EverQuest II: Rise of Kunark Interview

Ten Ton Hammer has conducted an interview with EverQuest II senior producer Scott Hartsman about the new zones being introduced in the game's Rise of Kunark expansion pack.
Q: I am absolutely thrilled that there is a move towards less zoning and bigger zones, but will this create a tax on player systems? With zones so large, travel options will be important. Will there be the same horses and griffons that we already have in game, or will new modes of transportation be introduced?

A: Yes there is at least one new mode of transportation that people are enjoying. The native beast, longtime mount of the Iksar, the sokokar, are able to be employed as a new mode of travel.

It's been challenging to find ways to make sure performance doesn't take a significant hit with the larger regions that's absolutely true. One of the reasons that you don't see an overabundance of high-engineering-required features in this expansion is that our engineers have been devoting significant time to improvements in tools and pipeline support. On top of that, they've been making continuous optimizations aimed at making many parts of EQ2 run better.

Essentially, our engineering efforts this round have primarily been focused on helping make the core experience that is Kunark as enjoyable as possible.

I've said it before and I'll say it again We know it's a lot to live up to, and we're putting our money where our mouth is when we say we're taking our commitment seriously!