A Trip To The Islands : EQNext Landmark

Today I spent my first full day in EQNext Landmark. In the morning I went searching for the Topaz I needed to craft my Selection Tool, a miraculous device of many functions, not least of which is the ability to save Templates and thereby also to save me from my own incompetence. I visited several islands, trekked across a lot of countryside and saw many wonders. Even at this very early stage, reckless of the wipe to come, people are already flexing their building muscles and, dare we say it, showing off just a tad.

This massive structure was far too large to fit in a screenshot no matter how I clambered and climbed and backpedaled trying to get it all in. It reminded me very much of one of the exhibits at the 1992 Seville Expo. One of the Scandinavian countries I think it was.

An extremely elegant tower and one of the first of many striking buildings I happened upon. This one loomed out of the forest in classic fantasy style. A notice advertized public crafting stations in the lower level but I didn't stop to try them out. It reminded me all too much of a wizard's lair and we all know what kind of a welcome they give curious callers.

The undulating shadows drew my attention to this desert redoubt. It has something of the look of a nineteenth century grain warehouse about it. That's a good thing.

Unsurprisingly there are already a lot of towers. The classic position for your fantasy tower is either a) in the depths of a forest or b) on a craggy mountain-top. This one's on a long, flat ridge. It doesn't look half so dramatic from the other side.

+1 for originality to whoever decided to make this bijou mausoleum. Or maybe it's an over-zealous attempt at a dog kennel. Whatever, it looked particularly spooky in the ethereal morning mists.

There's a whole thread on the forums begging for a cylinder tool to be added. Some people don't need one and they're only to happy to let you know it.

Of all the houses, castles and towers I visited this was probably my favorite. For a start it was almost entirely made of wood, which demonstrates a devotion to craft that goes far beyond the average, or even the rational. Secondly I love hunting lodges. And lastly it was where I used the crafting facilities to make not only my Selection Tool but also a bracer with +1 to Discovery that should help me find more burled wood and a door that actually opens and closes.

That was as far as I traveled. I'd seen a few small parts of three or four islands. There are probably hundreds. No wonder there are plans for a Leaderboard and a Like system when this thing goes Live.

I made my way back to my desert home impressed, inspired, but not abashed. My skills aren't a patch on any of these folks and I haven't had the dedication to grind out the materials to make the tools either but all the same I'm quietly pleased with what I've managed so far. I'm slowly beginning to understand the basics, which, in turn, is allowing me to imagine the possibilities. And as many have said, once you get to building in Landmark the hours purely fly. It's fun!

It's also educational. Today I learned how to use the Selection Tool, not only to save Templates, but to perform mass deletions and additions. I learned how to use select, copy and paste to extract a hemisphere from a sphere and place it as a dome. I learned how to degrade straight edges so they look more like weathered stone and less like Lego.

I also learned that Landmark has an incredibly long day/night cycle and that it gets really dark at night, especially in the forest. I need to get one of those Greater Lightstones. Yes, there really are GLSs in Landmark. If that doesn't prove this is Norrath I don't know what will.

Tomorrow the goal is to gather enough elemental silver and suchlike to make the silversteel pick and from there it's only one more step to mining cobalt to make the Smooth Tool. Until then I think I'll just stand on one of my many viewing platforms and watch the sunset. I'd sit down but there's no animation for that yet.