EQ:N vs. EQ:NL

Dewm

 

So this is pretty much for the discussion of Next vs. Landmark, what are the differences? it sure seems like no one is really clear on it yet (Or maybe its just me)

 

After watching the "debut" I thought that Landmark was just a platform for building more content for EQ:N, and maybe a stress test for servers and other testing they wanted to do..

 

 

But as time has gone on, I'm hearing other things.. some people are saying that it'll have combat, quest etc..

we know it'll have guilds and resource gathering and crafting..

 

....So what are the known differences between Next and Landmark?

Allein

Sounds like the main focus of LM is to build and work with the tools that go with building. Doubt will see mobs or any non-building quests or classes besides crafting centered ones.
They'll probably add things along the way to test before EQN beta, but I doubt it will be a fleshed out game compared to EQN.
Probably more along the lines of Minecraft with some fun additions to make building for hours fun and sides activities to do when you need a break from staring at voxels.
EQN of course will be the full game but minus a lot of the full terrain design abilities most likely.

Lord.Bachus

Originally posted by Dewm

 

So this is pretty much for the discussion of Next vs. Landmark, what are the differences? it sure seems like no one is really clear on it yet (Or maybe its just me)

 

After watching the "debut" I thought that Landmark was just a platform for building more content for EQ:N, and maybe a stress test for servers and other testing they wanted to do..

 

 

But as time has gone on, I'm hearing other things.. some people are saying that it'll have combat, quest etc..

we know it'll have guilds and resource gathering and crafting..

 

....So what are the known differences between Next and Landmark?

landmark is a construction set to create a special gameworld, with some player  elements..  parts of the game will be taken from what players created in the landmark construction set..

 

EQN is the full game..

zevni78

I really hope they add more elements from EQN in the wait for the launch, just the spice things up.

 

The player controlled continents will have no limits, and can become modern, sci fi themed, anything, you also get a mock up of Norrath and need to brush up on the designs they have already made, and get yours to fit. That will be very interesting, as we get to see guided creativity as well as the minecraft type.

Dewm

Originally posted by Allein
Sounds like the main focus of LM is to build and work with the tools that go with building. Doubt will see mobs or any non-building quests or classes besides crafting centered ones.
They'll probably add things along the way to test before EQN beta, but I doubt it will be a fleshed out game compared to EQN.
Probably more along the lines of Minecraft with some fun additions to make building for hours fun and sides activities to do when you need a break from staring at voxels.
EQN of course will be the full game but minus a lot of the full terrain design abilities most likely.

Interesting you would mention the terrain.. it got me thinking..

 

It the "public quest" in EQN they mentioned that if you wanted to upgrade your wood palisade walls to stone walls, then you would need to start a quarry.

 

From that I would glean that the terrain is fully changeable in EQN..

zevni78

Originally posted by Dewm

 

It the "public quest" in EQN they mentioned that if you wanted to upgrade your wood palisade walls to stone walls, then you would need to start a quarry.

 

From that I would glean that the terrain is fully changeable in EQN..

All of the terrain is changeable temporarily given its all Voxels, but it grows back in most areas for obvious reasons, but rally call areas have permanent change, as it is part of a series of events that last for months and create new states that last forever or change again if there's another rally call in that area.

The changeability is due to rally calls being made for crafters as much as combat classes, and all materials are gathered from specific parts of the world.

Dewm

Originally posted by zevni78

Originally posted by Dewm

 

 

All of the terrain is changeable temporarily given its all Voxels, but it grows back in most areas for obvious reasons, but rally call areas have permanent change, as it is part of a series of events that last for months and create new states that last forever or change again if there's another rally call in that area.

The changeability is due to rally calls being made for crafters as much as combat classes, and all materials are gathered from specific parts of the world.

makes sense. 

donpopuki

Landmark you get a land claim to start but EQN you have to work within the game to acquire said claim. In Landmark you can build anything you like but in EQN you can only build approved templates which most likely had true origins in Landmark.

There's no PVE in Landmark (well that we know of), no combat, no mobs, no npcs just land to build stuff on. There will only one class you can play in Landmark, the adventure class. However I do remember Georgeson letting it slip there might be pvp in Landmark but what form it will take we don't know.

Gnostik

Couple other points:

 

1. I heard Landmark descriped as "a frontier game" by one of the devs

2. In Landmark we play the Adventurer class. When EQN launches, you can important your Adventurer characters into the full game and multi-class them right away.

joe2721

We don't know to much on either yet. Because in one interview they say who knows we may even add mobs to eqnl.

solarbear88

I am not seeing how eqnext is going to have any sandbox elements at all. Landmak yes. But EQnext... can someone fill me in on what aspects will be sandbox? I am not being sarcastic, I just don't see what they are.

Ramanadjinn

Originally posted by solarbear88
I am not seeing how eqnext is going to have any sandbox elements at all. Landmak yes. But EQnext... can someone fill me in on what aspects will be sandbox? I am not being sarcastic, I just don't see what they are.

 

I'm in the same boat.

Didn't see anything in the reveal that appealed to me other than the graphics,  and who in their right mind plays MMOs for graphics.

Still there is more yet to be revealed I assume.  Maybe the two game modes (EQN and Landmark) will have more in common than we think?  Maybe I missed the sandbox features, or they are yet to be known?

Gnostik

While I don't play MMOs (or any games for that matter) purely for graphics, poor graphics can definitely be a deal-breaker.

 

Anyway, "sandbox" doesn't exactly have a clear definition, but here are the main aspects that I would consider sandbox-y:

• Non-linear, mix-and-match character building. No, you aren't building your own abilities from scratch, but this looks to be a far cry from linear, level- and class-based character development where you are more or less locked onto a set of rails headed for "end-game". So there's more freedom to create your character.
• Dynamic terrain and buildings. This doesn't end after EQN launches. I think it's safe to assume we will be able to continue building original structures after the game releases.
• Dynamic content. This is related to linear character development, but deserves its own listing. When clearly-marked quest givers are done away with, players are much more free to develop in the way they choose. While this isn't entirely confirmed, I imagine you'll be able to walk around at your leisure and talk to NPCs in order to find out what's going on in the area, and what opportunities there are for your character to advance. This is a revolutionary change to the core game that offers players far more freedom than the current paradigm.

In short, EQN will not point you in one direction and say "here's what you do". It will be up to you - or, at least, it will be way more up to you than in most previous games in the genre. And that's the thing: "sandbox" is not an either/or thing. A game can be more or less "sandbox-y". I see a lot of people (not necessarily the OP) who seem to want a pure sandbox, with no goals at all defined or put in place by the developers.

 

Thing is, a pure sandbox is boring to most people. Pure sandbox games will always be niche titles, and a successful MMO can't be a niche title.

 

So to me, EQN looks to be far closer to the sandbox end of the spectrum, which is great. It's what the genre needs. But people who are looking for a pure "fantasy sim" sandbox should probably look elsewhere. (And by the way, if you find one of those that isn't vaporware, doesn't look like crap, and actually has a substantial player-base, please let me know.)