by Moorgard on 2002-12-29
IP Freely and the Song BoxAbsor made a couple Dev Corner posts on Christmas Eve (the heathen!) just to show his giving spirit. First he assured folks that adding the windowed mode to EQ wasn't going to prevent people from playing multiple accounts on the same IP address:
Right now I'm not aware of any changes that would have caused any problems with multiple accounts on the same IP (though we are aware that a few people are having this problem, and we're looking into it). We don't plan to actively prevent folks from logging on with two accounts on the same IP. This wouldn't be a good thing for those with multiple computers in their homes and others that share a single connection (not that anyone plays at work...).
If you have problems doing so, it's likely a router issue and you might have to upgrade your firmware.
Hey, sicko, stop giggling when I say "firmware."
Alan also posted more details on the whole bard buff box thing:
- The new buff slots do indeed increase the total effects that a person can have. 15 standard buffs and the 6 short-duration buffs. So it will be possible to have 21 buffs up at once.
- Any buff in the new buff box is considered temporary and will not be saved when you zone. Because of this, we are not planning to put too many things into this buff box, mostly just 3 tick bard songs. Right now that does include the bard DA song (though not other Divine Aura-type spells), though we'll see how that works out on Test.
- Only beneficial songs qualify for the new buff box -- If a DoT is on you, you won't be able to clear it by zoning. :)
- If you have all six new buff slots full, the seventh song to hit you will reroute to the main effect slots. If one of the new buff box slots free up, this seventh song (that now lives in the main box) will still be refreshed in the main box. The seventh effect will not automatically "pop" into the temporary effect box.
Bards are mostly very happy with their new buff box, but remain concerned that some important songs might poof when zoning (like invis, levitate, enduring breath, and Selo's). From Scott Hartsman's post on the bard boards, it sounds like they should be safe, but some tweaking will probably be necessary.
Tease Me, Please Me
Hammerfel provided quite a bit of entertainment last week with his Easter egg hunt on the new EverQuest.com site and in the December newsletter. Mr. Pearce has provided a quest walkthrough on the EQLive site, detailing how you figure out most of what you need to solve the puzzle.
Since the cat has been out of the bag a while, we don't feel bad spoiling the whole thing by pointing you to the puzzle's solution, the Legacy of Ykesha Web site. Details won't be forthcoming until January 15, but yes, Virginia, it's the next EQ expansion. Personally, I can't wait to see a whole new land filled with creatures that drop nothing but 8/24 swords, but that's just me.
Does anyone else hark back to the days when somebody dual-wielding Yaks was the height of uberness? Now they don't even get used for twinking alts. If you ask me, that's the greatest promise of EverQuest 2 and other upcoming games in the genre--being able to start from scratch and see a whole new world evolve again.
Anyway, kudos to Nathan Pearce and his Web team for providing more fun for the players to enjoy. And a big thumbs down to people who think they're l33t h4xx0rs by decompiling code to find hidden solutions rather than playing along and figuring them out the right way. Players clamor all the time for more quests, and Hammerfel provided just that. Now give us more, please.
You Don't Move Me
Recent posts over on Graffe's wizard board call into question whether epics are being reimbursed after server transfers. A seemingly sincere wizard claims he petitioned to a GM after moving and did indeed get his epic back, but whether or not this is an official policy is very much in question.
It was mentioned at a previous FanFaire that Verant was considering allowing epics to move with characters, but no announcement has ever been made. So even if this whole thing is a hoax, it could still happen. It's not like epics are the character-defining rarities they once were, so little harm would be done in making this standard policy.
All's Faire at the Crap Table
The FanFaire message boards recently had an announcment about the next player gathering:
Fan Faire will be in Las Vegas at the Las Vegas Hilton, on the dates of March 28th and 29th. The contract is not signed yet and it most likely will be signed in Mid-January due to the holidays.
The group room rate will be $109, as well. Please do not book anything non-refundable just in case, but this is as official as its going to get.
Also, I am announcing the Fall Fan Faire early, it will be in Chicago in the fall. (Grats Midwest.)
Vegas is the perfect place for an EQ get-together, as travel packages are cheap and fun is plentiful. The Las Vegas Hilton is set back a bit from the strip, but is still very accessible. My advice would be to book your trip through a travel agent rather than directly with the hotel, as package deals for airfare and rooms are usually always cheaper than arranging them separately. You might also think about staying at a nearby hotel with cheaper rates, as the Hilton might be a bit pricey and getting around in Vegas is easy and mostly free.
Star Trek geeks will want to check out the Star Trek Experience inside the Hilton. You go on one of those interactive rides, get to poke around a Trek museum filled with props and memorabelia, and eat an overpriced meal in Quark's bar.
Umm, not that I've been there or anything...
Anyway, Vegas should be awesome, and yes, the Mobhunter staff has promised to attend. What's more, the Chicago FanFaire in the fall is a no-brainer. Two FanFaires in one year for us! The best part is that you won't have to read any whine-filled stories about how we couldn't be there.
Somebody out there owes me some drinks, damn it.
Slash and Burn
The folks at Slashdot must be experiencing the same year-end news slowdown that we are at Mobhunter, because they saw fit to publish a lengthy rant about how bad EQ is and how much Sony doesn't care about you.
The piece raises some valid points. It delves heavily into how much time you have to invest to break into the high-end game, and calls into question the decision to change Dev Corner from a message board into a non-interactive page that is updated very infrequently. And just to endear himself to me, the author mentions how spawn times favor a select few rather than the majority of players.
Unfortunately, the author jumps the shark in the very first paragraph by making this assertion about the people behind the game:
What they don't tell you is that taking your money is about all they're interested in. They care little for player complaints, and less about player suggestions and requests.
While you could probably make the case for this being true about the Sony corporation, there's no way you can say this for the Dev Team, the GM staff, and others who comprise what used to be known as Verant. Nobody gets into the field of video game design to screw people over; they get into it because they love the medium and want to make cool games that players enjoy. Sorry, but if your assertion is that someone like Scott Hartsman--who goes out of his way to interact with players and get their feedback on game changes well into the wee hours of the morning--doesn't care about what subscribers think, you just don't get it.
Sure, chalk it up to more Verant ass kissing if that makes you happy, but it's really just common sense. If you want to write a piece that criticizes EverQuest, pick the proper targets. Saying things like "you'll see the one thing all players have in common is that they all hate Sony" just shows how utterly biased the viewpoint is. Complaining that changes are made to the game without getting the okay of players first is ludicrous, as is blaming linkdeath solely on "Sony network problems."
The article was written by a level 62 necromancer who is obviously disillusioned with the game and doesn't enjoy it anymore (shocking, I know). Hey, fair enough, time to move on. But to write a piece like this without even acknowledging the many improvements brought about by the Planes of Power expansion just calls the whole piece into question.
Okay, let the VAK comments begin. Just try to be original this time; the same old "Moorgard wants a job with SOE" lines are looking a bit worn.