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Things you miss about EQ1.
Rallycart
Member UncommonPosts: 717
Hello all.
The last few months, I have really been thinking about my time in MMORPGs, and the elements that make me get that wierd feeling in my chest where I get excited. I found that there are several things from EQ1 that really just get me excited, and almost make me want to go back. Even worse, they seem to all be things that I have not seen in any other game, which is sad. Below you will find what I miss, which were pretty much unique to EQ1, and I ask others to put in some input as well!
-Uncommon/rare mobs. Ok, now these are not unique to EQ1, but I think they were very well done in eq1. Instead of you coming upon one randomly, killing it, and then marking down the time and coming back 8 hours later to kill it again, you actually needed to MAKE them spawn. I can think of several places that I really loved to do this. Beholders, Frenzied Frog thing, Runnyeye Citidal, some goblin camp out in the middle of a kanark forest... And many more. You would show up, and just start killing things off, and hope one of the rare mobs would spawn from a placeholder. Best of all, if you spent a good 15-30 mins, you were almost 100% sure to find them. They didn't drop crazy good stuff, but it was still nice, and you could actually make some good coin by farming them and selling the stuff off. I hate the wait and search game like WoW and others have. You run around trying NOT to kill things, and hope you find the rare, rather than actually fighting and playing, and finding one as you go.
-Actual "farming" places. Kind of tied to the above, but I really loved certain spots. There were some islands that you could get to while on a boat that had several humanoids on it. They had a very high chance of dropping belts that sold for nearly a plat each. You could run around killing them and making cash, and just having a good time. Same with certain goblins in the forest area outside the dwarven starter city, which dropped blood vials and stuff which could drag in great vendor cash. I remember a certain caverns attached to the Bazaar area with a giant mushroom boss, and several other bosses around that would drop decent gear which you could sell off for a bit of cash as well. You could make some great circuits.
-Gathering/selling buffs- This is one thing that I really loved with EQ1. My wife was a Shaman, and could max the stats of my level 1 chars with a handful of buffs. It felt really awesome, and the buffs lasted FOREVER compared to the games of today. She could sit in PoK and sell/give away buffs all day, and just have a good time. If she or I felt like it, we could always just go to Crushbone, and start buffing random noobs. The buffs made a HUGE difference, and people would be genuinely happy for them. Not like in WoW, which you can give thorns and a crappy stat/armor buff which mean little, and they just throw out thanks as a curtesy. And oh boy... Good old Temp... And Clarity... Nothing worse than needing to med for ages and ages. Man, if a chanter came through, and was handing out Clarity, you were SET. It was the best thing ever. And dont even get me started on SoW...
-Summoned gear/pet equipment- This was always cool. You could buy summoned gear, and then hand it to your pets, and they would equip it. Or, you could always wear some of it yourself. I still remember my first day in EQ1. I started up a Dwarf Paladin, and some Mage handed me a bag with a full set of red metalic armor. It was like hitting the lotto I thought. Of course, it was gone when I logged off and came back, but the armor was amazing compared to starter crap, and I felt like a badass in a full matching set. Even though I later found out that it was complete crap, lol. I just wish some other MMO would come out and have this in.
-Sold items actually for sale in shop- God did I love this feature... If you sold something to an NPC, they actually had the item up for sale afterward. Lots of people would sell all sorts of good stuff to the shops, and you could scour all the NPCs in PoK or whatever for deals. You could find gems for dirt cheap, decent rings and necklaces for cheap, and even Crushbone Belts and shouldpads. Hell, I even found springs and other expensive crafting items from the Plane of Innovation on PoK npcs. Always a high point in my day. And Brownie Parts? Always a jackpot to find, lol.
-Every inventory slot is a bag slot- I always missed this feature. I would have an inventory chock full of toolboxes, and had tons of room. This is just something minor, but worth mentioning I think.
-Alternate Advancement- Ok, yes, EQ2 has this, and maybe some other games, but still. The problem I have with a lot of MMO's is that once you reach the level cap, if you don't do a lot of grouping or raiding, you are left with a "what now" kind of feeling. Not in EQ1. Once you hit level cap, there was months or years of AA farming! Now, not everyone was a fan of this, but I liked the feeling of always having SOMETHING to improve my character with. Not waiting for some new expansion to bring a new dungeon to get new loot in, which will be obsolete come next dungeon/cap increase. Your AA's were always there, and you could work on them any time you wanted, and they actually made a slow but noticable difference!
I am going to cut it there. There are MNAY other things, but it is getting long, and I want it submitted before something bad happens. (que Murpheys Law, lol) Anyway, feel free to add more, as there are just so many other great things that I either forgot, or didn't put in. Have a good one guys, and cross your fingers for some of the future MMOs!
Comments
Oh, one more that I feel passionatly enough about to post now that I remembered it.
-No evading mobs- Seriously. Worst thing ever these days. Back in eq1, it was a train to zone, as the mobs never lost agro (ok, well they did here and there, but it took some SERIOUS running, and was hit and miss) and when you zoned, the mobs pathed back to their original spots, attacking things on the way. I HATE when someone is being chased, and I turn to kill the mob(s) and it evades out, runs back with the magical "can't kill me" buff of evasion, and fully heals instantly. In EQ1, I could train the mobs to zone, and others could pick up where I left off, and the mobs regened MUCH slower, certainly not instantly. Because of this, you also didn't end up with the dreaded "evade bugged" mobs either. And it opened up GREAT pulling mechanics. You could agro a large group of mobs that were together with a puller, and he could zone/feign death, and then as the mobs patrolled back, the rest of your group could pick off the stragglers!
That element is also in Spellborn and I love it!
Also, there is so much "I miss EQ threads" why don't you go and play it? It runs, it's alive and its gonna have new expansion next month. Or some patched ruined it or what?
I miss everything you mentioned in your post. I believe the reason some people don't go back is due to the graphics and not the gameplay. Im kind of hoping "Everquest Next" is more of a sequal to EQ 1 and not a sequal to WoW like I feel EQ2 was.
No nothing like that. Playing it is a bit clunky, and it is not very responsive on the whole. Also, it takes one hell of a time commitment, and you can't solo, or really even duo through to cap. I am not a big grouper these days. The farthest I ever managed to duo to was level 51, and that was my warrior and my wifes shaman. And we were crazy decked out in twink gear, and that was with attunable stuff from whichever expansion it was that added the stuff. Bother of us in Fungis and everything. Things are great early on, and you can powerhouse a lot of it, but you eventually get to the point that you NEED 3-4 people to get anywhere, and that is just not what I want these days. Not to mention the crazy amount of time to level. :P
That still doesn't change the feelings I get just thinking about the game though, or that they had really cool ideas. You can have a game that you don't want to play, but has really fun stuff about it. Another example for me is EVE. I go back all the time, and get bored quickly, but I am constantly thinking about it and it's wonderful economy.
1. The lore.... my god. I spent hours reading that stuff when I wasn't playing sometimes. It was just so rich and interesting.
2. It felt like a real world. I know it seems pretty unlikely now, but when I would go out exploring I actually felt like there was a chance I could stumble upon some forgotten ruins or treasure, it didn't feel like everyone had been there, done that, even if they had. Maybe it was just my own playstyle at the time, I don't know. Only a few games ever come close to being that immersive anymore.
3. Monsters had factions that actually mattered somewhat. They fought each other. There was nothing more cool than seeing a Darkpaw Gnoll fight a skeleton, because you knew that they hated the undead as much as you did. It actually felt like if I wanted to, I could work my way into any faction, even those that opposed normal society.
4. The races felt unique and there were a lot of them. Ogres were freaking huge, though I never played one, I just found them cool. And the Iskar... hating and hated by everybody, I don't know of any other game that would make a race like that these days. It would be "too inconvenient" and make the game too hard for people *eyeroll*
5. Boats that you could jump off of. Enough said.
6. Scripted events. Even if they happened over and over (Fippy Darkpaw raiding Qeynos, that dwarf always kicking over that guy's tackle box, etc.) they were cool, and they helped with the overall feeling of the world being alive.
The LFG tool. Simple and effective.
Want people to know your LFG? Simply type /lfg on
Looking for more players for your group? type /who all lfg
Looking for something specific? /who cleric 25-35 lfg
These complex LFG systems in todays MMORPGs are a waste in my opinion. Does EQ have some sort of patent on that shit or what?
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
All the above quoted. Plus, as much as some say differently..THE COMMUNITY! The best by far in any MMO I have ever played.
To comment on your #6..one of the things that stuck with me is remembering how cool it was when I was a lowly lvl 10 ranger. Sitting near the elevator that lead to Kelethin waiting for my health to regen, I suddenly saw a call for orcs heading towards the elevator's. Naturally I though it was a few stragglers chasing some poor smuck, so I readied myself to help pick them off.
I about crapped my pants when suddenly there were dozens of orcs cresting the hill. I quickly jumped on the elevator and went up top. I could still hit the orcs with my bow from up top, so I started pounding them. Some made there way into Kelethin and I eventually died to the onslaught, but MAN was it FUN!
More MMO's need to incorporate teams within their respective companies to script such events from time to time. It breaks the monotony. Also, would be sweet if it could be brought back in a way that such scripted events actually altered the game world in some way.
Hmm, EQ1 wasn't my favorite of the classic trio, but I loved how diverse the world was. The treetop village of the wood elves, the mechanized underground city of the gnomes, the mountain village of the barbarians, mighty forests, open seas, islands, swamps, magical planes, so much diversity.
Also, the Has Anybody Here Seen My Corpse song, not that I ever heard it when I played.
(That video kind of annoys me though.)
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The challenge!
From zones that got tough at night to camps where pulling was important. I loved all the starting areas and how rep was worked in to all the races and creatures. I loved the big world where travel meant something. Public dungeons! Did I say the challenge. :P
They have kept working on EQ1 surprisingly and they have updated the graphics and consolidated many of the zones but it is still a bit empty if you are starting out with a new character.
I would love to play it a bit more but mostly I just log on and spend some times with friends and hand out buffs in PoK.
community. it's gone in todays games of gimmegimmegimme. People would actaully go out of their way to help get a corpse back or clear to something. I loved having to decide if I would help recover a Fear break in wipe or go to work the next day.
Timesink - I bitched about it at the time, but now there's no working to earn anything.
I'd still be playing but RL changed. Work became more demanding, having kids who need help with homework etc. Also, too many old friends left. The game is FAR too raid focused now (says the 6 night a week raider back then). Plus the graphics are abysmal and the controls just aren't as natural feeling and responsive as they felt back when we didn't know any better. If the game went back to more casual/non-raider friendly, I'd seriously consider going back
The death penalty ~ corpse runs were; while annoying sometimes, they really made ya think about ones strategies before attempting to do that again, or before you wanted to do something made ya take the time to prepare for it. Nowadays in almost every MMO its zerg zerg zerg until you win...
Death penalty, faction system, diverse classes, encouraged grouping, socializing, no instances, quests that were actual epic quests you had to find and you had no idea where it would lead you, the lack of a map, it was a REAL MMO were you were forced through the harsh game world to socialize and make friends to support eachother, unlike games like WoW where you only socialize with people in your clan that you brought from another game cause you never need to group.
Darkfall Travelogues!
I would like to expand further on this. I used to tank LDoN's with my warrior a lot, and sometimes things went sour. Usually someone not pulling correctly, or a sooth failing. God I hated when soothes would fail on the first mob of a full room... lol.
Anyway, it was actually honorable to be a tank back then. If things went bad, and we needed to train out, SOMEONE needed to keep them back. That was usually the tank, and it was always me when I was in the group. It was certain death, but it would buy the rest of your group time to get out, and save themselves. People would respect you, and be genuine when they thanked you for saving them what could be hours of work. Sure, I would take a hit to my exp, but the groups that it would buy me... My wife and I NEVER had a problem getting a group for LDoN's. People knew us. My wife, as a Shaman was for buffing, debuffing, and doing a bit of damage. But she was also VERY well known for saving everyones ass with some spot heals. Or taking over completely as a healer if the healer dropped or got a DC. People would know that if we were advertising a group, it was the one to jump into, because it had a solid tank that would die for you, and a Shaman that would make life easy on everyone.
Taking a death in WoW is worth squat, and people usually just call you a noob. And straying from your "spec" to do something else? Good luck. God damn Shadow Priests wont stop DPSing to save anyone... That is the HEALERS job. They are there to DPS... Disgrace.
That element is also in Spellborn and I love it!
Also, there is so much "I miss EQ threads" why don't you go and play it? It runs, it's alive and its gonna have new expansion next month. Or some patched ruined it or what?
Combinations of expansions literally expanding the game too much to the point where it doesn't resemble the original game, lack of population, patches changing the basic game mechanics to reflect WoW, and the fact that the community and the type of people that would play a game like classic EQ have been driven away into dark corners now that there are no games on the market left for them. The MMORPG genre is quite dead, this new WoW genre has very few true MMORPGs.
Darkfall Travelogues!
The things I miss about EQ1:
Sneaking naked through Black Burrow after dying with my hands shaking and my heart pounding.
making a /corpse macro and smashing the crap out of it while running for dear life looking for an exit or zone, again with my hands shaking and heart pounding.
Going to the tunnel in East Freeport on a busy night and drooling over all the gear that was flying by in the chat window. (Met a lot great players there)
Not having a never ending supply of arrows that just magically appear when I use my bow. Also, all the different arrow types that could be made.
Trading stacks of Batwings for ports (met a lot of great players that way)
Having to sit camouflaged in a cubby deep in a dungeon (again, hands shaking and heart pounding) while I waited for friends to come rescue me.
Running for the zone in the oasis when an add poped in the middle of your pull.
Jumping off the ice bridge in velious or the bridges in faydwere and levetating all the way to the zone.
Needing to eat and drink.
Alcohol tolerence and the fact that it seved a purpose.
I wish I could remember the zone, but standing at the top of the ramp next to the zone pulling dark elves.
watching someone's life bar suddenly fill up at the last second when my cleric casted greater heal.
The ding wav that played when you hit a new level
helping a new player get a new suit of full leather and a fine steel sword. Of course I would make them work for it. One piece for every stack of fire beetle eyes or something.
Watching someone run for the zone with 15+ mobs trailing after them.
Humbly asking a Druid or Shaman for a cure disease and unexpectedly getting buffed to the maxed and then spending the next 20 minutes going on a slaughterfest.
Feeling like I was part of a real community where players had to "rely" on each other to get anywhere.
I'm sure there are many I can't think of right now, but man was that game exciting.
A tiny mind is a tidy mind...
1. EC Tunnel
2. When all the classes were new and having a unique experience on each.
3. Twinking-it's the evil of the game but twinking your level 1 with like level 50 stuff was great. (fungi tunic, venomous axe etc)
4. The day/nights. Nights were given some change in various zones like Qeynos especially where more skeletons would spawn at night, or the merchants changed location.
5. Blackburrow, such a great dungeon. I think the way the gnolls were designed gave the area character.
6. LDoN- yeah it's instances, but they were great fun at times.
7. Halloween event and all the werewolves taking over the zones. It was more compelling since werewolves were meant to be a very rare spawn in Western Karana.
8. Umbral Plains. Strange one but once you knew the area and that, and knew all the bosses there it was quite good.
9. Pyzjn and Varsoon in Qeynos Hills. Pyzjn the rare gnome that spawned, and Varsoon the rare zombie that would spawn and kill all the newbies being a level 30 mob in a low level zone. I actually am convinced I figured out how to spawn those two.
10. Being a shaman and soloing dragons and stuff.
11. Having a backpack full of proc stuff- a tash stick, a whip of ensnaring, dagger of conflaguration, Lupine dagger etc.
12. OS/Sebillis, and the crypt.
This could also be renamed "List of reasons why WoW is terrible"
Darkfall Travelogues!
I'd say that perhaps to 'new gen' players graphics may be an issue, however EQ in general is known for its substantive play and immersion. Graphics do add flavor, but they don't necessarily make a game enjoyable.
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
Real day/night cycles.
Serious repercussions for death (made you play catious/smart)
Fire Beetles (seriously, that screetching sound they made when you hit them was awesome)
Single-world environment (no instancing until LDoN, which I thought really hurt the game)
WARNING: Spelling and grammatical errors intentionally left in document to test for Anal Retentive Trolls.
"The key to wasting time is distraction. Without distractions it's too obvious to your brain that you're not doing anything with it, and you start to feel uncomfortable." - Paul Graham http://paulgraham.com/hs.html
Mistmoore.
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
Mentioning Day and Nigh Cycles (which were 72mins long) reminded me of something a guild mate in EQII told me and I had never considered it. He was an amateur astrologer and he enjoyed the fact that EQ created constellations. I had never even given it any thought as I was under the impression the stars were fixed graphics. I suppose it was just one of those little details the devs decided to put in there.
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
This is really something I would like to see. I am not a fan of how they did the zones later on, but you could make a mob run much, much farther than in, say, Warcraft, and it would be more realistic. Evading and autoregen are terrible mechanics. We cannot do that. They should not either. But yes, they are bad ideas. I think EQII was a step back in this direction, with their horrible tiny instanced areas.
I also miss how powerful most mobs were. They are so much stronger than the mobs in most other games. If I can kill ten or so mobs of my level or one or two higher than my level, there is a problem. I like for mobs to be as strong as a single player. If you are a decent player, you can defeat something your level, but they would have the same basic health and power as a player that level. This encourages but does not force groups, and it makes soloers feel good about the danger of scouting into certain areas.
"Gamers will no longer buy the argument that every MMO requires a subscription fee to offset server and bandwidth costs. It's not true you know it, and they know it." Jeff Strain, co-founder of ArenaNet, 2007
WTF? No subscription fee?
TRAIN!!!!
Train to the zone!!!!
And having been run over by a train of Orcs on more than one occaision that is a message to learn to hate. More dead players in Crushbone due to trains than anything else I think.
Oh and I did love playing a monk and gathering up a nice train of mobs and bring them as a present to someone. Nothing says I love you like a train of blood thirsty mobs.