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MMO News Roundup – May 12
May 12th
Spotlight
If you’ve never seen the Age of Conan "Roleplayin’" machinima series then buckle up, it’s fun and they’ve just released a new one! Here are links for all available episodes (a la YouTube).
- Roleplayin’ Episode 0: The Roleplayer (Age of Conan Machinima)
- Roleplayin’ Episode 1: Unlikely Encounters (Age of Conan Machinima)
- Roleplayin’ Episode 2: Acolytes Territory
Official Site Updates
- BlizzCon 2009 Exclusive Pet
- Vanguard New View From Telon Video
- Anarchy Online Latest Game Director Notes
- EverQuest New Items Coming To Market
- Pirates of the Burning Sea Skirmish Point Battles Test Thursday
- New Realm WAR Homepage
- LOTRO Play With Turbine Devs, Win Prizes
- More Fan Faire 2009 Details
News, Views and Previews
EverQuest II: Bonus XP in Old School Zones
May 8th
SOE has announced that EverQuest II players will be able to earn bonus experience this weekend by playing in several of the zones which launched with the original release of EQII.
It’s a Hotzone weekend in some old-school zones!
Play with boosted XP all weekend long in some of the zones from the original EQII release!
Zones include: The Caves, Antonica, Sunken City, Commonlands, Nektulos Forest, Enchanted Lands, and Everfrost.
Read more here.
EverQuest II: User Written Books Coming to EQ2
Apr 23rd
The folks at EverQuest II have posted an article on one of the new features that will be coming to EQ2 with Game Update 52, player authored books.
One of the upcoming features for GU52 is a new system that will allow players to write and distribute their own books in the world of Norrath. These books look and act just like the current books in the game. You can hold them in your inventory or place them in your house or guild hall for other players to read.
These user-written books can be obtained from a crafter and will start out blank. Any player can write in a blank book, but as soon as you write the first word you become the author of that book. From that point forward, only the author may edit the contents of the book.
The book window will display an “Edit” button whenever you read a blank book or a book you have authored. Clicking the edit button will reveal controls that allow you to enter text and see the layout from page to page.
Read more here.
SOE Player of the Year 2009 Contest
Apr 21st
At 2009 Fan Faire, in addition to meeting fellow gamers and the creators of your favourite SOE games, you’ll also have the chance to be honoured as "SOE’s Player of the Year". The contest will run from April 17 through May 10, allowing you to go online and nominate the most dedicated SOE player (including yourself) for the title. Who’s deserving and why?
Do you know someone who is the poster child for your favorite SOE title? So dedicated to the game, he or she walks around with bloodshot eyes, sleep deprived, wearing his or her favorite wrinkled SOE T-shirt? Does this player stand out as the first person to go beyond the call of duty to help fellow community gamers in and out of the game? If so, you may have the perfect candidate, and we want to know more!
To enter the contest, simply submit a 300 word (or less) letter or role-playing story by e-mail to SOEContests@soe.sony.com explaining why this exceptional player deserves to be honored as Player of the Year. You may also include a link to an image (screen capture, artwork, video, or photo) to go along with your entry. See the Official Contest Rules for More >
EverQuest II: New Welcome Screen
Apr 15th
The folks at EverQuest II have announced the addition of a new welcome screen, with better organized information so you don’t miss out on the latest updates and events.
We’ve added a new feature to EQII!
Tired of missing the MOTD that tells you when a Live Event is going to end? Want to know when the next scheduled downtime is going to happen?
The Welcome Screen will now appear each time you log into game! It’ll have all the latest updates from downtime to event dates!
The Community section will let you know all the most recent information about events or other things you need to know.
The CS Section will keep you updated on important downtime messages!
Read more here.
EverQuest II: Fan Faire Panel Input Wanted
Apr 6th
The folks at SOE are looking for fan input on the content of the panels at this year’s Fan Faire event.
We’re gearing up for Fan Faire 2009, and part of that process includes organizing the panels that you, our devoted players, will be able to attend. As we get things lined up on our end, we want to know what you thought about previous years’ panels.
Here’s a list of the panels that we hosted in 2008. Which ones were your favorites? Do you have ideas for new panels you’d like to see? Or do you remember panels from prior years that were really fun or informative?
Read more here.
EverQuest II: Elements of Corruption Launches
Apr 1st
SOE has announced the launch of Game Update 51: Elements of Corruption for EverQuest II.
Appearance Slots
* Players now have access to primary, secondary and ranged appearance slots. * The wield style (one-handed, two-handed, shield) of the weapons must match the weapons that are currently equipped.
Bristlebane’s Day
(3/31/2009 – 4/8/2009) Jesters, thieves, bards and fans of mischief are invited to enjoy the festivities that surround Bristlebane’s Day! You never know what laughs and pranks are to be found, during this enjoyable time of year. Celebrators are present in every home city, and the oddest of objects have been spotted in Antonica, The Commonlands, Darklight Wood, Timorous Deep and Greater Faydark! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for special events occurring only on the highest of silly days, 4/1/2009!
Lavastorm
Lots of brand new content has been added in this classic zone. Almost all of the population has be re-tiered for solo players, with a new level 45 to 55 adventure quest line with the industrious…but rather insane Sootfoot goblins, and a new level 40-45 tradeskill quest line. Brand new void invaded areas also feature new level 80 solo quests. Additionally, a solo-able daily shard quest had been added as well as mount paths More >
EverQuest II: Bristlebane’s Day
Mar 31st
The EverQuest holiday of Bristlebane’s Day returns, bringing its annual mischief to Norrath once again.
Jesters, thieves, bards and fans of mischief are invited to enjoy the festivities that surround Bristlebane’s Day! You never know what laughs and pranks are to be found, during this enjoyable time of year. Celebrators are present in every home city, and the oddest of objects have been spotted in Antonica, The Commonlands, Darklight Wood, Timorous Deep and Greater Faydark! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for special events occuring only on the highest of silly days, 4/1/2009! Festivities begin on Tuesday, March 31st and run through Wednesday April 8th. They will conclude the morning of Thursday, April 9th.
Read more here.
EverQuest II: Housing FAQ
Mar 26th
The folks at EverQuest II have posted an FAQ guiding players throught the game’s housing feature.
Why would I want a house? Do I need a house?
You certainly don’t have to buy a house, but there are plenty of benefits to housing. Housing provides you with your own space in Norrath. It can be used for extra storage space, for selling items to other players, and for showcasing you accomplishments…whether those are trophies from your adventuring, quest rewards, items you’ve crafted, or items you’ve purchased.
If you’re looking for a creative activity within EverQuest II, home decorating is an endless opportunity. Homes are extremely customizable, providing yet another way to personalize your character and establish an identity in the world of Norrath. Our players have come up with hundreds of decorating ideas that are beautiful, amazing, zany, off-the-wall, classic…and everything in between.
Read more here.
EverQuest II: Producer’s Letter: Fighter Revamp Rework
Mar 19th
In a recent Producer’s Letter to the EverQuest II community, the folks at EQ2 say they will be rethinking the recent revamp to the fighter archetypes and they are looking for player input to help them determine how to proceed.
Recently we’ve been working on some changes to the fighter classes, particularly in the way that they manage hate. Our intent was to adjust these classes so that fighters would rely more on their taunts and abilities to gain and hold aggro and less on high DPS and hate buffs from DPS classes.
Why do we feel this is necessary?
Well, we’ve been talking since the last Fan Faire about how we’ve drifted away from the hate management and damage sink that tanks were originally intended to be. With this, there has also been an increase in the DPS that tanks have been doing while in combat. This begins to impinge on the role that we’ve envisioned for the Scout and Mage classes, and we feel that moving forward we need to make some adjustments, as it is increasingly difficult for us to do proper and cohesive game balancing as the lines get more blurred.
We introduced this to the test server in early More >