EQ2 Chat going on right now at IGN, anyone have any questionFollow

anyone?

Trying to extract it from IGN's stupid java chat system

Here is the Transcript, thanks again to Gluestof!

<Deathstryker_VN> Welcome to the first Everquest II developer's chat! With us today is Sean "Ratweiser" Kauppinen from SOE PR, Chris "Cao" Cao, a development lead for EQ2, Scott "Gallenite" Hartsman, an EQ2 developer, Steve "Moorgard" Danuser, Community Manager for EQ2, and Bruce "Froech" Ferguson, an EQ2 producer who wears quilts!
<Deathstryker_VN> Additionally, Andy Sites, EQ2 producer has just joined us.
<Deathstryker_VN> We'll get to your over 700 questions momentarily.
<Deathstryker_VN> And now the questions!
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <Syko8008> Could you give more detail on non-combatant actions such as drinking and fishing? If not, when could we get this information?
<Cao> Fishing is a type of harvesting. There are three other types of harvesting: foresting, mining and gathering.
<Cao> Alcohol tolerance is no longer a skill. As you've seen, however, there still is a use for the drunk effect.
<Deathstryker_VN> ty chris
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <Riklaunim> How will buff stacking work? Will it be the mess that is EQLive? or will priests have the same buffs overall, casters overall... will be have a small handful of buffs or alot?
<Gallenite> Got it. :)
<Cao> Buffs within a given archetype (Priests, for example) will not stack with identical spells.
<Gallenite> I spent a fair bit of time straightening out some of the mess that is EQLive's stacking a while back, so I know what you're talking about. :)
<Cao> Buffs between archetypes (Mage and Priest) will tend to stack.
<Cao> Done
<Deathstryker_VN> Before we get to the next question
<Deathstryker_VN> Hey, it might be worth mentioning to the folks that they can hide the Join and Quit messages by right clicking on the channel tab and chose "events" ;)
<Deathstryker_VN> on to the next question
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <Everyone and their dog> When is beta slated to begin? And when will the acceptance emails get sent?
<Ratweiser> Beta has already begun internally and will roll out in several stages this summer. Emails should start to go out in the coming months.
<Ratweiser> ;-0
<Moorgard> Like all good things in life, beta comes in stages. ;)
<Ratweiser> Public beta is slated for July
<Ratweiser> the first public phases at least
<Deathstryker_VN> Sean meant Public Closed Beta in July
<Deathstryker_VN>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <evilhuman> Will the retail release be worldwide just as the beta is if you understand english? if you import will i.e european billing addresses be accepted?
<Ratweiser> We don't have all of the details on international release finalized yet, but our goal is to deliver a fun experience when it releases to everyone who wants to play, whatever server they choose to play on.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <PalisRahl_Legends> What will the Collectors Edition have in it? Will i get the charactor creation disc if i preorder the CE?
<Cao> There are three levels of housing permissions: trustee, friend and visitor. Once a character is set to a given permission level, he or she will have all of the benefits of that access whenever he or she would like.
<Ratweiser> Right now we're looking at both an ingame item, and some additional item/items that will make the collector's edition special - it will be very limited - the pre-order item is the character creation disc so you can spec out your character prior to buying the game.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <Kyllie> Will people that are given special permissions to enter our instanced housing be able to enter the housing while the owner of the housing is offline? Also, will characters on the same account be able to share a house? Like if I log off my Mage and bring on my Priest, will my Priest be able to enter my Mage's house?
<Moorgard> Ah, the fun of IRC noobness!
<Moorgard> Having multiple windows is da bomb ;)
<Gezak> hehe temporal distraction
<Cao> There are three levels of housing permissions: trustee, friend and visitor. Once a character is set to a given permission level, he or she will have all of the benefits of that access whenever he or she would like.
<Gallenite> Chris, would you like this one? :P
<Cao> Sure.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tribal_VN> <osman> will it be possible to irreversibly 'gimp' your character by making poor choices?
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<Cao> Since EQ2 is a level-based rather than skill-based system, the choices you make are made within the confies of a given class. That means that you will eventually get all of the abilities we have designed for you. Short answer: no.
<Cao> Done.
<Gallenite> You will, however, still be free to equip yourself with poor items as often as you choose, however, to simulate the effect of having an underpowered character.
<Deathstryker_VN> LOL
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<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tazman_VN> *jody* Regarding EQ2 combat and gameplay, will it be it be feasible to play two accounts simultaneously (on separate computers) or is one character too involved for "two boxing"?
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<Cao> The combat game play in EQ2 is significantly different than in EQ1. It has a faster pace where all archetypes (including melee) will need to pay attention to their role in the party. Because of this, two-boxing will be more difficult.
<Cao> Done.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <[EL-APP]Dartimous> How is non confrontational pvp coming along and will it be available in beta?
<Moorgard> PvP is not planned for launch. We're talking about ideas for new forms of PvP beyond just the standard open player killing. There is no plan for PvP server at launch, but maybe down the road.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <[EL-APP]Dartimous> How are mounts coming and are they limited to the traditional horse?
<Gallenite> We really want to make sure that we have it done the right way, a way that we're happy with. I think the game as a whole would be a lot worse off if we did PvP and didn't quite do it as completely as we wanted to.
<Deathstryker_VN> Sorry Scott
<Gallenite> That was a follow up to Moorgard's answer. Not about mounts. :) NP.
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <[EL-APP]Dartimous> How are mounts coming and are they limited to the traditional horse?
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<Gallenite> They're coming along really well, actually. We do have an extensive range of horses, and we have two new kinds of mounts that I don't think we've ever mentioned before. You'll start to see more specifics in the next month or two on those, but no specific spoilers on them just this second.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Gallenite> (moorgard following it up
<Gallenite> )
<Moorgard> Check the August issue of InQuest magazine for more details on mounts.
<Moorgard> done
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <HenrikStyrer> Question: There has been alot of heat on whether some kind of email-system is in the game...would you like to comment on this?a
<Gallenite> You bet.
<Gallenite> Persistent messaging definitely does have its plusses and minuses -- I've seen the debates you're talking about, and they're really all well thought out. It's a matter of immersion vs the ability to clearly communicate.
<Gallenite> In our case, we've come down on the side of clearer communication for a couple reasons
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<Gallenite> The biggest one being our need for the CS and support staff to be able to communicate with people whether they're online or off -- The system needs to exist for that reason, if no other
<Gallenite> Secondly, I think it can be a bigger help to coordination between people than it is a hindrance to any kind of roleplaying. I wished I had the ability to coordinate my EQ guild through persistent in game mail, that's for sure. )
<Gallenite> Collecting up real world EMails is just added work that no one really should have to bother with :)
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tazman_VN> *Klevmore* Will there be alternate abilities after obtaining level 50? If so, will it be as time consuming as it was in EQ?
<Moorgard> We don't have any plans for AA abilities at this time. There is going to be tons of content designed to take people to level 50 that we don't need to plot out a lot of AA abilities right now.
<Moorgard> Keep in mind that AA abilities weren't introduced into EQ until it had been out for several years.
<Moorgard> (done)
<Gallenite> (following up real quick)
<Gallenite> Keep in mind that in EQ2 the road to the highest level isn't just pure level grinding or quest grinding to the top -- there are parallel lines of advancement available through both our social structures and tradeskilling. Basically, there are a ton of things to do on the way up, which is what we're hoping eases up on some of the need to provide even further post-50 high end advancement in a big hurry.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tazman_VN> *[EL-APP]Evfil* Will all trader activity be thru commisioned NPC's, or will we be able to sell directly to other pc's AND set ourselves up as traders?
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<Cao> A robust secure trade system is in place and players will no doubt use it as they always have. There will also be the option, however, to put items for sale on consignment within a city-wide market.
<Cao> Essentially, players will have a lot of tools available to them to buy and sell items.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tazman_VN> *Oceandragon622* I saw jumping in the videos of gameplay somewhere. Will jumping be a major part of movement or is it mostly to get past obstacles?
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<Gallenite> Not sure if this answers the question completely, but I hope it does -- EQ2 is definitely a 3d game for real. When you're jumping, you're jumping. It's not a huge part
<Gallenite> ...of gameplay, and it's similar to the way movement works in EverQuest Live.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tribal_VN> <Krimson> Will the sterotypical weapons, such as in EQLive, be implimented as the special weapons for each class IE: Beserkers having a large axe, or will a Beserker be able to have an enormous 2 handed sword for a "special" or "epic" level weapon.
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<Gallenite> (Sorry, took us a couple reads of the question to get the meaning -- moorgard's on it.)
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<Moorgard> Our berserker class wasn't designed to be the same as the recent class added to EQ. The berserker won't be based on the same axe-throwing design as in EQ.
<Moorgard> The selection of weapons you get for your class depend on a number of factors, but we like to give players some variety.
<Moorgard> (done)
<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> <Masomas> Will the Artisans be more dependant upon others in getting an aboundance of materials for them, or will they be more based on a single player being able to collect all that is needed in a reasonable amount of time?
<Cao> Artisans will be able to progress through all of their play levels without the need to depend exclusively on materials provided by adventuring players. In order to create the truly amazing items, however, they will need components dropped as loot off of bosses.
<Cao> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tazman_VN> *Fighter420* If people didn't make the beta date, is there anyway for us to get on beta? or will we just have to wait for release
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<Ratweiser> There are a number of beta giveaways planned over the coming months - including MMORPG.com right now, and the PC Gamer beta giveaway in the July issue - the EQ2 Vault will have some accounts in the next month to give away :)
<Gallenite> Additionally, boxes of small, unmarked bills are always welcome. Our mailing address is..... HEY! Ow. Stop that.
<Gezak> Yes, send them to me instead.
* Tazman_VN breaks out his wallet
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<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> next one: <[QT]Tazman_VN> *osman* what character attributes can be changed? when can you change them? does this system avoid 'cookie cutter' syndrome where characters are 'gimp' if they dont follow a specific template?
<Cao> In EQ2, a character's attribute points are determined first by his or her race and then by the archetype, class and sub-class. These are automatically assigned. Items are the primary method for attribute modification.
<Cao> <done>
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<Ratweiser> kick him
<Ratweiser> LOL
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <[EL-APP]Evfil> Will there be a limit to how much you can store in your "starting" quarters, or is the storage space unlimited?
<Cao> Players will have limited carried and bank inventory capacity. The number and placement of furnishings (furniture items), will be limited by the size and layout of their house.
<Cao> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tribal_VN> <DTS> Will there be any quests that would send you from one of the towns to the other? IE spy quests
<Cao> The cold war between Qeynos and Freeport will manifest itself in several different ways. The city betrayal quest is an example of a type of quest that will allow players to become involved in the politics surrounding The Shattered Lands.
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<Cao> There will be other ways for players to influence, on a small level, the relationships of the two cities.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <Deathstryker_VN> [QT]Drakes> <[EL-APP]Dartimous> What will it take to obtain a highly reputable house? Such as a nice house in Freeport/>
<Cao> Many of the more prestigious benefits (special mounts, bigger housing) will come as rewards for players advancing through a city's political social structure. By doing tasks for the city, players will earn social standing that they can use to gain these special benefits.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <Fulcrum> Question: Can you please elaborate on advantages/disadvantages regarding guild size?
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<Cao> Since the raid or epic encounter size in EQ2 is limited to 24 players, there will be game play reasons for smaller more personal player guilds. We want every player to feel that their contribution (adventure or trade skill) is significant to the overall success of the guild.
<Cao> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <Lalali> Will Eq2 support EAX3 or 4?
<Gallenite> 3, yes.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <dekalin> How strongly will you be supporting the naming policy, if there is one. I for one don't want to see 64 versions of Raistlin
<Gallenite> We will be (and have been) building in systems that give us very good control over names, similar to what was seen in EverQuest Live. Since this is a Dev chat, and the devs aren't really involved with the day-to-day of enforcement, we really can't comment on how it'll all end up working. (more)
<Gallenite> Suffice it to say, this is something that we feel pretty strongly about. One thing that we keep hearing in terms of players returning to EverQuest from other games, is that while the strict naming may have been perceived as a burden early on, it's actually a huge relief in the long run.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <LordDraekon> Hello. Since I see that someone from Marketing will be here, are there any plans to make the EQ2 soundtrack available either in the Collector's Edition or as a stand-alone product?
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<Ratweiser> We don't have plans to release it seperately, but all of the tracks are in MP3 format on the game disc.
<Ratweiser> For your listening pleasure
<Moorgard> Burn, baby, burn!
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <HenrikStyrer> Question: Will we have social titles ala Lord HenrikStyrer, which we get for completing complex quests for the city?
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<Cao> As noted above, players will be able to get different prestige awards by working for their city. Character titles are a large part of this reward system. Specific titles will also be awarded for quests in adventure zones.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Tribal_VN> <Sonoma> My question is , how long will it take to cross the world from one point to another point , with out attacking or being attacked
<Cao> The Shattering has, quite literally, broken the continent of Antonica into many fragments. Because of this, players will not be able to literally run across the world. A series of quests will need to be completed for players to gain access to all of the zones available at launch.
<Cao> And as with EQ1, your skill at dodging unfriendly monsters as you run by will remain important.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <Deiel> if you die in an instanced dungeon for example a total party wipe out how do you get your death shard back?
<Gallenite> Instancing is going to be pretty transparent in EQ2 -- Just like any other dungeon. You'd enter the same way, and go get your shard back.
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<Gallenite> It's not going to be the "request an adventure; do the adventure" style that we did for EQ LDoN. After having worked on both teams, I can confidently state that EQ2's instancing is a completely different beast. :)
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <Ragorr> Hias. Well heres my Question: How is the Monster respawing handled in EQ2? Is it purely random(which I think would be rather tough to balance)with maybe just the boss Mobs on static points or more in the manner of EQ Live with a bit more ramdomness. Also will there be an deacrease in spawns when an groups is camping on an spot for too long? - Thats it. Thanks for your time.
<Cao> Zones are populated with specific types of monsters. The composition of the encounters (groups of monsters) will vary from place to place. Within a given spawn point, a variety of appropriate monsters could potentially appear.
<Cao> There is not pentalty for camping other than the fact that you'll miss out on the immense world we have to offer.
<Cao> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Sheyla> <[EL-APP]Sobe> How many old zones will be in eq2?
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<Cao> The age slider has no effect on zones.
<Moorgard> We prefer to think of them as "mature" zones.
<Gallenite> hahaha
<Gallenite> real answer, inc :P
<Deathstryker_VN> pwned
<Gezak> LOL
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<Gallenite> Just because some of the names may be the same from EQ Live, don't think you've seen them before. Back before I joined the team and saw any of them myself, I was almost wondering why we were making "the same zones in a parallel game."
<Gallenite> Once you see them, you'll understand.
<Gallenite> You may know the names, but you don't know the zones. Not by a longshot. :)
<Gallenite> So, by that definition: 0.
<Gallenite> <done>
<Deathstryker_VN> <lol> Has there been a strong effort to keep to a set lore...and also..do some of the quests involved with Lore explain why the Erudites changed?
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<Cao> With the parallel universe that EQ2 offers, we've had the opportunity to estalbish a lot of 'what-if' scenarios. We've tied up some loose ends, but we've also set the foundation (e.g. the Erudites) for many new mysteries.
<Cao> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> 15 minutes remaining
<Deathstryker_VN> <[QT]Drakes> <|V|Vyktor> Will trophies, say for example a dragon's fang, be able to be turned into furniture or weapons, or will there only be specific items that you can do this with?
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<Moorgard> There will be an extensive line of furnishings for your home available at launch. We love the idea of adding trophies from significant events and battles, so that's something we'll be working on in the future.
<Moorgard> (done)
<Deathstryker_VN> <Kendricke> What sort of features can Guildmasters such as myself expect to see? Ability to set up hierarchy/title/ranks? Chat channel controls? Robust guild organization tools?
<Gallenite> Hopefully. Yes. Yes. Respectively.
<Gallenite> (Okay, there's more.)
<Gallenite> From the get go, our guilds are entities all on their own, which allows us the ability to do all the cool things you'd expect to be able to do in a 4th gen MMO such as EQ2.
<Gallenite> <done>
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<Deathstryker_VN> <Sheyla> Can each dev tell a little about their favorite area of the game?
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<Moorgard> I think Freeport is so cool. It has that foreboding feeling of a dark, militaristic society. I think our environmental team has done a fantastic job of capturing that feeling of power that the Overlord holds.
<Ratweiser> I'm a West side Freeport hoods guy. Lot's of nice Ratonga to hang out with and occasionally you can get a good kabob.
<Froech> Hard to say.... I've spent the most amount of time in the tutorial, in the 1000 iterations that there have been, but every time I play, I see more and more of the amazing things that this team has done, and my opinions shifts. The whole game is just incredible.....
<Cao> Personally, I'm amazed daily by Qeynos and Freeport. The size of the cities combined with the various NPC ecologies we have going really create a sense of a living, breathing world.
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<Gallenite> My guy's decided on a career as a sailor. The water and the motion in the tutorial boat is so cool, he's going to spend the rest of his life right there at level 2, being perpetially attacked by drakotas, rats, and goblins.
<Gallenite> Or perpetually, even
<Moorgard> That explains the sailor outfit Scott wears to work every day.
<Gallenite> Your jealousy is so transparent.
<Moorgard> Much like the clothing *I* wear every day.
<Deathstryker_VN> like the hulk hogan rip off shirt?
<Ratweiser> Isn't Scott on the boat?
<Gallenite> ......
<Loki_d20> Pictures please.
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<Deranged> ...you guys are starting to scare me...
<Deranged> And I'm Deranged.. :/
<Gezak> lol
<Gallenite> Ack Next question, please. Hurry. Before that burns into my brain...
<Drakes> Nothing scary about these guys. Nothing to see here. :)
<Nyneve> Scarred.
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<Deranged> OMG... we've dropped ot under 800!! We're loosing them. Quick, next question! :p
<Deathstryker_VN> Alright, that will pretty much do it :)
<Deathstryker_VN> Thank you all for attending tonight's developer chat!
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<Deathstryker_VN> Chat logs will be available on most of the EQ2 fansites very soon
<Deathstryker_VN> Thank you to all the SOE personnel who came tonight :)
Session Close: Wed Jun 02 18:27:52 2004

Meh, wasn't here to ask, but only question I wanta get answered in the future is if PVP servers will be open on release.