Ten Ton Hammer - Taking MMO Gamers to the Next Level!

Ten Ton Hammer: The other side of the issue is this: why not add a new dungeon in areas of the game more naturally suited to high level players rather than revamp a lower level dungeon?

Vallee: Sounds like a plan. Keep your eyes peeled for a Veksar dungeon in the near future. This is a small section of Veksar that did not get destroyed; we don’t want people to expect the original Veksar massive dungeon from EQ.  But this is made for high level players and will be something fun and new.

Ten Ton Hammer: Only roughly a third of the Runnyeye: The Gathering boss fights are described as "tank and spank", while the remaining encounters require strategic thinking, i.e. interacting with the environment, to win. Would you give us an example of how one of these more interesting boss fights play out?

There are a number of different "strategic" boss encounters in GU 46.

Vallee: I have been creating a lot of boss encounters for the next expansion. Without going into too much detail, we have been trying to bring more of the raid strategy and critical thinking aspects to many of the fights for single group encounters. Tank and spank has been used in a derogatory sense now, where it’s a mindless attack and burn the boss down.  There is a time and place for both types of encounters as they can be fun.

I did not do anything super elaborate with ten boss fights and the amount of time I had, so I tried to make some of the fights a little more interesting, give them a little more sense of excitement. I really tried to make sure there was something for everyone and, at the same time, strive to preserve the fun and humor that Steve Kramer had originally started the zone with.

I wanted it to be fun, and I also wanted people to laugh when they realize they have been snuffed out by The Wind King or Da Gas Passer! Slamhammer the Mighty Smith is one big M.C. Hammer joke, but at the same time I tried to make it both fun and challenging. He casts an AOE disarm called “Stop,” and on its termination it activates a spell called “Hammer Time,” where you are attacked by a large amount of Magic Crushing Hammers. See? Fun! Hrrm?

Ten Ton Hammer: Runnyeye: The Gathering is an 8-man dungeon, yet the boss encounter is described as an epic x2 - a difficulty level more appropriate to two full and balanced groups totaling 12 players. Why push the difficulty on this final encounter so high? Will only the most hardcore groups be able to beat this final mob?

Vallee: Basically, High Shaman Vohan is an x2 encounter tuned to a six person group. This was really just an attempt to make an advanced fight for the more advanced players. It’s a bit of a tough fight until you get the idea of what is going on. It is not super complicated though, even though Vohan and his wacky goblin hero cohorts have been getting the drop on people!

Ten Ton Hammer: The loot from this and other encounters in Runnyeye: The Gathering is described as being appropriate to the high difficulty level of the dungeon. Will this loot be class-specific, or be suited to the groups' class composition (as in other group instanced areas of the game)?

Vallee: Jason Woerner would be a better person to ask about this. I only made four pieces of the actual loot for the zone: the four Goblin Champion Cloaks. With these, I tried to make items that replaced other items I saw popularly used currently by high level players from other expansions.

Ten Ton Hammer: Runnyeye: The Gathering is suited only for the highest-level groups, but are any aspects of the other major new addition to GU 46- the live event "Storms on the Horizon" - available to lower level players?

McCall: All of them! The entire live event can be done no matter what level your character is. There is always an aspect to a live event that everyone can participate in, but this time it is from start to end – everybody!

Everyone should be able to enjoy the events going on in GU 46.

Ten Ton Hammer: The repeatable quest rewards gained through adventures related to the live event are pretty impressive - costumes, trophies, and even a pet or two - but these seem largely cosmetic in nature. Are there any items that players can put to good use in their adventures?

McCall: I think that many so-called “cosmetic items” are put to good use while adventuring!  If you want to change your look, and that helps you enjoy your game experience, then even something purely cosmetic has been of use.  But I do understand your point.  Previously, with our live events we have tended to steer away from items that would change gameplay, but that too may be examined differently, in coming events.

The weapons given out as rewards are not purely cosmetic, but then again, their stats are not top drawer, either.  They were meant to be useful, but not to trump more difficult to attain items, nor the newly revised crafted weapons of the same level.  As you can imagine, it is much more challenging to create weapons for all level of players, considering that all level of players can participate in the live events.

Ten Ton Hammer: Game Updates have been used in the past to segue the game's storyline into good form for the next major expansion. Is this the case with Storms on the Horizon in GU 46, or will the storms "pass" before we hear more about EverQuest II's next major expansion?

McCall: We will just have to wait and see what shadows the storms may bring!

Ten Ton Hammer: Many other Game Updates have come and gone without much attention from MMOG gamers outside the dedicated EQII community. In your own words, could you tell us what makes GU 46 so important and game-changing?

McCall: Monk katanas, coercer whips, blunt weapon pillows, and the most mesmerizing cloak to be seen, yet!  Hehehe.  Seriously, “Storms on the Horizon” advances Norrathian lore, going as far back to EQLive, and as they are investigating the unnatural tempests, every adventurer is brought one step closer to mighty prophesied battles.

Vallee: I don’t necessarily think this was more important or game changing than any of the other game updates. This team always tried to bring fun and exciting new content whenever possible. We have a lot more fun and exciting stuff coming in the future and another awesome expansion that I am very proud to be a part of!