Tuesday, 15-July
Echoes of Faydwer Goodies!
Lots of interesting EoF things to look at
Echoes of Faydwer discussions are in full swing so be sure to check out all the latest news and goodies regarding the upcoming expansion.
Warcry recently posted an interview with Lyndro!
There’s also some Echoes of Faydwer contests going on at MMOReports, EQNews, and Ten Ton Hammer, so stop in to see what those are about!
Source: Everquest 2 News
Interview With Lyndro - Design Supervisor for Echoes of Faydwer
Today we have a very special presentation for you all. Our very own Kendricke has somehow managed to get Lyndro, the Design Supervisor for the upcoming Echoes of Faydwer expansion, to take some time out of his busy schedule and answer a few questions about himself and the expansion.
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What is your name and position with SOE right now?
Akil Hooper. Design Supervisor for Echoes of Faydwer.
What projects have you worked on for SOE?
I started at SOE as a GM shortly after the launch of the Scars of Velious expansion pack for the original EverQuest. I did some time as GM for Rallos Zek, and moved to EQ 1 as a designer in the spring of 2002. I worked on some live events for Stormhammer, and some zone revamps before I started work on Planes of Power (PoP). In PoP I did some quest coordination for Plane of Knowledge (Read: Made the new apprentices write quests), some events for Plane of Tactics (Boar Stampede!), and Bastion of Thunder, as well as some random odds and ends here and there.
After that I worked as a designer on EQ 1 for Legacy of Ykesha (Hatesfury and Gunthak), Lost Dungeons of Norrath (Guk Theme), Gates of Discord (Ferubi, and Qvic, as well as the Tribute System), Omens of War (Anguish, the Mage and Cleric Epic 2.0 quests, and Guild Tribute), and Dragons of Norrath (Random stuff). After DoN I moved to EverQuest 2, where I’ve worked on the Desert of Flame expansion pack (Lockjaw, Cazel, and the Djinn Master), the Kingdom of Sky expansion (Sepulcher and Devourer), and now Echoes of Faydwer.
What specific EQ2 encounters or projects have you worked on that you're particularly proud of?
I’m really happy with how Echoes of Faydwer is shaping up. I think its going to be a great expansion with a lot of stuff for everyone. I’m also pretty proud of the Djinn Master in Desert of Flames, it was a unique event, which was a real challenge to get functional, so it was great to see it working.
Could you please take a moment to describe some of your EQ2 characters and your preferred playstyle (no names or servers are necessary)?
I’m a pretty casual player these days, I hop around to a few different classes. My first character was an inquisitor, and I’ve played a bit of necromancer, but right now I play a fury on a PvP server. Fury really suits my playstyle, since I don’t have much trouble finding a group if I need one, but I can also go out on my own if that’s what I want to do.
General EOF:
I realize this may be a difficult question to answer objectively, but for a moment, pretend you're just a player and not a developer: What are your general overall impressions of EOF?
It’s really hard to separate myself from the project, since I’ve been with it since the beginning. However I think there will be lots for people to do in the expansion, I’m pretty happy with what it is shaping up to be. I’d be excited to see all the places that I knew in EQ 1 revisited and revised.
With Beta gearing up, what features are you most excited about players seeing for the first time?
Cloaks, there are some really nice cloaks that guilds will be able to design for themselves.
What features are you most nervous about players seeing?
Cloaks... While I think they are very cool, I’m a little afraid that players won’t be as happy with them as we are (But they really are cool!).
Could you give an overview of the new cloaks? How will players earn them?
Cloaks are being itemized like any other item. They will be dropped in the world, rewarded for completing quests, and made through tradeskills.
Are all cloaks customizable through the guild system, or just some?
You’ll be able to customize all cloaks through the guild system. You’ll also be able toggle whether you are showing off your guild appearance or the original appearance.
Who can customize cloaks - just guild officers or only guild masters? What about non-guilded players - can they customize cloaks?
Non-Guilded players won’t be able to customize cloaks, and any cloak that is made by a guild will be unique. No two guilds on the same server will have identical cloaks, although they may be similar. Cloak customization is a permission set in the guild window, so the guild leader will be able to decide what guild ranks are allowed to customize the guild cloak.
Can you give an example of what types of cloaks a level 60 guild might be able to create and wear? What will they look like and what customization will be available?
As your guild levels up, you unlock customizations on the cloak. At guild level 15 you will be able to set the background color of the cloak, and the heraldry (icon). At guild level 30 you’ll be able to add a trim (Vines going around the border of the cloak for example), and at guild level 60 you will be able to set the background pattern for the cloak (This would be a second tone on the cloak, or a spider-web woven into the background). You will be able to select colors for each new customization (Heraldry, Trim, and Pattern) as you select it. So a level 60 guild has the potential to have the most complex looking cloak.
As excited as most players are about cloaks, there are still a significant number who are also concerned. Will cloaks create additional lag? Will there be an option to turn off cloaks?
We are aware of some people's concerns, and there will be an option to turn cloaks off.
Obviously some classes, such as Rangers and Assassins, might tend to look quite dashing in a full cloak...whereas classes such as Monks or Defilers might not. Are cloaks being designed to look differently for different classes?
All cloaks will look the same regardless of who is wearing them. We are planning on having a few different cloak shapes at launch, so everyone’s cloak isn’t going to look identical.
On to Itemization. Many players are already over at least one or two stat caps with gear they currently own. Since the levels aren't being raised beyond level 70, are there plans to raise the stat caps with this release?
As we are working on EoF, we are also working on creating some more room to grow for players who have capped stats. So yes, stat caps will be increasing, and even with the best buffs and items available after EoF you won’t be able to reach the caps.
What other steps are being taken to address concerns regarding itemization in the uppermost levels of the game?
The changes that we are making systematically will make items more meaningful. We are also going into EoF with an overall picture of how itemization will work. On the whole itemization is going to be more thought out. Its hard to answer without specific complaints (And I’m sure that wouldn’t be a short question).
Will we see more restricted gear in EoF similar to profession helms? Will we see belief restricted gear?
There will be some restricted gear, and probably some helms that use the profession specific appearances. We don’t have the ability to flag deity specific gear currently, but its something we’d like to add down the road.
We have heard a little about armor sets coming. Could you explain a bit about these?
Armor sets are pieces of equipment that all share a common theme, where as you wear more pieces in the set, you get some additional item effects applied. ”Set” is probably a bit of a misnomer, as anything that you wear could be part of a set, shields, weapons, totems, charms, etc.
Exactly how many pieces of armor go into a "full set"?
It depends on the set. Some sets may just be two pieces, while others may cover all of your visible armor slots.
Are there going to be partial set bonuses?
Yes, for a seven piece set you may get a different bonus at 3, 5, and 7 pieces.
Will we perhaps see weapon sets, such as a pair of battleaxes which give bonuses when wielded together, or a sword and shield that give a bonus when both are used?
The system supports that, so it is possible
Adornments are a new feature coming in Echoes of Faydwer. A lot of us remember augments from classic EQ. What's different between augments and adornments?
Adornments are going to be item slot and item type specific, and almost all items are going to get a single adornment slot. With Augments, there were augment types and slot types, and you had to match your augment type with the correct slot (And sometimes the right equipment slot as well), and many items had multiple slots.
Of course, one of the biggest points of Echoes of Faydwer is the return of the Gods to Norrath and the ability to worship them. This belief system has generated a lot of interest, and though many questions have been answered, there's still a lot of confusion. Will players be able to see or receive visits from the Gods or their direct avatars?
The Avatars will appear in the world as contested creatures, depending on a few factors relating to their worship. Most of the direct interaction players have will be with the prophets that are in the world currently.
Could you give an example of how a player will be able to specifically align with a particular God? What will the average player have to do to pick up a Belief "power"?
Players will pick a deity by speaking with the prophet, at which point they will receive an altar they can place in their house. They will be able to pray at their house to receive a miracle or a blessing (Blessings are short duration buffs – about 10 min, while miracles are either instant or very short duration). As you quest with the prophets you will gain access to more blessings as miracles, as well as faction which is “spent” to gain miracles and blessings.
Aside from questing players will be able to tithe items for faction.
Could you give an example (or two) of a specific power?
Brell Serilis Blessing: Patience of the Smith – Grants a bonus to all tradeskill abilities and gives an increased chance of getting a favorable result while tradeskilling.
Rallos Zek Miracle: Retribution of Rallos – If you would die with this spell active the offending NPC takes massive damage and you survive with 1% health.
Are belief powers being designed with both PVE and PVP in mind? Are there any powers which will have different functions in PVP than in PVE?
None of the belief powers were designed specifically with PvP in mind, but as with achievements and spells, the deity abilities will be hand tuned to be balanced for PvP.
Within the belief system, will there be special consideration given to the various priest characters?
No, priests don’t get any bonuses in the deity system.
Is the belief system designed with expansion in mind? Will we continue to see more powers in future adventure packs and expansions?
The system is designed to be flexible and portable enough that we can add to it and expand it easily. We expect to add more deity options to the world as the game progresses.
Source: Everquest 2 Warcry
[Echoes of Faydwer Goodies! - full article]Rossee (Halfling Reporter) @ 17:35
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