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Impressions after 5 years away...
OK, when I first logged in I really hated the interface. Its ugly and very unintuative compared to today's games. There's no hand holding here, if you want to find a quest you need to actually talk to the NPC's to see if they have one for you. The graphics are bad, the gamepay is repetitive, grind grind grind....
However, there's something about this game that makes it fun, and its hard to pinpoint what exactly that is. I don't know if its the chat, the volume of content, the freedom, the spell effects or whatever...but it is fun.
I'm not a part of a raiding guild, and I don't have many friends left on the server, so you'd think I'd be soloing most of the time. Well I descided to go to the hotzone for my level 55 and see if I could find a group. As soon as I put the LFG flag on I got two invites, people in the groups were very friendly and for the most part ran like a well oiled machine...pull, kill, pull, kill, pull, kill.
The exp bonus is insane though, when I left I was level 55 and had been for weeks. I think 55 was a hell level. Now, I made 58 in 2 hours of grinding.
Bottom line... If they could take this game, update the engine, update the graphics and make the UI more intuitive I think it really could be the big dog on the market again.
Comments
Wow this is freaky my friend. I logged in, loved the old feel of it as well but couldn't pinpoint what it was. I played my 55 bard in the hotzone and got him to 58 too lol....Maybe we're the same person?!!!? The only thing is that I don't mind the graphics, I even turned off all my old luclin models =P.
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Wow this is freaky my friend. I logged in, loved the old feel of it as well but couldn't pinpoint what it was. I played my 55 bard in the hotzone and got him to 58 too lol....Maybe we're the same person?!!!? The only thing is that I don't mind the graphics, I even turned off all my old luclin models =P.
Lol, you know whats really funny, I'm on Tarrew Marr, ug, um I mean Drinal too. Siamas here, Ex Dog of War. Woof!
How many expansions do you have? I just have up to LOY and havent played in a very long time. ALso was wondering if they have any clasic servers up. would love it if they redid the graphics. THey could even do a re-release and call it EQ3 lol. We need more Sandbox MMO's. TO many games are themed or based off of movies or other video games <not that i dont like games like that-i do if they are done right>. I think thats why this one was so big. You had so much freedom.
if they revamped the graphics to some thing like eq2 i would be back in a shot a true sandbox game.
the dungeons are as scary has hell die in there and not have lots of mates your ballsed lol
if they just revamped all the graphics it would kick wow right out of the water but the poor wow ppl would not know how to play a game like this
LOL ya you have to know what you were doing with this game. If you died in a bad spot, you have a real problem. those poor WoW guys would look at the UI and all the zones and go "OMG how do i get to my inventory" lol
Basic psychology suggest that people experience more pleasure when they have earned something or have overcome some sort of adversity. In EQ you had to earn your way through the game. It was about risk vs reward, consequences and personal responsibility. That's a bit of a heavy handed explanation, however EQ instilled that sense of self actualization.
Todays games are designed to hold peoples attention, flash them with bells and whistles while simultaneously keeping them entertained (better known as distraction). We have become very self indulgent and have adopted a bit of a entitlement mentality. We expect game makers to keep us satisfied and cater to our desires, a daunting if not futile exercise because you can't please everyone.
When you design a game, people should in retrospect play within the parameters of that game design. The idea being you utilize what's given to you. You use your ingenuity, cunning and strategy to overcome the adversity. It should come as no mystery to people that EQ was about risk vs reward.
The Old Timers Guild
Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
All about the fun!
www.oldtimersguild.com
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett
I agree completely. Its sad that games, and life in general, has lost that sense of risk vs reward/ personal responsibility. we need more games with that basic premiss
I guess life really does reflect art...even in video games.
I"m still sitting on the fence.
Got my Beastlord up to 8 and got my pet. That was a huge improvement, lot more I can do with him now. Also missed that I had blindness somehow. It at least gives me something to mess around with. I like the fact that mobs actually run around as if they are blind when you hit them with it. It's a neat little touch.
Also started up an enchanter, another class I never played back in the day. Being able to turn into a rock it cool. I like the pet they get as well. I also like the fact that you can target whatever you want to with your spells. Want to lower your own strength with weaken like a dumbass? Go for it. It feels less coddling than the system most MMOs use.
I'm also just generally digging the "simulation" feel of it. For example, memorizing spells is a pain in the ass, but it makes things feel more real. Having to manually organize your spell book or wokr up casting skills so you don't fizzle is also helping my immersion.
The only thing I remain unhappy with is the pace of combat. Combat feels slow to begin with, and I spend way too much time medding. I get the point about "having time to bond" while farming a camp. However, the game is a ghost town at the levels I'm playing. If you are going to have to solo up to 40 or higher to get any parties, spending 1/4 to 1/2 your play time medding a serious downer.
I don't want to write this, and you don't want to read it. But now it's too late for both of us.
Everquest is a awesome game ,and always will be even if the graphics are brutal
How funny is it, EQ fanboyz talking about risk versus reward and how this EQ premise immitates life. What exactly can someone who has spent the last ten years worshiping a game know about living? There is absolutely NO WAY anyone can devote all of the time EQ demands and still live a positive, healthy, and successful life.
EQ demands way too much time and always has. Just those of us who quit have grown up. Games like WoW, LOTRO, AoC, are not any lesser games. The very definition of a game is something you do to gain entertainment from. EQ is not entertaining it is an enormous time sink that constantly has you chasing a carrot so you continue feeding quarters to SOE.
The gear you raided for six months ago is now garbage. Six months from now the gear you have now will become garbage. The stuff people were going crazy to obtain when I quit is now given out as pet toys. Don't try to justify your insane obsession by condemning other games in the MMO genre as too easy.
EQ is as bad an addiction as crack cocaine, it destroys your life just are surely. The developers could change it so its not so time consuming, but they chose not to.
No MMO is perfect, but EQ is the worst of them all with regards to entertainment gained versus time spent.
Ok Dr .Phil ... Go preach to someone who cares about what you have to say ... you`ve made over 50 posts on mmorpg.com in less than a month talk about someone that doesn`t have a life ...
Its unfortunate that you can't simply take the information in context and make a more informed response.
The Old Timers Guild
Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
All about the fun!
www.oldtimersguild.com
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett
EQ is one of the few remaining MMO's where it actually pays to be in a group before the end game raiding. Dont you get a BONUS for having a full group? Not many other games nowadays reward ppl for being in a group. Most ppl just think its a waste to have someone tagging along. In EQ most of the time it means survival to have some body watching your back. I LOVE it!
My favorite thing about EQ is the class depth. Every class is unique. All classes have some sort of unique trait that appeals to people.
After spending 3 hours of Downloading time My Avatar was right were I left him 6 years ago althou I did enjoy the nostalgia of seeing the game I was remimded why it was so easy to make the switch to SWG.
Like the OP, My playstyle at that time ( becoming a father for a second time) prevented me from jioning in raiding groups something I was able to do later in WoW soI was only at a Level 54 for after 3 years.
My Switching to the sandbox SWG was the answer there I found ways to effect the game that it made a name for myself without raiding all night long.
As I said I have enjoyed the feeling of good old EQ but all the reason why I left are still there. I know they are my reasons but as time moves on and I have experienced SWG , WoW , Eve and currently LOTRO. EQ has its place which should be were I left it - the the past. I do thank SOE for the free offer. If only they would be so nice in providing a pre cu server in the same way the Progressive server . My guess is its the relationship with LA that prevents this.
For all who still enjoy and continue EQ for these many years , I salute you and hope that you continue to enjoy and Love that Jestor!
Unaware of the Jestor?
http://about.me/JestorRodo/
Friends enjoy his classic Vblog - https://www.facebook.com/GoodOldReliableNathan
I've come back too after 5 years of being away and it's like I'm a newb all over again hehe. It's AWESOME!
If you're worried about expansions, all you need to buy is the Secrets of Faydwer expansion, it'll give you all the ones previous. VERY smart move on SOE's part.
And aye, the hot zones are great for two reasons:
a) Gets you leveled up FAST. and;
b) Gets you back to some old school zones.
I dunno if it's the nostalgia or just the fact that the game has SO much to offer in the form of content (given what's out today), I can't get enough of it LOL.
Btw, if you join a guild and bind your soul in the guild hall, you can summon your corpse.
What is so ironic, quite a few of those posts were made while sitting around bored in EQ waiting for a group or during group downtime.
What is so ironic, quite a few of those posts were made while sitting around bored in EQ waiting for a group or during group downtime.
Ok mr. grumpy istead of trashing the game as it was 5 years ago, go see what its like right now. My comments and the comments of the others on this thread are talking about their current experiences. FYI, as soon as I went into the Hot zone I had 2 group invites, with a full group the pulling was fast and consistant with no downtime. Where I was in the crypt of Nadox, people are still zoning in shouting "Camp check" and getting replies from 2 or 3 groups. so quit yer bitching.Would I pay money to play the current game? No, but I'll enjoy the free time I have.
I went back to eq1 about a month ago. I still have 30 or so characters, some were max level when i left at 65 , bout 10 or 12 of them anyway. On another server i find a few level 70's from when i left the second time, bout 2 or 3. It only takes me about a hour or so to figuire out how to check my aa's again and a few more hours to get a group, which last for maybe 30 minutes. So i switch toons and run into the same problems switch after switch: 1. I have no clue where anything is anymore 2. Probally 1 percent of the population is leveling toons so groups are virtually impossible to get and catching up to 80 requires a crap load of patience. 3. Crap....forgot mobs in this game will kill you running past them...sigh 4. WOOT another guild invite from someone who wants to raid PoP then anguish ! 5. I know why i left now...eq1 got me again, bought the updates again, think im probally down close to $500 on expansions alone now. SIGH dbl SIGH. It just isn't the same game for me anymore.
Everquest is a different game than it was before.
The irony is that I applaud the direction that Everquest has made recently.
SOE, however, needs to release a new expansion. The irony is that I probably will not play on it!
Dude, they just released Secrets of Faydwer.
they do need a graphic update but they did that to some of the old zones
you can get a custom ui from eqinterface.com just like any other game
the best thing about eq in my opinion was they were never afraid to make it challenging, even now it caters to the players alot more than it did when it was first released... i remember a time when you have no maps, the best gear you could get was like +5 to this and +5 to that, you had to know your quests or write them down, there was no quest log.... it took raids to kill efreeti in solb... it seems like every mmo that comes out now is easier and easier. i think the thing that makes the grind here so much fun is the challenge
I know about eqinterface.com but its not just a matter of changing the look...its the whole mechanics and usability of the interface that needs an overhaul. Its just too clunky, from needing to click on destroy to trash something from your inventory to not being able to look freely with your mouse while moving.
I tried to play but I just don't think its in me to play Everquest 1 again. It was fun to log on and see my characters again but it feels like walking into the old house you grew up in only to find it empty and under differerent ownership.
The concept of EQ was great but in some ways teh game is a victim of how trivial they make prior expansions with each successive one.
Its a big huge wide world full of fond memories for me....I don't know why but it depresses me to walk around the world that was once full of folks in various zones only to see them long barren and vacant.
glad you guys are having fun, ill keep looking for the vets feedback.