Reply With QuoteJust saw this on their web site..and posting it fyi
http://everquest2.station.sony.com/beta.jsp
http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news...d=a76PR4_W_jQo
================================================== ====
SAN DIEGO, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online (MMO) gaming, today announced that Beta sign-ups for EverQuest(R) II will begin in May and the Beta testing program itself will begin in June. EverQuest II will be available at retail in North America after the Beta program is complete later in the year.
"We've been playing EverQuest II internally for months and we're finally ready to begin letting people in to see the world we've built over the last four years," said John Smedley, president, Sony Online Entertainment. "Beta testing is incredibly important for a game like EverQuest II as it helps us both to identify technical issues and continue to polish the game before it goes live. This is one of the final steps in developing a game as huge and important as EverQuest II, and we're looking forward to seeing how players react to the game."
Dedicated, longtime subscribers to SOE's EverQuest Legends service will be the first allowed into Beta, followed by players that fulfilled the requirements of the Lords of EverQuest(TM) special offer. Additional Beta testers will be selected from applications received through the EverQuest II website. Gamers interested in signing up for the Beta are encouraged to visit http://www.everquest2.com beginning May 3, 2004 at 10:00 A.M. PDT, for information on how to apply for a Beta slot. SOE will notify qualified Beta applicants in stages over the coming months.
About EverQuest II
EverQuest II is the next generation of massively multiplayer gaming, a huge online world where thousands of players come together for adventure and community. Featuring breathtaking graphics and a vast, beautiful game world to explore, EverQuest II sets the standard for graphical realism as players are immersed in the game's exciting locales and dangerous lands. EverQuest II brings players into its world with a powerful epic storyline and gives them the power to be the hero or villain in their personal adventure. Players enter this world by creating their own unique character, choosing from 16 races and 24 classes. Players will encounter hundreds of creatures as they travel across majestic landscapes of rolling hills, barren deserts, dense forests, and bustling cities. Thousands of items, hundreds of spells, and unlimited adventure await all who enter the world of EverQuest II. EverQuest II also features:
* A new, massive online world for thousands of players to explore, filled
with danger, adventure and mystery
* Voices for almost every non-player character (NPC) in the game, a huge
project encompassing nearly 100,000 lines and 130 hours of dialog (the
equivalent of more than 65 feature films worth of content)
* A state-of-the-art, cinematic quality 3D graphics engine capable of
improving as hardware technology advances
* Amazing character customization capabilities. In addition to thousands
of pieces of armor, weapons and items, players will be able to
customize their character's facial appearance to an incredible level of
detail and personalization
* 16 races, 50 levels and 24 classes with a branching system that allows
players to choose their class as they advance
* No race/class combination limitations, allowing players to truly choose
who they want to be in game
* Player-owned real estate (such as apartments, homes, and guild houses)
* State-of-the art combat, spell and skill systems
* New user friendly game mechanics with reduced learning curve for both
new and seasoned players
* Trade skills available to all player classes
* More than 160 unique creature types, from Orcs and Goblins to huge
dragons and menacing Living Statues
About Sony Online Entertainment
Sony Online Entertainment Inc. (SOE), a subsidiary of Sony Pictures Digital Inc., is a recognized worldwide leader in massively multiplayer online games, with a subscriber base of over 750,000 active accounts around the globe. SOE creates, develops and provides compelling entertainment for the personal computer, online, game console and wireless markets. Known for its blockbuster franchises, EverQuest(R) and PlanetSide(R), as well as for developing Star Wars Galaxies(TM): An Empire Divided(TM), SOE continues to redefine the business of online gaming and the creation of active player communities while introducing new genres on various entertainment platforms. Headquartered in San Diego, CA, with an additional development studio in Austin, TX, SOE has an array of cutting-edge online games in development.
EverQuest is a registered trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment America Inc. SOE, the SOE logo and PlanetSide are registered trademarks of Sony Online Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks and trade names are properties of their respective owners.
Gemdiver Myrcide
Level 70 Wizard of Fennin Ro (retired)
My Yuwie Page
EQ Casters Realm | EQ2 Casters Realm
Just saw this on their web site..and posting it fyi
http://everquest2.station.sony.com/beta.jsp
Don't you just love the great attention they put into getting worthy beta testers?Dedicated, longtime subscribers to SOE's EverQuest Legends service will be the first allowed into Beta, followed by players that fulfilled the requirements of the Lords of EverQuest(TM) special offer. Additional Beta testers will be selected from applications received through the EverQuest II website.WoW gets game developers, full time experienced mmorpg players for their alpha and early beta. EQ2 gets people who are stupid enough to pay 40$ a month for what the rest pay 12.95$, and people who bought a craptastic RTS that would obivously help in an MMORPG environment.
Beta should be about testing. It's not supposed to be a selling extra for an unrelated product.
No, it makes sense. Legends players have always been beta testers for the rest of us.
To bad my computer won't run it.
Baron Pilsain Silverback
Channeler
Saryrn
Pillsian of Saryrn
Sorcerer
Befallen - EQ2
I really don't see any problem with letting Legends players have first crack at it. Legends players wont be the only people. They'll still include long term beta testers and respected members of EQ community in the first phase. Legends are just the first 'mass group' of players who are selected. In addition, the Legends phase is only a month long, and I'm sure that month will be very buggy. I'd imagine your best bet of getting into the first phase (though prolly too late) is to make lots of intelligent posts on the EQ2 forums and hope the devs like you enough for an invitation. Please note, all of that is just personal opinion and SoE hasnt released any information stating any of that.
Uhm, I'm not sure if you have read the WoW Beta boards at all, but a LOT of those people are complete idiots. You make it sound like WoW hand picked the best testers out there. I remember filling out a form that contained almost NO specific information at all - besides computer specs.Originally Posted by Turonyen
Don't you just love the great attention they put into getting worthy beta testers?
Beta should be about testing. It's not supposed to be a selling extra for an unrelated product.
What are you talking about?
*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*
just let your legs give out
it just might carry you away
*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*:._.:*~*
WOOHOO! What do you think the chances of actually being able to apply at 10AM PST will be? My vote is the server will be hammered.
I'm gonna apply to pass the time to wow
I am afraid that pushing the Beta test period sooner in the development cycle is going to hurt EQ2 in the long run. SoE has a reputation for releasing incomplete content, they need to tell the marketing department to go take a hike while the main team completes the game.
I would not have opened up the beta for EQ2 until at least 4-6 weeks after the WoW go-live.
Its too soon for EQ2 beta, way too soon.
-Mudd
Can internationals join or should I continue to seethe quietly and plot to destroy the world?
Hahahaha!
Oh wait, you were joking, right?
Mor'ri, troll shaman of <Goon Squad>, Eu-Sporeggar
Also Itzena, Forsaken Death Knight of <Goon Squad>, Eu-Sporeggar
He was talking about WoW alpha, mostly.
We were a special class of idiot.
There is a fairly large group of disgruntled people right now voicing valid complaints over at the eqlive forums about non existant GMs on the servers, petitions unanswered, lack of CS, problems with zones, complaints about the latest expansion....all this above and beyond the problems intigrating the new graphics engine. Any replies by Brenlo or others representing SOE over there are ambiguious at best about things that are happening.
Ok, so EQII is supposed to be something new, but if you put new stripes on a tiger..its still a tiger..The corporate culture that runs EQ now will no doubt carry over to EQII. I have a feeling this is going to turn a lot of people off to this new thing they are promoting. I don't know who their target market is, but people do not live in a vacumm and word gets around on the internet about how things are anymore. It amazes me that almost a quarter of a million people have read the thread in WoW that Whizbang started about being a teenage Alpha WoW tester..
Quick question for those of us not in the US - is PDT the same as PST or is it Mountain time? Have seen recent posts stating PDT (-7 UTC) - whereas PST is -8 GMT
Or is this just the daylight savings version of PST?
Confused of Belgium
Don't bother Woodja, there will probably some line somewhere that states that you have to reside in the USA or Canada to be allowed into Beta testing. It was included for alot of other Beta tests.
Terry Pratchett: A European says: I can't understand this, what's wrong with me? An American says: I can't understand this, what's wrong with him?
Torcer Arcana: There are times I really love the Dutch.
Zedd: Bran, I think you exhibit moonbat qualities at times
?????????: Never argue with a stupid man, because he will drag you down to his level and beat you because of his experience.
at least it said in the Lords of EQ offer that you must reside in the US to participate....
my guess would be: if your account is with SoE you might be in luck (if they offer download and do not want to send you stuff via snail mail). If you are with UBI (german / french servers) - I'd say your chances are very slim....
Shada
The game has been in developement for 4 years. How long should they wait?I am afraid that pushing the Beta test period sooner in the development cycle is going to hurt EQ2 in the long run. SoE has a reputation for releasing incomplete content, they need to tell the marketing department to go take a hike while the main team completes the game.
I would not have opened up the beta for EQ2 until at least 4-6 weeks after the WoW go-live.
Its too soon for EQ2 beta, way too soon.
Luckily, I have 2 accounts - one with UBI and one with SoE - so I might be lucky, but obviously I'm not holding my breath on this one.
Join me Woodja, as we plot to destory these American scum that limit their beta tests in such unscrupulous ways.
Bookmarks