Quote:
Originally Posted by fugazi
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Don't forget that EQ back then didn't have any kind of competition. Nowadays, the attention-span of a game is radically shorter and you need to pack a punch in the time you're given to make a lasting impression. If EQ was released now, with newer graphics but the gameplay of 1999, we'd laugh at it and call it utter shit. The time invested does not warrant the rewards (xp/loot), that's why EQlive steered away from the original.
Don't forget that McQuaid based EQ pretty much on AD&D. There you level once every so many sessions, while a computer has to reward you each time you play. In 1999 they had the luxury to succeed with this approach, in 2011 such an approach is destined to fail.
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I think you're way off about attention span. The difference is that companies like Blizzard have realized that the most lucrative demographic to attract is one that is employed and has a family, and so wants to make significant progress even if they can only play 2-3 hours a week.
It is by catering to that demographic with the leveling and questing system, and others with PvP and hardcore raiding, that WoW has achieved its level of success.