by Moorgard on 2001-09-02
Go read the whole post on the Verant boards if you want every detail. Otherwise, trust Mobhunter to give you the juicy stuff here. Our commentary appears at the bottom.On how trivial loot code shouldn't deter high-level players in Luclin
Our plan with Luclin is to make sure there are more attractive items for high level players so that they won't feel they 'need' to adventure in zones that are too low level for them. If we can accomplish that, then, in my opinion, there would be no legitimate reason for a higher level player to be blasting mobs in a low or mid level zone, and therefore the loot code will interfere with very few players' enjoyment of the game.
On the globe of Norrath in Skyfire that shows an unnamed continent
To that end, we've thought about and planned all sorts of stuff as it relates to Norrath and the universe it's in. The globe you saw is just one example of how there might be more to the world than most people think. Our opening of one of Norrath's moons in the Shadows of Luclin is another. And trust me, we've got all sorts of crazier ideas too
On keeping the ever-growing level 60 community happy with the game
While I can't reveal in details as of yet, I will say that we are also thinking about the future as it relates to where the majority of our player base is at and where it will be. And we are working on ideas to address this. Sorry I can't be more specific at this time.
On whether older content will be upgraded to use the enhanced Luclin engine
Well, in the past I know I've said no, but now I'm going to upgrade that 'no' to a 'maybe'. Unfortunately, it's too early to say more, but stay tuned
On gnome hairlines
First, the screenshots of the new gnome had no hair because you'll actually be able to configure hair to an extent on the new Luclin player characters - so they won't all be bald.
On mid-level zones being revamped into high-level zones
I probably wasn't as clear as I should have been in my earlier Ask Brad regarding this issue. Our intent is to, over time, revamp the older low and mid level dungeons that just aren't very popular. In general, our priority would be to keep the level range pretty close to what it was. But in some cases, for a variety of reasons (location, layout, etc.), just making the zone more interesting or putting new treasure in it isn't enough. Those dungeons we will probably upgrade to higher level zones. For example, off the top of my head, Paw and Droga/Nurga. For their level range, they're just too remote and/or the layout is too difficult.
On whether everything a player wears in Luclin will be visible
I wouldn't say 'everything', but I would say a lot more. Not only that but wearing armor shouldn't just change the textures on your character - you should see geometry changes (the shape of your character will actually change), which we're very excited about.
On whether particle effects will be upgraded
We're not sure yet, but we are going to try. We've wanted to upgrade our particle effects engine for some time, but whether we'll get it done by Luclin or not remains to be seen. While I think we do have some excellent spell effects and such, I do agree it could even be more spectacular.
On whether zone loading times will improve in Luclin
To be honest, the Luclin zones will probably take more time to load than older zones because we're putting so much more detail into them. The textures are richer and higher resolution, the number of polygons and the general detail level much greater, and the indoor zones are larger than they've ever been.
The best thing you can do to improve zone loading times is to increase your system's RAM and/or the speed of your system's hard drive - both will generally help dramatically.
Brad holds true to his usual form of "answering" certain questions by saying he can't really comment at this time. Anything that has to do with future expansions or EQ2 gets an "I can't say right now" type of answer.
We aren't stupid. Brad sticks those questions in his article specifically to keep players interested. By refusing to give an answer, he provides one.
There's also the usual clarifying/backpedaling going on. Brad had specifically mentioned that Permafrost was due to be made into a higher-level zone, but now he mentions Nurga/Droga and Paw (the latter has been upgraded once already).
This response was to a question from one of those players who refuses to go to the planes or take part in dragon raids, and instead makes a new character every time his current one gets too high level for his tastes. This player didn't want to see old dungeons upgraded because he likes playing in the same ones over and over again.
Hey, whatever trips your trigger. Play the game however you want. But the fact is, some zones in EverQuest are simply too remote to draw most low-to-mid-level players, either due to the danger of getting there or the time involved. Therefore, it only makes sense to make some of those places into high-level zones. If the content (i.e. items) are nice enough, players will go. But if you want to lure players somewhere as remote as Permafost, you better either make the rewards very sweet (no, Vox loot doesn't count) or make them much eaiser to get to (put in a new port spot). By the way, the Hole could stand some better items--otherwise it's a pretty good zone.
There were some encouraging points raised. For the first time ever, we are told that character hair in Luclin will be configurable. This should allow for some more individualism among player models, which is sorely needed. Also mentioned for the first time is the possibility that older content will be upgraded to use the new Luclin engine. Hey, we're all for North Karana not looking so damn boring. Thumbs up from Mobhunter on both counts.
However, I'm still skeptical that making shoulder items and cloaks visible on character models would be a good thing. Having a monk running around with shoulderpads and a cape would ruin my roleplay experience.
Despite some gripes, it was a good column. Keep 'em coming, Brad.