Is the server overpopulated? Or is it something more?

[Malice_Mizer]

I think these questions highlight an important consideration:

Is the truly classic Everquest experience something that can even be re-created? I know what you're talking about, and long for it myself. But I think a lot of that has to do with an era of Everquest in its relative infancy, where people were experiencing it as something novel and genuinely new. Now it's not that way, and MMO culture has changed dramatically since 2001. Do genuine "noobs" exist in P99 as they did in 2001? Definitely not. People running around like fools, wasting their precious time for little to no tangible pay-off (myself definitely included) are not as numerous as they once were. I don't think any rule set or wipe will solve this problem, because everybody already knows what the end-game and purpose of Everquest (and all MMO's) is.

Simply put, you can't go back home again. It's tragic but nonetheless true.

[Ivory]

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

I think these questions highlight an important consideration:

Is the truly classic Everquest experience something that can even be re-created? I know what you're talking about, and long for it myself. But I think a lot of that has to do with an era of Everquest in its relative infancy, where people were experiencing it as something novel and genuinely new.

Nope, it definitely can.

On live in around 2003 or 2004 I would keep switching to their new servers they would bring up (after 5 years of the game, so people knew what they were doing).

But on a fresh server....even if you know everything about the game....there is the matter of achieving it.

Stuff people don't even think about (for example, getting a magic weapon in the first month of a new server is tricky... how do you fight ghouls? ).

No port everywhere either, so you have a much more interesting economy (people taking the boat over to Lfay to sell ranger fire beetle eyes from freeport).

And, of course, people doing their quests (there are actually a TON of mid-level quests to do).

This new server game lasts for 4-6 months (until enough people catch up to the higher levels, to start raiding). And for the next half year everyone is doing "server firsts" as they keep trying to tackle new challenges (killing VS, for example).

Basically....it is a ton of fun. Even knowing everything about the game, you actually get to play through everquest (which included trying to find upgrade armor and weapons, instead of just buying it for a few pp in commons). The first few months especially are like an entirely different game :3 "Omg, a gnome in qeynos!"

[Portasaurus]

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

People running around like fools, wasting their precious time for little to no tangible pay-off

This is an incredibly accurate review of every video game ever.