EQN: Grails Vs Pillars

When SOE announced Everquest Next over the weekend one topic was the four Holy Grails the game philosophy is built on. These are:

1# Change the core game

MMO's have been doing the same thing since Ultima Online. SOE want to do something different and make something new.

The reality is they are just going to clone the system from Guildwars 2 or going back further Star Trek Online. Using weapons to fill out your skill bar and create more of a action based combat.

The class system is a mix between Guildwars 1 and Rift.

But compared to the Everquest series the core game has been changed.

There is a ton of new information appearing about there being no grind / levels or even XP from mobs which is some real core game changes.

2# Destructibility

Looks, sounds, and should be amazing. Just control the trolls. This is a real core game change.

3# A life of consequence

AI doing more than wondering around and  players choices meaning something and effecting the world. This paired with Grail two is needed.

4# Permanent Change

This isn't tied to Grail two cause that would just be insane. Just imagine as every single block is removed from the game leaving nothing but a picture of Peter Molyneux grinning back. This Grail is more about dynamic events and how the end results will stick, not reset a hour later when no ones around.

All this just reminds me of the hype Bioware had for their Old Republic:

MMOs are built on three pillars: exploration, combat, and progression. At BioWare and LucasArts, we believe most MMOs ignore an important fourth pillar: story. Our mission is to create the best story-driven games in the world, and we believe that the compelling, interactive storylines in The Old Republic are a significant innovation in the MMO genre.

Glad to see that SOE isn't piling all there game onto one support pillar because as we saw in The Old Republic, if that pillar breaks, you need the other 3 to fall back on.