Visions Of Vetrovia: You Can Call It What You Want But We All Know What It Is.

All this New World all the time has knocked me out of synch with everything else. I haven't logged into EverQuest II for over a week, maybe two, so the first I knew about the official announcement for this year's expansion was when I read about it at TAGN this morning. 

Wilhelm has all the info and the links so I won't rehash the details but I would suggest, if you're at all interested, a visit to the spiffy new official web page. It's pretty. As Bree at MassivelyOp mentioned with some considerable surprise a while back, Darkpaw seem to have invested in either some new web design tools or someone who knows how to use the old ones.

The name of the new expansion, the eighteenth, is Visions of Vetrovia. It's a nice, catchy, alliterative title that follows the long established naming convention for the franchise, the one that goes "Something of Something." Seriously, fourteen of the eighteen expansions use that format. If it ain't broke...

Of course, in this case, there may be another reason. Like "If it is broke, as in "The Broken Shores", for Tunare's sake don't tell them!" 

Sorry, that's a bit convoluted even for this blog. Let me walk it back a step.

Here's what the press release has to say about the first of the four, new explorable zones in VoV:

Svarni Expanse

• Located along the western shore of Vetrovia, lies what is known as the Svarni Expanse. The Svarni Gateway was once known as “Natimbi, The Broken Shores”, by the indigenous population.

Everyone knows what that means, right? No? Okay. Natimbi, the Broken Shores was the entry-level zone in EverQuest's notorious, not to say infamous, Gates of Discord expansion. 

That's right. The expansion that signalled the end of EQ's reign as the premier Western mmorpg, saw countless guilds crushed by its unforgiving difficulty curve and drove tens of thousands of players to leave the game for the comparative comforts of the nascent EQII and World of Warcraft.

Even in a business that trades on nostalgia, there are some bells you don't want to ring. I have to wonder whether anyone at Darkpaw considered calling the expansion "Desperation of Discord" or maybe even "Disasters of Discord". 

Then again, I also wonder how many current EQII players even remember the Gates of Discord expansion or its more popular sequel, Omens of War? I don't socialize much in either Norrath any more but I get the impression from the tone and tenor of global chat that there aren't that many original EQ players left in the younger game. 

 

The thing is, I guess, even the spin-off has been around longer than most mmorpgs ever expect to last. Those eighteen expansions represent almost two decades of continual operation. It's a long time. With a history that deep, who needs legacies?

I do remember GoD. What's more, I remember it with a surprising degree of warmth. I wouldn't go so far as to say affection but I made some lasting memories there. A few of my most intense EQ moments were spent in those terrifying, overtuned zones. Trauma like that takes a long time to fade.

I'm keen to revisit my old getting stomped on grounds although I'm not exactly sure how many of them we'll get. Of the four open-world zones that come with the Visions of Vetrovia expansion, only two specifically namecheck the originals: Natimbi and Qinimi. 

Most of the GoD zones had unusual, vaguely African-inflected names - Riwwi, Barindu, Ferubi - or ones that seemed to be missing a few vowels - Yxtta, Qvic, Tacvi. I wonder if we'll be seeing any of them? 

Even if we do, I don't imagine we'll recognize much, even those of us who were there the first time. The description of what was once Qinimi suggests not:

Forlorn Gist

• The mysterious village that lies at the center of Vetrovia was once the location of a great city known as Qinimi, but nothing of the original structures remain, nor the structures built in their place by the invaders, known as the Muramite. No, what stands here now is a village without mercy, charity, or trust.

I won't hold my breath waiting for anything I recognize then. Just the names. 

What I will be expecting is more of the same we get with every expansion. There are, as I just said, four new overland zones: Svarni Expanse, Forlorn Gist, Karupa Jungle and Manhgavi Wastes. There's also a central city hub, Vacrul. 

Other than that, I'd have to say detail is a little lighter than usual. We know there's "all new solo, heroic, and raid content" but how many instances that might include doesn't get a line item. 

 

There also doesn't appear to be any Special Expansion Feature along the lines of Mercenaries or Overseer this year. There is an allusion to "New Feats" in the press release but only in a heading, with no subsequent gloss. "Feats" do get a whole subsection on the VoV web page, though, so I guess it's... something?

About the only specific mention of anything I could find that's definitely new is something called Tradeskill Blueprints, which "speed up your crafting for things you've already perfected." I'm sure that will be useful to someone but I can't imagine anyone getting excited about it.

There is, presumably, some kind of storyline, although the promotional material really doesn't make too much of what it might be. "Whispers can be heard in the native villages found along Vetrovia's coast of its supernatural master and the horrors it contains. But are any of them true?" That's about as vague as it gets, isn't it? It's literally a rumor.

It seems we're not going to Vetrovia to save the world, for once. We're going to explore. We're going because it's there. We're going because there's loot and five more levels!

Yes, there's a level cap increase, just like we knew there would be. Every second year the cap goes up. It's expected now. There is a surprise all the same. This time it's only five levels, taking the cap from 120 to 125 for both adventurers and crafters.

That is intriguing. In Blood of Luclin, the last time the cap went up, there were ten more levels aded. Getting them barely took a couple of sessions. I thought that was going to be it for levelling. It seemed the days when the process of getting your levels comprised a major part of an expansion's content were over. 

Maybe that was premature. If the same levelling speed applies to VoV, everyone will cap on the first day. It'll take about an hour or two. Is that really the plan? 

I kind of doubt it. Maybe we're headed back to the days when five levels took about as long as twenty-five once did. In a way I hope not. I like my levelling but I did really like the fast version, too.

 

I guess I could go find out. I pre-ordered the basic $34.99 package this morning and it comes with instant beta access. It's exceptionally good value. As an All Access subscriber I even get a 10% discount so the whole thing only cost me £22.61. That's less than I paid ten years ago or I think it is. Maybe it's the exchange rate...

There are absolutely no perks with the basic expansion this year, unless you count the Level 120 boost. I already have more of those than I know what to do with (literally) so I won't. Count it, I mean. Or use it, for that matter.

Oh, wait, no, I'm wrong! Buried in the detail of the press release, not listed in the specifics for each pack, there's this:

"For all editions, pre-order now and choose between one of two Feathered Stalker Pets for every character." So we do all get a toy, after all.

I did seriously consider the Collector's Edition this year. I've never bought one but at under £45 with the AA discount it does look like good value. Up-to-date, current content viable Mercenaries, Mounts and Familiars for every character on the account is very definitely pay-to-win and also would save me a whole load of time if I ever wanted to concentrate on someone other than my Berserker. 

There's also a Prestige House for every character, which is always welcome, and something new in the shape of a "Weekly Overseer Adventure". If that has rewards that can't be obtained elsewhere it might be significant. I've had some great stuff from Overseer.

Just typing all that out has me almost convinced. Luckily there's an upgrade option, so even though I've aready pulled the trigger on the basic version, if I decide I want the bells and whistles I can convert at any time. Or I think I can. I've never actually tried it. It'll work, though, right?

Finally, there's a release date. Kinda. A release window, anyway. It's December. Guaranteed delivery before the 31st.

Natimbi, here I come!

EQ3 Eh? Eh? Nudge Nudge, Wink Wink, Say No More!

Wilhelm sent me a link to an EverQuest site he'd discovered, called The EverQuest Show. I think it was intended primarily as a YouTube channel, which debuted in February this year, but so far there have only been three episodes, while the website has been considerably more active. There was a new post there just today.

I've added The EverQuest Show to the blog roll but it wasn't the site itself that drew me to make this post. As I was flipping through the articles I spotted a link to an AMA with Holly "Windstalker" Longdale and three other Daybreak devs, hosted by Fires of Heaven.

It looks as though the AMA happened in May or June so it's very current. It's also very long. I read the whole thing and it took me a couple of hours. There's plenty of waffle and nonsense but also plenty of tidbits that would interest any EQ fan.

One question that crops up over and over again in different forms is whether Daybreak are working on a new EverQuest game. Holly attempts to keep a poker face on this for a while but as her answers pile up the winks and smiles give the game away, literally. Ok, metaphorically.

I've severely trimmed these but here's some of the "evidence":

Q. Since there have been some rumors going around it, Is there another EQ game in development (other than the Nantworks stuff) by DBG?

Alan VanCouvering (Lead Content Designer): Wouldn't you like to know!

Holly: ….. 

Q. Being the 20th Anniversary, what is the future of the EQ Franchise? Be specific please. Is there another game in developed or at least in the talks of being developed or are we to expect that EQ will just receive expansions and new servers each year? 

Holly: There is a future and I don’t have specifics for you. The specifics will come when we have meaningful news. 

Q. So in 2019 if I’m an old school EQ guy who loves the world (nostalgia is a hell of a drug) but I also don’t want to play 20 year old games, is there a reason to care about the franchise? Are y’all going to surprise launch an early access EQ3 or am I stuck with ignoring a mobile game?

Holly: We have spent a lot of time looking into the future and how we build this franchise up even better than we have in the past. We did some research over a year ago with all ages of gamers. It’s amazing how many young people know the name “EverQuest” because of family and other gamers. We are still relevant and considered an original. Someday soon we hope to take advantage of that global recognition and release something new. Can’t say when. Have no details. 

Q. Will daybreak ever do anything worthwhile with this IP? Specifically getting a green light to do some real development work and create an Everquest remake with the same mechanics as the original plus 2 expansions updated graphically and from an audio perspective with consoles included and cross platform play?

Holly: We will definitely do something with the IP. A strict remake? Probably not. Will it embody the EQ spirit, most likely yes.

Q. With such an iconic IP will we ever see EQ3?

Holly: 😄

Q. Now that Blizzard is showing cracks in the armor, and the MMO space is super-dry, how about you announce right here that EQ3 is in production?

Holly: Another EQ game? 😊

 In an answer to a question on EQNext, Ed Hardin III (Lead Systems Designer) said 

One of the hardest lessons we learned from Landmark/Next was to not start publicity until we are certain the promise of the game can be realized. 

From that I think we can take it we won't be hearing anything about whatever Daybreak has cooking until they're almost ready to take it out of the oven. But something is definitely cooking!

Elsewhere in the AMA there's confirmation that the mobile project NantWorks was supposedly working on, using the EverQuest IP, is still ongoing. The EQ team has some involvement, presumably advisory, but no control over what the game turns out to be.

Q. Can you give us any details at all on EQ Mobile?

Alan VanCouvering :  I don't know if anyone here knows anything about it, but it's outside our control. 

Ed Hardin III: While we (as a company) will have input into what anyone else does with EverQuest on mobile devices, we (as individuals) aren’t going to be designing it.

Holly: They are in their early days and will tell you when they are ready and confident. We are definitely involved though.

Going back to EQNext and Landmark, the team's answers confirm what I've thought for a very long time were the reasons the game never got anywhere: it was beyond the technical capacity of the company to produce, at least within the budget they had to work with.

Q. Landmark seems like a huge setback (time & financially). I spent a good chunk of time "building" in that world, but once I realized it was overtaking EQ3 production completely, I abandoned it. My drive at the time was the hope of watching EQ3 be built. Is there any regret/animosity toward going the Landmark/Voxel direction?

Alan VanCouvering: Yes, Landmark/Next cost us, but if you don't try you never know what can be done. I don't think we really regret trying, just that it didn't work out.

Q. How much of EQ: Next was real and how much of it was smoke and mirrors?

Holly: EQ Next was real, but a long way from completion when we had to walk away from it. Very tough, but the right decision at the time. There’s mountains of great work that went into that game that won’t go to waste. We aren’t done with this franchise. Not by a long bowshot.

One thing that was asked repeatedly and was shot down in flames every time was the possibility of a "Remastered" version of EverQuest. Too expensive and the resources would be better spent on a new game. Couldn't agree more.

Other topics of note (to me, at least) were:

Reverting the notorious Freeport revamp for the TLE servers (they'd like to but too time-consuming).

What happened to the Quarm special event server? (Not as popular as expected and took more dev resources than the limited interest justified).

Why isn't there a PvP server? (there is and no-one plays on it (as Wilhelm always suspected)).

Why do they keep making expansions for EQ and EQ2 that no-one plays? (Lots of people buy them).

Did the then-team know what a disaster they had on their hands with the Gates of Discord expansion (oh, yes...).

Was Brad McQuaid actually any good as a designer? (He was and remains "a driving force", "an unstoppable force").

And to finish, a couple of short ones that deserve re-quoting in full:

Q. Any thoughts on Legends style TLP servers? Premium fee on top of regular sub, DBG gets additional funding, we get real GMs and regular events? (For those who missed it, Legends was a Premium server with a much higher subscription charge than the regular game)

Alan VanCouvering: Legends was a disaster in all possible ways. I highly doubt that enough people would actually want to pay as much as we would need to ask for to run a server like that.

Holly: What Alan said. Entitlement breeds demands that no dev team could realistically meet. Doesn’t mean we won’t offer premium-type stuff, but that server was super painful as a business model and play experience for a bunch of reasons.

And my favorite of all:

Q. Why does my Clockwork Rhino mount eat all my food?

Alan: There might be a gnome living inside it. 

Ed: I can’t say there isn’t a gnome.

There's a lot more in the full thing. I recommend reading it thoroughly if you have an interest in EQ or, indeed, in how Daybreak operates these days. And thanks again to Wilhelm for steering me in the general direction of this little goldmine. If it was reported or referenced anywhere else I didn't see it.

Give A Dog A Bad Name... : GW2, EverQuest

Here's a controversial proposition: Heart of Thorns was a good expansion.

I know, I know...it stalled GW2's commercial progress dead in its tracks, almost killed World vs World for good and ended up having to be nerfed into the ground to appease the pitchfork-and-torch-waving crowd.

For an encore, six months later Colin Johanson, the guy responsible for HoT's design and direction and the game's prime mover, fell on his Legendary Greatsword and left the company. From that point on GW2 has been in recovery and repair mode, trying to fix the damage wrought by the first, botched xpack.

Or so the narrative goes. Factually that's not an inaccurate summary. Only problem is, it misrepresents almost the entirety of my experience in the jungle itself.

From the day I first stepped into the sweltering heat of the Maguuma heartland I was having fun. Yes, it was a tad over-tuned to begin with but not unusually so. Almost all MMO expansions come in hard and soften up later.

Benchmarked against the harshest expansion I've ever slogged through, EverQuest's notorious Gates of Discord, HoT isn't just a walk in the park; it's a sun-lounger on the beach with an ice-cold beer in your  hand and a chillout mix on your iPod.

Okay, unfair comparison. GoD was not just hellishly hard; it was actually broken. The developers knew that but released it anyway. John Smedley later called it SOE's "worst mistake in five years." and despite many unwitting attempts to unseat it since, GoD still  wears the crown.

Giant Bomb has an excellent overview of the expansion itself, with a coda that partially explains just why EQ players who were there recall the game's seventh expansion with a sense of horror:

"... the seventh expansion ... was largely unfinished with many encounters either not working properly or simply unbeatable. It was later revealed that the development team built much of the expansion's content with the idea in mind that the level cap would increase to 70, but that did not happen."

Well, that would make a difference, wouldn't it? What's more:

"GoD brought about an entire overhaul of EverQuest's graphics engine, issues with the world's geometry were affected throughout the world of Norrath, both new zones and old.

This is why Daybreak's new Undercover Classic server, Agnarr, stops at the sixth expansion, right before the gates to disaster open. A shame, really, because once they'd fixed it, and with its companion, eighth expansion Omens of War in place (the one that actually had the level cap increase) it turned out to be a pretty good era as Norrathian adventures go.

Too late. Too late. Reputation once lost is hard to recover, ironically.

The main reason I'm thinking about this right now is that I finally applied my half-price HoT code to one of my two base-game-only accounts. I figured with the second expansion almost certain to arrive before the end of the year, dragging free HoT access for all behind it like a White Elephant no-one's going to be allowed to refuse, I might as well get the benefit while there was still some paid value left.

I wasn't particularly relishing it. Not because I don't like Heart of Thorns; I always liked it. Check pretty much any of my many posts on the topic. The tone is bemused but happy. I never expected to like it but it turned out I did.

In the year and a half the expansion's been with us I've only completed the main story-line once. It's okay. About as good as any other ANet story. Faint praise, I know.

What I have done, though, is explore the entire jungle to a degree I have still never managed with Core Tyria to this day. I have Heart of Maguuma map completion in multiple zones on multiple characters and I loved doing it.

I've done the lengthy Ascended Weapon "collections" ("quests", translated from Anet Newspeak) on every class and I really loved doing those. I've filled out almost all the Masteries and the few I haven't I've only left because I don't feel I'll ever need them. Most of those, again, I thoroughly enjoyed doing.

There's more. On top of all that designated content I've spent hundreds of hours over the last couple of years just gliding the updrafts in Verdant Brink for sheer joy. I've spent happy winter evenings doing the ninety-minute Dragon Stand event, not because I needed anything from it but because it's bloody good fun.

Even so, I was a little apprehensive about returning to the Heart of Maguuma on a fresh account.

The thing about modern MMO design is that all your characters bar the first are twinked by design.
Once I'd run one character through the entire storyline and opened all the maps, every character on the account could take advantage of the enhanced travel and survival options. Not only did I know where everything was, I knew all the shortcuts and had all the passes and permissions. It got easier and easier each time - and as I said I dispute the widespread belief that it was ever very difficult in the first place!

Going back to yesterday's post on Survival games and how they key into progression mechanics that have always worked well for me, it shouldn't have been the surprise it was to find out that Heart of Thorns without all the shortcuts is even more fun than I remembered. Having to get around with only the most basic gliding skill, the one that only keeps you aloft so long as your endurance bar lasts and that's not long at all, turns out to be exciting, satisfying and entertaining.

Not being able to just bounce on a mushroom to get up a cliff, having instead to work out the paths, dodge roll past the Pocket Raptors and glug Elixir B like cooldowns were going out of fashion - is that frustrating? The hell it is! It's thrilling.

Naturally, in the tradition of every MMO ever, your goal in having fun is to acquire the means to avoid having to have the fun you're having ever again. As my Mastery points accrue and my xp bar fills (soooo slooooowly - must use boosts...) soon I'll be bouncing and leaning with the best of them.

That's fine. There's new kinds of fun to be had with each new skill. I'm already planning my path to becoming a Scrapper. I'll need all the tricks. After that my fourth ranger (or is she my fifth?) can get Druid.

One thing that concerned me a year or more ago was whether anyone would still be "doing" Heart of Thorns as the expansion aged. Back then it seemed unlikely.

The expected exodus may still happen one day, as the next expansion or the one after that arrives, but for now the maps are hopping - and not just with Itzel. Anet have done a sound job of tying desirable rewards to the content in both HoT and all the LS3 maps that followed.

Map chat is busy with people organizing Hero Point runs or calling out events. Better still, the improved LFG system successfully fills maps with like-minded players set on achieving specific goals. HoT's not the hysterical, overheated chaos it was for a few months after launch but it's a very long way indeed from being dead.

Tomorrow sees the latest WvW revamp. That's going to take up most of my game-time this week, I'd imagine. Then we're going on holiday for a while so I won't be playing at all.

My latest run through the jungle will have to go on hold but it's off to an excellent start. If this was Anet's "bad expansion" I can't wait to see how the next one turns out.