Excitement is going into overdrive today with rumors and the possibility that today is the day Everquest Next Landmark’s alpha begins. If nothing else then today is the first chance for the public to see Landmark in person at the San Diego Everquest campus. So we asked our writers what the first thing is that they plan on doing in Everquest Next Landmark.
Well, I have a couple of projects that I’m really interested in doing. One of them is currently top secret and a whole lot bigger than just me. But for myself what I’m really interested in doing is going in deep and finding myself that little bit of paradise.
I want to be that cottage out in the middle of a forest that no one knows is there until one day they get lost and stumble upon it by accident. Am I anti-social? Not at all! I just want to stand out and have my own private place out in the middle of nowhere. Who knows, I might even make myself a little hobbit house in the side of a hill.
That way it will be even harder to find me. Bwahahahahaha! *cough* I mean…I’d really like to have a reputation with the RP community as the hermit. Or at least have one character who is known for being a hermit/outcast/weirdo. She might not even be in the forest. That desert landscape we’ve seen in a few screenshots looks pretty awesome.
So really, while my first building project is a hidden away cottage paradise my first true project is to explore everything the world has to offer.
What am I going to do first in Everquest Next Landmark? That’s a fairly easy question for me to answer and it’s very much the same thing I do on any games where you create your own place. As soon as I get in the world of Landmark I’ll wander around a little before I claim a plot of land, preferably finding a nice hill or mountain that I can claim and build on.
Why? Because I like to be able to look over the surrounding scenery and also keep an eye on everybody and anybody else in the surrounding area. Why? Because it’s mine! Or at least I want it to be mine. It’s also because I want to make sure nobody can sneak up on me, because I don’t trust them all, they all want what I’ve got! Also, I want to be on the top of a big hill or mountain because I’m a bit of a strange fellow who likes to look at scenery vistas in games, possibly because I don’t live in a house where there’s some sprawling, scenic vista outside my window.
Once I find a good location, I’ll claim a good plot of land on top of the hill or maintain as my own and build a grand house or castle on it, one that overlooks the surrounding area like some sort of doom fortress. As a matter of fact, I will attempt to make it as dark and imposing as possible, a true Barad-dûr (Sauron’s tower, for the non-Lord of the Rings folks out there) and have it looking like somewhere a true villain would want to live and only the bravest, or most idiotic, of heroes would dare to attack.
That brings me to the main reason I’ll go evil. There’s going to be no combat in early Everquest Next Landmark as it’s still in development and landmark is just a version of the building tools SoE will be using for Everquest Next. The best creations by players that fit into the fantasy world of Norrath also have a chance of being featured in Everquest Next proper when released and I just imagine that I’ve got more of a chance of making something huge and evil looking because when there’s nobody to kill or rule over, there’s no incentive for anybody else to be evil. Maybe that just looks bad on me though.
Yo-ho-ho! A merchant’s life for me! What will I do first in EverQuest Next Landmark? Well, my first task in every MMO is to make the most beautiful female character the game engine could possibly muster. I’ll be playing this game for countless hours anyway, so some eye candy would be most appropriate. Other players also seem to be a lot nicer too.
Exploration has always been my way of getting into a game, and the world of Landmark seems to be filled with tons of surprises just waiting to be discovered. Much like Chris Wray, I too would like to stride atop tall mountains just to admire the scenery.
I’m a melodramatic gamer, so sitting down and admiring the digital view while listening the in-game music is what really makes me appreciate a game. I’m also a big money-hog when playing my favorite MMOs, so I’ll probably immerse myself in the game’s crafting system in order to make some extra bucks. Nothing beats a humble beginning for merchants— until he gets enough money and materials to build a Deathstar.
Well, not really a Deathstar. I’ve seen some awesome structures being built in the trailer/demo, but I would want nothing more than to build the Undercity from World of Warcraft (complete with elevator and LordaeronCastle if possible). After that, I’ll sit down in the Royal chambers and brood for all eternity.
I don’t like EverQuest Next: Landmark for two reasons. One, it confuses me and I don’t like getting confused. Two, it’s going to waste a lot of my time. Before you curse me to hell and back, hear me out.
EverQuest Next: Landmark is essentially a building game–one that teases your imagination and lets your creativity run wild. It’s your virtual LEGO without the nasty repercussion of ever having to accidentally step on one. It’s the result of one drunken night between Sir MMO and Lady Photoshop. It’s like meeting the reincarnation of my old flame, the 3D Home Architect program, on Windows 95 and realizing it’s now ten times more beautiful.
Now I’ve been successfully tempted and not liking it since I’m confused on what to do first! Should I build my very own Hogwarts from the Harry Potter series first? (I’m a Pottard so get off my case). Make a secret base with a very detailed basement where I can drag those who dare to infringe upon my privacy for a ‘friendly inquisition’? Too many things to build, too little time. One thing is for sure, EQNL will eat away whatever precious sleeping time I have left in my day once I start playing. Not liking EQNL one bit. I think.
What to do first in EQNL? Beyond that initial period of checking out the surroundings, fiddling with settings and controls, and running around to see what folks will have already made by the time I get there, I’ve got a few projects bouncing around in my head and I’m not quite sure which one will get top billing by then.
First, I want to try and recreate some buildings I’m already familiar with – my own house, for example. Sure, it could be a bit boring to most, but what better way to play with a toolkit than using it to make something you already know you’ll like?
Second, and much like Maressa, I want to find some out-of-the-way place and build there – not to be a hermit, mind you, but to give other players a reason to go out and explore to world.
Finally… I want to build a tower – one big, looming, foreboding tower just begging to be climbed. If I can, I want to make it difficult to traverse. Insane jumps. Traps. Miniature mazes. Something you might have to be crazy to want to climb, of course, but for some people, maybe being that crazy every now and then is just part of the fun.
… like it’s not crazy to want to build a deathtrap tower, right?
I am a huge fan of building games like Minecraft and Starbound, so ever since the announcement of EverQuest Next Landmark my mind has been racing with ideas for various builds. The first thing I will be doing is discovering absolutely all the resources I can have easily available to me. I generally go in to builds with a general plan of what I want to create, but quite often it’s inspired by what resources become available at the time.
My most common builds are generally medieval castles to fully fortified medieval villages – I like castles, alright? I suffer from a problem I am sure many do too, I get too ambitious with my projects, they always have to be huge. So I think instead of trying for a castle surrounded by a fortified medieval village, I will aim for making just a castle manor or small fortified hold – nothing too large or time consuming as it will just be a learning tool.
So to summarize my first action will be to discover what resources I can use in order to plan out exactly what kind of medieval build I can make. Hopefully the Elves don’t attack me for using wood in my fortress. You Dwarves out there will get what I am talking about.
The first thing I would like to do in EQN:L is finding a great spot to build, my guess is that I would just roam the lands until I find a suitable piece to build upon. I would love a to build a temple in the forest. Like imagine this huge-ass temple and as you travel trough it you suddenly stumble upon this huge ass temple. The inside of the temple has to be a huge labyrinth though,.. you know the kind that kills you. So to sum it up, I would like to create a majestic building that kills people… in the forest, yeah forest that is important. Perhaps gather a few friends that share the same sense of humour and make it a reality.
Next thing I’ll probably do is tell people about this weird building that I “found” inside the forest and watch them die. I have no idea if this is even possible.. but I hope it is!
What am I going to do in EQNL? Beyond the obvious new game acclimation period, my very very first project is a secret. Aren’t they all? All those options and suggestions on what you can do. Heck there was a developer livestream where they showed that someone made themselves a mech statue. Freedom is the name of the game, options abound. So my first project may succeed or may crash and burn, hopefully spectacularly if it has to crash at all.
After that… I am going to do what I have always wanted to do in an MMO. I’m going to take off for the horizon. Meet a mountain. Go through it. Or over it. Or under it.
Sure eventually I’ll hit the borders of the world but it’ll be an adventure. It’ll be a wild place, unseen by my friends and peers. It’ll be a mystery to me. I won’t know each and every place by the musical cues. I won’t have any idea who will be near me. I won’t have the slightest clue about whatever new jargon that will eventually grow up. The untamed wilds of a game will actually be that. The untamed wilds, the undiscovered country.
It’s exciting.
The feature I am really looking forward in this new installment of the Everquest series is the interaction between the main game and the Landmark part. I’ve always been a great fan of crafting in MMOs, and, from what it looks like, SOE here is taking crafting to the next level.
Being able to shape the world and possibly transfer areas and buildings in the main game is going to have huge impact on the economy of Everquest Next as well. That’s why I am so curious about the interaction: it looks like you will be able to build a house and then sell it when it becomes part of Everquest Next. And what about entire villages or castles?
What happens when they become populated? Will you be able to upgrade them according to the requests of those who will occupy them? And what about specifically requested buildings? If you become skilled enough and people like your creations, you might even work on a commission basis for guilds who want a fortress on their own.
The possibilities may be endless, and it will be up to SOE to set up the limits. According to me, the more interaction between the two worlds, the better. SOE has already begun to spur interest in the game and its lore with social media and a dedicated app for smartphones, so there might be interesting news in store for all dedicated players out there.
As you can see there is going to be a lot of construction going on with the MMOGames crowd. What are you plans for Everquest Next Landmark? Will you be in the Alpha? Let us know in the comments below. And if you aren’t lucky enough to be near San Diego you can still watch the action being livestreamed on Twitch starting at 4 PM Pacific time.
