E3 Field Report

[Torgamous]

Field Report 1:

E3 Notes:
Nintendo's Game Cube is going to have it's ass all stomped on, the Gameboy DS is NOT as stupid as it sounds, the new N-Gage is pretty neat, actually, Sony's in for a major fight, as X-Box is bringing out the moneybat of bootykicking +5, NC is the major up and coming PC publisher, and Half-Life 2 and Doom 3 is going to make your video card beg and weep. Guild Wars did NOT crash for me this time, but I still got a shirt anyway, the Phantom really does exist (Though how sucessful or if it gets anywhere remains to be seen), I think, unless there's actually a man behind the curtain making magical images dance upon the screen, and nVidia gave away MUCH better stuff than ATi. Sega's making a showing, as some sorta revival attempt, the Sims 2 is going to be even more insidious than the first one, Blizzard's World of Warcraft will hit the market like a 250 pound Orc, and SOE's EverCrack 2 will probably force the Betty Ford Clinic to open up an MMPOG wing. Lucas Arts is hiding this year (Small, out of way private room as a booth), probably after it's recent debatacles greatly overshadow what few outsourced successes it had, Nintento and Sony combine owned nearly 2/3 the total floor space in the Console Game area (West Hall). Microsoft had the largest of the PC Game Area (South Hall). (This means MS is actually a BIGGER display, as South Hall is HUGE.) ATi and nVidia had displays on opposite ends of South Hall, probably to avoid a religious riot.

And that's my Report 1.

[Torgamous]

Report 2:

Due to a rather clever, silly, complicated, and stupid story, I actually got into the SOE's priavate little display on the floor of E3. Thus, I got to talk to one of the artists on EQ 2 (Sorry about wasting your time on a random yahoo, Brad!)

EQ2, in 60 seconds:

4 Archtypes (Warrior, Scout, Wizzard, Cleric), each diverge into diffrent Classes, 16 races, no limitations on what race can play what class. (Go go Gnomish Monks!) There was an admission that the unholy Trinity of Warrior/Clerics/Chanters are not the mandatory, there has been balancing between the Classes so any of each Archtype are useable. (Yeah, right. We'll see...) the Large Rats are back, groups are in sizes of 6 now, with raiding parties as large as 24 (I think it was 24, there's some soda on my notebook). There will be an East Coast and West Coast Server. European Distibution will be handled by Ubisoft, Japan will be by PlayOnline (SquareEnix). Tradeskills will go from 0 to 50, in 4 diffrent catagories, along with the option for some sorta vaguely described thing about Tradeskill Guilds. (Hello OPEC my old friend...) Inflation is suppose to have a tight regulator on it, to prevent the "Make 1 meeellllion Plats in a week." syndrom. The quality of Tradeskill Items are suppose to be comparable to drops. (Pauses for cheering). While I was watching the game in action, I noted a rather silly scene where a villager was herding some ducks, where upon a cat jumped out of the shadows and chased one of the ducks around. According to Mr White, all the critters, and villages have their own AI that allow them to move around, and do their own things, so you'll see NPCs head home at night, and head off to work during the day. The monsters are also smarter. Drop the leader of a band of Orcs, his grunts might flee in terror as their leader falls. Or if you take out their healer, they'll be gunning for your healer. (And that's a new thing? They already gun for the healer.) The world is HUGE. The two starting cities of Freeport and Qeynos are about 16 zones EACH. (Pray it's not the Plains of Karana's grade size.) Factions is back, and the quests you get are dependednt factions, thus you might get a completly diffrent quest than the guy next to you. (Great, sewer running time for the Paladins after killing Sir Lucan! Weee!).

And that's all I have legible in my notes. If I translate more, I'll post again.