Why didn't EverQuest remain as popular as other old MMO's?

[red_demonman]

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

Not to be rude, but that wasn't really the question I was asking. I know why EQ died. What I don't understand is how MMOs that were less popular and games that I considered inferior at the time, are somehow more popular than EQ is 25 years later.

I also don't share the sentiment that Anarchy Online was better than EQ. I remember my parents getting mad that I made them buy it and let me use their credit card to play it, but within a week I was already back on EQ [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.] had friends leave for Asheron's Call and DAoC and also come back very swiftly.

Now that I understand your question better, one thing I suggest is that the barrier to entry to Live EQ is still pretty high. I tried loading up Live EQ last year sometime and the amount of bullshit that popped up on my UI right away was astonishing. The help tips are archaic and its really hard to understand everything even as a returning player. I can't speak to all of the games on that list but I know some of them (such as SWG) are way easier to pick (back) up.

[Ciderpress]

People do still play live UO, which boggles my mind cause it got just as mudflated and unrecognizable as EQ did. There is a UO equivalent emu server of p99 called uosecondage, which is time locked to vanilla UO and the first expansion, but it's a complete ghost town sadly.

I came from UO but left it behind when EQ launched, but I still have a soft spot for that game. It was incredible for those two years pre-EQ.

[Botten]

I was so psyched for Istaria: Chronicles of the Gifted or Horizons: Empire of Istaria

Bought the game and found out it was an unfinished mess.

But and unfinished mess far worse than most other MMOs

It painted such exciting potential.

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[Ekco]

>People do still play live UO

its's been like a decade+ for me, i never even played legit UO just shards and starting fresh on a UO shard sounds way cooler than any of this other bullshit on the mmorpg horizon

[Evia]

These forums dont support my theory very much, ive gotta be honest lol.
But I always felt like people who really like EQ have above average IQ.
Modern MMOs really cater more to your average vanilla joe. Which is why theyre more successful.

[BradZax]

Does anyone see a similarity between their own lives, and their success in norrath?

Ive noticed that my time in norrath mirrors my IRL life quite a bit.

Im a middle class eq player and my success and failures IRL seem to be the same success and failures I have in norrath.

I feel like this is a crazy idea, because most guild leaders seem like they are absolutely retarded IRL, but then again so do world leaders.

IMO eq is just IRL simulator, and most people suck and gave up on life long ago, so they give up on EQ too.

[Cecily]

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

Now that I understand your question better, one thing I suggest is that the barrier to entry to Live EQ is still pretty high. I tried loading up Live EQ last year sometime and the amount of bullshit that popped up on my UI right away was astonishing. The help tips are archaic and its really hard to understand everything even as a returning player. I can't speak to all of the games on that list but I know some of them (such as SWG) are way easier to pick (back) up.

Yeah I think this is a big one. Figuring out EQ is not intuitive and pretty much requires out of game research and or interaction with other players or overhearing them pontificate on something you don't know by chance. I really wanted to play it as a kid, but my energy and desire to jump through those hoops is near non-existant these days.

Monsters and Memories feels so much like EQ in this regard, unintuitive, and I have no intention of building up another extensive, useless knowledge base just to see if I like the game or not.

[jolanar]

EQ Live actually stayed pretty good up until each expansion became literal copy paste jobs which became really noticeable about 8 to 10 years ago.

If the money made by EQ was actually reinvested into EQ I think it could still be very popular. Similar to how WoW is constantly reinvesting into it's new player experience even 20 years later.

[Jimjam]

Wow and EQ competed for the same niche. Only the best fit for the niche survives.

EVE, SWG and COH fill different niches so don’t get killed off by wow like eq. That is why those persist in larger numbers than say quarm/p99.

Also, 30 years is a long time to be playing one static game.

[DeathsSilkyMist]

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

These forums dont support my theory very much, ive gotta be honest lol.
But I always felt like people who really like EQ have above average IQ.
Modern MMOs really cater more to your average vanilla joe. Which is why theyre more successful.

I think it is more generational.

Not as many people had PC's at home in 1999 as people did in 2004. Especially PC's with a decent internet connection. Anyone with a PC and internet at home in 1999 had already grown up in a world where PC games were esoteric, and there wasn't a large scale internet that had information about everything. So Everquest wasn't out of place compared to other games. That generation of gamers was used to figuring things out themselves.

I'd wager that more kids (and even adults) got their first home PC's that could play games with internet closer to 2004. So it was much more likely for a new PC gamer to start with WoW, rather than Everquest. This is especially true due to the success of Warcraft 3. A lot more gamers were primed for the next Warcraft game. Blizzard was probably the best PC game company during that era with Starcraft, Diablo 2, and Warcraft 3. Every internet cafe had those games.