A fireside chat about EverQuest II and PvP...

While sipping tea and eating scones, Savanja. Slide and RadarX discuss the sociopolitical ramifications of bio-engineering as it relates to human welfare. Hey! Stop laughing! Ok, while drinking Mountain Dew/Diet Coke and eating Cheezits, Savanja, Slide and RadarX talk about the new Player versus Player content coming to Everquest 2.

Why do you think SOE waited as long as they did to bring PvP to Everquest 2?

Savanja: I believe that it was made clear from the beginning that they were looking to make EQ2 the kind of game that would be constantly and forever evolving, to help foster longevity. This wasn't meant to be a "finished" game right out of the gates. And steadily, that is what we are seeing, EQ2 is molding itself to market trends, and doing so easily, all because they didn't rush to insert half-assed concepts, that would have been a serious pain to alter later had it not been done properly. They weren't ready to put in PvP, and they didn't until they had the time and resouces to dedicate to it.

Slide: I don't think SOE ever intended for the game to be PvP. It seems to me that they wanted to be the odd man out and let the environment do the fighting for them. SOE didn't want players to get angry with a game meant for hardcore PvPers. They wanted EVERYONE to enjoy the game for what it was, a nice adventure game that holds very little paranoia with a larger demographic than other MMORPGs. That demographic appealed to both hardcore and casual gamers anywhere form 10 to 50 years of age. (but that's just my opinion). Even now, PvP is only showing up on 2 servers. It's not like the whole gaming community is going to be forced upon it.

RadarX: It appears to me at launch, SOE didn't feel they even needed PvP. They always hung the "it's a possibility but there are no plans at this time" answer out there any time it was asked. Why? Every other MMO to date had PvP? Were they that confident in their product, or was there just not enough time? It seems World of Warcraft kind of made up their mind for them.

Join the Ten Ton Hammer EverQuest II thinktank for a "meeting of the minds" PvP discussion!