A major update to Landmark coming August 27th, and lots more info inside!

This week, we're on the ground at SOE Live!

We've been getting a close look at the latest news on Landmark and EverQuest Next. Between a press briefing and an interview, we've learned a lot. Below is a compilation of everything we've found, so take it all in!

Press Briefing by: Dave Georgeson, Director of Development for the EverQuest Franchise
Interviewee: Terry Michaels, Senior Producer on EQN and Landmark

Landmark

*AUGUST 27TH* – Major Update
Combat (PVP), Stats, Weapons & Armor, Abilities, Interactive Objects and Game Rule Objects
 

PVP & Combat

• PvP combat only to start; consensual on claims, with none in the open world; no ganking
• Players will be able to die; fall damage, environmental hazards, drowning, etc.

Character Stats

• New player stats including Armor, Health and Energy
• Energy is a resource bar (like Mana); Armor is like WildStar's shields: it depletes, but recharges

Character Abilities & Gear

• Your gear dictates your abilities
• Introducing three weapons: a Staff, a Blade and a Bow
• Each basic items has two different abilities: a standard attack and a special
• Bound to mouse buttons by default
• Timing attacks were mentioned often; aim and positioning are important
• Weapon types follow an elemental style: Fire, Frost, Shadow and Holy
• You also have abilities based on the armor you're wearing; Armor can:
• Increase your energy regeneration, allowing you to use abilities more often
• Add movement abilities to make you faster, possibly charge abilities
• They want your gear, and the ways the abilities interact, to be how you create your build

Crafting

• Basic versions of items available to crafted
• Special versions with different abilities come from chests or loot drops
• Breaking down special versions give resources to build new weapon types with different abilities
• The gear / ability system fulfills the "horizontal progression" they want to go for

Interactive Objects

• Landmines are being introduced; first phase of hazards and traps
• "Platformer objects" such as lifts, teleporters and launchpads are configurable by the player

Game Rule Objects

• Use items to create a PVP map on your claim.
• Initially launches with Deathmatch and Control and Hold objects
• Will be significantly expanded in the future
• You place a game table, essentially the "master controller," for what you want to play
• Can be crafted or dropped; will be tradable
• Universal items like spawn points, which can be used in several gametypes

SEPTEMBER – Monsters and Starter Templates

• Six monsters shown: White Wisp, Red Wisp, Necrozoa, Fiery Fungus, Chomper and Scorpion Plant
• Starter templates are basic shapes given to all players

(NO DATE) (After Monsters) – AI Editing System

• First phase of players being able to create their own story

(LATER THIS YEAR) – Game Mastering Tools

• First iteration of the tools allow you to create playable content on your claim for people to enjoy
• "We want you to be able to make a Race on your claim", etc.

EverQuest Next

• Emphasized the systems in Landmark are the development of Everquest Next
• There are certain systems in Landmark they need to be able to do things in EQN
• Ex: Want people in EQN to earn land, and want people to have Guild Towns

Storybricks

• Because of the Storybricks system, they can introduce a large amount of diff story arcs, and then it depends on players to either individually or collaboratively – by their actions in the world – trigger story to continue, or for NPCs to head to the next stage of their plan.
• Characters are "stories that want to tell themselves"; world will be seeded with these characters
• Not necessarily living characters; forces of nature would count.
• Ex: A volcano wants to erupt, and could if conditions are met.
• AI implementation in Landmark will be the first step toward that

Combat

• Very class-based compared to Landmark (which is item-based)
• Emphasis on timing, positioning, and skill-shots

Environment

• Damage done also affects the environment; hitting a wall will do damage
• Something great we observed in a demonstration:

"Two players were running around a Keep. An Elementalist turned the stone floor into a patch of ice. A Warrior jumped in and performed a Whirlwind which damages the area around it. Because the area had been turned to ice, it was brittle and a lot weaker – so the warrior went straight down through the ice into the area below. Afterward, the Elementalist jumped down through the hole."
 

Classes

• Timing of abilities, movement, and positioning are very important
• Lots of interplay between abilities
• Seem like they uses energy for abilities, like Landmark does
• All classes should be able to stand toe-to-toe with another
• Proficiency is about how you use your abilities
• Want it to be a question of skill – while still accessible
• Thought: Easy to learn, difficult to master?

Cleric - Support

• Don't want whack-a-mole on health bars; it's positional, and where they're casting matters
• Showed a few abilities, some which involved the "morale" of allies
• Thought: Could be tied into the AI system?
• Showed a large AOE ability, with runes on the ground and great sound effects
• Good visual/audio indications of ability durations; they want it to be intuitive

Tempest - Druid Assassin

• Has elemental powers; "jump-in, jump-out" melee damage dealer

Elementalist

• Things like Ice and Fire abilities; e.g., "Pillar of Flame"

Dark Elf City

• Used winning pieces of the Dark Elf Landmark competition
• Didn't just place the structures they made; used them to inform overall design
• Showed Dark Elf character models and DE-specific equipment; fit in well with city aesthetic

Sieges

• Showed a huge siege on the Dark Elf city
• Comes from a product of the actions within a server; actions lead to this huge event

Ann "Cyliena" Hosler, Managing Editor
Locksixtime, Contributing Writer
Racheal "Afista" McKenny, Contributing Writer
Colt "ShdwFlm" Casey, Deputy Editor