'EverQuest Next Landmark' Is Much More Than A World Builder

 

“It IS a MMO. It’s just a very different MMO than EverQuest Next,” says Georgeson.

The dragon’s out of the bag – Sony SNE -0.93% Online Entertainment’sEverQuest Next Landmark is going to have combat.  Actually, things go a good deal beyond that  - EverQuest Next Landmark is a full-blown standalone MMORPG.  We had a chance to chat with Director of Development Dave Georgeson about EverQuest Next Landmark andEverQuest Next.

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 ofEverQuest Next Landmark.

“We’ve always intended to have combat in Landmark.  We weren’t announcing it because we weren’t certain whether we could get it in right away… We’ve done some homework and determined we can get in it soon – maybe not right at launch, but pretty close afterwards,” says Georgeson.  “Landmark will have a wide range of combat experiences, and it’s going to use the same emergent AI system found in EverQuest Next – but possibly not in the exact same way. As far as actual combat AI goes, it will be the same model.”

How deep will the combat be? We’re not looking at the simple hack-and-slash mechanics you’d expect to find in a game with a creation/building theme – They are the same style as the combat in EverQuest Next, and will include group encounters and experiences designed for more than one player.

“As far as you actually play in the game in combat, we want to embrace a bunch of different gameplay styles. If you want to be able to be ranged, you’ll be able to. Spells and melee, you’ll be able to.  The same mechanisms that will be found in EverQuest Next… You’ll be able to swap out different tools or weapons to mix and match character abilities.”

So, how is this going to work exactly?  With the focus on building, crafting, and creation, won’t all these monsters get in the way?  They’re still working the details out, but players will have the option to choose what kind of gameplay they’d like to participate in.