Time for another weekly “New Attitude” 

An article about SOE, In the news, Links, Great moments in gaming and Knocking about Norrath.

At the top of this week’s column we discuss the man himself, John Smedley, President and CEO of Sony Online Entertainment.  If you are interested in just how he is filling in some gaps in the world of gaming, read on for that and more!

John Smedley - the Renaissance Business Man

This last week Michael Zenke of Massively.com had a great interview with none other than John Smedley.  You can read the entire interview here (part 2 of two parts):

As I read the interview it brought to mind the way the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) does business.  With the success of Blizzard Entertainment (now Activision/Blizzard) too many people seem to measure success in terms of that company.  Many gamers seem to feel that if a company doesn’t have subscribers in the millions of players that it isn’t a success.  Recently an email written in to Virgin Worlds described SOE in what they listener thought was an derogative way - as a “Renaissance Corporation.” 

Not only is this NOT bad business it is very good business. In the office we call it “diversification”. Grandmother, God rest her soul, had another term for it. She called it “not keeping all your eggs in one basket.” 

Not just this last year Rob Pardo (vice president of game design for Blizzard) defended the subscription business model as if he were defending his honor - he was dead set against  microtransactions.  What does John Smedley have to say about it? Here is a quote from the interview mentioned above:

“I believe fundamentally, long term, that the subscription model won’t be the primary one in the industry forever. It will always be there, but many more people will have access to these games through other methods,
In the news” - John Smedley

He goes on to tell us that he feels one of the primary sources of income for SOE in the future will be microtransactions for items that are not game-impacting. In other words, while other players pay for their virtual “bling” they will also be paying for your game.  He has also introduced limited real money trading (RMT) under the control of SOE under a few servers for EQ2.  While some companies are busy dismissing business models that are already in place in the rest of the world, John Smedley is putting them in to action.

But Mr. Smedley doesn’t stop there when it comes to options for paying to play an SOE game. Another that he is putting into action is one that will put more interest back into the game (depending on the drop rate) at all levels in the game…

“Eventually I want to find a way where people can get everything they need completely by buying it, or just by playing the game…we have been debating in LoN about having 30-day timecards as some of the loot cards. I think that would be a cool way to go. “ - John Smedley.

I don’t know about you, but if the drop rate is reasonable, the prospect of hunting for my game time seems quite exciting.  But finding new ways to pay to play is not where SOE stops filling in the gaps.  The thing to remember, where MMOs are concerned, is that if the game pays the bills, it is still a success. To use one of my favorite quotes from the movie Wall Street “how many yachts can you water ski behind.” In fact, when asked about continuing the original Everquest which has been out for over nine years now, he simply said “We have a great player base and we’re making some money so there’s no point in not continuing.”  Simply put -the game is “making some money”. Here is how he explained SOE’s position on this in the interview:

“Great subscriber bases for EverQuest and EverQuest 2 and Galaxies, pretty much. I will tell you, I’m as surprised as anyone that the longevity of EverQuest. Our first spreadsheet had this thing running for about two years, and even that we thought was a little optimistic. Nine years later you go, “wow”. There’s still a large community there. As long as people pay us money and we love what we do, we’ll keep running it.” - John Smedley

There is so much more to the interview, and to write about in the interview. It was very thought provoking, and I will be sure to share some more thoughts and where John Smedley said he is taking SOE next week. Until then, I will close this part of the column with a quote from the interview where Mr. Smedley discussed his focus when it comes to making games.

 “…first and foremost we have to make a great game. A close second is to give people the ability to build a community around the game, for there to be a community that can feed itself. I think the blogs surrounding these games are a great example; all part of the ecosystem. People want information, and that’s healthy for the games and for the bloggers. I want us to push forward in the direction of people evangelizing our games. I think it’s a big thing.” - John Smedley

In the News…

For all you Legends of Norrath players out there the best news is the relase of the Forsworn expansion with the card that goes by the same name as the expansion featuring none other than Brent from Virginworlds.com.  On January 18th raid cards for the Trakanon raid have been dropping in Norrath.  I was beginning to think that cards would never drop in game - perhaps it was all some cruel hoax - until raid cards started dropping. When they first came out I had two raid cards drop for me 24 hours (they were both in Timorous Deep for all you card hunters out there). My favorite card, which has not dropped for me yet, is the one above right - Tolupumj, a froglok card (I have a Froglok character you will meet later in the column called Sweenie Toad).

 Links…

If, like me, you like the lore behind the game - after all who doesn’t like a good story - I found one website that you must go check out. It has lore collected from the game itself.  It is a very useful page for those interested in Lore.  the site is called “The Athenaeum” and you can find it here:

 Great moments in gaming…

I have several favorite pass times in gaming. When I say “pass times” I mean those moments when I am not questing, and striving for another level. These are those moments that are just relaxing and enjoying life. As you may have surmised by now, one of those activities I enjoy is simply exploring. In EQ2 there are so many places to explore that even more experienced gamers, who have been playing EQ2 for years often overlook some of the nuances and instances that the devs at SOE put into the game. Each time I explore Timorous Deep and make a trip to Mok Rent I come upon the scene in the caves at the upper left. The contrast of the waterfall on the rocks is just one of those pleasant “Zen” moments for me, along with, I might add, the actual Zen garden I found in Qeynos last night.

But the creativity of the developers isn’t the only thing to admire as you make your way across Norrath. The virtual world is full of creative people making use of the many ways the devs at SOE have given us to express ourselves. One of those ways, as you know, that I find so interesting are names. This week some of the names are players from “The Older Guard” on the Najena server. Amongst those names that caught my eye this week is a fae named Praektiss Mc’Sperfekd by a player who is learning to “Two Box”. She has another character named Bregdania Rhulsd’wavs. It took me a moment to figure out the joke.

Another name I spotted this week was when I was in Gorowyn. There across from me, standing at the broker, was a player with a name that expressed an interest I share. The last name is what caught my eye – a character with the last name “Ibrakeforshineys” It brought a smile to my face and a laugh.  But in thinking about it, I imagine it might get a bit old in the long run. But then again, it’s not my name is it?

 Knocking about Norath - In the beginning; a level 4 quest turns into a level 25 butt wupping

Developers spend a great deal of their time on the beginning of a game honing the first 20 levels or so to perfection. It is, after all, where the first impressions a player gets of a game are made. It is where a game developer puts their best foot forward – it is where a game has it’s “date face” on, so to speak. I find it ironic, that it is these same first 20 levels, upon which so much care has been spent by those who made the game, through which we so often find ourselves rushing to get to the rest of the game.

Yet what we often find is that less attention has been spent on the mid game. Not long ago I read a post on the official forums where I new player was complaining that he used to be able to spend long hours listening to the voice acting in the game – listening to npc’s tell him a story – yet by mid game he found that this pleasure was gone.

This situation is hard to avoid if, like me, you are a new player to an already established game. That, after all, is what this column is all about. It is very tempting to try and rush ahead to where your guildies are in the game, so you can play with them. Fortunately for you and I, this is not always the case in Everquest 2, due to a little thing called mentoring.
It was just last night, in fact, that someone mentored themselves down to my level that saved me. Without the kindness of this passing player I would be stuck in the down under – the catacombs under Qeynos – still.

Last night I decided to stop and smell the flowers, or more appropriately in this case, the lily pads. I set out with my new character on the Antonia Bayle server, Sweenie, to discover some of the quests that are available about Qeynos. It was not long before I met a froglok knight named Frub Groaak pictured at right.

The Froglok with a lesson to teach

Frup introduced me to another Froglok named Kwa Stalwart, who is a Froglok mentor. I listened as he told me a wonderful story about our mutual people. Here is what he had to say…

“This Froglok has seen battles, to be sure. Long before this Froglok was tad or egg, we doth had a long standing war against the vile Ogres. Our beloved Gukta was overwhelmed as the first casualty of the expanding Rallosian Empire. Our people were almost completely wiped out by the onslaught” said Kwa Stalwart

“Genocide was not to be our fate,” I found myself saying.

“Indeed not,” continued Kwa, “Overwhelmed and unable to defend their city, the survivors were forced to abandon Gukta. Refuge they sought in the lowest portions of the former citadel of Guk. Reletentless, the Rallosians continued to pursue the Frogloks. Those that had survived feared dusk was upon them, but would not slacken. Fought on they did, to protect the tads and maidens amongst them. Prayers to Marr did not go unanswered! Praised he was by our prople’s determination and valor. He released upon the Ogres a deadly cloud to deliver us in our moment of most dire need.”

“The green mist” I said, naming the deadly cloud.

“Aye, continued Kwa, ‘twas rolling through the swamps and cities alike, smiting the Ogres. The rejoicing Frogloks were then able to reclaim Gukta.”

“Then came the destruction that was the shattering, and the further scattering of our peoples” I said, with the knowledge I had of Froglok history.

“Come it did, continued Kwa, and many evils with it. Villainy is persistent! During the shattering, and up until very recently, the soul of the hateful Rallosian General Urduuk, would not rest. Unknown to anyone, he and his army were in a state of undeath, deep within the Cleft of Thule. T here they would stay to enslave and torture any Froglok that ventured in.”

“Aye, said Kwa, for this blasphemy and injustice was known, wave of mighty wave of adventurers battled valiantly and defeated Urduuk’s armies. I was amongst those that battled to release our bretheren.”

It was then that Kwa Stalwart told me of a “vile and destructive menace” in the down below – an Ogre. He warned me ath the down below is a “labyrinths of crypts were unsavory merchants, outcasts and vermin of all shape and size of taken up residence.”

Having enjoyed the voice acting that told me the story I set out on what was at first glimpse a level 4 quest. “No problem” I thought, since I was level 22 at the time. Yet little did I know that what began as a level 4 quest would end up as a level 25 butt wupping.

As time wore on, and I went deeper I found myself fighting large green gelatinous cubes. I wasn’t sure at the time where I should kill them or put whipped cream on them an eat them. Still, I had not found the Ogre and I drove on even deeper.
While I never did find the ogre, who I eventually found was a ghost named Vegalys Keldrane. He told me a story of woe and betrayal and bid me find his three lieutenants that were buried in the catacombs as he. The goal was to discover, through questioning, which of the three had betrayed him.

Long I traveled deep under the earth. While I did not find the three ghostly lieutenants at first, what I did find immediately to hand was something I had not expected to find – Taurens had followed me from World of Warcraft!

Eventually I did find the first of the lieutenants who’s name was Adun in life. I listened to his tale of woe before striking out to find the remainder of the ghosts that had been his fellows in life.

Not long after leaving Adun I found Borthen. Like Adun, he too was heavily guarded by the undead. Yet through skill and braverly I won through – I feigned death.

Berril to the rescue!

It is almost certain that Kwa, the Froglok who gave me the initial quest to look for an Ogre, hadn’t intended me to delve this deeply into the down under. In fact, since the mobs all about me at this point where level 25, I am sure of it. All the same, I love exploring in a new MMO and who, while standing before a great labeled “Crypt of Betrayal” could resist going in side. By the time I had found the last lieutenant I had discovered who had betrayed the ghost who gave me the quest. The problem at this point was getting back to that ghost to report my findings. And what a problem it was!
Shortly after finding the third ghost I died myself and found myself revived outside the crypt of betrayal – no where near the way I had entered the crypt in the first place. And now numerous respawns, all on average 3 levels above mine, filled the hallways. In short order I managed to rack up a 5.5% experience debt.

I was just about to give up the quest when I came upon something no Froglok would expect to see in the passageways under the city of Qeynos – and evil Sarnak! (of course, in realty, having spent so much time as a resident of Freeport it was actually the first thing I expected).

I half expected the Sarnak to offer to eat me. Instead he simply greeted me. However, that was only after he managed to saving me from dieing at the hands of a very large Everquest 2 version of a Tauren! Seeing that I was in far over my Froglok head, Berril offered me his assistance so that I would be able to finish my business and get out of the crypt – leaving him to his. His main concern was not my safety however. Rather the Sarnak Shadow Knight was concerned that I would get under foot and he would inadvertently squish “my guts”. Sarnak mentored himself down to my level and guided me toward my goal - Vegalys Keldrane.

In the end I enjoyed a great big of impromptu role playing, met a new player, finished a quest, and leveled up.

Next week, more in game adventures, more new discoveries of great EQ2 web sites, more news, more discussion, and just plain more!

Until then…

 See you online,

 Julie Whitefeather