Will 1999 ever happen again?

[Dacien]

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

Don't fall into the common trap of believing challenge is what is missing from things like WoW and gives EQ its soul. WoW is a more "challenging" game than EQ in nearly every way. PvP is necessarily more challenging than anything on Blue because your opponent has the capacity to be smarter than you. WoW's raiding is far more complicated from a tactical standpoint.

What EQ has is tedium, and delayed gratification. It takes a long time to achieve something, and your achievements generally feel good. Also, the sense of community that comes from the absolute need to rely on other people (to travel, to barter items, to level (for most classes)). The destruction of WoW's community that occurred during Wrath is what really, more than any other single thing, destroyed WoW for millions. You were no longer in a cohort with your fellow players, had any reason to interact with or rely on them, etc.

Every MMO since has had the same problem. The extreme on-the-rails nature of their content, soloability, and convenience has resulted in an experience where social bonds seldom formed organically the way they do on P99, and meaningful interaction is really what ultimately fuels enjoyment of an MMO for many people.

Instead of "challenge", I think of it as consequence and immersion. The world in P99 is more alive and wondrous because death means so much. And every locale you visit usually meant a long trek. A long trek in which you again get to take in the world.

Classic EQ and P99 have immersion nailed, and it's because of the gravity of death and the realism of slow migration.

Of course, none of this applies when you're max level in a raiding guild.

[Kevynne]

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

Of course, none of this applies when you're max level in a raiding guild.

or can sow
or port
or bound at the firepots
or incapable of typing /who druid 29 60 /who wizard 29 60

[AzzarTheGod]

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

With even WoW making the news for losing subs hand over fist

lol [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] they say this every single year since 2004.

Got anything factual this time?

[Daywolf]

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

lol [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] they say this every single year since 2004.

Got anything factual this time?

I hnow. While Blizzard made even more money hand over fist. Yeah, they lost a ton of subs due to that whole ragequit protest crap that went on over taking away their flying ponies or whatever. But then immediately bought other Blizzard games to replace it giving Blizzard another record year. WoW, one of the dumbest games I've played, seriously. And the community... oh man... this isn't surprising how Blizzard managed to engineer a situation to actually get even more money out of it's fan base, while they STILL think they showed them Blizzard devs not to mess with em.

[Ivory]

Learn to make video games....work really hard....build a reputation for being awesome and start a company....get investments and work even harder....then make it yourself.

[Sodors Finest Poster]

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

Learn to make video games....work really hard....build a reputation for being awesome and start a company....get investments and work even harder....then make it yourself.

Just dont swipe prescription drugs out of your employee's desks to fuel your addiction.

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[joppykid]

Originally Posted by mr_jon3s [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The next MMO that will really hook people will be something that uses VR. Till we finally get full body immersion capsules that let you feel some of your characters sensations.

Just like this movie?

[Fifield]

I have been so dissapointed with almost every new mmo to come out in the last 5 years. I have little hope for any new game but heres one i've been following for awhile.

http://camelotunchained.com/v3/

PVP based, supposed to be old school. Time will tell how good it is. Its called Camelot Unchained btw. Like DAOC with 3 factions, all RVR, no PVE i think?

[Man0warr]

What classic EQ really has over WoW and other modern MMOs is community.

Thanks to no cross-server auto party builders, instancing, etc. You can play WoW these days and never leave the city - just queue for everything - other people on your server don't matter.

[Feanol]

I was reading through this thread and trying to pinpoint the real reasons why modern games have such a hard time bottling the lightning that was Everquest and I came to a few conclusions.

First, these other games aren't Everquest and this isn't 1999. We're all just going to have to deal with that as best we can I suppose.


Second put bluntly is fast-travel. Bear with me here.

For me, a lot of modern MMORPGs began to lose their sparkle once game developers decided they were pissing everyone off by making them walk everywhere and introduced instantaneous player transmission.

I find the games I enjoy these days all have a firm limit to how fast and far the player may move in a given time. Adventure is had by walking the roads and paths and meeting other travelers doing the same. These encounters are unscripted and emergent unlike the formulaic "missions" or "raids" or whatever predescribed encounters apply.

Worlds that were designed with massive landscapes and geographical regions became reduced to a genre variation on "open map" and "click". Sure you could go off into the countryside and travel by foot but there was nothing to compel you to do this. For most players this was simply a waste of time when they knew their peers were clicking between locations moving instantly.

Everquest has Druids, Wizards, and a host of items that teleport you to be sure. I would argue that none of these methods are 100% reliable all of the time and that is the key point. We each have to run from place to place and that's what gives the "in-between" zones their life and the world a sense of scope. Without that scale the whole landscape is reduced to "Town A" "Dungeon B" "Tradehouse C".