The Classic First Day

[NostalgicGuy]

So its been many years since I stopped playing EverQuest (after LDoN basically), and I was convinced, through a dose of heavy nostalgia, to give it a go again in the classic way I loved.

So I decide to go a class/race/starting area I'd never done - Erudite Necro, starting in Paineel.

Talk to guildmaster, scribe two spells, alright! Try to exit to newbie area. I find myself in a maze of twisty passages, all alike. After exploring for a while and getting lost a couple times, I find what I assume is the exit. A rock that is locked, and I don't have a key! After frustration, googling and asking, find the answer - ask a guard for a key. Wander 'round. No guard gives keys. Wait. Guards are meant to be at lift, but they aren't there. hrmm, what happened to them?

Friendly Eru Necro who has key lets me out... I head off, oops, not to newbie area but tox forest. Hit a yellow mob, die. Back in paineel. No guards, stuck again! Wait to get let out, head to real newbie area and get key. Now I'm rockin! Hit lvl 2, friendly necro gives me grats, then gives me a little something to help & buy spells incl pet. (yay!)

Later that same day... I've hit level 5, and am so over Toxxulia Forest, wanting to go to Qeynos. Make trek to Erudin (get killed by pixie on way, make way back) .. get to Erudin, slowly make way through zone conning everything dubious. Get to dock and think "hrmm, if I crash loading or something goes wrong with boat, corpse is problem, so lets put stuff in bank". Head to find bank in Erudin .. oops KOS NPC. Dead. Back to paineel. uh oh, that evil gnome necro has been killing the gate guards again, and I can't get out. log out in frustration.

Later ... log back in, guards are down, but evil gnome lets me out and thankfully binds me at top outside lift. yay. Start making my way back to Erudin -- oops, mob attacks me dead. Head off again - make it through, get corpse back in Erudin, gate to Paineel, put some stuff in bank in case, make way back. Arrive at dock .. 12-15 mins later ... hope like hell client doesn't stall loading travelling by boat. (Having boating accident would just top off the whole day)

Rest is easier, friendly druid binds me at docks, and after a nervous trek through Qeynos invis (which I find later I don't need), some old school blackburrow fun later and I'm level six.

So after everything modern mmo's don't have: complex confusing starting area, easy to die, nerve wracking corpse recovery, down time, being broke, lots of travelling back & forth, some of it dangerous....

... I find that I didn't hate it! (however much I was swearing)

That sense of accomplishment came back - something that modern mmo's rarely have, especially at early levels. Getting out of starting area is not just a case of join the dotted quests.

Something else exciting: lowbies, lots of them! a dozen people in blackburrow in off peak. (Obv not really real newbs)

Thanks, Project 1999 team, for helping me re-live that day, 11 ½ years ago when it all began (for better or worse).

I have no idea how long it'll last, but it looks possible I'll be having nostalgic fun for a while.

p.s. 5gp for squished gnome heads!

[Aarone]

http://www.project1999.org/forums/picture.php?albumid=17&pictureid=91

[Avatar190]

I echo this post, as I had a similar day out of Halas (barring all the issues of navigation). I had never played a Shaman (my main toons were a Bard and a Wizard), so I thought I'd give that a shot to increase the new feel of the experience. I don't think I would have even needed to do that, I totally remembered nothing of the game (and I played from 1999 to 2004).

I was having fun hanging around the the entrance gulch, outside of Halas, killing all the skellies, gnoll pups, bears and wolves (all while avoiding the ever-present annoyance of the Vengeful Lyricist!). Worked my way up to level 3. I was then approached by Laledorm from Transcendence. He happened into Halas, and took my fledgling self under his wing, and helped me out. Suiting me up in full Banded armor, giving me some PP for spells, and then hitting me with some high end buffs, he sent me out into the world ahead of me. His only request was to progress quickly, and return the favor to another Barbarian sometime down the road. I will do just that someday, Brother. Thank you for the assistance.

With my new found (albeit temporary) power, I venture off towards Blackburrow. I find it hasn't changed a bit, but I have absolutely no clue where to run in there...talk about a maze. I happen along a group operating within, and get invited. Turns out one of the group members was an acquaintance who I remembered from back in the day on my old server. What are the chances of that? Haha. So throw some names back and forth to each other, and have a good time talking in the group about our previous times playing.

I ding Level 4, and decide I have to share and let my wife play her Druid for a while. So, I bid farewell to the group (who escort me out close to the Halas-side exit), run back to Halas and log off.

Totally refreshing experience. The new age of spoon-fed MMOs, and mindless linear gameplay has run it's course. It is nice to get back to the age when you actually have to "work" at finding things out, and exploring. I, too, wish to express thanks to the efforts of all involved keeping this server going. I look forward to continuing playing EQ once again.

Thank you.

[Malrubius]

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/19735/chuck-norris-thumbs-up.jpg

[Lelroni]

Ooooh, I wanna play too!

http://www.thevine.com.au/resources/imgdetail/gary-busey-detail_100310112651.jpg

[Infectious]

Should have leveled in paineel to lvl 3... There is a named skelly u can kill and give his rib bone and get a nice 7 dmg 35 delay magic weapon with a dot proc and 10 mana. I stayed in toxx forest til i then got to lvl 4. If u ever go back to paineel deff get that weap cause it makes soloin easy til ur teens.

[bufferofnewbies]

MOAR CLASSIC!

http://jimjamesson.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/thumbs-up-michael-knight.jpg

[Slade_the_Slide]

Should have leveled in paineel to lvl 3... There is a named skelly u can kill and give his rib bone and get a nice 7 dmg 35 delay magic weapon with a dot proc and 10 mana. I stayed in toxx forest til i then got to lvl 4. If u ever go back to paineel deff get that weap cause it makes soloin easy til ur teens.

I have an Erudite Enchanter, where should I go once I hit 5? I have some alts from the FP area, and I've done that to death. I want somewhere a bit more fresh. Not concerned about grouping at the moment. Should I make my way to Antonica or is there a good zone for a pre-10's caster on Odus?

Oh and:
http://www.comicbookmovie.com/images/users/uploads/8558/,,,THUMBS-UP-borat.jpg

[HippoNipple]

My experience making a new wizard this weekend. Walk out of starting town, see level 50 druid in zone, get buffs, get a couple levels, rebuff, couple levels, after an hour I'm level 10, log off. Not as tough but still rewarding, getting lucky with some buffs can be nice.

[Karnek]

I got lucky running into the same druid buffing as well as meeting someone who was giving away plat to newbies just so they could buy their spells (name withheld so they don't get harassed). It was a very different experience than it was in gfay.

[Aetherial]

Heh, I posted my classic first day also... similar to yours, but not as colorful. I got killed by a spiderling; A spiderling? seriously?

Welcome back... They did a good job getting the server close to classic. Sadly, it is easy to feel like an outsider on this server.

What it did teach me is that you can never go back. I am having fun, but the same feeling will never be captured again. It isn't the fault of the server, it is that I know too much this time around so you can never recapture the learning and exploring (and dieing, well you can still do that, often).