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[Preview] EverQuest II: EverQuest and EverQuest 2's New Expansions

BillMurphyBillMurphy Former Managing EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 4,565

Despite this past weekend being all about EQ Next, both the original and its sequel are also trucking on with brand new expansions later this year. Read on for details on both.

With all the excitement surrounding the revelation of EverQuest Next, it’s a trifle easy to overlook EverQuest and EverQuest 2. But neither is a game that is worthy of being overlooked and if the new expansions and forward-looking vision of the teams behind each are any indication, both titles still have a million stories to tell and no plans to fade to black. During SOE Live, we had the chance to sit in on a pair of panels that laid out the basic details about both EverQuest’s and EverQuest 2’s forthcoming expansion. Here’s what we learned...

Read the rest of Garrett Fuller's and Suzie Ford's EverQuest and EverQuest 2's New Expansions.

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Comments

  • itchmonitchmon Member RarePosts: 1,999
    awww man, with the EQN hype part of me wants to just go back to the OG norrath til eqn hits.  but my level 60 with 25 AA (that was pretty good last time i played!!) ... he probably has soooooooo much work to do ....

    RIP Ribbitribbitt you are missed, kid.

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  • TygranirTygranir Member Posts: 741
    Originally posted by itchmon
    awww man, with the EQN hype part of me wants to just go back to the OG norrath til eqn hits.  but my level 60 with 25 AA (that was pretty good last time i played!!) ... he probably has soooooooo much work to do ....

    My level 69 magician has 588 AAs and is still grinding more out. Level 100 charactes can have over 10,000 AA points

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  • NanfoodleNanfoodle Member LegendaryPosts: 10,617
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 
  • Panther2103Panther2103 Member EpicPosts: 5,766
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 

    Man there are definitely two sides of that coin. Some people think they are the worst company ever for dropping support for vanguard for so long and shutting down SWG. I agree with you for sure though, they are supporting the heck out of their old titles.

  • giga1000giga1000 Member Posts: 98
    Originally posted by Panther2103
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 

    Man there are definitely two sides of that coin. Some people think they are the worst company ever for dropping support for vanguard for so long and shutting down SWG. I agree with you for sure though, they are supporting the heck out of their old titles.

    Uh it was Lucas Arts that made them shut down SWG and also it was Lucas Arts who made them do NGE becuase they wanted WOW numbers.

    SWG was Lucas Arts IP SOE can't do anything to it unless they agree but Lucas Arts can make them do anything to the IP because they own it. its the same issue that happened to Warhammer Online. Mythic wanted to go more like DAOC route but Games Workshops Said no FU its our IP you do what we say not we do what you suggest. These IP's like StarWars and Warhammer etc all get ruined as MMO's because of the IP owners not the companys trying to make a MMORPG out of them.

    The only way to make a good game is to make a original IP and actually own it so you can do it however you want.

  • AsamofAsamof Member UncommonPosts: 824
    Originally posted by giga1000
    Originally posted by Panther2103
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 

    Man there are definitely two sides of that coin. Some people think they are the worst company ever for dropping support for vanguard for so long and shutting down SWG. I agree with you for sure though, they are supporting the heck out of their old titles.

    Uh it was Lucas Arts that made them shut down SWG and also it was Lucas Arts who made them do NGE becuase they wanted WOW numbers.

    SWG was Lucas Arts IP SOE can't do anything to it unless they agree but Lucas Arts can make them do anything to the IP because they own it. its the same issue that happened to Warhammer Online. Mythic wanted to go more like DAOC route but Games Workshops Said no FU its our IP you do what we say not we do what you suggest. These IP's like StarWars and Warhammer etc all get ruined as MMO's because of the IP owners not the companys trying to make a MMORPG out of them.

    The only way to make a good game is to make a original IP and actually own it so you can do it however you want.

    um, no? There was an article about Smedley sitting down to play the original SWG then following up with 'It's not very fun' 'It's boring'. It wasn't long after till the NGE was conceived by him, which would end up shutting the game down years later. 

     

    One of many reasons why people to this day are still wary of SOE's business and development practices.

  • keenberkeenber Member UncommonPosts: 438
    Originally posted by Asamof
    Originally posted by giga1000
    Originally posted by Panther2103
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 

    Man there are definitely two sides of that coin. Some people think they are the worst company ever for dropping support for vanguard for so long and shutting down SWG. I agree with you for sure though, they are supporting the heck out of their old titles.

    Uh it was Lucas Arts that made them shut down SWG and also it was Lucas Arts who made them do NGE becuase they wanted WOW numbers.

    SWG was Lucas Arts IP SOE can't do anything to it unless they agree but Lucas Arts can make them do anything to the IP because they own it. its the same issue that happened to Warhammer Online. Mythic wanted to go more like DAOC route but Games Workshops Said no FU its our IP you do what we say not we do what you suggest. These IP's like StarWars and Warhammer etc all get ruined as MMO's because of the IP owners not the companys trying to make a MMORPG out of them.

    The only way to make a good game is to make a original IP and actually own it so you can do it however you want.

    um, no? There was an article about Smedley sitting down to play the original SWG then following up with 'It's not very fun' 'It's boring'. It wasn't long after till the NGE was conceived by him, which would end up shutting the game down years later. 

     

    One of many reasons why people to this day are still wary of SOE's business and development practices.

    I would love to se that article but I am guessing you won't be able to link it . I played SWG on and of from beta and I never heard anything like that and although shemdly has a big mouth he ain't stupid to say something like that about his own game. We all know everything to do with Star Wars was strictly controlled by the money grabbing Lucas .

  • bobfishbobfish Member UncommonPosts: 1,679
    Originally posted by Asamof
    Originally posted by giga1000
    Originally posted by Panther2103
    Originally posted by Nanfoodle
    Gota love SoE still looking after a game for almost 15 years =) Says a lot about a company. 

    Man there are definitely two sides of that coin. Some people think they are the worst company ever for dropping support for vanguard for so long and shutting down SWG. I agree with you for sure though, they are supporting the heck out of their old titles.

    Uh it was Lucas Arts that made them shut down SWG and also it was Lucas Arts who made them do NGE becuase they wanted WOW numbers.

    SWG was Lucas Arts IP SOE can't do anything to it unless they agree but Lucas Arts can make them do anything to the IP because they own it. its the same issue that happened to Warhammer Online. Mythic wanted to go more like DAOC route but Games Workshops Said no FU its our IP you do what we say not we do what you suggest. These IP's like StarWars and Warhammer etc all get ruined as MMO's because of the IP owners not the companys trying to make a MMORPG out of them.

    The only way to make a good game is to make a original IP and actually own it so you can do it however you want.

    um, no? There was an article about Smedley sitting down to play the original SWG then following up with 'It's not very fun' 'It's boring'. It wasn't long after till the NGE was conceived by him, which would end up shutting the game down years later. 

     

    One of many reasons why people to this day are still wary of SOE's business and development practices.

    Wow, what are you smoking, I want some of that!

     

    SWG closed because SOE's eight year license deal with LucasArts expired, and LA didn't want to renew because SWTOR was about to release.

     

    Also, CU was an SOE initiative, but the NGE was forced on SOE by LA to try and bolster numbers, make it more "Star Warsy". Most of the NGE team then went to BioWare Austin :)

  • RocknissRockniss Member Posts: 1,034

    They need to do a complete overhaul on the game graphics and its engine, theSe two titles still could have alot of life left Iin them. 

  • TormDKTormDK Member UncommonPosts: 101

    EverQuest 2's engine still shows very high resolutions, it does not feel ages at all.

    Hell, I remember when EQ2 launched, the newest gaming rigs back then couldn't even run it on Ultra.

  • strangiato2112strangiato2112 Member CommonPosts: 1,538
    Originally posted by Rockniss

    They need to do a complete overhaul on the game graphics and its engine, theSe two titles still could have alot of life left Iin them. 

    This would be a ridiculous waste of assets.  Both games still look fine.  Its not like EQ looks as bad as AC.  the graphics arent the barrier of entry to EQ, its the daunting road to catch up.

     

    If they really want to bring people in allow them to make level 80s with 5,000AAs.  Still quite a bit to go to the top, but much less daunting.

  • William12William12 Member Posts: 680
    Originally posted by strangiato2112
    Originally posted by Rockniss

    They need to do a complete overhaul on the game graphics and its engine, theSe two titles still could have alot of life left Iin them. 

    This would be a ridiculous waste of assets.  Both games still look fine.  Its not like EQ looks as bad as AC.  the graphics arent the barrier of entry to EQ, its the daunting road to catch up.

     

    If they really want to bring people in allow them to make level 80s with 5,000AAs.  Still quite a bit to go to the top, but much less daunting.

    Models are crap and the engine is the issue.  It's ancient.   Of course you're right it would take millions to update the game to a newer engine you would be making a new game basically so it will never happen.  The issue with EQ is the engine only allows so much because of how the game was made its ancient.  

  • Dreamo84Dreamo84 Member UncommonPosts: 3,713
    I always think about jumping back into EQ2 but it's so overwhelming after being gone for so long. The sheer number of expansions since I left alone is enough to scare me away. Definitely one of my favorite MMOs of all time though.

    image
  • William12William12 Member Posts: 680
    Originally posted by Fendel84M
    I always think about jumping back into EQ2 but it's so overwhelming after being gone for so long. The sheer number of expansions since I left alone is enough to scare me away. Definitely one of my favorite MMOs of all time though.

    I guess that's what the heroic character is for instant level 85.

  • RoscRosc Member UncommonPosts: 42
    If they put EQ1's combat system on top of EQ2, then I'd have the best of both worlds. EQ2's combat remains terrible. Whoever designed it should never work in the industry again.
  • Assailant86Assailant86 Member UncommonPosts: 8
    Originally posted by TormDK

    EverQuest 2's engine still shows very high resolutions, it does not feel ages at all.

    Hell, I remember when EQ2 launched, the newest gaming rigs back then couldn't even run it on Ultra.

    Haha yeah I remember when you selected the "Ultra" settings it even gave you a disclosure stating: "Not even the most powerful machines can handle this setting" or something to that nature.  It was cool how they released a game with the "Future" of GPU performance in mind.

  • RazeeksterRazeekster Member UncommonPosts: 2,591
    Everytime I've tried playing EverQuest and EQ2 I've been bored to tears... Giving EQ2 another try though.

    Smile

  • NadiaNadia Member UncommonPosts: 11,798
    Originally posted by Rosc
    If they put EQ1's combat system on top of EQ2, then I'd have the best of both worlds. EQ2's combat remains terrible. Whoever designed it should never work in the industry again.

    i'm excited for EQN but I would love to play what you described too

  • tawesstawess Member EpicPosts: 4,227

    Well EQ and EQ2 the SoE "children" unlike SWG and Vanguard.. But honestly, no matter who intiated the NGE... It had to be done... There was no class balance... There was no spec balance... You had two redundant "classes" with Tailors and Image Designers that pretty much only was used if you had to grind Jedi. (apart form us RP people.. who instead had to take a metric crap ton of abuse for not being a NPC station instead)

     

    Never got in to EQ.. Had a stint back in... The Scars of Velious (got a boxed set that had the original game + the two expansions... and a cute little miniature that i never got around to paint.)

     

    But i did play some EQ2 and found it entertaining enough and i am glad to see that they have not been forgotten by SoE (unlike that other grandparent that EA shunted away to the old peoples home and does their best to forget.)

    This have been a good conversation

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