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Meridian 59

retrospecticretrospectic Member UncommonPosts: 1,466
in The Pub at MMORPG.COM

Meridian 59

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Meridian 59




Developer(s) 3DO Studios (original), Near Death Studios (current)
Publisher(s) The 3DO Company (original), Near Death Studios (current)
Release date(s) 1996, 2002
Genre(s) MMORPG
Mode(s) Multiplayer
Rating(s) ESRB: Teen (T)
Platform(s) Windows

Meridian 59 is an online computer role-playing game first published by 3DO Studios and now run by Near Death Studios. First launched online in an early form on December 15, 1995 and released commercially in September 1996 with a flat-rate monthly subscription, Meridian 59 is often credited as the first 3D graphical "massively multiplayer online game" or MMORPG.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My questions:

  • A lot of users called EverQuest or Ultima Online the father or grandfather on MMORPGs.  Why is this game left out?
  • Has anyone played this game?

Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde

Comments

  • RollotamasiRollotamasi Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 898
    Mainly Because EQ and UO were the first to really make it "big"

    -Currently looking forward to FFXIV

    -Currently playing EvE and Global Agenda

  • retrospecticretrospectic Member UncommonPosts: 1,466

    Looks like it might have been interesting to play in the beginning.

    Doktar - 70 Troll Priest - Perenolde

  • msticmstic Member UncommonPosts: 54
    I remember playing it on a free 7 day trial way back...



    Vague memories of eating pies and fighting giant bugs.
  • GameloadingGameloading Member UncommonPosts: 14,182
    If we go back to the first roots of the mmorpg genre, the very first MMORPG was called Never Winter Nights (not to be confused with the never winter nights released a few years ago).



    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neverwinter_Nights_(AOL_game)
  • RazorbackRazorback Member, Newbie CommonPosts: 5,253

    I played CGA NWN.... in fact most of my UO guild migrated from there.

    I also played about 6 months of Merdian 59, it was pretty damn cool in its day. It wasnt a very large playing area by todays standards but it had a few quests and NPC's to talk to. It was free open PvP after a certain level (5 I think cant remember) but there was very little open ganking to speak of. It was mostly like a low tech Diablo as far as gameplay. Certainly kept me entertained for a while.

    I was playing the Sierras "The Realm" at around the same time but I cant remember the timeline exactly.

    Ah you young folk....... lost in fairytale world of high rez grafix and forgiving death penaltys..... Why when I was a young noob.........*rambles on as everyone leaves or falls asleep*

    +-+-+-+-+-+
    "MMOs, for people that like think chatting is like a skill or something, rotflol"
    http://purepwnage.com
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    "Far away across the field, the tolling of the iron bell, calls the faithful to their knees. To hear the softly spoken magic spell" Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon

  • TautologyTautology Member Posts: 188
    Originally posted by Razorback


    I played CGA NWN.... in fact most of my UO guild migrated from there.
    I also played about 6 months of Merdian 59, it was pretty damn cool in its day. It wasnt a very large playing area by todays standards but it had a few quests and NPC's to talk to. It was free open PvP after a certain level (5 I think cant remember) but there was very little open ganking to speak of. It was mostly like a low tech Diablo as far as gameplay. Certainly kept me entertained for a while.
    I was playing the Sierras "The Realm" at around the same time but I cant remember the timeline exactly.
    Ah you young folk....... lost in fairytale world of high rez grafix and forgiving death penaltys..... Why when I was a young noob.........*rambles on as everyone leaves or falls asleep*

    I know what you mean :)I beta tested Meridian 59 and The realm, in the beginning it was a very tiny community and everybody knew each other quite well (exaggerating a bit here, but still).  Meridian was very fun back then, especially when they did the "server raid", i.e. server consolidation incl. battles (this was like a server vs server battle instead of realm vs realm...very fun).
  • SathlinSathlin Member Posts: 3
    I played Meridian 59 from day one for about a year and a half.. not really sure how long.



    To be honest, most of my friends that i was guilded with back then in 1996, Still consider m59 to be the best mmo of all time.



    Small world, which is a GOOD thing if you ask me.  At peak times, the server had like 240 people on it at a time.  This created an amazing community where almost everyone knew everyone else.  That is something that does not exist anymore in any mmo.

    Great skill based system, pvp.  Mail system that you could use anywhere... no need to run to a mailbox..

    Guild halls, guild wars.. espionage.  Guild recruitment was a very serious  matter.  Getting a mole in your guild, could endanger your guild hall to take over.  I could go on and on, most guys who really played m59 back then will know what i'm talking about.



    Hope this helps a little. 

    I did play some online rpg's before this also.. the type that you had to pay per HOUR to play.. remember paying like $90 a month before.. heh.

    Then once eq came along about a year or so after m59, it really opened things up.  I was in very early closed eq beta.. remember there being 100 people on at a time in eq beta back then.



    Sathlin

    Meridian 59, Server 102

    Guild of Albion
  • kb4blukb4blu Member UncommonPosts: 717

    I dont know if this quaiifies as an MMO or not but in 1980 back in the days when people had bulletin boards on their PCs, I played a game call Diplomacy.  It was all text and the point was to take over the world.  Only one person could log in at a time, but you made your moves and logged off , then a few days later you logged back in and saw what happened.  it was very interesting.  I think we had about 30 or so people playing the game.

    BTW I never took over the world. 

    I played using a TRS-80 with a Hayes modem that ran 300 baud and cost $500.00

    Oh for you youngsters 300 baud was a blazing fast ~300 bits per second.

     

  • ab29xab29x Member Posts: 364

    Its still up.  www.neardeathstudios.com

    It was a lot of fun.  I played on server 108 and 103.   And the server one of the offical servers that exist now which is 101.

    THey updated the graphics and put in mouse look.  I realize this isn't an amazing thing, but this game is one of the grandfathers.  I have good memories of it.   Had a lot of fun. 

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