When did Everquest start to really decline in quality of experience?

[Jibartik]

I was thinking, I figured it out.

When they made an expansion.

Now hear me out!

This game is great, we just played through 10 years of kunark, without a broken economy. It proved to me it's one of the most well designed games in history.

So here's when EQ started to go down hill, when they released an expansion, 1 year after launch, setting up the precident, that they would continue to release expansions, every 1 year thereafter.

That is what killed everquest, the fast grind of expansion after expansion, to keep new players coming in, and ignoring the things that old players loved: The content they were already playing.

[Mblake81]

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

I was thinking, I figured it out.

When they made an expansion.

Now hear me out!

This game is great, we just played through 10 years of kunark, without a broken economy. It proved to me it's one of the most well designed games in history.

So here's when EQ started to go down hill, when they released an expansion, 1 year after launch, setting up the precident, that they would continue to release expansions, every 1 year thereafter.

That is what killed everquest, the fast grind of expansion after expansion, to keep new players coming in, and ignoring the things that old players loved: The content they were already playing.

It's why there is a drastic difference in look between original world monsters like Hill Giants and the Velious giants. Pumping out expansion every year.

I would like to do a cohesive visual overhaul using the same art style but with a custom engine, specific to a game like this (with mobs agro through walls etc.). No way would i use Unreal.

EQ deserves its own engine.

[Jibartik]

Originally Posted by Mblake81 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It's why there is a drastic difference in look between original world monsters like Hill Giants and the Velious giants. Pumping out expansion every year.

I would like to do a cohesive visual overhaul using the same art style but with a custom engine, specific to a game like this (with mobs agro through walls etc.). No way would i use Unreal.

EQ deserves its own engine.

Someone is making one in unity, but I wonder about the authenticity of those quirks I agree.

[Ennewi]

Luclin models really were a departure, being too exaggerated for the old world in a breast implant sort of way. Even looking back at alpha/beta screenshots and footage, however clunky those models were, a rough impression of the same artistic style still remains present, like the very first Simpsons episodes.

[putrid_plum]

up to Luclin imo, the PoK books and ease of travel killed it for me

[bradsamma]

OoW was the last good expansion.

[Malik_Gynax]

For me it was when dungeons changed from this:
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To this:

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Everquest was a WORLD. Going into a dungeon was terrifying. You could get lost anywhere. It never cared if you were receiving a "fair challenge." You were entering a dangerous dungeon!

If you died, you may never find your body again. At some point it stopped being a world and turned into a playground where you go from room to room boss to boss.

One of the coolest things about the early dungeons was 3D level design. It took a lot of skill to craft such cool places. Later expansions just went fully 2D and boring. It's a shame.

[Tunabros]

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

For me it was when dungeons changed from this:
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

To this:

[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Everquest was a WORLD. Going into a dungeon was terrifying. You could get lost anywhere. It never cared if you were receiving a "fair challenge." You were entering a dangerous dungeon!

If you died, you may never find your body again. At some point it stopped being a world and turned into a playground where you go from room to room boss to boss.

One of the coolest things about the early dungeons was 3D level design. It took a lot of skill to craft such cool places. Later expansions just went fully 2D and boring. It's a shame.

this man spitting facts

[imperiouskitten]

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

this man spitting facts

tru stuff. i still can't navigate guk live side. STILL scary

[Mblake81]

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

For me it was when dungeons changed from this:
[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

To this:

[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Everquest was a WORLD. Going into a dungeon was terrifying. You could get lost anywhere. It never cared if you were receiving a "fair challenge." You were entering a dangerous dungeon!

If you died, you may never find your body again. At some point it stopped being a world and turned into a playground where you go from room to room boss to boss.

One of the coolest things about the early dungeons was 3D level design. It took a lot of skill to craft such cool places. Later expansions just went fully 2D and boring. It's a shame.

+REP