Lords of EverQuest Preview

Few publishers have had such remarkable success with an original high-fantasy franchise as Sony Online. More than 425,000 active EverQuest subscribers can attest to that much. Despite distractions like PlanetSide and the now-defunct Sovereign, the EverQuest franchise remains the company's core focus. More importantly, the game really matters--to many players, it's as much a part of life as morning coffee. As such, changing EverQuest's image might seem risky, but that's just what the company is doing with its upcoming single-player-focused real-time strategy game, Lords of EverQuest.

Given that conventional EverQuest projects such as expansion packs and a proper sequel are also in the works, the franchise's first strategy spin-off may be viewed by some as a rebellious stepchild. But the designers don't seem to care, as they explained during a recent visit to Sony Online's offices in San Diego. "We couldn't give a hoot if you've ever had the time to get involved in the [online gaming] scene," explained producer James Parker. "It's the 14 million or so fans of real-time strategy we're making a play for. Chances are good that many who pick up the game won't even know what EverQuest is or won't have ever experienced the phenomenon for themselves."

Calling them a compliment, Parker welcomes comparisons to Warcraft III. Heavy on story and tightly scripted campaigns, Lords of EverQuest bears more resemblance to Blizzard's blockbuster than any games previously seen from Sony Online's internal Verant studio. The comparison is also fitting because it's a piece of this competitor's mass-market and primarily single-player-driven pie that Sony, already a pioneer in the online field, wants a slice of. Though ties with the original property will be strong--the story fits cleanly into EverQuest's timeline, and the game should give EverQuest fans the chance to play as an ancestor of their existing online character--those ties will have to take a backseat to the gameplay.

"For Lords of EverQuest to ever make a splash at retail, it must be able to stand on its own two feet," Parker said. "That means we're working hard at crafting a compelling story, deep gameplay, and of course a reason for those who've never given the brand a second glance to do just that." In Parker's mind, simply producing a product that stays true to its roots isn't enough. As he plainly stated, "The burden is on us to deliver a product that makes people sit up and take notice."

At first glance, it looks like the team is on the right track. Set 10,000 years before the current era in EverQuest, the action picks up right after the War of the Gods. Trouble is brewing in this lost age, which the developer sees as the perfect setting for a new tale, since fans know nothing of the era. Following a failed bid for power by the warrior deity Rallos Zek, the land of Norrath has fallen into chaos and a powerful magical artifact has been lost. Now, three factions--one good, one evil, and one neutral--are struggling for control of a mystical tome that can grant its bearer immortality.

Told via in-game cutscenes and personalized pop-up messages, the narrative is never far from the forefront. You'll take part in a unique story as you progress through the game's 36 missions, which will be divided into three 12-level campaigns, one for each alliance.

The Lords

Like any game that features role-playing elements, extensive characterization lies at the core of Lords of EverQuest. In total, 15 playable heroes, known as lords, form the heart and soul of the adventure. The lords are split into three groups, and each one has pledged his or her allegiance to a particular faction. The story is presented through a like number of perspectives, and your choice also determines which quests are offered by neutral characters, so playing the game as the ogre warrior Lord Utt won't be the same as going through the game as the gnome wizard Lady Kreya, for instance. Just because a group of gnolls might present one lord with a task, that doesn't mean they'll give anyone else the time of day.

The game's cast of characters will seem familiar to those who have played EverQuest. Although no major characters introduced in Lords of EverQuest have been seen before, their descendants have--lords were culled from all the major character classes and races found in EverQuest. On the roster, you'll find humans, barbarians, dark elves, iksar, and more. Just some of the many professions included are shaman, fighter, wizard, rogue, and cleric. It isn't just for show, either--each persona has been awarded unique mystical capabilities, plus exclusive aura effects that influence both allies and enemies. Such benefits come into play more prominently as these characters gain experience, up to a maximum level of 30.

Parker demonstrated these variables by playing as the iksar necromancer Lord Skass. The evil champion began with an aura effect that slowed nearby enemies' health regeneration and movement. At the same time, nearby allies benefited from an improved magic (or "mana") regeneration rate. Upon reaching level 12, the magician developed an affinity with the undead, and, as a result, the lich aura came into play, which caused the lord to steadily lose health but regenerate mana much more quickly. Although the lich aura wouldn't ever completely drain Lord Skass' health, the lord was required to use his drain life ability liberally, stealing health from those around him. During tense scenarios, the raise dead talent also came in handy, since it let the wicked wizard defend himself by summoning a skeleton guard.

Helping further differentiate such characters as individuals, intrepid heroes and nefarious villains also feature their own custom-tailored history. The dark elf renegade Lady T'lak, for instance, started out as a thief who haunted the tunnels of Neriak. She rose to power through a winning and deadly combination of treachery, guile, and physical comeliness. A prominent trickster and dangerous swordswoman, the femme fatale wields her authority with an iron grip. Few have challenged her status, though not that many have had the chance--poison and assassination have served her well.

Personalized content along these lines is designed to give the game more depth. The development team is striving for 75 hours of gameplay. To hit this mark, players must want to go through and try each campaign, perhaps using several lords in the process. Therefore, Parker and crew are doing everything in their power to give players a choice. It's hoped that no matter what your preference, you'll find a character, or several, you can identify with. Although each lord is designed as a means to tell the same underlying tale from a different viewpoint, Sony Online also wants you to develop an affinity for these individuals.

The Missions

The first thing you should note before riding off into battle is that protecting units is very important. Both lords and units are carried over between scenarios according to a point-driven system displayed at each conflict's end that places reasonable limits on troop transport. Since basic units, like their commanders, also gain experience, having extra firepower along for the journey never hurts. Although battles can become quite large and complex, you'll always want to keep an eye on individual units, since veteran soldiers can be a major boon in ongoing campaigns. Just don't expect to have many veterans at a time. As Parker said, "This is a story-driven RTS with a focus on combat, not resources. Count on casualties being high."

Understanding why is easy, once we saw a typical mission in motion. The mission began with a cinematic, in which Lord Skass was informed that his ogres were mysteriously being slaughtered. This set the stage for a challenge that took place on an average-sized map and required Skass to set out in search of the cause of the massacre. So the lord set forth, leaving behind his small but thriving base, which continued mining for platinum, the game's sole resource.

From the woods came a shout--an orc scout had found a traitor. Following the scout, Parker led Skass and his troops into an ambush. The ambush was small, and it was easily overcome by a force of allied ogres. In retrospect, it seemed our friend the orc had led us into a trap. Following the turncoat required additional forays into unknown territory, but the subsequent random encounters didn't prove especially fruitful.

Moving south uncovered some evidence of foul play. Although the orc scout had vanished, we learned that a goblin spy named Darkeye had turned traitor and was responsible for the killings. But as soon as the weasel was ferreted out, he fled the scene and a much bigger trap was sprung. Beaten and bloodied, but not down for the count, Parker rallied and won the day. His victory--a small success for a commander as storied as Skass--proved to be even more fortuitous than anticipated. It was soon learned that Darkeye had stolen plans to manufacture a key building, the bonepile.

Giving chase, friendly units lagged a bit and failed to catch the traitor. Escaping with his hide, he nonetheless lost the day's prize. Having ventured on to yet another unexplored quadrant of the map, Skass' troops trounced an enemy outpost and retrieved the plans. It seemed the Shadowrealm, despite the loss of some key units, would survive and fight another day.

As demonstrated by this example, the game's missions follow a clear-cut path. Furthermore, the narrative is extremely important to their progression. Dialogue, which cropped up anytime we encountered a neutral or story-specific character, was directed specifically to the player, who should become quickly immersed in the action. Parker expects that some players will even find the experience more akin to an RPG than a real-time strategy game. If so, they'll hopefully make the most of the game's maps, which sport so many intricacies that they take 45 minutes to play through on average, with some topping out at more than 90 minutes' worth of active challenge.

"Think about your largest Age of Mythology, Warcraft III, and Command & Conquer: Generals map, and add them all together," Parker said. "At this point, you might begin to approach the size of our largest map." And although it's possible to move quickly through the various event-triggering locations on certain backdrops, doing so would be missing the point.

The Units

Lords of EverQuest will be a very intricate game. Details mean everything. From the already gorgeous pyrotechnics to the surprisingly stunning spell effects, Sony Online isn't holding back on the extras. Yet the developer's attention to craftsmanship isn't limited solely to visuals. Since the game's units grow and change visibly before your eyes, it's nice that they also improve their abilities. Every faction has 20 base units, each of which can acquire up to 20 experience levels and will change physically as it does so. That way, you'll always know for sure if a poison or frost storm attack is within easy reach.

Since only the Shadowrealm faction is currently complete, we were afforded only limited peek at the range of units that will be in the final game. Bearing in mind the evil nature of these forces, you can bet low-level creatures like the clockwork spider or brother of night and buildings such as the nightkeep or ogre barrack sport a grotesque yet graphically pleasing motif. Seeing the forces in motion is quite a sight to behold, since even obscure tactics like knocking a rider from his mount are accounted for. While no "flame jet" or "cascading darkness," even subtle powers such as the dark recruiter's ability to subvert neutral or enemy structures and claim them for your own are quite impressive in terms of appearance. Once you equip legions with the hundreds of collectible individual items such as potions, swords, and scrolls that can be obtained from neutral characters or fallen foes, the sight becomes even more spectacular.

As you might expect, Lord of EverQuest will have a technology tree that you'll use to research improvements. Build a stronghold, the Shadowrealm's command structure, and you'll have access to the ogre barracks, the summoning star, and the sacrificial altar. These buildings produce units like the hammerskull grunts, defilers, and sacrificial healers, respectively. Climb higher on the tech tree and you'll eventually produce more structures, like the thieves guild, the underworld rift, and the temple of hate. Once these are constructed, you can produce stronger unit types--such as the trickster, the mogri, and the wretched--plus a slew of skill upgrades.

Among the bonuses are dark touch, vile aura, and diabolical invention. Despite their fearsome names, these bonuses merely add enhancements like improved offensive and defensive capabilities to certain unit types. From what we saw, it all seemed fairly standard, although Parker promised there will be a number of surprises in the final game. He said the team plans to add many unforeseen variables, ranging from epic weapons copied straight out of the original EverQuest to powerful artifacts and bonuses conveyed or acquired only by completing secondary quests.

Pressed for more information, Parker revealed a little bit about how such transactions would work. "Let's say you're playing as Lord Vekk," he said. "You move along the map and encounter a goblin inventor. He tells you that his thieving brother beat him up and stole the plans to a special creation that could turn the tide of the war. Find the brother and recover the plans, and the inventor and his clan will begin pumping out goblin blizzers for you, even if you hadn't researched the upgrade."

The producer went on to explain that the game's units were designed with checks and balances in mind. The Shadowrealm armies obviously have a powerful offense, but they're well-rounded in other ways to take into account the strengths and weaknesses of the good and evil forces. Lords of EverQuest introduces so many wild cards in the form of distinctive items, one-of-a-kind artifacts, researchable advancements, and experience rewards that no one side will have a clear advantage over the others.

From RPG to RTS

Lords of EverQuest is on schedule for an October release. As mentioned, one of the three sides is currently in place, with formative planning on the other factions already moving ahead at full speed. The story is all but complete, the artwork is in the advanced stages, and the campaign structure is already defined. Most of the design crew's energies are now focused on unit balancing and item and enemy placement. As Lords of EverQuest is a conceptually derivative but functionally innovative game, polish will mean everything to the final product. Well aware of these demands, the Sony Online team is already putting the gameplay through its paces.

The stakes are high, and it's anyone's guess whether fans of online games will flock to a real-time strategy game that emphasizes multiplayer support less than the strength of its single-player content. Networked support for 12 players is in works, and the half dozen or so competitive modes in development include capture the flag, protect the lord, king of the hill, and seize the oasis. But Sony is putting some effort into the competitive aspect of the game, and it will give players the option of hooking up via an as-yet-unnamed matchmaking service that will work much like Blizzard's Battle.net.

Parker firmly believes that the game is poised for success. "Most successful real-time strategy titles follow the same formula we have here," he said. "The big difference is that we've also been provided an excellent opportunity to expand the tremendously popular EverQuest universe. We've got this great background world and these great characters to play with. Few competitors can claim that." Asked about interest from the online community, he said, "Common sense says that the people who play EverQuest also like other types of games. I've got more than 100 e-mails sitting in my inbox affirming that the idea of a single-player fantasy real-time strategy game is awesome. With that degree of support from a proven fan base, it's hard to go wrong."

Regardless, a live glimpse of the product up and running did dispel some of our fears about such a dramatically new direction for the EverQuest franchise. The skirmish and campaign options are already looking strong, with months left before the game ships. Based on our observations, we are indeed inclined to describe the product as being similar to Warcraft III, albeit more for its presentation than its actual gameplay.

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery, Lords of EverQuest heaps lavish praise indeed at Blizzard's feet. Though the team at Rapid Eye Entertainment isn't taking many risks with the design, it is at least looking to the future.