We’ve just finished watching a live Webcast of Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson and Salim “Silius” talking about the upcoming Destiny of Velious expansion, including player-submitted questions. What follows is a rough transcript. We recommend listening to the recording to get a complete picture of what was said.
(left to right) Greg Agius [EQ2 Brand Manager] interviews Dave “SmokeJumper” Georgeson [EQ2 Senior Producer] and Salim “Silius” [EQ2 Developer, Itemization], about the upcoming Destiny of Velious expansion including reader questions.
Download Destiny of Velious Webcast #1 MP3 for January 29, 2011.
From EverQuest2.com:
Join members of the EQII Development Team as we talk about Destiny of Velious in a series of Live Webcasts! Learn more about the upcoming features and get the scoop straight from the people who work on EQII every day.
- Friday, January 28 at 4:00 pm PST [29 Jan at Midnight GMT]: Join Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson and Salim “Silius” Grant as they talk about Destiny of Velious zones, raids and more. They will be answering some questions from players as well, so submit your questions right here in this thread.
- Friday, February 4 at 4:00 pm PST [5 Feb at Midnight GMT]: Topic TBA
- Friday, February 11 at 4:00 pm PST [12 Feb at Midnight GMT]: Topic TBA
- Friday, February 18 at 4:00 pm PST [19 Feb at Midnight GMT]: Topic TBA
Upcoming topics will be announced soon. Tune in on Facebook or on Stickam to watch the first webcast this Friday!
What to Expect (Commentary)
We have been present during past webcasts of this nature, and we can recall numerous delays, glitches, and technical faults. If you are expecting a smooth, well-rehearsed presentation, you may be disappointed. Of course we may be pleasantly surprised, but how many times can Lucy fool us with the football trick? Either way, we’ll be recording and reviewing these broadcasts for any interesting details.
Yesterday’s launch of the EQ2 Mobile service for Android, Blackberry, and iPhone platforms pushed the EQ2Mobile data server to the limit. Users received several different errors including “Unexpected token stream” which indicated that the mobile data server was down. One issue noticed immediately by players is that old, deleted characters still appear in the character list. Some players are reporting 40-60 characters in their list including ones which have long since been deleted.
EQ2Mobile leverages the new Data Feeds service which will eventually replace the outdated platform running EQ2Players.
From EverQuest2.com/Mobile:
EQII Mobile is a new cross-platform mobile application that bridges the game world and the real world. EQII Mobile allows you to connect to EverQuest® II remotely and interact with various game features while communicating with other players in-game. Whether on the road or in your on home, EQII Mobile links you to information and social tools that keep you connected.
Available for Android, iPhone, and BlackBerry devices on or around January XX, 2011. Direct purchase links to web stores will be added in the order of when the multiple device applications are released (each device has different release schedule).
From Apple’s iTunes website:
EverQuest II, the subscription and free-to-play MMORPG, brings to you EQII Mobile for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. EQII Mobile allows you to connect to EverQuest® II remotely and interact with various game features while communicating with other players in-game. Whether on the road or in your own home, EQII Mobile links you to information and social tools that keep you connected. EQII Mobile is a must-have tool on your quest to conquer Norrath.
Today’s surprising announcement (in light of comments last week about the unliklihood of characters being able to own more than one home in the forseeable future) is that in a future update, players will be able to own multiple houses. The announcement also confirms the names of some of the upcoming Prestige housing which we first picked out of vpk updates, namely the Dojo and Opera House. Along with the Skyblade Skiff, Freeblood Manor, and the Everfrost Summer Home (Miragul’s Managerie) this will bring the Prestige housing options up to 5.
From EverQuest2.com:
The following items are included in the Retail Version of Destiny of Velious. There are no Pre-Order exclusives for our Retail Version and this is the only version available as a printed box copy, so no matter when you purchase this version, whether you reserve a copy today or purchase it after launch, these items will always be available to those with the Retail copy.
Standard of the Dain (Retail Exclusive cloak)
Karen Bryan writing for the Tattered Notebook at Massively has turned in her followup article on Velious, this time delving into the institutional memory of what the Scars of Velious expansion meant for players of the original EverQuest, and how we really need for history to repeat itself.
Scars of Velious was a big expansion for EverQuest — literally. Overland zones like Western Wastes and the Great Divide were so large that it was easy to get lost. Dungeons like Temple of Veeshan and Kael Drakkel were the size of small cities and could house multiple raids each night. And everything you fought was enormous, from the Velium spiders of Velketor’s Lab, to the Giants of Kael Drakkel, to the Dragons that seemed to be everywhere. But this expansion was about more than Dragons and snow.
The 10th Ring War. It was big. It was open. It was dynamic content before the phrase was even coined. Dozens, sometimes hundreds of players would take part in driving back waves of giants as they sprinted towards Thurgadin, and everyone who passed through could see and take part in the action. It provided so many opportunities for individuals to be the hero, and we relished the chance to share our tales of heroism afterwards. There are several reasons players loved Velious, but the 10th Ring War is probably at the top of the list.
Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Why Velious is so Important at Massively.
Screen shots have now been made available on EverQuest2.com revealing the Destiny of Velious Digital Download and Digital Collector’s Edition special items. While the headline of the linked article suggests that one must Pre-Order to receive any of these rewards, I suggest reading the last 2 paragraphs of the article which clear everything up:
The Digitial Collector’s Edition is a Station Exclusive and is specially priced at $59.99 for pre-order only. This version includes the base game, all seven expansions, three adventure packs, a Loyal Snow Hound, four different Velious Portal Paintings, Tserrina’s Wedding Present (house item), Cryomantic Armor Crate, an Everfrost Summer Home, and a Stormfeather’s Brood Guardian mount appearance. Items are awarded one per character. New accounts will also receive a free 30-day subscription.
Please note that after the pre-order period ends, the price of the Digital Collector’s Edition will increase to $89.99 and the Loyal Snow Hound will no longer be available.
Screen shots and more details after the jump…
From the EQ2 Forums:
Due to the EQII Russian server merge (The Nexus and Barren Sky) on January 25, 2011, chat services will be unavailable for Valor (DE), Storms (FR), Splitpaw (UK) and Harla Dar (RU) for at least 12 hours.
We expect chat to be affected from 3:30 PM PDT on 01/25/11 until 4:30 AM PDT on 01/26/11 (26/01/11 00:30 – 26/01/11 13:30 C.E.T ~ 01/25/11 11:30 PM – 01/26/11 12:30 PM London time).
This announcement did not mention Runnyeye or Innovation, but we’re assuming they will be affected as well. Update: Runnyeye and Innovation are not affected because they are not located in the US.
From SmokeJumper on the EQ2 Forums:
We’re adding in a new surge of 1500 players into Beta today, so check your email box if you applied to the Beta.
Additionally, any Fan Faire folks that got missed in the last sweep, should be added in today.
Enjoy!
Today we explore something near and dear to a growing number of crafters — the ability to “break out” of houses and build truly unique structures.
Rhyme‘s Mid-Century Modern house on Guk (More Screenshots)
There has been precious little information posted about the upcoming EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious expansion. Most of the facts and figures we have about it date back to Fan Faire of August 2010. In spite of some major leaks by SOE, we are going to stay on this side of the NDA and stick to answering what we can based on facts in evidence and a little bit of deductive reasoning.
Please note this article has been written without conference or verification by SOE and may contain errors.
After the jump, our preliminary Frequently Asked Questions about Destiny of Velious…
SOE have delivered some more screen shots of the upcoming EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious expansion which we present below.
In addition, SOE have posted a new Destiny of Velious Pre-Order video.
Akella has announced that the two Russian PvE EQ2 Servers (Nexus and Barren Sky) will merge on January 25, 2011.
We are getting word that some players have now received their Ice Wolf Pup pet and 2 hour XP potions for their January Velious Reward. Remember, if you have an active sub on December 14, January 17, and February 22, then when you purchase Destiny of Velious (up until December 31, 2011) you will receive the February rewards, including an Ice Wolf Mount.
Today’s announcement of the EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious digital pre-order and retail strategies includes 8 screen shots. It’s worth pointing out that these screen shots DO NOT reflect the quality of graphics being seen in Beta. The posted screen shots appear to have been taken at the lowest possible graphics settings, with textures turned down, Shaders 3 disabled, and resemble EQ1 graphics. We look forward to the lifting of the NDA so we can post some higher resolution screen shots that exhibit the exceptional quality of the art assets in Velious.
In a recent mailer the pre-order items were revealed for the up coming Destiny of Velious expansion. The pricing costs for the digital versions were also released here.
Digital Collectors Edition |
|
 Station Exclusive – Available until 2/21/11 for only $59.99* |
Includes:
*On February 22, 2011 the Digital Collector’s Edition price will increase to $89.99. Items one per account. Non-tradeable and no cash value. |
Available for $39.99
Items one per account. Non-tradable and no cash value.
Available on February 22, 2011
Available at – GameStop and Amazon
Items one per account. Non-tradable and no cash value.
Karen Bryan over at Massively has turned in another great expose on the deafening silence on the upcoming release of EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious. While expectations are ridiculously high and fed primarily by nostalgia, you would think there would be SOME more information about the game at this point. Remember, last year at this time, we’d learned some things about the expansion, started to receive zone and lore previews, etc. We know hardly anything about the Destiny of Velious expansion which was not released at August’s Fan Faire.
One month.
That’s all that’s left before EverQuest II’s new expansion, Destiny of Velious, goes live. I’ve been looking forward to this expansion since 2009, when rumors first emerged that there was some work on Velious content quietly going on. It’s my favorite content from EverQuest, and it really marked a Golden Age for those who look back fondly at the game.
But with one month left, I’m left feeling frustrated and concerned. There’s just too much silence about the expansion and too many questions left unanswered. Read on to see why the blank slate of Destiny of Velious is a troublesome sign for players.
Continue Reading The Tattered Notebook: How Not to Sell an Expansion at Massively.
GameStop.com has further details on the EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious retail release…
Thanks to an eq2wire comment from Tom, we now know that EverQuest II: Destiny of Velious is now available for pre-order from Amazon.com for $39.95 and will include two in-game items.
From EverQuest2.com:
EverQuest II – Destiny of Velious will be available for pre-order beginning on Tuesday, January 18, 2011! This exciting new expansion to the world of Norrath will be released on February 22, 2011.
We’ll have more information about the pre-order options on Tuesday, so be sure to check EverQuest2.com for all the details. For more information on Destiny of Velious, please see Announcing EverQuest II – Destiny of Velious.
Keep watching EverQuest2.com for more official information about Destiny of Velious, and don’t miss the new DoV note from Dave “Smokejumper” Georgeson, EverQuest II Producer, over on the forums. Click the “Join the Discussion” link for your version of EverQuest II below to read the note and chime in the conversation.
There is no word on whether Destiny of Velious will have a Retail box or be Digital Download only, if the Retail box will contain any special items, and whether last year’s frustrating staggered start date plan will be repeated.
From SmokeJumper on the EQ2 Forums:
As you know, we’ve been working hard on the “Destiny of Velious” expansion pack. It was originally scheduled for release on Feb 8th, but after getting feedback from players, spending time playing the game internally, and discussing ways to make things better, we’ve decided to move the release date back to Feb 22nd instead.
Feb 22nd gives us another couple of weeks for polish, tuning, and a honing of the fun factor for the expansion. We think the wait will be well worthwhile.
Check EverQuest2.com for the announcement on pre-order dates! And also stay tuned for an announcement about a raft of cool events coming out in the week after DoV becomes available!
On a side note, we’ll be adding another batch of players into the Closed Beta on Jan 24th, so if you put in an application and haven’t been accepted yet, don’t give up yet. Your time may be coming!
If you left a character in the Frostfell Wonderland Village and that character has been inaccessible since Frostfell concluded, you’ll be happy to read these updates from Bunji:
We’re working on freeing those toons right now.
Script is running now to relocate those stuck toons.
