EQII Live Quest
Events for EQII started off with the Live Quest; my first ever. I prepared as much as possible for the people who would come, but have to admit that I was very surprised to find a room packed, standing room only, full of people who wanted to try the Live Quest. After a few minutes of organizational chaos, things got under way and over a dozen groups of players were found scrambling the halls saying 'Hail' to NPC's with the quest feather over their head. One fellow with a swashbuckling hat happened to be in the area, and was hailed more than once to his confusion!The key to any event is that it's fun, and with the help of a few players, Guides, and Brasse in the form of the NPC's for the event, it seemed that people were having a good time. The event couldn't have happened without their help, and I was very thankful to have them. Lessons learned from the event for me were many, but not totally destructive. For instance, you can't just tell people that only one person in the group can speak to an NPC at a time; you also have to tell them to stay together as a large group, otherwise a group of ten players quickly becomes five pairs of players each hailing a different NPC. Another fun lesson was that Vision Powder should never be a part of a Live Quest! There's a joke there, which I'll share in the forums at some point.
Legends & Lore
The EQII panels kicked off after lunch with the Legends & Lore Panel, and the Modeling With Character panel. I wasn't able to clone myself, so I didn't get to sit in on the Legends & Lore panel, but I could hear a lot of laughter coming through the wall to the room I was in, and from what I understand it was not only informative, but a heck of a lot of fun as members of the dev team relaxed and chatted with players.Modeling With Character
At the same time that the Legends & Lore panel was on, the Modeling with Character panel kicked in. Chad 'Lotus' Haley ran this one solo and demonstrated how art elements make it into the game from start to finish. Audience members were able to view the inspiration for weapons in RoK, and see more than a few of the NPC models that are slated to be in the expansion.Mechanics Panel
The last EQII panel of the day was the Mechanic's Panel. Over 10 members of the dev team brought the audience up to date on their parts of the game, and then fielded questions about mechanics in EQII for well over half an hour. Topics ranged far and wide across the EQII landscape including AA's, PvP, spells, tradeskills, engineering tools, and a host of other items. While there were more questions than time would allow for, many people got to find out exactly why things work the way the do in the game; including a detailed clarification from Domino about why it's better to craft 'naked' with your character.John Smedley's Keynote
The day of formal events closed with a speech by John Smedley. Previews of games yet to be released kicked off the event, giving Fan Faire attendees a great look at the scope and ideas behind some of the titles that will release in the future. Then the audience was presented with a look at the future for Star Wars Galaxies, EverQuest, and EverQuest II, combining videos and Senior Producer presentations about our expansions and plans going forward. The speech closed with a look at a previously unannounced game, Legends of Norrath, which will be an Online Collectible Card Game playable from either EverQuest or EverQuest II. Player will be able to challenge their friends to duels, even if they don't play the same game! Legends of Norrath will be headed to beta soon, and we will keep you up to date on how you can participate.Pool Party
The night closed down with a post-dinner pool party at the Rio. Everyone gathered at the pool, sang karaoke with a live band, and consumed mass quantities. There was a lot of dancing, laughter, and fun to be had and many folks went back to their rooms well after their bedtimes.I'm sure I'm missing about 500 critical elements, but keep an eye on the fansites for their reporting, and join in the conversation in the EQII Official Forums to keep tabs on the latest!
--Grimwell
P.S. My apologies to the members of the Legion of the White Rose, whom I accidentially told you was the Order of the White Rose yesterday!