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Facebook MMO is the Warcraft killer, says EverQuest's lead developer

Seraphina Brennan — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST

Filed under: Business models, Culture, Game mechanics, Interviews, MMO industry, Opinion, Casual, Virtual worlds

Ryan Barker, the lead designer of EverQuest, is a man who believes in the power of Facebook and social networking. In an interview with The Escapist, Barker is quoted as saying that a Facebook MMO might have the power to eclipse the MMO market much like World of Warcraft has already done some years back.

Barker's reasoning behind declaring a Facebook MMO as a champion is due to the ease of playing with your friends. Facebook has the power to remove many of an MMO's social blocks, such as a lack veteran players, ease of access, a lack of servers, and the ease of playing with your friends, and turn those stoppages into forward momentum for a game and its community.

Continue reading Facebook MMO is the Warcraft killer, says EverQuest's lead developer

Facebook MMO is the Warcraft killer, says EverQuest's lead developer originally appeared on Massively on Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EverQuest's new lead designer on the future of SOE's venerable MMO

Michael Zenke — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Interviews

Ryan Barker is the newly-dubbed lead designer for SOE's venerable EverQuest, and recently sat down with the folks at Curse to talk the state of the game - and even a bit about the game's future. Barker again confirms the team's pleasure at having more times to work on expansion packs, a subject covered well in our discussion with previous EQ lead designer Travis McGeathy. They also note their heavy enthusiasm at seeing players return for the Living Legacy event, something we've also discussed on the site.

Without a doubt the most interesting segment is the design team's reflection on their favorite encounter in the game's history. Barker and several members of the design group point out their favorite moments from the nine years worth of content the game has on offer. Says Barker, "For me it was definitely Lord Nagafen back in original release. I was part of the first raid that killed him on Rallos Zek. It was such a rush going back through the fire giant castle and seeing that dragon for the first time. I think I seriously jumped out of my chair the first time he stuck his head through the door and bit me."

Your turn, then: What's your favorite encounter/quest/monster from EverQuest?

EverQuest's new lead designer on the future of SOE's venerable MMO originally appeared on Massively on Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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EverQuest's senior producer and designer on SOE's Living Legacy

Michael Zenke — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST

Filed under: Fantasy, EverQuest, Events, in-game, Patches, Massively Interviews

Last week we sat down with EverQuest lead designer Ryan Barker, and senior producer Clint Worley. They were both very enthused to talk about the Living Legacy program, the just-announced initiative to bring adventurers back to Norrath. With the game's amazing tenth anniversary just about a year away, it was very interesting to speak with these industry veterans on what the team has in store for us this summer.

Join us as we chat about the game's future, the special competition raid encounters slated for the Legacy event, and even how these events are rolling along in the direction of the mysterious next expansion!

Continue reading EverQuest's senior producer and designer on SOE's Living Legacy

EverQuest's senior producer and designer on SOE's Living Legacy originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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