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Smedley: "EverQuest Next will be the world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made"
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It's a developer imposed niche, not a player chosen one.
Bad games and a game that's literally a niche within a niche (EVE) is not representative of what "players want". It's everything to do with following the trend of success set by someone else.
It is NORMAL business practice to try and capitalize on the success of someone else. Developers have been chasing Blizzard sinse '04, and it has NOTHING to do with sandboxers being a niche within the genre, and EVERYTHING to do with business as usual.
Two PC games were responcible for half of all PC sales in a single month, Skyrim and MW3. Sandbox RPG's are hugely popular, and people that play MMO's are more than likely also playing single player RPGs.
When the king of the hill is Nsync, than you what you get is a music industry that is all about boy bands, when it's Eminem, it's a music industry with a focus on hip hop, when it's Fallout Boy it's a music industry focues on studio rock bands.
When the kind of the hill is a themepark, than every other developer will do what the king did, make a themepark. If WoW had been a sandbox EVERY mmy made sinse '04 would also have been a sandbox and we'd be having a completely different conversation today.
Actually I think WoW was the MMO that gave rise to the themepark references. EQ/Daoc/Ao had like nearly no quests compared to WoW. If you played EQ1 at the beginning can you remember how many quests you did in EQ? WoW had like 3-4k+ at the start which is probably 5 times more than all those other games put together.
WoW came up with the questing system in MMOs. I know WoW didn't invent the quest mechanic itself but neither did EQ, DAOC, AO or any of the other MMOs. Quests have been in RPGs for ages. And MMOs prior WoW had some but they were very very few. WoW decided to go down the questing route with thousands of them.
I always laugh at people saying that WoW didn't come up with anything new YET WoW came up with the idea to let you level up through quests and guide you through dungeons and raids through quests. And every single MMO ever since has adopted this approach.
Mission in life: Vanquish all MMORPG.com trolls - especially TESO, WOW and GW2 trolls.
A sandbox has players actions changing the world.
The only news you are breaking to me is your own preconceptions, I do not have a group, I am an individual who follows his own beliefs. I do not see any sandbox enthusiasts claiming they are not niche, however that does not mean one made well would not be profitable for a company willing to invest.
I think it was part of Ralph Kostner's recent SWG interview where is stated that you can launch a polished Sandbox in half the time and for 20% the costs of a traditional Themepark. Since building game systems are easier than building Themepark content.
The tough part is that if the players don't like the sandbox systems then they won't entertain themselves for very long so long term viability can be tricky. But given the costs savings, the box sales can probably cover development and even turn a health profit even if the game doesn't hold a large population after a few months.
Its nice to see the Big MMO devs finally giving "Sandbox" some serious attention after last 5 years of reguritated Themparks.
Yeah and i agree with that, i'm in agreement with you.
Great GREAt post.
Pretty much sums up the issues at hand about themepark vs no. UO didn't make the rules nor did EQ muds by large did and other games adopted parts of them.
This being said there is strictly liner progression in themeparks and then there are games like eq and daoc where you have to explore more you have camps of mobs that differ in level but overall levels and themes in zones (with few expections).
You can prefer and encourgae this type of game i do. Themepark is not a bad term is supierior to sandbox (you may argue otherwise thats fine) but there is a reason beyond wow for > number of themepark games. I just feel like people need to start DEMANDING quility in mmos. Like right now me and my friends were not sure of gw2 endgame rightfully so, the game is amazing other than them removing support from the game and no item progression end game. People should demand these thign exsist.
Im not playign wow anymore becuase i am demanding raid content like tbc, otherwise ill abstain, and i encourage others also. I want quality so ill not settle for less.
"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
Smedley has hinter at this for some time which has made me extremely excited (and I have never been excited about EQ as I was an AC player). This simply confirms things.
It scares me to think it but SOE may be the saviour of the mmo? Who would have thunk it?!
SOE is doing to EQ what Turbine should have done with AC. Good, good news ... as long as it isn't just hype (*AHEM* GW2)
You stay sassy!
I agree he really does not know what he is talking about imo.
Remind me about this again in 3 years.
Taru-Gallante-Blood elf-Elysean-Kelari-Crime Fighting-Imperial Agent
Chuckle.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
After yesterday's version of poison-the-well. I am now requiring direct quotes, or it didn't happen. Pix or it didn't happen. Whatever. We'll await the citation of reference.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
I get so tired of hearing this "SOE is innocent, LA is the devil crap."
Point of fact: LA and SOE were co-publishers, so both had to agree on anything.
And also, and more importantly from the players' perspective, LA did not ever, even once, write one line of code for SWG. That was all SOE and Smed.
I am sure LA told SOE to intentionally turn SWG in a broken mess of unoptimized crap code? Right?
The truth is: that Smed AND LA got WoW fever and crashed SWG in attempt to gain the customers they didn't have, at the expense of every single customer they DID have.
And that is the most important thing to remember when dealing with Smed: He will always care more about chasing the customer he doesn't have, than taking care of the Paying Customer (you).
As to the main subject: there are many, many things weighing against the chance that any new EQ game will be "Sandboxy and good": the same people have programed and designed for SOE for years, and nothing good has come out of that place in a decade (and thus SOE's heavily declining fortunes). Plus SOE wrecked the only sandbox they ever had. Plus they don't have any sandbox designers. And on and on.
I seriously doubt SOE could actually put out a good game with who they have left, let alone a sandbox. Despite and especially because of what Smed says.
+1
lol wheres the hype. The game definitely exists, and it is a sorely needed AAA sandbox.
why wouldnt swg/sandbox players be happy about it?
The hype is coming from you. "Rejoice"
Why wouldn't they be happy about it? The game definately exists?
A game exists in some state right now. There is no one here that can state what level of playability it is, or what kind of game it is.
Smedley has been caught in lies before. Soe' record is not very pretty.
There are a lot of reasons to doubt whether this game will be a sandbox, and whether it will be any good.
I would say thats enough reason to doubt, or at least get off the hype train that you are promoting.
At best all we should be saying is, "Thats interesting, lets wait for more information and feedback from people other than Soe."
Remember the pre-press speculation about TESO?
A request for more information from the floor is never out of order, Sergeant-at-Arms.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
He never lied to me and i played the game for 2 years. How you got a hype train from one word....are you a politician? Players like me have been waiting for this for a very long time.
I come to these boards anymore just for entertainment of this sort.
This is a lot like spiking the punch bowl at an alcoholics anonymous meeting with vodka, then sitting back and watching. Of course, that would be a tad bit more evul, although not entirely a different thing at all.
Once upon a time....
clearly, hope has forsaken many of these lands.
I think a "Lighten up!" is in order.
Which game was that.
He stated EQ2 would not have a CS, then there was a CS on on server. He stated that it would only be on that server, than it was all servers. There were lies about SWG.
Just because he didn't lie to you doesn't mean he didn't lie. He has, it's documented.
You stated all sandbox fans should rejoice. That is an expression of great joy, of delight,, this isn't opinion thats the definition of the word. You posted this on a forum, thats promotion, the words you used are extavagant, you are trying to stimulate excitement, again the word is rejoice. This the very definition of the word hype. You are hyping the game. Again it's documented.
Being let down doesnt mean i didnt like the games (i loved both EQ and SWG). The point is SOE ruined EQ and ruined SWG in the end. Wasnt clear in my post sorry. The point is SOE ruins everything by the end.
Let me make it more clear
Matric online - terrible game
SWG - we all know it was ruined
EQ - WoW'd it up
EQ2 - bad game
Vangaurd - should have let it die instead of rot.
DCOU - boring shallow garbage
On top of all these let downs ther F2P model is TERRIBLE.
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.