Mine is a tale of then and now.
In 2000 I played a low level paladin, and I mainly fought in Oasis. At 9 years old, I remember the game being very difficult for me.. especially when it came to a specific mob that wandered those deserts. Everyone has those game messages that really make their asshole pucker up immediately.. you know what i'm talking about. You see them and you know you will promptly die. My list goes something like this:
1) You feel yourself starting to appear.
2) "FROOOOOOOOOAAAAAAK!!!"
3) "Damn my eyes.. you're just another mirage!"
This story regards #3.
Desert madmen were the bane of my existence. It seemed like I was always being killed by them. You see, I was instructed to only attack things that were blue to me. The madmen were blue to me but they were a major undercon because you never knew what class you would get (those nuking/rooting wizards and druids always wrecked my shit). And i was too young to understand this.
Enter Project 1999. I've been playing here on and off for about a year (it's awesome), and I've come to understand that this game is nowhere near as difficult as I remembered it being (its a lot easier at 19 than 9). I've leveled up 3 characters in oasis with no problems whatsoever. The desert madmen and sand giants did not pose the deadly threats they once did, not even a little. It was simple to avoid them.
And this is the way its been for me here. I'm almost cocky in playstyle compared to my restricted in-game actions as a child.
And so a few days ago, I was duoing my 19 paladin with my RL best friend (18 mage) on the shoreline in oasis killing deepwaters. I went further into the desert to tag a wandering orc warrior that conned blue. As I was pulling it back to shore, I saw that unmistakable message..
"Damn my eyes.. You're just another mirage!"
For a second I felt the slightest twinge of fear, a long forgotten memory of my childhood. Then I laughed.. how pathetic. The desert madman conned green, so I didn't pay him any mind and kept running back. I understand this game now, and through logical thinking this mob can no longer intimidate me.
But Everquest has a way of humbling us all.
And then...
A desert madman begins to cast a spell.
Your feet adhere to the ground.
(a wandering SG paths near the madman, who is nuking from afar. He decides to help..)
A sand giant hits YOU for 71 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 71 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 64 points of damage.
A sand giant kicks YOU for 21 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 55 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 67 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 57 points of damage.
A sand giant hits YOU for 72 points of damage.
etc..
LOADING, PLEASE WAIT...
I was stunned (both virtually and mentally). But later I couldn't help but smile. This is why I love this game, and what makes it so unique. There will never be another quite like it.
Touché, desert madman. Touché..
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