As I write this, Sony Online Entertainment is currently having their livestream for Landmark’s biggest (to-date) content update, adding caves, creatures, and some other potential goodies, if everything goes well.
We should be able to explore it somewhat by the time this article goes live, but in the meantime, I thought I would continue listing two more rivals’ features that might make Everquest Next more fun or exciting for players.
Remember folks: these are things specific to other games that I wish SOE would add onto EQNext over time, in the order I feel they should be added into it.
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As part of a major feature patch: Minions and Requisitions
One new in-thing these days is the addition of an automated “get loot” system in games. For RIFT, it’s the new Minion system. For FFXIV, it’s the retainer venture system. World of Warcraft now has Garrisons.
WIth these cases, you have NPCs working for you that help you get new stuff, or help you earn money. Why not expand the process?
Kunzay of Party Business mentions expanding the minions system to include some sort of social aspect into it, such as by co-opting your friends list to help you acquire things you need. The idea appears to based off of a June write-up by Mark Kern from MMORPG.com, which I’m linking right here.
For example, a player can write-up a simple “quest” for his friends in-game, or a requisition order for crafters in his guild. Those who help complete the task get experience or items, or perhaps money and crafting materials relevant to their tradeskills.
It’s a completely optional and variable task for players that adds flavor to the world especially if, and this is my added bit of spice for such an idea, you don’t know if it’s an NPC giving you the quest or another human unless you track down the quest giver.
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As soon as possible across all of their games: Loyalty Rewards
One of the things that makes me keep coming back to a game like RIFT is the generosity of the company with regard to incentivizing spending.
Essentially, they made retroactive spending on subscriptions become part of a loyalty system for the game. The loyalty system is a tiered system of redeemable rewards given to users who spend money (or technically, just credits), in the game’s shop.
Now, I have no doubt that Everquest Next will be selling stuff for Station Cash, but why not make Everquest Next the darling of the SOE stable of games by further incentivizing spending on EQNext with its own loyalty system. Use station cash in a specific game – get rewards for that specific game.
Of course, creating the game comes first, but if they are able to code something like this in, making previous purchases in EQNext retroactive would be awesome.
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BONUS! Someday, in my wildest dreams: An easy-to-use Music system
This is likely not going to be a strong selling point or even anywhere near the top of the list of feature additions for many games today, but this bonus tidbit here has been one of my pet peeves with The Lord of the Rings Online ever since I found out about its music system.
Simply put, it’s one thing to have a music system in your MMO. It’s quite another to make it idiot proof for the special kind of idiot that I am.
What I’d like to eventually see in Everquest Next is for them to expand the lore to not simply the architectural inclinations of each race, but each race’s musical inclinations as well. Do the Kerrans use drums? Do the dwarven halls hum? Do dark elves plink on keys?! I MUST KNOW!
What I’d like is to actually see a physical representation of the instrument I’m playing as I don’t read notes. I want to be able to say, “HEY! This key makes this sound because I know its position on the piano!” Then I want to be able to play the Sailor Moon anime theme song – the only song I know on the piano before I gave up and used my talents for writing instead – just by looking at the keyboard rather than thinking of sheet music.
Do that for me, and you will have my everlasting delight. In any case, till next time folks! Cheers!
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