Lords of EverQuest Interview

Article Index

Eschalon: Book II

Publisher:Sony Online Entertainment
Developer:Rapid Eye Entertainment
Release Date:2003-12-01
Genre:
  • Action,Role-Playing,Strategy
Platforms: Theme: Perspective:
  • Third-Person,Top-Down
Buy this Game: Amazon ebay
GB: Do you intend on patching the game on a regular basis to ensure balance in the game?

James: Well in an RTS you always have to pay close attention to balance and look at things that do or do not work. If we need to patch than by all means we will. The team is still intact and we have some big plans in store for the future. I would say more but I got one word for ya "ninjas" they have been watching what I say for the last 4 months and they got me feeling a wee bit edgy.


GB: Any plans to support LoE tournaments online? If so, have you made any plans for dealing with cheating and/or hacks that players might use online?

James: Tournaments are definitely something we are looking at and at this moment I am unable to talk about it in any more detail...because uh...well you know...


GB: Can you give us a couple examples of the more powerful artifacts players can find and use in the game?

James: Dragon Roar and Mass Insanity are just some game breakers IMHO. I mean who has ever seen a swarm of dragons fly over a battlefield scaring the enemy. It's an awesome spectacle. Mass insanity is a crystal that when shattered makes all nearby enemies turn on each other and its major chaos for about 7 seconds, but in an RTS that feels like eternity =).


GB: How many different spells will be available in the game? Could you detail a couple of the more powerful ones?

James: We currently have about 100 spell lines with varying degrees of upgrades to them. For example we have a snare line that as it upgrades causes damage as well as slows the target.


GB: What type of references to the EverQuest MMORPG have you included in LoE? Will EverQuest veterans be familiar with the environments, units, spells, magic items, etc?

James: We have included several little small landmarks within the game that are just being constructed or talked about since our game takes place 10,000 years before present day EverQuest. For those that are familiar with EQ they will go hey is that going to end up being? Or is that so and so's grandmother? There are also several little magic items that are around at this time that some people will get a kick out of.


GB: Finally, what do you feel will make Lords of EverQuest stand out from the other RTS games available on the market?

James: I think this being one of the first 3D RTS games to try to have every unit level up and the an inventory adds a new level of complexity and depth to the RTS genre. There's also detachable mounted units, carry-over of troops and random item drops from AI units in the game. I hope people get a chance to go out and embrace Lords and let us know what they think, but it really does bring a new dimension of strategy to the genre.


Thanks for your time, James!