The moment you knew...

[Taluvill]

When i was sitting outside of surefall, and after having watched the Millers like they were gods (they were the first non gm/guard that was red that I had seen) and watching a necromancer solo them both simultaneously... that was incredible.

Also, running up to the big skele spot on the hill and watching the skeletons that looked like corpses come to life and beat the piss out of me. that was scary.

[Exavus]

I saw a few people that worked at a used game store playing EQ and I watched a few times and was amazed that there were other people online playing with them. I convinced my mom to let me get it and started it right up.

My first character was a Human Warrior and my graphics card was pretty bad so it was really laggy, but I was impressed by the game and the graphics were really good for 99/2000. I killed a ton of rats in Freeport until I couldn't level off them anymore and made friends with a few other newbies in the same area. I hung out there like it was my home and tried to help other people kill rats and orc pawns. Then I figured I might as well look at new areas.

I zoned into East Commonlands and looked around and saw all the trees.. A vast forest waiting to be explored and I was just amazed at how huge it was. I went further in to find tons of people running around, casting spells on each other.. I had no idea there were spells in the game and never really saw any until then. I grouped at an orc camp some then explored more.

I came across East Commonlands Tunnel and was amazed at how many people were there. At this point I realized this game was truely a gem and had hooked me from that point on followed by 4 years of a wonderful love/hate relationship with the game.

<i>Now....</i>

I found p99 and thought that this was too good to be true. I made a Human Warrior and started in freeport... I looked and I saw people leveling up on rats... wandering around.. High levels by the gate buffing people... I almost shed a tear.

I went into EC and ran to the tunnel to see at least 50 people. My heart was pounding and I realized that this gem lives on in other people too and not just mine.

[Aaryn]

When I saw my RL friend in Full Plate that he had bought from a merchant , a DE Cleric named Filter Soulblighter. I thought to myself OMG HE IS A GOD, I must have a set just like it!!!

[Tamika]

I knew the moment I joined a server and that classic everquest loading music blasted out of my tiny speakers (:

[Qaedain]

I stumbled upon Kelethin after slapping wasps, wolves and skellies for an hour or two.

The music. The people. The majesty. I was sold. I played for 5 years until I hung it up in 2004 for WoW.

[corradojeff]

EQ was the first MMORPG I really played. I had tried a mud or two when I was 11 or 12 and didn't get in to it much. I tried UO and didn't like it. When I was 15 my Dad and Uncle played EQ and I watched them a lot. With only one PC in the house and my dad playing EQ most of the time I didnt make a character. I got hooked just from watching him FD his monk. When he started to slow down on play time I made a character and played for a long time afterwards.

This leads me to a slightly off topic question:

Do you think the next generation has the same feeling about today's MMO's? What I mean is: did EQ give us this great feeling that no other game can give us because it was our first 3D MMO?

The reason I ask is because other people I talk to that started on WoW, or some other game, don't really like EQ. I wonder if they got those same feelings from their first game of choice. Or could they ge that feeling now from EQ if they would give it a chance.

[Dunes]

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

Do you think the next generation has the same feeling about today's MMO's? What I mean is: did EQ give us this great feeling that no other game can give us because it was our first 3D MMO?

I imagine it is a number of things:
1) I personally came from having played 2 MMO's before EQ, so for me atleast it wasnt the novelty of playing with other people (in general). Rather, it was the fact that grouping and forced social interaction was required in EQ, and in a good way. The challenge really brought people together, and the time spent at each step of the leveling ladder brought back that old high school experience - you worked your way up with the same group of people more or less. Frequently you would bump into many familiar faces across many zones and levels, and that developed a sense of comraderie.

2) The 3rd dimension and freedom of movement was a really new concept. Ultima Online had jungle tile sets, snow tile sets, etc, but could you jump into the ocean and swim? No. Did you have to deal with reduced visibility because it was raining or snowing? No. The atmosphere of EQ was cutting edge and hadnt been done in a visual MMO before

3) The vastness and depth of the world was unparalled. UO had a big world, but there were hazy distinctions between areas. Sure there were dungeons, but for the most part they were multi leveled caves with increasing difficulty. EQ created identifiable, distinct zones, and each offered a different challenge and opportunity to explore.

4) The "named" mobs created the concept of camps and the desire to acquire drops from said mobs. The size of the world, the complexity (yet predicability) of the drops drove a community of gamers to create online depositories of information (such as Allakhazam). We would then spend vast amounts of time perusing drops, seeking knowledge and strategies, and more, taking our addiction (call it "immersion" if you must!) to all new levels. We were now thinking about the game while not even playing it.

Anyway, Im sure there are many many other reasons, but some people may try to blow off the impact EQ had on us as being just a novelty. There was a lot more to it, and the sociological implications were far deeper than many realize.

[fuji]

Does anyone ever have a frustrating night, swear they will never play the game again, uninstall, break the game discs, then the next day you are downloading the installer?

[ukaking]

Two instances really made me realize what I was dealing with in EQ. I started a month after Kunark released. I can remember getting a few levels and starting to really lay the smack down on the wolf pups in Field of Bone. As I ventured a little ways down the path, I slowly crept into the "pit". My gamma was set a little low so I couldnt even see the other side of the pit. To me it appeared to be a vast wasteland! I thought I knew what I was talking about, until...levels later, around 20, a bard friend came and took me from the safety of the Field of Bone, ran me with Selo's through the trees and branches in Warsilks Woods, I had no idea where I was, and took me to the Overthere. I couldnt believe my eyes. Rhinos, Sarnaks, Chickens! I started taking screenshots and printed them out to take to work the next day to show to guildmates. Truly a humbling experience.

[Loquan]

Your co-workers played too? That'd be badass [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]