I've seen people mention these two together, or mention EQ when talking about sandbox games...

Why?

When I look back, I see EQ as the grandfather of all themeparks, who gave birth to WoW and spewed its genetic material across the AAA market.

When I think of community heavy games, I see them as evolutions from UO, which brought about all the succeses and foibles of today's sandbox games (deep, interdependant crafting, societies and interactions, awkward gameplay mechanics, aimless "just do stuff" gameplay).

Is there something about EQ Next that I don't understand? Is there something about EQ that I was missing?

I think it's fine for players to enjoy two completely different types of games, but I'm not sure that's what's happening here. I really think people see both as the games heading in the same direction (usually to dem good ol days).

You can like two things at once.

EQ "Next" Developers: "This isn't going to be EverQuest 2.5 or WoW 2.0. We're going Virtual World."

EverQuest Next: Online Worlds vs. Online Game

SOE President John Smedley took a question regarding the vision for the original EverQuest, namely, the desire to create an online world as opposed to simply an online game. When asked whether or not it made sense to go back to that sort of vision Mr. Smedley teased, “I would say, without giving away too much, and this is actually giving away a lot, EverQuest Next is much truer to that vision, and we feel really really strongly about that. I think players are going to be pretty surprised; they are not going to see us do EverQuest 2.5 or make a WoW-clone or anything like that. We have an entirely new direction and we believe very strongly that the concept of it being a world is the way to go.”

This is why EverQuest "Next" has appeal. As for ArcheAge, just watch the many YouTube videos and you will see that is clearly has the perfect blend of theme park and sandbox elements.

Originally posted by Starpower

You can like two things at once.

I'm looking forward to ArcheAge. I couldn't care less about EQ next.

Originally posted by Xzen

I'm looking forward to ArcheAge. I couldn't care less about EQ next.

/signed

Originally posted by RefMinor
I am still not sure how sandboxy AA is, there is an incredible amount of different things to do but I am not yet sure how all the elements interact with each other, and that for me is the measure of a sandbox. It might just be the best damn themepark ever with every ride you could want to go on, in any order but none of the rides have any bearing on the other rides. I am however looking forward to seeing how it all hangs together.

Never seen sandbox described this way. Very succinct way of putting it.

There is really to few details on EQ Next. I imagine the hope is that it will try to be more like EQ1 with a fairly open ended world and gameplay, instead of the linear quest hub games we've been getting lately.

Originally posted by ropenice

Originally posted by RefMinor
I am still not sure how sandboxy AA is, there is an incredible amount of different things to do but I am not yet sure how all the elements interact with each other, and that for me is the measure of a sandbox. It might just be the best damn themepark ever with every ride you could want to go on, in any order but none of the rides have any bearing on the other rides. I am however looking forward to seeing how it all hangs together.

Never seen sandbox described this way. Very succinct way of putting it.

AA I think looks good but not sure if it will come out in EU and would be worried about how its priced as in subscription or bad cash shop.EQ Next I have a strong suspicion will be aimed at total casual gameplay and no doubt multi platform to attract the console crowd.

I look at EQ as a Sandbox/Themepark hybrid, not a fully on-rails themepark game like most of the modern games. EQ did have rails but it also had a huge degree of freedom (along with a slow leveling speed that allowed you to see every area if you put in the work or decided to visit them during the leveling process)

It might come from the fact that i was on Rallos Zek which was insanely community dependant as far as getting anything done (along with pvp). 

Originally posted by Fangrim

EQ Next I have a strong suspicion will be aimed at total casual gameplay and no doubt multi platform to attract the console crowd.

those are my impressions too - but time will tell

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-01-14-sony-hints-at-everquest-3-on-ps3

i dont believe, that EQ Next will have much in common with good old EQ. heck, this i Smedley!!! do you expect him doing anything else than catering the masses with casualized stuff for carebears and whiners?

some people say that EQ was the father of the theme-parks. perhaps it was. but nevertheless the main design paradigms where fully different to WoW and EQ2 starting in 2004.

- open world including open world dungeons

- no instances and no fast-travel (pre-POK)

- non-linear: quests are optional

- steep leraning curve and long time to level up

- harsh death penalty

- strong skills (especially CC) and highly differentiated classes

- therefor unbalanced but unique classes.

- low refinement of mob-encounters and control by the devs

- low balancing but authentic and versatile classes

- mixed zones (by level) with challenging trash mobs

- poor operational combat but tactical versatile

- slow paced combat with high-HP mobs

- competition, not just cooperation (also in PVE)

- and we had drama! we lost the drama baby :(

the modern themepark-MMO founded by WoW and EQ2 in 2004 is the exact opposite of this!

some of these design paradigms are outdated. there are better solutions nowadays. but for some it was a big mistake to get rid of them with the new MMO-model. i doubt, Smedley knows, what the strength and the weaknesses of EQ have been and what he is talking about.

this is just a dirty marketing trick. aside from names like Neriak and Freeport, there will be nothing common.

regarding ArchAge, i doubt it is a sandbox. as well as EQ was no sandbox. it was an early, very harsh type of theme-park with a lot of sand to play with. nowadays we would call it a sandpark. perhaps this is what ArchAge will become too, but in a different manner.

I had no idea they were talking about EQ next being a sandbox / virtual world type of game.  Hmm, it almost makes me want to be interested in it.  Still---this is SOE and Smedley we're talking about here.  I find it almost impossible to even hope that they could make a worthwhile game of any type at this point.

As for the original EQ; it was a themepark without a doubt but it felt more open at least than the themeparks which followed.  Actually the games we get now aren't even really like themeparks, they are more like tour buses.  In a themepark you can wander around the park and choose which rides to ride and which vendor stands to stop at.  On a tour bus you're just along for the ride, you don't get to decide where you go or where you stop or how long you stop at any one place; everything is decided for you.

So yeah, EQ was a themepark in the truest sense of the term but the games which followed are tour buses.

Originally posted by Xzen

I'm looking forward to ArcheAge. I couldn't care less about EQ next.

Im the exact opposite.  Patiently waiting to see what EQNext brings to the table.  As for Archeage, no interest whatsoever.

Waiting for the next great sandbox game but, at this point, happy with a themepark with many sandbox-like elements. So yeah, interested in AA and keeping an eye out for EQ Next (although hard to be optimistic about EQ... it is SOE after all). But hey, any inovation/variation from another average themepark-on-rails-WoW-clone is welcome in my book!

eqnext a sandbox? who said that?

Originally posted by Skuall

eqnext a sandbox? who said that?

 

I have read things on EQ next at first claiming it would be sandbox but more recently read that it would be a casual social type mmo.

Originally posted by UsulDaNeriak

i dont believe, that EQ Next will have much in common with good old EQ. heck, this i Smedley!!! do you expect him doing anything else than catering the masses with casualized stuff for carebears and whiners?

some people say that EQ was the father of the theme-parks. perhaps it was. but nevertheless the main design paradigms where fully different to WoW and EQ2 starting in 2004.

- open world including open world dungeons

- no instances and no fast-travel (pre-POK)

- non-linear: quests are optional

- steep leraning curve and long time to level up

- harsh death penalty

- strong skills (especially CC) and highly differentiated classes

- therefor unbalanced but unique classes.

- low refinement of mob-encounters and control by the devs

- low balancing but authentic and versatile classes

- mixed zones (by level) with challenging trash mobs

- poor operational combat but tactical versatile

- slow paced combat with high-HP mobs

- competition, not just cooperation (also in PVE)

- and we had drama! we lost the drama baby :(

the modern themepark-MMO founded by WoW and EQ2 in 2004 is the exact opposite of this!

some of these design paradigms are outdated. there are better solutions nowadays. but for some it was a big mistake to get rid of them with the new MMO-model. i doubt, Smedley knows, what the strength and the weaknesses of EQ have been and what he is talking about.

this is just a dirty marketing trick. aside from names like Neriak and Freeport, there will be nothing common.

regarding ArchAge, i doubt it is a sandbox. as well as EQ was no sandbox. it was an early, very harsh type of theme-park with a lot of sand to play with. nowadays we would call it a sandpark. perhaps this is what ArchAge will become too, but in a different manner.

 

 

To be fair, the original everquest was Smedley's idea and he was responsible for the startup of Verant.  But I don't think this Smedley is that Smedley any longer (or has been since the NGE fiasco for that matter).