Forums » Off-Topic and Casual Chatter

Will Pantheon follow the path of EQ Next?

    • 40 posts
    August 25, 2018 9:33 AM PDT

    Hey All

     

    Before i got hammered, I LOVE this game, they appear to return to the routes of EQ, the social aspects, the challenges, the immersion.

    All the stuff we loved enjoyed about the original EQ.

    I am a hard core EQ fan, tested the game and even today i remember the fond memories.

     

    Reason of this post is our hopes were sparked with EQ next then it was cancelled.

    Pantheon being a community funded (i know nothing about what is involved) , do they have the budget to keep going and not submit to the main stream and water it down.

    I just don't want the hopes crashed again :(

     

    I pledged and looking forward to alpha and beta test.

     

     

    • 97 posts
    August 25, 2018 9:59 AM PDT

    With everything I've witnessed and seen thus far I am completely confident in VR to finish and produce a wildly fantastic game. But you're right, there's always that fear. That is why we should all continue to talk about Pantheon and its philosophical goals in the current MMO market. Support them any way you can! They have a perfect team and I really don't think there's been any other game I've been this excited about.

    • 1479 posts
    August 25, 2018 10:08 AM PDT

    Firsthand : That's a bit odd to start a topic on a player funded game by asking : will this game fall.

     

    Did you pledge just to ask if your pledge would go to oblivion ? Have you got no trust in the game ? There is a balance between beeing realistic (the game will have hard time but we have trust), and beeing pessimistic (The game will be EQN²).

     

    Secondhand : Do you remember what we saw of EQ2 ? What they designed first, in what domain they choose to invest their work ?  Did we have a background of some sort, cities and some maps ? Advanced class design ?

    No, all we had were 3 characters modelized with advanced face features, "facial recognition" gadgets and a few maps of destructible world areas to show, in fact, what they capitalized on : Shiny graphics, illusion of freedom, vague EQ franchise races, and a comic wow-inspired character design.

     

    What to tell more ? The game had nothing except thoses few features and a Jeremy Soule unfitting reworked theme. We are far from here now.

    • 323 posts
    August 25, 2018 10:26 AM PDT

    The proof is in the pudding, right. Look through the Newsletters and Streams in chronological order. The first real stream was around March 2016. There was not much to show at that time, either vertically or horizontally. Since then, the team has revealed all playable races and classes, and we are coming to the end of PA3 (the third phase of pre-alpha testing by crowd funders, ie, a segment of the public). This week we had a stream featuring six VIP backers (none were VR employees) playing level 30 toons unsupervised for an hour. The next phase of Pre-Alpha (slated for this Fall) will feature all 12 playable classes up to Level 40, which is only 10 levels away from the planned level cap of 50. 

     

    The evidence is out there in the public domain for you to see: a consistent team, with a consistent game vision, working steadily and incrementally toward a finished game that will launch in the next 1.5-3 years. Did EQNext ever show this kind of evidence of launching a finished game? 

    • 40 posts
    August 25, 2018 10:32 AM PDT

    Great responses all

     

    I pledged and did not look back. my only regret i did not find out about this earlier.

    by nature am a cinic person, i tend to look at the negative things (nature of the job) so i cant help it. 

    they came a long way since 2016 and i get that just call me a pessimist :(

     

    i cant wait for alpha to contribute my part.

     

    appologies if i offended some fans  beleive me am as hard core fan as they get 

    • 1479 posts
    August 25, 2018 10:41 AM PDT

    No offense taken, I just don't get the few that are giving money to ask if that was worthless. Some are less genuine than you are, some are provoking, but it remain an aspect I can hardly understand. The more negative posts there will be, the less people will be confident in the release and the less they might pledge, and further reach the amount of money that is needed to be sure the game is released.

    • 844 posts
    August 25, 2018 1:45 PM PDT

    Morgoth said:

    Hey All

     

    Before i got hammered, I LOVE this game, they appear to return to the routes of EQ, the social aspects, the challenges, the immersion.

    All the stuff we loved enjoyed about the original EQ.

    I am a hard core EQ fan, tested the game and even today i remember the fond memories.

     

    Reason of this post is our hopes were sparked with EQ next then it was cancelled.

    Pantheon being a community funded (i know nothing about what is involved) , do they have the budget to keep going and not submit to the main stream and water it down.

    I just don't want the hopes crashed again :(

     

    I pledged and looking forward to alpha and beta test.

    I think you are confused.

    EQ2 <> EQ1

    EQ Next <> EQ1

     

    What happened to EQ1 years after release and up to today is vastly different than those first few years.

    EQ2, is an entirely different game, just some similiarly sounding names.

    EQ Next, another entirely different design. Nothing like original EQ1. More a morph of EQ2.

    So having hopes dashed? Impossible. It was pure fantasy if you thought EQ Next was going to be EQ.

    • 190 posts
    August 25, 2018 1:50 PM PDT

    zewtastic said:

    I think you are confused.

    EQ2 <> EQ1

    EQ Next <> EQ1

     

    What happened to EQ1 years after release and up to today is vastly different than those first few years.

    EQ2, is an entirely different game, just some similiarly sounding names.

    EQ Next, another entirely different design. Nothing like original EQ1. More a morph of EQ2.

    So having hopes dashed? Impossible. It was pure fantasy if you thought EQ Next was going to be EQ.

    Not to mention, what they did with the Dark Elf lore from EQ1/2 to Next was atrocious. It definitely was EQ in name only, at that point.

    • 1303 posts
    August 25, 2018 2:09 PM PDT

    wildenightwolf said:

     

    Not to mention, what they did with the Dark Elf lore from EQ1/2 to Next was atrocious. It definitely was EQ in name only, at that point.

    Agreed. Sony ran in the opposite direction with the title from its original tenets. Completely destroyed so much of what was good. 

    But to be fair to EQ Next, yes, they failed to actually show anyone all of the things we would expect to see from a developer to prove that what they were doing wasn't vaporware. But I will give them credit for EQ Landmark. That was essentially a sliver of the game development (resource gathering/crafting/building) for EQ Next. But it was pretty solid. I did the alpha and beta for it, and if you enjoy builders, it was pretty well done. Had that been a foundation (pun not intended) for a much larger game, I think I would have been compelled by it. I just never really saw how it could be applied to an MMO in a way in which there wouldnt be X-Wings and statues of strippers on dancing poles on every hilltop. (And yes, this sort of thing was the norm in EQ Landmark, not the exception.)

    It was an impressive technical excercise. I just think they got lost in the "I wonder if we can" and never bothered to ask "I wonder if we should, or if it's worth it.". 

     


    This post was edited by Feyshtey at August 25, 2018 2:58 PM PDT
    • 323 posts
    August 25, 2018 2:21 PM PDT

    Mispost 


    This post was edited by Gnog at August 25, 2018 2:22 PM PDT
    • 264 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:13 PM PDT

    Morgoth said:

    Hey All

     

    Before i got hammered, I LOVE this game, they appear to return to the routes of EQ, the social aspects, the challenges, the immersion.

    All the stuff we loved enjoyed about the original EQ.

    I am a hard core EQ fan, tested the game and even today i remember the fond memories.

     

    Reason of this post is our hopes were sparked with EQ next then it was cancelled.

    Pantheon being a community funded (i know nothing about what is involved) , do they have the budget to keep going and not submit to the main stream and water it down.

    I just don't want the hopes crashed again :(

     

    I pledged and looking forward to alpha and beta test.

     

     

     

     OK so I donated a bit to this game's development, the reason why is because I saw that McQuaid seems to have learned his lessons from running Sigil and Vanguard. I see this game going the distance. EQ NEXT did not look nearly as promising to me but then again I saw the issues with such an ambitious design I had already experienced what happens from overambition with Vanguard. So long as VR doesn't let the scope creep get out of control and keeps their eye on the prize this MMORPG is gonna get released. As for how good it will be well hey I'm liking what I'm seeing in the streams so far.

    • 3852 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:39 PM PDT

    Sony Online / Daybreak makes up in incompetence what they lack in honesty and willingness to communicate with customers. Trusting them to come up with a good game is a path of desperation. Not a criticism towards those with hopes for EQ Next we *were* desperate. VR is not guaranteed to succeed - we do not know what funding if any is still needed and how clase they are to getting it. They *are* guaranteed to be more competent and honest than Daybreak.

    Progress has been a lot steadier at least over the last year and a lot more visible than anything with EQ Next.

    Disclaimer for those that haven't figured it out. I am biased. I do not *like* Daybreak.

    • 40 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:41 PM PDT

    God am so hyped about this game......

    • 3852 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:52 PM PDT

    One thing - if VR comes out with wonderful advertising focusing on two beautiful and brilliantly glowing lights - LEAVE THE LIGHTS ALONE!!!!

    ((Lord of the Rings reference related to what Morgoth did as depicted in more detail in the Silmirillion"))

    • 643 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:56 PM PDT

    Morgoth said:

    God am so hyped about this game......

     

     

    same

     

    can't stand the wait

     

    seriously

     

     

     

     

     

    • 40 posts
    August 25, 2018 5:59 PM PDT

    I will be taking part in the alpha and beta at least i wont wait til release

    • 21 posts
    August 25, 2018 7:35 PM PDT

    dorotea said:

    Sony Online / Daybreak makes up in incompetence what they lack in honesty and willingness to communicate with customers. Trusting them to come up with a good game is a path of desperation. Not a criticism towards those with hopes for EQ Next we *were* desperate. VR is not guaranteed to succeed - we do not know what funding if any is still needed and how clase they are to getting it. They *are* guaranteed to be more competent and honest than Daybreak.

    Progress has been a lot steadier at least over the last year and a lot more visible than anything with EQ Next.

    Disclaimer for those that haven't figured it out. I am biased. I do not *like* Daybreak.

     

    Don't you mean Day Break Games ;)  

    • 388 posts
    August 25, 2018 8:31 PM PDT

    I am fairly sure Pantheon will release at some point. I wouldn't get hopes up for Alpha before Mid 2019. No point in opening Alpha for 5-8 zones. They literally just now got 4-5 to "work together" like a real game and they have another continent and a half to go.

    They need to save Alpha for AFTER they get all of KingsReach "done-ish" and AFTER they have started working on Reignfall. but, that's just my opinion. I am sure people want alpha to start tomorrow. I do not want alpha until there is more than 50% of the game done. Right now, about 30% is done as far as I can see. 

    This game will never go EQ Next. EQN was cartoonish graphics with GW2 like battle system where you roll in solo and kill 8-10 mobs in a few explosive moves and come out with 100% health. Not to mention a 100% destructible world was a mistake from the word go. 

    I hope that this engine can take advantage of nVidia's new RTX crap eventually. They should ignore it for now and move on as planned. They are already 3 years behind after starting over just before 2015. 

     


    This post was edited by Flapp at August 25, 2018 8:33 PM PDT
    • 752 posts
    August 25, 2018 8:47 PM PDT
    Simple answer. No. Devs are making a game they personally want to play and are not looking to make money hand over fist by selling to any large firm. This is a labor of love and we are better for it.
    • 7 posts
    August 26, 2018 1:02 AM PDT

    I didn't back EQ Next because they didn't show me what I wanted to see in terms of content and development. Pantheon has shown me what I want to see, and I consequently pledged.

    • 40 posts
    August 26, 2018 1:04 AM PDT

    Any estimates on how many pledges out there? just to satisfy my ciriousity, 

    • 801 posts
    August 26, 2018 3:12 AM PDT

    Take it from guys like me, i wouldnt have put my money out on this one if i didnt believe.

     

    If your worried about 100 bucks, i recommend not buying those Early Access games from Steam. Those are where your losing your money at. This one is well developed beyond what those other 5 man dev teams are doing on Steam.

     

    EQ next was a shame, you cant help a gravy train of no new cash flow for any company. Defentialy a decision had to be made.

     

    • 801 posts
    August 26, 2018 3:16 AM PDT

    Morgoth said:

    Any estimates on how many pledges out there? just to satisfy my ciriousity, 

     

    Well, i do know we have a few.... But not all are the same packages, and some are in Pre alpha with much more then you and I have pledged. If you where in pre alpha you would not have questioned how many we have pledged.

     

    Its been rated on MMO sites, as quite highly developed, and hyped so id say we are good for pledges.

    If EQ can explode, image what Pantheon can do, with the new way Early Access has been introduced. If they can get millions from little steam games, i am sure we will be well developed for yrs to come soon.

    • 40 posts
    August 26, 2018 3:31 AM PDT

    Well let me clarify one thing.

     

    i donated 250 wanted to go higher but they closed the pre alpha. so this is NOT abou me worying about money.

     

    my initial post was all about hope and dashing it, never about money.

     

    I am 51, pessimist and cinic by nature, so i tend ot ask lots of questions, tend to look at all possiblities and angles.

     

    I appreciate all your replies though :)

     

    peace love and million high fives!!


    This post was edited by Morgoth at August 26, 2018 3:32 AM PDT
    • 1315 posts
    August 26, 2018 4:59 AM PDT

    If it helps, you can tell from the streams that the zone already created and the classes as is would almost pass as launch-able for other company's and in better shape than most of the steam “Early Access” games. What is not completed yet, might be wrong as it could be behind pre-alpha nda, are some of the features that will make unique and push the envelope on what an MMO should be.

    Zone creation, itemization, animation and numerical tuning of class powers is only a mater of time which can and will keep growing through alpha and beta. I suspect VR is holding on to starting Alpha until all the core AI and environmental actions are functioning (maybe not bug free) and all the combat features are active. The rest is just having enough of a sandbox to play in.

    In short I feel like Pantheon is already further and more playable than EQ Next ever got and with a foundation set to grow at an accelerated pace. Now if only they would switch to a list inventory and not a slot inventory.