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Everquest: 20 expansions deep and still kicking.
- Thread starter Kimawolf
- Start date
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Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Holy shit... didn't expect to see an old name like Chiro here on NeoGAF! Don't recognize the guy in the Magelo. Were you the original owner of Chiro?
My next door neighbor showed me the game way back when it first launched and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I ended up getting all of my friends massively addicted and damn did we have the best time playing early on. Being a noob in that game was a confusing, frustrating, but wondrous experience. But then again, everyone was a noob in a sense LOL.
No MMO ever gave me the joy that EQ did and I played them all from Meridian 59 through FFXIV: ARR. Probably just a magic combination of it being this amazing 3D graphics world with incredible scale and me having a ton of spare time to play around in it. I could see how WoW might me that same thing for those who are younger than me. This was a game where you could actual delevel...and I still loved it. A game where I camped the entrance to a zone waiting for some dumb mummy to spawn for hours...and still loved it. Nothing will compare and I've pretty much given up on MMOs.
Banjo Tango
Member
Fucking Boots of Zorash, why won't you drop?!!?!
Sseklebeast
Member
Original character models were so fluid even though they looked very basic. I love the Iksar's swimming animation so much! Luclin models are just bulky and pretty damn ugly, no soul in them.
The stories I heard about this game from people who played it way back when are amazing. My uncle is a prime example as he was an avid player of the game during it's peak. He has tried WoW, SWTOR and other games and while he likes them, they never really capture the magic that EQ brought for him.
For me this is vanilla WoW. I was too young to really play EQ and after dabbling in FFXI on the PS2 I jumped into WoW after a stint in GW(Warrior/Monk to level 20) and had the time of my life. I was addicted, badly at times, but it was a blast. I stand by vanilla WoW to this day as one of the best online games to have played and while I want to try new MMOs I know that none of them will really ever have that *spark* WoW had in the beginning.
I jumped into DAOC later on and it was a blast(still the best PvP game by far), that is another game I wished I could have experienced in its' prime
For me this is vanilla WoW. I was too young to really play EQ and after dabbling in FFXI on the PS2 I jumped into WoW after a stint in GW(Warrior/Monk to level 20) and had the time of my life. I was addicted, badly at times, but it was a blast. I stand by vanilla WoW to this day as one of the best online games to have played and while I want to try new MMOs I know that none of them will really ever have that *spark* WoW had in the beginning.
I jumped into DAOC later on and it was a blast(still the best PvP game by far), that is another game I wished I could have experienced in its' prime
...what?
Basically the norm in the MMO world.
Male makes female character. Everyone assumes female character has female human controlling her(because no one plays the opposite sex right!?). Man character hits on female character, female character plays coy and gets free stuff.
Secretly every MMO player is gay apparently(girls don't play MMOs, that's silly)
Lol back in the day half the female toons were males who played females for the loot.
Terms like G.U.R.L.(guy in real life) became a thing. Protip if you see a naked female toon in town asking for gold and gear, its a dude on a mule toon lol.
I loved the world was not instanced! I remember waiting for a champion gnoll to spawn for 2 hours, and met a real good friend during that time. During those days MMOs were super social and that made it so much fun.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
To me at least, EQ felt much more like a virtual world than just a game. WoW came along and I'd say it was definitely a better game mechanically and from a systems perspective, but it lacked that feeling of being a world populated by other people. At least for me it did, especially in comparison to EQ.
I think it was due in part to the lack of instancing, the forced competition with and reliance on other players, the danger and inconveniences that allowed for some really high peaks of enjoyment, all of the various skills and spells that ended up being used in, what were most likely unintended ways, to create all kinds of gameplay, etc.
MMO UIs make me nauseous. Sensory overload.
yo_soy_el_topo
Member
Wish I knew more people playing on P1999. I've got a shaman up to 53 but just can't find the urge to log in. Anyone around playing on P1999?
I remember being convinced to play by some friends in high school. Logged into the Fenino Ro server for the first time and was amazed. Well not completely amazed as I had done the tutorial section (when it existed) at least a dozen times before I could the weekend could finally come and I could play properly. I still hate Holly Windstalker.
Everlore.com and CastersRealmbecame my home pages back then.
The chaos that was Blackburrow. Remember my excitement when I finally reached a level to fight in Solusek's Eye (Sol A). Then there is all the time spent in East Commonlands trade tunnel and all the lag it caused. Traveling to Luclin for the first time. Then the Plane of Knowledge. Sadly the only plane I ever accessed in the game due to not having time to spend time in the others. I did travel all over Luclin though.
Everquest was THE game that got me serious about upgrading my PC.
Everlore.com and CastersRealmbecame my home pages back then.
The chaos that was Blackburrow. Remember my excitement when I finally reached a level to fight in Solusek's Eye (Sol A). Then there is all the time spent in East Commonlands trade tunnel and all the lag it caused. Traveling to Luclin for the first time. Then the Plane of Knowledge. Sadly the only plane I ever accessed in the game due to not having time to spend time in the others. I did travel all over Luclin though.
Everquest was THE game that got me serious about upgrading my PC.
When the game came out, it had the worst ui of any mmo ever. Half the screen was blocked with crap but man it made the game feel great for some reason and I actually kinda miss it.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
When the game came out, it had the worst ui of any mmo ever. Half the screen was blocked with crap but man it made the game feel great for some reason and I actually kinda miss it.
When did they introduce the more full screen transparent UI? I think it was before Kunark if not at launch.
That framed UI definitely helped with performance for people without awesome hardware (most people).
I miss the danger that was ever present in EQ. Mobs chased you to zone end. You would help a fellow player out who was in over there head. You had a reason to do so, you might be the next target. Corpse recovery was dangerous and painful. The world was design to kill you.
I miss that in modern MMOs. no sense of danger or fear in the world. just another walk in the park.
I miss that in modern MMOs. no sense of danger or fear in the world. just another walk in the park.
chadderbox77
Member
Played it since the beginning. Still play it. I loved it. So immersive. My roomate had it right since the beginning and i made a character on his account. On my first account, I made a wood elf ranger and was in awe of Kelethin. I remember hunting in Crushbone in that sweet first person perspective. D'vinn would get pulled out of his tower. Mass panic would ensue.
I used to call off of work some days to stay home and level. Grinding on wooley mammoths in Permafrost. Eq was my first gaming addiction.
I used to call off of work some days to stay home and level. Grinding on wooley mammoths in Permafrost. Eq was my first gaming addiction.
Kilau
Member
EQ literally became my life for over 4 years. It led me to make a lot of bad life choices and overall I wish I had never started playing. It was an amazing experience though, I met so many people and had a great time.
In the end it was like a second job with all the raiding and intensity. Some of the best memories are from the early game or waiting for boats/rafts, epic corpse runs, parking an alt to check for the statue of zek. The best of all was being a warrior and in the tanking rotation, that was a rush. Everyone counting on me to not screw up the transition.
Great game, so glad I stopped playing.
In the end it was like a second job with all the raiding and intensity. Some of the best memories are from the early game or waiting for boats/rafts, epic corpse runs, parking an alt to check for the statue of zek. The best of all was being a warrior and in the tanking rotation, that was a rush. Everyone counting on me to not screw up the transition.
Great game, so glad I stopped playing.
We kind of had an EQ memory thread from when the EQN conference was happening.
I've got a dozen EQ memories. Nothing high level though. My brother got the game on launch, and I played it while he was at school, and I was home sick. It was the first 3d mmo I had ever played( I played The Realm Online, but it was 2d, and I hadn't played UO until after EQ), and it was really enthralling. As a kid, I just loved exploring the cities, finding NPCs. Remember those two dudes in the pub by the docks in Qeynos? You could fight them. There was also the love letter quest in Qeynos.. and the UFO.
I remember watching my brother do Plane of Fear. I remember making an Iksar Monk when the fist expansion came out. I remember the bridge that was invisible, and you could fall off it. I REMEMBER THE MISTMOORE SCREAMS. I could talk all day about EQ memories.
I've got a dozen EQ memories. Nothing high level though. My brother got the game on launch, and I played it while he was at school, and I was home sick. It was the first 3d mmo I had ever played( I played The Realm Online, but it was 2d, and I hadn't played UO until after EQ), and it was really enthralling. As a kid, I just loved exploring the cities, finding NPCs. Remember those two dudes in the pub by the docks in Qeynos? You could fight them. There was also the love letter quest in Qeynos.. and the UFO.
I remember watching my brother do Plane of Fear. I remember making an Iksar Monk when the fist expansion came out. I remember the bridge that was invisible, and you could fall off it. I REMEMBER THE MISTMOORE SCREAMS. I could talk all day about EQ memories.
shin_velcro
Neo Member
When the game came out, it had the worst ui of any mmo ever. Half the screen was blocked with crap but man it made the game feel great for some reason and I actually kinda miss it.
It also made it scary as hell if you where a caster. I made a wizard on Prexus when it came out in 99 & having to sit there looking at a book in the unrest basement.... just wow. I think MMO's are a one time only deal though, the first one you play is stunning & no other feels as much like a living world again.
chadderbox77
Member
Some of my favorite memories involved the zone HHK(High Hold Keep) and this dude:
Being on my monk, I literally leveled in that zone from around 20- 56-57 ish, and learned that zone inside and out. Ran flamespinner was an NPC in a room there, who you could run- out of control mobs too and he would aggro them all and wipe them all out. Or if someone was being a jerk, and kill stealing mobs, or camps of mobs, you could aggro Ran and run him to the offender, and feign death, and he would kill everyone with AOE spells. Fun times. The last thing you would read would be him saying "That was not a very intelligent thing to do!"
Being on my monk, I literally leveled in that zone from around 20- 56-57 ish, and learned that zone inside and out. Ran flamespinner was an NPC in a room there, who you could run- out of control mobs too and he would aggro them all and wipe them all out. Or if someone was being a jerk, and kill stealing mobs, or camps of mobs, you could aggro Ran and run him to the offender, and feign death, and he would kill everyone with AOE spells. Fun times. The last thing you would read would be him saying "That was not a very intelligent thing to do!"
Man, EQ... Such a hardcore MMO back in the day.
Loss of EXP on death. De-leveling. Needing to find your corpse to get your stuff back. Long ass waiting for the ships to ferry you between continents. And of course no in-game map.
/loc all day, baby.
Edit: Oh, and the game having the true-night feeling, where some races could see in the dark, but races like Humans needed a light source such as a torch to see.
Man, those were the days.
Loss of EXP on death. De-leveling. Needing to find your corpse to get your stuff back. Long ass waiting for the ships to ferry you between continents. And of course no in-game map.
/loc all day, baby.
Edit: Oh, and the game having the true-night feeling, where some races could see in the dark, but races like Humans needed a light source such as a torch to see.
Man, those were the days.
My first though after seeing that thread was how much better MMOs would be today if AC was the game everyone copied instead of EQ.
Cool that EQ kept it going so long. Those boxes on the shelves constantly helped it keep getting new players. The monthly patch model of AC added lots of content but didn't keep the game in EB or other stores beyond a few months after retail and the first expansion (Throne of Destiny was online pre order only i think). Hmm I tried to make this post somewhat about EQ and it got back to AC.
Laieon
Member
The fact that this peaked at 500k players and is still (debatebly) going strong is why I don't think WoW is going anywhere anytime soon. 10 years on and it still has 10x-ish the amount of players EQ had at it's peak.
I was a bit too young to really play EQ, but I definitely appreciate its influence. Was it EQ or EQ2 that added the ability for players to make their own dungeons a couple years ago? That's always seemed like a pretty cool idea.
I was a bit too young to really play EQ, but I definitely appreciate its influence. Was it EQ or EQ2 that added the ability for players to make their own dungeons a couple years ago? That's always seemed like a pretty cool idea.
I started playing about 6 months after it's launch and hung around right up until Luclin was released. I visited a few times off and on over the years, but never for more than a brief period of time and just to look around at how the world had changed. EverQuest was without question the most fun gaming experience of my life. However looking back on it, it was the least productive and least social period of my life as well. Taught me that MMO's really aren't a good thing for me.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
This was also huge at making it feel more like a world. Starting with WoW (actually before WoW in a few games), every game has strict aggro leashes on every mob in the game. Get to the end of that leash and it will turn invulnerable and run to its home point, ignoring everyone else. Not only that, but social aggro isn't a thing anymore. Mobs don't help each other out unless specifically linked. If a mob kills a player before anyone else gets on its aggro list, it will turn invulnerable and run home to its spawn point, ignoring all other players even it would normally be KOS to them. It all adds up to be more friendly to new players, perhaps, but makes it feel much less like a world and more like a game.
I think it's unfortunate. The faction and aggro mechanics in EQ were simple, but they really came together and helped immerse me in the world more than any other MMORPG has.
This post reeks of bullshit, as much as EQ did indeed grow to have pulling, the game was hardly designed around it like that, and you definitely didn't just 'log in' and see people doing this with 50 people in some cave. Unless you 'randomly' wandered into Nag's lair as a newbie somehow (you didn't). Same thing in wow, a game in which pulling of this nature literally has never existed.
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Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Yeah... as someone who has played at least some of all of those games, that whole story sounds like it had a healthy amount of embellishment.
Suzushiiro
Banned
I remember when Blizzard (who hired Furor to work on WoW, among other hardcore EQ players) basically pulled the exact same thing in WoW and Xi from Death and Taxes copied that same rant and made it about C'Thun in AQ40.
terrisus
Member
Played MUDs for years before EQ came out. Played Ultima Online before EQ as well.
(And, I still love MUDs and UO as well).
But, EQ, especially pre-Luclin, absolutely nailed MMORPGs, and, even though I've played a number of others since then, it still hasn't been topped.
I haven't kept up with all the expansions, but fortunately there are still classic servers out there - they're still very playable, and still amazing.
(And, I still love MUDs and UO as well).
But, EQ, especially pre-Luclin, absolutely nailed MMORPGs, and, even though I've played a number of others since then, it still hasn't been topped.
I haven't kept up with all the expansions, but fortunately there are still classic servers out there - they're still very playable, and still amazing.
aliencowz7
Member
I wasn't the original owner, think he quit around Luclin / Planes of Power and gave his account to a paladin named Carien who then later gave it to me. I mostly just dualboxed him to solo on my ranger or dragging around for buffs and rezzes.
I was around back then though, but never joined a big raiding guild until I joined ToF back around late Luclin / early PoP. Knew alot of people from the big endgame guilds like TMO and the original Talons of Fire and would end up messing around doing random crap alot with people like Juke before he transferred servers after Planes of Power.
Sseklebeast
Member
Not sure if everyone is aware but the game is free to play now with the option to pay. Everyone has access to 18 of the 20 expansions free, just need your station account or make a new one.
www.everquest.com
www.everquest.com
This was the first MMO I ever played...first game I ever played that was anything like this at all. I remember begging my old man to give me his credit card info (I was 14 when it released) so I could sign up. Had no idea what it was, I just liked fantasy books and it seemed similar. I honestly have no clue how I even heard about it to begin with.
I played on Mithaniel Marr and there are a few things that happen that I'll always remember, and I've been pretty heavy into WoW, FFXIV:ARR, and SWTOR since. The first was running from Qeynos to Freeport as an Erudite Paladin. I had a guy from my guild (Molten Lava I believe it was called) help me run there. It was probably the most harrowing journey of my life, real or virtual. It was epic.
After making it to Freeport, I went to North Freeport and there was a militia guard in the bank there where everyone auctioned. I farmed him cause he was my level, thought I was a badass. Zoned into West (or maybe it was East) Freeport and was promptly killed by the guards. Released to bind...and I was bound at the West Freeport gate, killed again. Respawn, killed again. I lost a whole level before I figured out what was going on. Never played that character again after that day, learned a very valuable lesson about faction, too! Good times.
I ended up making a druid then, and discovered SoW and the ability to solo. I farmed Dorn B'Dynn at those dervish camps in North Ro in the early days, was good stuff.
Probably my most noob moment came when I was in South Karana at the aviak camp and a GM event began. They had themselves out there as several named mobs, and it seemed like half the server came down on their heads. We eventually worked em down, killed em. I had seen one of these before and knew they dropped awesome loot, so I was right clicking like crazy before the GM/named bird I was killing hit the ground. I got first click, got the loot, and everyone kept furiously clicking. Finally, after some confusion they were like "What, there's no loot?" and all that. I was like "Nah, I got the loot, but it's just some stupid belt that has no stats." It was a Flowing Black Silk Sash, the only haste belt at the time, but at the time it didn't have that in the tooltip. I got labeled a ninja looter and an asshole for that, even though I ended up giving it away to one of my persecutors. Another lesson learned. Don't ninja items.
Eventually we got funneled into the Drinal server. My two favorite items I ever got were the mask from that rare ass ghoul assassin in Lower Guk, the Mask of Deception that let you look like a Dark Elf. It was my prized possesion, along with the fact that at some point I got my leafblower epic weapon for the druid - I even found a screenshot. Pretty crazy.
TLDR: Good times were had. Best MMO experience ever, with WoW a close second and SWTOR third.
I played on Mithaniel Marr and there are a few things that happen that I'll always remember, and I've been pretty heavy into WoW, FFXIV:ARR, and SWTOR since. The first was running from Qeynos to Freeport as an Erudite Paladin. I had a guy from my guild (Molten Lava I believe it was called) help me run there. It was probably the most harrowing journey of my life, real or virtual. It was epic.
After making it to Freeport, I went to North Freeport and there was a militia guard in the bank there where everyone auctioned. I farmed him cause he was my level, thought I was a badass. Zoned into West (or maybe it was East) Freeport and was promptly killed by the guards. Released to bind...and I was bound at the West Freeport gate, killed again. Respawn, killed again. I lost a whole level before I figured out what was going on. Never played that character again after that day, learned a very valuable lesson about faction, too! Good times.
I ended up making a druid then, and discovered SoW and the ability to solo. I farmed Dorn B'Dynn at those dervish camps in North Ro in the early days, was good stuff.
Probably my most noob moment came when I was in South Karana at the aviak camp and a GM event began. They had themselves out there as several named mobs, and it seemed like half the server came down on their heads. We eventually worked em down, killed em. I had seen one of these before and knew they dropped awesome loot, so I was right clicking like crazy before the GM/named bird I was killing hit the ground. I got first click, got the loot, and everyone kept furiously clicking. Finally, after some confusion they were like "What, there's no loot?" and all that. I was like "Nah, I got the loot, but it's just some stupid belt that has no stats." It was a Flowing Black Silk Sash, the only haste belt at the time, but at the time it didn't have that in the tooltip. I got labeled a ninja looter and an asshole for that, even though I ended up giving it away to one of my persecutors. Another lesson learned. Don't ninja items.
Eventually we got funneled into the Drinal server. My two favorite items I ever got were the mask from that rare ass ghoul assassin in Lower Guk, the Mask of Deception that let you look like a Dark Elf. It was my prized possesion, along with the fact that at some point I got my leafblower epic weapon for the druid - I even found a screenshot. Pretty crazy.
TLDR: Good times were had. Best MMO experience ever, with WoW a close second and SWTOR third.
I was in a UO guild where every weekend we would just go into random dungeons. There was so much content in that game, but people only went to the entrances, or the places where good monsters spawned.
Even in Tram it was okay. The worst was when they changed it so you didn't lose your equipment when you died. Pretty much ruined my smith's business.
It actually sounds a bit like UO tactics to be honest. Dude might been talking bout UO?
I remember sneaking into North Freeport (Might have that zone name wrong?) with my character because the guards in the other parts would attack me. God I felt so awesome sneaking through that fake wall like some sort of criminal!
I also remember playing that game up until Velious and NEVER at any point reaching max level. (Those DAMN hell levels!) I miss the days when people enjoyed a game because it was challenging and fun, not so they could loot gear off a boss with 24 strangers.
Not to say I wish MMOs had stayed like EQ1, god only knows now that I'm an adult I don't have time to spend hours trying to get my body out of the hand room in Karnos Castle anymore haha.
I also remember playing that game up until Velious and NEVER at any point reaching max level. (Those DAMN hell levels!) I miss the days when people enjoyed a game because it was challenging and fun, not so they could loot gear off a boss with 24 strangers.
Not to say I wish MMOs had stayed like EQ1, god only knows now that I'm an adult I don't have time to spend hours trying to get my body out of the hand room in Karnos Castle anymore haha.
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
Yeah, I played EQ on a comp at the time that was a little slow even running Word and AutoCAD
You've ruined your own lands, you'll not ruin mine!
Damn my eyes, you're just another mirage!
Arewwwwwww
Grimfeather scowls at you, ready to attack. What do you want your tombstone to say?
sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading
Making the priest of discord attack the GFay guards
Getting someone to type /d for a duel
Being amazed to see a lvl 1 wood elf in field of bone. I tip my hat to you sir
Forum sigs that said stuff like "Druid of the 31st Season"
Wanting to be a good player and caring about your reputation on the server
The skeletons cackle
Logging in for the first time and talking to a guard, thinking they were another player
Finding silver chitin handwraps on a vendor for 3 plat
Castle Mistmoore trains. The 5 player corpses at the zone in should have given you a clue
Mayong Mistmoore and the myths surrounding him
Banded armor
BOAT AT DOCKS
Getting buffed for the first time with levitate and sow
Being scared
Plane of Fear. Enough said
Plane of Mischief. Ditto
Clicky items. Blue diamond gear for raids. Knowing the stats on every piece of gear you had off by heart because all of it was great
The dungeons: Guk, Seb, Crystal Caverns, Najena, Befallen, Tower of Frozen Shadow, everything in Kunark
Guild drama. Oh boy, did EQ have DRAMA
EQ Atlas, Casters Realm, Allakhazam. Printing off maps or (in my case) not being able to afford a printer and hand drawing them. A desk covered in scraps of paper and hurriedly written down notes.
Fires of Heaven, Brenlo, Abashi, nerfs, MONK ITEM, The Hollowshade Moor scripted event that was always breaking, Fansy the Famous Bard, the infamous Page 8 incident on the Brell Rants messageboard
I keep on adding stuff. There's just so many memories, you all know what I mean I'm sure.
Damn my eyes, you're just another mirage!
Arewwwwwww
Grimfeather scowls at you, ready to attack. What do you want your tombstone to say?
sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading sense heading
Making the priest of discord attack the GFay guards
Getting someone to type /d for a duel
Being amazed to see a lvl 1 wood elf in field of bone. I tip my hat to you sir
Forum sigs that said stuff like "Druid of the 31st Season"
Wanting to be a good player and caring about your reputation on the server
The skeletons cackle
Logging in for the first time and talking to a guard, thinking they were another player
Finding silver chitin handwraps on a vendor for 3 plat
Castle Mistmoore trains. The 5 player corpses at the zone in should have given you a clue
Mayong Mistmoore and the myths surrounding him
Banded armor
BOAT AT DOCKS
Getting buffed for the first time with levitate and sow
Being scared
Plane of Fear. Enough said
Plane of Mischief. Ditto
Clicky items. Blue diamond gear for raids. Knowing the stats on every piece of gear you had off by heart because all of it was great
The dungeons: Guk, Seb, Crystal Caverns, Najena, Befallen, Tower of Frozen Shadow, everything in Kunark
Guild drama. Oh boy, did EQ have DRAMA
EQ Atlas, Casters Realm, Allakhazam. Printing off maps or (in my case) not being able to afford a printer and hand drawing them. A desk covered in scraps of paper and hurriedly written down notes.
Fires of Heaven, Brenlo, Abashi, nerfs, MONK ITEM, The Hollowshade Moor scripted event that was always breaking, Fansy the Famous Bard, the infamous Page 8 incident on the Brell Rants messageboard
I keep on adding stuff. There's just so many memories, you all know what I mean I'm sure.
D
