Why Classic EQ is still the best online RPG (and how P1999 could make it even better)

[stormlord]

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

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And what's funny, is many people didn't realize that all the things that made Norrath like a real world - death, travel, trade skills requiring real effort, all the things they kept complaining about, and getting changed, were the very reasons classic EQ was and is special. It gives us a challenge. It gives us reward. it gives us a realistic environment. We skill up as we DO things. The world was logical, despite being magical. And yet, the player base and greedy Sony corrupted it for money. And now, what is left? A pile of junk over on live.
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(targeted an area of your post that I want to address in my reply)

I agree with a lot of your points. I don't believe you're deserving of flames. So you can relax because at least I won't troll you. But I'll give you some of my feedback.

(about the quote) It's something that has often crossed my mind. Realism to me just means challenge. It means complexity. It doesn't mean being dragged behind a speeding car on a rope on a gravel road with nothing to protect me. Pain isn't what I like, it's the complexity inherent in realism that I like. But even though the "realism" to some extent makes classic EQ engaging, I think that this is not true for everyone. I think some people are turned off and chased away by it. In fact, it might be that most people are not friendly to realism in their game. You have to consider that while what you say is right - that this makes classic EQ somewhat special - you must also admit that what you say is not right for everyone or even most people. NOTE: I'm playing Wurm Online off and on lately and it's a good example of a game that retains some level of realism. It's not the same as classic EQ, ofc; it's a sandbox game. But it will often not go out of its way to save you from your ignorance. And it has lots of little details you have to look out for. I like that. Keeps me on my toes. Don't feel babied.

But don't mistake my appreciation for "realism" as meaning that I like pain or that I like broken mechanics. Many things in classic EQ don't work well and don't make the mistake of thinking I worship at its altar.

MQing - I agree.
Recharging - I agree.
Twinking - Unsure, but I agree that twinking kills the fun of leveling up.
PLing - Unsure, but I agree that it's anti-climactic and can be disruptive.

Not sure if it matters whether the levels went past 60 or not. However, I think that a lateral type of advancement might have been better than the linear progression we got. What I mean by this is that linear progression increases -all- of your power. Whereas, lateral progression is in a whole new area and the advancement might not benefit you in other areas. For example, adding 5 levels to a level-based game is an example of linear progression. Adding a chessboard game to a level-based RPG is an example of lateral progression. The chess game is a whole different advancement and doesn't make your penis bigger. Another example of later progression might be to add intelligent NPCs that you can talk to about things in the world. All they do is talk about lore. You get "social points" for talking about things. The social points don't carry over to other things, though. They don't give you more hitpoints or make your AC higher or so on.

I agree that game companies have corrupted the RPG concept somewhat. But you have to account for the mainstreaming of RPGs to gain more consumers. This isn't a complete rejection of old RPGs, it's just the adoption of a more liberal doctrine to make more money. There're still people making old-style RPGs that're not stripped down or streamlined and there're still many people playing pen & paper RPGs and also playing older RPGs on their computer. Many people still play MUDs. You'd be right if "corrupting RPGs" prevented this. Where you're right is that the mainstream is no longer making those kinds of RPGs many of us grew up with.

I have to say I mostly agree with you, especially in spirit.