Mobhunter: Loral's Evil Agenda, September 2005

With the announcement of SOE's latest Everquest Community Summit it was time once again to sit back and ponder the best possible future direction for Everquest. Previous evil agenda covered everything from encounter variety to mentor systems and many of these items are now addressed. With the latest expansion released only two weeks ago, it becomes difficult to say for sure where the future should head.

We begin this Evil Agenda start with four larger areas for improvement and then include a list of a few smaller areas or areas already discussed previously (often at great length). Let us begin.

1. Further Improve Monster Missions.

Monster missions added a whole new gamestyle to this six year old game and it has become a favored style of play for many since its release. Add 18 and 24 person monster raids to give any group of 18 to 24 players a chance to try out the raid style so popular with many higher level players. Offer missions for groups with three players. Continue to use monster missions as a way to experience lore by tying them to old moments in Norrath history.

2. Continue to Tie Future Expansions to Old World Lore.

Many nostalgic players talk about the great days of Kunark and Velious. By making these two older expansions part of the core base of the game, SOE can then base instanced dungeons, monster missions, and even entire expansions off of these older lands. Many players now off in other lands may return if they see "Everquest: Ruins of Kunark II" on the shelf.

3. Improve the Dynamics of Combat.

New AAs like Gift of Mana show a new style of combat where random elements can change player behavior during combat. This leads to new and unique battles instead of typical "Step 1: complete heal, step 2: see step 1". Consider the heroic opportunities from EQ2. Work on encounters that increase difficulty without simply upping the creature's damage.

4. Improve the 20 to 50 Game.

These past six months we have seen a new tutorial, new 10 to 20 missions, and two rebuilt newbie zones. New 20 to 50 missions and tasks will help players grow from these new additions to the later content found in Omens of War, Dragons of Norrath, and Depths of Darkhollow. New mid-level missions, more quests, new armor quests, or even an "epic-lite" quest would greatly improve the 20 to 50 game.

With those four major Evil Agenda points behind us, lets look at a few additional changes that would continue to improve the game:

I look forward to the future of Everquest.

Loral Ciriclight
24 September 2005
loral@loralciriclight.com