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| House of Commons Dev Chat - May 18, 2006 |
Brannoc -- Welcome to another great
Stratics house of commons with the developers of Everquest 2! Tonight
we'd like to focus on the upcoming releases of Fallen Dynasty and Echoes
of Faydwer or if you had a question at the fan faire you didn't get
answered feel free to ask again.
Brannoc -- Please send your
questions to [QT]Sprite by using /msg [QT]Sprite My question here.
Questions sent to myself or the developers will NOT be answered so
please do not send them to us.
Brannoc -- We'll begin with a brief
introduction from our guests and then proceed with the chat. Now would
be a good time to send those questions to [QT]Sprite!
Gallenite -- Hi, everyone. Thanks
for coming! I'm Scott "Gallenite" Hartsman, Senior Producer of EQ2
Blackguard -- Hello everyone, I'm
Ryan "Blackguard" Shwayder, the Community Relations Manager for
EverQuest II. I'm quite possibly the coolest dev here, and the most
modest for certain. Thanks for coming out to listen to us drone on!
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- Hi I'm Don
Neufeld, Lead Programmer of EverQuest II
Lyndro -- Hi I'm Lyndro. I'm a
designer and Design Supervisor for Expansion 3
mhigby -- Hey all, I'm Matthew
"higby" Higby, design supervisor for Live Events and Adventure Pack 3
Lyndro -- I guess I should have
added my real name, like everyone else. I'm Akil Hooper
Brannoc -- *Korina* Tradeskill
revamp question: If you remove fungi from the game, will all the quests
that require harvesting fungi also get some attention?
Blackguard -- We're definitely aware
that quests that require fungi will need to be modified, and we're
actually in the process of doing so on Test server now. So the short
answer is that you don't have to worry about it. :)
Brannoc -- *Guacamole* Is there
any truth to the rumor that pvp is going to based off of your highest
level..ie artisan or adventurer?
Gallenite -- Interesting rumor! As
we all know, combat in EQ2 is about advancing your adventuring level to
take on tougher and cooler enemies. PvP is really no different -- We
don't have any plans to factor artisan level into combat, no.
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- Please remember to
send your questios to [QT]Sprite as questions sent to me will NOT make
it into the line up.
Brannoc -- *garanara* How many AA
are you going to be adding in the next expansion?
Gallenite -- We're not revealing
quite that level of specifics yet about the Achievements that will be
available in Faydwer -- But we can say that it's going to be its own
separate tree, one for each of the 24 classes, and our goal is to make
it a series of choices you make along the way, instead of a number of
linear paths as we did with KoS. Hope that satsifies at least a little
bit of curiosity. :)
Gallenite -- (d)
Brannoc -- *Pashta* With the
upcoming Live Update 24 root and stun "nerfing", many of us caster want
to know if you are intentionally trying to force grouping or is there
some other reason for this move?
Blackguard -- Many players tend to
look at one aspect of a large change, such as the control changes on
Test now, and just grab hold of the aspects they feel are negative (such
as the lowered durations).
Blackguard -- In reality, they
should end up even more useful in certain situations, yet you won't be
able to to chain stun mobs anymore and completely incapacitate them in
order to complete an encounter with impunity.
Blackguard -- Short summary: You
should still be able to solo quite well, but you may not be able to take
one or two players and keep them completely incapacitated, allowing you
to own a mob that is technically harder than you should be fighting. ;)
Blackguard -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Banhammer* Two
questions. In Echoes of Faydwer, how will Kelethin and the Fae affect
the Qeynos vs. Freeport dynamic of the PvP servers? Also, will you be
able to get drunk and fall off Kelethin like in EQ1?
Lyndro -- The current plan for the
Fae is for them to be "Neutral" they can join either Qeynos or Freeport,
and will probably be safe in either city (But unable to do much) until
they choose one side or the other. As for PvP (Which I know is coming)
we haven't fully worked out just how that is going to work, we aren't
going to force all Fae to one faction or the other.
Lyndro -- You will be able to get
drunk and fall off Kelethin, but being drunk doesn't change your
movement so it would have to be your intent to do so ;)
Brannoc -- Please remember to
send your questios to [QT]Sprite as questions sent to me or any
developer will NOT make it into the line up and will not be answered.
Brannoc -- *ironman__2000* Also,
with the upcoming changes that are on test server, that are being made
to stuns and mezzes, why change everyones abilities instead of just
making enchanters better at what they do?
Gallenite -- I'm glad you asked this
question -- It's a complicated answer.
Gallenite -- (Which is why it's
taken me an hour to type ;)
Gallenite -- Please keep in mind --
This series of changes isn't entirely about the Enchanter classes. One
of the problems that EQ2 currently has is the ability for creatures to
become entirely stunlocked, permanently stifled, or dazed, making them
far easier than they really should have been. "Just buffing enchanters"
wouldn't really have solved that issue, but rather made it worse.
Gallenite -- One of the goals with
EQ2 is to not turn it into a game where there's a class that you need
before you do anything interesting at all, and just buffing one pair of
classes even further in this regard would mean we'd have to now balance
the difficulty of the entire game around this new power, which would
create a huge gap between those with and without enchanters nearby.
Gallenite -- The idea is to make the
distribution of these powerful abilities a little more fair, without
having to rebalance the rest of the game around them. I know that some
folks are unhappy hearing this, but we do have to keep an eye on the
long term health of EQ2 first and foremost, to ensure it's a game we can
keep fun to play for many, many years to come.
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Matankey* Question
: Regarding the PVP in EQ2, Are there any plans on making PvP have more
of a role in the game? Such as conquering certain area's etc
Lyndro -- We do have some plans in
the works currently. We aren't at a point where we want to talk about
them, but we do have some interesting ideas in the works.
Brannoc -- *dragonlee66* When
are the tradeskills revamp going in?
Blackguard -- The tradeskill changes
to the subcombine system (along with a few other changes) are going to
be in Live Update #24. At this point, you can already find some of the
changes on the Test server (scholar and outfitter recipes) with
carpenter and woodworker recipes coming shortly.
Blackguard -- Along with the
no-subcombine changes, we'll be removing tradeskill societies
completely, and there will no longer be several tradeskill instances in
each village or district. You'll also have a chance at getting multiple
harvestables with each harvest, along with a few other related changes
to the crafting system.
Blackguard -- This is something that
a lot of players have been waiting for, and we hope you'll enjoy
crafting all the more after they go live. :)
Brannoc -- *Neeko* What are the
new mounts going to be like?
Lyndro -- Again its still pretty
early to talk about it, but I think I mentioned at E3 that we are
working on a great cat mount. I also wouldn't be surprised to see some
sort of mount come out of the new tinkering system.
Brannoc -- *[Xan]Briza* Q: It
was mentioned that EoF is introducing some sort of bonus for those who
wear a complete set of armor, does this mean that current armor sets
like class specific Relic armor sets would provice a bonus too or is
this a feature restricted to armor that is available only in EoF?
Lyndro -- The new system is going to
be EoF only, at least to start.
Brannoc --
*Naige-Nagafen-Crushbone* When will the next LU be?
Gallenite -- When it's ready. I
don't say that to be flippant. :) The way we work update dates is that
we set a target for when we'd like to hit it and what should all be in
it. Then we evaluate the state of everything we'd planned as we
approach the date. In some cases, as we've done in the past, we'll hold
off a week or three until we're sure we have all of the big stuff doing
what it's supposed to be. (more)
Gallenite -- Given that this update
includes a serious amount of tradeskill and betrayal changes, I'd be
willing to be that it's one that we'll end up holding on test for a
couple extra weeks to make sure. Stay tuned on the boards for the
details. You'll know as soon as we do. :)
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- *daddymonk* Guardian
HELMETS still no graphics when will this be added
Blackguard -- The guardian helmet is
coming up soon. It looks really cool on the art side, but still needs a
few tweaks and will then need to be itemized into the game itself.
Blackguard -- Since we get comments
saying that we'll hold off on releasing profession hats until the next
expansion, I assure that's not our plan.
Blackguard -- We'll be releasing
each of the profession hats as they get finished, and guardians are, as
I said, coming soon.
Brannoc -- *Kamarile* what will
be the additions to crafting in the new adventure pack and expansion
Lyndro -- We currently have two new
tradeskill paths in the works. We consider these secondary tradeskills,
you'll only be able to choose one, and it won't preclude being able to
choose a primary tradeskill path. One is tinkering, as you've seen on
the EoF site, the other has yet to be named.
Brannoc -- *adw123* What is the
current situation with Voice overs? Are they going to be added to future
expansions (and current expansions) or has the development team given up
on this aspect of the game?
Gallenite -- Another one I'm glad
got asked. A full VO shoot (including planning, casting, recording,
editing, implementing) is a process that takes 4-6 months to organize.
We're in the middle of an extremely large one that will cover much of
the live content that's been added and changed of late. While a lot of
this is existing 1-20 content, some of it does touch the expansions.
Once that's all in place, we'll be continuing to do new VO sessions
until we (hopef
Gallenite -- ...until we (hopefully)
have the world covered in it again. We're looking forward to it all
being there again, too. :)
Gallenite -- (since I'm told it got
cut off..Sorry about that.
Gallenite -- (and done)
Brannoc -- Reminder: please only
send your questions to [QT]Sprite and NOT to myself or any of the
developers.
Lyndro -- We also have a good bit of
VO already planned for expansion 3, which should be in for launch.
Brannoc -- *[EC]Snark* What
type of raid content do you have planned for the upcoming adventure pack?
mhigby -- We're going to be adding
two X4 raid encounters (one contested one instanced), several X2 raid
encounters, and one extremely difficult single group instance that will
be geared for the very best equipped level 70 players.
Brannoc -- *garanara* Will
there be any special rules added to the pvp servers with the addition of
a third faction?
Lyndro -- The rules won't change, at
all. The Fae will need to choose one side or the other.
Brannoc -- *Tranmek* Will Test
Server be getting the new adventure pack to test before live ?
Blackguard -- Yes, the Test server
will indeed be getting the new adventure pack (The Fallen Dynasty)
before Live. In fact, that will be our primary Beta test bed for this
AP, so everyone will get to check it out before it officially launches.
Brannoc -- Reminder: to send
messages to [QT]Sprite use /msg [QT]Sprite My question here.
Brannoc -- *garanara* Is there
going to be Diety specific AA?
Lyndro -- For Faydwer there will be
a Deity system. Its not going to tied to the Achievement system at all,
rather it'll be a system all onto itself.
Brannoc -- *Sefner* Are there
any plans for an LFG tool similar to that of EQ1's where group leaders
can search LFG players by class and level and also with a little note
left by each player?
Blackguard -- (Adding to Lyndro real
quick) The Deity system is actually pretty unique, in that it will allow
you to get access to quest paths, specific items, and even abilities
depending on the deity you choose to worship.
Blackguard -- I believe the
"abilities" part is what is making some people tie the two systems
together, but they are independent of one another. (done)
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- We are planning
to do some cool things with the LFG system, and we're considering all
our options. Expect it to get better.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- (don)
Gallenite -- (yessir, that's you)
Blackguard -- (Don likes putting his
real name in parentheses)
Brannoc -- *Proxo-Befallen* How
is capes customizeable in Expansion, is it customizeable that we can
change motives, color at will?
Lyndro -- They will be
customizable. Again the system isn't "done" yet, but right now we'd
like for crafters to have some options to make some custom cloaks as
well as allowing guilds to make their own unique cloaks.
Lyndro -- (done)
Brannoc -- *tmcarson1* Will you
continue to introduce and open up more areas from the orginial EQ1? As
foreshadowed in Faydwer expansion?
Blackguard -- (Adding to Lyndro
again because I like to talk): Yes, guild emblems will be there. Yay!
Brannoc -- *Beldain-ED* How
will the new secondary tradeskills work, ie. tinkering - will they be
new trades to specialize in, or more along the lines of geomancy/etc?
Lyndro -- They will be new trades to
specialize in, you will be able to make final items through the
secondary tradeskills.
Lyndro -- (done)
Lyndro -- Care to add to that one
too Blackguard?
Blackguard -- (Adding to Lyndro): No.
Brannoc -- *tmcarson1* Will you
continue to introduce and open up more areas from the orginial EQ1? As
foreshadowed in Faydwer expansion?
Gallenite -- (addressing tmcarson1)
It's entirely possible. Our aim is to strike a reasonable balance of
new vs familiar when adding to EQ2. We don't have anything farther off
in the future to talk about than Faydwer today, but it would be entirely
sane to assume that future Adventure Packs and Expansions will continue
some kind of blend, just like how Fallen Dynasty brings a whole new area
while Echoes brings back something we hope many will remember fondly.
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Aramis* I would
like to ask the devs if they plan on working on some issues they have
atm to do with lack of high end raid content that enables us eq1
veterans to enjoy raiding thats actually hard and non dependent on class
makeup and more dependent on strategy and skill?
mhigby -- In the adventure pack
we're actually planning raid mobs that should do some extra challenging
stuff... for example, some might punish you for having too much DPS at
certain times, some will require raid members to break off from fighting
to do ancillary tasks, etc. The idea is to greatly enhance the
strategy and tactics needed to defeat the raid mobs, not just require
ultra high DPS.
mhigby -- done
Brannoc -- *Davram-Nagafen*
Will exile guilds be required to reform?
Gallenite -- If a PvP guild is to
have exiles in it, it will need to be formed with exile members, yes.
Your current guilds have an alignment - The alignment of the members in
it. As you betray, you aren't able to be in a guild with members of
that alignment any longer. It's a "last one out the door turns off the
lights" situation. If a guild wishes to permanently remain exiled, it
will need to reform with all exile members.
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- *[Xan]KlopKlop* Can
you give us a sneak preview of the changes on the Brokersystem?
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- The broker system
is being completely redone and we expect it to be live at the same time
as Fallen Dynasty. (long)
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- No longer will
you sell from your house vault using a merchant board.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- There is a second
tab to the broker window that is the 'Sell' tab and it's where you will
list your items.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- You have 6
upgradable vendor slots on that tab, one of which is given to you as a
free starter, other you have to acquire by crafting or merchant purchase.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- We're planning
for different vendors to have different traits, such as a vendor that is
an armor rack can only hold armor, but lots of it.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- The vendors will
also be placable in housing zones, providing a reason for players to
visit your house while you're not online (to bypass the broker markup)
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Ajial* Will Fallen
Dynasty and Echoes of Faydwer offer solo content that can be completed
by people who play in timezones when there isn't many people around?
Blackguard -- Definitely. We know a
lot of people, like me, enjoy soloing quite a bit. There will be content
and quests for players in The Fallen Dynasty to solo, and even more in
Echoes of Faydwer.
Blackguard -- There are going to be
some new solo content paths in Echoes of Faydwer (similar to the solo
quest lines we've added in the "Old World" zones some time ago) for
players, and solo content for players of all levels (1-70) of course.
Brannoc -- *Davram-Nagafen* And
can exile guilds have non-exile members?
Gallenite -- Those who choose the
incredibly harsh life of an exile are targets by all, including other
exiles. They can only group or guild with other exiles.
Gallenite -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Tr4h3n0t5* Question
from Tr4h3n0t5 : The upcoming expansion's feature which allows a
player's cloak to display the guild icon: Will it allow custom guild icons?
Lyndro -- There will be some custom
combinations (Colors and some features on the cloak), however you won't
be able to make a .jpg at home and upload that to game. That would lead
to... badness...
Lyndro -- (done)
Brannoc -- *Valanthe*
Tentatively, how will the Belief System work in Echoes of Faydwer?
Blackguard -- We can't say much more
than we've already revealed. Basically, the gods are returning to
Norrath. The Fallen Dynasty will foreshadow this return, which will
primarily take place during Echoes of Faydwer.
Blackguard -- You'll be able to
choose a god to follow, and will be rewarded for doing so. This may
include access to specific quest lines, the ability to wear certain
items, and access to abilities that players who worship other deities
can't use.
Brannoc -- *Homegrown* also
would like a way to handle when things like a server crash causes a raid
force to lose their lockouts, this happened to us about 4 times in the
past few weeks, and its really frusterating to have a 7 day lockout
timer lost becuase the server went down
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- Until LU 24
Customer Service has not had good tools to fix lockout timers that are
incorrectly set. We've given them new tools to address this when they
determine that you've had a lockout timer applied to you unjustly.
Silverfrost-EQ2 -- (done)
Brannoc -- *DataOutlaw* What
can you tell us about tinkering?
Blackguard -- It is good.
Lyndro -- There's not a whole lot to
tell right now. We are working on making a system that's fun and
versatile, beyond that you'll have to wait for beta ;)
Blackguard -- (done)
Lyndro -- (done)
Brannoc -- Alright folks that's
it for this chat! Please be sure to join us here next time on Stratics
IRC. The logs will be available at http://www.stratics.com shortly.
Thanks for coming!
Lyndro -- Thanks for stopping by
everyone!
mhigby -- Sweet dreams!
Blackguard -- Thanks for coming out
for the chat, everyone! I wish we could stick around for longer and
answer all of the questions, but we have to get back to making EverQuest
II. :)
Gallenite -- Have a great night,
all. Thanks much for coming by!
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