Poll: Was Brad Mcquaid Overrated?

[long.liam]

Was Brad Mcquaid Overrated?

[Reiwa]

You can quibble whether he invented it, but MMOs became a thing from his labors.

[magnetaress]

dude ascended into the heavens on a firiona vie rainbowbody

[long.liam]

You can quibble whether he invented it, but MMOs became a thing from his labors.

MMO's were already a thing before EQ. They were called MUDs. Also, a few MMos came out before EQ anyway Meridian 59 for example. Brad Mcquaid wasn't the only one working on the original EQ. It was a whole team of Programers, Software developers, graphics artists etc. Brad just lead it. He mostly just told people what to make and they made it for Him.

[WokeCat]

There’s a cool documentary where they interviewed him and several of the super early devs. Was really well done and they actually talked about why EQ had such in depth lore. Apparently they hired some guys who had spent 10 years writing a MUD. Kang remember they said they were scared that they might get sued by the people who invented Dungeons and Dragons when the game launched.

I’ll try to find / link the vid tomorrow. I hate doing anything on my phone.

[Reiwa]

MMO's were already a thing before EQ. They were called MUDs. Also, a few MMos came out before EQ anyway Meridian 59 for example. Brad Mcquaid wasn't the only one working on the original EQ. It was a whole team of Programers, Software developers, graphics artists etc. Brad just lead it. He mostly just told people what to make and they made it for Him.

:rolleyes:

[magnetaress]

Shameful

https://i.imgur.com/VjiuTkN.jpeg

[Smoofers]

brad mcquaid knocked down the towers (dual lines of tar on the desk)

[Chortles Snortles]

this is gonna rock

[WokeCat]

Shameful

https://i.imgur.com/VjiuTkN.jpeg

head almost exploded just now

[magnetaress]

Loramin is now up there too. :o

[Evia]

I think he's under-rated if anything. He (and a large part of the original dev team) were essentially pioneers of the modern mmo. I don't think McQuaid should get all the credit because it was a team effort but you can't deny that brads vision was in a sense revolutionary to the genre, and to 3d gaming.

[magnetaress]

I think he's under-rated if anything. He (and a large part of the original dev team) were essentially pioneers of the modern mmo. I don't think McQuaid should get all the credit because it was a team effort but you can't deny that brads vision was in a sense revolutionary to the genre, and to 3d gaming.

[Reiwa]

There’s a cool documentary where they interviewed him and several of the super early devs. Was really well done and they actually talked about why EQ had such in depth lore. Apparently they hired some guys who had spent 10 years writing a MUD. Kang remember they said they were scared that they might get sued by the people who invented Dungeons and Dragons when the game launched.

I’ll try to find / link the vid tomorrow. I hate doing anything on my phone.

They did get sued or kinda. (https://dikumud.com/everquest/)

[magnetaress]

Drolvargs lol.

Which is f'd up cuz gnolls r stoled right outa mythos.

To heck with WoTC. They r satan.

[Lampolo]

Vanguard sucked. So will pantheon. Pretty sure someone else was responsible for eq. Brad was on the team but didn't seem to know what made eq good.

[loramin]

Loramin is now up there too. :o

It's less specific commentary on him in particular, and more my experience in software development in gneral. I don't actually know enough of what it was like to work under Aradune to say anything specifically about him.

However, I believe anyone at the top is "overrated": they are only barely more responsible for the final product than the tons of other people working on it, and often enough the people at the top's contribution was to make things worse, not better.

[Lampolo]

Apparently they hired some guys who had spent 10 years writing a MUD.

This makes sense

[mycoolrausch]

Seeing as after EQ -> WoW he knew what made MMOs more popular and successful, but continued to make games that purposely didn't do those things, he gets an A+ in my book, regardless of any other faults.

[magnetaress]

It's less specific commentary on him in particular, and more my experience in software development in gneral. I don't actually know enough of what it was like to work under Aradune to say anything specifically about him.

However, I believe anyone at the top is "overrated": they are only barely more responsible for the final product than the tons of other people working on it, and often enough the people at the top's contribution was to make things worse, not better.

Back then was different. He was not a rich executive he failed at that actually.

Vanguard was awesome. It's a shame they didn't get better funding. Where pushed to develop too fast. Didn't have the tools and experience of developers today.

It was too ambitious. Half as many starter races and classes in development with the design for the rest to be added in expansions would have helped.

[Octavian]

Brad answered me on Twitter multiple times and gave insightful feedback into the development and core values of Pantheon. It was so apparent that he was more than a developer. He was a dreamer. Visionary Realms was aptly named. Brad McQuaid was not someone who toiled away on a team, doing something he didn't care about for a paycheck. He had a vision. He wanted to create something memorable and special. And I've seen more than enough interviews/dev streams from him to know that he didn't have any ego about it at all. He just loved what he did.

I would vote underrated if it were an option. Brad McQuaid was a rare type of person. A childlike sense of wonderment, a big dreamer without concern of skepticism, and the ambition and work ethic to get it done. All while being kind. RIP to an absolute legend, more than deserving of any hype, accolades, and adoration that is sent his way.

[Elizondo]

Brad the Steve Jobs of MMOs

[Kohedron]

He’s a genius. He’s managed to keep creep autists out of society by making a super addicting game. He’s a hero.

[Jibartik]

MMO's were already a thing before EQ. They were called MUDs. Also, a few MMos came out before EQ anyway Meridian 59 for example. Brad Mcquaid wasn't the only one working on the original EQ. It was a whole team of Programers, Software developers, graphics artists etc. Brad just lead it. He mostly just told people what to make and they made it for Him.

Think of it like a movie, there are good directors and bad directors. If you take a great cast, and staff, and put a good director in charge, they make magic, if they put a bad director in charge its garbage.

Brad was a good director, but also a drug addict.

[Jibartik]

Brad answered me on Twitter multiple times and gave insightful feedback into the development and core values of Pantheon. It was so apparent that he was more than a developer. He was a dreamer. Visionary Realms was aptly named. Brad McQuaid was not someone who toiled away on a team, doing something he didn't care about for a paycheck. He had a vision. He wanted to create something memorable and special. And I've seen more than enough interviews/dev streams from him to know that he didn't have any ego about it at all. He just loved what he did.

I would vote underrated if it were an option. Brad McQuaid was a rare type of person. A childlike sense of wonderment, a big dreamer without concern of skepticism, and the ambition and work ethic to get it done. All while being kind. RIP to an absolute legend, more than deserving of any hype, accolades, and adoration that is sent his way.

yes he is also a saint

my vote: not overrated.

[Toxigen]

I’d have ripped a few gaggers with Brad.

[WokeCat]

I think Vanguard got a really super unfair take too. I upgraded my computer to play it... and when it finally came out I was super excited. I'm pretty sure I had been playing WoW for a bit at this point, and as soon as I was in Vanguard I started having flashbacks from EverQuest.

It was like I was finally "home" after being severely disappointed by EverQuest 2. But then I started to notice major frame-rate issues. This was back in the day, you didn't really shop online, you actually drove around to various "computer" stores trying to find upgrades for your computer. I think I upgraded everything, and the game still ran terribly.

I remember seeing in magazines about how if you had a $6,000 NorthWest computer, the game would run amazing, but I just couldn't bring myself to squeeze the trigger. Apparently everyone had this same problem, so the game was mostly unplayed by the majority of us who tried it at launch.

I asked a friend who actually did get to experience Vanguard if it was similar to EverQuest, or at least as good, and his response was that it was a million times better and that the loot system and dungeons were extremely inspired by EQ 1, but also way more exciting.

I take what he said fairly seriously because he is a YouTuber whose EQ videos regularly get over 5k views. He not really a casual person, and he still stands by those statements.

[Jibartik]

Is there any documentary or behind the scene about that game? My imagination always was he was just high out of his mind passed out at home while they made that game.

[Danth]

I remember seeing in magazines about how if you had a $6,000 NorthWest computer, the game would run amazing, but I just couldn't bring myself to squeeze the trigger.

I had a newer, but average-quality PC and it ran Vanguard decently enough that performance was not a serious complaint. I think the issue was more a case of poor optimization and hardware/drivers: If you happened to have a system basically similar to what they did their very limited tuning for, you were okay-ish, otherwise, it was touch-and-go. A lot of folks with nominally superior computers to my own reported crippling performance issues.

I don't think Vanguard is unfairly maligned--it did have a great many problems, after all. I do think that under the mountain of problems there was a good game hidden in there. That being said, I also think there's an element of "wrong game at the wrong time." Vanguard was something of an anti-WoW trying to release right at the peak of Warcraft's popular growth phase. Even if VG had been complete and stable, I expect it would not have done all that well commercially just due to the timing.

As for McQuaid, his most important skills were on the PR and promotion side of things. He was very good at drumming up interest and corporate support, at least until Vanguard turned into a fiasco. The idea of 3D MUDs was not a new idea in the mid 90's--dang near anyone who had logged onto such games imagined sticking them in a realtime/3D environment--but not many people could convince major corporations to bankroll such a project.

Danth

[Lampolo]

Nah Vanguard sucked because McQuaid was too interested in silly little systems like his parlay mini game. That dude had no idea what made games good and fluked out on eq and who ever he was working with

[Lune]

The only thing overrated about Brad was his opioid tolerance.

[Ennewi]

Nah Vanguard sucked because McQuaid was too interested in silly little systems like his parlay mini game. That dude had no idea what made games good and fluked out on eq and who ever he was working with

Seemingly tedious at first, the diplomacy system was a surprisingly good game within a game after a while, almost meditative once the right choices became second nature. Despite some glaring faults, Vanguard still had more going for it than the competition, though overambitious for sure. There was no need to try and blur zone lines together when zones themselves acted as individual parts that, together, made the mosaic whole.

[Ennewi]

If you play it enough, the emulator at least, you start to get a feel for what McQuaid and company had in mind. So much potential there that was never fully realized.

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

I had to vote maybe.


I've been places and seen things, and done things. Some of which I regret. Others regret me. Loss and love, you chose, but you tell me they ain't the same I know you're a liar.


When you've loved and lost as much as I have, you've seen too much heartache to believe much when it comes to happy endings and good deeds.



So was Brad McQuaid overrated?


Maybe.

[Wharfrat]

What the fuck have you tards ever done with your lives?

[Lune]

Play EverQuest for 20 years and never hit 60 lol

[magnetaress]

Play EverQuest for 20 years and never hit 60 lol

Honestly it's the best way to play everquest.

[Lune]

Honestly it's the best way to play everquest.

Indeed

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

He’s a genius. He’s managed to keep creep autists out of society by making a super addicting game. He’s a hero.


This is truth. We all need to face up to this. The good of things is not always flattering to us. Voltaire said "if God didn't exist we would need to invent him." Napoleon, a much more practical and less cryptic person, said "Religion keeps the common people quiet."


Kohedron: "EQ was an ground-breaking autist sink."



So God bless the Pope and God Bless Brad McQuaid.

[Basanos]

It is weird that he was portrayed by Channing Tatum in 21 Jump Street though

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

What the fuck have you tards ever done with your lives?


I saw the Jerry Garcia Band play an encore of Dear Prudence at the Capitol Theater in 1980. I was 14. After that, me and my friends just kicked it. Done and done. That was a solid night's work all around mutherfucker.

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQESUfhmDns



It's been a hard road.

[Reiwa]

Voltaire said "if God didn't exist we would need to invent him."

2HZs-v0PR44

[Jibartik]

judging how he likes to drone strike cars of kids, he does have the same values :o

[Reiwa]

judging how he likes to drone strike cars of kids, he does have the same values :o

sERtcG-TUCU

[goblinmob]

The only thing overrated about Brad was his opioid tolerance.

lol!

[magnetaress]

lol my head is spinning

[Reiwa]

lol my head is spinning

one who prevails with God (https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/gospel-principles/chapter-42-the-gathering-of-the-house-of-israel?lang=eng)

[magnetaress]

Creation of Israel, 1948
On May 14, 1948, David Ben-Gurion, the head of the Jewish Agency, proclaimed the establishment of the State of Israel. U.S. President Harry S. Truman recognized the new nation on the same day.

Biden is a troglodyte.

If anything Harry S. Truman was the good boi )

[Chortles Snortles]

https://i.imgur.com/hyBpk0v.png

[unsunghero]

^^

Chortles defending his camp like

https://i.ibb.co/MS8jCtW/DC13-B6-D7-17-A8-44-D5-AD9-B-4246-DFCABF7-B.gif (https://imgbb.com/)

[Raj]

He’s a genius. He’s managed to keep creep autists out of society by making a super addicting game. He’s a hero.

[Jibartik]

Exactly why we need to stop trying to shut down echo chambers.

*polishes mace

[Raj]

This is truth. We all need to face up to this. The good of things is not always flattering to us. Voltaire said "if God didn't exist we would need to invent him." Napoleon, a much more practical and less cryptic person, said "Religion keeps the common people quiet."


Kohedron: "EQ was an ground-breaking autist sink."



So God bless the Pope and God Bless Brad McQuaid.

[Jibartik]

I like god because if you do everything yuo can to be good but are just absolutely shit on and crushed the whole time, you can die feeling accomplished.

Whereas people who don believe in god only remember and celebrate the ones that did the crushing.

[loramin]

I like god because if you do everything yuo can to be good but are just absolutely shit on and crushed the whole time, you can die feeling accomplished.

Whereas people who don believe in god only remember and celebrate the ones that did the crushing.

You seem to assume everyone has the same God(s). I worship the Viking gods: they won't be satisfied unless I die crushing someone ;)

[Evia]

Those are called Demons.

Hope that helps

[Chortles Snortles]

https://i.imgur.com/Q5FXAuc.png

[A Knight]

*Massive boats with Spanish flags are seen across the horizon*

*A Knight takes a really good long look at you through his telescope*

[Jibartik]

You seem to assume everyone has the same God(s). I worship the Viking gods: they won't be satisfied unless I die crushing someone ;)

i said god, not made up fake things :o

[A Knight]

*Massive boats with Spanish flags are seen across the horizon*

*A Knight takes a really good long look at you through his telescope*

Everyone go watch the Spanish scene in Pirates of the Caribbean, so I can feel cool.

[Reiwa]

Those are called Demons.

Hope that helps

[Reiwa]

i said god, not made up fake things :o

[A Knight]

I hope I pick my words carefully. I'm concerned about sounding like I think he was overrated. I wouldn't say he was overrated.

I don't know all the people that worked on EQ, and I don't know much about Brad. I don't know how much he was in lead. I'm sure many people in the team were also responsible for great things in EQ as well.

I'm sure he could also have been just a regular guy. But I think a regular guy is what would have been needed to make something great like Everquest. Back in the beginning of video games, people probably had less fear of failure, and didn't overthink ideas.

But I also don't believe in free will. I also think everyone would have done, what all people have ever done. Good deeds or evil deeds. With that philosophy, it is easier to entertain the idea, (If needed.) that no one technically does something that makes them greater than others, or gives them a skill no one else could. We are all the same, and the great have no free will to make them great. Something just makes them that way.

Don't get me wrong, I think all the Jesus's in life, are greater than us all. But technically no one chooses, or has some ability where they choose to be great. As often in life, maybe I'm just not saying it good enough.

So, I think we needed a regular nerd, to make something great like EQ.

I also don't like people saying he is overrated. I didn't know Brad, or if it was all his vision. I know that something took over modern Everquest, and took away the original vision. Or at least, that's how I feel.

A vision that would be required from a regular nerd.

I hope I didn't make it sound worse. I was trying my best.

[A Knight]

I was trying to make sure I said that the "Regular guy/nerd" was Brad, to not sound arrogant. To make sure I didn't sound as if I was also talking about myself being able to make video games.

I have a lot of bullet holes in my brain though so I no think well sometimes.

[Jibartik]

Was brad mquiad addicted to drugs because he wanted to soothe the dull ache of a world didn't make sense to him, because he could build one that was so good we'd all rather spend our free time there?

Or was he addicted to drugs because he liked to get high.

That's what I wonder.

[A Knight]

His life sounded hard. I couldn't say for sure. I didn't know him.

[A Knight]

Was brad mquiad addicted to drugs because he wanted to soothe the dull ache of a world didn't make sense to him, because he could build one that was so good we'd all rather spend our free time there?

Probably this one.

[magnetaress]

Physical pain from genetics sugary drinks and hamburgers led to addiction and early health problems.

G-d bless him and rest his soul in peace.

[A Knight]

Yes. Rest in peace Brad.

[A Knight]

Sorry I hope I didn't sound rude. I meant all the best. I didn't know Brad but I'm sure he was a great guy. I wouldn't say that he was overrated.

[Bisonzabi]

I think he was. But that's not to say he was a bad thing. He definitely was not up to task for leading major projects. Lot of people like to shit on John Smedley, but keep in mind it was John Smedley who pushed for Everquest to be a fully 3D Game back in the mid 90's when EQ was in pre-production. That wasn't Brad's idea.

Also over 3 years later and I'm still wondering what killed him. The fact that it's still hush-hush makes it no doubt a dishonorable death (OD'd)

[Bisonzabi]

Seeing as after EQ -> WoW he knew what made MMOs more popular and successful, but continued to make games that purposely didn't do those things, he gets an A+ in my book, regardless of any other faults.

Brad's insight on WoW was surface level. He had the same issues that a legendary game designer like Yu Suzuki (creator of Shenmue) had in that his understanding of the industry was outdated and several decades behind when he was creating games like Vanguard and Pantheon.

I remember back on the Vanguard Saga Of Heroes forum in late 2006, he legit thought Vanguard would hit 750k subscribers even though the game was nearing launch in the disastrous state it was in (I wish the old forums were archived btw).

[magnetaress]

There's nothing dishonorable about dying to OD when u battle it for so many years.

He fought his battle and died fighting it. Valhalla imo.

[Bisonzabi]

There's nothing dishonorable about dying to OD when u battle it for so many years.

He fought his battle and died fighting it. Valhalla imo.

When I say dishonorable I meant that it was too embarrassing or damaging for the details to be shared outside those close to him and his loved ones. If he died in a car accident, a stroke or cancer then it would've been mentioned in an obituary somewhere. The reality is he was once again at the helm of a project in another studio and for word to get out that he died due to yet another relapse, it would've hurt said project and his lasting image.

I also remember far too well how horribly he managed Sigil as the CEO just 16 years ago and all the drama that spurred including devs who were fired out in the parking lot when the studio collapsed accusing him of being absent for months on end and not even being there when everyone was fired. If you have massive internal issues dealing with drug addiction as a head of a studio, than you need to step aside and appoint someone else early on and not just wait for shit to hit the fan costing over a hundred people their jobs.

I remember seeing in magazines about how if you had a $6,000 NorthWest computer, the game would run amazing, but I just couldn't bring myself to squeeze the trigger.

Glad you didn't, saved yourself from losing a few grand. Vendor PC's are overpriced usually with shoddy proprietary hardware connecting it all. Basically paying a premium for the GPU, CPU, and possibly a monitor if it was included. If this was in early 2007, what made it cost so much was probably because it had something like Core 2 Extreme X6900 which was a $1200 CPU at launch along with a set of high end SLI/Crossfire GPU's.

Though tossing hardware at a game isn't a be all solution. It all depends how the game was programmed and if the hardware would be fully utilized for the game instead of diminished or bottlecapped. When EQ2 came out, much of its processing came from a single core CPU and barely any rendering came from the GPU, then the slower multi core CPU's came out by 2006 and the game was perpetually ran by many in a mid-tier settings for years to come for a smooth solid frame rate. If I recall; the major issue with how Vanguard ran was because while it was on the Unreal 2.5 engine, it lacked the usage of the Unreal scripting language that was built inside of the engine. It was basically all spaghetti code. It's one of the reasons why a proper bonafide emulation has yet to manifest. And it's the very reason why the game had such high requirements despite its visuals being a mixed bag. That was just one of many problems with the game though. It was in a pre-alpha stage and nowhere close to being finished.

Yet regardless of this, being a 17 year old who was super hyped for this game, purchasing the pre-order for the $100 Collectors Edition a month before launch and playing its Jan 2007 disastrous beta, I held on up until April in the vain hope that it would turn around. It didn't. And it's a shame since deep down somewhere could've been a good game. It had great music and some state of the art particle effects implemented at the time such as volumetric clouding, and a solid atmosphere to the entire game, but it would've costed them to remake the games code from scratch to get said good game out of it. Last videogame I ever really hyped, and left me a little wiser to never do such a thing again nor pre-order until reviews of a game came out.

And here's an archived post on the Fire of Heavens board back in Jan 2008 by a former Sigil developer who was laid off. Now this is a major flashback. (https://web.archive.org/web/20080107023558/http://www.fohguild.org/forums/mmorpg-general-discussion/31593-vg-producers-letter-49.html)
https://a.pomf.cat/mohbwt.JPG

[magnetaress]

When I say dishonorable I meant that it was too embarrassing or damaging for the details to be shared outside those close to him and his loved ones. If he died in a car accident, a stroke or cancer then it would've been mentioned in an obituary somewhere. The reality is he was once again at the helm of a project in another studio and for word to get out that he died due to yet another relapse, it would've hurt said project and his lasting image.

I also remember far too well how horribly he managed Sigil as the CEO just 16 years ago and all the drama that spurred including devs who were fired out in the parking lot when the studio collapsed accusing him of being absent for months on end and not even being there when everyone was fired. If you have massive internal issues dealing with drug addiction as a head of a studio, than you need to step aside and appoint someone else early on and not just wait for shit to hit the fan costing over a hundred people their jobs.



Glad you didn't, saved yourself from losing a few grand. Vendor PC's are overpriced usually with shoddy proprietary hardware connecting it all. Basically paying a premium for the GPU, CPU, and possibly a monitor if it was included. If this was in early 2007, what made it cost so much was probably because it had something like Core 2 Extreme X6900 which was a $1200 CPU at launch along with a set of high end SLI/Crossfire GPU's.

Though tossing hardware at a game isn't a be all solution. It all depends how the game was programmed and if the hardware would be fully utilized for the game instead of diminished or bottlecapped. When EQ2 came out, much of its processing came from a single core CPU and barely any rendering came from the GPU, then the slower multi core CPU's came out by 2006 and the game was perpetually ran by many in a mid-tier settings for years to come for a smooth solid frame rate. If I recall; the major issue with how Vanguard ran was because while it was on the Unreal 2.5 engine, it lacked the usage of the Unreal scripting language that was built inside of the engine. It was basically all spaghetti code. It's one of the reasons why a proper bonafide emulation has yet to manifest. And it's the very reason why the game had such high requirements despite its visuals being a mixed bag. That was just one of many problems with the game though. It was in a pre-alpha stage and nowhere close to being finished.

Yet regardless of this, being a 17 year old who was super hyped for this game, purchasing the pre-order for the $100 Collectors Edition a month before launch and playing its Jan 2007 disastrous beta, I held on up until April in the vain hope that it would turn around. It didn't. And it's a shame since deep down somewhere could've been a good game. It had great music and some state of the art particle effects implemented at the time such as volumetric clouding, and a solid atmosphere to the entire game, but it would've costed them to remake the games code from scratch to get said good game out of it. Last videogame I ever really hyped, and left me a little wiser to never do such a thing again nor pre-order until reviews of a game came out.

And here's an archived post on the Fire of Heavens board back in Jan 2008 by a former Sigil developer who was laid off. Now this is a major flashback. (https://web.archive.org/web/20080107023558/http://www.fohguild.org/forums/mmorpg-general-discussion/31593-vg-producers-letter-49.html)
https://a.pomf.cat/mohbwt.JPG

Fair points.

I loved vanguard fwiww. It had some genuine charm. Haunted. Butt I felt like I was wandering about in the dreamlike backrooms of a deranged game designers brain. And there was just a genuine charm to that.

G-d and Br-d bless.

[Dolalin]

Brad was into world-building, and the sense of immersion in another world drove EQ's early successes in the low end game, but what got people to stick around past level 20 was the loot/raid treadmill. Brad didn't really get this second half of the game.

[Jimjam]

Brad was into world-building, and the sense of immersion in another world drove EQ's early successes in the low end game, but what got people to stick around past level 20 was the loot/raid treadmill. Brad didn't really get this second half of the game.

So true. So much fun talking to NOCs in qeynos, uncovering the basics of the settings, sleuthing around, discovering the nest of the rat king, uncovering an entire SK guild hidden in the sewers. So immersive! But then those linestone rings, alligator tooth earrings, the cape off the shady mercenaries … pixel addiction begins and the world is forgotten.

[Tongpow]

Brad was into world-building, and the sense of immersion in another world drove EQ's early successes in the low end game, but what got people to stick around past level 20 was the loot/raid treadmill. Brad didn't really get this second half of the game.

I've only been lucky enough to experience that perfect synergy of gamers for any meaningful length of time twice, early EQ and EVE Online. EQ worked because it was a actual cultural phenomenon so the population was diverse, eve worked because things like a single shard world with a symbiotic relationships between pve and pvp forcing those two groups to interact

i wish the world had more Brads and crazy Icelandic Vikings making video games in it is my point i guess idk...

[magnetaress]

Brad was into world-building, and the sense of immersion in another world drove EQ's early successes in the low end game, but what got people to stick around past level 20 was the loot/raid treadmill. Brad didn't really get this second half of the game.

the second half of the game should always be secondary imo tho

let the low energy plebes play that stuff

time to build a better universe :p

[Jimjam]

the second half of the game should always be secondary imo tho

let the low energy plebes play that stuff

time to build a better universe :p

Everything after level (1?)7 is a massive shit sump designed to keep the undesirables outside of Qeynos.

[magnetaress]

Well I know from personal experience I can beat the game without leaving qeynos docks.

[magnetaress]

whoever designed thta zone and the tumpy /bloody dress quest G-d bles u

[Endorra]

brad mcquaid knocked down the towers (dual lines of tar on the desk)

Towers weren't the only thing that came down around 2001

[Jimjam]

Well I know from personal experience I can beat the game without leaving qeynos docks.

whoever designed thta zone and the tumpy /bloody dress quest G-d bles u

Bless you. This is the one quarter of a zone where all the real eq happens.

[Ooloo]

Meeting of the dorito-stained minds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45XrbsBt34c