I can't speak for everyone but I know why I left. ... In hindsight, I think the severe death penalty, the corpse retrieval, the travel, all contributed heavilty to making the game immersive.
That is the same kind of drivel - "immersive" - that pretty much ruined Vanguard before the company crashed and burned.
I played EQ from the beginning, and I NEVER found any of those to be "immersive". But Brad and company listened to that kind of "I want my glory days of classic EQ back" crap far too much, resulting in an almost total disaster on release before SOE finally took it over (out of pity?).
What makes a game immersive is a good and consistant story line, interesting quests (not kill xx mobs times), and similar factors.
Sorry but your longing for crappy corpse retrievel mode is not part of that equation.
The reason people stopped interacting with each other is because they chose to do so.
Bingo.
People want to solo and be self-sufficient. WoW was the first MMO to let you do that while in EQ only a few select classes could solo. That really limited the game's appeal and I don't think that ever occurred to Brad McQuack.
No - SOME people want to solo their life through an MMO, not all. The fact that WOW is 99% solo based until you hit max level (and the same could be said about the new ROK EQ2 expansion) appeals to SOME people. But some of us really do prefer to group.
It is the forced grouping with few if any solo options that keep the EQ1player base low.
The reason people stopped interacting with each other is because they chose to do so.
Bingo.
People want to solo and be self-sufficient. WoW was the first MMO to let you do that while in EQ only a few select classes could solo. That really limited the game's appeal and I don't think that ever occurred to Brad McQuack.
No - SOME people want to solo their life through an MMO, not all. The fact that WOW is 99% solo based until you hit max level (and the same could be said about the new ROK EQ2 expansion) appeals to SOME people. But some of us really do prefer to group.
It is the forced grouping with few if any solo options that keep the EQ1player base low.
Everquest is 1) A bit old, and 2) just too darned big. Anytime a game has almost as many zones as active players on a server, it's definitely not a good idea to revamp zones into bigger areas.
Heck, they took the empty Freeport and made it into a giant empty Freeport. What was the point?
Everquest is 1) A bit old, and 2) just too darned big. Anytime a game has almost as many zones as active players on a server, it's definitely not a good idea to revamp zones into bigger areas. Heck, they took the empty Freeport and made it into a giant empty Freeport. What was the point?
I think that the size of older games might actually be a big factor all of them eventually "falling".
It might be time for a rethink on how to do expansions, and not just for EQ. Even if the player base was4x what it was on release, there is 10x as much territory so people are still more spread out, giving the tame an overall sense of being empty.
Raid gear. Its simple. Raid gear has trivialized the game to a point that those who don't have it can't play in the upper levels of the game today, and those that do have it don't need much help for group content.
I don't think WoW does anything better than EQ, except it lets people solo. I wouldn't say that is better, but obviously millions disagree. Its too bad EQ did a total 180 in gameplay, because I just don't like the changes that have occured since Luclin.
You cannot reasonably compare sports and traditional board games to Everquest. No one plays little league Everquest, no one watches Everquest on T.V., and I'm pretty sure the number of chess clubs far outnumber the number of EQ clubs. Those things are built into our culture, that is why they stay around. Look at Mario, Pac-Man, Tetris, Frogger, and loads of other classics. They got old, newer and better things came out, and they eventually faded out. Video games, music, fashion, all of these things are ephemeral, they don't last, and they are not meant to. You are right, MMORPGs should evolve, but not a single game, but MMORPGs as an entire genre. Everquest is like the Mickey Mantle of Baseball. He was great, but he got old, and couldn't keep up. Baseball is still alive, but the players will come and go.
At age 46 I can say I have seen two golden ages of gaming 1) Arcade 80s 2) MMORG of late 1990s. Both have gone over thier peak of shock and awe.
Actually the arcade games of old were not replaced by "better games", just different ones. The old arcade games could be much harder, and require amazing reaction times and coordination. Much more than button punching, or twitch FPS in many cases. Mastering Williams Defender was tough for example. I could turn it over but it took me a long time. It was made to take your quarter and spit you out just like that.
I love to put kids on it with lots of gaming experience and fry them. So have some respect for what came before please .
Its not really only about technology only EQ was built on a Dungeons and Dragons format. Which goes back to the 60s. Its really not about the best graphics, its about the community that does it (and what motivates them), and the basic design of the game.
SOE seemed to have gone out of there way to move EQ away from the so many things that made EQ cool and hard. Punishing, frustrating but rewarding in the end. And what a journey it was.
Nothing has surpased the original EQ1 experience to date. Everything is watered down, prettier clone.
A whole new construct needs be made. Completely new paradym. That does not exist yet. Time will tell it could be another 20 years. Immersive 3d googles and an advanced Wii style interface.
But with a fusion of new ideas and possibilities EQ could still keep people from leaving, and bring back the joy of exploration and awe. Personally, I have thought about it but I don't know what the game would be like, or if it could be coded at this time.
It would take allot of AI work, and making the worlds more interactive, realistic. (Example you could really did a hole in the ground when mining), Floods, changing towns that expand or contract based on situations, more realsistic combat tactics (flanking whatever). Of course all that is requires big bandwidth. /shrug
How about this, mobs have AI and evolve, they learn your tactics and respond. Next time you raid they kill the healers first. Or they group up and attack in mass anyone that comes in the dungeon instead of just standing there. Or they send out little armies after your guild in revenge,or Pets can be trained and bred like Spore.
I would take a huge effort on SOLs part and might not even pay off as well, but making a truely great product is allways better in the long term. I think it would be worth the risk for these play it safe gaming companies to go for it. SWG was a bold effort I applaud that. More resources probably should have been put into it.
I play WWII online now because I can just get in and out as I please. No more grinding. But nothing compared to EQ during what was the second golden age of gaming.
Comments
I played EQ from the beginning, and I NEVER found any of those to be "immersive". But Brad and company listened to that kind of "I want my glory days of classic EQ back" crap far too much, resulting in an almost total disaster on release before SOE finally took it over (out of pity?).
What makes a game immersive is a good and consistant story line, interesting quests (not kill xx mobs times), and similar factors.
Sorry but your longing for crappy corpse retrievel mode is not part of that equation.
Bingo.
People want to solo and be self-sufficient. WoW was the first MMO to let you do that while in EQ only a few select classes could solo. That really limited the game's appeal and I don't think that ever occurred to Brad McQuack.
No - SOME people want to solo their life through an MMO, not all. The fact that WOW is 99% solo based until you hit max level (and the same could be said about the new ROK EQ2 expansion) appeals to SOME people. But some of us really do prefer to group.It is the forced grouping with few if any solo options that keep the EQ1player base low.
Bingo.
People want to solo and be self-sufficient. WoW was the first MMO to let you do that while in EQ only a few select classes could solo. That really limited the game's appeal and I don't think that ever occurred to Brad McQuack.
No - SOME people want to solo their life through an MMO, not all. The fact that WOW is 99% solo based until you hit max level (and the same could be said about the new ROK EQ2 expansion) appeals to SOME people. But some of us really do prefer to group.It is the forced grouping with few if any solo options that keep the EQ1player base low.
If by SOME you mean around 9 million people...
My youtube MMO gaming channel
Everquest is 1) A bit old, and 2) just too darned big. Anytime a game has almost as many zones as active players on a server, it's definitely not a good idea to revamp zones into bigger areas.
Heck, they took the empty Freeport and made it into a giant empty Freeport. What was the point?
It might be time for a rethink on how to do expansions, and not just for EQ. Even if the player base was4x what it was on release, there is 10x as much territory so people are still more spread out, giving the tame an overall sense of being empty.
Raid gear. Its simple. Raid gear has trivialized the game to a point that those who don't have it can't play in the upper levels of the game today, and those that do have it don't need much help for group content.
I don't think WoW does anything better than EQ, except it lets people solo. I wouldn't say that is better, but obviously millions disagree. Its too bad EQ did a total 180 in gameplay, because I just don't like the changes that have occured since Luclin.
At age 46 I can say I have seen two golden ages of gaming 1) Arcade 80s 2) MMORG of late 1990s. Both have gone over thier peak of shock and awe.
Actually the arcade games of old were not replaced by "better games", just different ones. The old arcade games could be much harder, and require amazing reaction times and coordination. Much more than button punching, or twitch FPS in many cases. Mastering Williams Defender was tough for example. I could turn it over but it took me a long time. It was made to take your quarter and spit you out just like that.
I love to put kids on it with lots of gaming experience and fry them. So have some respect for what came before please
.
Its not really only about technology only EQ was built on a Dungeons and Dragons format. Which goes back to the 60s. Its really not about the best graphics, its about the community that does it (and what motivates them), and the basic design of the game.
SOE seemed to have gone out of there way to move EQ away from the so many things that made EQ cool and hard. Punishing, frustrating but rewarding in the end. And what a journey it was.
Nothing has surpased the original EQ1 experience to date. Everything is watered down, prettier clone.
A whole new construct needs be made. Completely new paradym. That does not exist yet. Time will tell it could be another 20 years. Immersive 3d googles and an advanced Wii style interface.
But with a fusion of new ideas and possibilities EQ could still keep people from leaving, and bring back the joy of exploration and awe. Personally, I have thought about it but I don't know what the game would be like, or if it could be coded at this time.
It would take allot of AI work, and making the worlds more interactive, realistic. (Example you could really did a hole in the ground when mining), Floods, changing towns that expand or contract based on situations, more realsistic combat tactics (flanking whatever). Of course all that is requires big bandwidth. /shrug
How about this, mobs have AI and evolve, they learn your tactics and respond. Next time you raid they kill the healers first. Or they group up and attack in mass anyone that comes in the dungeon instead of just standing there. Or they send out little armies after your guild in revenge, or Pets can be trained and bred like Spore.
I would take a huge effort on SOLs part and might not even pay off as well, but making a truely great product is allways better in the long term. I think it would be worth the risk for these play it safe gaming companies to go for it. SWG was a bold effort I applaud that. More resources probably should have been put into it.
I play WWII online now because I can just get in and out as I please. No more grinding. But nothing compared to EQ during what was the second golden age of gaming.
.