This sounds like a radical change to EQ, what was the impetus to re-write the engine? How long has it been in development?

No MMO-RPG can beat EQ in terms of sheer size and depth of content and with each expansion we significantly improve the quality of the art, but we still use tools and processes from the original EQ days (the quality of the art in Gates of Discord is a testament to the skill of the artists on the team!). Re-writing the graphics engine will allow us to use tools and processes to create art that is as good as (or better, imo) than games currently on the market or in development.