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Ok! I'm beginning to see what mmorpg "Vets" are so frustrated about.
So, Everquest ah? New timelocked server starting tomorow, also lot's of people have had their accounts reactivated. I was one of them. This was a surprise to me as the only time I ever bought game time for Everquest was last year when I misclicked when resubing to Everquest 2. First time I played it I gave the game about half an hour, slit my wrists and hid under my bed for about a week. Yesterday I played it again. For anybody who has not read my latest blog entry (I.e most people;)) Been having lots of trouble with my computer at the mo, it's in for repair this week. The replacement I am borrowing from a freind at the moment is about as powerful as Nintendo Game and Watch. However this crate can run Everquest and with everything I have been reading about the new server at the moment I thought I would give it another try. I played for about eight hours straite. (It was quiet sunday, stop judging me!) I was really taken aback. Not by the graphics, which look like an old rhinos testicle sack, or the u.i which is about as easy to handel as the aforementioned testicle sack. I was taken aback by the depth of the thing. How it is far much more like playing an actual r.p.g. Also it has a real "sense of mystery" in the world wich really cought my imagination.
That got me thinking about what it would be like to have played the game back in the day, which I did not. At that point I was still a console boy and the internet was something that hapened to other people. I think if I had watched the genre develop the way it has since then, (i.e the general dumbed down/arcade game direction) I would be very frustrated as well. This is one point I thought I understood that I really did not. And not just Everquest, Swg, U.o and Daoc e.t.c e.t.c. Diferent games from a diferent time. I will now make a point to stop getting on their backs about it. Looking forward to seeing what hapens with the progression server. Thanks for reading.
Comments
So now you might understand all the sandbox talk from the old-timers.
I never played UO or DAOC either, even though I'm an old dude.
I have never tried EQ. If they have a free trial, I might give it a go.
Nice read
And yes, in hindsight it looks as if older MMO's like UO, EQ, DAoC, AO and AC managed to hit a lot of things right when it comes to creating a MMO world that feels more like a world than newer MMO's, where newer MMO's often feel more like (just) a game. It almost seems as if the people developing these first MMO's were a different breed than the people that developed and designed later MMO's.
Anyway, hf in EQ!
The ACTUAL size of MMORPG worlds: a comparison list between MMO's
The ease with which predictions are made on these forums:
Fratman: "I'm saying Spring 2012 at the earliest [for TOR release]. Anyone still clinging to 2011 is deluding themself at this point."
OP, I am glad you understand a little better, it can be like talking in another language to the 'newer' folks that don't get it sometimes. Kudos to you though for letting go and just enjoying it, not everyone has the balls to walk a mile in the other mans shoes and readjust his way of thinking appropriately, even if just about games
TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(zones as fast as possible)
Ahhhh EQ how I've missed you... but given your age, I just can't go back at this point.
If you took EQ (just the way it is) and just updated the graphics to our current graphic standards, you would have a great game.
This game still is very immersive after so many years, however the gamers today wouldn't be able to stand the graphics, interface and controls. If your a player that can put these issues aside, you will have some fun.
Another game like EQ, but in a SciFi setting would be Anarchy Online.
Both of them were my favorites close to a decade ago. I just jumped back into EQ till Rifts comes out, however if Rifts bombs, I will be heading back to EQ for a fair shake.
I actually agree with this. If the UI and graphics were up to today's standards, holy crap this game would be phenomenal. I find the same with DaoC and FFXI. 3 of my favs that are now considered "old" games. Aren't sequels supposed to give you the same gameplay but with streamlined graphics and UIs? makes you wonder what is this crap we're seeing these days. Although, my hopes are still high for GW2.
See you all tomorrow on Fippy. I STILL have no idea what class to roll lol.
You'd think they could do sequels right, but.... FFXI > FFXIV, AC > AC2 .... apparently a lot of people think EQ > EQ2 (Never played the first, so couldn't tell you my own opinion).
Even the same people can't seem to get two successes in a row... DAoC > Warhammer, UO > Tabula Rasa.
I'm hoping GW2 can break that grim streak. Only MMO I can think of offhand where the sequel games felt like real sequels and kept the same flavor was City of Heroes/Villains/Going Rogue.
Thank you OP it gets very frustrating as a old school gamer trying to explain why our generations of games were bertter and more immersive. You are right that there are 2 completly diffrent generations makeing games now before you had the guys that made the games like EQ and UO and DAOC and AO they all were playing Muds and Pen & Paper dungeons and dragons and white wolf ones nowadays the people creating MMO's are mostly from your zelda and mario and etc its a big diffrence.
I hope you have fun on fippy server i know i will be as well as the guild im going into this with there is alot of old school gamers in it as well as players from the new gen of games like WoW so it will be interesting to see how they will like it and if they get the same feeling as you did.
There was a post a day or 2 ago on thease forums where someoner posted a link to a really good EQ/eq3 post and it was a good read a really good one if your interested you should read it as well because it explains alot and shows what the diffrence is between nowadays and back when eq was released.
Here is the Link to the artice http://www.wolfsheadonline.com/?p=3924#567c5
Thank you for the link, will read it right now. I may have been a console gamer but I cut my teath in Pnp. D&D, Rifts, Runequest, shadowrun. Warhammer fantasy, vampire e.t.c. e.t.c I missed out on m.u.d's as well, but this is the only mmorpg I have played that gets anything close to the spirit of a pnp game. Anyway, off to read the article you linked. thanks again.
I'll be playing on Fippy Darkpaw, can't wait for tomorrow. Just got done re-installing the game, free reactivation period is what really made my mind up to go back and play on the new progression server.
I will be playing an Enchanter, always liked how they had a support role (that wasn't healing) in parties. Something that modern MMOs seem to shy away from, sticking to the holy trinity (Tank, DPS, Heals).
So i happened to be digging through some draws last nigh tlooking for something that i cant remeber now. But i came across some of my old EQ stuff.
Maps that i had to print off becuase there were no such things ingame. You had to find your way to where you wanted, or die alot trying to figure out how to get there.
Raid lists. We were a decent sized guild. But one nigth we had 130+ people trying to raid with 72 slots. It was crazy. The healing rotaion for a boss mob. 10 healers casting their biggest heal with a 3 second window. Make sure that macro was right dammit!
6 chat windows for me.
#1 general chat
#2 guild chat
#3 officer chat
#4 ooc chat
#5 healing channel
#6 tells
*laughs* that was a long time ago and many fond memories!
Your Most Welcome. If you are looking for a guild to join and to help you along your way check out
http://www.ceaselessguild.com/
there all a bunch of really cool guys and girls i just joined a few days ago and we are all excited already for the server.
You know, I missed EQ the first time around, this thread has got me thinking, maybe I should give this progression server a go.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
TBH, i did try it and had much, much more difficulty with the atrocious UI than with the aged graphics. I could have gone past the graphics, but not past the UI
I find it hilarious in a way. In any other genre, developing a sequel with just an updated graphics engine is frowned upon heavily and abused in reviews. In MMO's however, I find myself wanting just that with these 1st and 2nd generation MMO's.
If FFXIV was just FFXI with an updated graphics engine and heavily improved user interface, it WOULD BE AMAZING.
If EQ2/Next was just EQ with an updated graphics engine and heavily improved user interface, it WOULD BE AMAZING.
If DAoC2 was DAoC2 and not WAR, you get the gist.
If SWTOR was just SWG, again!
So I serve notice to any devs reading this: YOU HAD IT RIGHT THE 1st TIME! #%$) WOW!
i got 16 out of 17 expension!and yes i think soe reopened account temporarly to give player and chance to snoop in and see what the fuzz is all about about the new server.i ll probably resub next week.since my wow just finished.the fact that this new server is progression locked is a BIG thing for me since i cannot be on like a hard core player this game became very friendly to accasional gamer.and everybody will be pretty much in the same part of the world so there was never a better time then now to hop on this titan!(we can consider it a titan since it one of the oldest 3 mmo out there)
Got to say to you and any others reading this with the same thoughts, have a go on the trial first. Let's make no bones about how this game looks and feals. It strikes me as a very imersive and deep fantasy world made on an engine that could be outfoxed by a Sony walkman. I am not recomending it in a "Hey everybody should play this!" kind of way. You have to be able to get past the graphics first (What can I say? I'm totaly shallow;)) When I did I found something that made me sit up and pay attention in a way I have not felt for a long time. The u.i is also compleate pants by todays standards as an above poster mentioned. But I am having less trouble now with it then I did at first. Just takes some getting used to. It's also been a long time for me since I have actualy had to do some reading about how to play/ where to lvl, what spells to get e.t.c and it has not been spoon fed to me or been exactly the same as Wow's. I am enjoying the change so far.
Will look into it, thanks again. Also gonna have to bump your linked article one more time. That guy speaks a shed load of sense I think about the current state of all modern mmo's and what should be expected. Fantastic read. http://www.wolfsheadonline.com/?p=3924#567c5 Omg! I'm beginning to sound like one of you lot! I need a shower!;)
Nice read OP. I know it is a bit of a later era game, but I remember getting lost in Lineage 2. What games can you get properly lost in these days?
Forth, and fear no darkness!
Arise! Arise, Veterans of EQ!
Zones shall be shaken,
Servers shall be broken!
A sword day...
a red day... ere the sun rises!
Sorry, couldn't help it. Always get sentimental feelings thinking about EQ.
We have been saying the same thing for the past 7 years all SoE has to do is reskin EQ and make the UI more up to todays standards but keep the UI and the playinging still the same we wold be up there yet again .
I know the UI can be a little blah but its not bad once you get use to it and its actually very responsive . What i find funny so far but not in a laugh at you type of thing is thease newer players comeing in and saying umm where is my hotbars and why is there only 8 spells at a time you can use.
You have to pick your spells for the right situation so if your soloing you used one set if your buffing you used another set if your grouping you used another set and if your raiding you used another set it made the game so much more diverse.
I have found posts already from new players comeing in thinking the wrong thing alreeady saying lol im gonna solo myway all the way to 50 and be the best warrior on the server ? i am like what ? are you serious? and good luck with that lol.
i will not try to push this game on anyone either but comeing from someone who owns every AAA and AA title released in the last 14 years there is a reason i cant find anything to play in todays market it has nothing to do with the grafics or the UI it has something to do with immersion and something to do with i dont wanna be given gear or have the game holding my hand .
The first minute you are plopped into the world and not the tutorial you may see what drawed all of us in if you look past the UI and the Grafics you will see a world that changed a world that is so rich in lore and wounder. You will see a world where you had to look over your sholder and pick your figts because hey this yellow conned mob will kick my rear if i try it so i better stick with even cons or lower for now.
You all will see a world where the day and night cycle worked and worked well there were aloty of zones where you had to watch where your going and if its becomeing night you had to hurry up and get out of there because the night time things change you can have zombies spawning or werewolfs spawning that were not a good thing to run into.
I could sit here and write a book of everything that i had experienced in my 6 years on constant play of this game and then 6 years of off and on as well .
But like the OP said a few posts up if your even the slightest but interested to see whats going on then check it out but be warned the tutorial and the real game are almost 180% diffrent the tutorial is nice because it explains how to use the UI and how to use the quests and etc but that little place is nothing compared to the whole world.
Good read and while I probably enjoyed it more because I agree, I ask the OP (and others I suppose)- can a game with that kind of depth be had when players demand the convenience mechanics of today (dungeon finders, flying mounts, instant travel, etc)? If so, how?
So looking forward to the progression server too. I too initially went EEK ! The graphics whiplash. Then in a very little while the graphics did not even factor in. Okay animations took longer though. Good lord when will they ever fix the running animations of the Luclin model ...they look like they are deliberately trying to trip themselves. Other than that the game is so engrossing. I mean you actually have to pay so much attention to what you are doing and challenge like that is missing in the games these days. I played Everquest in 1999 and I loved it then and now I love it still.
I love that you get hungry and thirsty and you meditate so you cannot like keep on killing like some ninja robot on speed. It is a super game that is sadly not popular because it is old and the graphics and animations make most people not even bother. If you give it one hour of your time though you will see what it is exactly you are missing.
Now the game has a map I notice I remember getting lost in Lavastorm and Guk every time I go there so much so I actually was reduced to drawing my own map with my own landmarks like rock with lichen on left side. In Guk I remember one bit had this strange writing on the wall and I know oh god I am so lost now when I see that. I used to be so scared to death of getting lost in Guk on the undead side because I had only invisibilty but nothing like losing your invisibility right when you are crosssing a cavernous room halfway. Everytime I cross that room I am on pins and needles hoping the invisibility stays up because then the time your invisibility stays up was random and that means it drops at the most inopportune moment.
I don't think it can tbh, not with the features you discribe. But I think there is definatly a market for a new game without these features and for it to do well. Half the fun of these older games for me is becouse things like fast travel, dunfeon finder e.t.c are not in them. I am clearly not an mmo vet even though I have played pretty much everything now that is relaesed to date. And if I would be willing to buy and sub to a modern game that is a world and chalenging rather than a spoon fed aracede machine, how many people out there are looking for the same thing? Who knows, with the right kind of team and marketing behind it, anything could happen.