I read with interest that Darkpaw are looking for a new Creative Director. https://www.daybreakgames.com/careers?job=6737342002 Some interesting wording in the job description caught my eye, unannounced title is a surpise in & of itself given the dearth of new games from Daybreak and the shuttering of projects before & after the sale of SoE. "Pre-Existing IP" "High Fantasy Exploration" "Procedurally Generated" So what do you think?
That they're looking for someone to use and develop procedures to assist in the generation of ideas and concepts relating to an existing IP (?) that will involve the exploration of an online world that includes high fantasy and exploration of same. Anything else is just speculation. But, hey, speculation is fun. So...how about an expansion for EQ that involves the overthrow of the existing regimes and the violent imposition of a new world system where paladins reign supreme and the dwarves are in complete control and send their koala hordes out to wreak havoc and bring chaos to all. All this whilst laboring on a project so evil and devious that it will never actually be referred to in any direct way. But only be hinted at in whispers tinged with terror and fear.
The latest trademarks just recently added are BALLADS OF ZIMARA and SHATTERED OVERTURE. The two prior to those were the latest EQ2 update and what's assumed to be the next EQ1 expansion, and the two before that were an EQ2 update and EQ1 expansion. But, you never know.
After the mess they just made of the UI and how many bugs remain unfixed for months/years I'm not holding my breath for anything decent.
Daybreak, you own Vanguard! It's a huge MMORPG. Just make the engine more stable and better performing, and relaunch the game. I'd resub to it, no question.
How about they focus on fixing the games they already have instead of lighting another dumpster fire?
EQ is far from being a dumpster fire . Remembering EQ over the years it seems to me they have fixed and dealt with many items. Not many years ago we were getting constant crashes at one point. I don't raid enough to speak to raid lag but for those who don't raid I think the game is in pretty good shape. I just keep remembering how old EQ is and how it is still getting constant updates and fixes instead of being ignored.
Because they already make money off us rubes without said fixes. What's the motivation to make fixes that won't bring in new money? A new title has the potential to bring in a larger audience.
One thing to keep in mind for any future released game is that EQ & EQ II are a "joint team" in some areas of development, a new game may actually end up benefitting the older titles by having some development team overlap, or at least it might do under a "best case scenario", the fresh-talent a new project may bring in to the company can often have unexpected benefits.
It could also make it a lot worse, some of the best devs and coders when to EQNext never to be heard of again.
there are teams of devs working in shifts devising new and creative ways to prevent you from leaving your moms basement
I don't think the folks laid off were responsible for the failings of EQNext, my understanding is the project simply hit a technological brick-wall that the coding critters had no solution for, something they expected to be able to solve but which ultimately proved to be an achilles heel that undermined pretty much all of the other tech poured into the game. Indeed I don't think that particular problem has been solved by anybody even all these years later it was that tricky (namely the pathing of npcs in a fully destructible environment).
With a simplified UI I think an EQ Classic on Mobile would do gangbusters, Old School Runescape on mobile certainly did amazingly well, made Jagex a boatload of cash & pulled in millions of players. I reckon a mobile version of EQOA could do well too.
