The Glade 4.0

There isn't much point to alts, that's kind of what they're going for. They don't want you to have to roll a new character after 30 levels because you realize you don't like Monks as much as you thought.

I'll have to hear more details on that.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Hell, they even allow you to advance classes that you don't currently have active. I assume this is a side effect of tier unlocking being achivement-based and not experience based... Since there is no experience.

Class panel videos:

Kaffis:
I will note that one of their slides is literally titled, "Collect Em All!"

I'm curious as to what the carrot will be for this game. They've already said crafting gear will be on par with dropped gear, so raiding will probably not be a focus(unless that crafted gear that is on par with dropped gear requires materials obtained from raids). They really seem to be putting all of their eggs into the Rallying Call mechanic. And while I think Rallying Calls are pretty amazing, I wonder how diverse they will be. Or even can be. They gave the example of building the settlement of Halas. All of the Rallying Calls could theoretically be just like that at a different location. Anyone that has played Rift will know about the constant zone events that are super amazingly fun...until you do them about 30 times and it just becomes a chore, and Rallying Calls sound like super awesome month long versions of those types of events.

You could bring up the fact that you feel a sense of accomplishment upon completing a Rallying Call...at least until the next one spawns and decides it is going to be the one you just did, thus erasing all of the hard work you did. They talk about players making a difference, but that's kind of horse **** when that kind of thing can happen(remember, the dude said when it's time for a new Rallying Call, it might just destroy the town you just built up depending on the roll of the dice).

My point there is that Rallying Calls will have to be incredibly unique for them to not get stale. If they all boil down to "build a city here and protect it" they won't keep people's attention for very long because it's the same **** over and over just in a different location. So again, where is the carrot? They have downplayed dungeons and raids in favor of Rallying Calls so much and I haven't even heard a peep about PvP. This is an honest to god question. I am still planning on playing(at least to try it out), even though I would prefer things like levels and class choices that actually mattered, but I fail to see what is going to keep me playing for the long term. Unless those Rallying Calls are so unique it's like playing a whole new game every time a new one starts. I want this game to be fun for the long term and I really want to know how they are going to accomplish this.

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Los Angeles Kings 2014 Stanley Cup Champions

"I love this **** team right here."
-Jonathan Quick

It's easy to make the rallying calls unique. The big ones can take months and all that might involve is building one city. They could plan years of content around not just building key areas around the world but also big events those areas are involved in. The engine they've created makes it incredibly easy to add content.

I'm pretty blown away by all of the hybrid class options we're going to have. Just thinking of all the different Rangers I am going to be able to make is hurting my brain. Since gear is going to have a big affect on builds, EQN could turn into the biggest gear chase ever known.

Yeah, I picked that up from one of the liveblogging/livetweeting streams I was perusing. It's what prompted that post.

Thanks for the video, though.. I've been looking around for video of those slide presentations to see if there's any more cool art on display.

Edit: Wow. I'm two minutes in, and already I'm getting huge dissonance between what they're saying and the features they've announced. "Defining a Class Identity" is the first slide -- and my reaction is, "What, that collection of abilities that you want me to cherrypick my favorite thing from?" "We want you to be emotional about your character class..." -- "The character class I'm playing NOW, or the one I'll be playing 5 minutes from now on the next pull?"


This is exactly where I'm going. Now, I don't get too broken up about diluting the point of alts -- but on the flip side, the worst game to have alts in is the one where every character's story experience is the same, and the only difference is the way they fight or whatever. And everything they've been saying about a life of consequence and Story Bricks is screaming "we don't want to be that game!" So, in EQ Next, why is having alts a bad thing? The world won't be the same, even on the same server, and the way people react to me won't be the same if I make different choices.. and there are many of those choices to be made every play session... Couple that with less depth to progression stratifying the playerbase.. That's exactly the kind of game I *want* to play an alt in!

And on the flip side to your flip side, if you never sit around because you can't get, say, a healer (I dislike heal/tank mechanics but that's neither here nor there, this is just the example used), then that healer never gets to feel like he's needed and provides a critical, useful service to the group. When everybody does everything, I always get the feeling that I'm not playing in a group -- I'm soloing next to some other players. *Especially* when the classes are all well-rounded and have offensive, defensive, healing, and utility options without variation. Reference Guild Wars 2. I've never felt like part of a group in that game.

Edit: Okay, so classes don't follow as rigid a "utility/heal/defense" structure as GW2, that's good, I suppose. I'm still not sure whether that will matter, if you're given free license to mix and match, though -- who cares that rogues have no defense if they can just pull it in from a blademaster?

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

Sure, you could add a defensive ability from a blademaster, but then you're giving up some offensive ability. Also, even though you may add a defensive ability, you're still not going to be a plate wearing class. You're still going to need to play a certain way based on your main class.

I'm not sure I understand how this works. You advance in different classes, and mix and match abilities from all those that you have access to?

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Your class determines which weapons you can use, and each class has four unique attacks for each weapon they can use.

Aside from the four determined skills based on your class and weapon choice, you also get to pick 4 other skills mixed and matched from any other classes you have unlocked.

8 total skills at any given time.

All Rangers using a bow will have the same 4 base attacks but what skills they choose to augment those attacks is up to them with the 4 slots left available to them. Maybe I want to use a fire augment buff on my arrows, or maybe I want to have high-mobility skills equipped to help me keep range attacks viable. It's up to me.

This has a fractal effect in which any class can be equipped as your main to decide your combat abilities, but can then be further specialized by character abilities and gear choices to become a sub-class. You could have 20 different Ranger builds.

hmmm... interesting. But you advance each class separately?

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Yes, and you can advance classes that you are not currently assigned. That's because unlocking class tiers (levels) is based on collections or achievements instead of experience.

Also note that you need to actually discover and unlock the class in the world somewhere, and not everyone will have access to the same classes, because they're based on your decisions and play style.

So what I am hearing is, there is a possibility for the ogre race to become a ranger but who's specialty is in 2h combat? Specifically massive hammers?

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Unknown if Rangers can use 2h weapons. I think each class can only use a few weapon types.

Though you can probably play an Ogre as [Heavy Weapon Class] and augment him with four Ranger abilities.

I'm definitely waffling right now. One second you post something I like, the next something I don't. Not your fault, obviously, but things like "each class can use only 2 weapon combinations" sounds like a pretty serious restriction that's a major departure from class flavor in EQ.

On the other hand, this "alts are not needed" and "advance as many classes as you can unlock" stuff sounds interesting and innovative - but, Kaffis's points also have merit.

Very mixed feelings right now, especially since there is no way I'm playing this, and TESO and getting in on that Star Citizen game that is looking cooler and cooler.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

That's kind of my thought right now. There's too much of interest coming out already in the near future for my limited gaming time.

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I prefer to think of them as "Fighting evil in another dimension"

That's fine. That's probably what I'd prefer. It's more about the delusion of having ranger abilities than actually having them.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

I don't want to come across as more doom and gloom than I am, by the way.

I'm just not completely sold, because I've played a few multiclassing systems that felt very bland to me and completely lacked any attachment to my character because there was literally nothing really permanent about them except for their name. I don't like the idea that I can become something completely different at a whim; it's antithetical to an RPG to me. Closely linked to that is group roles -- strong, useful group roles define group cooperation in every game in which I've experienced good group teamwork; point buy systems are notoriously bad at creating those strong useful roles because a major aspect of usefulness is scarcity of filling the role. Namely, if all five of your group members can already fill role X, you don't need that sixth member to do it.

All that said, though, I'm quite excited by a number of other elements being talked about -- I love these notions of a life of consequence, robust AI replacing traditional spawn mechanics, and the transition away from crafted static content to AI-based and rallying call-centric content where the user drives what he wants to do based on the state of the world around him, rather than where the ? pops up. Couple that with streamlining hotbuttons down to a limited number of abilities that interact in interesting ways, fit on one hotbar, and best of all, this visual language where if I'm experienced in the ways of Norrath, I'll recognize abilities by a player or enemy's stance and equipment, and there are lots of winning elements here.

I've also been reading the e-book from the EverQuest Next website, and I'm digging that peek into what they're doing with the lore.

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"Aaaah! Emotions are weird!" - Amdee
"... Mirrorshades prevent the forces of normalcy from realizing that one is crazed and possibly dangerous. They are the symbol of the sun-staring visionary, the biker, the rocker, the policeman, and similar outlaws." - Bruce Sterling, preface to Mirrorshades

I've come to agree with this very much. After experiencing multispeccing in WoW and respeccing in several games.. I'm not a fan of either.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."

Progression sounds reminiscent of Ultima Online in it's heyday. If that's the case,I'm with Lenas, and this might get me back on the bandwagon.

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Hokanu
Duty is a magnificent blessing because it is the sign of trust from the universe.
END OF LINE.

It really reminds me of SWG. And I wasn't a huge fan of that.

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Los Angeles Kings 2014 Stanley Cup Champions

"I love this **** team right here."
-Jonathan Quick

You have no idea how much this made me smile.


From what I have seen, there is a lot to like about this game. I am willing to keep an open mind.

That being said, I no longer have my old station account. I nuked the old yahoo email that it was attached to and I can't remember my station password. Not that I was all that attached to it.

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Raell Kromwell

Me glad me could make yous smile. It good to know Numbuk still has keen eye when tracking down big dumbhead giant. Me just follow footprints wit head down low to ground and when me bump into big giant butt, me know me found it!

Me also hope dat da controls to dis next game is not "stiff" like da udder SOE games me play. Me like fluidity and responsiveness. It hard to explain.

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Les Zombis et les Loups-Garous!

Best thing about WoW was the fluidity of its control. I hear ya, Numbuk.

Every time I go back to playing EQmac, the controls are a pain in the *** relative to WoW.

I don't like WoW as much as a game, but the fluidity is fantastic.

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Darksiege: You are not a god damned vulcan homie.