Thank you Project 1999

[Lagaidh]

Like most of you, EverQuest through the Velious expansion facilitated some of my best gaming experiences of all time. I share the incredible nostalgia for the sense of wonder and community that developed in the early years of EverQuest.

I became aware of the EQ Classic project whose purpose is to recreate the very state of EverQuest that I mention above. Due to the goals of that team, they must spend an incredible amount of time to achieve it. I had my hopes up only to see that project in development for now almost two years.

Last night, I learned about Project 1999. To all of you that made the P99 server possible, I thank you from the bottom of my gaming heart.

I recreated my 310-days-played main last night. Lagaidh the dorf paladin has been reborn. Lagaidh lived from July 03, 1999 to sometime in late 2005. I never thought I could be so excited to kill my first decaying skeleton and loot those bone chips.

I suppose this is a type of post that is seen from time to time here as a part of our past is brought fully back to real life. It's incredible and I again am so thankful. I even find myself happy to experience some of the things that used to drive me mad. I grinned from ear to ear when a Krag Chick warped to me in front of Kaladim and began to rape my L1 hit points. It's so authentic.

It also looks like there's a great community here with resurrecting old sites we all used to use in the old days.

I may have just turned 33, but I feel 22 all over again. Just like 1999, I simply can't wait for the work day to be done so I can go home, log in, and just go out into Norrath as my alter-ego. For the glory of Kaladim, have at thee!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you!

/dusts off an old signature

- Lagaidh Smif
- Proud Paladin of the Rathe

[Serrack]

Well said, completely agree.

Thank you from another player who's equally happy to be here.

[Dominick]

Have I said how much I love you guys? This is a great project, and I agree, the classic game was a high water mark in gaming. Nothing has come close yet.

The immersion is not defined with how lifelike the models are but in the sense of wonder. I forgot so many little things about EQ classic in the two days I have been here, and remember how much I enjoyed them and how I cussed about them!

[Dunes]

I absolutely agree with the previous posters. This is not several people sucking up at all - this is a post from those who want you to know how much we genuinely appreciate what it is that you guys are doing here.

Thanks again and expect me to contribute regularly, as this is not something that I (nor many of you) want to see fade away again.

[Lagaidh]

Yeah, my words were not to suck up. I'm a programmer. I understand the monumental effort the team has put in to give (free of charge no less) back a gem to a community that has pined for a time gone by.

I suppose nostalgia strikes everyone as they age. I certainly know the nostalgia trend is in full swing for Gen Xers.

I can't remember how many times my wife and I have had conversations about how great the first three years of EQ were, and how crushing it was for the game to change so drastically after Velious. I would wish out loud that SoE would create a server that only had the first two expansions, or just the original game.

As I logged in for the first time to P99 last night, I was surprised that even though I know almost every little thing there is to know about Butcherblock Mountains, I was feeling that wonder as I puttered around the hill outside of Kaladim.

I had wondered in the past about EQ and that sense of wonder. EQ was my first MMO. I had come to the conclusion that it was the first MMO that a given person played that became such an emotional attachment for the player. I'd talked to others whose first game was UO or DAoC and they felt about those games like I did about EQ.

Maybe it's the combination of player and game; no matter if it's their first MMO or tenth. From 2006 to now I've played WoW off and on and it never once captured 1/10th of the feeling in the technically inferior EQ.

EQ is just my game. I feel good about this community, because if you're here, then chances are you share the exact same views about the original game.

I'm so giddy I might shit myself.

Bork Foo Pah!

[Dunes]

Well said Lagaidh! I am still relatively new myself (having been back for slightly over a week), so should you ever findyourself in the Qeynos area, give Gizmodo (Druid) or Zevyn (Warrior) a tell :)

[cured]

I'll echo the comments and sentiment. I've gotten quite used to the old graphics and don't have any real complaints. I'm having a lot of fun wondering, when I'm out exploring, if the next step I take will result in my death. I must have died 10 times before I hit level 2 because of things like this and I thought "oh yeah, this is what it's like when games are supposed to be hard."

Like the OP, I was 22 when I first started and now I'm 33. Nostalgia can be fleeting but I'm definitely going to stick around. I really enjoy seeing all the auctions in EC, remembering how rare/wanted some of those items were when I played on a PvP server (EC tunnel was almost empty on TZ because it wasn't safe).

[Braelyn]

This should be the longest thread on the board. Without these guys making this happen, none of us would be here.

[Humerox]

The most amazing thing - to me - is that Nilbog did it for a long time by himself. Then some other greats came along...Rogean, and some devs no longer here.

Wish the population would quit running the good ones off, btw.

Much gratitude for the effort from me, as always...

[davedeck42]

huge thank you to the devs. Im in a befallen group tabbed out while the group takes forever to regen mana.. just like i remember lol

[Lagaidh]

Oh man! I can't WAIT to go to the EC tunnel. I'm po', but I'm savin! I spent many a weekend there in classic live. I loved watching rolling /auc.

One guy always used to start his /auc with S E X, such as:

Fred auctions, "S E X wts jagged band 5str 3ac S E X"

Always caught my eye, hehe.

[Striiker]

Welcome back! I certainly do share your sentiments and had also asked many times for SOE to build a classic server (on their forums). Of course, it was all ignored. When I heard of P99, I thought I'd give it a try. I was always suspicious of emulators (being an infosec guy) but figured I'd try it out. I expected a fairly empty world and made my Enchanter. I headed to Qeynos immediately (as I had done a few times on Live with my new characters) and was elated to see that Qeynos (my favorite starting zone) was filled with people slaying snakes, etc. I can remember going to Qeynos on live in recent years and how empty it was.. I've been loving the old world zones, both the very familiar and some which I had never bothered to visit.
I look forward to seeing you all in game!

[Arclanz]

Thanks devs and PM(s)!! Your hard work has already provided milliions of man-hours-of-fun! To the next million, huzzah!

[sleepingwolf]

I'd also like to add my profound thanks. I was never so happy to see a goblin's ass crack than when I logged in for the first time the other day. If I ever see the Devs on the street they are getting some sloppy man-love.

[Lagaidh]

I'm heading to the donate portion of the site. They'll get my original monthly pay fee as long as I'm here :)

Let's not let this server ever die.

[Seritaph]

Yes, I agree. This server is very exciting. And I am very appreciative of all the work done to make it happen. Thank you.

[nagarpoe]

Well said, Indeed.

Ditto, :P

[Maelstrom]

Great server. Love the old school difficulty of everything. I didn't play EQ until 2001 (just before Velious came out) so I never got a chance to play the game in this format. Love it!