Originally posted by Ramonski7 The first big 3 sandbox mmorps were AC/UO/SWG not EQ. Everquest was the unrefined catalyst that started the themepark movement in the first place. So since SoE started this madness with a themepark mmorpg it's only fitting that they attempt to make it right by offering the genre a classic sandbox endeavor.
EQ was not a themepark. Not even close really.
Of course it wasn't a sandbox either, but people seem to struggle with the concept that those subgenres dont encompass all MMORPGs
EQ2 was the first themepark, but of course the one released 2 weeks later is what changed the genre.
Ironically, the origin of the word themepark (at least first time I ever heard it) was from the quest hubs in SWG
UO was sandbox fluff themepark.
Asheron's call was true hardcore sandbox in 90"s
EQ was a start of themepark dumb down road.
These are 1990's mmo's
SWG was few years later with hubs, which AC did not have back then im not familiar these days with AC prolly also dumbdown after 14years
Originally posted by Ramonski7 The first big 3 sandbox mmorps were AC/UO/SWG not EQ. Everquest was the unrefined catalyst that started the themepark movement in the first place. So since SoE started this madness with a themepark mmorpg it's only fitting that they attempt to make it right by offering the genre a classic sandbox endeavor.
EQ was not a themepark. Not even close really.
Of course it wasn't a sandbox either, but people seem to struggle with the concept that those subgenres dont encompass all MMORPGs
EQ2 was the first themepark, but of course the one released 2 weeks later is what changed the genre.
Ironically, the origin of the word themepark (at least first time I ever heard it) was from the quest hubs in SWG
UO was sandbox fluff themepark.
Asheron's call was true hardcore sandbox in 90"s
EQ was a start of themepark dumb down road.
These are 1990's mmo's
SWG was few years later with hubs, which AC did not have back then im not familiar these days with AC prolly also dumbdown after 14years
AC wasn't really a sandbox. It was open world level grinder. At least when I played it. Same with EQ. UO was sandbox.
Really I dont think they will pull it off.....EQ was a one time golden opportunity....There were hardly any otehr MMOs around and the main one (UO) was a hardcore PVP game with inferior graphics......If EQ had released today it would have been lost in this current sea of MMOs like msot other ones are today.......I dont trust Smed and think he will just say whatever it takes to please the public....Also this decision to bring EQN to PS4 cant bode well for the purists who like their MMOs on the PC....It will be dumbed down to work on the console lets face it.
I really truly hope EQN is the biggest sandbox ever and it's done right and isn't released way to early. But I also have a deep seeded fear that the WoW generation will cry and cry until the game we want gets reverted back to WoW.
The minute somebody dies and has to do a corpse run the forums will explode with tears. Or when somebody realizes they might actually have to group with another player to level up the forums with explode with tears.
It will be interesting to see if SOE has the balls to tell these people to shape up or ship out.
"You’re in our world now!" has been the slogan for EverQuest since 2000.
I hope SoE goes back to there original Slogan and not give in to the WoW player who want this or that, if your dont like what SoE has to offer simply go back to WoW if you dont wanna go back there either adapt to what SoE offering or go else where.
Originally posted by Ramonski7 The first big 3 sandbox mmorps were AC/UO/SWG not EQ. Everquest was the unrefined catalyst that started the themepark movement in the first place. So since SoE started this madness with a themepark mmorpg it's only fitting that they attempt to make it right by offering the genre a classic sandbox endeavor.
EQ was not a themepark. Not even close really.
Of course it wasn't a sandbox either, but people seem to struggle with the concept that those subgenres dont encompass all MMORPGs
EQ2 was the first themepark, but of course the one released 2 weeks later is what changed the genre.
Ironically, the origin of the word themepark (at least first time I ever heard it) was from the quest hubs in SWG
UO was sandbox fluff themepark.
Asheron's call was true hardcore sandbox in 90"s
EQ was a start of themepark dumb down road.
These are 1990's mmo's
SWG was few years later with hubs, which AC did not have back then im not familiar these days with AC prolly also dumbdown after 14years
Obviously you never played EQ in its heyday....There were very few quests and the only thing that was theme park about it was it had classes....You could go wherever you want and do whatever you wanted for the most part in EQ.
“Everybody has been making the same game since Everquest, really,” says Smedley. “If you look back, Ultima Online was out before us and really, all the current crop of MMOs are a lot like Everquest – they’re in that style. They’re great because the quality level has really improved, but nobody has really changed the game. the previous designs we had for the next Everquest were cookie-cutter, they were ‘me too’. We had some great, innovative things in there and they’d have been great games in themselves, but they wouldn’t have been enough to keep an audience. We’ve had people playing Everquest for 13 years and we kept that in our mind as the main goal when making Everquest Next."
"I also said in there that it will still be very familiar to you, but what I meant by that statement is that we're changing what an MMO is. MMO means something now, and it means the same thing to everybody because it's the same game. EverQuest, WoW, SWTOR all use the same core loot gameplay, which is kill stuff, get reward, get loot, level up. Very few games have broken out of that mold. One or two have. EVE Online is a great example; it's not standard level-based gameplay, although I'm not saying we're going to a big skill-based system. You're still going to recognize the roleplaying game heritage in it. In EverQuest Next, the world itself is a part of the game. What is the world in these other games? It's a simple backdrop. It's nothing. We are changing that greatly. We're changing what AI is in these games to a degree that we're going to bring life to the world. That to us is the essence of the change that we're making."
Originally posted by Ramonski7 The first big 3 sandbox mmorps were AC/UO/SWG not EQ. Everquest was the unrefined catalyst that started the themepark movement in the first place. So since SoE started this madness with a themepark mmorpg it's only fitting that they attempt to make it right by offering the genre a classic sandbox endeavor.
EQ was not a themepark. Not even close really.
Of course it wasn't a sandbox either, but people seem to struggle with the concept that those subgenres dont encompass all MMORPGs
EQ2 was the first themepark, but of course the one released 2 weeks later is what changed the genre.
Ironically, the origin of the word themepark (at least first time I ever heard it) was from the quest hubs in SWG
UO was sandbox fluff themepark.
Asheron's call was true hardcore sandbox in 90"s
EQ was a start of themepark dumb down road.
These are 1990's mmo's
SWG was few years later with hubs, which AC did not have back then im not familiar these days with AC prolly also dumbdown after 14years
Obviously you never played EQ in its heyday....There were very few quests and the only thing that was theme park about it was it had classes....You could go wherever you want and do whatever you wanted for the most part in EQ.
Classes only didn't make EQ a unrefined themepark. Although the rigid class system did add to the list. Also quest hubs in itself did not make it themepark as SWG had them as well. One of the main reason why I personally define EQ as a unrefined thempark was that the focus of the game was predetermined by the developers. AC, UO and SWG were openended mmorpgs where being at the pinnacle of power only meant that your survival in the world was a little easier. Sandbox games like the big three promoted self sufficiency while suggesting safety in numbers. While themepark games promote group dependency while hindering self reliance.
When EQ surfaced it was no longer about exploration, survival and commerce. I mean it did have those things, as most themparks do, but it was now about stats, gear checks and raids. Party dynamics took center stage while community dynamics took a huge hit.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
If its a solid mix of the best sandpark elements and themepark I think it has a real chance. IMO a pure sandbox MMO would be a mistake and one I dont think SoE will make. I really hope its as unique as they are hinting but still have some of the classics we have come to love. Yes I want my cake and eat it to. EQ1 was my first love... I have high hopes.
The games launched will be plagued by performance issues that their in house game engine is known for. This will stop the avalance of overhyped mouthbreathers from continuing to overhype the game, cracks will form based on the mouthbreathers being mad they are not getting 120 FPS with their i7 CPU and gtx 650 non gaming card (love those people btw)
Sandbox will be a relative term and be use more as a model perhaps for some themepark rides.
The game is going to garner a LOT of hate attention from resident trolls who hate all games, along with the usual army of paid haters on this site and others. They will be joined in battle by the overhypers pissed at launch performance.
It wont be difficult, packed with progression, include any amount of risk for actions..an easy ride to endgame basically, anything else would be taboo and the suits at SOE wont allow for it.
Killing blow will come from the cash shop when the realize that people wont pay if they don't have to, and then leave when items are introduced to the cash shop that you might actually need, either for progression, access to game content, or to be competitive (I guarantee they wont do pay to win though they are not that stupid)
I feel the same way for titan, however I think blizzard makes high quality games despite I dislike most for being aimed directly at the lowest common denominator gamers...which is what I think this game will be aimed at.
My honest opinion is that this game is going to be a quest hub raid based game with a twist, perhaps some light sandboxing attempts at the quest part of the game, and yeah hopefully a newish twist on some of the stale endgame mechanics. Oh they can just add player housing and a craft based Farmville instance and call it a sandbox and most will believe it...that's probably what will happen.
First hoop to jump through will be their forgelight game engine causing most games to get unsatisfactory performance as was the case in EQ2 and PS2 and really any other game that uses their shit game engine.
My hope is that this game doesn't launch early enough from Titan to scare blizzard away from making a big budget mmorpg, I think our days of seeing blockbuster mmorpgs are numbered unless someone makes something unique...which is what I hope blizzard does...though they are not known for unique just flawless rehashing.
The games launched will be plagued by performance issues that their in house game engine is known for. This will stop the avalance of overhyped mouthbreathers from continuing to overhype the game, cracks will form based on the mouthbreathers being mad they are not getting 120 FPS with their i7 CPU and gtx 650 non gaming card (love those people btw)
The only reason Planetside 2 has performance issues is that it is a MMOFPS. Things like physics and hundreds of players in a small area have to be kept track of and sent to every client in a nearby radius. It is a limitation on the current hardware. What the Forgelight engine is doing with Planetside 2 is damn impressive and no engine could do it any better and would likely be far worse.
I don't think they can, the audience has changed too much.
I don't think if EQN is the game I want that it will be successful. I want a death penalty so death is real, I want challenge from level 1 with unforgivable dungeons that aren't designed to give everyone a chance. I want factions that are real with racial faction and NPC factions. I want it to be designed for group play, I think that makes a better solo game anyway.
Sandbox is a key word now, I don't want a pure sandbox, but more than that I don't want a theme park game. I think the more sandbox the game is the less successful the game will be. EQ1 was more sand than most games now because you didn't get any guidance, just a letter to give to your trainer. Then if you never did a quest again you'd still be ok. Nobody told you to look in that hole in the tree or go through the door that closed behind you, or drop off that ledge that didn't have a way back up.
The thing with sand is that it is boring at times, you just don't know what to do, or want to do the thing that it seems like you have to do to advance. I don't particularly care for crafting, if I have to make food, drink every 5 minutes or constantly be poor because I can't get a decent weapon I'm not going to be enjoying myself. I don't think even some of the strong supporters of Sandbox would be happy. Oh, they'll still say they support sand, that the fault lies with SOE who screwed it up again, but sometimes sand is just boring.
I don't want sand, I want closer to sand than any current game is. What I'd really like is EQ 1 updated. I'd even take the complete heal again, though I agree that kind of boxed in the game.
It will be another hype train wreck flooded with lies and PR speak from Smedley. It will perform like shit, be littered with bugs, and fall by the wayside with a small loyal following like EQ2. People hoping for a SWG with a EQ skin are living a pipe dream.
It will be another hype train wreck flooded with lies and PR speak from Smedley. It will perform like shit, be littered with bugs, and fall by the wayside with a small loyal following like EQ2. People hoping for a SWG with a EQ skin are living a pipe dream.
See, i think Smed genuinely has more of an interest in sadnbox style gameplay these days. That, combined with a decade or two of experience making these things, and I have a feeling we're going to get something off the beaten path from EQN.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
The games launched will be plagued by performance issues that their in house game engine is known for. This will stop the avalance of overhyped mouthbreathers from continuing to overhype the game, cracks will form based on the mouthbreathers being mad they are not getting 120 FPS with their i7 CPU and gtx 650 non gaming card (love those people btw)
Sandbox will be a relative term and be use more as a model perhaps for some themepark rides.
The game is going to garner a LOT of hate attention from resident trolls who hate all games, along with the usual army of paid haters on this site and others. They will be joined in battle by the overhypers pissed at launch performance.
It wont be difficult, packed with progression, include any amount of risk for actions..an easy ride to endgame basically, anything else would be taboo and the suits at SOE wont allow for it.
Killing blow will come from the cash shop when the realize that people wont pay if they don't have to, and then leave when items are introduced to the cash shop that you might actually need, either for progression, access to game content, or to be competitive (I guarantee they wont do pay to win though they are not that stupid)
I feel the same way for titan, however I think blizzard makes high quality games despite I dislike most for being aimed directly at the lowest common denominator gamers...which is what I think this game will be aimed at.
My honest opinion is that this game is going to be a quest hub raid based game with a twist, perhaps some light sandboxing attempts at the quest part of the game, and yeah hopefully a newish twist on some of the stale endgame mechanics. Oh they can just add player housing and a craft based Farmville instance and call it a sandbox and most will believe it...that's probably what will happen.
First hoop to jump through will be their forgelight game engine causing most games to get unsatisfactory performance as was the case in EQ2 and PS2 and really any other game that uses their shit game engine.
My hope is that this game doesn't launch early enough from Titan to scare blizzard away from making a big budget mmorpg, I think our days of seeing blockbuster mmorpgs are numbered unless someone makes something unique...which is what I hope blizzard does...though they are not known for unique just flawless rehashing.
I find it funny. So many people are claiming what the game will be and will not be. Yet, NONE of us know what the hell the game will be. We only have tweets and a screenshot. That's it.
The best part of all of this hype, is sitting back and watching people make asses of themselves, on both side of the argument, mind you.
And who ever claimed it would be a 'Hard Core Sandbox" in the same vein as Darkfall? Seriously? No, just no. Smedley said it would have more sand than themepark, that's it. Where are people getting hardcore out of this?
What is a hardcore sandbox? All I know is that I want this to be easily able to play for casual players. I love sand box aspects but if open world PVP is a thing will full loot and stat loss I imagine things could go down hill fast.
Hmm, after some consideration I have to add a "me too" post here:
What I really want is EQ back done with todays technology and graphics with all its depth minus the forced 24 hour camping.
This thread shows that defining what a "sandbox game" is supposed to be is near impossible.
For me this is all moot, I just think that EQ, developped from 1995 to 1999, had complex mulitlayered game mechanics starting from micromanaging your bags and your weight (what game has taken weight into consideration after that? AO tried to implement it and failed), to factions and all that entailed that are unrivaled even today.
And with that a huge game world made so big by the fact that travelling takes time and is dangerous, no GPS map system, high level mobs roaming some landscapes, weather reducing your viewing distance (Oooh, hill giant! Arghh!), every zone being different and containing new wonders, same style NPC stores containing items you can only find there, factions forcing you to make detours or sneak thru places etc.
You had dungeons, quests, classes, levels, but no hand holding. You had to look for the few quests and find a way to finish them (with help from other players). The complexity of the game world made sure you never ran out of things to do, and that from lvl 1 to end game!
Even getting alcohol tolerance up or fishing while waiting for the boat was more fun in EQ than getting from lvl 1 to 20 in the first hour in todays streamlined and simplified games ('themepark' or not).
In short, I want adventure, danger and exploring in a large and interesting world (not the huge empty world of SWG with 'dynamic content' popping up) and I want to micromanage my character.
I guess that's a special mix of theme park and sandbox with a healthy dose of player interaction thrown in.
I start to doubt that SOE or Smed can or want to do something like that, especially looking at the highly instanced content delivery system that was/is EQII. Adding that it's gonna be console (so its gonna be dumped down game play with flashy graphics) also doesn't get my hopes up to much.
Pardon me, while I go back to my new toon on project1999 now ...
Hmm, after some consideration I have to add a "me too" post here:
What I really want is EQ back done with todays technology and graphics with all its depth minus the forced 24 hour camping.
This isn't going to happen. Smedley has already said that EQNext is going in a completely different direction than themeparks of which he specifically named Everquest 1 as part of.
Comments
UO was sandbox fluff themepark.
Asheron's call was true hardcore sandbox in 90"s
EQ was a start of themepark dumb down road.
These are 1990's mmo's
SWG was few years later with hubs, which AC did not have back then im not familiar these days with AC prolly also dumbdown after 14years
AC wasn't really a sandbox. It was open world level grinder. At least when I played it. Same with EQ. UO was sandbox.
Second Life is a sandbox because you can create and upload your own 3D models and textures so that all players can see and use them.
Minecraft is a sandbox because it has something like sand.
But I don't see how UO, EQ, Eve or any of the other games were all the content is created by devs can be called a sandbox. They have no sand.
"You’re in our world now!" has been the slogan for EverQuest since 2000.
I hope SoE goes back to there original Slogan and not give in to the WoW player who want this or that, if your dont like what SoE has to offer simply go back to WoW if you dont wanna go back there either adapt to what SoE offering or go else where.
Obviously you never played EQ in its heyday....There were very few quests and the only thing that was theme park about it was it had classes....You could go wherever you want and do whatever you wanted for the most part in EQ.
Smedley quotes on Everquest Next:
“Everybody has been making the same game since Everquest, really,” says Smedley. “If you look back, Ultima Online was out before us and really, all the current crop of MMOs are a lot like Everquest – they’re in that style. They’re great because the quality level has really improved, but nobody has really changed the game. the previous designs we had for the next Everquest were cookie-cutter, they were ‘me too’. We had some great, innovative things in there and they’d have been great games in themselves, but they wouldn’t have been enough to keep an audience. We’ve had people playing Everquest for 13 years and we kept that in our mind as the main goal when making Everquest Next."
http://www.pcgamer.com/2012/12/14/everquest-next-is-pretty-crazy-says-soe-president-were-not-trying-to-make-wow2/
"I also said in there that it will still be very familiar to you, but what I meant by that statement is that we're changing what an MMO is. MMO means something now, and it means the same thing to everybody because it's the same game. EverQuest, WoW, SWTOR all use the same core loot gameplay, which is kill stuff, get reward, get loot, level up. Very few games have broken out of that mold. One or two have. EVE Online is a great example; it's not standard level-based gameplay, although I'm not saying we're going to a big skill-based system. You're still going to recognize the roleplaying game heritage in it. In EverQuest Next, the world itself is a part of the game. What is the world in these other games? It's a simple backdrop. It's nothing. We are changing that greatly. We're changing what AI is in these games to a degree that we're going to bring life to the world. That to us is the essence of the change that we're making."
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/20/soe-live-2012-john-smedley-on-eq-next-and-soes-future/
Classes only didn't make EQ a unrefined themepark. Although the rigid class system did add to the list. Also quest hubs in itself did not make it themepark as SWG had them as well. One of the main reason why I personally define EQ as a unrefined thempark was that the focus of the game was predetermined by the developers. AC, UO and SWG were openended mmorpgs where being at the pinnacle of power only meant that your survival in the world was a little easier. Sandbox games like the big three promoted self sufficiency while suggesting safety in numbers. While themepark games promote group dependency while hindering self reliance.
When EQ surfaced it was no longer about exploration, survival and commerce. I mean it did have those things, as most themparks do, but it was now about stats, gear checks and raids. Party dynamics took center stage while community dynamics took a huge hit.
"Small minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas."
No bitchers.
No. I don't think they will pull it off.
The games launched will be plagued by performance issues that their in house game engine is known for. This will stop the avalance of overhyped mouthbreathers from continuing to overhype the game, cracks will form based on the mouthbreathers being mad they are not getting 120 FPS with their i7 CPU and gtx 650 non gaming card (love those people btw)
Sandbox will be a relative term and be use more as a model perhaps for some themepark rides.
The game is going to garner a LOT of hate attention from resident trolls who hate all games, along with the usual army of paid haters on this site and others. They will be joined in battle by the overhypers pissed at launch performance.
It wont be difficult, packed with progression, include any amount of risk for actions..an easy ride to endgame basically, anything else would be taboo and the suits at SOE wont allow for it.
Killing blow will come from the cash shop when the realize that people wont pay if they don't have to, and then leave when items are introduced to the cash shop that you might actually need, either for progression, access to game content, or to be competitive (I guarantee they wont do pay to win though they are not that stupid)
I feel the same way for titan, however I think blizzard makes high quality games despite I dislike most for being aimed directly at the lowest common denominator gamers...which is what I think this game will be aimed at.
My honest opinion is that this game is going to be a quest hub raid based game with a twist, perhaps some light sandboxing attempts at the quest part of the game, and yeah hopefully a newish twist on some of the stale endgame mechanics. Oh they can just add player housing and a craft based Farmville instance and call it a sandbox and most will believe it...that's probably what will happen.
First hoop to jump through will be their forgelight game engine causing most games to get unsatisfactory performance as was the case in EQ2 and PS2 and really any other game that uses their shit game engine.
My hope is that this game doesn't launch early enough from Titan to scare blizzard away from making a big budget mmorpg, I think our days of seeing blockbuster mmorpgs are numbered unless someone makes something unique...which is what I hope blizzard does...though they are not known for unique just flawless rehashing.
The only reason Planetside 2 has performance issues is that it is a MMOFPS. Things like physics and hundreds of players in a small area have to be kept track of and sent to every client in a nearby radius. It is a limitation on the current hardware. What the Forgelight engine is doing with Planetside 2 is damn impressive and no engine could do it any better and would likely be far worse.
No, I think you are a hype-bot and your posts are ridiculous.
I don't think they can, the audience has changed too much.
I don't think if EQN is the game I want that it will be successful. I want a death penalty so death is real, I want challenge from level 1 with unforgivable dungeons that aren't designed to give everyone a chance. I want factions that are real with racial faction and NPC factions. I want it to be designed for group play, I think that makes a better solo game anyway.
Sandbox is a key word now, I don't want a pure sandbox, but more than that I don't want a theme park game. I think the more sandbox the game is the less successful the game will be. EQ1 was more sand than most games now because you didn't get any guidance, just a letter to give to your trainer. Then if you never did a quest again you'd still be ok. Nobody told you to look in that hole in the tree or go through the door that closed behind you, or drop off that ledge that didn't have a way back up.
The thing with sand is that it is boring at times, you just don't know what to do, or want to do the thing that it seems like you have to do to advance. I don't particularly care for crafting, if I have to make food, drink every 5 minutes or constantly be poor because I can't get a decent weapon I'm not going to be enjoying myself. I don't think even some of the strong supporters of Sandbox would be happy. Oh, they'll still say they support sand, that the fault lies with SOE who screwed it up again, but sometimes sand is just boring.
I don't want sand, I want closer to sand than any current game is. What I'd really like is EQ 1 updated. I'd even take the complete heal again, though I agree that kind of boxed in the game.
Asdar
Short answer: No.
It will be another hype train wreck flooded with lies and PR speak from Smedley. It will perform like shit, be littered with bugs, and fall by the wayside with a small loyal following like EQ2. People hoping for a SWG with a EQ skin are living a pipe dream.
See, i think Smed genuinely has more of an interest in sadnbox style gameplay these days. That, combined with a decade or two of experience making these things, and I have a feeling we're going to get something off the beaten path from EQN.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
No fate but what we make, so make me a ham sandwich please.
Nope.
No matter what happens, most of you will be dissapointed.
No matter how sandbox EQNext is, it will not be "hardcore" enough for you people.
It will be casual friendly.
Why?
SOE is not retarded. They probably don't enjoy burning money for fun.
I find it funny. So many people are claiming what the game will be and will not be. Yet, NONE of us know what the hell the game will be. We only have tweets and a screenshot. That's it.
The best part of all of this hype, is sitting back and watching people make asses of themselves, on both side of the argument, mind you.
And who ever claimed it would be a 'Hard Core Sandbox" in the same vein as Darkfall? Seriously? No, just no. Smedley said it would have more sand than themepark, that's it. Where are people getting hardcore out of this?
Hmm, after some consideration I have to add a "me too" post here:
What I really want is EQ back done with todays technology and graphics with all its depth minus the forced 24 hour camping.
This thread shows that defining what a "sandbox game" is supposed to be is near impossible.
For me this is all moot, I just think that EQ, developped from 1995 to 1999, had complex mulitlayered game mechanics starting from micromanaging your bags and your weight (what game has taken weight into consideration after that? AO tried to implement it and failed), to factions and all that entailed that are unrivaled even today.
And with that a huge game world made so big by the fact that travelling takes time and is dangerous, no GPS map system, high level mobs roaming some landscapes, weather reducing your viewing distance (Oooh, hill giant! Arghh!), every zone being different and containing new wonders, same style NPC stores containing items you can only find there, factions forcing you to make detours or sneak thru places etc.
You had dungeons, quests, classes, levels, but no hand holding. You had to look for the few quests and find a way to finish them (with help from other players). The complexity of the game world made sure you never ran out of things to do, and that from lvl 1 to end game!
Even getting alcohol tolerance up or fishing while waiting for the boat was more fun in EQ than getting from lvl 1 to 20 in the first hour in todays streamlined and simplified games ('themepark' or not).
In short, I want adventure, danger and exploring in a large and interesting world (not the huge empty world of SWG with 'dynamic content' popping up) and I want to micromanage my character.
I guess that's a special mix of theme park and sandbox with a healthy dose of player interaction thrown in.
I start to doubt that SOE or Smed can or want to do something like that, especially looking at the highly instanced content delivery system that was/is EQII. Adding that it's gonna be console (so its gonna be dumped down game play with flashy graphics) also doesn't get my hopes up to much.
Pardon me, while I go back to my new toon on project1999 now ...
Brumazk
This isn't going to happen. Smedley has already said that EQNext is going in a completely different direction than themeparks of which he specifically named Everquest 1 as part of.