The Future

Well that's what happened.

In a question and answer with Blackguard, Tentonhammer got an answer which fuels speculation after speculation after speculation. It begins simply with a comment that EverQuest II is one of the leaders in terms of publishing content and it ends with Blackguard telling us that we won't believe what is in store for the future (including the soga models).

Though harmless and expected it gives me a great opportunity to do something I really do love: speculate on the future.

Now whether or not most of my readers will agree that what the developers plan to, and do, in the future is important or not keep one thing in mind: look at the competition.

I don't mean Dungeon and Dragons Online or Lord of the Rings Online either.

I'm talking about the goliath that will hit store shelves at the end of next year, tentatively, which is Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Brad McQuaid's masterpiece.

Yes, yes I admit that perhaps it's a little early to call a pre-beta game a "masterpiece" but we all must be mindful of what the future competition may present so the long term health of a game is ensured. This is the mistake that Turbine made with Asheron's Call 2 and perhaps the original Asheron's Call as well.

But enough of the politics of the industry: what could be coming?!

Enhanced boat systems

The Norrath in EverQuest II, as we all know too well, is separated into many small islands with tons and tons of water. With that in mind, actually using the water for purposes besides immersion and the fact it looks real pretty, isn't too far out of reach.

In fact, we already saw it, albeit at a much smaller extent, early in the games life with the boats in Antonica and the Commonlands but unfortunately they caused more problems then they solved. I can remember, personally, being thrown off the boat half-way through.

With that said, however, it should not deter us from journeying upon a similar path in the future but far more immersive and interactive.

Partly inspired by speculation on the part of Star Wars Galaxies, wouldn't it be neat to have guild-owned ships? Or how about personal ships that are obviously much smaller by comparison? Oh and yes this is completely doable, even with EverQuest II's zoning tendencies.

Heck, we can even use the bell system still and it would work.

All that needs to be done is for a water zone to be created and allow ships to be piloted - either free lance or pre-determined - and have events obviously unfold. Maybe revamp fishing a little bit and allow for that to happen and monster attacks as well or even just a pleasure cruise.

The possibilities are endless and while it is not a game changing feature, it causes you to stand back and say "wow this is amazing."

The setting is perfect and I'd be quite surprised if we don't see something done with the immense amount of water.

Casinos

Though the name may leave some doubt of its chance there really is a strong possibility we will see it, and there is a precedent as well.

There are two things to consider on this topic as we look at the Desert of Flames. First of all, we have arenas set up and though we won't know exactly how they'll operate until the expansion is released next week but there could be a very easy way to set some form of gambling up (bookies anyone?). Secondly, we will be getting gambling in duels with options to wager money or items.

So yes my friends the precedent is there but something else as well: it still fits the fantasy setting, due to precedent of course. In fact, I'd be willing to say, its just as fantasy as the Arabian Nights theme for the Desert of Flames.

So where is the precedent? Asheron's Call.

The gambling system - and they called it casinos - would involve buying tokens, giving it to an NPC and based on the roll a different prize would be offered.

It is a fun, intuitive system that as player owned boats isn't game changing but very rewarding - in more ways than one - none the less.

Enough of the small stuff!

I hear you loud and clear, and I'm sure that's what many of you are saying. Perhaps selfishly I put up those first two items, two things that I want to see but are minor at best. What we want to see is the big stuff, the things that will change this game forever.

After all, that's probably what Blackguard was hinting at during the interview.

Solo Raids

Do I hear the screams of hate and the clanging of pitch forks? Maybe, or maybe not but this is something that definitely is worth some thought.

All of you, my readers, know well enough that I am a huge advocate for the solo game but not only that but to allow for content to be available for everyone. This is where solo raids come in but before those pitch forks reach my body hear me out first.

Obviously one of the first things that goes through players minds when they hear the words "solo" and "raids" in the same sentence is the ability for players to take down raid targets like Vox solo.

This is not what I mean at all.

When the Splitpaw Saga first came out it was a big step forward in terms of solo gameplay, especially when it came to the Trials of Harclave. I have praised that one specific dungeon and quest immensely. It is a great gift to solo players but there is one problem: there is only one.

If you take a look at the rest of the solo content in EverQuest II it is rather simple and bland. There's solo mobs, good experience but mediocre loot. The "solo dungeons" work on the same premise and at the same time they are rather short.

So what do I want to see? Multiple stage solo content, similar to what we see in a raid.

To put it simply: I want to see solo dungeons strung together, like a quest, and having the players travel over, talk to certain NPCs and give it an overall story feeling.

Yup, just like Harclave, but a little different.

What we could end up with is a very immersive and exciting experience for soloers. Fairly good experience points and loot but at the same time raid rewards are simply not there.

That wasn't so bad now, wasn't it?

I could go on and on about what we could see (past the obvious land expansions) that we will see in the future. But no matter what you look at, big or small, this game has a bright future.

It has to be shining from the day Desert of Flames launches to two or three years from now because Vanguard and perhaps other big ticket MMORPGs are coming. We all love this game but we recognize the threat future titles pose.

Not to worry, this game keeps improving immensely month by month. Just imagine where we'll be a year from now.

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