Originally posted by aspekx
i have never understood why grouping did not give loot or xp bonuses.

EQ1 offered xp bonus for grouping

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/story.html?story=1654

EQ1  had more player interdependence than any other mmo ive personally seen

Bards and necros could help with tracking your corpse  for recovery

rangers and druids could assist with tracking npcs or mob nameds

rogues could recover your corpse by sneaking deep in a dungeon

clerics were hassled to travel through many zones to give a player an experience rez

mages and necros could assist with waterbreathing for underwater adventures

all int casters had the ability to bind noncasters to a new bind spot

casters would assist noncasters in turning invisible

priests would assist nonpriests in being invisible to undead

clerics, bards, enchanters would assist in lulling hostiles to pass by safely

and so on...

Originally posted by Reiketsu

look at Justin Bieber

/swoon

Originally posted by bookworm438
Not even with gw1 did they report the number of users online at the same time. Its not relevant for them to report that. What matters is sales to them.

GW1 did offer some insights

from October 2006

gigaom.com/2006/10/26/guild-wars/
Quote:

Originally posted by Yukmarc
I think, once again, SOE and Blizzard are waiting to see what each other does in regards to both of their MMO's... just like WOW and EQ2. You guys remember how EQ2 and WOW had the exact same release date until SOE surprised everybody at the last minute and released a week earlier? I think this is the same kind of game they are playing with each other.. let's see what the other does first.

SOE is doing a full reveal for EQnext in 3 months, August 2nd

its unknown when Blizzard will talk about Titan - and i doubt it there will be any info this year

im sure the game will be fun when it appears but holy mackerel -- almost 10 years in development

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_%28Blizzard_Entertainment_project%29

so much for blizzard claiming Titan was playable 2  years ago

http://www.gamesradar.com/blizzard-titan-mmo-will-eclipse-world-of-warcraft/#10374492282520439452329775876670628

Originally posted by tkreep
The GW2 wiki said right now it has about 400,000+ concurrent players...but even thats speculation since wiki info is not based on official info yet its a reasonable number.

its an official number -- an official launch number but who knows now?

http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/28/guild-wars-2-hits-400k-concurrent-users-before-launch/

despite subs giving a better idea,

just because you are subbed does not mean you are actively playing

i had a sub to WOW for 3 months but I only played for a few weeks - and was totally absent for 2 months

https://twitter.com/Riftgame/status/339533787979448321

We just decided today:

RIFT will be FREE to anyone who owns it for 5 FULL DAYS! May 30 - June 3

http://eq2wire.com/2013/05/23/double-xp-weekend-friday-may-24-monday-may-27/

From Holly "Windstalker" Longdale's twitter:

went retail today, 05/22

http://www.elementalgame.com/legendary-heroes

http://forums.elementalgame.com/444571

a positive review

http://www.gameranx.com/features/id/14851/article/fallen-enchantress-legendary-heroes-review/

Originally posted by morbuskabis

I played THIEF, Deus EX and Morrowind like a Shooter. I killed every one I could. Even quest givers. I loved, that the Dev gave me the freedom to do so. After my killing spree, and figure out how far I could go, I restarted the game and played it as a pacifist.

What I try to say here is, the games gave me options. Radical options, so radical that you could not finish the game. But I could find out how far I could go and that is what I liked.

In games like COD and GOW the options are missing and because of that the game gets boring real quick. You get forced to play a certain way, sometimes even the path is already predetermined. No choice at all....

i agree - good post

Originally posted by Elikal

 Ultima the RPGs had combat too, but it didn't revolve around combat. Or there were games like Kings Quest or whatever and war was just one part.

Especially in MMOs I feel like Online Games have so gone in the wrong direction with their focus on combat as THE sole focus. Sure they add some figleaf crafting and a bit discovery, but by and large 95% of the MMos today revolve around war and killing.

bringing it back to pen and paper RPGs

what was the most common  adventure module setting in the 1970s and 1980s? 

the dungeon crawl

slay foes - plunder their treasure

TSR modules like Ravenloft, Tomb of Horrors, The Vault of the Drow, Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, many others

Originally posted by strangiato2112

 I think we may see two things way earlier than anticipated:  EQNext and WoW's expansion.  

i dont know if blizzard could ever pull it off

theyve said for years (since 2006) that they hope to have expansions out on an annual basis

http://www.gamespot.com/news/blizzards-goal-annual-wow-expansions-6156502

http://eq2wire.com/2013/05/21/emily-domino-or-pentapod-if-you-prefer-taylor-on-eqnext-team/

Emily "Domino" Taylor has returned to the Sony Online Entertainment fold after the successful launch of Defiance for Trion Worlds. She is now a Producer on the EQNext team.

For those who may not know Domino, she contributed substantially to Crafting and Housing in EverQuest II, specifically the addition of Epic, Heritage, and Signature quests for crafters.

her Facebook:

For those who haven't heard already: last month I resigned from Trion, and accepted a producer role on SOE's upcoming project EQNext. I'm super excited about the project, and very touched and grateful that so many people seem so happy to welcome me back. I had no idea so many people even knew who I was, let alone would have so many kind words. ♥ I can't wait to help make this game amazing!

Originally posted by Giffen

 I don't think they have enough content at SOE for a true convention.

whats a "true" convention?

conventions of all types take place year round

SOE has been hosting annual Fanfaires for the last 14 years

http://www.zam.com/wiki/soe_fan_faire

http://eq2wire.com/2013/05/20/eqnext-reveal-at-soe-live-set-for-august-2nd-1100am/

From the SOE Live website:

SOE Live Exclusive: Get a First Look at EverQuest Next!

On Friday, August 2nd, attendees at SOE Live will witness the unveiling of the highly anticipated EverQuest Next! Be among the first to see game features and development plans during a keynote address by Director of Development Dave Georgeson and members of the EverQuest Next team. Following the keynote, SOE Live passholders will be able to ask questions and learn more in-depth information from the developers during a number of panels.

Whether you're a long-time EverQuest enthusiast or just curious about the next big thing in gaming, don't miss this exciting chance to get your first look at EverQuest Next. SOE Live is the only place for all the insider information, so register today!

as per the SOE Live schedule, Friday's keynote is scheduled for 11:00am:

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM

Keynote Address

More details to be announced. You won't want to miss this!

Celebrity Ballroom

SOE Live Early Bird Registration ends May 22nd and rises from $129.00 for the weekend to $149.00. NOTE: Anyone who registered in the past few days and was charged $149.00 will be refunded the difference.

edit:   Countdown timer

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/to?iso=20130802T11&p0=127&msg=EverQuest+Next+Reveal

Originally posted by kadepsyson

This is just an example of a downside of the Buy to Play model - if they can't sell boxes they abandon the game.

ANET  announced something similar 6 years ago  -- its not according to your BTP theory

http://www.computerandvideogames.com/162307/interviews/guild-wars-2-part-two/

Posted on Sunday 22nd Apr 2007 at 11:01 AM UTC

You got the Eye of the North expansion coming out for Guild Wars later this year - but what's going to happen to Guild Wars after the expansion comes out now that Guild Wars 2 is coming?

Jeff Strain: We'll continue to support it with live content, we'll continue to have holiday events and support the tournament infrastructure of the game. It's obviously very much in our best interests to keep Guild Wars players happy, because we think most of those Guild Wars players will be Guild Wars 2 players. Between now and the release of Guild Wars 2, Guild Wars will be fully supported by us as a development team.

The other important point to make is that nobody has to worry about what's going to happen to the Guild Wars servers or Guild Wars 1 after Guild Wars 2 ships. As long as there are people playing and enjoying Guild Wars 1, we'll continue to run the servers and support the game.

Originally posted by Vorch

Amazing game. I really like how, even after development has officially stopped, the game will be there for the forseeable future.

after the early years of Everquest,

GW1 was my favorite online game -- glad it's sticking around :)

Originally posted by tussauc
It's an honest question that I can't think of a proper answer to; I'm not judging anyone I'm just curious. Why do people shell out $150+ on a single game? Is it dedication to, or maybe confidence in, the developers behind said MMO? Why?

looking beyond founders/lifetime

people pay 150+ for Collectors editions too

could ask the same question - why spend more than $150 on any kickstarter ?

Originally posted by Wildabout

  Is this the one? Is this the game we've all been waiting for? What do you think?

i think expectations are detrimental to enjoying anything in life  (especially movies)

I look forward to playing Wildstar but only as a fun game - I'm not putting it on any pedestals

info on warcraft 3 unit

http://classic.battle.net/war3/neutral/pandarenbrewmaster.shtml

i assume it was inspired by Jackie Chans 1978 movie Drunken Master

but i dont know