Yesterday’s EQN Landmark Livestream was finally something to get really excited about. Â For the first time I feel like I understand more of how the tools will work, what the game will be about, and how I will find unique enjoyment beyond what a typical MMO or other block building game can provide.
If you want tons of amazing info, watch the whole thing. Â If you just want gameplay skip to 16:00 min.
Here are some of my key takeaways:
- Build anything you can imagine.
- Combat comes after launch but will involve slaying beasts for materials and/or decorations
- Crafting creates tables, decorations, weapons, and other things
- Â Placing blocks uses resources you must gather
- Erasing or healing reclaims used resources
- Crafters, Fighters, Explorers, Gatherers and Builders will all find ways to play and rely on each other. Â Fighters sell their goods, builders, gatherers sell their guilds to builders, builders sell templates to everyone, explorers find places for fighters, etc.
To answer the latest EQN Roundtable poll, I’m definitely building fantasy. I already have my vision for a kingdom inspired by magic and mischief. I want roleplaying taverns, workshops, ore processing centers, lumberyards, farms — all built with a magical, gnome-meets-dwarf theme. Maybe my entire gaming community will all build in one area and we can somehow incorporate our designs.
I can definitely see how a guild working together can build something absolutely amazing. What I still don’t understand is how EQL and EQN will be related. It would make sense to me to have ability to move your EQL creations into EQN world but I have not heard anything so far about being able to do that.
either way, I am in. already purchased founders pack and can’t wait to start contributing to this communities’ first building project!
@Farquaad > @11:02
This all very interesting, but it poses even more questions than I had prior to watching it such as (in no order of significance):
1) Are there real world physics?
I could for instance build the Empire State building resting on top of a 20′ wooden pole; in this world would it collapse?
2) Are there real world dangers?
Can I swim in lava? Is there any concept such as a health bar or death?
3) How are griefers to be handled?
At one point Dave Georgeson mentions that if someone doesn’t like their neighbor they can pack up and move away, but this seems like a poor response to griefers. Of course, as always, the RP’ers will get hit the hardest; as soon as a group of RP’ers decides to re-build Camelot, griefers will stream in and start building post-Katrina blighted neighborhoods with boarded up crack houses and dilapidated minimarts with yellow puddles on the corners, smeared with brownish material strangely reminiscent of fecal material. And as the RG group emigrates to a new location, a caravan of pink mohawked griefers with names such as “Eyebangumoma” will follow in tow.
4) Are there mechanisms in place to prevent environmental over-exploitation, especially with regards to mining?
If there aren’t, the natural short-term thinking greed motivated players, probably organized into guilds of like-minded players, will immediately get to work terraforming the beautiful naturalistic fantasy setting into a dystopian steampunk strip mined cratered landscape.
5) How are claims handled?
What is to stop multiple free accounts set up in Asia from rushing out in open beta and claiming the vast majority of land, and even selling this virtual real estate for rl currency equivalents?
I have come up with more questions, but will stop for the moment to avoid an even bigger wall of text.
“When we do the AI editor, when we do the scenario builder, and the NPC editor, and all that other stuff, we’re going to be putting it in Landmark. So as we develop for EQN, we’re putting stuff in Landmark… You’ll be able to do everything we can do. All of it.”
Dave Georgeson
GG
Being completely honest, I cant think of a game I have been more excited about.
This idea is so brilliant.
@Farquaad: There won’t be any moving from one to the other since they are 100% completely separate games. They made the mistake of calling Landmark “EverQuest Next Landmark” instead of just “EQ Landmark” or something a little different.
@Gankatron: Real world physics: Probably very little other than some gravity (even so there are abilities you can earn like flying to overcome them). Griefing to some extent will happen, and Dave Georgeson even says it will, but there will be some ways to avoid people from building over you or getting too close. AS for claims, no idea. I too have a lot of questions.
@Table: I know, right? I went nuts thinking of the awesome village we could set up with quests, roleplaying, etc.
Long-term, much like Minecraft, what’s the point? Sure building up a fancy tower/castle/village is great the first time you do it in Minecraft, but after that? You mess around a bit with some of the crazy stuff, maybe visit a few interesting locations/servers, and then you move on. There is basically no ‘game’, and I don’t see a game with EQNL either. It’s minecraft with a bigger budget a few years later.
@syncaine its build your own mmo.
they have said they will give you access to the AI editor, let you make your own mobs, dungeons, quests, behaviors, world etc..
Basically you can create your own mmo.
@SynCaine: Long-term, what’s the point of any game? WoW after you do the raids offers nothing. Heck, even the raids can be considered repetitive. Darkfall after the initial city sieges offers nothing. EQNL after you build everything you want likely offers nothing. That’s why new games are made. Nothing lasts forever.
Maybe this will be my chance to finally play an MMO with the K&G community. I’d love to build my explorer’s humble cabin on a hill just outside town.
@SynCaine
I’ll tell you one thing – Minecraft, despite its pointlessness, is the game that the people I know go back to more than any other. Creativity is a human trait horribly under served by today’s video game market, which is completely stuffed with ‘crafted experiences.’
Feels like they just decided they are gonna use what was initially just supposed to be a small “test game” to help with creating the “real game”, and decided they’d get money hungry and try to milk as many people as possible for cash. More and more this just comes across as a huge money grab.
Hey man if this is torture, chain me to the wall.
@Idunaz At first this was my thought, and it was a amazing idea to make money/pump up EQN. But the more I see, they really want this to be a standalone game. They are really pumping some nice things into the game.
If all the game was, was the building that you are seeing then you would be 100% correct. But lets remember we have not truely seen the crafting/gathering aspects. But based on what they have hinted on some of the perks (ie, Flying, mirror, and other building tools) This system is deep and the character progression has a purpose.
This game is not for those who like to do raids, quests, pvp. But for those who like crafting/gathering/housing/auctions. I can’t think of a better implementation, and i literally mean couldnt think up a better one.
Saying “nothing lasts forever” is a horrible response, sorry. DF1 lasted for multiple years until AV switched dev time over to DF:UW. EVE has lasted for 10+ years. UO/ACDT/DAoC all lasted multiple years for many. You just spent $100 to get in the door for something we have all already played (Minecraft), from a one-hit-wonder studio with a terrible recent track record and the best you can come up with when asked ‘why’ is ‘because’?
I had no idea what they were trying to make but this finally gives me a glimpse of what they may be working towards. I am intrigued… not enough to buy any of the early access packs but definitely enough to keep an eye on this when launch time comes around and give it a try.
@SynCaine: You have to remember that your experience with Minecraft being a game you mess around in then quit is just like my experience with EVE. Eve lasted 2 days for me. Eve has lasted 10 years for some people. Minecraft will last 10 years for some people. EQNL will last 10 years for some people.
To judge someone’s use of $100 to access a game several months in advance, receive in-game items they wish to own, and support their favorite franchise seems like an erroneous argument. As with any situation, your opinion is valid and I completely agree that this game isn’t for everyone, nor should everyone jump into the founder’s packs.
@Nukethesitefromorbit: We’ll definitely be covering EQN and EQNLandmark extensively. We’ll let you know if it’s worth checking out!