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[Preview] EverQuest Next: Making the New World Feel Authentic

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Comments

  • ReklawReklaw Member UncommonPosts: 6,495

    Hmm the only thing I don't Agree with is the "Man of Steel" comment.

    I really have no idea what people where expecting, but to be honost I personaly felt it was the best superman movie ever.Christopher reeve's Superman alway's had my love. But still feel Man of Steel is the better movie and definitly puts Superman REturns to shame.

    Apart from this off topic part, I am looking forward to this new Norrath....

  • MibletMiblet Member Posts: 333
    Originally posted by maplestone
    Originally posted by Miblet
    Originally posted by maplestone
    Are the events of EQ1/EQ2 going to be a part of the archeology?  Or is it a true reboot that puts players into a version of the world where those two games never happened?

    No.  Think of this as a new version of Norrath, same natural landscape though different people's and history (and as such differing cities etc...well ruins of such cities anyway,

    Does that not seem like a missed opportunity that devalues the earlier games?  I mean, is not the lore that accumulates from games themselves (both developer lore and the actions of players themselves) rather important to the history of a world, to the sense that what one is doing while playing matters?

    I think this is more a reboot in order to give players that greater sense of immersion.  They can actually guide, in some small part, the progression of the world rather than be a bystander as it unfolds.  The lore and history of this version of Norrath from what has been released is already different enough to set it clearly aside from prior incarnations of Norrath.

    It's also worth noting that the prior games had a very clear good and evil vibe, whereas this seems to be going more for the many shades of grey approach, where good and evil is merely subjective and based more on people's actions and perceptions than the intervention of a diety or preordained morality.

    EQ1 and EQ2 will still continue thus the lore from those games is still valid and in no way diminished by whatever happens in EQN.  Just as the path and lore of EQ1 is not influeneced by the lore and direction of EQ2.

  • GrakulenGrakulen Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff LegendaryPosts: 894
    Originally posted by Reklaw

    Hmm the only thing I don't Agree with is the "Man of Steel" comment.

    I really have no idea what people where expecting, but to be honost I personaly felt it was the best superman movie ever.Christopher reeve's Superman alway's had my love. But still feel Man of Steel is the better movie and definitly puts Superman REturns to shame.

    Apart from this off topic part, I am looking forward to this new Norrath....

    I think you misunderstood my point. I liked Man of Steel, but I do not pretend to talk for everyone.

    From watching social media and reading reviews from critics and fans alike it was clear that some people took issue with the fact that Superman killed Zod and are in disbelieve that Superman would actually kill someone. Where as I think everyone universally welcomed the reboot of the Batman franchise even if they like the original with Michael Keaten. (I'll ignore those other two). I also agree that Man of Steel was much better than Superman Returns.

     

     

  • GrakulenGrakulen Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff LegendaryPosts: 894
    Originally posted by kyssari
    no mention of Tunare, Cazic Thule or Innoruuk?! :(

    Not yet. They may be left out. However we could see them pop up later in time. Keep in mind they haven't shown their whole hand yet. The original EQ1 lore went deep into the creation of the world itself. We haven't got to see anything really about the eras before Dal.

  • VindictusVindictus Member UncommonPosts: 49

    Perhaps, we'll see evolving story arcs that change the pantheon, bring about the rise of the new dietes, sunder the elves into their distinct races.... and more, as we play the game. Instead of having the backdrop there with the factional tensions, we'll get to live through them as they form.

    Seems like the idea behind Rallying Calls.

    If not, then it's a disappointment for me. The good/evil in eq where players could choose where in that spectrum they wanted to be, and deal with the consequences, was always part of the appeal.

    Right now it just feels like everyone is on the same side.

    If course, who will the Shadow Knights follow if there's no Rallos/Cazic/Innoruk?

  • GrakulenGrakulen Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff LegendaryPosts: 894
    Originally posted by Theocritus
    I wish Soe would ahve given the EQ1/EQ2 players the game they wanted and made this one a totally seperate game.....It feels like it has nothing to do with the other 2 other than using the Everquest name and some lore.

    They are. They are continuing to support EQ1 and EQ2. If you are happy with those games I'd suggest you keep playing them. Each has a new expansion due out this year. Both are undertaking new stories. EQ1 is constantly striving to add new tech and keep the game feeling fresh even with the technical limitations that they face.

    If you like those games play those games. They have teams of great people supporting them and they love you playing their game. 

    EQN is a radical departure from those games. I welcome it. Their are some things about it that I really do not like. I do abhor their current decision to make roles trivial in the game. I love to tank. If people won't need tanks in this game I'll play it for a while but eventually I'll go play something else. That being said their are so many fresh ideas with the procedurally generated content that it would be a shame to not even give the game a try (It's going to be free after all). 

    As far as the graphics go the first thing I said was she looks like a Disney Princess and one of my peers added "with a touch of Pixar," and I agree she does. We also referred to the kerran as Liono. They are done like that with a purpose though. It allows them to make their face more expressive. Also stylized graphics just hold up so much better than graphics that attempt to be photo realistic. With photo realism the games looks dated as soon as you release it.

    Do I agree with everything they have done? Obviously not. Do I hope they change some things? Absolutely. But I'm being hopefully optimistic that in trying to do something really different we aren't just stuck on the same end game gear treadmill that we are with so many other games.

    I also hope it has a sub option so I don't have to sit their and look at the SC sign on my screen goading me into spending to much money.

     

     

     

  • GrakulenGrakulen Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff LegendaryPosts: 894
    Originally posted by Vindictus

    Perhaps, we'll see evolving story arcs that change the pantheon, bring about the rise of the new dietes, sunder the elves into their distinct races.... and more, as we play the game. Instead of having the backdrop there with the factional tensions, we'll get to live through them as they form.

    Seems like the idea behind Rallying Calls.

    If not, then it's a disappointment for me. The good/evil in eq where players could choose where in that spectrum they wanted to be, and deal with the consequences, was always part of the appeal.

    Right now it just feels like everyone is on the same side.

    If course, who will the Shadow Knights follow if there's no Rallos/Cazic/Innoruk?

    I think they reason they won't tell us about PvP yet is because it involves another faction they haven't told us about. We asked numerous times about PvP and they refused to answer. The only reason I can think they are being so guarded about it is because it deals with the in game story and they are not ready to talk about that either. Keep in mind the stories they are telling us now are to set up the game. No one has really told us what is going to happen in game except the Rally Call example where it appears we will get to help build new cities that existed in previous EQs.

    Also to clear up the air about the elves. They told us that there are elves and dark elves. All the other elves that aren't dark elves are the same race. Instead of being sub races they are more like castes.

     

     

  • ComafComaf Member UncommonPosts: 1,150

    Having realms at war with castle walls, territory, races and classes that align solely with their own cultures (who even does that other than Dark Age of Camelot?)...no MIRRORED classes..

     

    No goblin sorcerers grouping with human paladins to kill human paladins and goblin sorcerers in a time instanced battleground for a flag. 

     

    There's some realism for ya.  So far, SOE has horribly failed at anything close to epic for lore and pvp because it frankly costs more to be so creative.  I'm sure Elder Scrolls Online could have saved a bundle by just making a typical 5 class 5 race online game and had everyone start in the same zone with the "freedom" to make as many variant guilds as they wanted.

     

    Will EQNext really do anything that is different? Or will the world just be a copy paste of mirrored guilds trudging through the same quest chains?

    image
  • GrakulenGrakulen Staff WriterMMORPG.COM Staff LegendaryPosts: 894
    I just got a confirmation on the spelling of the four. They are Prexus, Amaril, Ignestus, Ohnsha.
  • Rommie10-284Rommie10-284 Member UncommonPosts: 265

    So the lore is important, but it has to be OUR lore, as other people's lore is too "messy" and not ours.  That's what the reboot is really about, just like most reboots.  Ego.  See the history of the last 30 years or so of comic books as one example.  The current movie reboot fad is another.

    It's not always a bad thing, sometimes better stories come from good re-imaging of lore.  All too often, though, the "New Writer's" part of "New Writer's" <source> ends up the focus, and the lore gets shoved aside.  So when you read about the EQN devs being all excited about the new lore of EQN, it's mostly them being excited about THEM getting to do things THEIR way.  The actual lore is secondary, and you as a reader can only hope they don't fail miserably at creating it.

    Edit: The article itself is fine, however.  I just have a giant cube of salt on my shoulder from too many lousy reboots done by people more focused on themselves than the story they were writing.  Call it a mea maxima culpa that I know exists.

     

     

     

    Avatars are people too

  • ComafComaf Member UncommonPosts: 1,150

    Carefully writing the lore so that the various factions of races can freely group and kill each other!  Much easier than creating realms where lore, races and classes are uniquely separated, along with quests, raids, and so forth.

     

    Carefully saving money on this concept in a time when ESO will be releasing a tri realm mmorpg that is truly going to raise the bar.  I wish the eq folks a good time, but I'm not seeing anything epic - not yet.  Time will tell, so I am keeping an eye on it.

    image
  • IneveraskforthisIneveraskforthis Member Posts: 374

    Imagine  Witcher 3 with cartoony graphic but keep the lore.

    real "Authentic "

  • gylnnegylnne Member UncommonPosts: 322

    Hmm make a world feel authentic with kiddie cartoon graphics I can watch on Saturday morning.

    Not sure this is possible.

    Maybe Sony would rather drawn in the Free Realm crowd instead of the veteran Everquest folks?

     

  • gylnnegylnne Member UncommonPosts: 322
    Originally posted by Vivasvan
    The only thing that will make this feel like EQ is if they actually make it look like EQ??

    And not like WoW.

    So far it looks like WoW 2.5.

    No ounce of EQ In this at all.
     

    Totally agree.

     

    Either WoW 2.5 or Wildstar's little brother.:)

     
  • gylnnegylnne Member UncommonPosts: 322
    Originally posted by Blazer6992

    It's hard to make a cartoon authentic.

     

     

    ROFL yes this is true.

  • ReverielleReverielle Member UncommonPosts: 133

    I'm fairly sure SOE aren't targeting the crowd that jump from game to game based primarily on the cosmetic appeal of a few aspects. 

    Anyone with any significant experience playing MMOs knows that regardless of how wonderful or substandard a game's visuals are, after a while that appeal fades. It's the game's mechanics, content (which lore can play an important part), community and the like, in the end that keep players playing for years on end.

     

  • ElikalElikal Member UncommonPosts: 7,912

    While I played EQ2 longer than ANY other MMO, 5-6 years, I never was interested in the lore. Which is strange, since I am usually a lore-nut. I mean, seriously. I have read tons of info about the Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek and Elder Scrolls lore. But Norrath lore, while I loved EQ2, never clicked with me. Not sure why, but it never felt so subtantial, tangible, interesting. So re-writing it for EQN sounds like a good thing. So far this lore piece here sounds interesting enough. I am glad they make it anew, so we all have the same start, and not some EQ vets "know it all". ;)

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

  • MargraveMargrave Member RarePosts: 1,360
    Awesome article!!! Bravo!!! Makes me want this game all the more!!!!
  • AmarantharAmaranthar Member EpicPosts: 5,785

    They're selling a mobile app...

    "EverQuest Next is still in development, but you can get insider access, including exclusive content and game rewards by completing quests in EverQuest Worlds."

    So IF the lore has meaning, some of it is already up for sale.

    Overall, too many strikes adding up against this game for me. I don't expect lore to have much meaning except as a cue to "draw a card from the deck". Gamey designs continue as far as the eye can see.

    I'll check the internet next year to see if there's anything else with real traction.

    Once upon a time....

  • ElRenmazuoElRenmazuo Member RarePosts: 5,361
    Man of Steel was awsome, the fight scenes were intense and amazing.  I dont really care if Lois Lane knows Clark is Superman from the beginning, it makes a whole lot more sense than having her be a total idiot not knowing the obvious for so long after working with the same guy at the daily planet and getting saved by him constantly. 
  • HrimnirHrimnir Member RarePosts: 2,415
    Originally posted by erictlewis

    When I hear the words JJ Abrams and his reboot of Star Trek, I get sick to my stomach.  It might have been a reboot but they lost the art of story telling all we got was syfy with action aimed at the adhd crowd. 

    When I heard Smokejumper say that I was like omg no.  Then when I saw how cartoon like the art work is going to be I really got sick to my stomach.  My beloved Kera look like Tony the Tiger meets the Lion King, with wow armor on.

    This is not a reboot, this is a new game with Everquest mainly as the name, when in all reality it is a rip off of wow, fift, gw, gw2, and took all that and mixed it together. 

    The world looks nice but the character models are not something that most folks who play eq, and eq2 are going to be interested in.  

    So saying that they are aiming at the 13 year old demographic,  this is not you fathers eq2 kids. 

     

    Couldnt agree more.  I really feel like they just whipped their member out and pissed all over the faces of actual fans of the original game.  I say actual fans, because there are people who were there and people on the forums of eq1/eq2 who play those games, claim they are fans, but are really just displaced WOWites who found the game more suitable to them for whatever reason.

    Now, there might only be 50-100k of us left, but what i believe are the core fans of the EQ1 franchise are the people who did appreciate MOST of the aspects of the original game.  Long leveling curves, heavily incentivized grouping.  Item rarity.  Clearly defined roles/classes. The Trinity (moreso in the modern definition of tank/healer/other stuff, not cleric/enchanter/other stuff).

    Did i honestly expect them to make some EQ1 clone? Absolutely not.  What i was hoping is they would cherry pick some of the best parts of EQ1, and include them in with some of the best parts of modern mmos, and some of the new innovative stuff they came up with.

    My ideal reveal would of been EQN with all the destruction of the world, the tiered world (i.e. above ground, below, etc).  The true dynamic content.  Combine that with some of the old EQ1 elements, longer leveling curves (not necessarily EQ1 long, but definitely at least vanilla wow, maybe +50%).  Heavily incentivized grouping (group XP bonus, dungeon's give XP bonus, bonus is multiplicative, etc).  Hard set classes/rolls, including crowd control classes.

    "The surest way to corrupt a youth is to instruct him to hold in higher esteem those who think alike than those who think differently."

    - Friedrich Nietzsche

  • BaratukBaratuk Member UncommonPosts: 27
    I think it funny that all the people talking bad about this game will be there on launch day playing. And even if you say "oh heck no, not me" secretly you know you will.
  • herculeshercules Member UncommonPosts: 4,924

    Actually apart from SWG and EQ1 ,i think EQ2 is a good game and honestly planetside still one of the best games ever made to me.

    Planetside suffered from too high specs and public not used to subbing when it came out

  • HighMarshalHighMarshal Member UncommonPosts: 414
    Originally posted by Miblet
    Originally posted by Deolus
    Originally posted by HighMarshal

    I would like the lore people to explain how they can say that there is only one race of Elves in the new game when we have seen pictures of Elves and Dark Elves.

    The only thing I can think of is that the Dark Elves are not really Elves and are only called that by the uninformed based on how they look. They may be more Tiefling in origin.

    I won't pretend to be well-versed in EQ lore but there is only one race of elves but there are three different sects (for want of a better word) of elf: the Fier'Dal (wood elves), the Koada'Dal (high elves) and the Tier'Dal (dark elves).

    EQN is set at an earlier time than the previous two titles when the elves were part of the Combine (an alliance of various races). I think the different sects of the elves split after this era.

    From what they have said thus far it isn't a casee of this being set earlier this is more a case of an alternate reality (if it must be tied into the other titles), or just a flat out reimagining with no regard to prior titles (only keeping the EQ IP to save time in development and draw in those loyal to the franchise).

    The Koada'dal and Feir'dal in this imagining are pretty much the same.  The Koada'dal in this was more a movement of the highborn elves to prevent the other 'lesser' races from eventually doing what the Shissar had tried by subjegating them.  The Feir'dal seem to be those who opposed this view who formed the Combine when the dragons had crushed the elven empire.  Likewise the Teir'dal in this are more a warrior caste than a seperate culture.

    There was equally no intervention of the gods, or history of the gods using the races as pawns in their aims.  No Green mist for the Shissar, no invasion of the plane of Earth for the followers of Rallos Zek (no Rallos Zek even!!).  This is not the same Combine from EQ and EQ2.

    The panel didn't mention Dark Elves at all. They talked about the regular Elves and mentioned that there was only one race of Elves. What we knew as the different types of Elves from the previous games are nothing more than factions. Being a different faction doesn't give you dark skin and horns.

    We are missing some lore to explain the Dark Elves. Did anyone notice the concept art for Dark Elves gave them bat like ears?

  • NadiaNadia Member UncommonPosts: 11,798
    Originally posted by HighMarshal

    The panel didn't mention Dark Elves at all. They talked about the regular Elves and mentioned that there was only one race of Elves. What we knew as the different types of Elves from the previous games are nothing more than factions. Being a different faction doesn't give you dark skin and horns.

    We are missing some lore to explain the Dark Elves. Did anyone notice the concept art for Dark Elves gave them bat like ears?

    http://www.vg247.com/2013/08/05/everquest-next-has-more-than-40-classes-five-listed/

    The playable races are Dwarf, Human, Ogre, Elf, Dark Elf and Kerran.

     

    TierDal  (dark elf) lore has been given

    http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/05/soe-live-2013-the-lore-of-everquest-next/

    Then the Takish Age then dawned, a time when the Elves became paranoid that they'd be betrayed again. Soon the alliances became very strained; the Koada'Dal, a group of noble Elves, became convinced of their superiority and started subjugating other races, establishing an oppressive regime. Wary of the Elves, the Dragons went back to their own realm. This era would have continued indefinitely if it weren't for the Sundering (name is subject to change); a spire exploded and leveled the capital of the Elves and high magic stopped working. With no reason to fear the Elves any longer, Dragons returned to exact revenge by laying waste to the lands. The Feir'Dal, a faction of Elves welcoming to other races, brought the allies together again, ushering in a long and costly war. Unfortunately, their strength was not enough, and the elite forces (the Teir'Dal, led by a Thex) make a heroic last stand at the fortress of Bastion so the Combine forces can flee.

    (Note: As players can see, the Teir'Dal with their horns no longer look like the other Elves. During an interview, Franchise Director Dave Georgeson spoke of how these Elves now had Dragon blood in them. Now we see how that stage was set!)

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