Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Jukebox Heroes: EverQuest II's soundtrack]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09/25/jukebox-heroes-everquest-iis-soundtrack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09/25/jukebox-heroes-everquest-iis-soundtrack/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/09/25/jukebox-heroes-everquest-iis-soundtrack/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

Jukebox Heroes EverQuest II's soundtrack
I figured that after the last column's focus on World of Warcraft, I might as well feature the other major November 2004 MMO release: EverQuest II. EverQuest II embraced high fantasy to its core, and the soundtrack for the original game certainly reflects this.

SOE tapped composer Laura Karpman for the project in the early 2000s. The four-time Emmy-winner spent time getting acquainted with the first EverQuest before creating the music for the sequel. Following EQII's completion, Karpman remained on staff at SOE from 2005 to 2006 as the resident composer. She would leave the team after doing the score for EQII's first expansion, Desert of Flames.

"This was one of the most rewarding opportunities I have ever had," Karpman said in 2003. "We had an amazing time recording the score in Prague, a wonderful city with equally great players."

The one-hour soundtrack came with the collector's edition of the game, and a friend mailed me his copy, which I deeply appreciated. There's a lot to enjoy about this score, so let's dig in!

Continue reading Jukebox Heroes: EverQuest II's soundtrack

MassivelyJukebox Heroes: EverQuest II's soundtrack originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>composercomposersdesert-of-flameseq-2eq-iieq2eqiieverquest-2everquest-iif2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playgame-musicjukeboxjukebox-heroesjustin-olivettilaura-karpmanmmo-jukeboxmmo-musicmusicopinionsoesonysony-online-entertainmentsoundtracksoundtracksTue, 25 Sep 2012 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's year in review]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-tattered-notebook-everquest-iis-year-in-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-tattered-notebook-everquest-iis-year-in-review/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/12/27/the-tattered-notebook-everquest-iis-year-in-review/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


EverQuest II may be the ripe old age of six, but it certainly isn't showing signs of slowing down. With 2010 coming to a close, it's time to look back on the past year, which was marked with several major changes to the game.

Read on for The Tattered Notebook's year in review, and then share your memories of the past year in EverQuest II.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's year in review

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: EverQuest II's year in review originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>brenlodesert-of-flamesdestiny-of-veliousend-of-the-year-2010EQ2eq2xEQIIeverquesteverquest-2everquest-2-extendedeverquest-iieverquest-underfootEverquest2featuredplanetsidesentinels-fatesmokejumpersoesoe-eq-2soe-eq-iisony-eq-2sony-eq-iistation-cashtribes-2zOMGMon, 27 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The Tattered Notebook: Six years of EverQuest II]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/the-tattered-notebook-six-years-of-everquest-ii/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/the-tattered-notebook-six-years-of-everquest-ii/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/11/08/the-tattered-notebook-six-years-of-everquest-ii/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

I looked down at the dog-eared journal and shivered. As excited as I was to finally be in possession of The Tattered Notebook, I recalled the fates of its previous owners. First, seemingly out of madness, Seccia made a sudden and unexpected career change to blog about kittens. Now, Scarve, a Ratonga, has disappeared in the night, leaving behind only a wedge of cheese, this tattered notebook, and a tiny stuffed Kerran doll. Rumors spread of his appearance among a shadowy cult of Gnomish tinkerers, but it's unclear whether he's with them by choice or by force.

Regardless, I took a deep breath and opened the cover. What a perfect time to begin adding my entries to the journal, right at the celebration of EverQuest II's six-year anniversary! To celebrate, the game is holding its second annual Festival of Heroes, from November 19-30. In honor of this milestone, my first entry into The Tattered Notebook is a retrospective of those past six years, with an eye towards the future.

Continue reading The Tattered Notebook: Six years of EverQuest II

MassivelyThe Tattered Notebook: Six years of EverQuest II originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adventure-packanniversaryappearance-slotbillybirthdaybloodline-chroniclesdesert-of-flamesechoes-of-faydwereqEQ2EQIIeverquesteverquest-2everquest-iiexchangeexchange-serversf2pfallen-dynastyfan-fairefan-faire-2010featuredfestival-of-heroesfree-to-playfreemiumhousingkingdom-of-skymarketplaceNorrathplayer-housingRetrospectiverise-of-kunarksentinels-fateSOEsoe-eq-2SONYSony-Online-Entertainmentsplitpaw-sagathe-shadow-odysseythe-tattered-notebookMon, 08 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Persistent zones appear on EQII's test server]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/persistent-zones-appear-on-eqiis-test-server/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/persistent-zones-appear-on-eqiis-test-server/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/07/11/persistent-zones-appear-on-eqiis-test-server/#commentsFiled under: , ,

EQ2Wire draws some interesting conclusions from last week's Test Update Notes on Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest II. The long-running fantasy MMORPG appears to be waffling on whether or not players should level rapidly. Last weekend marked a double XP smorgasbord, but now comes word of new persistent zones on the game's test servers.

These zones include many instances in the Desert of Flames and Kingdom of Sky sections of the world of Norrath, and making them persistent will prevent players from zoning in and out for a fresh set of mobs.

"This is the type of change that makes players the most negative about a game, these "yank the rug out from under you" changes which only serve to make players feel that their time is being intentionally wasted to maintain an artificial leveling pace. It only emphasizes the treadmill characteristic that all MMOs have, but usually try to conceal," writes EQ2Wire's Feldon.

Check out the original article for more commentary, as well as the full patch notes.

MassivelyPersistent zones appear on EQII's test server originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>desert-of-flamesEQ2eq2wireEQIIEverQuest-2everquest-iikingdom-of-skylevelingmobspersistent-zonesoeSony-Online-EntertainmentSun, 11 Jul 2010 16:00:00 EST<![CDATA[The next EQ2 expansion is ... Odus]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/the-next-eq2-expansion-is-odus/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/the-next-eq2-expansion-is-odus/http://massively.joystiq.com/2008/04/25/the-next-eq2-expansion-is-odus/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,


Those who trusted to the Word arrived none too soon, for our ship had barely docked at their primitive outpost when the earth beneath us trembled and rolled. For many long years the earth shook violently, finally tearing Tunaria (that which the humans call Antonica) apart. -- The History of the Erudites

If "The Shadow of Odyssey" doesn't deal with an invasion from the Void (the Shadowmen's home plane), what else can we guess from the name? The title is fairly ambivalent. Is there something called Odyssey that casts a Shadow? Is there a Shadow from a place called Odyssey? Is it metaphorical -- could the appearance of Odyssey bring a darkness to the world?

Previous EQ2 expansions have always talked of places -- the Desert of Flames; the Kingdom of Sky; the Echoes of Faydwer; the Rise of Kunark. If they follow this same trend, then, Odyssey is a place. It is unlikely that it is a Shadowman place. It could be; we just don't know yet. Adventuring in the Void would be a truly unique experience.

There's no reason to go to another plane of existence for Odyssey... not when we have the whole continent of Odus still unfound. Odyssey, Odus... could the similarity of the names be just a coincidence? Five hundred years in EQ2's past, Erudites were fairly normal looking people. In EQ2's present, Erudites have evolved into something quite different indeed. Gray, almost metallic looking skin; colored tattoos on their bodies that seem to pulse with an arcane illumination. It is difficult to believe that a race so attuned to the threads of magic that connect together the universe would have been unaware of what was happening to Luclin, a moon surrounded by and infused with magic. They would have protected their home somehow.

Perhaps they gathered together their most powerful wizards and, using the power that had once torn from the ground an entire Kerran village and the land for kilometers below it and transported it to Luclin, pulled the continent from the land and took it to safety when the moon began to split and their cousins who had followed Quellious' call to travel to Qeynos had gone.

Freed from Norrath, Odus would become Odyssey; and in its journeys, would cast a very large shadow indeed. Now that the Age of Shattering is long over and the world of Norrath is at relative peace, they have returned. The Erudites we see around are exiles, waiting for the day when Quellious calls them home again.

Could The Shadow of Odyssey have anything to do with the Plane of Shadow? >>>>>

MassivelyThe next EQ2 expansion is ... Odus originally appeared on Massively on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>age-of-shatteringdesert-of-flamesechoes-of-faydwereq2eqiieruditeseverquest-2everquest-iikerrankingdom-of-skyluclinodusquelliousrise-of-kunarkshadow-of-odysseyFri, 25 Apr 2008 13:00:00 EST<![CDATA[EverQuest II celebrates its third birthday]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/everquest-ii-celebrates-its-third-birthday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/everquest-ii-celebrates-its-third-birthday/http://massively.joystiq.com/2007/11/11/everquest-ii-celebrates-its-third-birthday/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Thursday was the third anniversary of the launch of Sony Online Entertainment's EverQuest II. In celebration of another year of service, the team put together a retrospective video, interviewing the team about their time working on the game. They talk about the process of making the three currently-released expansions for the game, and give a few tantalizing glimpses of the Rise of Kunark, which is slated for release next week.

They also had cake, as shown in a series of pictures posted to the official EverQuest II website. Happy Birthday EQ2. Nice MMOGing.

MassivelyEverQuest II celebrates its third birthday originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 11 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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