Ah heck, let's talk about EQ1

[SuperPopTart]

There is also a Looking For Guild System now. You plug in your level, your AA's and so forth, and it provides you with a list of guilds.uild .

The LF Guild system in EQ2 is pretty borked. They list by guild level, which means at the top of the list of guilds are lots of raiding guilds that aren't actually accepting members at all or who are looking for an 80th pet/wis/rez/buff mystic with 140AAs and fully geared who can raid at some god insane time of day. The little guilds taking newbies get listed way down or more likely not at all. Which is kind of backwards since if you're a serious raider you're probably going to know all the guilds and what they want and the newbies are the ones most likely to use the built in system.

In EQ1 it's just very basic. Lists guilds, time zone, small description with a larger one upon click to view. Beyond that, yeah..that's it.

I don't recall the one in EQ2 but it sounds less useful than EQ1 which isn't a good thing in any manner of speaking.

[Salamok]

...but after playing wow for a few years I have decided that something of value and substance was lost during the elimination of these things...

Apparently it didn't lose enough or you wouldn't have put in a few years 

Most people couldn't goddamned wait to jump ship from EQ1 to a better game, those that remained that is. It just all the way the hell until WoW to get there.

WoW is a better game but EQ had a tighter community.  Pretty sure the EQ community was not entirely the result of it's demographic and size, I think the gameplay was just geared more for it than WoW is.

The better game aspect of wow had me logging 70 or so days played over 3 years, the stronger community aspect of EQ had me logging 300+ days played over a 5 year period.  Then again I suppose having already been to see the wizard and taking a peek behind the curtain may have beefed up my immunity to the WoW addiction a fair bit so days played may not be a fair comparison.

[Ratman_tf]

One thing I really liked that i only remember from DAOC was being able to flag a group as looking for more. EQ2 might do this, but nobody uses it. But that let the searching go two way. I don't know how many times I have gotten a tell in COX asking who the group leader was and if there were any spaces. Be a lot easier to have an apply to group button or something.

PlanetSide takes this one step further. Not only can you see what squads are LFM a squad leader can set his/her squad as "auto-join" and people can invite themselves into it -- no need to even bug the squad leader. Of course PS is an MMOFPS so you don't typically have the group composition issues as you do in MMORPGs.

I wonder if you could automate that aspect by listing yourself as a Healer or Tank or DPS, whatever. Give the 4 or 5 basic party roles, and then set your party to autoinvite one Healer or whatever.

Setting aside the general suckiness of PUGs for a moment...

[tazelbain]

If I was build an lfg tool today I would be handing rewards (buffs/teleports/badges).  To the point where people who were just grouping with their friends would still want to always use the lfg tool to set it up.  It needs to be the default way of making groups.

[SuperPopTart]

...but after playing wow for a few years I have decided that something of value and substance was lost during the elimination of these things...

Apparently it didn't lose enough or you wouldn't have put in a few years 

Most people couldn't goddamned wait to jump ship from EQ1 to a better game, those that remained that is. It just all the way the hell until WoW to get there.

WoW is a better game but EQ had a tighter community.  Pretty sure the EQ community was not entirely the result of it's demographic and size, I think the gameplay was just geared more for it than WoW is.

The better game aspect of wow had me logging 70 or so days played over 3 years, the stronger community aspect of EQ had me logging 300+ days played over a 5 year period.  Then again I suppose having already been to see the wizard and taking a peek behind the curtain may have beefed up my immunity to the WoW addiction a fair bit so days played may not be a fair comparison.

I think of all of the MMORPG's out there to date, the strongest community outside of the UO Community has always really been the EQ community. I'm sure I'll get disagreements with this but for a game that has managed to sustain a form of life for as long as it has, with the die-hards still basically playing and/or coming back..it's pretty impressive. Though with respect to games like DAoC - it's a similar community in terms of loyalty and die hards. 

I'd be interested to see what the numbers look like of people "returning" to EQ.

[Tale]

The better game aspect of wow had me logging 70 or so days played over 3 years, the stronger community aspect of EQ had me logging 300+ days played over a 5 year period.

The more often the average person is logged in, the higher the server/bandwidth costs. So I guess "better game" wins commercially if there's a flat monthly fee, while "better community" wins if it's time charged. EQ was just flat fee (or a higher flat fee for a premium server). WoW has time charging in Asia, flat fees everywhere else. I wonder what community is like in WoW in time charged countries - much weaker?

[Fordel]

If I was build an lfg tool today I would be handing rewards (buffs/teleports/badges).  To the point where people who were just grouping with their friends would still want to always use the lfg tool to set it up.  It needs to be the default way of making groups.

This I very much agree with. Getting folks to actually USE the LFG tool, is practically as difficult as constructing a proper tool to begin with, if not more so.

[Daztur]

Loved the big world, it was a lot of fun wandering around not really knowing where I was going and some of the locations were just plain beautiful. Having to get through a dangerous area to bind in another place was some of the best times I've had in a MMORPG.

However, I have the sense of direction of a blind wombat so having to do corpse runs made me quit that game. Hell, I had to play pretty much nothing but trolls since I got lost in almost every other starting city and often couldn't find the trainer/exit (halfling city was OK too).

[SuperPopTart]

Loved the big world, it was a lot of fun wandering around not really knowing where I was going and some of the locations were just plain beautiful. Having to get through a dangerous area to bind in another place was some of the best times I've had in a MMORPG.

However, I have the sense of direction of a blind wombat so having to do corpse runs made me quit that game. Hell, I had to play pretty much nothing but trolls since I got lost in almost every other starting city and often couldn't find the trainer/exit (halfling city was OK too).

They put in Corpse Summoners inside the guild lobby. Losing your corpse will never happen again unless the server eats it.

I sorta wish they hadn't done that actually. It's things like that and falling to your death for 15000000000000000 points of damage while running along a flat surface that just made it fun.

[Lakov_Sanite]

Loved the big world, it was a lot of fun wandering around not really knowing where I was going and some of the locations were just plain beautiful. Having to get through a dangerous area to bind in another place was some of the best times I've had in a MMORPG.

However, I have the sense of direction of a blind wombat so having to do corpse runs made me quit that game. Hell, I had to play pretty much nothing but trolls since I got lost in almost every other starting city and often couldn't find the trainer/exit (halfling city was OK too).

They put in Corpse Summoners inside the guild lobby. Losing your corpse will never happen again unless the server eats it.

I sorta wish they hadn't done that actually. It's things like that and falling to your death for 15000000000000000 points of damage while running along a flat surface that just made it fun.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

[SuperPopTart]

Well. I have issues. My type of "fun" is the beat your head against a brick wall type..

Different strokes an' all.

[Merusk]

It certainly explains that whole "Married to haemish" thing.

[climbjtree]

Okay, so I just started up again. Do we have any active players, and on what server?

Also, I'm started a new character instead of using my old ones to re-learn the game. I'm plan on completing the tutorial since I hear that n00b zones are deserted. Once I hit level 10, I assume there are groups to find at that level... right?

[SuperPopTart]

It certainly explains that whole "Married to haemish" thing.

I'd respond but I was distracted by your avatar.

Unrealistically bouncy.


----> Active player. On Maelin.

[climbjtree]

Okay. Maelin.

But as far as the grouping... I hit level 10 and then show up at the tunnel in EC looking for a group. Will I find one or is everyone level 9000?

[SuperPopTart]

Yeah about the tunnel...

It's a nice thought ;-)


You won't find many level 10's looking for groups because the leveling dynamic has changed a lot. It's easier now to get through lower levels but they've compensated for it a bit by making mobs a bit harder.

At this rate if you logged on tonight and played for like two hours, depending on how old your account was and how equipped you were, at 10..you could get to like 20 in an hour.

[climbjtree]

Did something happen to the tunnel or Commons in general?

Also, what's your name in game so that I can bombard you with questions?

[shiznitz]

I had a 63 ranger when I quit. He had maybe 30 AAs.  If I logged him on, what would I do?

[climbjtree]

Also, I just found a sweet private EQ server. The people who run it seem like they are all about the spirit of the game versus numbers and third party data loggers and whatnot.

Shards of Dalaya: (http://www.shardsofdalaya.com/)

I'll be logging in to it tonight and I'll let you know what's what.

[SuperPopTart]

Alysiia KillerTomato.


And well, they kinda changed things. I mean there is A tunnel..

But it'll never the same tunnel..

And the commonlands?

Just one long zone. It's something to see.

[climbjtree]

Okay, so I've been playing on a private EQ Classic server. I am having a great time.

Apparently, the only way to play is own or attain a copy of Everquest Titanium, which is the version that includes every expansion. Once installed, do not patch. From here, you redirect your client to a private login server where you'll find 20-30 private shards listed. All instructions can be found at the EQ Emulator site.

I play on a recently opened "classic" server. The idea behind it is that anything newer than what was added during Velious will never be seen in game. Currently, we're still old-world Norrath, with the requirement to open Kunark being the downing of the dragons or four more months. At our rate, Kunark will be open at the time requirement. I really am having a lot of fun here, though it lacks a lot of players. We peak at 40-50 online. Sadly, there are people who log in 3 clients and play with themselves. That's not so bad for right now, since we lack players, but it irritates me either way.

If you were ever a fan of EQ as it was originally, I suggest you give this a shot. It's a lot of fun to have the content to yourself most of the time. If we had enough players, Bat Country could do some cool things!

[schild]

I think whenever you end up playing on a private server, it represents a personal problem. This applies to any game.

[climbjtree]

Well, to be fair, it's not like a played EQ from release until now and have drifted on to a private server. I've only recently stumbled upon it and play there because it's the game I remember and on top of that, it's free.

Plus, there are far fewer asshats there.

[schild]

Unless your definition of asshat is someone who plays EQ, UO, or WoW ^_^

[climbjtree]

Or EVE or AoC.

They are all the same.

[Ratman_tf]

Unless your definition of asshat is someone who plays EQ, UO, or WoW ^_^

Online gamers are  .

[Ubvman]

We peak at 40-50 online. Sadly, there are people who log in 3 clients and play with themselves. That's not so bad for right now, since we lack players, but it irritates me either way.

Why even bother with a thoroughly castrated and diluted online game in this case... Go play Oblivion!

[schild]

We peak at 40-50 online. Sadly, there are people who log in 3 clients and play with themselves. That's not so bad for right now, since we lack players, but it irritates me either way.

Why even bother with a thoroughly castrated and diluted online game in this case... Go play Oblivion!

You advised he play a diluted and castrated console game. That's not weird, at all.

[Tebonas]

I play Online Games despite other people, not because of them!

It used to be the other way round, but Online people broke me.

50 people sound about right to me.

[climbjtree]

I've never made it past level 25 or so in any game other than Asheron's Call or AO. That being said, there's a lot of content that I've never seen in pretty much every MMO I've played. While EQ is clearly designed to be massively multiplayer, having fewer people log on turns it into something more like multiplayer Oblivion, and that's something that I enjoy.

[shiznitz]

I play MMOGs for the MMO part, asshats or not. A private server would completrely defeat the purpose for me. I like seeing other players running around in AoC, even if they are killing the mobs I need on White Sands!

[Ratman_tf]

I play MMOGs for the MMO part, asshats or not. A private server would completrely defeat the purpose for me. I like seeing other players running around in AoC, even if they are killing the mobs I need on White Sands!

Pretty much. I do wish that somebody besides Raph would brainstorm other types of interactions between players outside the Group or PvP paradigms we've got stuck in now.

Shit, something like Player Cities seems to be a herculean task to get flying. Only a few MMOGs have even tried it so far.

[Tarami]

I play MMOs for the asshats. They amuse me. PuGs can be alot of fun at a bearable level of asshatting.

[Ratman_tf]

What I can't stand are the whiners. Those passive aggresive turds who can't stop bitching about losing the flag, or not getting the roll for thier purple monkey beater.

Makes me cranky and stabby.

[sam, an eggplant]

What I can't stand are the whiners. Those passive aggresive turds who can't stop bitching about losing the flag, or not getting the roll for thier purple monkey beater.

Makes me cranky and stabby.

"Their".

Also, "aggressive".

Lastly, describe in single words only the good things that come in to your mind about your mother.