Nice to meet you all!

[Mblake81]

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

That's a good idea. I might do something like that. I never realized how much you miss when you're not staring at an overlay map auto-running to wherever you're trying to go.

yep.

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

Hmm. Well, the many difficulties I had in getting it to work right was frustrating. I spent nearly two days trying to get it to run without any problems. First the models were all stretched out, then there was no music, then my character would randomly start moving in slow motion, then there were random freezes for a few seconds every few minutes. I was also having issues with fullscreen for a bit just being a blank black screen, even had an issue where it would login but wouldn't show any of the servers, but I think I've managed to get it running perfectly now. Haven't noticed any issues today.

computer life.

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

As for the gameplay itself, It would be nice if you didn't have to make macros just for pet commands, and it would be nice if there was a pet hp bar. I have a /pet report health macro keybound so I can check it often so it's not really a big issue, it'd just be nice. It would also be nice if there were more sound effects in combat. Critter noises, attack sounds, hit sounds, death cries, that sort of thing. As far as I can tell, I just swing my dagger in silence. The only thing in combat that has any sound is my spells. Sometimes the UI can be a bit difficult to read without changing windows to a solid texture, but at least you can do that, so it's not a big issue.

Might be a sound issue, there are sounds in the game for all of that. Everquest had a Sound Blaster sound card compatible requirement back in the day.

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

The game can be very daunting to a new player at first. It really just throws you out there. Luckily I have a physical copy of Everquest Trilogy which has a big manual, so I was able to figure it all out by reading that first. If I didn't have that manual though, I'm sure I'd still be confused and unaware about what a lot of things are or do, or what I'm supposed to be doing. Like making macros for my pet, or what sense heading is, how to determine the difficulty of an enemy (/consider), or how to talk to NPCs. I only knew about those things from reading the manual.

I made a dark elf to see what it was like but I ended up wandering around their city for over an hour having no idea where the npc I had the pamphlet for was, or even where the city gate was. I eventually gave up and went back on my high elf. I suppose that's a negative. I had no such trouble as a high elf, however. Their city is easy to navigate.

Drow city is three zones big and can be confusing. Cool city though. The Menzobarranzan of Everquest.

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

Aside from those things, which I suppose are mainly technical issues and nitpicks, not much has really bothered me. The graphics are definitely fairly primitive 3D but I don't mind. I like the d&d style spellbook memorization system even if it does slow things down. I like the way you interact with NPCs, though so far I've found a very limited number of NPCs I can interact with outside of vendors. I like that the game doesn't railroad you. It just expects you to explore things at your own pace. Though I wouldn't mind having some quests with a bit more depth than "bring me 4 bat wings". It would also be nice if I could figure out how to examine items in my inventory. So far I seem to only be able to examine items in a vendor window.

Hold right click?

Original retail EQ was of course more spit polished with its presentation, this emulator is the best out there.

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

I feel like there are a lot of hurdles to overcome for a new player that could easily dissuade someone from really giving it a chance if they weren't willing to put in the effort to get past the introductory disorientation. Luckily I like old games that are inconvenient and difficult as long as they have heart. The game definitely has the feel of being made by people who actually cared about what they were making. Much more than can be said about many newer games.

So many things changed. Console compatibility, ease of use, control, focus on tech shifting to convenience, identity politics later.