Last week on Wayback Wednesday I was joined by a trio of guests for a preview of what is new in an MMO staple. It was my pleasure to once again have Thom Terrazas, SOE Producer for EverQuest; as well as first time guests Jonathan Caraker, Lead Designer for EQ; and Josh Augustine, Designer and the New Guy on EQ, join me for last week’s episode.
Fourteen years ago EverQuest was released and the world of online gaming has never been the same. I’m normally not one for grandiose statements but the validity of that comment is hard to refute. I started Wayback Wednesday with the hopes of getting a chance to take a close look at older MMORPGs and pointing out what features they brought to the genre and how they have made their impact. With EQ, you cannot really just point out one thing. You have to point out the whole thing.
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While I’m always up for taking a trip down memory lane, last week was not about that. Last week we went on a tour of the new Shadow of Fear game update. This update is part two of The Rain of Fear expansion. Shadow of Fear marks a departure in the way EQ provides content for its players. In recent years players could expect one expansion a year which contained a large amount of new content but then the players would not see any additions to the game until the next expansion. Moving forward SOE plans to continue to release expansions but in between provide content updates that progress the story, and possibly add other items like new collectibles and achievements. This will provide players a constant flow of content throughout the year and keep them engaged with Norrath.
Shadow of Fear adds two new zones to the world of Norrath, Chelsith Reborn and the Plane of Shadow. Chelsith Reborn is a large Shissar city that has appeared overnight. Upon entering this zone you will find yourself in chains and tossed into the pit. From there you will need to find out what is going on in this new city. The Plane of Shadow contains a first time appearance for long known deity, Luclin. Not content to rest on their laurels the SOE team is constantly pushing for new ways to convey their story to adventurers. With Luclin we hear the first incarnation of Voice Over in EQ. After 14 years it would be easy for SOE to sit back and put out the same quality of content and just tell a different story but this is clearly not what is happening. I encourage you to watch the video and see the new areas the game has to offer.
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There will not be an episode of Wayback Wednesday tonight. Instead I will host an exclusive content reveal for Elsword. You can watch the reveal live at 9pm EDT on the MMORPG.com Live Streams page!. The next Wayback Wednesday will either be on the 8th or the 15th and I’ll be joined by the team from Vanguard. Thanks for watching!
Robert Lashley / Robert Lashley is a Staff Writer and Online host for MMORPG.com and RTSGuru.com. Rob's bald and when he isn't blinding people from the glare on his head talking in front of a camera you can chase him down on twitter @Grakulen
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