EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark Interview

IGN’s EQ2Vault has conducted an interview with SOE’s Kyle Vallée about the design work he did on the EverQuest 2: Rise of Kunark expansion pack.

With Jarsath Wastes what was your inspiration for the Ganak’s Battlement fight scene with the Droags attacking the Iksar?

I wanted to do something that had action and was alive and really got people’s blood going! I also wanted to make evident the current struggle between the Legion and the Ring of Scale. Jim McClure really did an awesome job on the art; he was really a huge inspiration at all times! I went out and placed each one of those barricades by hand and then did all of the fights, which took me some time. When it was where I deemed it halfway done, art was telling me I have blown my budget! So I went to Gary Daugherty and asked him for the rest to be done in particle effects, which do not create near as much draw on the client. I asked for Dracurions flying around attacking the battlement, I wanted to see them get hit by arrows and then death spiral to the ground. If anyone has been to Ganak’s Battlement, you can see that he did an amazing job!