Carolyn Koh returns to get answers from both McGeathy and Araiza
Jose Araiza is the Project Manager of EverQuest, while Travis McGeathy is the game's lead designer. Today, they both take turns answering our questions in this new Q&A.
MMORPG.com:
After Serpent's Spine... what next?
Jose Araiza:
A nice vacation I hope :)
MMORPG.com:
The Serpent's Spine was a massive expansion, and yet only available via download. What was the reasoning behind that decision? Will future expansions also be available only via download?
Jose Araiza:
It was a decision made in the SOE heavens. In the beginning it did seem a little odd but in the end though it turned out to be a blessing because it gave us more time to polish art since we didn't have to do a GM the old school way. I won't ever complain about getting more time to polish before we launch. :)
MMORPG.com:
Is the way spell upgrades implemented in Serpent's Spine the footprint for the direction that future spells and skills will go?
Jose Araiza:
Yeah for the most part, obviously we will evaluate what works, what doesn't, and tune where needed... but I think that's a question better answered by McG
Travis McGeathy:
We're very happy with it, and we're watching how it's been received by players. So far they seem happy with it so we're likely to do something similar in the future.
MMORPG.com:
Are there plans for Alternate Advancement to be available in some form to characters under level 50?
Travis McGeathy:
The revamp to the AA system opens the door for players under level 50 to gain access to them... so yes, this may happen in the future.
MMORPG.com:
Would you say the game has grown more complex since say...the Luclin Era?
Jose Araiza:
Yes and no. EQ obviously has tons of content and features, but a lot of these are more like parallel progression paths. They are all integrated well with the game, so you do get exposed to them in some way, but we never force you to lets say, become the 'Master of the Monster Missions' in order to enjoy the game. I think instead of saying it's more complex, I would say it's got a good amount of different things you can do. You could say we have something for every RPG play style out there.
MMORPG.com:
Can you talk about future development plans for EQ? More small expansions or even ala EQ2 style Adventure Packs in the future? Free zones? Share some exciting news with the readers.
Jose Araiza:
All I can say for sure is that you will see some free zone revamps sometime soon.
Carolyn Koh
Carolyn Koh / Carolyn Koh has been writing for MMORPG.com since 2004 and about the MMO genre since 1999. These days she plays mobile RTS games more, but MMOs will always remain near and dear to her heart.
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