IRC McQuaid Logs (EQ as originally intended)

[Ennewi]

There are a number of other interesting comments buried in the links below, from beta and post-launch, many of which detail features that didn't make it into the game or were removed for one reason or another. To avoid posting an unreadable wall of text, these stood out the most...

https://web.archive.org/web/19990220..._051998-01.htm

May 1998 EFNet #EverQuest Chat

<BlkStaff> Will Necromancers 'create' their undeads from thin air or will they need to have a corpse of a dead monster or (n)pc to make them?

<Aradune> Animate dead Necromancer spells require a corpse as a target.

<BlkStaff> Will new NPCs, monsters, continents, and buildings be added to the game world after the release? Possibly through a mandatory patch? If so, how often will they be released?

<Aradune> Absolutely -- all three. The plan is to keep the development team working away, adding on the world. This would either be done through periodic patches and/or the purchase of expansion packs at your retailer.

<BlkStaff> Question in its simplest form: Will EQ attempt to prevent the use of "mule" characters?

<Aradune> If they become abusive in our unique environment, yes. We'll find out in testing if this will be a problem in EQ.

https://web.archive.org/web/19990220..._071998-01.htm

July 1998 EFNet #EverQuest Chat

<EQV-Qs> Many people want to know more about necromancers and how they manipulate the dead or living to create undead.

<Aradune> Necromancers animate corpses of NPCs, turning them into 'pets' that will do their bidding.

<EQV-Qs> Is it at all possible that someday in an add-on to EQ you could introduce horses or dragon riding?

<Aradune> Yes, it's a possibility. We definitely plan on having expansions, which could include more features, more lands, and more playable PC races/classses. done

Unfortunately, those beta interviews cut off early and little else is accessible on the site. Here are the other IRC McQuaid interviews, post-launch...

https://web.archive.org/web/20020504...ws/eq_chat.asp
https://web.archive.org/web/20021104...adlog4-5_2.asp

Brad McQuaid IRC LOG 4/5/00

<Tsolzyob> Aradune: Any thoughts on the UPCOMING...EQ Emulator..?
<Aradune> tsol: i can't wait to see it
<Aradune> if its well done, we'll hire the guy =)

<Tsolzyob> Aradune: Think EQ server source code ever be released to the public, maybe 5 years down the line when EQ stops being profitable..?
<Aradune> tsol: i doubt it -- i dont see sony doing that

<Syruss> ARADUNE: Did you always intend/expect for the armor/wep shops to become useless after the servers had been up awhile???????
<Aradune> syruss:yes

<gentry> Aradune: what were/are your favorite MUDS out of curiosity?
<Aradune> gentry: my favorite mud was sojourn/toril

<mleko> Aradune: how big is the virtual world ? like 500 square miles etc ? or doesnt it work like that
<Aradune> mleko: eq with the expansion is like 60 square miles or something
<Aradune> its hard to calculate, because the world is zone based

<DaScott> Aradune: paineel storyline hints that the hole leads to the underfoot.. would really love to kill my god sometime ;p
<Aradune> dascott: glad some people are learning the storylines =)
<Aradune> some people say there's no backstory in EQ, and I wish they'd talk to NPCs and seek out the story
* Aradune sighs

<DaScott> Aradune: I liked the FA quest.. I was fortunate enough to stay ahead of all the spoilers until the end.. but the charming of miragul thing seemed more like a bug than a solution so we "lost" the race. Weakest part of the quest IMO..
<Aradune> dascott: really? its the part im most proud of, actually.
* Aradune wrote the FA quest, ya know

<kaiser> Aradune : one question.. if there are 2 people that are the most despised people on a server.. that continously disrupt peoples play, why are they allowed to remain (Dalover and Annabelle(shyness))
<Aradune> kaiser: if they are messing up the game for others, they should go

<Catalyst> Aradune: EQ has no means of fast travel aside from SoW and boats. Since EQ has no horse either it kinda puts a weird situation for an RPG, couldn't there be SoW stations in towns like a horse stable?
<Aradune> catalyst: i'd like to see more sow items that didnt allow you to kite
<Aradune> pure travel items

<Catalyst> Aradune: When can we expect an item that casts "SoW travel edition"?
<Aradune> catalyst: its just what we're thinking about now -- i couldn't say when
<Tsolzyob> Aradune: Any CLUE of another SoW item going into the game...? And make it all melle classes...
<Aradune> tsol: it would be as i was describing to catalyst

<Catalyst> Aradune: What are the issues with making SoW travel only? I'd like to dicuss them if possible, maybe we can come up with a solution tonight...
<Aradune> catalyst: well, the idea is to make a new item with a new sow-like spell that was cancelled if you ever engaged in combat
<Aradune> and had a recating time
<Aradune> recasting

https://web.archive.org/web/20021220...07042000.shtml

IRC: Conversation with Aradune 07/04/2000

<Strago> Aradune you should also upgrade hate. The southwest corner is totally lame. People using NO tatics can just go in and pull away. Its not even worthy of having the name "Plane of Hate", it should be "Plane of get armor for free"
<Aradune> strago: yeah, it needs an upgrade. at first these zones are really hard, but then over time they get easier as people learn

<Strago> Aradune can you describe how hard it will be to obtain level 60 ?
<Aradune> strago: pretty hard. its like a bunch of hell levels after 50
<Aradune> we upped the exp curve

<Azian> aradune: wielding anything new since FA came out to impress us all? =)
<Aradune> azian: i use karana's avenger now
<DaScott> he's wielding the version with the 250 dd proc that they nerfed
<Aradune> nah, i think it has same stats as FA, just rangerable

<ReefSmoke> aradune why doesnt dok's cigars sell cigars?? [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]
<Aradune> reef: they made us take that stuff out. *sigh*

<ReefSmoke> aradune did you all plan on players being able to smoke in the beginning?
<Aradune> reef: yeah. halflings with pipes..i mean, come now, it would have been cool

<Jorloja> Aradune: Why not develope a few casino games in HighPass? The dealers are there...
<Aradune> jor: we actually had originally planned for gambling there, but it never was coded

<Jorloja> Aradune: Casino games? Might be a money sink... How deadly would that be, EQ Gambling Addicts... =+D
<Aradune> jor: we'd love it

[loramin]

<Aradune> strago: yeah, it needs an upgrade. at first these zones are really hard, but then over time they get easier as people learn

Sort of prophetic; he wasn't talking about P99, but he might as well have been.

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

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

Sort of prophetic; he wasn't talking about P99, but he might as well have been.

Not only p99. The whole mmo persistent world model.

• content digestion = farm status
• content digestion ~2000: 10 months?
• content digestion ~2004: 3 months
• content digestion ~2010: 1 month
• etc.

The reasons for this are well known. And, barring dynamically generated mechanics and gameworld, unfixable.

There is no reason an AI can't be trained to be a GM *and* mechanics adjuster *and* content modifier/joker. People want to ultra-grind?

Goodbye leveling sandbox and raid farm pixel hunt. Hello Chinese finger trap.

[u_lock]

Casinos are canon!

[Ooloo]

I wonder if\how many original eq devs play on p99. I know that lovingrobot dude who does the interview streams does or did. It would be pretty cool to learn the tank in your group is an og dev.

[Swish]

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

I wonder if\how many original eq devs play on p99. I know that lovingrobot dude who does the interview streams does or did. It would be pretty cool to learn the tank in your group is an og dev.

I'll bet some old time guides/GMs from the live servers have passed through P99.

[Ennewi]

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

I'll bet some old time guides/GMs from the live servers have passed through P99.

Tmk there are a few.

[Dolalin]

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

I'll bet some old time guides/GMs from the live servers have passed through P99.

I was a Guide on Mith Marr, my guide name was Pallad.

I'm the reason you have %t to macro your target in chat. I suggested it to Rowyl during Velious beta and he put it in.

There's my 10 minutes of fame done.

[Seducio]

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

I'm the reason you have %t to macro your target in chat. I suggested it to Rowyl during Velious beta and he put it in.

I use that command all the time. Cool hearing about its origin. Cheers.

[Cecily]

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

I was a Guide on Mith Marr, my guide name was Pallad.

I'm the reason you have %t to macro your target in chat. I suggested it to Rowyl during Velious beta and he put it in.

There's my 10 minutes of fame done.

Thank you.