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EverQuest II: SOEmote Revolutionizing Role-play
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
During E3, we managed to get a good first-hand look at Sony Online Entertainment's new tech feature called SOEmote, a feature that is set to be implemented in EverQuest 2. Don't know what SOEmote is? You will after checking out our hands on experience. Read on!
SOE was at E3 this year in a big way. The darling of the show floor was obviously Planetside 2, but the company’s veteran games also made a splash with the SOEmote feature for Everquest 2 leading the pack in a new and clearly cut direction. Using the help of your average webcam, SOEmote will allow a player to take total control of their EQ2 character’s face, moving its mouth, eyes, tilting and turning its head in a believable fashion with the ability to add in voices to their avatar as well. In short, of all games and features unveiled at E3, SOEmote just may be the one that’s doing the most to enhance the RPG part of MMORPG.
Read more of Bill Murphy's EverQuest 2: SOEmote Revolutionizing Role-play.
Comments
I don't even consider it all that keen for Role-Play, it's just going to overall add a lot of intimacy between Players and their characters.
(Plus, this is like the 3rd thread on it, so the above is as blunt as I can put my stance without reiterating everything I've said thus far...)
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
This is gonna be great for cybering. Think of the possibilities!
Make sure we keep this tech away from Second Life...
*serious note*
I wonder how headset mics will affect it's ability to pick up facial expressions and such.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
This might just give a lot of people a reason to play zoomed in a lot more than is normal in most games. I know I usually am zoomed almost all the way out but with all of this work going into facial expressions...gives me a reason to zoom in and maybe...just maybe role play.
And act like a goof and see just what kind of silly expressions I can come up with.
It isn't roleplaying, not by a longshot, but it is extremley innovative. Like hardcore. I love it.
It will be once it has VoiP with various filters to match the character aesthetic.
My only worry is the Frogloks will be crying "I got one on me Fox! Help me Fox!". Good thing there's no rabbit-folk to demand barrel rolls.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture
That's the first thing that came to mind somehow...especially because of the froglok. Now I'll get to annoy the hell out of people with SOEmote!
I actually like it. Instead of making games more anti-social ala GW2, they are promoting social interaction and community building. Also, screw them for mentioning EQ next. I forgot all about it, now I want it ><
Dave is so completely out of touch with EQ2 it simply continues to boggle my mind. Loss of voice chat did not kill RP, which is the line he keeps spinning as a rationale to bring this gimmicky feature in. RPer's didn't roleplay in voice chat, they use (and always have used) elaborate text. Voice chat wasn't immersive for the fantasy environment. Who wants to see an axe weilding Ogre, then hear them over your headset or speakers with the voice of a 13 year old girl, or a nasally whine? A poorly rendered digital "dwarf" filter on your voice is supposed to make it better?
All the discussion on this, at the official forums, is that it is a joke. A lot of people are even angered at the wasted dev time and resources on a feature that will, at best, be used by a very minor percentage of the population or, at worst, so unbeleivably broken and bugged at launch (like the majority of Dave's concocted features) that it gets abandoned and the subject of even further ridicule. Read the commentary for yourself on their website by the playerbase:
http://forums.station.sony.com/eq2/posts/list.m?topic_id=518868
Now, you can lable me a pessimist all you want, but I actually play the game. I've been there since just after launch almost 8 years ago. What Dave has done to the game, to the community, is just sad. He's wrecked it, and his snake-oil salesman pitches for useless features like this have been made time and time again in the 2 years he's been there. He'll swear up and down X-feature is the best. thing. ever.!! and it will then launch bugged, and not receive dev attention (because the good dev's left the game in the last 6 months), and then finally be tossed on the growing Pile of Failure that is Dave's legacy.
There is a reason why the playerbase continually asks for Dave to get fired or leave the game. He doesn't listen, or care to listen, to the players. He spins lies and produces lots and lots of shiny, half-baked features that, often, never even go through a testing process. Worst producer the game has ever seen.
SOEmote? *cough* Looking forward to it.
EQ2 is slowly turning into Second Life with a fantasy setting. The game is more focused on Home decorating, tradeskilling, cosmetic items, and now role playing. Not that it is a bad thing. Though I wish they would put in some SWG ideas, things like player owned taverns and entertainer class.
I would love this idea if I had any faith that a camera pointed at me all the time would not end up being misused.
Not that kind of game... Entertainers in EQ2. Ha.
~Wait... and you think the game is becoming TOO MUCH like SL? Listen to yourself... SWG was all about the things you say are making this one too much like SL: Home decorating, tradeskilling, cosmetic items, and role playing - check yourself, mate!
Geez, so many disgruntled Players that do nothing but complain, but then keep playing it (not that I'm at all surprised).
~At least MapleStone provides a decent counterpoint. It's likely going to see what soft drinks go into your gab, then shoot advertsing at us.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
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You know, those people in that thread, just by going by your description... sorry, no way I could take them seriously. I'm not really sure that those are not the kinds of people I would want around me for a "role play experience". Role playing at its tried and true form happens with your voice, your expressions, and what you say. That has always been true since Dungeons & Dragons was introduced into the world in the early 70's, when it brought role playing games to the world. The only thing that SOE is doing is plugging that in moreso. There are people right now that play table top RPG's in an online format, using cameras and mics/headsets as well. This is all a logical progession. There is only one thing missing.
The DM.
This will all matter when there is a DM running adventures for people in said SOE games. However, it's SOE. That day will never happen. This is an amazing tool, but, it doesn't really do any good if they aren't going to fully utilize it. What a shame.
Banegrivm
Leader of the 1st Fist of Light
www.1stfistoflight.com
now add virtual smell.
lol.
Epic Music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAigCvelkhQ&list=PLo9FRw1AkDuQLEz7Gvvaz3ideB2NpFtT1
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Kyleran: "Now there's the real trick, learning to accept and enjoy a game for what it offers rather than pass on what might be a great playing experience because it lacks a few features you prefer."
John Henry Newman: "A man would do nothing if he waited until he could do it so well that no one could find fault."
FreddyNoNose: "A good game needs no defense; a bad game has no defense." "Easily digested content is just as easily forgotten."
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Trust me, you don't want that. Most basement dwellers are know to miss their taint when bathing.
Writer / Musician / Game Designer
Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
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Hehe, yeah.
Anyway, seriously innovative stuff this. Now it just needs to capture arm and hand gestures too
My brand new bloggity blog.
Second Life avatars already move their mouths in sync with the user's voice. Its just done with voice mimmicking though, not as sophisticated as this.
That said, lets not pretend that SL is the only place online filled with debauchery.
I completely disagree with you. Any innovative feature no matter how in significant and gimmicky should be welcomed by players in genre which is stagnant and standing sitll in waters. I don't know about you but EQ2 has been better than ever, i never enjoyed this game in first few years as i do now. Don't know if Dave should get credit for it or not but if EQ2 was anything like it was in beginning i wouldn't even touch it.
Also, i call BS on your claims of people laughing at it on official forums. if anything players are realy excited and looking forward to it.
You know what, There is no way this is a bad thing. Good work.
TSW - AoC - Aion - WOW - EVE - Fallen Earth - Co - Rift - || XNA C# Java Development
but we already have that....
http://remotepleasure.com/store/
LOL
- first it was how amazing AoC would be
- then it was how amazingly amazing SWTOR would be (check out his previews/reviews, Murphy's)
- then it was how 'hey,why not', let's start advertising hardware/peripherals, make even more of the extra buck, plus try out for ourselves for free
- now an entire game is being revolutionary in its Roleplaying dpt solely, only, because of this SOEmoting..nevermind how, considering all the game's (and the company's) problems, this must be -some- new type of a *&**% revolution..
More proper, non-biased, non-motivated article again mmorpg.com.. anytime
Yes, because all of us old school pen and paper rpg players texted our responses to each other. Role playing has never been about voice. GTFO.
It's funny how over the last 5-7 years MMOs have consistently done less and less for Roleplayers and created games that are less and less conducive to having good RP experiences. Yet DEVs still come out with randomly useless crap and say "oh it's for the Roleplayers". This SOEmote, the entire TOR voiceover thing - "yes, it's for the roleplayers! oh and btw, we're removing all RP rulesets from our games, that's for the roleplayers too!"
Seriously, if they want to cater to RPers, they need to start by designing game world that actually make sense and then putting up servers with enforced RP rulesets. None of this gimmicky bullshit is helping RP when the world you've created sucks and you can't even be bothered to run a proper RP server.
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To those who claim PnP DnD is the only way to RP; just stop. You're embaressing yourself. RPI MUDs, NwN RP Servers, and I have been playing a Pathfinder RPG campaign in mIRC for almost half a decade now. At times, the impersonal intermediary of a computer/internet connection to your campaign makes it easier, not harder, to interact. A good writer has all the skills they need to portray a character in an online environment.
I don't play much of EQII, so I'm not one to judge the communities perceived need of this innovation. As a future Planetside2 player, this seems like a neat idea. Not vital, but if my computer supported the extra resource usage I'd definitely be in.
As a long-time RPer, this innovation is a brilliant step towards bridging the gap between graphical UI and the ability to portray a character. Whether or not it is implemented well, I am still excited to see that it is being worked on at all.