After all the SOE has ever done...

  Still, the myraid of failure they have engaged in might very well be the thing that drives true inspiration.  Of the many companies out there that have tried to become major players in this field, SOE actually WAS one and a giant one at that.  When doing EQ they saw a powerful trend and monetized it.  With such games as Minecraft and Terraria dominating sales over their AAA opposites, it at least stands to reason that they recogize the opening finally coming for true sandbox gameplay.  Unlike SWG, which had far too many hands in the pot controlling it, this attempt will be under their full control.  Nevermind the fact that they still have a ton of money to throw around on a risk.

  If anyone has got something to prove, it certainly IS SOE.  I can hate what they've done, so much so that I've extended that blame deep into aspects and facets of Sony that had nothing to do with it by refusing to even buy a playstation or Sony TV since then.  But if they're actually going to make a serious go at creating something new, something I like, and something great...I can find it in my heart to offer them a final chance.  Not because they deserve it.  But because WE do.  We deserve a game like that, and they are probably the only company desparate enough to accept the challenge of creating it.  They literally have nothing to lose, they've already lost everything they ever had really.  They've floated on novelty for years now, having nothing to take true pride in.  I'm sure there are talented people working there, new men and women trying to break into the gaming industry and make a name for themselves.  Its entirely possible that a great shift could have happened in that way, allowing them to really go for it.

  I can also see how Smedly, after going from a name respected in the industry to one people utter under their breath in shame, would finally be in the mental state he would need to be to finally say, "I was wrong about the direction of MMO gaming, lets let these guys make a go at this and try to regain some measure of respect before the sun finally sets". 

  Something tells me that this is going to happen, and going to be great.  If for no other reason than to spite me.  But also because it seems that the best of things always manage to come from where it is least expected.  No one could have seen Mojang becoming what it is.  No one could have seen Ultima Online becoming what it was.  No one could have seen Counter Strike, DOTA, or Day Z.  All things which were birthed from the last place you'd look for it.  But mostly, I think its going to happen to spite me.  That and SOE also happened to have the only other sandbox MMO I ever enjoyed.  Once upon a time, at least. 

  If it happens, I'll try it.  I'll hope for it.  And if it works, I'll even give Smed a free pass on all the things he's done wrong.  Which is actually another way of saying I'll consider a Sony product AT all again.

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Originally posted by sfarque318
Lootable open world pvp?  There are many games out there like that now.  Go play one of those.  To add that to a game called EQ anything would just be wrong.   I hope they give us something more along the lines of what EQ was in the beginning and not some gankfest type of garbage you can pick up in the stores right now in the bargain bins.  Plz give the other side something to play that's challenging and social w/o the mindless pking rabble.

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when the original EQ pvp servers came out,you could loot coin and one item from their bags, on their corpse IIRC

that sounds good to me and they just need to make pve and pvp servers.

a common misconception is that this has to be a open pvp game just because its a sandbox game,no it does not.

but there needs to be servers for pvp and pve IMO

This post will be lost in many pages but...

I always knew SoE would do this. Dont get me wrong. Ive despised them for what happened to the greatest sandbox ever made, however, if they did it once, if anyone can do it again; they can.

Originally posted by JC-Smith
Obviously we'll have to wait and see the implementation, but I think Smedley is dead on about where the genre needs to go. Generation, player created or driven content, those are the waves of the future. And it's great to see a major company embrace it.

Originally posted by Incomparable
I am concerned with how SOE tries to sell this mmo as a sand box, and what they think is good for the market with a history of sand box mmos failing. If they think by making a sand box mmo that is purely sand box and player created content only then it won't do well. It will still need epic bosses, npcs with alignment systems, advanced ai, questing, Mini games, and complex and rewarding combat. Those are not staple sand box features but are important enough to include. Also things like crafting, customization, are staples of sand box mmos... However rare items are not. Then there should be a balance of introducing rare items with unique uses, and stats but still fit with a sand box mmo... Since these kind of rewards are also great to encourage exploration. And I do hope it has the depth of sand box mmos, and enough otter non sand box content as well. Having missions to do is still important, and it being a pure sand box mmo takes away the feeling of being on a quest when getting rewards but instead macroing skills for end game. And it would be nice if there was quests and a skill point system like tsw, but a short trip to reach end game, and lvling is horizontal to acquire rewards in quests, not macros of chopping wood all the time, for end game. And usual, I prefer games to be for a mature audience since they can put content that makes the game more enjoyable without having to worry about ratings.

Yes, my perfect sandbox game has:

1)  Mini games 

2) Using rewards as carrot sticks to move from zone to zone

3)  max level in a week

STAY out of my game please.  Sandbox games do not have MINI GAMES except for games created by players and regulated by players.  

I suppose you want our sandbox game to have mail, an auction house, and instanced battlegrounds too?  Cross-server dungeon instances?  Ugh lol.

Originally posted by Kenze

Originally posted by JC-Smith
Obviously we'll have to wait and see the implementation, but I think Smedley is dead on about where the genre needs to go. Generation, player created or driven content, those are the waves of the future. And it's great to see a major company embrace it.

 

but what does that mean? describe player created content. give me a few examples of how players generate content would look.

SWG's housing and crafting system.

Dark Age of Camelot's RvR.

Ultima Online's everything.

Eve Online's everything.

Originally posted by DavisFlight

 

SWG's housing

fk no!

opening the overhead map on a desert planet that Tatooine was supposed to be in the SW lore and see a Manhattan streetmap instead.

"desert planet? All I see is houses!!"

Originally posted by Kenze

Originally posted by JC-Smith
Obviously we'll have to wait and see the implementation, but I think Smedley is dead on about where the genre needs to go. Generation, player created or driven content, those are the waves of the future. And it's great to see a major company embrace it.

 

but what does that mean? describe player created content. give me a few examples of how players generate content would look.

I'll help out with this:

Player Generated Content FAQ:

1.  Sale and purchase of goods:

a)  True sandbox would allow you to essentially put up your vendor  (shop, purchasable NPC) anywhere on the map.  You would need to defend it.  You could set up your own prices, your own restrictions of whom may use it, etc.etc.  Everything put into the vendor is lootable.  

- Acceptable sandbox compromises:  Location for your vendor is limited.  NPC guards for your sandbox.  Competing NPC vendors in major towns.   Vendor location is not lootable.  

- Unacceptable themepark trash:  NPC vendors only with mail systems to transport anywhere in the game.  

Content Conclusion:  The content would be built around attempting to be a successful vendor.  Defending your goods outpost and competing against other players is your content.  It requires NOTHING else but that.  

2.  Player controlled areas:

A game can still have systems that promote sandbox (player developed) content.

For example, any game can have the most rudimentary "power star (shard, tree of life, who cares what it is)" scattered around the map.  Guilds or alliances take control of it and they gain power as time progresses.

a)  True sandbox experience would allow you to fortify it, purchase NPCs to protect it (or perhaps none at all), put wards on it, build fortifications around it, allow elements of INVESTMENT into the shard to increase its power or to do a whole bunch of fancy things.   The possibilities to promote player driven content is enormous.  

- Acceptable sandbox compromises:  Static bonuses, realm vs. realm control, artificial limits to when it can be attacked

- Unacceptable themepark trash:  Shards are instanced, shards reset on a daily basis, shards do nothing at all, shards are token racial or realm eye candy, shards cannot be realistically transferred or taken over, alliances and realms are artificially limited to how many they can take

Content Conclusion:  Take a tic-tac-toe map and turn your MMO sandbox into 9 different provinces.  Each province has a shard that grants the controlling alliance +10% hit points, +10% experience, and allows you (under the power of the shard, if you so accept) to "tithe" 10% of your divisable loot (read: gold, silver,copper) to that alliance's bank.  

At its core, this is not complicated code.  No more complicated than what DAOC did with realm bonuses.  It could in fact be even simpler.  But the content that could be generated with such a system (especially if you have complex guild/alliance options in the game) could keep your average hardcore player busy for years.  Far busier than any themepark coding team of 200 could do in a similar amount of time.

Make sense?

I've said it many times since the news was released. If players think that Smed meant a total sandbox game then they are dreaming. Smed said "a sandbox style game" IMO he is talking hybrid with sandbox and themepark features.

I know he said awhile back that the game will be more akin to EQ than EQ2 with classes that are more akin to EQ and Vanguard which has more in common with EQ than EQ2 does.

He also said it would have the vast open world that Vanguard has, hopefully non instanced. He also said that some features from Vanguard could be taken and expanded, Diplomacy and Crafting and Vanguards Targetting system. He also said the classes would be more akin to EQ rather than EQ2.

PVP will be designed from the start.

EQNext will be IMO a hybrid MMO with expanded features from both games and modern features.

Also they are talking about a choice of servers, hard core server with corpse runs and similar set up to EQ.

Originally posted by gamesrfun

Originally posted by Kenze

Originally posted by JC-Smith
Obviously we'll have to wait and see the implementation, but I think Smedley is dead on about where the genre needs to go. Generation, player created or driven content, those are the waves of the future. And it's great to see a major company embrace it.

 

but what does that mean? describe player created content. give me a few examples of how players generate content would look.

I'll help out with this:

Player Generated Content FAQ:

1.  Sale and purchase of goods:

a)  True sandbox would allow you to essentially put up your vendor  (shop, purchasable NPC) anywhere on the map.  You would need to defend it.  You could set up your own prices, your own restrictions of whom may use it, etc.etc.  Everything put into the vendor is lootable.  

- Acceptable sandbox compromises:  Location for your vendor is limited.  NPC guards for your sandbox.  Competing NPC vendors in major towns.   Vendor location is not lootable.  

- Unacceptable themepark trash:  NPC vendors only with mail systems to transport anywhere in the game.  

Content Conclusion:  The content would be built around attempting to be a successful vendor.  Defending your goods outpost and competing against other players is your content.  It requires NOTHING else but that.  

2.  Player controlled areas:

A game can still have systems that promote sandbox (player developed) content.

For example, any game can have the most rudimentary "power star (shard, tree of life, who cares what it is)" scattered around the map.  Guilds or alliances take control of it and they gain power as time progresses.

a)  True sandbox experience would allow you to fortify it, purchase NPCs to protect it (or perhaps none at all), put wards on it, build fortifications around it, allow elements of INVESTMENT into the shard to increase its power or to do a whole bunch of fancy things.   The possibilities to promote player driven content is enormous.  

- Acceptable sandbox compromises:  Static bonuses, realm vs. realm control, artificial limits to when it can be attacked

- Unacceptable themepark trash:  Shards are instanced, shards reset on a daily basis, shards do nothing at all, shards are token racial or realm eye candy, shards cannot be realistically transferred or taken over, alliances and realms are artificially limited to how many they can take

Content Conclusion:  Take a tic-tac-toe map and turn your MMO sandbox into 9 different provinces.  Each province has a shard that grants the controlling alliance +10% hit points, +10% experience, and allows you (under the power of the shard, if you so accept) to "tithe" 10% of your divisable loot (read: gold, silver,copper) to that alliance's bank.  

At its core, this is not complicated code.  No more complicated than what DAOC did with realm bonuses.  It could in fact be even simpler.  But the content that could be generated with such a system (especially if you have complex guild/alliance options in the game) could keep your average hardcore player busy for years.  Far busier than any themepark coding team of 200 could do in a similar amount of time.

Make sense?

 

Originally posted by Ripostethis
Not enough funding to make it a big theme park mmo like Everquest 2 was. Will be something like GW2 , sounds like it will suck and be boring if you are into PVE, but will be based on pvp.

yea, sony is a rather small companie, they better get some crowd fundin first if they wanna release a game.

lol. you guys are weird.

The keyword is sandbox-STYLE, which means it won't be a sandbox at all.

Originally posted by kanezfan

The keyword is sandbox-STYLE, which means it won't be a sandbox at all.

I have been saying this since the news broke "sandbox style" imo means hybrid.

Hybrid means sandbox and themepark features.

We know the world will be open and seamless, will it follow Vanguard and pre LDON EQ for non instanced dungeons, i hope so.

ArcheAge is Hybrid and is looking pretty sweet.

I was right up with him to the point where he said that SWTOR is going to be dominate force for a long time. It made me question everything he said before and if he knows what he is talking about.

In regards to EQNext getting it's own forums/hype meter....

Once the game has an official logo, website, and all that jazz we'll be sure to add a listing.

Regards,

Michael Bitton
Community Manager, MMORPG.com
http://www.mmorpg.com/
mikeb@mmorpg.com

maybe it will maybe not.

im playing only sci-fi :///

Originally posted by Muke

Originally posted by DavisFlight

 

SWG's housing

fk no!

 

opening the overhead map on a desert planet that Tatooine was supposed to be in the SW lore and see a Manhattan streetmap instead.

"desert planet? All I see is houses!!"

I more meant the shops and governments that sprang up, not the unlimited placement, unlimited placement doesn't quite work, I agree. Needs more limitations.

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Originally posted by wormywyrm

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Originally posted by DSWBeef

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Originally posted by pvpirl  

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Originally posted by dustyhayes

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Originally posted by rungard well we have the required 350 posts in one day in one thread. Can we get a forum now.

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/Signed +1

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/Signed

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/Signed

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/Signed

PVPIRL, may I recommend a simple ear as a trophy for PKing?  That was always enough for me back in D2.  Well, hardcore D2 so nevermind :/  But still it isn't a bad trophy.  I think 1 item off peoples body would be OK as well but that just depends how easy it is to spawn camp...  Or maybe the item would only drop once every 30 minutes or so.

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Why not both? In you I used to collect people's heads, hearts, as well as some loot :P