New Flagship Project from SOE?

[Grave]

A few days ago a job popped up on Gamasutra for Lead Game Designer for a "new flagship project" coming from SOE.

Any speculation on what this might be? The use of the term "flagship" implies to me that it could be a new EverQuest title, as that has always been their leading game, but it could also be a completely new franchise. Have they made any announcements that I've simply missed? As far as I know, The Agency and Free Realms are the only things they have announced as upcoming, and this seems separate from those.

Here's hoping for EQ3.

[Araxen]

I think they've been working on EQ3 in an unofficial capacity for a bit now.

[Grave]

I'm going to apply for the job. It's a near-zero chance, given that I have no industry experience, but I've got enough armchair-design docs laying around that I can at least show them I'm somewhat serious about it.

I wrote up what I think is a pretty cool proposal for EQ3 awhile back which turns it into an almost-Planescape style setting. The idea is that there was another war between the Gods which effected not only Norrath, but the entire Multiverse and the various Planes as well. Norrath would be relatively stable, except for various rifts that had been torn in places around the world. These rifts created gateways between planes that both allowed creatures from those realms entry into Norrath, but also made it easy for adventurers to travel to them. The various planes were thrown into utter chaos, with new Gods rising up in some and others left completely without rule.

The gist of the new game would be that players are sort of MTG-style Planeswalkers, traversing different worlds for whatever purpose or aim they may have. The idea is that there would be no "kill 10 rats" stage of the game. From the very beginning you would be considered an able adventurer and even at level 10 may be entering a nearby rift and exploring a plane. Very epic and heroic from the get-go.

It would still be somewhat nostalgic in the sense that players could travel to, say, the Temple of Veeshan, but the opening of the rifts would have undoubtedly effected the surrounding area in some way.

My only problem is I couldn't stomach EQ2 long enough and therefore haven't played nearly any of the expansion content. I don't really know what direction the lore went in some cases, so that impedes the storytelling a bit.

[XadionDarkborn]

Glad to hear! Hope it is EQ3 or some revision of EQ - I love the EQ universe, classes and races- they are soo "classic" yet had their own sence of self- I like how the elves in EQOA and EQ1 where always so demeaning to the humans because they war among themselves (Quenos v freeport etc) yet in EQ2, oh WTF highelves? Mayong?! yeah- perfect elf socity my ass.

Anywho- here is hopeing for EQ1.5 :-)

I would love to get into game design- wish there was some lower level job opening where I could start.

[Mist]

I hope it's another magical pony MMO.

[Braen]

Wonder if good 'ol Brad will toss his resume at them.

[Grave]

Originally Posted by Braen

Wonder if good 'ol Brad will toss his resume at them.

As much crap as people give Brad over VG, I will always respect him for his work on EverQuest. I fell so in love with the world of Norrath, and still am, and he was the one that pretty much created all of that for us. It's a dream of mine, to have hundreds of thousands playing in my world rather than just 5 around the D&D table.

His game design ideas aren't bad either, it just seems he needs someone from the younger generation to sort of keep him in check. His meltdown was too public for it to ever happen, but if he did come back for EQ3, I would not personally have a problem with it.

[Tenks]

I have no beefs with Brad exactly. VG had some damn good ideas it was just executed with the utmost shittiness.

All in all I'm sure the people that complain the most about VG are those that played levels 1-4 in the newbie areas and never got into a full group, where the game really shines.

[Braen]

Exactly my thinking. His heyday was EQ, if he could go back to his roots, maybe it could work out...


But i also thought it would be funny for Smed to get a stack of resumes and see "Brad McQuaid" and Smed wipes away a tear as he tosses it into file 13.

[Darph]

So long as the trolls look like this, I'm in:

[Kuro]

EQ's original Trolls and Ogres were amazing.

It kinda wierds me out to see a general-application Lead Design position put up. Aren't these games normally someone pushing their vision/concept to the higher-ups, not "We want an mmo. Anyone wanna make one?"

[Hatorade]

This is sony kuro, that is really all you need to remember when asking questions like that. Sony needs to being back SingleTrac Entertainment to make console games and Verant for next MMO.

[Big W Powah!]

Smed would probably while his ass with it.


That said, If they go EQ--they should steal some of VGs ideas..The combo system, target system, and for fuck sake, steal the wounds system and the weaknesses system from VG too.

Combine them. Allow us to target body parts--it could create an AMAZING potential for raid encounters. If you could strip armor--it would be great for finishing humanoids quickly, or allow some quest NPCs that need a good beat down to really get it--break a couple arms to get them talking.

Gives potential to different healers for different kinds of encounters/tanks.

Have a plate tank fighting the giant king? Bitch breaks bones when he hits, but your tank can handle it without much hp loss--just wounds that cripple him from defending against the next attack---unless you heal those wounds, he is going to take passive hp on the next blow.

That kind of shit made me masturbate to VG so much. Motherfucker yes.

[Grizzlebeard]

Even seeing that picture filled me with an immediate urge to resubscribe. Nostalgia you're a cruel, tricksy mistress!

[Big W Powah!]

Originally Posted by Grizzlebeard

Even seeing that picture filled me with an immediate urge to resubscribe. Nostalgia you're a cruel, tricksy mistress!

I should go get some SSs of my Ogre Beastlord/bard for you after I finish my epic-extravaganza this weekend (both should have 1.0 by end of the weekend)