EverQuest Next Landmark

[Morreion]

EQN Landmark is a stand-alone sandbox building game- think Minecraft with great graphics.

Stand by for more info coming soon!









EverQuest Next Landmark to Launch Later This Year (Ten Ton Hammer)

SOE has definitely been playing things close to the vest concerning EverQuest Next up until this point. Not only is the full EverQuest Next MMO being developed, but later this year gamers will be able to get their hands on EverQuest Next Landmark. That’s right folks; there are actually two releases bearing the EQNext branding, the first of which will be out by the end of this year.

In a nutshell, Landmark will allow players to stake a claim on a chunk of land, and from there deform or rebuild it as they see fit. It’s a very advanced world building tool similar to Minecraft, only with some pretty stunning next gen graphic, and a much better suite of tools at your disposal.

There will be different server types, so some will be lore locked, meaning you can only build in ways that would make sense in Norrath and conform to certain guidelines. So if you want to dig into (literally) Landmark and begin building out things you could envision as part of the full EQNext MMO, you’ll be able to safely do so, but there will also be servers with less restrictions on what can be built.

SOE Live 2013: Introducing EverQuest Next Landmark (Massively)

If you are a builder, decorator, or Player Studio fanatic, EverQuest Next Landmark is seriously the game for you.

In a physical world built on the same principles as EQ Next, Landmark actually gives players the same tools to build as the devs are using to make its namesake. In fact, all the devs were having so much fun on their free time designing and building that they had to offer this same ability to the rest of us! In a nutshell, Landmark allows players to claim a plot of land and construct whatever s/he wants (with the exception of inappropriate things). Recipes and materials to build are found throughout the world. Those creations can then be sold on Player Studio, and players even get royalties if their item is used as a component of another product for sale. Player designs can also possibly find their way into EQ Next.

[Regolyth]

Hah! This is ingenious. Have the players create your environment for you and tell them it's a game before the game!

Not that I'm not going to do it, I'm just sayin'... ;D

[Morreion]

That is clever- player interest is heightened by being able to contribute to the game, which gives them more publicity, and the devs get a wide range of input and options to pick from (as well as create). Sharp!

[Regolyth]

And it saves a lot of money on designers. I read something not too long ago, probably something that was posted here, that designing environments take up something like 60% or more of an entire project's time (outdoing writing, characters, AI, coding, marketing, story, etc.).

[Morreion]

SOE Live 2013: Delving deeper into EQN's Landmark (Massively)

Starting with personal plots, players are able to set permissions on their individual claims. You can build solo or allow friends to help. You can also make things open for destruction or keep them locked and safe. The plot itself is a 3-D volume, so owners will be able to build a certain distance into the ground and up into the sky, but not indefinitely. This allows other players the opportunity to still adventure underground and acquire minerals in the world under your plot.

Next, each plot can be tagged with descriptions that will allow others to use the filter on the map to search for certain genres or specific aspects (it can even be as detailed as searching for blue doors) in order to travel to that plot and check it out. Players can either hoof it to that plot, queue it for visiting later, or in some cases even teleport. Georgeson said that there will be ways for people to travel between the various worlds in order to visit friends or see the sights. To help facilitate this, there will also be offline support in the form of mobile applications that will let players search for and queue up the places they want to visit once they log into the game.

...So why is there a Landmark game? Because the devs wanted to share the experience of building Norrath with players. And it is coming out before EQ Next for precisely that reason, not because they have to have the community's help to get assets in the game. But because they want to give players the opportunity to be a part of it all. As such, there will be various contests where players are invited to create structures that might possibly be included in EQ Next. Maybe the devs will ask for a specific tower for Qeynos, or a thatch-roofed hut. The community will be allowed to vote items up or down, but devs have the final say on any selection for the game.

SOE Live Day 3: EverQuest Next Landmark Updates (EQNexus)

When players sell their builds, they are selling a blue print, not the object itself.

Retail price of EverQuest Next: Landmark – $0.00

The team is debating internally about the use of 3D software to be used alongside game tools.

[Regolyth]

Aug 6, 2013 14:29:50 GMT -5 Morreion said:

The team is debating internally about the use of 3D software to be used alongside game tools.

They should definitely allow the use of 3D software to help with environment development. Some might argue that it's an unfair advantage to those who have the software, but honestly, I don't think so. If you have 3D software, chances are you're good at 3D sculpting (either characters, environments, inanimate objects, etc.). So if you're given a chance to use tools you're familiar with, or if you have "EverCraft," chances are you're going to make something nice regardless.

Besides, I know plenty of people with 3DS Max who can't create worth a crap (or what they create is crap). And just because you have the software, doesn't mean you're good at environments (which is what this will be).

[Morreion]

About Landmark (EQN)

The rarest resources, objects, gear and secrets are scattered across the worlds of Landmark! Can you find everything?

See EverQuest Next Landmark building in action (Massively)

Looking forward to getting a copy of EverQuest Next Landmark later this year so that you can start molding the world in your fashion? Yeah, you and a couple of million other folks, we imagine. While the wait is hard, SOE is easing our suffering with a trio of timelapse videos showing off a few of the possibilities for terrain manipulation and structure creation.

Check them out after the break and let us know what you think!

PAX Prime 2013: The strange case for EverQuest Next Landmark (Massively)

The quote from Dave Georgeson that stuck with me the most was this: "Landmark is all about wandering through players' imaginations." It's a game of exploration and discovery, not just what the procedurally generated world created, but what your fellow gamers have made. As such, the team's come up with features to help us do just that. The first is the tag system that allows you to categorize your property and structure so that other players can search and filter for just that exact thing. Looking for a scifi dystopian bar? Want to filter everything but purple polka dotted castles? Tags can do that.

The other feature that will see heavy use is the follow feature. Think of these as subscriptions: If you like what a player did, you can follow him such that the game informs you when he makes something new. This won't just be for groupies either; interested buyers can follow reliable creators and vice-versa. There are even achievements in place to encourage these "sponsor" relationships between the artist and the patron.

EQ Next's third round table response focuses on Landmark tools (Massively)

In a nutshell, players like powerful tools, but want them to be user-friendly. Complexity will come in the form of unlocking more advanced tools as a user becomes more skilled in using current ones. You can catch all the details in the clip after the cut.

EverQuest Next Landmark – More than Just a Toolbox (Ten Ton Hammer)

To the best of my knowledge, Landmark will be the first MMO to provide the ability to freely move between worlds using in-game mechanics. The wizard spires prominently featured in much of the early in-game footage for EQNext will serve as gateways between worlds, and as such is also where players will be able to buy and sell items on the market. For original EQ players this will be somewhat similar to taking the spire to Nexus and from there zoning into the Bazaar.

EverQuest Next's producer letter asks for more community feedback (Massively)

Michaels states that the team will be discussing two major parts of Landmark in the near future: globetrotting and item creation (which he refers to as "break it, take it, make it"). The core game will also be expanded with the addition of a new lore story homing in on one of the new areas found in EverQuest Next. On both points, the need for community input and feedback is stressed. But you don't need to take our word for it -- view the full video just past the break.

[Regolyth]

Interesting. While I was over there, I signed up for the beta. ;P

[Morreion]

'EverQuest Next Landmark' Is Much More Than A World Builder (Forbes)

Initially announced as “just” an exploration and creation/building title, EverQuest Next Landmark is confirmed to feature all the trappings of a major MMORPG. Weapons, item drops, monsters, and combat. It’s even going to use the same emergent AI system that’s being touted as one of the major innovations in EverQuest Next.

It’s about the element of risk. There are passive threats in the world such as water and lava, but the combat system and associated monsters will likely draw other players – traditional MMORPG players – into the creative world of EverQuest Next Landmark.

Interesting...I wonder if this means that Landmark will be a sandbox while EQN will be a themepark?

EQ Next Landmark's first dev highlights harvesting, inventory (Massively)

In the video diary, Senior Producer Terry Michaels and Creative Director Jeff Butler reveal that over 50 different resources have already been defined in the game, such as gems, wood, and metals. Each resource type has five tiers; the higher the tier, the deeper in the world it will be found. Players will harvest these metals, gems, and wood to make better tools that will in turn harvest better resources.

But resources are not the only thing players can find while exploring -- crafting recipes and objects that players can keep or break down into materials will also be discovered throughout Landmark.

Voxels and EverQuest Next: An Interview with Steve Klug (EQ Nexus)

Since the reveal of EverQuest Next there has been a lot of discussion about voxels but just as much confusion. Can you explain to the average gamer what voxels are and their capabilities within EverQuest Next?

There are many different approaches to rendering voxels, but they all boil down to what amounts to a three dimensional pixel. Using voxels allows for a very editable world. They allow for meaningful destruction during combat situations. They also allow you to build the castle or dungeon of your dreams. There are certainly other approaches to achieving some of these outcomes. However games that have used them allow for much less flexibility and are frankly not as fun to use as when you have control over each small piece of the world.

EverQuest Next dev diary talks exploration (Massively)

As you may already be aware, the world of EverQuest Next is made up of a number of procedurally generated continents, each with a number of diverse biomes to explore.

While the motivation to explore in many MMOs is something to the tune of "kill things for XP and loot," the permeable nature of EQN's world adds a new layer of incentive. Each biome, as Butler and Rappaport explain, will contain a variety of different resources and materials that players can use to build their own structures within the world. The duo also addresses the existence of leylines, which, in addition to allowing players to travel around the world, give players the ability to travel between servers. And since players on each server will alter their world's landscape in different ways, there are plenty of opportunities for players to explore each server's unique version of the world.

New EverQuest Next Landmark screens show off possibilities (Massively)

He just released via Twitter a number of screenshots depicting a small outpost keep he assembled yesterday in about four-hours time. With the images, players can get a look at architectural elements like arches as well as a variety of props, including a couch made out of totem pole pieces!

SOE to run EQNext Landmark for all regions, offers beta sign-ups (Massively)

Since we are delivering an entirely new and unique approach to MMO game design and development with EverQuest Next Landmark, and given that SOE's Player Studio program is one of the cornerstones of EverQuest Next Landmark, SOE will directly manage EQNL and Player Studio for all regions.

[Morreion]

EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode (Massively)

The playerbase also expressed concern about how to keep their player studio projects a secret so that other players can't rip off their ideas. SOE will look into giving such players a way to develop in private, although Landmark will remain focused on public building. However, there will be no offline mode for building because SOE believes that it defeats the social aspect of the game.

EverQuest Next Landmark: Developer Diary #3 (ZAM)

Here's some take-aways from the video:

*Start with a copper pick to gather basic resources
*Upgrade pickaxes to progress through all five tiers of resources
*There are also sickles, axes and buckets for gathering resources
*A wide variety of crafted materials were shown, such as stones, snow/ice blocks, sand, several types of wood, blocks of metal and obsidian

EQN Landmark video dev diary talks tools, materials (Massively)

McPherson says there are five progression tiers and that players will be able to use each of the tools to create materials, "much like you would craft a recipe." The video shows off plenty of player-crafted material examples including riveted metal, wood flooring, gemstone blocks, and plenty more. There's also a brief walkthrough of a player-crafted castle around the three-minute mark. Get a good look via the video clip after the cut.

Hands-on with EQ Next Landmark: Building my castle of dreams (Massively)

Once you have selected the shape you want to build with, you have to select a material. The interface holds a sample swatch of any material you have access to separated into categories like stone, wood, gem, and water (liquid). When you right click your mouse, that material will be inserted into the world in whatever size and shape you have selected.

Any props you have available -- decorating items like lights, wagons, chairs, etc. -- will be included in this menu. Size can be adjusted, as can placement on all three axes. One cool note here is that the lighting actually reflects off of the surface, so if you have a multifaceted gemstone (as I did), the light will bounce off all the different angles and make quite a display.

EverQuest Next Landmark Founders Packs, alpha announced (Massively)

Players who want to get in on Landmark's alpha, which will launch on or before February 28th, 2014, can get access by purchasing the Explorer Pack for $59.99 or the Trailblazer Pack for $99.99 (with Trailblazers getting a headstart). Players who can hold off their building desires can buy the Settler Pack instead for $19.99 and get access to the first wave of beta testing that commences on or before March 31st, 2014. Each pack offers various other in-game perks such as titles, tools, storage pockets, and vaults.