Originally posted by Beanpuie

well, the way i see it.

Smed was looking at the current crop of mmo's the latest big one called SWTOR, and saw how it turned out.

and then looked over and saw how Guild Wars 2 turned out.

Smed said theyve been working on their new design for 18 months

- that was before SWTOR weak success or GW2 released

http://eq2wire.com/2012/10/18/soe-live-2012-welcome-reception-live-refresh-for-updates/

“I have to be honest with you. We have completely blown up the design of EverQuest Next. For the last year and a half we have been working on something we are not ready to show. Why did we blow up the design? The design was evolutionary. It was EverQuest III. It was something that was slightly better that what had come before it. IT was slightly better. What we are building is something that we will be very proud to call EverQuest. It will be the largest sandbox style MMO ever designed. The same exciting content delivered in a new way. Something you’ve never seen before. The MMO world has never seen before. We didn’t want more Kill 10 Rats quests. We didn’t want more of the same. If you look at the MMOs out there, they’r delivering the same content over and over again. So are we. We need to change that. When we released EverQuest, we changed the world. We want to do that again with a different type of game.

What I will commit to is, at the next Fan Faire, not only will you get to see it but you will get to touch it. Most of the EQNext devs are in this room. If you get them drunk enough they might tell you. They’re led by Dave Georgeson. Terry Michaels. Vets from EQ and EQ2. We are remaking Norrath unlike anything you’ve ever seen, but you’ll recognize it. I’m sorry we don’t have anything to show for it, but I wanted to be honest with you and tell you a little bit about it. Keep the faith.”

Originally posted by Beanpuie

Originally posted by DavisFlight

Originally posted by William12
Here's what happen.  They were going with what rift, wow, eq2 are like seen how bad SWTOR did and seen GW2 and scrapped it all to copy GW2 :) 

I think it's much more likely they were going to remake EQ1, make a socially oriented hardcore MMORPG, and decided that not only would that directly compete with their own product, EQ1, which they still make lots of money off of, and that it was just not new enough of an idea. So, they went sandbox because that is

a) what most core MMO fans have been crying for

b) wouldn't compete with their own products

c) is a totally untapped market

And how have they decided to copy GW2? GW2 isn't remotely a sandbox. Besides, the only thing really worth copying for GW2 is the event system.

well, the way i see it.

Smed was looking at the current crop of mmo's the latest big one called SWTOR, and saw how it turned out.

and then looked over and saw how Guild Wars 2 turned out.

Two problems with this theory. Well three actually.

First: SWTOR was hardly the first themepark to fail. It was more like the 5th.

Second: They said that they scrapped everything long before GW2 or SWTOR released, so how could it have anything to do with GW2?

Third: They announced a SANDBOX GAME so how does that have anything to do with GW2?

Originally posted by William12

Originally posted by DavisFlight

Originally posted by William12
Here's what happen.  They were going with what rift, wow, eq2 are like seen how bad SWTOR did and seen GW2 and scrapped it all to copy GW2 :) 

I think it's much more likely they were going to remake EQ1, make a socially oriented hardcore MMORPG, and decided that not only would that directly compete with their own product, EQ1, which they still make lots of money off of, and that it was just not new enough of an idea. So, they went sandbox because that is

a) what most core MMO fans have been crying for

b) wouldn't compete with their own products

c) is a totally untapped market

And how have they decided to copy GW2? GW2 isn't remotely a sandbox. Besides, the only thing really worth copying for GW2 is the event system.

You actually think EQ breaks even or makes a profit ?  News flash it doesn't in fact EQ and EQ2 haven't made a profit in years that f2p game free realms is what keeps eq alive. 

Then please explain to me how they keep finding the funding to release expansions? Each expansion sells well, and for 30 bucks a pop. That aint nothing.

Originally posted by health001
wow thats just sad they spent 3 years working on it and then trashed it O_O sounds fishy to me but then again we are working with John Smedley here this guys motives are profit driven but then again thats every ceo

 They probably went the same design route as SW:TOR. No doubt! And saw to their horror how it blew up in their faces and crashed and burned.

And like I said in another topic. If they really want to go the sandbox route, they need to try get Raph Koster back!

SWG pre-NGE had it's flaws, but the crafting system wasn't one of them. To this day, that crafting system was the best I have ever seen. No other MMO has ever come even close to that.

They need to get this crafting system back in EverQuest 3!

i have come to the point where i can laugh about everyone stating "we will change the mmo genre". especially since the (still) biggest sub based mmo never invents something new but just takes ideas and systems from other mmos and sometimes finetunes it.

i guess soe is doing fine now with it's current running games and after the massive reduction of costs on all ends (the worst for me is having some of the games in europe now handled by Pro/Sat1 media AG who are...well, let's just face it..noobs when it comes to sub-based mmos)

but if they want to get with the big players again they have to deliver something big.

with an sandbox EQ in the likes of pre-nge swg they could certainly serve one part of the players. let's just hope they aim for that and not for 5 million subs+ and satisfying everyone...

Sandbox is the next big thing for the MMO industry.

Now that a big gun like SoE jumped on the wagon, I expect some smaller fish to do the same (who knows, maybe even Blizzard with Titan).

Anyway the EQ IP is my favourite and this is the news I was expecting for almost 10 years.

The only negative is that the game won't release before the end of 2014

Originally posted by ste2000

Sandbox is the next big thing for the MMO industry.

Now that a big gun like SoE jumped on the wagon, I expect some smaller fish to do the same (who knows, maybe even Blizzard with Titan).

Anyway the EQ IP is my favourite and this is the news I was expecting for almost 10 years.

The only negative is that the game won't release before the end of 2014

 I think Funcom already tried to set the tone with The Secret World.

Eventho that game isn't everyone's cup of tea and the setting serves a niche.

They still did something radical different and it's good to see that another studio (SOE in this case) is following suit.

Eh? A sandbox where 'content is delivered in a new way'?

Isn't the whole point of a (real) sandbox that you give us the tools and let us make our own content?

Methinks Smed might just be using fashionable buzzwords in order to generate hype...

Well, I'm interested.

Granted, SOE may have ruined some good games... But that also means they've actually managed to make some games people care enough to get pissed about being ruined, right? :)

I'll admit I didn't enjoy either of the Everquest titles much, but the thing here is... After SWG getting the "sunset", SOE now has no game for the sandbox players (well, at least the adults). And there's fierce competition in the AAA themepark jungle.

The other option would be to go for the more hard-coreish, group-oriented, old-school EQ design. I think that kind of game design is being neglected more and more and I think there's a playerbase for it. But see, SOE does still have the original, but they have no sandbox.

So, makes sense to me. I'll give it a go. Though I still dislike F2Ps... Wish they'd go P2P with this, but fat chance of that with Smed being head over heels in love with the F2P model, right?

I am not a big Smedley fan, he has made too many stupid decisions in the past for me to get excited about anything he has his hands in.  I am also curious what his definition of sandbox is.  I know that Blizzards mysterious MMO they have been working on is also rumored to be a sandbox.

Probably won't see anything until 2014 at the earliest from either of these studios.

Originally posted by Nikopol

Well, I'm interested.

Granted, SOE may have ruined some good games... But that also means they've actually managed to make some games people care enough to get pissed about being ruined, right? :)

I'll admit I didn't enjoy either of the Everquest titles much, but the thing here is... After SWG getting the "sunset", SOE now has no game for the sandbox players (well, at least the adults). And there's fierce competition in the AAA themepark jungle.

The other option would be to go for the more hard-coreish, group-oriented, old-school EQ design. I think that kind of game design is being neglected more and more and I think there's a playerbase for it. But see, SOE does still have the original, but they have no sandbox.

So, makes sense to me. I'll give it a go. Though I still dislike F2Ps... Wish they'd go P2P with this, but fat chance of that with Smed being head over heels in love with the F2P model, right?

 

they have their cash shop and still want people to pay 15$ monthly - giving 5$ of cashshop money "for free" each month - atleast if you look at how they plan to make Planetside 2´s pay model http://forums.station.sony.com/ps2/index.php?threads/planetside-2-membership-plan-revised-based-on-your-feedback.26546/

Originally posted by seldin
I see that there seems to vocal amount of people pushing they want a new sandbox mmo but I dont see that it is anywhere near the vast amount of themepark mmo players.  Most mmoplayers play themeparks and have not played a sandbox.  These same players will not know what to do in a sandbox and will complaign that there is nothing to do or it is too hard to figure out.  Everyone mentions Eve as one of the best sandbox games and I beleieve as of March only had 400,000 subscibers.  Most of the people I know who play eve have at least 2+ accounts so how many truly unique players are there.  Sandbox games are more limited so yes they have a few more subscibers per game but if you count the number of themepark games and there players and subscibers it dwarfs sandbox games.  What players really want is a well done game but I dont see that happening any time soon.  Vocal players dont have the patience to let games evolve into what they will be because no game is going to be what it was at release. 

I have no idea what kind of crowd sandbox will bring

SOE has said they will continue to support the EQ1 / EQ2 themepark franchises alongside EQ sandbox

Blizzard said something similar w Titan, (altho not sure if will be sandbox)

WOW will keep getting support -- 2 expansions are already planned

hopefully Titan will be released before WOWs 6th expansion (2015/2016)

I think this is a great thing to hear.

It takes some serious balls to go in look at what you have and scrap it.

I have been following Planetside 2 development very closely and have been playing it since very early closed beta (first round invite) And i have to say that I think Smedley is not looking at games the way he used to. 

He is taking a much more critical eye at the way these things get played and telling his developers to think bigger. I am guessing that he sat down and played EQN and after a little while said "what's the point?"

I have high hopes for this new path. I would kill to have a game that gave me the feeling of realness that EQ1 had. Death means something, stupidity gets you dead, and you can't just half-ass the game. You need to be on top of it and engaged.

Personally i think that if anyone can pull off making a true "Next Generation" MMO the SOE team has the best chance. After seeing what they have done with PS2, i have no doubt that it is going to be Epic.

Originally posted by seldin
I see that there seems to vocal amount of people pushing they want a new sandbox mmo but I dont see that it is anywhere near the vast amount of themepark mmo players.  Most mmoplayers play themeparks and have not played a sandbox.  These same players will not know what to do in a sandbox and will complaign that there is nothing to do or it is too hard to figure out.  Everyone mentions Eve as one of the best sandbox games and I beleieve as of March only had 400,000 subscibers.  Most of the people I know who play eve have at least 2+ accounts so how many truly unique players are there.  Sandbox games are more limited so yes they have a few more subscibers per game but if you count the number of themepark games and there players and subscibers it dwarfs sandbox games.  What players really want is a well done game but I dont see that happening any time soon.  Vocal players dont have the patience to let games evolve into what they will be because no game is going to be what it was at release. 

I like when people tell other people what they want and how they will behave in the future.

Well PvE Sandpark/Sanbox fans have litrerally nothing.  And it doesn't have to have no PvP just have some PvE that isn't total trash.  It would seem a smart decision that they tap into these fans.

I have some hope with SOE considering they made EQ1 and SWG and they were involved with Vanguard to some extent, which are are all quite different than what is popular now and so many fans are burnt out on (shallow no freedom TP's).  Should be interesting to see how things evolve with this title.

 im also curious if EQN is going to be crossplatform for consoles too  (like FreeRealms, DCUO, PS2)