How did they get this game so right?
 

It had to be luck right? Or was Brad a genius?

They were basically just ripping of DnD and MUDs. But so many other mmorpgs sucked ass.

Because they were trying to make a fantasy world. Every other game that came after was just trying to make a game. But they didn't fail. They were trying to get people to play, not create a good fantasy world. By those metrics they succeeded far beyond everquest.

I think trying to reproduce the DND/MUD experience in a multiplayer online game naturally lends itself to good online gameplay, and I believe the EQ influences are a reason why classic WoW was so highly regarded as well.

1. You've got to rely on people. You sell items personally and has my favorite economy of any game I've played. You engage with a player any time you buy or sell something. I literally had a potion guy and, at one time, a transfer guy (Hagglebaron)
2. You're trying to get fat loots (dopamine; Blizzard can't even get this one right anymore)
3. There is interplay between #1 and #2. The strong social element makes loot and other achievements more rewarding
4. It's easy to play, difficult to master. The tedium paces periods of action with periods of relative inaction. Everything descending into madness and chaos as you wipe and then end up naked at your bind, having potentially lost hours of time, makes it that much more gratifying when you can consistently avoid this.

Modern MMO's have lost their fundamentals and play more like lobby ARPG's.

Re-examining EQ, it seems like certain things were kind of mailed in, like trade skills and lore to some degree. Other things they NAILED like starting cities, spell casting system, character art, and certain dungeons.

The innate difficulty and need to group and socialize was mostly Brad from what I can gather and it really the game.

Other than that it was pretty much a 3D MUD. They designed a bunch of dungeons using MOBs and race/classes from DnD.

They didn't antiicpateexpect "raiding" or camping to be a thing.

too much time is a thing
this game sucked up time
then warcraft happened

Its a dnd simulator. Other mmorpgs are MTG simulators.

asherons call was vastly superior hope this helps

shun the non-believer!

jk. idk. i never played ac1 or ac2

i kinda like the lore...but it doesnt feel finished. I agree with pretty much everything else here in this take.

EQ feels like a passion project and I think thats where the magic is. You can tell the people who made it actually cared about making a good game and not just a cash grab. Everything else these days just feels like they wanna milk you dry as much as possible until next years new version 2.0. I still havent experience everything EQ has to offer and ive been playing off and on for 20 years. The closest thing to real dnd vibes in a multiplayer setting imho.

OP let me let you in on a secret

:Brad: and Sony at the time (even lol) thought that this shit wouldn't even make any money and it was originally a pleasure project that Him (brad bless) and SMedly dumped their savings into and got lucky on getting a paycheck from Sony SPORTS entertainment at the time, this was going to be like their big shot into getting into the gaming biz butt they had

ZERO PHDs and Psychology papers on addiction and skinner boxing

They hired ppl and where ppl who wanted to created a world and bring it to life.

They cared FUCK ALL about

:progression
:raiding
:balance
:time investment
:engagmement metrics
:monthly subs
:player retention

they had no idea what the fuck would happen they just wanted to make the best elf simulation there ever was and it didn't matter if you where a level one elf talkin to npcs because level 60 did not exist in their minds until later into kunark and, then, Sony Online entertainment....

and yes I know verent and 989 but sony was their big parents. those where like shell companies once the game was succesfull enough for PoP launch it was time to cash in the IP and those companies where no longer nesccessary

G-d bless

and br-d bless!