The EverQuest team has their own blog! Go check it out.

Right now they’re talking about  stuff like QA, stability, and even new avatar models!

New player models are not a dead issue… as a matter of fact, we have new Elves being worked on right now!

Clint Worley aka Jourdian

The MMOG Nation Broadcast’s third episode is yet another response-cast, this time to Craig Dalrymple’s ill-conceived defense of Fantasy vs. Sci-Fi. Doesn’t he know resistance is futile? A few more naughty words are used, and I even manage to insult religion. Next time will be more listener-friendly, I promise.

Root Posts:
Why Fantasy?
Sci-Fi Ghetto
Is There Hope for a Science Fiction MMORPG?
No Hope for a Science Fiction MMORPG?
MMO: Science Fiction MMO Outline #1 -”Book of Days”

My post: Five Reasons Sci-Fi Pwns Fantasy
His response: One Reason Fantasy Pwns Sci-Fi

Music:
Beachcoma, Finished Symphony, Wide Angle. Album by Hybrid. Used without permission.

Some of the hoopla from Surfer girl is pretty much confirmed, thanks to some sharp eyes at Kotaku.

Wondering what that BioWare/Lucasarts project was going to be? Oh, come on. Like you couldn’t guess. During EA’s analyst report earlier today, it was seemingly revealed that in addition to working on more Mass Effect, Dragon Age and a “New MMO”, BioWare are also handling a new Knights of the Old Republic title. Which means that, if accurate, it’s not their upcoming MMO. So, a new, straight-up RPG, then? Probably. If this is indeed correct (and we’re checking with EA), your excitement glands can’t possibly repel joy of this magnitude.

BioWare’s MMO may not be fantasy, and the new Star Wars MMO may not be as she described, but I think this basically means she nailed the ‘not KOTORO’ part. That adds alot of credence to her claim, IMHO.

Update: Gaaah. Gamespot does some journalism and finds out that for some reason past and future products were slapped up there together. Feh. I wish I had a hotline to EA. So no love on this front.

Here’s the thing. Every goddamn year around Christmas time, raiding guilds go through this period where people are traveling or spending time with their families or both, cuz THAT’S WHAT NORMAL PEOPLE DO. So, of course, the raiding (read: the loot train) slows down or grinds to a halt, only to pick up again after the holidays have passed. And every goddamn year, there’s a group of players who begin to panic when the loot train isn’t chugging down the tracks. “Are we disbanding?” “Will we raid again?” “This guild is dead!!” Fercrissakes, it’s two weeks out of the year and these losers can’t wait for people to get back to their computers.

Go tackle him, Hobbes-style!

Okay. It all falls into place. Surfer Girl’s latest ‘Wars rumor had me thinking that the new MMOG was going to be based in the timeframe of the liveaction show. Today’s announcement of the full scope of the Clone Wars animated series, though, has it all coming into focus.

Produced by Lucasfilm Animation, Star Wars: The Clone Wars takes audiences on incredible new Star Wars adventures, combining the legendary storytelling of Lucasfilm with an eye-popping, signature animation style. Star Wars: The Clone Wars will open in North American theaters Friday, August 15. International release dates will be announced soon. The theatrical debut of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is only the beginning of all-new Star Wars adventures that continue in the fall when the long-awaited television series premieres on Cartoon Network, followed by airings on TNT. Details regarding international broadcasts will be announced shortly. Star Wars: The Clone Wars showcases an entirely new look and feel to the galaxy far, far away — combining the expansive scope of the Star Wars Saga with state-of-the-art computer-generated animation. Each week, viewers will see a thrilling, 30-minute “mini-movie” created by the talented artists at Lucasfilm Animation.

This is way, waaaay bigger a project than I thought it was. I had assumed the live-action show was the main thrust of their creative campaign, with the Clone series just a way to make side-money. This makes me think it’s t’otherwayround. Looking at the images from the animated series, it’s like looking at a really nice videogame. So why not make it a videogame? The Clone Wars era is actually the *perfect* time to set a game like this. It’s got the appeal of some later era components in the background, while still having plenty of room for Jedi to participate. It’s also right there in the movies, making it more appealing to folks who may have never heard of Knights of the Old Republic.

With her earlier statements taken into account, this paints a fascinating future for the MMO industry. If BioWare’s game really is a fantasy title, what the hell is it? A D&D game that tries to grab mindshare where DDO didn’t? That’s the implication of her statement that their game “has a fantasy setting akin to the company’s previous fantasy role playing games.” A title set in their Dragon Age world maybe?

So, out past the WAR/AoC fight this year, we have highlights like these:

• BioWare’s Fantasy Title
• The Agency
• DC Universe
• The Clone Wars MMO
• StarGate Worlds
• Secret World
• Lego Universe
• World of Darkness

Only one fantasy title! And it’s BioWare! Sniffle. I think I just learned how to love again.

I have to say: I partially hope this is wrong. I want a KOTORO MMOG. But, could I live with this? Heck yeah.

This will undermine my boldest proclamation about 2008’s mmogdom, but I think it’s true. I don’t think Lich King is going to get pushed to next year. I think speculation of a Summer launch is definitely possible now. My guess is that this means StarCraft 2 won’t be out until late this year or early next.

The reason for my change of heart? Secret insider knowledge? (pfff) It’s actually WoW’s fiction. I think the Lore has now advanced to the point where Blizz is going to have to move on WotLK sometime in the next few months before the end of the year. The forging of the Shattered Sun Offensive is a huuuuge change to Shat, upsetting the status quo that has existed since TBC launched early last year. The result, besides some freaking awesome faction rewards, is an Azeroth primed for change.

It’s honestly heartwarming to see how well the Aldor and Scryer are working together. It really isn’t just lip service, at least not in Shattrath. Grand Anchorite Almonen still comes to give his blessing to departing troops, but now his speech is to Shattered Sun Offensive soldiers, Blood Elf and Draenei alike. He still gives his sermons before A’dal as well, and now they too are an audience composed of both Draenei and Blood Elf, who he counts as equally pursuing the light, who respond to his sermon with a hearty “May it be so!” before dispersing. The Scryers seem to be quite vindicated in the lore with this patch, proving themselves to be true disciples of A’dal and followers of the Light.

Update: Darniaq makes a great point in the comments about lessons learned from timing TBC and Naxx so close together. Maybe not Summer then, but definitely this year. I really wasn’t convinced until I saw the lore. I dunno why business reasons seem ephemeral to me and storytelling reasons don’t, but there you go.

I tend to be an empathic kind of guy. Despite my cynicism and sometimes jaded outlook, I care a lot. Especially about things in the world of MMOs. For example, I am frustrated and saddened by the passing of the Marvel MMOG.  I really wanted to see that DC/CoH/Marvel fight. (Aside: that article is really well written. Go me!) Last year I was made emo by a number of things; Vanguard’s suq, Auto Assault’s closure, Gods and Heroes’ cancellation.

There’s something ongoing in Massive games that just makes me dejected, though, and that’s ‘middle levels’. The levels past the ‘newb experience’ and before the ‘endgame’. IE: The stuff everyone mostly wants to skip. The reason: I love those levels! I think the middle levels are freaking awesome. The problem is that both the developers and the players seem to view them more as speedbumps than anything else. As a result, additions to games tend to heavily weight towards either end of the play experience. New character races introduce new newbie experience, while almost every expansion will add (or prolong) endgame content.

Meanwhile, the middlin’ levels are left lolling about wondering why they got out of bed in the morning.  I want to take a moment to pour out a metaphorical beer for my friends, the middle levels.

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