Smedley just announced that Everquest Next will be sandbox.

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’re 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.

Is he trying really hard to bankrupt SOE or whats going on in this head of his? Did he ever make anything decent? Any sane disission? Also, isnt he kinda late?

gaaaaaah im so mad right now and its just a game...

Originally posted by cyandk

Smedley just announced that Everquest Next will be sandbox.

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’re 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.

 

Is he trying really hard to bankrupt SOE or whats going on in this head of his? Did he ever make anything decent? Any sane disission? Also, isnt he kinda late?

 

gaaaaaah im so mad right now and its just a game...

So play WoW.

Originally posted by william0532

So play WoW.

that's going to be the default rebuttal on any critique of EQNext

"well, I don't like the spell eff..."

"GO PLAY WoW!"

"ok...."

Originally posted by VengeSunsoar
His intention is to try and drum up interest.  And it's working.

 ahh it seems you do understand. Good job.

Originally posted by rungard

Originally posted by VengeSunsoar
His intention is to try and drum up interest.  And it's working.

 ahh it seems you do understand. Good job.

and ultimately, make some money for SOE....... the usual stuff.

I've said it in another thread about EQNext, but the proof will be in the pudding.

I would love for a mainstream sandbox type game make a big impact, but his wording of "sandbox-style" does make me think that there's something more themeparky lurking beneath.

Mind you, the only SoE game I currently have installed in DCUO....it's the only SoE game I have played when I think about it. So...I am pretty open minded to anything as long as there's real info to back up claims.

$oE and $medley wants your money, that's all they care about. Before you go burning your fingers again keep that thought in your head. They have no good intentions, forget about EQ, it will never be the same, $oE is rotten to the core.

"SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is a tradable game currency bought with real-life money."

Originally posted by Waterlily

$oE and $medley wants your money, that's all they care about. Before you go burning your fingers again keep that thought in your head. They have no good intentions, forget about EQ, it will never be the same, $oE is rotten to the core.

"SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is a tradable game currency bought with real-life money."

What a surprise, someone trying to make the company look bad without giving the full detail of what it is.  Krono = PLEX from EvE, its just tradeable game time.  Nothing to get panties in a bunch over

Originally posted by Waterlily

$oE and $medley wants your money, that's all they care about. Before you go burning your fingers again keep that thought in your head. They have no good intentions, forget about EQ, it will never be the same, $oE is rotten to the core.

"SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is a tradable game currency bought with real-life money."

so what is it you want? no purchase price, no subscription and no user fees? If they dont make money there is no game.

this is just a version of the playstation store that is extended to sony mmo's. I think its a great idea as long as they dont make it pay to win. GW2 has shown that you can have an effective cashshop that is not imbalancing. It seems $oe is learning lessons this year and hopefully theyll learn that one as well.

First and foremost cash shop is their main agenda.

The LARGEST could simply be in terms of land mass.I believe he intends to have massive housing plots that you buy/pay for extra on top of a subscription.I beleive he will also have varied costs,you want 800x800 it will cost you more than the 640x640 plot.They will have so much tied into housing that alone will cost you an arm and a leg to play the game.

This guy is imo insane,sure there has been proof that yo ucan always garner a decent number of wasteful spenders,but your game will never be considered a great AAA game with 100k foolish spenders.

I have been around the Everquest series for years and i have NEVER seen anything creative,just the same old and over time dumb down and/or made even more simple.

It is becuase of their lack of creativity that we will see nothing new just new ways to cash in on cash shops.

Originally posted by rungard

Originally posted by Waterlily

$oE and $medley wants your money, that's all they care about. Before you go burning your fingers again keep that thought in your head. They have no good intentions, forget about EQ, it will never be the same, $oE is rotten to the core.

"SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is a tradable game currency bought with real-life money."

so what is it you want? no purchase price, no subscription and no user fees? If they dont make money there is no game.

What people asked for is simply what they always had, EQ was a simple P2P game that $oE turned into a money laundering bastard child by forcing cash shops, freemium, tons of cash shop currencies, and power items onto people.

[mod edit]

in the end what he says and what they actually do will probably be 2 different things.

untill there is real proof he is blowing hot air.

I think he's taking notes from one of the few subscription MMOs in the industry that's currently and has been growing.

Which, it seems, he even plays himself.

http://themittani.com/features/mittani-interviews-soe-ceo-john-smedley

Can't say I trust Smedley to make a good game for it's own sake. But I definitely do trust him to look at EvE Online's subscriber base and say "Damn... I want me some of that pie."

Even if it's niche there's still plenty of EvE Online players and with it being far from unusual to have two accounts, or even more, it shows a lot of willingness to spend money on their sandbox. Money SOE no doubt would rather see go to them than anyone else.

Originally posted by Waterlily

Originally posted by rungard

Originally posted by Waterlily

$oE and $medley wants your money, that's all they care about. Before you go burning your fingers again keep that thought in your head. They have no good intentions, forget about EQ, it will never be the same, $oE is rotten to the core.

"SOE is introducing a new currency, the Krono, which is a tradable game currency bought with real-life money."

so what is it you want? no purchase price, no subscription and no user fees? If they dont make money there is no game.

What people asked for is simply what they always had, EQ was a simple P2P game that $oE turned into a money laundering bastard child by forcing cash shops, freemium, tons of cash shop currencies, and power items onto people.

[mod edit]

[mod edit]

Its not like EQ and EQ2 had robust populations when they made these changes.

The bulk of MMO costs are fixed.  Subscription model works great at high sub numbers.  AT lower sub numbers they dont work nearly as well.

Originally posted by cyandk

 

What is John Smedley intentions?

Who knows? Not even Smed himself I would wager... if he does, his intentions of today will not be his intentions of 6 months time.

The man is a habitual spinner and BSer to be honest. Right now I suspect he is just throwing around fashionable buzzwords because he knows that's what people want to hear.

Personally, as much as I would love to see the EQ franchise with a healthy future, I am since the failure to show anything when promised thinking this game will go the same way as The Agency.

Originally posted by gobla

Can't say I trust Smedley to make a good game for it's own sake. But I definitely do trust him to look at EvE Online's subscriber base and say "Damn... I want me some of that pie."

That's... not a very big pie.

No.

The real answer is that Smedley plays EVE, and from his perspective, most copycat themeparks launch, sell a bunch of boxes, and then 'fail' (everyone quits in 1-2 months).

He looks at EVE and thinks if he could make another game like that, or like SWG, where you have 100-300K subs maintainable, that's better than a game that goes to complete fail mode like SWTOR or many of the others.

People like Smedley are simply giving up on their dream that they will make the next wow that will maintain millions of subs for years.

A sandbox will never be as widely popular as simplistic themeparks.