>The introduction of religion was a huge step along the emerging storyline of the new Norrath. The return of some of the gods after hundreds of years allowed for some new innovations in gameplay and lore progression. Allowing players leeway in choosing a god to serve (with 3 evil, 3 good and 2 neutral options) further underlined the team's wish to allow for more customization and choice in direction. Serving a god opens up a sort of personal economy to the player, wherein significant powers may be earned, and where the currency is not coin, but favor with the diety you serve. Favor may be earned via questing as well as sacrificing valuable items on the altars you are granted. > >Crafting was given some added interest with the introduction of Tinkering and Transmuting. The latter is a very interesting tradeskill; due to its high cost to practice, it is one perhaps best done by players who are supported by a cooperative guild. The products made by Transmuters are subsequently used to make "adornments", special augmentations that permanently add stats or abilities to weapons, jewelry and armor. Allowing all crafting professions to participate by giving each different adornment lines to create was, in my opinion, a stroke of genius. > >Scott noted that the player community was extremely important to the game, and their input is always welcome. Common sense rules in the forums help keep things on the level, and Community Manangers and staff assist the Dev Team by collecting nad submitting "hot issues" for consideration. All bugs and feedback are submitted to a searchable database and they are read by real human beings, who then collate and collect relevant issues to forward… and this material becomes mandatory reading for the Devs. > >All in all, Scott was not in the least worried about other MMOGs coming on the market. He felt the EQII team was on the right track with innovation and development, noting the proof in the fact that every single day finds new players coming to the game. His quiet confidence spoke volumes for the future of the franchise. > >Part of the reason for the success of EQII is that all of the Dev Team actually plays the game. They know how changes affect classes, guilds, playstyles… because they are in the thick of it, playing characters they worked up from scratch, under "real-world" conditions. They bring this knowledge and love of the game to every meeting. > >For the future, there is an evolution taking place in both the development philosophy (allowing more freedom to players to determine direction) and in the production schedule itself… Scott noted that in the beginning, the plan was to release an expansion with a few adventure packs in between. The Echoes of Faydwer expansion gave the team a full three and a half months longer than the previous expansions, and Scott felt that this really made a difference in the depth and breadth of the product. Without the additional time, elaborate zones such as Felwithe would not have been possible.

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