Kudane

So in June of last year John Smedley announced to the entire summit that he promised new player models by the end of the year. Later it was said that was a bit optimistic. BUT they would be addressed before the next expansion was announced/released.

Well here we are January of 2005 and SOE has released news of their next expansion.

Does it included new player models??? no*

Does it included information about when we will see new models?? no*

I have email both Alan "Brenlo" Crosby and John Smedley over the last 8-12 weeks asking for any information. Neither have bothered to return my emails. While I understand that Mr. Smedley is trying to run a company, a big part of Mr. Crosby's job is to interact with fan sites such as this one.

So, while I may not be the only one truely disappointed by SOE's recent blatent behavior, I will say that recent game releases are raising the bar on expectations. With two more games coming this year alone, (Saga of Heros, and Middle-Earth Online). Very soon the competition will be as thick as pea soup.

I have been a huge fan of SOE for more than 5 years now. I have forgiven mistakes, bad customer service, and all manners of server crashes, character wipes, and item loss.

I am truely trying to be optomistic, but breaking promises, ignoring emails, and blindly moving down a road without seeing if your fanbase is still there, in my humble opinion is not only arrogant but just bad buisness.

In the 2 years almost 3 that Dolby and I have run this site I have never really posted anything negative about SOE. Today changes that.

I for one, want to offer my sympothies to the rest of the players. I feel we are being herded like sheep and I for one am not a fan of wool.

Please post your feeling on this, good or bad.. but keep it polite please, this is not an excuse to start flaming people or making personal attacks.

/bow


*Edit- I should clarify, it was never said there WOULD be a player model update in the next expansion, just that they have skipped addressing the issue before announce this expansion.

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[ F.A.Q ]

highlanderhcs

I would have to agree to Kudane. With making my first human druid almost 4 years ago and seeing how customer service was back then. The changes they had around the Summit time was extraordinary. I actually thought that wow, a corporation, or even a game division actually listened to their customers and actually seemed to want to help out. Now with Kudanes replies, and what I've been seeing on the SOE boards alone. It almost seems that its going back to 2001-2002 behavior. Which does dishearten me, but I guess we are just the sheep that pay for services, not improvements.

kasca

Why dose it not suprise me. Wish they remmber we pay to play. I myself and tired of the cookie cutter crappie looks of all the classes. I miss the nice differances we had in the beging. Everyone sat differant and had there own tic <ya i miss the butt scraching>. Sigh what should we expect from soe. They just blow off fixing much of anything. Think they sit on there brains to much.

My 2 cents
Kasca

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ArcherPhate

Yea, i liked the few months of actually having them hear what we wanted. Now i just think they are tring to get the last few million dollars out of a horse thats almsot dry. With the new MMOG coming out and the primitive graphics eveerquest uses, compared to todays graphics., EQ isnt going to last much longer. I won't be suprised if it closes its doors soon after the 10th expansion. With the Mass exodus due to WoW/EQ2 SOE took a had hit and i think they realiized that soon it wont be worth it ficaly to keep eq running.

Its a sad day in EQ.

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“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.”
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smort

Well i would love to see some new character models with race defining qualities... but they gave mention to a project they were no where near completeing. I think it was something they were excited about and they may have let loose the idea before they knew the consequences to their actions. To say that EQ1 will be "closing its doors" becouse of all the competition from other MMORPG's is just a silly idea IMO. Look for instance at Ultima Online their graphics dont even rival Super Nintendo lol but they keep afloat due to loyal fan base. Yes the new games are far superior, but think of all the people who dont have the monney to get the comp to play the new games. And then there are people who try the new games and than go back to what they know and have come to love. I guess all im trying to say is

A: I would like to see new Race and or class specific models implemented.
B: EQ wont be closing its doors anytime soon..but again thats just opinion.

Smort 57cle
Soulsmack 65pally
heiss 51war
Gikk 65shamy

~Maelin Starpyre~

Inokis

I'm a bit out of the loop on this one honestly. I was happy when they implemented the DX9 optimizations that made the game look so much better. I can't completely relate to how all of you feel regarding this matter as I haven't played long enough to truly know how much the new models are desired. Although I have no opinion on the matter, I understand the disappointment.

If it were me, I'd be more pissed at being ignored my information requests than the company missing a promised deadline.

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Brenlo

Howdy folks,

Outside of Mr. Smedley's statement the only mention we have made of new character models is that we are seeing if it is feasible for us to do. I am not sure where it is has been stated that we would have models before a new expansion, the only thing close that I know of being said is that new models, if and when they are done, would not part of an expansion. New character models for EverQuest is a huge undertaking. Each PC model has roughly a hundred animations that would all have to be redone, all armor sets and clothing would have to be redone, tons of weapons would have to be redone. It's not as simple as making a new model and plugging it into the game.
If we do begin the process of redoing character models it would outside of expansion work, meaning expansions would still be created and released while model work was going on.

Thanks folks and happy hunting.

Darkmatil

Although new character models would be really cool, I don't think it ranks as that important right now. The luclin models are still pretty decent. It's just the fact that Smedley said new models would be finished by year's end and they haven't is what is making people angry, and you can't blame them. I do really wish they would slow down the expansion rate though, once a year is a lot more reasonable. It's so hard for people to keep up with stuff nowadays especially if they aren't a hardcore player. Releasing expansions so frequently also diverts resources away from fixing issues/bugs/balancing that already exist. I mean look, the final boss in Tacvi hasn't even been killed yet by anyone because of a bug or something. And that is now almost two expansions old. Most people don't even have half of their OOW or their GoD spells yet and already a new expansion will be out with new spells, raiding content, etc. It just doesn't make sense.

Nanan

Typical SoE bait and switch or more like bait and fail to deliver. They boast about new features at the guild summet and give a vague date for inception on these new things. Now that the time has come for these things to happen they pretend like they never knew about it.

EQ isnt dying because of the game content or graphics, EQ is dying because of SoE's inability to hold their word or acknoledge the fact that they messed up. EQ could be doing much better and could of still had a huge player bace but when you fail your followers time and time again they strike out for a new game.

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Nanan

axeion

human female models have a twisted left leg ( shows much more in plate ) ,2handed blunt animations are same as 2 handed peircers (an their one handed to boot) both look bit silly.wood elf chain helms are ugly (imho) as well as half elf plate helms.

any one else rember when they redid runing animations for about two days ?ogers an barbarians an trolls were happy . every one else was ticked off from silly robot like runing animations.so dont know about ever armor peice being redone for every animations ( tho that experiment in animations may have proved it).

used to broken promises from soe but now theirs a " class reinvisoning" their posting about ( not something we were posted about from a guild sumit its something soe posted).i could forget all about animations an broken quests , end mobs that are bugged.IF real honest class balanceing took place.

an that i wount be holding my breath for that to happen.

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Mogur

EQ won't die until people stop paying to play. Sounds simple huh? Yes, a lot of people have stopped playing EQ so they could try other games, but they haven't stopped their monthly payments yet. This is because they want to keep their options open in case they don't happen to like the other games they try. Then they can always come back to EQ. They may decide to keep their accounts even if they never play again! It's my opinion that most people have too much expendable income to worry about a few dollars a month. Not me but most people. They may be unwilling to close an account they've had for years out of nostalgia. They may be hesitant to trash those 3 level 70 characters they worked so hard to get there. Lots try to sell them on various web sites and even in the Bazaar! Tried to get a high level group lately? My guild folded and I can't even find another. I believe EQ is in need of some serious server consolidation in order to remain viable, but it won't actually die unless those no longer playing cancel their unused accounts, and there's a LOT of 'em!

Xiepher

I really wanted for new PC models as well, hope when or if this happens again that they go back to something simular to the way the original ogre models looked like, really like it like that as well as some of the other old pc models I liked much better.

Tatter

Hmm Character Models ..

Let me just add an old dudes thoughts . I been playing since just befoer Kunark .. And remember when I raided with an 8meg on board vodeo card onj a PC with 64 Megs of ram LOL . With Telephone connect ..

Now .. I am not trying to get into this "I walked up hill to school in my bare feet in the winter when I was a kid " ..

I am wanting to say in the years I have been playing and still play .. It has been a pleasure . I have seen the share of bugs and lagggg like a momo on the release of Kunark .. But I always found good times and friends an play ..

It is my relaxing escape .. I remember when trolls farted green gas LOL ..

So new models .. Indeed .. WE have seen these models change over time in such a way for the most part .. That we never even noticed .

I will not complain if we gotta look at Luclin models . I use the old models on some if I dont liek the Luclin look .. In my opinion and thats what you ask for .. I think is is so not dependent on my fun in game . It has not one effect on my little quest or occasional raid .. Other than too much lag if I got all models turnned on sometimes .. hehe .

So forgive me if I am pro EQ1 .. I love it will love it and will play till they come on line and say you win .. We give up .. Thanks for you patronage . hehe .

12.50 a month is cheap entertainment for me . And I love this web site . I like trying diffrent UI 's heh . It all boils down to fun ..

Please I got no right to complain about anything . hehe .. I get my money's worth every month hehe . Even on down days I play on test heh . EASY .. never have a problem . so .. Keep having fun and dont take this too serious . hehe . After All .. It is just a game . and Maybe .. One day when the sun is right and the wind is smartlly blowing we will get new models .

I think sometimes we forget too that they are people too who mabe get a little over anxious .. and say things with out the thinking process ..

Good things come to those who wait hehe .

Take care .. And thanks for listening .

"The Old Guy who sleeps on your couch"

Tatter

PS: Damn first post was long LOL

xsikal

I was ecstatic when I read that EQ's models were not only being redone, but were actually being outsourced, because I have very little faith in the artists at SOE. The luclin models are atrocious, complete with shoddy animations and a palpable step backwards in visual variance. I was further encouraged when a developer posted on PoN several months ago, saying that the first renders were coming back from the contractors, and the SOE artists (who had been upset about having the work outsourced) were actually very impressed. I suppose because ezboard nuked the post a long time ago, we should all pretend it never occurred?

To have Brenlo show up and say that we were all mistaken about what we heard and read, and that, SOE has not yet started on new models, and is indeed still debating whether or not they should even make them... well, that is appalling. I've seen enough bait and switch tactics from SOE in the past 5+ years, (original class lists... melee balancing... melee balancing, part 2... new class lists... class definition documents... class re-envisioning...) that I find it very very difficult to believe anything they say.

Revamped models and graphics for old zones, coupled with some sort of published documentation on how the classes should function, AND actual honest-to-god consistent communication with the community... well, for me, these are the only means by which EQ can continue to prosper.

psychosis

Comon people. back off SOE a touch here.

Im a programer <web dev>, I have friends that are game programers.

I have seen what goes into modifying something like this.

Take this for instance.

-Update 1 Character Model
-- Keep it withing 3 kilobytes of current game model, smaller if possible (Who remembers the Luclin Lag on release of new models)
-- make 60 animation models for social combat spellcasting ect... (See above Size Requirements)
-- revamp 18000 pieces of Armor, Weapons, Items to correclty display with this new model (Make sure that they will all work on new templates with all new characters also)

I know this is just numbers but here we go.......

Thats Roughly
15,120,000

Some things are simple and can be done 200 - 300 a day like weapons and armor and items.

Others are not so simple and have to wait on several things to be done.

Character Model - Wireframe - Collision Coding - Animation Modeling - Texture Skinning - Tuning of each step so that it actually work (Minimum 6 times or more)

To do one character will take 10 people at a minimum 3 weeks.

Remember they are also having to work to the "LOWEST COMMON DENOMINATOR" the least powerful PC that can handle the requirements.

Do I think they will do this. Yes

Do I think it will happen this year. Possibly

Do we need to relax and let them get work going and give us updates. Yes

We have shown them we were listening and Bralnos reponse shows hes open to the idea. I wouldnt stress about it too much.