While on the subject of dinner, we had a wonderful time at the Bartolotta Ristorante di Mare restaurant at the Wynn resort, thanks to lots of hard work and planning from Adam and his guildie Joe. Thank you again guys! It was great to finally meet Adam, as well as his guildmates from Iniquity. (go go banana ranger!)

On Saturday, Adam and I did our usual guild-themed podcast, live on location. We had a roundtable chat with 7 guildleader guests, as well as Calthine from Zam. Right after that, Calthine snagged Frizznik, the lead game mechanic designer, and he graciously sat down with us to record a minicast about Fan Faire and the future of Everquest II. Lots of great discussion, and we appreciate everyone taking time to join us for our recordings. Props to Brian for manning the camera – we should have both audio and video of the shows!

Overall, Fan Faire was a truly special experience. I had the fortune of meeting several members of the EQII development team, and every single one was friendly and approachable. Considering how crazy busy they always looked, they went out of their way to chat with players, answer questions, and help to make everyone’s Fan Faire experience enjoyable.

But out of all of it, the best part of Fan Faire for me was meeting a dozen of my guildmates from Revelry and Honor. Some of them I’ve known for almost a decade, and this was the first time meeting them face to face. Seeing them was very much like the end of The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy wakes up and reflects on the true identities of the characters she met during her journeys in Oz. In my guild, the high parsing halfling is really a doctor with some amazing stories and lots of down home southern charm. Our tiny, pink, fae warden is really a high energy guy with a funky sleep schedule and a craving for caffeine. Our tall, strong tank is really….well, tall and strong.

I have to admit, I went in to Fan Faire with a huge list of things I wanted to do, but I found myself scrapping that plan as soon as I met everyone, because I wanted to spend as much time as I could just hanging out, chatting about the game, and taking in the best of Fan Faire together – which is really what it’s all about.

So what are the pros and cons?

The Good: The Free to Play server with the robust marketplace will probably generate a nice lump of revenue, which helps the game overall (if, of course, it goes back into the EQ2 kitty and not into some other project). The current marketplace on live servers seems to be used quite a bit, and I often come across players sporting the appearance armor and mounts. There have been a lot of great art resources added into the game over the past couple of years, and if it can be used to generate more revenue for the game, that’s always a good thing.

Second, this is a great game, with a lot of fun content. Everquest 2 often gets overlooked in the mass sea of MMOs, but it’s well worth playing. Players I come across in game are usually impressed with the game features that have been added over the years, and they often remark that when they move to another game they realize how much they miss certain things in Everquest 2. It’s nice that more people will get to experience that through this plan.

The Bad: I can’t overstate how big of a downside there could be from adding the Extended server. Everquest Extended turns the idea of community on its head, because the new players on the Free to Play server will never be able to transfer their characters to the regular servers. Once a character is created on an Everquest Extended server, that’s where it remains, even if the person ends up subscribing.

Above: Last years tepid turnout at the Guild Faire in Antonica. A glimpse of the future?

And there’s the root of the problem. New players will undoubtedly go to the F2P servers, which will lack the onramp to socialization that older servers with well established guilds can offer. This is huge, because guilds are a key part of enticing a player to stick with a game over the long term. I’d go as far as saying that the high turnover rate of free to play populations might even discourage potential subscribers from making that jump and investing themselves in the game.

Meanwhile, old servers will be faced with the slow evaporation of the playerbase that naturally occurs. Everquest 2′s population is very guild centric (and I say that as a good thing). Without a stream of new players, these guilds will have a very hard time recruiting new members and maintaining healthy rosters. Community will slowly dry up, and the incentive for the remaining players to stay will slowly diminish.

I understand the desire to keep store bought items away from the classic servers, but in an attempt to do so, EQ2 is going to end up undermining the whole concept of community that’s been such an important part of the game. I really hope they continue to examine how much this will affect the future of the game on current servers. If they stick with this plan, there are two things I’d like to see:

1. Let players transfer from Everquest Extended to live servers. I’m going to face up to a big taboo and ask, why not let players with purchased gear transfer over? There need to be two stipulations though – one, the purchased gear should not be better than raid or rare heroic dropped gear, and two, it should be no trade. But if that’s the case, why not? And yes, I’m posing that question as much to the EQ2 playerbase as to the development team.

There’s another reason I’d like to see transfers. When you step back and look at the larger picture, you need to consider the small portion of players that do opt to create characters on live servers – primarily, friends of those that are already playing on live servers. These new players are important, because they’re much more likely to subscribe and stick with the game. But they’re essentially penalized, because they can’t do anything meaningful with their friends until they do the level grind, which is largely solo. While Extended players will be able to shorten up that climb on the level ladder with purchasable gear and potions, friends on regular servers won’t have that chance. Sadly, the Recruit-A-Friend perks don’t do much to balance those scales.

2. Take a serious look at ways to keep the community strong in Everquest 2. Ideally, new players should look at the live servers and want to be there, even if they’re starting out on the Extended Servers. Rewards can’t just be limited to fluff rewards and cutesy incentives like appearance armor and titles. People who have made a loyal and longterm should feel like they’re the VIPs of the game.

Veteran players and guilds are immensely important to the game, because they are the ones that make it easier for new players to feel a part of the larger community on the server. So while I think that loyal subscribers should be rewarded, I also think they should be given more tools to help them be the game’s ambassadors, and they should be nudged into taking a much more active role in that process of bringing new players into the fold. (And I’m talking about more than grooming someone to raid at the endgame).

Finally, while we debate the effects of an Extended server on both revenue and community, I think it’s worth asking why the Senior Producer would so publicly and so loudly brush off rumors that EQ2 is going Free to Play, just a few weeks before this announcement? We can get into a Clintonesque quibble about the meaning of the word “your,” but what purpose does that serve in the long run? MMO players are extremely cynical. If you’re trying to win over their trust, being coy isn’t the way to do it. Hit them with brutal honesty and sincerity, and you’re much more likely to have players meet you half way on sensitive game changes like Everquest Extended.

Overall, I am taking a wait and see approach to the new Extended server. I think it’s still to early to break out either the pitchforks or the pom poms. And to some extent, yesterday’s news about the future of the live servers will have an effect on things. I’ll blog more about that announcement later today, and there’s a lot in there that I’m very excited to see.

You can listen to A View From the Top Here

Questions:

- What qualities make guild leaders so memorable, and who are the leaders we recall most fondly?

- What are our thoughts about “Guild perks” like EQ2′s guild halls, amenities, DDO’s Airships, and WoW’s guild talent system? Are these benefits helpful for smaller and more casual guilds, or does it make it harder for them to survive alongside the larger and more active guilds?

- Why are many guild application forms so generic? Are there better ways to screen applicants besides questions about things like AA’s and gear?

- What do you do when a veteran member of the guild feels like exceptions to new rules should be made because of their longevity in the guild?

- What do you do about a veteran member of the guild who is upset over another veteran being an officer?

- How do you deal with a guild member when you move them from a desired spot in the raid to a less desired spot due to attendance and performance? How do you deal with them being upset about being moved without totally ticking them off?

…and more!

Got a guild issue that’s driving you up a wall? We welcome any of your guild-related questions. You can contact us at viewfromthetop@vagary.tv.

Also, on our next show, Adam and I will talk about the upcoming SOE Fan Faire. We’ll discuss helpful tips and suggestions on how to get the most from the event. We’ll also look at what to do, and what no to do, when meeting up with guildies! If you have any tips or questions related to Fan Faire, we’d love to hear from you!

38 Studios might not be making glitzy CGI trailers right now. They aren’t even making the pip pip cheerio I love Life of Brian developer videos either. But they are still quietly generating buzz, albeit to very specific audiences. Let’s take a look!

First off, via the Darkfall forums, Curt Schilling posted a link to an interview of Joe Mirabello, one of the game artists. One of the images on the site is labeled “38 game:”

In addition, what I found revealing is Mirabello’s description of 38 Studios:

Well, making games in general is just a fun thing to do, but to be specific about 38, there’s quite a few things that makes the studio stand out. The team is pretty incredible. There’s an interesting blurring-of-the-lines between disciplines at 38 that has allowed me to work a lot with programmers, artists and designers, and I’ve learned a lot from them. As such, the culture has really grown into something cool at 38. I look forward to going to work each morning.
Also, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention 38′s ‘Free-your-mind’ day. Basically, artists are allotted 8 hours a month to work on anything they want, so long as it’s related to the game. Have a cool idea for a crazy zone? Use your free-your-mind day for it and show it to designers! Thought up some cool new armor design? Spend your free-your-mind time on it and show it to the character guys. Not every idea gets used of course, but it gets us excited and thinking outside the box. It’s ended up working out so well that we extended the practice to the design and programming teams, which has already turned out some awesome results.

We’ve heard several times from the staff at 38 studios that the atmosphere is very tight, close knit, and focused, so it’s no surprise to hear Mirabello say how much he looks forward to each day at the studio. What’s interesting though is his revelation about the “Free-your-mind” day. It’s no secret that Schilling has lined up a “Dream Team,” so it’s exciting to hear that they’re encouraged to tap into their creative talent to help shape the game. Once a week, they get to tackle the question, “How cool would it be if…” I’m sure that’s yet another reason why the team sounds so passionate about Copernicus.

Before I move on to the next article, allow me to post up some reckless speculation on two of the other pictures from the interview:

and

Those two pictures look a whole lot like these downloadable wallpapers of concept art from Copernicus, don’t they?

Anyway, there was also some buzz from E3 recently. While 38 Studio’s didn’t have a formal presence there, they were actively meeting and chatting with MMO journalists. Here’s a nice article from GameBanshee.

Couple of thoughts on the article -

First, it’s nice to see that 38 Studios has secured the investment money they need to complete the project. Back in the spring, it sounded a little up in the air, but with EA publishing Mercury, and over $100 million now in the coffer, things look a lot brighter. There seems to still be a bit of a diceroll though, as it looks like Schilling is hoping to use profits from Mercury to fund the last stretch of production for Copernicus. Most of us are focused on Copernicus, but it seems that the real onus right now is on Mercury.

Second, it’s exciting to hear that over the next few months, we’ll finally get to see glimpses of what these games will be like. Who knows, maybe we’ll even learn their true titles!

Overall, the buzz is out there, even though it’s a bit under the radar. Schilling has been making the rounds on fansite forums like MMORPG.com, as well as MMO community forums like Fires of Heaven, and even ESPN. He seems to be taking his message directly to the audiences he’ll be trying to woo down the road, which is a nice change from the general broadcast announcements that other game companies have done in the past.

And from those forum posts, two tidbits caught my eye:

To be honest story is at the center of what we’re trying to achieve. A meaningful story, and by meaningful I mean, well, it has to matter. The world, the heroes, the villains, all of it has to truly matter to the player or else it actually is just a script.

and

As well as helping deliver this HUGE world with a HUGE history and Heroes, villains friends and cool stuff in something other than quest text, cut scenes and dialogue boxes…

Story is in fashion right now as we all know. But the type of story/world he’s describing is very different from what Bioware emphasises. I’m certainly looking forward to learning more about what’s planned for Copernicus.

I’m sure Blizzard considered the fact that going forward with RealID would scare players away from posting on the forums, thus removing the direct link to player feedback. So what they’re essentially saying is that their number crunching and data collection is more valuable than your posted feedback.

How do we like that notion guys?

Yes, this will affect anonymous trolls who post simply to bait and flame. They’ll definitely think twice about what they say from now on. Unless of course, they create a bot account with a fake name.

Who else will be affected by this though?

The teenage kid who makes a clumsy post and ends up being ridiculed by his friends.

The high school teacher and coach who doesn’t particularly want her students to run up to her in school and laugh about how they PK’d her over and over the night before.

The young lady who doesn’t want creepy guy_01 to find out where she lives, because being followed around non stop in game is creepy enough.

The highly competitive hardcore player who is getting some serious threats from someone they beat in a fcfs race.

The players who use MMOs as a way of escaping, if briefly, the daily reminders of who they are in real life. I’m not just talking about roleplayers either. I’m talking about the many gamers who are disabled, or members of minority groups, or who live an alternative lifestyle. For some gamers, it’s a true luxury to be able to assume a new identity in a virtual world, where they can’t be pre-judged.

And if someone feels this is paranoia and scare mongering, I’d be happy to link up some really ugly threads over the years where people’s pictures, real life names, street addresses, IP addresses, and other highly personal information were revealed because of a simple post on a forum.

Will this be the end of the WoW forums? Of course not. But there will most likely be a new site somewhere, though, where people can go to post and still use their avatar names.

What bothers me about all this, apart from some of the disturbing possibilities of what will happen to people like the ones above, is that it’s really removed one of the best qualities of MMOs, which is that we get to play a character in a virtual world. MMOs sell because they advertise the opportunity for players to become a hero and take on adventures. Lately, we’ve even been told that we get to create our own meaningful stories. By revealing the link between our avatars and our real names, that’s all gone.

I haven’t played WoW in years and didn’t have plans to return any time soon, because I’m happy in EQ2. But I’m writing this because MMOs seem to love borrowing ideas that come out of WoW. This is not only the worst idea to come out of WoW, but the worst idea I’ve ever seen come from an MMO.

Here’s hoping that the loud objections will be heard.

But right after that, the question I always hear is, “where does the rank of Llamabait come from?”

Well, let me tell you a story!

About three years ago, RnH was playing Vanguard, and we were neck deep in lumber, tiles, and stucco, as we slowly prepared to build a guild hall on Keejay Cove.

To build a guild hall, you not only needed the building materials and the coin, but also the paperwork. (Yes, red tape does exist in virtual worlds!) To get the right papers, our guild needed to complete parleys through the diplomacy system, which was a type of card game. But even though we had a few diplomacy experts in guild, the sheer volume of cards we needed for the guild hall was extremely daunting.

I had just about traded my soul to line up a brickmaker, so I was pretty much out of options when it came to working some trades for diplomacy cards. And while our guild was working hard to chip away at it, we only had one person in guild that was high enough to get the high level cards.

Unfortunately, without the cards, we couldn’t get the guild hall plot commission from the Sultan of Aghram. No commission – no plot. So we were rapidly approaching the release date of guild halls, and we were faced with the possibility of having to watch other guilds scoop up plots, including the one we wanted.

And then, as I was sitting in Mekalia, furiously dip’ing with the horrid gnomes, I got a tell from Faunis, our high level diplomat and officer. He met a really nice ranger named Drax, from the guild Mystic Llamaherders, and the two of them were working out trades to help us get the high level cards we needed.

Over the course of the next few days, Drax actually ended up donating many high level, hard to get cards that enabled us to get the commission we needed. Paper in hand, we got our plot!

But our real reward was soon after, when Drax decided to come join our guild. And in tribute, we used his old guild’s name as inspiration for our rank for alts – Llamabait. The name seemed oddly appropriate, and it’s stuck with us ever since, all the way from Telon to Norrath.

Happily, Drax has stuck with us as well. He’s sporting a red mushroom these days, but he’s still the quiet hero for us when things are looking grim. Whether it’s coming to help tank the Sisters in Hate, or being the fastest clicker on the block in Lair to cure blindness, Drax often helps put us over the top.

And just like a true illusionist, he’s always changing himself into strange things. My favorite is when he turns himself into a mender bot and runs to where the bot will be summoned. The result is a flurry of “Hail, Draxer,” followed by “DRAX NOT AGAIN! @#%!@%%”

So that’s the story of how a guild hall plot, a stack of diplomacy cards, and a former Mystic Llamaherder brought us the rank of Llamabait. Thank you DRAX!