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 EQ2|Gamespy E3-Artikel
Veröffentlicht von: Faeren am 17. 2004 um 16:49 Uhr
In dem neuen E3 Artikel von Gamespy gibt es nette Beispiele über die Welt von Norrath, Spielerbehausungen und Dungeons.
Es wurden weitere Voiceovers eingefügt (über 135 Stunden jetzt) um die Umgebung noch realer darstellen zu können. Zum Beispiel sieht man einen Magielehrer, der seinen Studenten einen Zauber beibringen will, diese machen seine Bewegungen nach, zu mindestens so lange bis sich eine der Studentinnen selbst mit einem Blitzzauber verkohlt. In EQ2 soll es viele dieser kleinen Events geben, vor allem in den Städten. Die Leute von Gamespy hatten bei ihrer Erkundungstour auch das Gefühl, dass alles Handgemacht aussah, also nicht zufällig generiert.
Die Spielerbehausungen werden alle instance Zonen sein, bis auf die Großen Gebäude die Gilden erwerben können, somit ist genug Platz da um jeden Spieler sein Zimmer (Taverne) oder Wohnung zu geben.
Die EQ2 Entwickler zeigten dem Staff von Gamespy auch ein paar neue Dungeons, wo sie feststellten, dass die Gegner miteinander kommunizieren, das kann man auch selbst als Spieler verstehen, wenn man deren Sprache kann. Weiters wird noch erwähnt, dass sich vor allem kleinere Gegner gruppieren und dann gemeinsam auf einen losgehen.
Den Originaltext findet ihr wie immer unter den Details und zur Diskussion im Forum geht es hier.
Gamespy E3-Artikel
Veröffentlicht von: Faeren am 17. 2004 - 16:51 Uhr
It`s been a while since we last visited Norrath - at least the Norrath depicted in EverQuest II, 500 years after an apocalypse that shattered the moon and scattered the races. Our hands-on from April proved just how rich and detailed this new online world was, a worthy successor to the original (now running for over five years and still successful.)
So what`s new at the E3 show? Associate Game Designer Mario Rizzo fired the game up to show us how much detail they`ve been adding to the world these last couple of months. The already robust character generation system is constantly getting more updates. There are race-specific ways to completely customize your online avatar; the wilder races have lots of piercing and tattoo options available to reflect their culture, for instance. Every time we see the game more pieces of clothing and armor are available. It`s clear no two characters will look alike after several hours of adventuring.
More voice acting is now integrated into the game. We`re told there`s over 135 hours of voiceovers, which is - if you think about it - equivalent to over 60 full-length movies. Little vignettes are appearing all over the cities (they call it "city ecology"). City-dwelling NPCs stroll around, talk to each other, defer to one another`s status, and in general bring the place to life. Outside of a mage`s academy we saw a teacher patiently explaining spells to the students, who all mimicked his casting (until one blew herself up with a lightning bolt). When the headmistress strolled by she had a short conversation with the teacher and the students. Little events like these are happening all over the major towns, which gives the whole game some flavor.
Speaking of cities, we were able to poke around the two capitals. Each has architecture and NPCs that really telegraph its character. Freeport, home to the more nefarious denizens of Norrath who want to rule the realm by might, was a spectacular maze of aggressive-looking stone buildings and alleyways. The Freeport militia marched amidst these buildings to and from the barracks in organized ranks. And hovering above? The Citadel, a massive gothic structure hanging magically in the air, as ominous as an eclipse. Every square foot of the EverQuest II levels feels meticulously handcrafted.
We discovered some more information about player-housing, but not much. Everyone will start the game with their own small apartment (or a room at the inn) to customize - these small personal spaces are handled as instanced servers. However, it`s been confirmed that guilds who have the cash to spend can buy enormous houses or guild halls that exist in the game world for other players to see. Some of these structures, apparently, will be massive - and several will be built right within the major cities, giving players some very cool places to gather.
Rizzo also walked us through some new dungeon areas and combat encounters. What really stands out here is the level of attention that has gone into the bigger monsters. They easily have the intricate detail of the player characters. Within one dungeon a portal opened and a pair of demons stepped out, easily twice the height of a man with curved horns and individually rendered fangs. Monsters communicate with each other (even say things aloud for those who can understand their language) and the smarter ones will team up on characters that they see as the biggest threat.
Finally, certain encounters will be instanced (that is, built as private locations just for you and your party of characters) so that the EverQuest II designers can really focus on a cinematic adventure experience. Voiceovers are a big part of this. By way of example Rizzo played a demo for us of a group of characters encountering a Venicore - a massive greenish-gold dragon that towered above the ruins around him. As the characters entered the area the camera panned over to show dozens of Iksar running away through the rubble, then swiveled up to show the enormous beast crashing to the earth. When the characters approached, the dragon`s deep booming voice warned them to turn away. Did they?
Would you?
The massively multiplayer market is crowded with titles, but it`s the level of detail that sets EQII apart. It`s a rich and complete fantasy world with a history, a culture, and tons of things to do and explore. Time will tell if this new world is embraced by gamers as much as the original EverQuest.
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Innovation
