EverQuest II

It's that time of the week again, people! Time for those unlucky few who missed our livestreams as they went live to click beyond the cut and enjoy my favorites of the week. It's hard picking them out, so I reach out to the team and ask which ones deserve to be highlighted. Honestly, all of the livestreams deserve the spotlight, but it should be no surprise to find out that individual streamers find their own streams to be the best of the best. I tend to agree, and every week I am surprised at just how no-nonsense and informative our streams are. Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule calender so that each week you can tune in to your favorite. Feel free to suggest titles for streaming and to chat it up with our streamers live as they play!

This week we have MJ returning with her favorite games like EverQuest II, Aion, The Secret World, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and Guild Wars 2. Richie joins in with his current favorite, Guild Wars 2, and I round things off with an hour spent with the Ultima Online developer team, a goblinball session with community leaders in Allods Online, and a tutorial on building a house in Wurm Online! Trust me, if there is one goblin-kicking, dev-interviewing, house-building livestream series that you should watch, it's this one!

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With an ever-growing number of MMOs competing for attention (and your wallet), I'm sure every game company is constantly asking, "What can we do to bring in new players and convince former players to come back?" This past week, the EverQuest II team posed that very question to a surprising group: the players!

In a recent post to the official forums, EQII Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale posted the following:

Howdy Norrathians! The team has been brainstorming ideas that would ease the re-entry back into the game and soften the learning curve for returning players as well as creative options for a Refer-a-Friend program. What would float your boat if you are, or were, a returning player at some point? Creative suggestions? And do you have ideas that would make you excited to not just refer a friend, but play with them too?

In past columns, we've looked at a few ways to attract new and returning players, but in this week's Tattered Notebook, it's worth looking at the topic again. What would get you to come back to EQII (or try it for the first time)?

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I figured that after the last column's focus on World of Warcraft, I might as well feature the other major November 2004 MMO release: EverQuest II. EverQuest II embraced high fantasy to its core, and the soundtrack for the original game certainly reflects this.

SOE tapped composer Laura Karpman for the project in the early 2000s. The four-time Emmy-winner spent time getting acquainted with the first EverQuest before creating the music for the sequel. Following EQII's completion, Karpman remained on staff at SOE from 2005 to 2006 as the resident composer. She would leave the team after doing the score for EQII's first expansion, Desert of Flames.

"This was one of the most rewarding opportunities I have ever had," Karpman said in 2003. "We had an amazing time recording the score in Prague, a wonderful city with equally great players."

The one-hour soundtrack came with the collector's edition of the game, and a friend mailed me his copy, which I deeply appreciated. There's a lot to enjoy about this score, so let's dig in!

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Ah, what a week in livestreaming for the Massively crew! Luckily, no one was discouraged by the fact that I was unable to stream my usual amount because I was waiting on a new PC to arrive. What brave soldiers, what fearless souls! I begged them to go on without me, and... well, they did. Pretty easily, actually. Be sure to bookmark our livestream schedule page so you won't miss another!

Anyway, what did we do on to stream? Well, tons of stuff. I took some of the very best streams from last week and assembled them in one easy-to-swallow pill. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and watch the wackiness! Like what? Like Richie taking on some more Guild Wars 2 in beautiful HD; MJ leaping bravely into The Secret World, EverQuest II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, City of Heroes and Aion; and Mike PvPing in EVE Online and World of Tanks. I rounded things off with my one stream of the week: a look at IMVU, a social MMO for those who really, really like to go goth.

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In just a few weeks, SOE fans will gather in Las Vegas for Fan Faire SOE Live. The name change isn't the only thing that's different this year, though. As the convention details begin to take shape, we're finding a lot more questions than answers. In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll look at some of the changes this year and try to read the tea leaves of what they might mean for fans. We'll look at what's on the schedule, like money and a possible Mobhunter sighting, and also what's not included (but should be).

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EverQuest II's newest dungeon, Sleeper's Tomb, is now open for adventurers with both group and raid versions. This dungeon is just the first chapter of the game's Chains of Eternity expansion, which releases in November. The adventure begins for level 92 players by answering a summons from Erus Dal'viv, the Swordbearer, that will arrive via Norrathian Express.

Along with a new dungeon of foes to fight (included massive dragons), three demi-gods newly ascended to full godhood are appearing in Velious lands to battle any who dare to challenge them. Players can also acquire new dragonkin mounts from Sleeper's Tomb or purchase them from the cash shop.

Want a glimpse of what to expect when you enter the tomb? Watch the trailer after the cut.

[Source: SOE press release]

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It's starting to cool down outside, at least here in Texas. Trust me, I know how strange that sounds, but the temperature during the middle of the day is moving up as usual and the mornings and evenings are pure bliss. If it's cold where you are now, settle down with a cup of coffee and take that newspaper and throw it in the trash! Who needs to read? Follow the magic links down below, and not only will you get the news, but it will be delivered in a completely non-newsy form: video game streams!

Let's break down the top stories for this week. First, we'll be joined by the Pigster as he takes us on a tour of Spiral Knight's planet. Richie is still stuck in Guild Wars 2, but trooper that he is, he continues to file reports from the front lines. How brave! MJ returns this week with a recipe for Gnoll burritos from EverQuest II, a newbie tour through the character mines of Guild Wars 2, a quickie glimpse of the floating islands of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and an avocado dip recipe given to her by the pirates of Aion. I finish off by travelling back in time to a game called There, a title that kept me up for ages when I was younger.

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Last week's announcement of a new EverQuest II expansion was a surprise in many ways, but I think the biggest surprise of all is the fact that there is an expansion coming at all. The game has gone through many changes in both its update schedule and payment model over the past few years, so it's interesting to see the announcement of Chains of Eternity, EQII's ninth expansion. We've seen the transition to free-to-play, free content game updates, and with the most recent expansion, a move toward features and away from game content.

So why is EQII going back to a traditional style expansion? And in light of free-to-play and not "pay to hope," should the game even continue with paid expansions? Let's look at a few things to consider in this week's Tattered Notebook.

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Housing. Mission generators. Player-run festivals. Music. Overall general sandboxy goodness. Since its debut over a year ago, Some Assembly Required has covered a number of topics related to player-generated content as well as the games that offer such features. However, recent events have turned my attention toward a different aspect of PGC.

Between the Dota 2 incident and last week's announcement from Sony Online Entertainment, I am actually looking at player-generated content in a whole new way: as a revenue generator. That's right -- collecting cold hard cash for your creativity. Although plenty of titles allow players to create content and share it within the games, very few let players sell that content for real-world money. This column explores the cash-for-content phenomenon in MMOs: what games have it, how to use it, and whether it is likely to become the next big thing.

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A warning in advance: There might be a lot of tears on this show. Bree and Justin cope with the upcoming shutdown of City of Heroes, which marks the third of Bree's favorite games cancelled within the past year. Is there still hope from the player population, or is this a done deal? Oh my, fair listeners, we have not begun to fight! Or sing!

Have a comment for the podcasters? Shoot an email to podcast@massively.com. We may just read your email on the air!

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Read below the cut for the full show notes.

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Talk about a busy week for the EverQuest franchise! In a one-two punch, SOE announced new expansions for EverQuest and EverQuest II and unveiled Player Studio, a new tool that will allow players to create and sell their own items on the marketplace. I went from "what shall I write about this week" to "where do I begin?!"

The expansions deserve attention in their own right, plus they're still a ways off from being released, so in this week's column, I'd like to look at Player Studio with an eye on EQ's past. In the history of the franchise, user-generated content has been around for a long time, as has open-ended gameplay. Both seem to be making a return to EQ and EQII, and I'll say it's long overdue.

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EverQuest II's new expansion reared its head earlier today, as did the latest content drop for the original EverQuest. Sony Online Entertainment didn't stop there, though. The firm has unveiled something called SOE Player Studio, which is a new endeavor designed to give creative customers a way to develop their own in-game items.

While user-generated content has been a staple in SOE titles for many years, Player Studio is different because it's built on a for-profit foundation.

Players may "download sample geometry for actual in-game objects and through the use of third party art tools, learn how to develop, design and personalize items of their own." After an item passes the SOE approval process, it can be purchased by other players in the SOE Marketplace. Player content authors will then receive 40 percent of the net amount that SOE receives from the sale.

The service will initially cover both EQ and EQII. SOE's website says Player Studio is coming soon for both Vanguard and Free Realms.

[Source: SOE press release]

Sony Online Entertainment has taken the wraps off EverQuest II's ninth expansion this afternoon. Chains of Eternity will release in November, and it will pile even more content on top of one of the MMO genre's most content-rich games. All the new stuff takes place in EQII's version of the afterlife, or as it's known in Norrath: Ethernere.

Adventuring and tradeskill level caps will tick up to 95, new prestige abilities are coming, and of course there are plenty of new quests on the way as well. Producer Holly "Windstalker" Longdale also hints at "another event that we're keeping under wraps." She says it, whatever it is, will debut around the same time as the expansion.

The EverQuest II team has been regularly checking off game changes from the summer update announcement, and the most recent additions to the world of Norrath are new Gigglegibber minigames. If you've had your eye on a certain armor crate, a particular mount, or a handy consumable, but you haven't wanted to spend a lot of Station Cash to buy it, you can try your luck at winning it through one of three minigames. For 100 SC, you can buy a ticket, play a game, and get a random reward at the end.

If you're curious about what the games are like and what the possible prizes are, then you're in luck! In this week's Tattered Notebook, we'll hang out with the Gigglegibbers and explore the new minigames.

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Did you grow up watching Power Rangers? I didn't, but then again, I was slightly over the age demographic there. But it tickles me pink (ranger) that the guy who got his start doing background music for one of the cheesiest shows of all time ended up scoring many of the greatest video games of all time.

Israeli-born Inon Zur was hard at work in the film, TV, and video game industry in the '90s, but it wasn't until 2002's Icewind Dale II that his music and fame started to climb to a whole different level. Zur started winning awards left and right for his work on Dragon Age, Fallout 3, Prince of Persia, and Men of Valor, among other titles.

MMO players might not know it, Zur's deft hand is all over the place. He's composed several EverQuest and EverQuest II expansions, the now-defunct Exteel, last year's RIFT and most recently, TERA. As a driving force behind MMO music, Inon Zur has a unique perspective on what makes for a great audio experience.

Want to hear more? Us too. We have a great interview with Zur as well as a few select pieces of his works after the jump.

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