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Smedley: "EverQuest Next will be the world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made"

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Comments

  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912

    Despite the understandable skepticism towards SOE, I am awed and wowed. I would assume Smed would by now not say such a thing, if it were entirely untrue. How much of a sandbox it is remains to be seen. I hope it is a healthy mix of the best of things. A pure sandbox a la Ultima would in our days not really work IMO. But many strong sandbox elements would be cool to see, and I especially miss the world of Everquest.

    EQ2 and SWG were the two MMOs I spent the longest time in, by far, and Planetside II seems to be quite good for people who like that sort of MMOs, too. So I make a small leap of faith and for now give them the benefit of doubt.

    If that even halfway plays out well, hats off.

    People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert

  • ProfRedProfRed Member UncommonPosts: 3,494
    I think now may be a decent time to purchase some SOE stock.  PS2 is a solid game, and EQNext could be huge and coming at the right time.
  • RefMinorRefMinor Member UncommonPosts: 3,452
    Can I be the first to say that this will be revolutionary, a paradigm shift in MMOs and that anyone who says anything bad about it is thinking about it wrongly.
  • ste2000ste2000 Member EpicPosts: 6,194
    EQ wasn't a Sandbox and definetly wasn't a Themepark.
    It was just EQ, a MMO prototype.
    The original EQ was as far as possible from a Themepark, it didn't have a single feature which could associate it with a Themepark.
    The gameplay was player focused like in Sandboxes, but it didn't have any Sanbox feature either.
    But it felt like a Sandbox because of its freedom and because it was community driven.

  • phantomghostphantomghost Member UncommonPosts: 738

    I actually believe they will deliver and I will be  satisfied.  I believe this because now in the 13+ years I have been playing MMO's (from age 9) EQ has been the best MMO I have played to date.  It is the only one I played for many years... it is the only one I still have an account (of course it went F2P so makes it easier to keep the accounts but prior to F2P I still had active accounts.

     

    The only game I have really enjoyed since EQ was DF and I did not enjoy it nearly as much as EQ... hopefully DFUW will be good enough to last me until EQ Next.


  • ShakyMoShakyMo Member CommonPosts: 7,207
    It has levels, classes, tiered gear progression, level based areas.

    ALL ELEMENTS OF THEMEPARKS

    games like uo and eve are as far as you can get from a themepark, not EQ lol.

    I don't mean themepark as an insult though. I love daoc and that's a themepark.

    The mmos I don't like are endgame lobby games like wow and swtor. I hate instancing.
  • ArclanArclan Member UncommonPosts: 1,550


    Originally posted by Zorgo

    Originally posted by Yamota Wasn't Smedley the guy who was responsible for transforming SWG to ThemePark from Sandbox which lead to it's eventual failure? If so I would not believe one word from this guy in regards to sandbox.
    Responsible for the transformation, but not the decision to do so. 

    LucasArts I believe most people blame for the directive.


    I thought that too until I learned the decision was 100% SoE. See archived SOE Dev blog at link:

    http://www.mmofringe.com/forum/15-Star-Wars-Galaxies/14-OM-NOM-NOM

    Luckily, i don't need you to like me to enjoy video games. -nariusseldon.
    In F2P I think it's more a case of the game's trying to play the player's. -laserit

  • WhiteLanternWhiteLantern Member RarePosts: 3,306
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Can I be the first to say that this will be revolutionary, a paradigm shift in MMOs and that anyone who says anything bad about it is thinking about it wrongly.

    You da Man!

    I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil

  • DavisFlightDavisFlight Member CommonPosts: 2,556
    Originally posted by JeroKane

     

    Also, if they gonna abbandon the Quest system, you can no longer really call it EverQuest in my opinion.

    Why don't they look at TSW's design and improve on that. You mean...not a sandbox at all? A mostly singleplayer experience with little to no player choice or freedom? As linear as it gets?

    EverQuest 1 wasn't quest based, so why shouldn't the call it EverQuest?

    The difference was, quests in EverQuest were ACTUALLY quests. Few, but heavily lore based and important/challenging.

    Not the annoying and obvious busy work we have in modern questing systems where you literally cannot progress without questing.

  • DavisFlightDavisFlight Member CommonPosts: 2,556
    Originally posted by Ripostethis
    Originally posted by DavisFlight
    Originally posted by Ripostethis
    Not enough funding to make it a big theme park mmo like Everquest 2 was. Will be something like GW2 , sounds like it will suck and be boring if you are into PVE, but will be based on pvp.

    Haha what? How did you reach this conclusion?

    Not enough funding? SoE is one of the most successful MMO companies out there. They had the funds to develop Planetside 2's engine from scratch (and it is an AMAZING engine). And how will it be like sandbox? GW2 is the opposite of a sanbox.

    And why does sandbox mean PvP? SWG was PvE oriented, as was Asheron's Call.

    Christ.

     

    And GW2 is a Sandbox mmo

    NOpe.

    No no no no no. No. Nope.

    Man, even the fanboys never tried to claim that one.

  • phantomghostphantomghost Member UncommonPosts: 738
    Originally posted by DavisFlight
    Originally posted by JeroKane

     

    Also, if they gonna abbandon the Quest system, you can no longer really call it EverQuest in my opinion.

    Why don't they look at TSW's design and improve on that. You mean...not a sandbox at all? A mostly singleplayer experience with little to no player choice or freedom? As linear as it gets?

    EverQuest 1 wasn't quest based, so why shouldn't the call it EverQuest?

    The difference was, quests in EverQuest were ACTUALLY quests. Few, but heavily lore based and important/challenging.

    Not the annoying and obvious busy work we have in modern questing systems where you literally cannot progress without questing.

    Their quests were rewarding for the challenge.  They don't give you freebies for picking up 5 items on the ground or killing 8 mobs.


  • fenistilfenistil Member Posts: 3,005
    Originally posted by Fearum
    So when this one fails, what excuse will sandbox fans blame it on? 

    I won't even touch it if there won't be some separate sub only servers wihout any kind of microtransactions shit or currency selling.    Since SOE made a shift to100% freemium I doubt they will and so that's what I will (or not) blame it on :)

  • RefMinorRefMinor Member UncommonPosts: 3,452
    Originally posted by DavisFlight
    Originally posted by Ripostethis
    Originally posted by DavisFlight
    Originally posted by Ripostethis
    Not enough funding to make it a big theme park mmo like Everquest 2 was. Will be something like GW2 , sounds like it will suck and be boring if you are into PVE, but will be based on pvp.

    Haha what? How did you reach this conclusion?

    Not enough funding? SoE is one of the most successful MMO companies out there. They had the funds to develop Planetside 2's engine from scratch (and it is an AMAZING engine). And how will it be like sandbox? GW2 is the opposite of a sanbox.

    And why does sandbox mean PvP? SWG was PvE oriented, as was Asheron's Call.

    Christ.

     

    And GW2 is a Sandbox mmo

    NOpe.

    No no no no no. No. Nope.

    Man, even the fanboys never tried to claim that one.

    Yes, I am afraid they did.

  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    image
  • RefMinorRefMinor Member UncommonPosts: 3,452
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

    Well, considering many of the responses about this announcement, they act as if this is the only AAA sandbox even coming down the pike.  That's why I question sandboxers who always act like they are never represented in the genre.

     

    There's Archeage as well as the new and improving Darkfall and the potential of Citadel of Sorcery and now EverQuest Next, all of which are claiming to be sandbox games.

    image
  • RefMinorRefMinor Member UncommonPosts: 3,452
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

    Well, considering many of the responses about this announcement, they act as if this is the only AAA sandbox even coming down the pike.  That's why I question sandboxers who always act like they are never represented in the genre.

     

    There's Archeage as well as the new and improving Darkfall and the potential of Citadel of Sorcery and now EverQuest Next, all of which are claiming to be sandbox games.

    So, three unreleased games and one Indy effort of which the previous version was filled will bugs and cheats (hopefully the new version will be better). I guess we should be grateful.

  • JetrpgJetrpg Member UncommonPosts: 2,347
    Originally posted by Loke666
    Originally posted by Phry
    Originally posted by Loke666

    Both Rockstar and Bethesda have said that making sandboxes actually cost more. Creating tools for players is not so easy as it sounds, UO already showed that and Lord Brittish have talked a lot about all weird consequenses freedom actually have in a game.

    What is cheaper is patching in new content, since the players themselves do a lot of the work but the launchcost will not be lower just because you make a sandbox, no matter what Goblinworks have said.

    Sandbox games are supposed to be like tool boxes, which is why Eve has worked so well, CCP 'went with the flow' they let the players choose how the game evolved, maybe its because their a bit closer to their game than others are, when you introduce 'freedom' into a game, then yes, weird things do happen, but i guess thats because when Devs plan game which they envision maybe 3 seperate paths to follow, players will almost always choose the 4th. Themepark games have had their day, but their getting old, very very old. More players now are probably ready for more 'sandboxy' style of gameplay, even if they don't realise it yet, what they want and perhaps, what they need may not be the same thing, can SOE do it though, doubtful, after seeing how dreadful Planetside 2 is shaping up to be, i really have to wonder if SOE can succeed in the MMO market on any level anymore image

    They sure are but the problem is that creating those tools take a lot more work than most people assume. That is exactly what Bethesda and Rockstar said in interviews about it and I have a feeling that creating the tolls for a MMO is way more work than for a single player game.

    SOE could reuse stuff from SWG to cut production cost  but I have my doubts about that they will, I think they will botch up the whole project.

    As for people being more ready for sandbox now, I think that they always have been, it is just that few good sandbox MMOs have existed. I wouldnt really say that themeparks are too old and tired though, MMO themeparks are just 1 1/2 years older than MMO sandboxes (M59, UO). Themeparks problems is more that they have been far too similar for a too long time.

    Any good MMO will always get in money, no matter if it is a themepark or a sandbox. However do it need both fun gameplay and good programming. The reason Wow ganked EQ2 was not really that Wow was more fun but because it was so better much programmed (ok, 5 times the budget didnt hurt either).

    If SOE either trained up their programmers since last time or hired in someone really good they can actually pull this off. If not they will just add another small MMO to an increasingly long list of smaller F2P games.

    People need to understand this, games are created by the people who drive the concept and the programers. Thats it art is just that what you see eye candy is nice but a picture is not a game.

    For too long bad programming has got in the way.. ANETs programers are seriously crazy good, from the launcher to gvame systems, they are crazy good. The vision.. half baked, the combat is amazing, the lack of item progression and support roles (there is no suppost in the game despite what anet claims) is awful thats a failure of the visionaries. Which is sad because had they made the game a bit harder inclucde real support in the game, and item progression the game would be amazing.

     

    This being said im so ready for a andbox or at least a camp based exp system like daoc , eq of old.

    "Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil; in its worst state an intolerable one ..." - Thomas Paine

  • VorthanionVorthanion Member RarePosts: 2,749
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

    Well, considering many of the responses about this announcement, they act as if this is the only AAA sandbox even coming down the pike.  That's why I question sandboxers who always act like they are never represented in the genre.

     

    There's Archeage as well as the new and improving Darkfall and the potential of Citadel of Sorcery and now EverQuest Next, all of which are claiming to be sandbox games.

    So, three unreleased games and one Indy effort of which the previous version was filled will bugs and cheats (hopefully the new version will be better). I guess we should be grateful.

    Well, hate to break it to ya, but you are a niche within the genre, no matter how much your group believes otherwise.

    image
  • NethermancerNethermancer Member Posts: 520

    This is Smedley talking......

    So I will chalk this one up to "we will wait and see"

    I have played MMO's for over a decade now and 1 thing has stayed constant ....SOE ALWAYS lets me down. 

     

    Matrix online? let down

    SWG? let down

    EQ? let down

    EQ2? let down

    Vangaurd? huge let down

    DCOU? let down

    Playing: PO, EVE
    Waiting for: WoD
    Favourite MMOs: VG, EVE, FE and DDO
    Any person who expresses rage and loathing for an MMO is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae.

  • fenistilfenistil Member Posts: 3,005
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

    Well, considering many of the responses about this announcement, they act as if this is the only AAA sandbox even coming down the pike.  That's why I question sandboxers who always act like they are never represented in the genre.

     

    There's Archeage as well as the new and improving Darkfall and the potential of Citadel of Sorcery and now EverQuest Next, all of which are claiming to be sandbox games.

    So, three unreleased games and one Indy effort of which the previous version was filled will bugs and cheats (hopefully the new version will be better). I guess we should be grateful.

    Well Darkfall is also kinda indie.  Borderline, but still.  Also DFO 1 was in big way huge deatchmatch with other things not so developed so it was niche in a niche.    Other than that let's not praise day before sunset imho.

  • fenistilfenistil Member Posts: 3,005
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    Originally posted by RefMinor
    Originally posted by Vorthanion
    I'm curious, I thought Archeage was going to be the new AAA sandbox home?

    This isn't highlander mate, there can be more than one.

    Well, considering many of the responses about this announcement, they act as if this is the only AAA sandbox even coming down the pike.  That's why I question sandboxers who always act like they are never represented in the genre.

     

    There's Archeage as well as the new and improving Darkfall and the potential of Citadel of Sorcery and now EverQuest Next, all of which are claiming to be sandbox games.

    So, three unreleased games and one Indy effort of which the previous version was filled will bugs and cheats (hopefully the new version will be better). I guess we should be grateful.

    Well, hate to break it to ya, but you are a niche within the genre, no matter how much your group believes otherwise.

    I don't see where he claimed otherwise?

  • VelocinoxVelocinox Member UncommonPosts: 1,010
    Originally posted by rungard

    I knew it. This announcement deserves the creation of a dedicated forum. All SWG/sandbox players rejoice.

    Hopefully a AAA home is on the way.

    Rejoicement over a noncommital ambiguous marketing statement?

    Don't blame the industry for hype, just look in the mirror.

    'Sandbox MMO' is a PTSD trigger word for anyone who has the experience to know that anonymous players invariably use a 'sandbox' in the same manner a housecat does.


    When your head is stuck in the sand, your ass becomes the only recognizable part of you.


    No game is more fun than the one you can't play, and no game is more boring than one which you've become familiar.


    How to become a millionaire:
    Start with a billion dollars and make an MMO.

  • YaoimanYaoiman Member Posts: 51
    Originally posted by Ripostethis
    Not enough funding to make it a big theme park mmo like Everquest 2 was. Will be something like GW2 , sounds like it will suck and be boring if you are into PVE, but will be based on pvp.

    Darkfall is sandbox and has amazing PVE.

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2DP-SqsB4I

     

    And FFXI easily has the best storytelling and PVE in the genre.

    A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, the man who never reads lives only one.

    We will always remember your sacrifice, Louisoux!

  • phantomghostphantomghost Member UncommonPosts: 738
    Originally posted by Nethermancer

    This is Smedley talking......

    So I will chalk this one up to "we will wait and see"

    I have played MMO's for over a decade now and 1 thing has stayed constant ....SOE ALWAYS lets me down. 

     

    Matrix online? let down

    SWG? let down

    EQ? let down

    EQ2? let down

    Vangaurd? huge let down

    DCOU? let down

    Seems you have ridiculous expectations because EQ and SWG are and were amongst the best MMO's ever made.  It is a shame a game as terrible as SWTOR forced them to shut SWG down.


This discussion has been closed.