Daily Archives: January 12, 2023

EverQuest and EverQuest II have a Roadmaps for 2023

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I was surprised when Daybreak published roadmaps for EverQuest and EverQuest II for 2022 last January, and all the more so because of how well the dev team stuck to them over the course of the year.  So, capitalizing on that success I suppose, they now have roadmaps for EverQuest and EverQuest II for 2023.

EverQuest

The 2023 roadmap for EverQuest

The graphic is nice but I am glad they break it out into some text bullet points for those of us who like that sort of thing.  But first I want to call out the highlights for me on the list.  They are:

  • April – New UI Engine Initial Launch
  • December – EverQuest’s 30th Expansion!

The second was hardly unexpected, but it is nice to be reassured annually that the game is still growing.

The first though, the new UI engine… well, that could be interesting.  EQ has gotten UI upgrades over the years, but it is hard to keep things going as time goes on and when you’ve added more and more features… and more and more UI elements to support them.  And when I go back to play it takes me a while to adjust to how the UI behaves.  It feels like a 20 year old title at times.

EVE Online has gone through something like this over the last year with the new Photon UI, an attempt to create a more modern, supportable, and unified UI.  The problem is that it is tough to get it all right on the first pass.  Looking at the road map though, it seems that the EQ team has a phased approach planned.  I will be interested to see what they have coming.

Otherwise, here is the road map in text bullet points.

  • January:
    • Night of Shadows Tier 1 Raids Unlock
      • Insatiable An Appetite
      • Pit Fight
      • Mean Streets
  • February:
    • New Content for Erollisi Day
    • Night of Shadows Tier 2 Raids Unlock
      • When One Door Closes
      • Myconid Mutany
      • Dance of the Demiurge
  • March:
    • Night of Shadows Tier 3 Raids Unlock
      • The Spirit Fades
      • The Shadows Move
      • Under Siege
    • New Content for Brew Day
    • EverQuest’s 24th Anniversary Celebration – New quests and a mission.
  • April:
    • New UI Engine Initial Launch – Full engine launch with some of the windows ported to the new engine.
  • May:
    • New Content for Tempest Festival
    • New Progression Server (Ruleset “To Be Announced”)
  • June:
    • New Pride Month Familiars
  • July:
    • Server Merge – Merging Coirnav to Vox.
  • August:
    • New Content for Stone Cold Summer
  • October:
    • 2023’s Expansion Beta + Pre-order
    • DirectX 11 API port
  • November:
    • Extra Life Game Day – Help us raise funds for the Children’s Miracle Network.
    • New Content for Feast of Giving
  • December:
    • New Content for Frostfell
    • 2023’s Expansion Launch – EverQuest’s 30th Expansion!
  • Throughout the Year:
    • Porting More Windows to the New UI Engine
    • Zone Performance Improvements
  • Release Date TBD in 2023:
    • Guild Tradeskill Depot

EverQuest II

The 2023 roadmap for EverQuest II

And, as above, for those who cannot read the tiny print on that graphic, they have also spelled out the whole year in bullet points, which I will list out below.

But what interested me from the EverQuest II roadmap was:

  • May – Mercenary AI Update
  • Late November – EverQuest II’s 20th Expansion!
  • Beyond 2023 – DirectX 11 API Port

Mercenaries, which are pretty much the key to solo play in the last half dozen expansions, get some help.  I mean, they’ve already gotten gear and other updates, but maybe working a bit smarter will make them more viable.  Or maybe not.

And DirectX 11… makes me wonder where they’re sitting now.  I haven’t been paying close enough attention, but is it still a DirectX 9 title?  Just asking… because we won’t see that update this year, but at least it is in the plan.

Then, of course, the next expansion, the game’s 20th, which is quite an accomplishment.

  • January:
    • Renewal of Ro Raid Zones Unlock
      • Raj’Dur Plateaus: The Hunt
      • Sandstone Delta: The Standing Storm
  • February:
    • Varsoon unlocks Fallen Dynasty – Explore the Island of Mara and its environs.
    • New updates to Erollisi Day
    • Renewal of Ro Raid Unlock
      • Takish Badlands: The Boundless Gulf
  • March:
    • New updates to Chronoportal Phenomenon
    • New updates to Brewday Festival
    • Renewal of Ro Raid Unlock
      • Buried Takish’Hiz: Emergence from Stone
    • New updates to Bristlebane Day
    • Game Update 122 Beta Opens
    • Server Merge: Tarinax to Antonia Bayle
    • Server Merge: Kaladim to Antonia Bayle
  • April:
    • New updates to Beast’r Eggstravaganza
    • Game Update 122 Launch – New raids, contested dungeon, quests, tradeskill content, collections, Overseer Season 05 and more content for all playstyles.
    • Varsoon unlocks Echoes of Faydwer – Explore the continent of Faydwer, “borrow” the dwarven brewing kegs in Kaladim and unlock class Alternate Advancement trees along the way. Try not to fall off of Kelethin.
    • New PvP TLE server
  • May:
    • Mercenary AI Update – Mercenaries will more reliably heal and resurrect their companions, and generally react faster, with higher tier mercenaries gaining increased reaction time over their common brethren.
  • June:
    • New Live Event Equipment Slot – A new slot for equipment obtained exclusively through live event content.
    • New large updates to Summer Jubilee’s Tinkerfest
    • New updates to Patches of Pride
    • New large updates to Summer Jubilee’s Scorched Sky
    • Varsoon unlocks The Estate of Unrest, Shard of Fear, and three contested Avatars.
  • July:
    • Game Update 123 Beta Opens
  • August:
    • Game Update 123 Launch
    • New large updates to Summer Jubilee’s Oceansfull Festival
    • Varsoon unlocks Rise of Kunark – Pillage the ancient lands of Kunark from atop a mighty leaping steed with the power of a level 80 adventurer or tradeskiller, wielding 140 Alternate Advancement points to lay waste to your foes.
  • September:
    • Expansion Prelude
    • New updates and a small revamp to Panda, Panda, Panda! – Those fluffy rapscallions will no longer require you to complete all their previous adventures to embark on their latest escapade.
  • October:
    • 2023’s expansion Beta + Pre-order
    • New updates to Nights of the Dead
    • Varsoon unlocks Runnyeye: The Gathering, Veksar: The Invasion, and Shard of Hate.
  • November:
    • Extra Life Game Day
    • New updates to Heroes’ Festival – Celebrate our 19th Anniversary!
  • End of November:
    • 2023’s Expansion Launch – EverQuest II’s 20th Expansion!
  • December:
    • New updates to Frostfell
    • Varsoon unlocks The Shadow Odyssey – Slog through the goop in Innothule Swamp to meet the Froglok menace of Guk. Vacation in the pleasant Sauna of Najena, or drink a fine vintage of red wine with toothful friends in the crypts of Mistmoore. Boldly trek with 200 Alternate Advancement points and the Shadows AA tree to assist your travel planning.
  • Release Date TBD in 2023:
    • Swag Store
  • Beyond 2023:
    • DirectX 11 API Port

So there they are, the plans for Norrath in 2023.  Daybreak is announcing plans for some of their other titles as well, including DC Universe Online.  But my heart is always in Norrath when it comes to their products.