Or.../shock... maybe he actually listened to the public outcry of all the heart broken SWG fans when Lucas Arts pulled the plug. Then took a good look around, saw there was no market for a AAA Sandbox and is trying to fill the hole.

I know the general hate on this site is geared towards causing mass hysteria and malice toward anyone with an opinion or product that charges more than a cent, but maybe, and I do mean maybe. Take a look at things and actually research before jumping to snap conclusions.

Smedley has actually been thinking with his head lately instead of his wallet. SOE has been making some great strides. I have, in the past, seriously disliked them at times, but, I am starting to want to give Smed and SOE another chance. As long as EQNext is not a F2P title with an enormous cash shop, I'll be playing it. If they go with the F2P model but offer a sub based (Gold Subscription) model like they do EQ and EQ2, I'll be happy.

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...

I've been a longtime EQ player, both the original and EQ2.  Love the games, the world of Norrath, and the dedicated community.  But, I have a mixed view towards Smedley, as I think a lot of people that have played SOE games do.  While I haven't been fond of him often, I like to think he's going to produce the next EQ product in a favorable way.  I'm trying to sound cautiously neutral, because I hope to god its freaking awesome so I will make it my next home, but I also know that it could be heavily weighted to a Cash Shop (and it will have one) to make it unsavory.  The way they implemented the CS in EQ and EQ2 was fair, so it could be they'll still keep a happy balance.

I'm tired of hype-trains though.  There have been way too many failures and letdowns in the recent past.  I just hope his new vision of Norrath does it justice. 

If anyone here has been actively participating in the beta process for PS2; I will say I have regained respect for Smed. He has hit a new level of developer-player communication with all the beta testers, and they've been pushing the game in the right direction and implementing our feedback.

I used to HATE Smed for the NGE, but he's been slowly winning me back, even more so with this announcement.

Originally posted by agnostic4eve

Or.../shock... maybe he actually listened to the public outcry of all the heart broken SWG fans when Lucas Arts pulled the plug.

You know you're anthropomorphising human emotional response onto a corporation, right?

I mean, sure, Smed could be the biggest bleeding heart that ever walked the Earth.  Genuine, human responses; he cried for all of those poor, disenfranchised gamers.

But even given this construction is somehow factual--His corporation is still going to act like a corporation.

Have people actually forgotten that SOE held the Evil Empire title for a whole lotta years, before Bliz and Funcom and EA and all the others?

Originally posted by Strycker

If anyone here has been actively participating in the beta process for PS2; I will say I have regained respect for Smed. He has hit a new level of developer-player communication with all the beta testers, and they've been pushing the game in the right direction and implementing our feedback.

I used to HATE Smed for the NGE, but he's been slowly winning me back, even more so with this announcement.

Isn't PS2 now a cash shop game where half your skills, or whatever they are, are now available through RL money?

Originally posted by Foomerang

Actual amount of eve players is about a third of its subscription numbers. Multiple accounts are common so are bots.

Does it matter?

Regardless of whether the money comes from 400.000 people or just 100 people it's still 400.000 subscriptions being paid.

And before you start on PLEX you should realise that each and every PLEX has been bought for $20 as opposed to the normal $15 subscription fee. Meaning that every account PLEXing is earning CCP 1,33 subscriptions, even if that money doesn't come from those accounts themselves.

CCP is pulling in nearly seven million dollars a month from EVE. I'm quite sure that's more than most, if not all, of SOE's other MMOs. And, unlike standard themeparks, the competition for sandbox MMOs is minimal.

SOE attempting to go the sandbox route is, imho, a very smart move. Whether or not it's successful and leads to games that aren't just good for the publishers but also the players will remain to be seen.

Originally posted by senadin

 

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Originally posted by GrayGhost79
Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game. 

 

 

With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system. 

 

In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now. 

---

 

Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!

"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."

Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?

And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!

The part in red. He did not say they were making the wold's largest sandbox MMO ever made. He took care to specifically say Sandbox Style. 

But as I said, currently we don't have enough information so it's all simply speculation and we will have to wait and see. 

Originally posted by cyandk

 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...

What are you talking about? Out of all the MMOs I've ever played, my favorites happen to be SOE games,:EQ, EQ2, SWG.

SWG just happens to be one of the most talked about games in this forum. People yearn for it...especially after experience the 20 post-WoW clones, e.g., AoC, WAR, Aion, SWTOR, etc...

I'm sick of WoW. I'm sick of Theme Park. I don't think I'm alone here. There is a reason why almost every Theme Park flops these days.

I expect nothing but great stuff from SOE. I know they have a bad rep with the whole NGE thing. But business is business and lessons are learned. They had a lot to deal with - Lucas Arts etc.

Originally posted by GrayGhost79

Originally posted by senadin

 

---

Originally posted by GrayGhost79
Something note worthy is that they never said it was going to be a sandbox, it was specifically stated that it was going to be a sandbox-style game. 

 

 

With the wording I don't expect to see a UO or SWG style game. It is likely going to be more along the lines of GW2. I forsee a themepark game that will incorperate some sandbox elements but not a great deal. Until we can get more info the only thing I expect at this point in time is a themepark that abandons quest hubs and the traditional questing system. 

 

In the end though, none of us have enough information so it's a wait and see kind of thing right now. 

---

 

Uhh NO, what part of the following statement does not sound like they are making a sandbox?!?!?! Sounds pretty obvious to me that it is indeed a sandbox game they are making by reading the comments!

"EverQuest Next has been redone from scratch so that it's not EverQuest III. Smedley promises it's going to be the "world's largest sandbox-style MMO ever made." It'll be playable at the next Fan Faire."

Sandbox style, not themepark, not sandpark! reading comprehension anyone?

And why is he doing the game? Well DUH to make money and to make a game they are proud of! I cant believe how many butt hurt forum dwellers there are here!

The part in red. He did not say they were making the wold's largest sandbox MMO ever made. He took care to specifically say Sandbox Style. 

 

But as I said, currently we don't have enough information so it's all simply speculation and we will have to wait and see. 

Exactly. It's not going to be a Darkfall. I honestly think that it will be something like EQ1/EQ2... but with a ton of social options, e.g., world housing, huge worlds, player cities, deep crafting, etc. It will have it all.

Originally posted by LoverNoFighter
It's SOE. Pretty sure it's gonna suck.

SOE made the game in your quote that > all. Just sayin'. Doesn't matter if they destroyed it after (even though Smed admitted it was a mistake afterwards and seems to really want to push for a sandbox now), they have the potential.

lol, people think that after SWG, SOE can do no right.They were and probably still will be a Pioneer in the MMO industry.They paved the way with Everquest and to an extent Planetside.Did they have their Fails? of course they have,but that doesnt mean every product they put out will be a failure.

Im pulling for EQN,I hope its a massive hit.

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...

If you think you are mad now - this is just a pinprick of what is to come

because this type of announcement will be like the shot heard round the world.  

For those on either side of the battle.

Fanboys and Haters load your weapons, because Forum Armegedon approaches.

Heed my words. Ye of little faith. Repent now or the coming tide will swallow you whole.

My take on this is there is a large amount of wiggle room because of the conflict about definition of a sandbox when applied to MMORPGs.  He could easily be referring to a large social game with free-roaming adventure and very little in terms of MMO sandbox elements.

We won't know until more details are released, but suffice it to say that I'm skeptical that it will be anything like a UO clone.

Originally posted by XAPGames

My take on this is there is a large amount of wiggle room because of the conflict about definition of a sandbox when applied to MMORPGs.  He could easily be referring to a large social game with free-roaming adventure and very little in terms of MMO sandbox elements.

 

We won't know until more details are released, but suffice it to say that I'm skeptical that it will be anything like a UO clone.

I completely agree with you.  I love that so many people assume that "sandbox" = "full loot rights PVP, kill anywhere anytime! make all the towns yourself"

All a sandbox means is that you are given a world, and as a player it is up to you to decide what to do in it.

Everquest 1 was a sandbox.  Everyone thinks that because WOW was a derivation of EQ1 that EQ1 = WOW.  The sad part is the only thing they truly share is having levels, and that they are PVE driven.

Everquest 1 had levels, but those levels only purpose was to limit how high your skills got, so at level 60 you could have 255 1h slashing for example.  All of the formula for damage and such was based entirely on your skills.  NOT your level.

WOW on the other hand based EVERYTHING off your level.  If you were 5 levels or more below a mob, then you could never to better than a glancing blow, and eventually they took that out and then you just couldnt hit the mob to save your life.  In EQ if you got 20 people that were level 20 together, they could take down a level 30 mountain giant that was intended to be soloed by a level 30.

Everquest had no quest hubs of any kind.  It had starting cities for every race, and starting areas for every race.  Even up to the end game you had a minimum of 2 different zones you could go to that had level appropriate mobs for you to kill.

Nothing in EQ1 ever guided you from one place to another, it was totally your choice.

I could go into more detail, but the point is EQ:N could quite easily be the greatest sandbox ever designed and not have any pvp in it whatsoever or really any relation to games like SWG or UO, etc.

i wouldnt assume itll be just like eq either.

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...

Smeds intionetions is and have always been to to get as much of our money as possible. I just hope ge remember that he originally got that from making fun games, but that is hardly his main goal.

Originally posted by rungard

i wouldnt assume itll be just like eq either.

 

Im not, as a matter of fact i know it wont be.  You'll never see another MMO with mechanics similar to EQ1s, the point was to show that sandbox means more than SWG or UO, etc.