Worst town layout?

[lowner411]

I a a chronic reroller and restarter. But I usually start new characters in the area of Qeynos. Occasionally I see shouts and /ooc omplaining about the layout of the town, but I am so used to it. In particular I hate Freeport and three zones.

What are the worst town layouts in your view and why?

[Evia]

Neriak! Fuck me man I can't figure out the zone layout to save my life. I'm always getting lost in there. How many gates does one town really need though? Seriously!

[Landael]

Kelethin

[Brut]

Kelethin easily. Crapmaze of bridges with guilds and banks and whatnot tradeskill devices at random places. Most houses are innkeeps that sell the same damn rations and water flasks.

[Shodo]

City of Mist. I mean honestly who puts a brew barrel next to a balcony with no railing? Just asking for an accident.

[necro316]

id say halas but ive never actually been there

[Skinned]

Qeynos because of the small alleys that you need to find to go from North to South and vice versa. Kelethim is impossible to me, even with a map. Grobb and Ogguk are poorly designed but they're basically dungeons. Cabalis is my favorite.

[Cecily]

Qeynos is probably my worst town to escape from. Neriak, I'm actually quite at home in, and Kelethin isn't too bad once you learn the route to the bank and your guild.

Favorite towns: Paineel, Neriak, and Kelethin.
Towns I refuse to enter unless absolutely necessary: Ak'anon and Qeynos.

[Lhancelot]

Kelethin is really bad - unless you got levi on. When you can float from platform to platform it becomes quite easy to navigate around to find things.

[Cecily]

Sow + Levi is how it's meant to be experienced, I think. So much fun. It's the home of druids and ranger after all. Also why I think they put KFC in SK, so people w/ a levi cloak would have something to base jump off of.

[Speedi]

Qeynos

[Expediency]

All of them.

There is not one single town that comes to mind that is laid out in anything approaching a useful or realistic layout.

I find the "easiest" to be Erudin, kelethin, and Rivervale but none of those are very good either.

[Somekid123]

neriak is fucking horrible

[Teako]

Neriak is really easy once you're used to it. Ak'anon however is always hell. Unless you're a shrunken gnome it's impossible to see fucking anything in that stupid place.

[Caiu]

Kelethin. Burn it to the ground.

[Swish]

Ak'Anon ... you can keep it.

[Vallanor]

Cabilis is terrible. It all looks the same.

[Elrood]

Paineel

[fastboy21]

neriak and kaladim...only because you have to zone twice just to get to the friggin bank.

[Sorn]

All of them.

There is not one single town that comes to mind that is laid out in anything approaching a useful or realistic layout.

I find the "easiest" to be Erudin, kelethin, and Rivervale but none of those are very good either.

I agree with this. The merchants are all so randomly placed! What the hell.

EX: Kristin Charcoal...she's in the corner near the NFP zone in WFP, outside for some reason. Where's the brew barrel? Outside the inn in another part of the zone. Um...

[Swish]

I agree with this. The merchants are all so randomly placed! What the hell.

EX: Kristin Charcoal...she's in the corner near the NFP zone in WFP, outside for some reason. Where's the brew barrel? Outside the inn in another part of the zone. Um...

http://i.imgur.com/GyaUGaT.gif

[Jorgam]

Ak'anon for sure!

[Lhancelot]

Sow + Levi is how it's meant to be experienced, I think. So much fun. It's the home of druids and ranger after all. Also why I think they put KFC in SK, so people w/ a levi cloak would have something to base jump off of.

I never thought of it in that perspective, but that's actually an interesting concept. Very possible!

[mickmoranis]

dude fuck being asked to "zone" in euridin... thats bullshit.

[Danth]

I regard Skyshrine as the worst city zone in the game, at least for the purpose of actually using it as a city. As a dungeon it's fine. Of the starter cities I regard the gnome city as the worst. It's the only single-zone city that still takes awhile to run anyplace due to being so spread out.

Danth

[Jorgam]

I regard Skyshrine as the worst city zone in the game, at least for the purpose of actually using it as a city. As a dungeon it's fine. Of the starter cities I regard the gnome city as the worst. It's the only single-zone city that still takes awhile to run anyplace due to being so spread out.

Danth

Good point. Skyshrine is an epic city zone. If a player had to start there on creation... /q and delete.

[Evia]

I'm surprised by a few of these. I really thought of qeynos as one of the easiest cities to navigate, and excellent layout. I also am very found of kelethin, but i can see it as tough to navigate. It's taken me 10+ years playing to get the hang of it. . Akanon is also really great! Waterfalls and waterwalls! A fucking zoo! So much to explore in Akanon! Really don't get the hate on that one!

[Kesselring]

Cabilis is terrible. It all looks the same.

Wut, Cabilis is the easiest town in the world, it's wide open, vendors have key layouts around them that signify what they sell (whether it be the crafting mechanism or some other sort of subtle thing laying around). Everything is outside so no constant door using. Spell merchants arent needlessly all over the fucking place and annoying to find (like felwithe and erudin). Cabilis is a great town. Not only that but it's accessed from 4 different zones and all of those zones are populated to some point and important so it's not like any access point is useless and doesn't see traffic. Literally the best set up town in the norrath world.

[gprater]

1. paineel
2. kelethin

non classic: hands down the winner, without a doubt, has to be Shar Vahl

[Crevex]

Oggok sucks balls imo

[Vheran]

ITT: everyone says their usual starting city is easiest to navigate

[relentlessimp]

Spell merchants arent needlessly all over the fucking place and annoying to find (like felwithe and erudin)

The fucking Keepers tucked away in some random-ass corner, positioned around a one-way pit drop into water, would like a fucking word with you.

[Borak]

Runnyeye is by far the worst city. All you can do is bank and buy beer.

[fadetree]

Rivervale. It's full of asslings, and the 'music' makes me want to rip my ears off.

[jolanar]

Gonna have to go with Kelethin since it's the hardest city to get your bearings in and also the hardest to move around quickly in unless you have levitate.

[Rygar]

My most hated city is Felwithe, just so cramped and so many doors. I haven't been there in a long time, but I remember in day 1 EQ running through there and it was horrible.

A fun twist on best town layout would have to be the Ruins of Old Paineel (The Hole). Huge freaking zone but you don't have to zone once to get anywhere, all buildings accessible easily in the town center, and teleporters that take you to Erudin / Upper Paineel / Neriak. Plus there's a mushroom shop to get you hiiiiiiigh!

[raengrey]

Whichever town you've never started a character in before.

They're all pretty bad, but Neriak gets my vote.

[mgriff02]

Grobb da best. All others worst.

[lowner411]

In all this, I don't think anyone ever mentioned Kaladim. My first character on Everquest live was a dwarf paladin, and I could never figure out why the Paladin guild was two zones and in the very back end of the zone.

[Kesselring]

The fucking Keepers tucked away in some random-ass corner, positioned around a one-way pit drop into water, would like a fucking word with you.

Lol that's true to an extent but at least once u find them and figure it out its pretty convenient. I'd rather have them there then having to go up 3 floors and around endless twists and curves to what i thought to be the right spell merchant but instead hes across the palace and up another 3 floors with twists and curves, then I have to find the fucking pally merchant who is somewhere else for 1 spell. Fuck erudin with a pike.

[Kesselring]

In all this, I don't think anyone ever mentioned Kaladim. My first character on Everquest live was a dwarf paladin, and I could never figure out why the Paladin guild was two zones and in the very back end of the zone.

Kaladim also sucks if ur any class taller than a dark elf.

[relentlessimp]

Do we need to stick to classic towns? Because the revamped Freeport on Live is fucking terrible. It's ugly, it's haphazard, and it's just a goddamned eyesore on the face of Norrath. Everything is needlessly complicated and ornate and they couldn't even make it pretty, just gaudy. But nobody cares because EC is no longer trade capital of the world, so they just fucked up a perfectly good town.

Sticking to classic, I'd have to just say that Halas is the most irritating city. Take a boat ride, run around, everything is white, white, white, everything looks the same, there's no distinction between the Warrior guild, the Shaman guild, and the Rogue guild, oh and they're all on wildly differing factions that go up and down in very different places so it can quickly turn into a goddamned death trap too.

[Sage Truthbearer]

The city layouts in EQ are garbage but isn't that one of the charms about the game? The learning process of figuring out where you're supposed to buy your spells, getting attacked by a random NPC in your own starting city because you ran into the wrong guild hall, etc.

[jakerees]

Just want to say that if you also consider how things are on live now vs. the classic p99, I absolutely HATE the revamped Freeport. I know the classic Freeport like the back of my hand, sewers and all, but I get lost constantly just trying to find my way through the new Freeport to certain things

[Gumbo]

Two zones that come to mind would be the passage ways of Everfrost and High Pass.

I used to get lost for hours in Everfrost when I was a newbie Barbarian Shaman. I can now run from zone to zone with my eyes closed in High Pass but that after killing enough Orcs and Gnolls.

[Sonark]

The city layouts in EQ are garbage but isn't that one of the charms about the game? The learning process of figuring out where you're supposed to buy your spells, getting attacked by a random NPC in your own starting city because you ran into the wrong guild hall, etc.Disagree.

Cabilis is excellent.

[Jimjam]

I like the organic feeling town plans of the classic cities. It feels like these citys grew from small settlements, not planned as part of fake reality.
Take a boat ride, run around, everything is white, white, white, everything looks the same.

Pretty much one of the big reasons why I never bought velious on live, not until well after LoY was released.

How on earth could it be interesting to stretch Halas/Everfrost/Permafrost (including the stupid opposing faction system from Halas) into one huge expansion.

Having played it now on p99 I admit there are a couple of interesting dungeon lay outs, but the expansion is basically just one poop socked pixel piñata and I'm glad I stuck to mostly vanilla with a little bit of kunark back in the day!

[Sage Truthbearer]

Disagree.

Cabilis is excellent.

Cabilis is probably the worst city in the game. No music. Dull. Boring. Everything is the same color. At least other cities have personality.

[bum3]

Kelethin hands down. Wait.. what i'm needing is below me? How?!? Jump off 5ft onto platform below and take 400dmg... dead.

[Mortiis]

All of them.

There is not one single town that comes to mind that is laid out in anything approaching a useful or realistic layout.

I find the "easiest" to be Erudin, kelethin, and Rivervale but none of those are very good either.

Agree with Qeynos as the worst.

Winner for best town:
Grobb wins hands down. Impossible to get lost. Easiest to navigate and best town in game.

[Gumbo]

I see a few people complain about the music in the zones. Do you actually play P99 with the music on? I mean if P99 was real life, do you think going into a town, there would be music playing and then a different type of music to start playing when you attack someone?

Hell No! There is no music playing if you are kicking someones ass or if they are kicking your ass...

[Sonark]

Cabilis is probably the worst city in the game. No music. Dull. Boring. Everything is the same color. At least other cities have personality.Everything might be the same colour, but you'll never have an issue getting around or knowing where you are, or figuring out what vendors you wanna use for what purpose.

I don't even see what background music has to do with anything, and pretty much every guard has a response if you Hail them, so I don't know what you mean about no personality, either. Cabilis has LOADS of personality.

But the thread is about layout, and Cabilis wins that hands down.

[Swish]

Grobb wins hands down. Impossible to get lost. Easiest to navigate and best town in game.

Oh man you'd think Grobb was easy but I always used to struggle to find the SK trainer/vendors in there...just a case of not going there very often I think :p

[Jimjam]

I see a few people complain about the music in the zones. Do you actually play P99 with the music on? I mean if P99 was real life, do you think going into a town, there would be music playing and then a different type of music to start playing when you attack someone?

Hell No! There is no music playing if you are kicking someones ass or if they are kicking your ass...


You need to get out more. Yes, towns have street buskers, shops have their own mood music. And it is only gentlemanly to launch some RATM on your minidisc player when committing an assault.

[Valura]

qeynos, although ive now mastered it

[Izmael]

Qeynos has to be the worst. Makes absolutely no sense and it is frustrating as hell to find anything.

Yet it is my favourite city in the game because that's where I started at back in 2000.

Also can't beat the North Qeynos music, has to be my favourite music in EQ.

[Izmael]

n/t

[Bubbles]

Best by far was Felwithe. I lucked out in 1999 and rolled a HIE cleric and dodged the Kelethin/Kaladim/AkAnon bullets.

Felwithe has all the regular amenities.. in one big loop. Pour a little out for your caster homies, young pallys and clerics, cuz they do have to (seemingly needlessly) zone over once to get to the caster guilds.. But in a dead sprint you can go from the entrance to Felwithe to the Caster Guild zoneline in about 10-15 seconds max. Literally can't get lost in Felwithe, and can even train up fishing and swimming.

Also props to Kunark Towns. EQ Learned from its past sins, and Caballis, FV, and OT are all incredibly easy to navigate to the point it's almost a shame FV and OT are mid level outposts.

No matter how bad most classic EQ towns are, as a tradeskiller, nothing fills me with as much rage as the fact that you have to go to EFP to buy a large sewing kit, and you literally cannot buy an effing water flask in WFP at all... grr

[Jimjam]

Oh speaking of tradeskills, I planned to play a shaman using only halas, everfrost and permafrost (admittedly odd since I constantly rip on velious for being a rip off of these zones)... I kinda hit a road block in terms of the fact that the barbarian cultural armour has vendor brought ingredients that can not be purchased in Halas or Everfrost (various medium size shield moulds, medium quality ores, etc).

I guess, in a way, it is good game design that you are encouraged to travel the world (or have someone do deliveries) to do stuff, but it breaks my Halas orientated immersion to have to beg the soft shortmen of Qeynos and Freeport for materials.

Oh, and no pet spells either.

[ketzerei84]

Kelethin is the worst. Followed very closely by Grobb... Then Paineel ;p

[Larkverdin]

Kelethin is the worst. I can navigate the gates in Neriak and the tunnels of Kaladim just fine, but when it comes to Kelethin, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. The concept is great, but the multi-tiered approach with only certain bridges going up just ruins it.

[Panicsferd]

Everything might be the same colour, but you'll never have an issue getting around or knowing where you are, or figuring out what vendors you wanna use for what purpose.

I don't even see what background music has to do with anything, and pretty much every guard has a response if you Hail them, so I don't know what you mean about no personality, either. Cabilis has LOADS of personality.

But the thread is about layout, and Cabilis wins that hands down.

I agree with this, I never was an Iksar on live, so I decided to roll one on p99, and so far I liked cabilis and to me it didn't take long for me to know cabilis by heart and I figured it out within a few days or so of playing.

I now know the places at the back of my head and don't need to use the wiki or whatnot to see where the certain vendors are.

I think for me a somewhat easy place to go to and to get to the bank I would say would be rivervale... the bank is pretty close to the entrance to misty and you don't have to go far if you came from kilthicor forest.

Since I killed a bunch of goblins in HHK I am now amiably with the halfling guards and I think possibly merchents (not sure on that) and now I have a friendly town I can easily bank in while I'm near EC or on that continent.

I think my worse city that takes the cake is the dwarf city, I decided to roll a dwarf as well since never been one on live and I didn't make 10mins and decided to quit and even deleted the character - it was so confusing.