The EverQuest II development team hosted a very special chat in the Pirates CSG Lobby today. Scott Hartsman, Senior Producer for EverQuest II, and other members of the EQII Development Team were in attendance to talk about Echoes of Faydwer, Frostfell and other various topics of interest. Of course I was there and have prepared a special log for all of you who missed this wonderful chat. Check it out and let us know what you thought about the Developer Chat in this thread.

Grimwell: Hello there, and welcome to todays EQII dev chat. I'm Craig "Grimwell" Dalrymple, and I'll be hosting for the next hour. Before we start the question and answer phase, I'd like to stop and give the dev team a chance to introduce themselves.
Gallenite: Hi! I'm Scott "Gallenite" Hartsman, Senior Producer for EverQuest II. Thanks for comin by!
Dymus: Hello, I'm Jason "Dymus" Roberts; Lead Designer for Everquest II. Thank you all for coming here.
Lyndro: Ahoy! I'm Akil "Lyndro" Hooper, I'm a Design Supervisor for EverQuest II. Thanks for joining us.
Lyndro: Ahoy or Avast? Hmm...
Gallenite: In addition to his design skills, Jason possesses the superpower of knowing how to use semicolons correctly.Gallenite: Give us a moment while we make sure all the devs can talk - We're not ignoring you, promise. :)
Lyndro: Archonix is introducing himself, but he's typing from across the room with a broomstick.
Grimwell: Ha!
Lyndro: (Don't ask, long story)
Gallenite: For those who haven't seen his first post yet (just went up today), Grimwell is EQ2's new Community Manager. Despite his existing online reputation, we're actually really happy he's joining us.
Grimwell: It's more dramatic when his entrance is preceeded by those fancy "Archonix has arrived" words
Grimwell: Hey now! I worked hard to earn that sordid reputation!
Archonix: Greetings, I'm Chris "Archonix" Junior; Game Designer for EverQuest II; the one responsible for players killing each other in new and creative ways.
Gallenite: (We're just about there in making sure everyone can talk. We'll stop tap dancing in a minute.)
Lyndro: I'm doing a softshoe, thank you very much.
Grimwell: I forgot my popcorn :(
Grimwell: Aeralik seems to be having some technical difficulties, so we are going to roll forward. Sorry!
Grimwell: The format today will be fairly simple. If you have a question to be answered, type /whisper Grimwell and I'll get it in the queue. We only have an hour but will try to answer as many questions as possible in the timeframe. Please remember that our topics for today are the recent 'Echoes of Faydwer' expansion, Frostfell, and EQII Live events in general. Questions not pertaining to these subjects may not be answered.
Grimwell: ...and they're off!
Gallenite: Extra points if you manage to spam Grimwell clear offline. Make 'im feel welcome. ;)
Grimwell: If that happens, GAllenite volunteers to take questions :)
Grimwell: First Question: Howlingmoon: Any info on when Frostfell will end ? =)
Dymus: Later this month, likely around the 16th is our most accurate date currently :)
Grimwell: Next question is from Brownbear: What is the "Estate of Unrest" and when will be it be added in game?
Lyndro: Right now Unrest is planned for Game Update 32 (No exact date, I?d have to check the calendar). However we?ll start play testing it internally next week, so it?ll go out when its in good shape and fun.
Lyndro: Unrest was one of the most nostalgic zones from Faydwer, in short its a haunted mansion.
Lyndro: The new Unrest will really highlight the haunted part of this, the zone is shaping up to be a lot of fun, and it should capture a lot of what people loved about the original zone, while keeping an EQ 2 flavor.
Grimwell: Next question is from Khronos: about live events, there are some people who dont have anything to do for events like... new years. any chance, that people who send the new years with eq2 may be rewarded?
Gallenite: I've been in that boat on more than one holiday myself. :) That's actually one of the big reasons that we do things like the Frostfell events and, this year, the holiday xp bonus as well.
Gallenite: As for incentives on a specific holiday, we don't really want to force people to make the choice of "Do I bail on my family just to get the cool one-day thing?"
Gallenite: That's why we tend to make events like this spread out over multiple days or weeks -- So there's a chance lots of people get to see it, without forcing people to make tough schedule decisions.
Grimwell: Next question is from Jed: I really like the idea of gates (porting) will there be any plans for more to be added in the future example Nektulos Forest?
Archonix: We're entertaining the idea of adding some additional port locations to the Deserts of Flame region. As there are many inactive spires/rings all across Norrath, there's always the possibility that additional locations will be added down the road.
Grimwell: Swordmage has our next question: Are there plans to add more quests in Loping Plains--it doesn't come up to the numbers in LFay by any stretch
Lyndro: There are a few zones in Faydwer that we?d like to see get some more quest content, Loping Plains is on that list (or it will be if it isn?t). No ETA, but if I were to guess I?d say 2 or 3 Game Updates.
Grimwell: Kena has a question about Fae betrayal: when will we get more info on Kelethin specificly Fae betrail?
Dymus: Fae Betrayal currently is planned about two updates from now. There are several things which go into the betrayal quests and need quite a bit of testing and implementation time in order to come out properly in the end.
Grimwell: Our next question is from Naeydil: When can we expect the next live event?
Lyndro: Our next live event is going to be Erollisi day which will oddly fall quite close to Febuary 14 th. We have some really big stuff planned out on the horizion, but you'll hear about that later.
Grimwell: Methrilin has the next question: Will there ever be a way to earn faction with the new tunarians?
Gallenite: (Dymus is typing madly)
Dymus: There are no current plans to allow faction to be earned with the New Tunarians. Their fanatic beliefs and xenophobia for the rest of Norrath is difficult to gain favor with them so long as their current beliefs hold. Now, if in the future the influences upon New Tunaria change it may be possible to sway the populace to become more open to outsiders once again.
Grimwell: Kena has the next question: any chance that the city leaders will ever participate in a Live Event?
Lyndro: Lucan and Antonia are important figures, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in a live event, but it would have to be something very important. They are quite busy running their respective empires, they have someone else to do all of their Frostfell shopping.
Grimwell: SkullxBones has the next question: Any chance of seeing EQ2 on the ps3?
Gallenite: In my perfect world, the EQ2 client runs on any kind of electronic device you can imagine - PS3s, PS2s, PSPs, your cell phone.. you name it. (more)
Gallenite: Unfortunately, the reality we live in means that every single one of those devices requires a whole lot of effort both to do the up-front development...and then the really tricky part is keeping all of those dozens of clients up to date. Some cell phone games, for example, need to be written for *dozens* of phones.. And at the rate we update EQ2, that would be really prohibitive. (more)
Gallenite: So, if we can manage to enlist a battalion of coders, then maybe.. But for now, we're going to be sticking on the PC. :)
Grimwell: Next question comes from Altis: How soon can we hope to see new epic quest line going live (like Claymore quest line in KoS)... And I hope revard wont be weapon or shield again )
Lyndro: The first chapter of the Storyline quest for EoF should make it in for Game Update 31, assuming its in good working order. The rewards will be appropriate, and we'll do our best to make sure they are useful to people.
Grimwell: Next question from Juntai: is brawler gear ever going to be changed to a more martial arts look instead of the leather Kilt we currently have? and also will we ever geta fabled gi?
Dymus: With some of the modifications we're making to the ability to make new armor we'll be able to create larger variety than we have today in our appearances. That will be coming this year, but as to an exact date I cannot give any specifics right now. And yes, there is a fabled Gi in Echoes of Faydwer presently. You'll likely have to ask Mayong very politely if he'll let you use it.
Grimwell: Next question from Altis: Do you have any plans for hosting some Best of the Best torunamets (1 vs 1 or team vs team) as It was greatly made in original Everquest some times ago?
Archonix: We're definitely looking into some PvP Live Events for the future. While I can't say if they'll be in the same format as the Best of the Best was for EverQuest (Server wide, with a final play-off between the separate servers winners), it is something we'd like to bring to both PvP and PvE servers.
Grimwell: Kruhl has the next question: Some of us on the PVP servers feel neglected. Raiding guilds are given extraordinary handicaps that raiding guilds on PVE servers are not given. In addition, there are daily abuses of game mechanics in PVP that could probably be fixed if given the proper attention. A list of such abuses/bugs is in the PVP forums. Any plans on addressing these in the future?
Gallenite: Good question that deserves an answer. Short answer is yes - We were actually talking about a couple different fixes for some of those problems even today and getting their fixes queued up. We've had a couple high-priority maintenance-type issues that have impacted all of the servers, including PvP, both going into and returning from the holidays. (more)
Gallenite: Maintenance-type issues are far from the "sexy" work of gameplay - They take up development effort, they take time away from fixing the things we *want* to be working on: Stuff you actually see. Stuff that when we fix, you see a visible improvement. (more)
Gallenite: For lack of a clearer way to put it -- Unfortunately, with live games, we need to deal with the wiring periodically to make sure things maintain functioning for everyone. REcently, especially post-EoF launch, we've been having to spend a fair bit of time on that. And we're glad to be able to get back now to dealing with things that you'll be able to see.
Grimwell: Tamat has the next question: When can we expect to see additional boat or other travel options?
Lyndro: When we add more places for you to go.
Grimwell: Khronos wanted to share: so did i mention that faes make great mannequins... its true, you can places things like your lvl 20 quest armor on it to display in your house
Gallenite: What a consenting adventurer and fae mannequin do in the privacy of their own acorn is no one's business but their own.
Grimwell: Juntai wants to know: will anything like Class Mastery ever be added to eq2 like it was in eqoa?
Dymus: We'll likely not put in a system similar to EQOA's Class Mastery. We have a way to put in similar effects though the Achievement system which is much more likely where we would focus that type of character growth in the future.
Grimwell: Ogrebears gets teh next question: ogrebears whispers to you, will the final item from the EoF main story line quest that is coming going to add adorments to?
Lyndro: The final items aren't tuned and balanced yet, right now I'd say "probably yes."
Grimwell: Brownbear has the next question: The trek from Qeynos/Freeport to a lot of the EOF zones is extremely long if you can't find a port (which happens most of the time.) Any plans to help cut this down so we have more time to actually play?
Lyndro: Faydwer is intended to feel like a remote place, so travel there should be long. We don't plan on making it any faster, if you can't find a port. I've been playing in Faydwer a good bit, and it doesn't take much longer to get a group to Klak'Anon than it does to get a group together for Runnyeye.
Grimwell: Next question comes from Felishanna: There was some mention of an LFGTool being added into EQII many moons ago. Is there any update on when/if this will happen?
Gallenite: That's a topic near and dear to my own heart. :) (more)
Gallenite: I was one of the people who spent a lot of time on the one that's in EverQuest. We know that this is an area that EQ2 needs some love. We ended up with a number of other things that pushed it off as we were going into Faydwer's launch. So, I can't give you a specific date, but I can tell you that it's on the list of things we'd like to get done on this year's live schedule.
Grimwell: Spindel gets the next question: Heritage Question- Will the Burning Rapier ever be made into a HQ?
Dymus: It is possible. Though, there are a lot of items that are candidates for becoming heritage quests. The debates about which ones are next are always interesting here as many people have strong opinions and fond memories of each. If it's appropriate and we have a good idea for the burning rapier then it would go in.
Grimwell: Masterchief's question: will we see any more mounts in eof? griffon towers in butcherblock would be nice... and how about player mounts that i heard rumored about like the cat mount?
Dymus: Yes, you will see more mount options within EoF in the not too terribly distant future. However, they are not cats, but something a bit more exotic and more interesting.
Grimwell: Please '/whisper Grimwell' your questions to get them to the dev team!
Grimwell: Jad has the next question: Should I delete my wolfsbane, a dragon onece told me it could be used to help the New Tunarians, so are we going to see more to the Tunarian and other diety quest lines?
Lyndro: You don't need to delete your wolfsbane. "Help" is kind of a relative word, although many people know how to use it, I don't want to spoil it for anyone that may not. But when Felwithe castle opens up you'll learn a little bit more about what has been going on, and in what way the wolfsbane is helpful to the Tunarians.
Grimwell: Pot has the next question: Hows the update on Unrest (zone thats in EOF but not live yet) coming along? Will this just be a group heroic zone or a raid zone? or Both?
Lyndro: Its coming along well, everything is shaping up to be on time, but Unrest won't go out until its done. Unrest is going to be a high end group zone, that is heavily scripted like Nektulos.
Grimwell: Next question is from Raelysa: Any chance the transmusting requirements for the Mistmoore Shield HQ are going to be changed? The insane amounts people are charging for the transmuted items makes it an extremely expensive quest to finish, especially for those who can't use the item.
Lyndro: We couldn't predict the cost of those transmutated items when the quest was planned, we'll evaluate the difficulty and the associated cost and see if we are happy with it.
Grimwell: Altis has the next question: Is here anythign planned to fix bug with character being stuck on zoning after revivign after death and Is here somethign going on to fix lag if more than 1-2 raids enters same instances... sometimes its impossible to play at all for all 72ish ppl who trying to raid
Aeralik: I know this is a major problem and one of the other coders is looking into it currently
Gallenite: As for "multiple raids in different instances of the same zone causing lag" -- DevTracker me if you haven't already, look for the post where I asked for reports, and please continue to post reports where this happens. We know there was a large issue with this before the holidays, but the worst of it should have been stamped out by now. If it's still going on, we still want to fix it.
Grimwell: Next question from Corvette: With the possible implementation of complete sets of armor giving bonuses can crafters have complete pristine armor sets give bonuses as well? It would be nice to dye these a preference of color to prevent patchwork armors.
Grimwell: More from ogrebears: are there Adventure packs planed for 2007?
Dymus: That is something we'd like to do add for crafting certainly. It takes the customization ability for crafted equipment a step farther and can allow for some interesting combinations of sets to be made especially with adornments and the crafting consignment in place now. As for the dye, that is likely not something we'll be pursuing as there is a desire to keep armor of particular types looking like that piece of armor so it can be recognized visually.
Grimwell: More from ogrebears: are there Adventure packs planed for 2007? (sorry OB!)
Gallenite: Following the success of Echoes of Faydwer and the popularity of our free zone releases, our release strategy is going to be focused in those two directions for the time being. We may take a look in half a year or a year and decide it's time for another AP again, but for now we don't have one on the schedule.
Grimwell: Next, from SwordMage: When kelethin citizen can finally become qeynos citizens, will switching back and forth be encourages (i.e., simple) so that we can base in one city or the other for a few days
Lyndro: Switching your citizenship from Kelelthin to Qeynos shouldn't be any more involved than switching your citizenship from Qeynos to Kelethin. If you consider that "simple" then yes.
Grimwell: Zero has the next question: Do you guys plan on merging the low population servers like some of the customers are asking to accomodate the Population issues on all of the different servers? For pvp servers that is like vox and talendor and such
Gallenite: (For the sake of the logs that will come of this chat, please note that our response to this question is regarding certain European PvP servers. :)
Grimwell: Next question goes to Kizmet: Any chance to get information about the evil fae race I have heard rumored to even teh evil vs. good races?
Grimwell: whops!
Grimwell: Got ahead of the game there. we are going back a second, sorry Kizmet, you are on deck
Archonix: The low populations on Talendor, Gorenair and Darathar are something we're currently looking into. We're currently evaluating multiple options. Expect to see an announcement in the near future.
Grimwell: Next question goes to Kizmet: Any chance to get information about the evil fae race I have heard rumored to even teh evil vs. good races?
Lyndro: I'd speak to whoever is spreading that rumor and see if see if they can give you more information.
Grimwell: Due to time constraints, Kaylico has the last question: Will city tasks be updated sometime in the near future to include the new content, or have I missed it? I'd like to do writs in Faydwer zones as well.
Dymus: The city tasks within Kelethin are locally based and deal specifically with the zones and creatures in Faydwer presently. However, yes, we will be adding some additional city tasks within Qeynos and Freeport which will take place in the new continent now that the old world has had a chance to explore this newly revealed land.
Grimwell: That's a wrap! I'd like to thank everyone for coming and encourage you all to check out Pirates Online while you are here!
Grimwell: ...and personally, thanks for going easy on the new guy :)
Lyndro: Thanks for coming everyone!
Gallenite: This is about the most unique setting I think we've done one of these -- Thanks for having us, Pirates folk, and thanks for coming, EQ2 folk! :)
Gallenite: If anyone would like to beat up on Grimwell, I hear he thinks he's pretty good at this game.
Dymus: Thank you everyone for coming and for the questions. :)
Gallenite: Please feel free to prove him wrong, >:)
Grimwell: I'm totally great at this game!
Grimwell: ;)
Lyndro: Yes, all community managers need to learn humility. The last few were filled with hubris.
Gallenite: hahahahaha
Grimwell: hahahaha
Archonix: hahaha
Gallenite: Is that what that substance was called? "hubris?"
Grimwell: Guess I"m going to get fired soon eh? :)