HomelAN Dragons of Norrath interview

[Lyion]

http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=28964

Sony Online is staying true to its word in supporting and adding onto Everquest, their original fantasy MMORPG. In mid-February, their latest commerical expansion pack for the game, Everquest: Dragons Of Norrath, will be released in both stores and via Internet download. HomeLAN got a chance to chat with Sony Online producer Robert Pfister to find out more about their plans for the expansion.

HomeLAN - First, how did the idea for Dragons of Norrath come about?

Robert Pfister - Designing for EverQuest (the live game, special events, expansions, etc.) is a continual process. There really is no ‘stop-and-start’ to it. The Designers are always thinking up new storylines, extensions of storylines, continuing storylines, bringing back storylines, etc. Dragons are a huge part of the lore of EverQuest and we haven’t seen a lot of new stories with them for a while. Wanting to explore the histories of the dragons and the amazing art we can create with the new graphics engine made everyone very excited about this story.

HomeLAN - What can you tell us about the backstory that forms the basis of the expansion?

Robert Pfister - Dragons returns EverQuest to its foundation. The lands center around an area known as The Nest, an area that appears on the original maps somewhere between Halas and Lavastorm. It is the ancestral birthplace of dragons. It has long been sealed away, hidden from the eyes of Norrath, but with the launch of Dragons, The Nest will be reopened. Familiar faces, such as Firiona Vie and her nemesis Lanys T’Vyl, make a return and find themselves at the forefront of the events transpiring across the world.

HomeLAN - What can you tell us about the new locations that will be seen in the expansion?

Robert Pfister - Dragons consists of 4 expansive dungeons, one large outdoor zone that links them all together, and a revamped Lavastorm (available to all players) that will play home to the events that open the expansion. The outdoor zone is a lost world setting that is particularly suited as a home for dragons of all sorts. Lava fields flow into jungle that is bordered by snow and desert. An active volcano is the home to a lava dragon and the first of the dungeons. The others are an eastern temple, a series of floating islands that hover over the lost world zone, and the nest itself that sprawls under the lost world zone. Each of these dungeons plays a dual role as both a normal hunting ground and also an instanced set of zones where players can undertake a series of quests to uncover what happened to The Nest and lay claim to some of the treasures hidden within.

HomeLAN - What kinds of new enemies will be seen in Dragons of Norrath?

Robert Pfister - There are a lot of new mobs in this expansion – giant spiders, animated statues, drakes, goblins, kirin, the ice giant, and I hear there’s a dragon or two.

HomeLAN - What new quests will be available for players?

Robert Pfister - Dragons of Norrath introduces a new mission system that will challenge players to get directly involved in the conflict between the forces of good and evil, explore the mysteries of the nest, and exploit the power they uncover to further the agenda of their faction.

HomeLAN - Will there be any new special items to be found in the expansion?

Robert Pfister - There’s always fabulous loot. We don’t give out details prior to release, but you can expect new and exciting rewards that players can use in this expansion and future ones to continue their quest for riches and knowledge!

HomeLAN - What other new and improved gameplay elements will Dragons of Norrath have?

Robert Pfister - Some of the features of the expansion are a new interactive world map, the bandolier (multiple weapon sets to switch between), the potion belt (quick use of potions in your inventory), the new barter zone, the new mission system, and of course Guild halls which include mass corpse summoning, guild bank, mana/health regen, guild stone for porting to guild instance, guild looking for members “tool”/players looking for guild “tool” and a few others. All players will also be able to visit the barter zone, but they can only set up in barter mode if that have the expansion. The Bazaar will go free to all players and all players will get the new in-game email system

HomeLAN - What graphical improvements will the expansion bring to players?

Robert Pfister - Although we’re always refining the graphics engine, we haven’t done major client changes for this installment. Your minimum spec won’t change. But the artists have done amazing things with the new technology – the storm dragon is AMAZING, the spiders actually look like they’re going to jump off your screen – they are incredibly creepy.

HomeLAN - What is the current status of the expansion and when will it be released?

Robert Pfister - We’re in beta right now. The beta testers are giving the developers a lot of good feedback. Things are looking good, they’re on schedule and we’re on track for our February 15, 2005 launch date!

HomeLAN - What can you tell us about the overall status of EverQuest? Has Sony Online experienced any slowdown of new players since the release of EverQuest II?

Robert Pfister - One of the great things about more games in the space means that more people are playing MMOs than ever before. One of the great things about SOE is that we had a great MMORPG in EverQuest, and now with the launch of EQ2, we have two! EQ, EQ2 and all of the other MMO’s at SOE are benefiting from the influx of new players into the space.

HomeLAN - Finally is there anything else you wish to say about EverQuest: Dragons of Norrath?

Robert Pfister - I leave it to each individual player to decide which EverQuest expansion is their favorite. We put our all into each one and each has its merits. Dragons gives the players the best art, the most comprehensive features and some insight to a favorite storyline of any expansion so far, imo.