Another Fan Faire is in the books, and this year’s version brought us the usual slew of games, announcements, contests, and more than a few uncomfortable cosplay moments. What were the highlights? Check them out below…
Planetside 2
By far, the biggest news was the official announcement of Planetside 2, the sequel to SOE’s futuristic infantry- and vehicle-based shooter. Promising battles that could involve “thousands” of players over multiple continents, PS2 looks to improve and expand upon elements of the first Planetside, while smoothing out some of the first game’s rougher corners. In particular:
Battles will be fought over all territory, and not just limited to a few hotspots. “Every square inch” of land will matter, according to SOE President John Smedley.- The landscape of the map will change, Civilization-style, as players fight to acquire resources for their faction or deny them from opposing factions.
- Characters will take on specific classes and be able to advance down certification trees to specialize their talents; however, class loadouts can be changed on the fly, making for easy customization and variety in play styles for each character.
- As for the skills themselves, the goal is that a fully maxed-out character would be “about 15-20% better” than a new character, meaning that beginners can still compete with veterans and that skill will play a larger component than simple time played.
- In addition to your expected combat/shooting roles, other roles, such as driving and leadership (think buffs) will also be available and upgradable.
- Offline skill advancement will be implemented, with players able to queue up to 24 hours’ worth of skills.
- Anti-hacking tools will be rigorously applied.
While no specifics were given as to the game’s pricing structure, “some free component” was promised. And, of course, no release date was mentioned, but we’ll be keeping an eye out for Planetside 2 as one of the top MMOFPS entries in the (hopefully near) future.
DC Universe Online
In addition to a preview of the new update that sends players to the Fortress of Solitude to fight alongside Superman, Lex Luthor, and General Zod, we first received word of the first download pack (a.k.a., expansion) for DCUO, which will expand upon the role of the Green Lantern corps and give players their own power rings. See our full exposé for more details.
EverQuest/EverQuest II
Everybody loves new expansions, right? If so, fans of EQ and EQ2 will both have something to celebrate in November, when the SOE dev team will be very, very busy with expansions for each game in its flagship license.
Veil of Alaris is the next expansion for EverQuest, introducing 12 new zones, a new continent, and an increase in the level cap (to 95). A hotbar revamp is also in the works, with the ability to resize your hotbars being the main feature.
Age of Discovery is the next expansion for EverQuest II. Additions to the game include tradeskill apprentices, mercenaries (who can act as “party-fillers” when you’re short a person or two, a dungeon-designer, reforging (which allows you to shift an item’s stats onto a new item and even customize particle effects), an increased AA limit, and – an announcement that elicited a raucous cheer from the crowd when it was announced – the beastlord class, a staple of the first EverQuest. A dungeon-finding tool is also on tap for August.
And what about EverQuest Next? Sadly, little information was given about the game, apart from a single, beautiful screenshot that utilized the new Forgelight MMO engine that SOE will be using for its new games (including Planetside 2). Forgelight offers all sorts of cool-sounding effects, like “advanced ambient occlusion” and “volumetric fog,” but the main point is that it looks really, really good. “Framerate is key,” Smedley said during the keynote address Thursday night. You can see an image of an EQN character rendered in the engine at the top of this article.
Clone Wars Adventures
Sadly, with Star Wars Galaxies coming to a close in December, Clone Wars Adventures will be SOE’s only Star Wars-related product, but the company’s going all-out with its sole remaining link to the Force. SOE’s developers are working closely with the makers of the animated series with its summer campaign, Mission on Iceberg 3, which will reveal details of the show between seasons 3 and 4 – some of which will only be known to CWA players. And hey, you get to duel with General Grevious.
Further down the line, around mid-September, SOE plans to implement a more personal style of combat, allowing you to take your character and explore different worlds outside of mini-games and engage enemies with your lightsaber. It’s as close to a true MMORPG feeling as you’re likely to get until The Old Republic rolls out, so definitely check it out!
(Oh, and you can now get an in-game C-3PO pet with the purchase of a McDonald’s Happy Meal!)
Free Realms
Finally, Free Realms is trucking along just nicely, having just surpassed the 17 million registered user mark. While there wasn’t a whole lot new to announce about the game, I did sit in on a brainstorming panel to decide what the next cool ride would be for the game. In the end, the kangaroo won out over the octopus, UFO, and flying carpet. I voted for the kangaroo – but only if you get to sit in its pouch!
And, in closing, here's a random shot from the costume contest, which drew 27 entrants -- some good, some freaky, and one unimaginably cute five-year-old pirate girl, who had the entire crowd going "awww...."
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