EQ 'Next'

[Merusk]

Say the word "sandbox" and everyone loses their mind.

It is cute how you all still get your hopes up, though.

[Merusk]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Like what, piles of money?  What are these sites "putting on the line" by taking cash, shoveling shit and giving a snowjob? Their reputation as serious games journalists?

[Venkman]

What I want to know is, why the hell doesn't F13 have a serious-sounding post up on the frontpage pretending to award Everquest Next the "Best Game of E3" award based on an exclusive demo schild received that he can't talk about?

I don't know if you were around the last time schild got special access to an exclusive SOE demo he couldn't talk about for a few days...

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

What limb? This is content marketing. Buying this kind of placement is hella cheaper than buying targeted ads on Facebook and you get the what I'm sure the marketing types have deluded themselves into believing to be strong pedigree with a following that slavishly laps up whatever such places say.

Granted, there's a small percentage chance these places actually did see something that blew their socks off. But the style of writing has all the hallmarks of 2-3 rounds of revisions with the marketing, legal and PR types.

[01101010]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes I believe the word you are looking for is money.

[Numtini]

Imagine if you're a Druid and you need to literally seek out reagents for your spells or worship your deity in a glade somewhere off in the wilderness, but you don't know where.

Oh that sounds fun. Grind regs and search for a random unmarked spot to refresh your mana.

[Mrbloodworth]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes I believe the word you are looking for is money.

They would get more money by not being wrong when the reveal happens.

[01101010]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes I believe the word you are looking for is money.

They would get more money by not being wrong when the reveal happens.

Nah. That is where the spin doctors come in. Sony knows full well the influence of fansites and I'd assume they are using them to their advertising advantage, even if their product is horrible shit. Get the fanboi collective together and make them into an internet mob to shout down any opposition by claiming they are just trolling, terribad people, and/or have their own agenda. You can already see this in the Xbone crowd.

[Yegolev]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes I believe the word you are looking for is money.

They would get more money by not being wrong when the reveal happens.

That only applies if you accept that these sites are run by intelligent businessmen with an ability to formulate a long term plan.  Also I think you don't read these sites?  Or have a hard dick for sandbox MMOs?  Because this is obviously bullshit.

[Paelos]

Integrity in game reporting would only work if you had cross-over advertising that had nothing to do with games.

[March]

I'm going out of a limb here but I'm going to guess that this will be really bad but half the forum will buy the box anyway.

I bet half of that half has already pre-ordered the announcement.

[Hawkbit]

I preordered the preorder of the announcement of the announcement. 

[Mrbloodworth]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes I believe the word you are looking for is money.

They would get more money by not being wrong when the reveal happens.

That only applies if you accept that these sites are run by intelligent businessmen with an ability to formulate a long term plan.  Also I think you don't read these sites?  Or have a hard dick for sandbox MMOs?  Because this is obviously bullshit.

No, I just find it extremely rare that two sites, whose focus on MMO's would award a game no one but them have seen. I Can't recall this happening before, and I have read the sites before, they are typically rather solid in what they do, I don't have to agree every time. I can't subscribe to the tin foal hat theory going on here that this is just a bought and paid for advertisement and nothing more.

It does not add up if it fails to be something here. I'm quite impressed with the forge-light engine, and the thrust SOE has been doing for a few years now. I do think they are going to do something risky, outside the mold as they say. What that is, I'm not sure. But it was enough to make two large publications say it was the best in show at E3, with zero supporting proof.

I'm not willing to write that off as nothing. It peaks my intrust. The genre does need an enema. Its an extremely bad move if it turns out to be nothing for those two sites, let alone SOE. You have one of the most respected IPs, a house who nearly defined the genre, and incredibly strong and capable platform and what appears to be a huge shift in philosophy at SOE in terms of community interaction, development pace and model and a CEO talking some really really outside the norm concepts. I don't even thing "Spin Doctors" could help if this is all a sham.

[Falconeer]

I agree with Bloodworth. Which does not mean we are right. We are probably wrong. And I should know better. I don't even deny they have been paid (or favoured, somehow) to give EQNext the fake award thing, after all SOE will be able to slap that badge on websites and boxes so it literally has a money value and I am pretty sure such sites wouldn't give out such a prize for free under the present circumstances (game not existing yet). I just believe that at least a good amount of the those guys' enthusiasm is possibly real. Too bad, of course, that's not enough to make a good game.

EDIT to add: Planetside 2 engine is great. I like the idea of a fantasy MMO with that.
EDIT to add 2: Changing seasons? I've been dreaming that since 1997, when I first saw UO and I was EXPECTING seasons to change in a virtual world and was disappointed when I realized they didn't. Also see Bump 'n Jump.

[Merusk]

No, I just find it extremely rare that two sites, whose focus on MMO's would award a game no one but them have seen. I Can't recall this happening before, and I have read the sites before, they are typically rather solid in what they do, I don't have to agree every time. I can't subscribe to the tin foal hat theory going on here that this is just a bought and paid for advertisement and nothing more.

We have a site meme that fits this description.  Think about that.  You're right, it might not be about money. They might just be totally, terribly wrong.

[Mrbloodworth]

The viewers could also have been tricked. But, it just does not add up for me. I'm sorry. Taking Everquest to a sandbox is already a huge gamble if you consider the fan base that brought them here. Hell, recall the last sandbox that SOE were in charge of? I just can't, in all good faith believe that SOE, or Smedly would do this, after that, and have nothing. It will be way to easy to see though in august if this is just paid for hype. It would be suicide of legendary proportions for both the sites, and SOE. As much as many my not like the fallibility of SOE or Smedly, the implication that this is a short sighted cash in tossing the corpse of Everquest on a pyre is just. Its out there. SOE and Smed my be prone to mistakes, but they are not stupid.

Also, do not take my opposition to what some F13ers are implying, as some sort of blind optimism. I am firmly in the wait and see camp. Because this is going to go one of two ways.

[tazelbain]

I hope they call it the Dawn of Everquest.

[HaemishM]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

Yes, it's called page views and ad revenue.

[HaemishM]

It would be suicide of legendary proportions for both the sites, and SOE.

Seriously? You honestly believe that? How big of a reach do you think these two sites have? I mean sure, in the microcosm of online sites specifically about MMOG's, they might be big, but that microcosm is not even little turd in a big toilet bowl. Your average WOW player probably never heard of it or visited. TenTonHammer is even farther down the list. Also, you really think anybody gives a shit about web sites being WRONG? Dear God, the entire right wing mediasphere is full of people who have been so wrong, it's almost killed the economy and people still visit Michelle Malkin's web site and Sarah Palin still gets on TV. Do you think anyone gives much of a fuck about how wrong one of these sites will be?

This isn't the days of Lum the Mad, when one small web site could change the course of a company. If the abortion that was EQ2's release didn't kill off SOE's MMOG business when more of the MMOG audience paid attention to these kinds of sites, this bit of idiotic advertorial won't hurt them now.

[Hutch]

Two minutes hate  Semi-misogynistic anti-right-wing rant  Curiously, I have unintentionally created a metaphor, in which my blind faith mirrors that of BW.

This is the mmog forum. The place to spew daily affirmations and confirmation of ideological solidarity is over there.

[Lantyssa]

I don't know if you were around the last time schild got special access to an exclusive SOE demo he couldn't talk about for a few days...

I nearly snorted GUM out my nose.

[amiable]

Two minutes hate  Semi-misogynistic anti-right-wing rant  Curiously, I have unintentionally created a metaphor, in which my blind faith mirrors that of BW.

This is the mmog forum. The place to spew daily affirmations and confirmation of ideological solidarity is over there.

Out of curiosity, where was the misogyny?  Anti-right wing I can see.

[HaemishM]

Was it because I happened to only mention idiotic right wing females as opposed to the other lying liars?

[Yegolev]

It's a political comment in any case, which I'm ignoring in favor of wondering if I can play a froglok.  Because I'll reach for a cup of kool-aid if I can play a froglok.  I might even drink it.  However we all know sandbox games suck shit.

[Paelos]

We need Raph to look at it, then give it a fictional award.

[Scold]

I'm unaware of schild's SOE history, but if he has some then that's all the more reason to troll the MMO community with a fictitious "award" for EQ Next on the frontpage. Start the rumor that it has permadeath or something.

[Typhon]

IT'S A TARP! (did someone say TARP?) (giggle! ... hope I don't get banned!  been drinkin!)

[Venkman]

No, I just find it extremely rare that two sites, whose focus on MMO's would award a game no one but them have seen. I Can't recall this happening before, and I have read the sites before, they are typically rather solid in what they do, I don't have to agree every time. I can't subscribe to the tin foal hat theory going on here that this is just a bought and paid for advertisement and nothing more.

It does not add up if it fails to be something here. I'm quite impressed with the forge-light engine, and the thrust SOE has been doing for a few years now. I do think they are going to do something risky, outside the mold as they say. What that is, I'm not sure. But it was enough to make two large publications say it was the best in show at E3, with zero supporting proof.

It feels like content marketing for me, from a company that really needs to do something risky because they haven't really been the the huge on-everyone's-lips company they were before 2004, and delivered through two sites instrinsically tied to a category of games no longer unique enough to inspire awe just by being called "MMO".

But it's actually because of those conditions where I think I see where you're coming from. Maybe this is a hail mary pass. If it is, it's at a good time for it. There isn't a lot going on with this type of game. We've spent almost a decade watching companies try to catch up with Blizzard, with the results mostly being that nobody can. There's been some great relatively momentary interesting ones like Tera, GW2 and a few others, and of course how Eve has become almost a genre unto itself, but none really have the category-spanning pull that WoW did. And the ones coming are either unproven though cool in concept (Wildstar) or iterative and suspect (TSO).

It'd also actually be nice to see SOE apply a decade and a half of learning to deliver something truly new and interesting. PS2 was a great example of applied learning. If they could take that and make EQ relevant again and with enough callbacks to the game that kinda saw many of us through our 20s and 30s? Well shit, they'd get my money again.

Yea we're all gonna be skeptical. And yea, there'll probably be a bunch of us disappointed in a month and a half. And maybe we'll own up to that too 

[UnSub]

I imagine there must be something to this if two sites are willing to go out on a limb like this.

How many gushing previews have you read for titles that turn out to be average?

The best MMO is the one that you know the least about, because you can project your desires onto it. EQ! Sandbox! New game engine! Crafting! PvP! Smedley looked me in the eyes and told me he how much he's listened to what MMO players want!

Because we don't even know what the previewers have seen, we can't judge it. Did they play through a demo area? Watch a 30 minute video cut of the best bits of EQ Next? Were told of all the things that are going to be* in EQ Next?

If they'd released a "hey, we just saw EQ Next and were very impressed, but can't talk about it", that's fine. But to give it awards for reasons they can't disclose is ridiculous.

Sure, if EQ Next goes pair shaped they'll be laughed at, but that's later on.

*list to be cut down closer to launch or will not work as described

[Spiff]

Even if they are right and this thing turns out to be Robojesus, so they can go: "Told you so!", will anyone actually be impressed or will they in fact at best still look like douchebag hipsters for giving an award to something no one that doesn't know the secret handshake (nay: handjob) has seen diddlysquat off?

[luckton]

Even if they are right and this thing turns out to be Robojesus, so they can go: "Told you so!", will anyone actually be impressed or will they in fact at best still look like douchebag hipsters for giving an award to something no one that doesn't know the secret handshake (nay: handjob) has seen diddlysquat off?

If I actually gave a shit about what MMORPG.com posted, maybe.  The truth is, I haven't visited the site in months, and I'm not about to start.

[eldaec]

Turns out that games "journalist" awards are serious business.

Who knew?

[Numtini]

Honestly, when I hear "EQ" and "sandbox" I figured they're going to release a half finished game with no quests and a bunch of mobs scattered and you'd have your "sandbox" choice of where to go kill them and make your own story about why. ie, EQ1 and launch EQ2.

As to the mmporpg best in show thing. 2011: Defiance, 2012 Planetside 2. I'm sure that EQnext can live up to that.

[Falconeer]

Defiance is an incomplete silly thing, but Planetside 2 is quite awesome. Hard to state otherwise, even if it's not your favourite genre.

[Nebu]

Defiance is an incomplete silly thing, but Planetside 2 is quite awesome. Hard to state otherwise, even if it's not your favourite genre.

Planetside 2 held my attention for about 3 hours.  If it won an MMOG award, then the bar is set pretty low.  Hell, I played Tera longer with a bag over my head.

[Goreschach]

Defiance is an incomplete silly thing, but Planetside 2 is quite awesome. Hard to state otherwise, even if it's not your favourite genre.

Planetside 2 held my attention for about 3 hours.  If it won an MMOG award, then the bar is set pretty low.

No shit.