A Preview of the SOE
FanFaire 2007
By Tony "RadarX" Jones
It promises to be an exciting weekend here at SOE's 2007 Fan
Faire in beautiful Las Vegas. Every year fans of games like
style="font-style: italic;">EverQuest, EverQuest 2, Star
Wars Galaxies, and others all gather together for events,
discussions, and to see what the future holds. With a new product
announcement and roundtables covering a number of interesting topics,
this event appears to be a super-sized version of last year. What will
be shown and what is rumored? Ten Ton Hammer is on the scene to make
sure we leave no nerf unannounced and no expansion ignored.
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The SOE FanFaire Logo
Perhaps the most interesting event we'll see is an
announcement from SOE's CEO, John Smedley, on Friday night, which will
reveal a brand new secret project they've been keeping under wraps.
What will it be? The speculation has been wild, but we understand it's
to be released in August so that rules out any big name MMO's. We'll
know the entire truth Friday, so make sure to check back.
What can we tell you about for certain? First, the folks from
Perpetual will be showing a Gods
and Heroes playable demo. While E3 and the SOE Block Party
showed off this mythology based MMO in July, this is a more relaxed
environment and the team will not be under the media's scrutiny (unless
you count us, of course). This project has been in heavy development
and closed beta since early this year, and I imagine we'll see quite a
bit of what they can do. What could be more exciting than that? How
about the free beta key in your goody bag from the event? You'll not
only be able to see the demo, but play it yourself when you get home.
Perhaps you aren't a fan of Roman Gods? Then hoist yer
mainsail matey because Pirates
of the Burning Sea will also be present, and it'll be
showing everything Flying Labs is capable of. This title appears to be
a promising mix between naval combat and general swashbucklery
(yes, I just made that word up). While the demo is certain, we're all
hoping there are developers on hand to answer questions not relating to
parrots.
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The Agency will be on display at FanFaire 2007, and
RadarX hopes he can get a close look at it.
Moving to a more modern setting, we'll also get a look at the
James Bond / Commando-style spy MMO called
style="font-style: italic;">The Agency. This
edgy project puts players in the shoes of a government operative or
freelance mercenary undertaking dangerous missions to further their
particular organization. Built as a first-person-shooter type of
gameplay environment, this game appears to be very innovative by using
gadget crafting, and even rumors of text messages to your cell phone
regarding the completion of items or objectives.
Finally, what would Fan Faire be without those beautiful,
harmonious roundtables where every question is answered? SOE has a
series of sessions covering expansions, recruitment, marketing and
more. One of the more interesting sessions will be the Vanguard: State
of the Game. It's no secret that, with server merges imminent, players
are a little more than concerned with how things are going. Brave
developers will discuss what the future holds and answer a few
questions.
Everquest 2 players have a number of interesting options. An
entire session dedicated to art development will give players a
hands-on with actual tools used to make content. Chad "Lotus" Haley,
lead Art Designer will be leading this session but isn't to be outdone
by a roundtable lead by Dragonlance cover artist Larry Elmore.
Also, players can expect an entire session dedicated to the
new expansion Rise of Kunark, which will hit stores in November. From
developer comments we had yesterday, they will be showing a very
playable level 1-10 demonstration and answering questions regarding the
new Sarnak race, raid content, and loot.
As you can see SOE has quite a lineup for attendees to Fan
Faire and there are usually a few surprises we don't hear about until
the last second. Be sure to check back to Ten-Ton Hammer as we bring
you coverage of this exciting event.
Make sure you check out all
our SOE FanFaire 2007 coverage!
