper lighting.

I didn't like the style - it's very Warhammer/WoW influenced. And that, to me, is telling.

[Hawala]

Can you provide the leaked video?

[Godefroi]

it had been online for barely over 2 weeks, as soon as I posted it on P99 it got removed.

Either the SOE Staff reads RnF (tinfoil) or the author of the video noticed the views and freaked out. Either way it's nowhere to be found anymore :/

[hyper50]

I'm definitely hoping for the best. Either way, I'm sure I'll check it out.

[Vaildez]

I really hope they don't go with the cartoon models....So sick of those.

[Godefroi]

What's horrible is that MMO Studios are really "low" budget, besides SOE and Blizzard.

Blizzard has way too much cash right now (goodbye vivendi)

SOE is #2 , their staff is very qualified and the financial health of SOE is satisfying. However monthly (sometimes weekly) board meetings constantly check the "yielding" capacity of a title. You all know SOE is massively F2P (if not 100% of the entire catalogue ?). So their revenues has to be triggered by in game mechanisms, you can expect that in a way this makes it impossible for a game to be "hard" in the vintage meaning, simply because revenues came from monthly fees, and that in game mechanics were purely to challenge players, not to generate cash.

What is to be feared is that so far what has been disclosed about EQN is that they want to make it hard again. But we all know the more WoW became popular the easier it got. SOE remains a company, and CFOs rule the world...that's what I'm afraid of. :(

Look at DayZ, it's interesting to see this game (mod) became extremely popular because it's hard as hell and that there is barely any tutorial in game. People loved it and within 2 months they had 1 million active players...with 0 marketing budget.

If there is one last company that can take a shot at the Hxc core of the MMO community, it's SOE. The rest are positioned on a theme park casual segmentation that will never interest you EQ1 player...(Purely speaking of Heroic Fantasy - on another thematic, even though I don't play, EVE Online seems to be a perfect example of how MMOs should be ran, 4000 people alliances fight ? holy shit).

[Arterian]

Would love to see leaked vid...any hosts anywhere?

[Calibix]

I'd put Square Enix on that list if I were you. I heard FF11 was a great/difficult game, and the relaunch of FF14 looks to be promising as well.

Voting trying to not get too excited, have reservations still. But I know I'm getting early access to EQN already, so I'll let you suckers know! Or not. NDA ftl :p

[raff01]

Who cares about SOE? the original EQ team wasn't SOE, it was Verant and I believe none of the original Verant guys are left at SOE.

[Bantam 1]

Who cares about SOE? the original EQ team wasn't SOE, it was Verant and I believe none of the original Verant guys are left at SOE.

But Verant was always SOE.....

[xarzzardorn]

the wow models were amazing, easily the best in any MMO ive ever played. if their responsiveness matches up in art design it will be rly good

[Faerie]

I just hope "sandbox" doesn't mean player-created content like Minecraft. A real sandbox game is something like classic EQ with pvp turned on.

Also hope they don't ruin the game in favor of profits. The free to play/cash shop route they're going with all the other games is frightening.

[Faerie]

And what's with the hate on WoW models? At least they were tons better than Luclin :P

[Vandy]

As far as character development everquest isn't anything of a sandbox. I'm hoping for a decent game with heavy community and non-instance dungeons. The thing I love most about eq is the bonding experience with other players. Dungeon finders and instancing killed it for me.

[CrazyHorse]

I think there is a very viable solution to all of this shit...

'Subscription' servers that have hardcore/classic mechanics.

Why can this not be implemented? The real EQ players can then forego the shitty F2P model, while enjoying a 'hardcore' mmo franchise the way it's supposed to be played.

[Calibix]

http://www.reddit.com/r/EQNext/comments/1j7sgt/some_info_on_eqn_from_a_friend/

[Champion_Standing]

EQnext is going to be a groundbreaking, genre defining, next-gen MMORPG experience. With an evolving world where players will feel like they are truly having an impact. It's a sandbox, that means players decide where to go and when. YOU are in control of your gaming experience with the new revolutionary Pay to Play Your Way system that will be in place.

[Faerie]

Misc - this game will be FTP. It will have a cash shop. SOE will make the world, dungeons, raids as usual. Their version of emergent gameplay is us creating content via their dungeon maker/player studio. Player made PVP battlegrounds. This player created content is all instanced not part of the persistent world. So is housing. Guild housing will be in from the get go as well.

If this is true, I won't be playing. Battlegrounds? Instancing? Cash shop?

ugh.

[SCB]

If this is true, I won't be playing. Battlegrounds? Instancing? Cash shop?

ugh.

Don't give up hope just yet. He specifically says "this player created content will be instanced" and above says "some raids/dungeon content will be instanced" but mentions the same-world dungeons "a la EQ1"

As for F2P - expect this from every online game for a good long while. Insanely profitable and low barrier-of-entry.

[Champion_Standing]

If this is true, I won't be playing. Battlegrounds? Instancing? Cash shop?

ugh.

Do people seriously not know that EQNext will be F2P?

SOE does not make pay to play games anymore.

[Faerie]

Do people seriously not know that EQNext will be F2P?

SOE does not make pay to play games anymore.

I'm much more upset about the news of battlegrounds and instancing. If a cash shop is done right it could work out, though it does bode poorly for the game.

[Calibix]

I'm much more upset about the news of battlegrounds and instancing. If a cash shop is done right it could work out, though it does bode poorly for the game.

No buy to win, only sell convenience. But yeah, F2P sucks.

[Nirgon]

Gentlemen, start your batphones

[Ezrick]

Who cares about SOE? the original EQ team wasn't SOE, it was Verant and I believe none of the original Verant guys are left at SOE.


Actually it was. The original team was 989 Studios which was part of Sony (they actually made mostly sports games).

When the budget got big and the big-wigs got scared it was spun off as Verant Interactive to limit the damage should it flop. Once it was successful, Sony bought Verant back and created SOE.

[Godefroi]

AUGUST 2ND

12:00 PM - 1:30 PM EverQuest Next Debut Join John Smedley, Dave Georgeson and members of the development team for the reveal of EverQuest Next! You won't want to miss this! We will be livestreaming from this event on Twitch TV! Celebrity Ballrooms

http://www.twitch.tv/everquestnext

[NegaStoat]

Couldn't vote on the poll. The option for "I don't trust Sony Online Entertainment worth a crap, and won't even look at it" wasn't available. In my humble opinion, Planetside 1 was the last quality product they launched with MMO intentions. I'd say Star Wars Galaxies as well, but we know how that turned out.

The Dark Age of Camelot sequel that's in development has my mild interest. If someone were to make a modern Shadowbane sequel, that would have my interest as well. I'd also glance at a Shadowrun MMO. But nothing from Sony.

[webrunner5]

I hope they do away with the stupid zoning like we have, and move to how WoW does it. :(

[HawkMasterson1999]

Pay to win games will always suck. Why do you think so many people are pissed about RMT on our server?

[planeofdreams]

That EQnext will be F2P is the only reason I will consider trying it. Its also the primary reason I think it will fail to live up to my expectations. Do you guys think it will launch with experience potions or will we have to wait?

[Rezonation]

No xp potions to start. I suspect the cash store will have mostly ornaments to begin with.

[Yiblaan]

Usually Free-to-play becomes pay-to-win and I am not a fan of that. IMO it may be impossible to marry Old world MMOs with new era. Sony won't profit as much from Niche gaming anyways

[Sirken]

Who cares about SOE? the original EQ team wasn't SOE, it was Verant and I believe none of the original Verant guys are left at SOE.

so i guess you dont count Brad McQuaid and Jeff Butler as "original EQ Team"

/facepalm

[Dullah]

Ya, McQuaid is back but not working on EQ Next unfortunately. Jeff Butler who worked on EQ during the classic era and later started Sigil (Vanguard) is the creative director at SOE over EQ Next.

Thats actually the best thing I've heard in the last few months about EQ Next. That and Brad McQuaid saying that EQ and Vanguard fans specifically will enjoy EQN and basically implied that its sort of the game they intended VG:SOH to be.

"Saw a preview of the EQNext intro yesterday. I think EQ and VG players are going to love it!"

"It has features that Jeff & I wanted to put in EQ & VG (& a bunch of other great ideas) but the tech wasn't there yet. Well, it's there now!"

https://twitter.com/Aradune

[Nirgon]

Destin, this is going to be free to play. So even if its bad, we can still have our lvl 5 troll SKs with rusty 2hs murdering in Nektulos or wherever. Pras.

[SCB]

Usually Free-to-play becomes pay-to-win and I am not a fan of that.

This is simply not true in Western games.

[Nirgon]

Obviously he's not going to say "I SAW IT AND THAT SHIT IS NOT CLASSIC".

[Dullah]

Destin, this is going to be free to play. So even if its bad, we can still have our lvl 5 troll SKs with rusty 2hs murdering in Nektulos or wherever. Pras.

Love free to play model. If a game is good, like an endless supply of newbies to PK.

[Razdeline]

F2P is not bad if it is done correctly. Games like ps2 and league of legends work.

[Suirad]

/crosses fingers