Remaking Everquest with a modern game engine

[rooter]

Hey all!

My cousin and I started playing EverQuest back in 1999 on Povar. I was Rooter, the human Shadow Knight and he was Obian the Barbarian Warrior. We were just starting college that year (I didn't go to class enough, was playing EQ all the time). Those times in EverQuest for the first 6 years or so of the game were some of the best moments in gaming I had ever had. Since then I have tried various MMOs, but nothing ever measured up. Today, my cousin and I are both professional software engineers with over 20 years of experience each. We both miss EverQuest, the friendships we made and the experiences we had.

Here are why modern MMOs are a letdown for us:

1. Community breakdown: In giving in to player demands and not sticking to a vision, the games have become watered down. People don't form strong communities anymore because of things like dungeon finders, auction houses, server transfers, name changes, etc.

2. You don't have to really earn anything: Everyone gets to raids, easy modes, in game purchases, etc.

3. Large parts of the world are static or dead: Did you discover a neat cave in a remote location? Why is it empty? Exploration doesn't make any sense, everything is on rails.

I could go on forever, and I think many in this community understand what I'm getting at.

What we want to do: We want to remake EQ with a modern game engine, but stay faithful to the feel. We also have some ideas to add in some dynamic elements to keep the world evolving and fun to explore while maintaining a balance and not overloading players.

I'd like to hear from the community about what you think of this? Good idea? Do you have suggestions? What might you want to see in a remake?

Thanks for your time,
-Rooter Darktide of Povar