living-legacy posts

Ask Massively: Second chances in MMO's

by Kevin Stallard Aug 28th 2008 at 4:00PM

Filed under: MMO industry, Opinion, Ask Massively

I'm feeling a bit cranky these days, so for this week's Ask Massively, I thought that I'd give you all my unvarnished opinion instead of kissing your collective backside in order to generate a few more page hits. Get your claws out for this one, folks. This nugget of truth is going to hurt a little.

Why do MMO's only have 1 shot when they change so *drastically* over time?

Games such as EQ2, DDO, Vanguard, Tabula Rasa, perhaps AoC...

6 months to a year later when the game is good and bursting with content etc. Why do players always chime the mantra "Too little too late" and perfer to just wait for the "next big thing" instead of re-visting these other games?

I understand feeling burnt for not getting everything at launch, but who cares? if the game has everything you wanted *now* who cares about the past when it *didnt*?

I just dont get it.

-Ding Dong Dang

Tags: age-of-conan, anarchy-online, ddo, dragoncon, eve-online, everquest, featured, living-legacy, tabula-rasa, world-of-warcraft

EverQuest II seeks more Living Legacies until Sept. 30th

by Samuel Axon Aug 8th 2008 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, News items

Apparently happy with results from earlier in the summer, SOE has added a new phase to the Living Legacy program. This time, all inactive EverQuest accounts may now try EverQuest II and all its expansions for free until September 30th. Yes, you read that right: inactive EverQuest accounts, not EverQuest II accounts. Looks like SOE is trying to bring old customers into the 21st century!

Participants also get $5 towards the purchase of this fall's new expansion (assuming they upgrade to a paying account) and a bunch of in-game items including a pet drake, a 12-slot bag, and a bag of XP potions. Word on the street is that the previous iteration of the Living Legacy program was a big success, so SOE is probably trying to keep the ball rolling.

Note, though, that this isn't being offered to current EverQuest subscribers, just lapsed ones. Apparently SOE doesn't want to lose current EQ players to EQ2, but if you're playing neither right now, it wants you to play the more modern one. Makes sense.

Tags: eq, eq2, eqii, everquest, everquest-2, everquest-ii, expansion, living-legacy, promotion, soe, sony, sony-online-entertainment, subscribers

EQ devs talk upcoming expansion, old zone revamps

by Brenda Holloway Jul 23rd 2008 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Bugs, Expansions, Game mechanics, Interviews, News items

A half dozen EverQuest developers sat down with their faithful players and discussed the details of the new expansion, Seeds of Destruction, which old zones were next to be hit with the revamp stick, and what other changes were on the horizon for SOE's most venerable, but still popular, game.

The next expansion will continue to require faction grinding to progress, similar to that in Secrets of Faydwer, though some changes will be made to address player complaints. Still, World of Warcraft-like faction grinding seems to be a big hit with EQ devs since its introduction in the Dragons of Norrath expansion, and we wll likely see it continue in the foreseeable future.

Tags: bugs, eq, everquest, expansions, fantasy, game-mechanics, interviews, living-legacy, news, news-items, seeds-of-destruction, soe, world-of-warcraft, wow

Are you owed any EQ Veteran Rewards?

by William Dobson Jul 22nd 2008 at 7:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Guides

With many players returning to EverQuest after SOE's Living Legacy promotion, there are probably a lot of people out there who are owed Veteran Rewards that are sitting unclaimed. A new guide has been posted at the EverQuest Players website which not only explains exactly what the rewards are and how they are earned, but more importantly, goes over all of the reward tiers and their effects. Be careful before you go "/claim"-happy though -- once a particular reward is claimed on one character, no amount of GM bribing can ever allow it to be moved.

The EverQuest Veteran Rewards offer some pretty neat effects, from experience and stat buffs, to a Bristlebane puppet, right up to a summonable robot merchant (if you've been around for 10 years!). Have a look at the guide to see what your loyalty will be rewarded with in the coming years.

Tags: eq, everquest, guide, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment, veteran-rewards

Massively's readers (you) interview EQ2's Senior Producer

by Michael Zenke Jul 3rd 2008 at 9:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Massively Interviews

About two weeks ago we asked you to pass on some questions we could give to the EverQuest 2 team. Our own team of bloggers and columnists pitched in a few questions as well, and we brought the best of those to the attention of EQ2's Senior Producer Bruce Ferguson. He answered several of our questions in-depth, though some of his answers may not be exactly what you were hoping to hear.

Read on below the cut to see your questions answered! Mr. Ferguson chats about the purpose of the Living Legacy program, future plans for developing PvP in the game, and even tackles that burning question about solo vs. group play. Also, about the possibility of flying mounts in Norrath ...

Tags: bruce-ferguson, eq2, everquest-2, everquest-ii, featured, interview, joystiqfeatures, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment

EQII "Fight with Legends" campaign offers free game time

by William Dobson Jul 3rd 2008 at 8:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, News items

As part of the Living Legacy promotion that is taking place in EverQuest II right now, SOE has announced a brand new campaign that is kicking off today. Called "Fight with Legends", this initiative is aimed at bringing even more people to EQII by getting players to recruit their friends, and rewarding them for it.

For each account invitee that converts to a paying subscriber within 30 days of their trial conclusion, the inviting player will receive 1 month of EQII game time (added to the end of their current subscription). The number of friends you can do this with is limited to 20, which would mean a whopping 20 months of free game time; but even 1 month is a pretty nice bonus, so if you've got some bored friends, perhaps it's time to introduce them to Norrath.

Tags: eq2, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, fight-with-legends, free-game-time, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Legends of Norrath Living Legacy Photo Contest

by Brenda Holloway Jul 1st 2008 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Contests, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Free-to-play, Trading card games, Legends of Norrath

EverQuest and EverQuest II are getting the lion's share of the attention in SOE's Living Legacy promotion. But they are reserving something special for their massively collectible card game, Legends of Norrath. Win the Living Legacy Photo Contest, and not only will you get your picture painted, in character by artist Kieran Yanner for use on a Legends of Norrath card, but you'll be flown to the SOE Fan Faire this August. If you're an EverQuest player, your image will be made into a statue and placed into the guild halls of every guild in Norrath. If you are an EverQuest II player, your card will be made into a painting that can be hung in a place of honor in your apartment. All you need to do is to send them a picture that shows your passion for EverQuest. Find the complete rules on the Legends of Norrath web site. And good luck!

Tags: contests, eq, eq2, eqii, events, everquest, everquest-2, everquest-ii, fantasy, free-to-play, legends-of-norrath, living-legacy, trading-card-game

EverQuest's new lead designer on the future of SOE's venerable MMO

by Michael Zenke Jun 28th 2008 at 10:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Interviews

Ryan Barker is the newly-dubbed lead designer for SOE's venerable EverQuest, and recently sat down with the folks at Curse to talk the state of the game - and even a bit about the game's future. Barker again confirms the team's pleasure at having more times to work on expansion packs, a subject covered well in our discussion with previous EQ lead designer Travis McGeathy. They also note their heavy enthusiasm at seeing players return for the Living Legacy event, something we've also discussed on the site.

Without a doubt the most interesting segment is the design team's reflection on their favorite encounter in the game's history. Barker and several members of the design group point out their favorite moments from the nine years worth of content the game has on offer. Says Barker, "For me it was definitely Lord Nagafen back in original release. I was part of the first raid that killed him on Rallos Zek. It was such a rush going back through the fire giant castle and seeing that dragon for the first time. I think I seriously jumped out of my chair the first time he stuck his head through the door and bit me."

Your turn, then: What's your favorite encounter/quest/monster from EverQuest?

Tags: eq, everquest, fantasy, interview, lead-designer, living-legacy, ryan-barker, soe, sony-online-entertainment

Vanguard offers 5 days free to past subscribers

by Samuel Axon Jun 28th 2008 at 7:00AM

Filed under: Fantasy, Events, in-game, News items, Vanguard

The Vanguard team has deployed its own (more modest) version of EverQuest's much-publicized Living Legacy campaign. Anyone who used to have a Vanguard account may play for free up through the 31st. SOE is touting performance enhancements and "new code" intended to make the game run more smoothly.

See, when the game first launched, it had performance issues about as bad as (or maybe even worse than) those of Age of Conan's open beta event. The game was virtually unplayable in major cities for all but the most beastly systems. With each major game update, though, SOE has tweaked and optimized the engine to make it run better. Apparently the team now feels that it's reached the point where it can reach out to old players and say, "Hey, we fixed it; come back and try again!

Tags: event, everquest, free, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment, subscribers, vanguard, vanguard-saga-of-heroes

EverQuest's Living Legacy live event going on now

by Matt Warner Jun 26th 2008 at 7:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events, in-game, News items, PvE

Remember when Kerafym the Sleeper went on a rampage slaying every mortal after the Warders were defeated? Think further back to your first excursion into the Plane of Fear and Plane of Hate, when tragedy struck and what followed was the tireless effort to recover one's corpse or the ultimate raucous victory that immediately followed a guild's first God kill. Good times and bad, it was special. Many years have passed, bringing many unknown expansions since your last foray into Norrath, but that shouldn't stop you from visiting now with the Living Legacy promotion providing all inactive EverQuest and EverQuest II veterans with ample opportunity and incentives to return at no cost until the end of July and relive the adventures.

Events are planned all throughout the campaign and the current event running this weekend is: "Sacrifice at the Sand Keep." It is an endurance challenge that pits players against Eothar and his echelon of undead minions. The goal is to endure attacks as long as possible. Players can seek out Dougan Merule in the Southern Desert of Ro to initiate the expedition, but if you're a returning player you probably want to check out the Guild Halls first located in the Plane of Knowledge to find other fellow and more than helpful to answer any questions you have. So did you go back?

Tags: eothar, eq, eq2, events, everquest, living-legacy, norrath, raid, sacrifice-at-the-sandkeep, soe, sony-online-entertainment

EQII "Become a Legend" contest gets you to prove your epicness

by William Dobson Jun 25th 2008 at 4:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, Screenshots, EverQuest II, Contests, News items

You know how epic you are. You know that you're the best dragon-slayer there is, you've saved the most maidens, and have shiny gear that blinds mere mortals as you ride past. It's time to show the world what a hero you are -- and get rewarded for it. As part of EverQuest II's Living Legacy promotion, SOE is running a contest called "Become a Legend", asking entrants to snap a shot of their characters in their best digs, in an interesting location, and include a short history of their character's legendary adventures.

The winning entries will be treated to a digital copy of the next EQII expansion, and Living Legacy merchandise. As well as this, the winning pictures will be displayed at the Station website, and probably at the EQII sites. As always, there are some terms and conditions for this competition. You must be 18 years or older and live in the U.S. to take part -- visit the EQ2Players website to get the full contest details, including picture sizes and word limits.

Tags: become-a-legend, competition, eq2, eq2players, eqii, everquest-2, everquest-ii, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment

EverQuest 2 guild recruitment fair set to take place this weekend

by Michael Zenke Jun 25th 2008 at 11:30AM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Guilds

Gnobrin has dropped into the official EverQuest 2 forums to announce a unique event this weekend. Players just returned for the Living Legacy event, or lone wolves looking to come in from the cold, will be happy to hear there's a guild recruitment fair set for June 28th and June 29th. Where you are going to be headed for the fair depends on what kind of server you're on, because of the dangers of open-world PvP. Folks on the hardcore servers will have to brave city lag, with goodies heading to the Claymore monument and evil-folk aiming for Execution Square in West Freeport. On PvE servers, you'll have an easier time. The Claymore in Antonica is the site of the fair for goodly players, while Evil players will want to head to the Crossroads in the Commonlands.

If you're looking for a guild right now, why not check out their guide to the guild search functionality? Gnobby also offers up a few previews for EQuinox #2, the official EQ magazine. This next issue is going to have a bunch of guild-related information; if you're interested there is a pdf preview available online. He also links to a massive image of the 'Guild Bill of Rights' from the magaizine. It's funny and smarmy; just like a gnome.

Tags: eq2, everquest-2, everquest-ii, guild, guild-fair, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment

SOE runs first EverQuest magazine ad in years

by Samuel Axon Jun 23rd 2008 at 3:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, EverQuest II, News items

Sony Online Entertainment reportedly bought a "three-page advertising spread" for EverQuest in this month's issue of PC Gamer magazine. The massive ad promotes the Living Legacy campaign -- an initiative that allows former EQ and EverQuest II subscribers to play for free until the end of July.

In two interviews, reps from SOE told us that the Living Legacy initiative is intended to show lapsed and potential EQ and EQ2 players that both games have evolved over the years, and that they deserve a fresh look. A print ad is a bold statement, although new marketing pushes for old games are not unprecedented. Near Death Studios bought ad space for Meridian 59 on the Vault Network when the game relaunched in 2001 after a two year absence. Electronic Arts plastered the web with Ultima Online: Kingdom Reborn ads in the wake its 3D graphics engine upgrade.

But will it work? Should more old MMOs do it? Are advertizing blitzes and a couple of free months of play what MMOs of yore need, or does this industry move too fast for that to be sufficient? Commence pondering.

Tags: ads, advertisement, eq, eq2, everquest, everquest-ii, living-legacy, magazine, pc-gamer, print, soe

An interview on the Living Legacy campaign

by Shawn Schuster Jun 23rd 2008 at 2:30PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Business models, Economy, Events, real-world, Events, in-game, Interviews

Sony Online Entertainment's Living Legacy promotion has reportedly become their most successful win-back campaign to date, doubling those efforts from other reactivation promotions. This hasn't come without controversy though. In a recent interview at Allakhazam, SOE's Torrie Dorrell explains some details on the success of this program and addresses the complaints heard from the current loyal subscribers of EverQuest and EverQuest II.

According to Dorrell, there are numerous advantages given to EQ's loyal players including live events and new lore leading up to the eventual launch of the newest expansion pack. "This is like complaining about a shiny someone picked up near you while you're opening an exquisite chest," Dorrell says. This interview goes on to debunk rumors that this campaign was timed to compete with the launch of other big-name MMOs and expansions due out this year.

Tags: everquest, everquest-2, living-legacy, soe, sony-online-entertainment, torrie-dorrell

Did Living Legacy bring you back?

by Brenda Holloway Jun 22nd 2008 at 5:00PM

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest II, Events, in-game, Forums

Were you a EverQuest or EverQuest II player who has returned because of this summer's Living Legacy promotion? You're not alone. From all we've heard, and all we've seen in game, people are coming back in droves. If you've come back, how are you liking it? The EverQuest II forums are full of stories of people who returned (and lots who are offering help as well). Having looked around EverQuest again, are you planning on staying for awhile?

Tags: eq, eq2, eqii, events, everquest, everquest-2, everquest-ii, fantasy, forums, living-legacy