Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
A life on conseqeunces. The SOE live Storybricks panel redone!
azzamasin
Member UncommonPosts: 3,105
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gJgZDZdnHc&list=UU7tcHJ4Xq0Glc8vVhOrXt4g
The highly anticipated remake of the SOE Live Storybricks panel has been released and it is is a doozy. Looks like EQN will truly revolutionize the Sandbox model of MMO's. I for one can not wait.
Sandbox means open world, non-linear gaming PERIOD!
Subscription Gaming, especially MMO gaming is a Cash grab bigger then the most P2W cash shop!
Bring Back Exploration and lengthy progression times. RPG's have always been about the Journey not the destination!!!
Comments
You didnt get it, watch it again lol. Not a scripted outcome. Sometimes one faction in the zone will win out and sometimes it will be the other. More factors you add into the mix the more random it becomes. As they said, server to server each area could be very different. Also the PvP thing, SoE has been very clear, no one will PvP unless they want to. On PvP server though, this system could make for a lot of fun.
I really hope they let you server visit with how each server will end up being so different. This is the most dynamic system I have seen in a MMO for questing. GW2 in beta had no quests and pointer quests to events and people just got confused. Thats when they added pointer quests in GW2 that showed up on the map. I wonder if SoE will have to dumb down their plans because of lazy players.
Always made me laugh in GW2 when the first stage of an event would finish and 90% of the player would run off, while just a couple of player would stick around to see the next step of the public event to kick off. Seemed most people didnt get that game as well unless their hands were held. I cant wait to see how SoE handles this problem.
One thing I caught tho in the video that others didn't.. was that rallying calls will be repeated.. Did you catch that? It was said that if you were on the losing side of a RC, there is a good chance you'll have another opportunity down the road.. I think this is because of dynamic events that players interact with.. Such as the dark elf scenario.. If you were a dark elf and was trying to help that side of the skirmish and lost, the game will never allow a complete genocide and extinction of dark elves, so a 2nd RC will be put in play, to give the dark elves another chance (hence giving that player another chance as well, hopefully with better results).. However, it is unsure how any of this will turn out, and how it will effect the final map..
It is my guess that the map they showed in the video is an example of outlaying areas that are subject to change.. Yes the dark elves want to grow beyond Neriak, but will NEVER lose Neriak and their homeland.. and I'm equally convinced that dark elves will only have a maxium range of influence as well.. Meaning you will not see dark elve camps and outpost all they way to Qeynos.. LOL Yes the world map will have dozens of conflict dynamic areas.. but I suspect those will be all hard coded with limits.. But we'll see
This is next level questing and has rekindled my hope for EQN, really digging this fluctuating world content. It gives more meaning to your character's actions too. If you want to be a champion of a certain region or group you can log on and dedicate your time to ensuring that they survive and thrive - very good RP possibilities.
I also really dig the rallying calls creating a 3-way (maybe more) conflict and the idea of indirect PvP where the side your supporting is fighting against a side others are supporting.
That being said I have 3 big concerns for this and I hope SOE either has or is working on how to avoid the following:
1. My biggest fear is bots. Bots will absolutely destroy a game that functions like they're saying EQN will. In most games, bots are general annoyances that farm mats and camp spawns. A game like this where bots could overtake a region because you have to do things like sleep, work, etc - that could be a disaster waiting to happen. So here's hoping that SOE has a plan in place to prevent and stamp out any and all botting.
2. Griefers/Mega Guilds. They can really ruin this game if there's no way to keep them in check. I can just picture a huge guild who want nothing more than to have their chosen group have complete control. They would take away so much of the potential of the game. "Band together and fight back" will not work, don't be naive. Random people can only band together in short spurts and may have their own conflicting interests. A large guild would just respond to any threats immediately and with overwhelming numbers, because that's what they do.
3. If region conflict ends too quickly. Last thing I want to see out of this system is having areas change hands every 15-30 minutes. Taking an area on a map should take a few days to a week depending on how many players are fighting for that group. I'd say that's part of why GW2's dynamic content is less than exciting. Quick turn over between events makes it feel like a few quests just cycle and if you stick around you can just continually run through the same set of events all day.
There is so much promise here, I hope they're careful in fleshing this out and ensure that there's lot of depth to it. This is one of those things that could be amazing, but could also be a colossal mess.
Murphy's Law ..
At launch these features in EQN will likely not be very good and abuse will be rampant.
So, in those early days SOE and players alike will have to accept that fixing and improving will be a constant and ongoing process.
But the growing pangs would be worth it to foster MMO innovation.
Buuuuuut, the players will likely complain incessantly, rage on the forums and then blame everything on the PS4.
I would make a closing joke about MMO players and patience being a virtue but it doesn't need to be said.
But it isn't tho.. This is very much like GW2 and Rift, but done on a bigger scale with twist on how events occur.. When I mean events, I mean mob actions and reactions.. Lets take a look at Rift.. In that game it's common to see mobs attack each other when they are not members of the same species.. The same will happen in EQN.. This is nothing new with mobs or npc's fighting each other.. EQ did this in the 90's.. Now as for the so called AI.. There are limits to how far mobs will go in the world.. The dark elves hate orcs and vice versa, but the dark elf AI will NEVER take over and drive the orcs into extinction.. Sure the border lands between the two they will fight over, with player involvement, but that is the extent of just how far it will be coded..
So in reality, the game will play as a constant tug of war over fringe borders. Players will only be able to effect the outcome of those tug of war battles, but like I said, even with full player involvement, the dark elves will not and can not take over Crushbone so to speak.. Just as the hydra mobs will not take over Freeport and drive all humans from the area..
This AI is a double edge sword, which I'm not sure I support.. There are times I enjoy flexible play where I have to search for the unknown.. but then there are times I want stable game play where I know WHERE exactly to go and farm what I need.. Example: I hate to log on , go to my favorite fishing hole and find out that ALL my favorite fish (BASS) are gone from the lake because of a turtle invasion..... Now I have to go find another place to fish? cough.. bull shit.. It would be one thing if that happens once in 6 months, but if this was a regular thing weekly, I would get tired of playing that ..
The limits are necessary. The players have to be the deciding factor. Otherwise, what's the point in having the players in the world?
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Amen. They deserve to lose in the market for that decision alone.
Who cares about how the AI is working if the context is a cartoon war about foozles that want to collect all the crystals.
They should have gone more gritty than previous EQ's not less.
While I wouldn't mind EQN being more "gritty," do you actually think it would benefit the game as a whole as in number of players, profits, future options, longevity etc? Or is it simply a more personal wish?
Totally get that some would like EQN (or any game) to be more tailored to more personal ideals as I know I would, but realistically, I don't think my perfect game would be anyone else's and would rather scale back on what I want if it meant actually having a game that might be around or worth playing more then a couple months.
Some of their choices are fairly extreme to some and no doubt that it will be an instant no for many where other features might have been not so unpleasant to at least deal with if overall there was a decent game.
Honestly curious what critics think would come of the game if it went in a different direction. Very easy to say what we like/dislike, but looking at it realistically, I have to look a little beyond myself to get what's going on and why it should work out at least for SOE and those willing to accept their product.
For someone that appears to still play WoW, I find this to be an odd opinion. Don't believe I've ever seen a game suffer because of it's stylized/cartoonish art style, compared to multiple games that did so because they went more "realistic" although as we really don't have any life-like mmorpgs, they are all fairly stylized to me, some just lack color, detail, or originality. Good to see games like Black Desert coming, but unfortunately the "realism" gets lost when actually playing the game and UI/Effects take over.
Considering World of Warcraft burnout, their graphical decisions could very well turn around and bite them on the ass.
Saying WoW's art style is causing burn out, which could lead to EQN's doing the same? If so, I'd have to disagree. Although, I'm sure SOE wouldn't mind following WoW's rise and fall.
Although, I agree with some of you that EQN's npc's will be a linear algorithm but it is is a step forward from the current conventional mmo's. I don't think (not anytime soon) that we will be able to create a truly immersive, dynamic, living breathing world yet. On that note, atleast we can try to enjoy the effort. I, personally, can be very analytical when I play my games and it ruins every gaming experience. So, I'm hoping to neglect that side and rely on simplicity to enjoy my games. Don't think we should ruin it for other gamers that expect something new from EQN. I'm not excited but on some level want to try it and enjoy it. Also, to learn from the experience and hopefully create something better for others to harvest and improve on.
Cheers!
I see what you are saying, but I honestly don't see why those who don't accept it are expected to just eat it. Realistically you are right, they have committed, and they aren't going to change it. The problem is that when it comes to discussions about EQNext every other great feature is ruined for me by the look.
There's no such thing as a perfect game for everyone, but there are games that are subjectively bad enough to warrant expression of those criticisms.
I would have loved to have loved this game, but every time they show the game it looks so stupid it just pisses me off.
The Dark elves were looking to expand their power base at their evil castle, but guess what, they look like Disney cartoons, so who cares.
Hey I just got ghoul's bane (the grip of which would probably the dimensions of a Pringles can) now I can stick it on my character that a 4 year old girl could comfortably have on her wall as a poster, /uninstall
etc.
Makes sense, I wouldn't have minded a more "mature" or simply less Disney style, but I've accepted it for what it is and am hoping the game play makes up for the art, even though it doesn't bother me too much. We've seen very little so far and I'm hopeful that once they show off more areas, races, mobs, etc that it won't be so silly looking. Then again, I and millions of others enjoyed WoW for many years along with so many other silly looking games, and it hasn't ever really been too big of a problem over all. I think it is fair to be critical of the art style as it is pretty far on the scale towards sunshine and rainbows, but as you said, they aren't going to change it.
Yeah I see what you are saying. But I wouldn't get my hopes up too much man. I don't see them changing it that much. Complaints would have to be very numerous and public for them to actually decide to re-tool the art. I'm sure they pat each other's backs every day when looking at their character design. Cognitive Dissonance and all that.
I said over a year ago that this game is 2 years away. I was totally wrong, I think now it is 3-5 years away. It appears to be in VERY early stages of development. "Lets throw out an idea and see what kind of feedback we get". I am amazed at how obvious SOE is about where they are and why there isn't more of an uproar from the MMO community. Really cheap of you SOE.
Yes, it reminds me of something I learned in the Army, "Joes can break anything." The systems they are talking about are like Murphy Bait.