What caused the decline of EQ as the #1 MMO?

[Zereh]

Originally Posted by stormlord [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

... I think a quote that fits well here is one Bill Walton said in a recent chat during halftime of the lakers vs celtics game. He said, "It's what you know after you know it all that matters most."

That is actually John Wooden (RIP, the former UCLA Bruins men's BB coach) quote. He was really quite a remarkable person.


I wish I could pinpoint what exactly it was for me that soured EQ. I think it was that each expansion release made the world became so big that it was difficult to find other players. You practically had to bring your own group with you wherever you went. Unless, of course, you were a happy lemming who followed the crowd into whatever zone happened to be popular that expansion.

Or maybe when those expansions made having a "perfect" group a necessity. There was no way on earth you'd survive fights without a slower and CC was a must. I hate having content dictate exactly who I needed in my group. I know lots of places where CC / slow / etc is vital, but it was so bad whole groups of people would sit idle if they couldn't find the exact class they thought they needed to fill a spot. It meant that everyone pretty much needed a ready-made group. I loved my guildies, but damn. The chances of playing with new people became few and far between. (And yes, there are people who would rather sit idle than try something in a new and different way. I even see it here ... sitting on my butt in UGuk because we need DPS and a necro doesn't count as DPS until they're level 24 with a real nuke. So the level 22 necro just won't do. Really???? I'd rather die ten times trying than sit and do nothing, waiting. Thank the gods there are other like-minded folks out there!)

I tried pretty much every other MMO that came out. But none of them ever ever captured the feeling that EQ gave me. In order to accommodate, no cater to, the "casual" player, one could solo their way to the top of the food chain. When grouping was no longer a necessary component of the game dynamics it ruined the whole spirit that was at the heart of EQ.

Z