How did people figure out quest back in the day?

[Sajuuk]

Some seem straight forward, others... not so much. Hell, I'm trying to fathom how someone figured out the fifth ranking skullcap for iksar necros. When I read the discription of what the NPC quest giver wanted me to do, I tried thinking about which dock I should go to find Ryx. Where the quest actually wants you to go was somewhere I would have looked last.

To be fair, I guess the fact that the OT evil outpost would of made sense since there are skellys at that dock. So maybe that quest is a bad example. But I would of never figure out which drink he wants.

And, of course, their are much more complicated quest.

With no wiki, no google, and before alakazam was established, how do people figure out those crazy quest? The only thing I can think of is being friends with someone who is part of the EQ team, or, I play ARK and have met paid testers for the game who have told me that they get to know all the ins and out of the game. So maybe testers for original EQ were the same way and they slowly leaked info?

Same for how people know how to make certain items with no schematics or ingredients. How much trial and error did it take to raise research skill and figure out which words/runes make certain spells?

Boggles my little mind I tell ya...

Anyone here play on live in 1999 and completed a quest on their own with no outside help? Besides noob quest :p

[Bummey]

For some things, it's utterly beyond me. I just did the platinum speckled powder step of the druid epic and I can't begin to comprehend how someone came to the conclusion that they should hand the wood painting to that human skeleton hiding behind the giant fort in Frontier Mountains.

[Freakish]

Message boards. There were boards completely dedicated to solving EQ quests. Communities came together and said "Ok I turned this item in and it worked, this is the next step" and someone else might be able to figure out the next step, and so on.

[Cecily]

Packet sniffers? There's absolutely no reason to give the wooden painting to the human skeleton in FM for the druid epic, but somehow we know to do that.

[Kagey]

The GM's that would play back in the day would spill info to their guilds and it would slowly branch out.

And early sites like everlore

[Bummey]

Packet sniffers? There's absolutely no reason to give the wooden painting to the human skeleton in FM for the druid epic, but somehow we know to do that.

I assume there's some scripted text hinting at it, somewhere, either from idle NPC banter or a completely random NPC in a tavern somewhere responding to a hail or text prompt. Nowadays we know that most NPCs are basically just filler bodies coded to do nothing more than stand still or move between two locations but when I was young and this was a whole new kind of game, everything was alive with possibility.


Everquest, man.

[applesauce25r624]

those asshole guilds that had the help of GMs/devs/whatever

[fugazi]

Trial and error, insane tinfoil discussions on various fora and of course, GMs and guides. My friend and I used to have a druid guide port us around, haha. I think my bastard friend got her to do a whole lot more as well.

[JayDee]

The GM's that would play back in the day would spill info to their guilds and it would slowly branch out.


This has to be the case. No way in hell people were experimenting and losing valuable quest pieces as a long shot for some of these quests with vague instructions.

[Daywolf]

Stratics. I had been already using it for a year with UO before EQ. They launched eq.stratics in late 98 and had a quest database going in 99 just after the game launched.

[Ravager]

They just looked for the "!" over the NPC's heads.

[Teppler]

I assume there's some scripted text hinting at it, somewhere, either from idle NPC banter or a completely random NPC in a tavern somewhere responding to a hail or text prompt. Nowadays we know that most NPCs are basically just filler bodies coded to do nothing more than stand still or move between two locations but when I was young and this was a whole new kind of game, everything was alive with possibility.


Everquest, man.

Having npcs randomly drop hints for really hard quests from random texts in different norrath taverns would of been amazing. That could've added a whole other dimension to this game and give reason to travel into and hang out in cities.

[RDawg816]

I remember going to NPCs and actually talking to them.
Hail
What gems?
Who took your gems?
I will find your gems.
Where are your gems?
I want gems.
/gu Anyone know about %t's gems?


Good times.

[Baler]

I remember responding to quest npcs in complete sentences as a young teenager. It was totally awesome. I felt like it was one of those old text based rpgs where you have to type in the correct text and words to proceed.
In the end I never did a lot of quests and ones that gave me items to do what ever with ended up sitting in my bank forever.

[Bummey]

Having npcs randomly drop hints for really hard quests from random texts in different norrath taverns would of been amazing. That could've added a whole other dimension to this game and give reason to travel into and hang out in cities.

Well, they do, there are places where this is the case. It meant that you had to try key words on every NPC you saw, like this:

I remember going to NPCs and actually talking to them.
Hail
What gems?
Who took your gems?
I will find your gems.
Where are your gems?
I want gems.
/gu Anyone know about %t's gems?


Good times.



The third monk shackle quest (http://wiki.project1999.com/Monk_Shackle_Quests), for example. The quest giver doesn't tell you much except for saying there's a history book you should read. You would then have to find the book, read it, and go around Cabilis asking every NPC in sight about a lost iksar master. There's one totally random no-name vendor inside a tavern who would tell you about an arm wrestling match, then you find the person who lost to the master, they point you to The Overthere, at which point you'd spend the next few weeks running around OT, not finding shit. Eventually you'd give up and get on the boat to Timorous Deep because why not? Then the boat would bug out, drop you in the middle of the ocean, and maybe you'd be near the chessboard island where the "an Iksar master" is hiding out. Or not, maybe you'd drown or get killed by Faydedar and lose your body forever, and never go back to TD again.

Or you would talk to a ranger or a druid who saw "an Iksar master" on track while riding the boat, and skip all that nonsense.

It was a fun time.

[syztem]

I recall following some by text only with no help but mostly the easier ones. I know for a fact though that GMs or devs which ever category you want them in either knew it from the code etc or out slowly got passed down from top dev-friend01 to friend of friend etc eventually turning forums full of half guess half quested epics became full guide. Look at some of the original epic quest finishers, they were always top guild, top player of that class, very far gear wise.

[k3vil]

I remember having npc's with broken texts back in the day. When the NPC's replied with a exception error

[Lagaidh]

Stratics. I had been already using it for a year with UO before EQ. They launched eq.stratics in late 98 and had a quest database going in 99 just after the game launched.

Wow I haven't seen that name in ages.

[Tupakk]

They actually worked for it, that's how. I love trying to do the broken quests and see how far I can get with no information or partial information besides knowing that it's broken. Makes it that much more fun.

[Troxx]

The GM's that would play back in the day would spill info to their guilds and it would slowly branch out.

And early sites like everlore

[syztem]

Must admit doing the quests are fun especially considering how bad a lot of them suck. After doing 2 epics recently(using wiki) it's still fun, some parts are annoying every quest in eq has that annoyingly long possibility. I did the monk robe twice again from scratch which is great fun(circle not WF) getting the sashes headband etc only to fail the trivial combine of 41 the times with a skill of 140+.... But yeah doing targin and raster again lots of fun. On live I did a 29hr stint with a 2hr nap only to login and find him spawned the next day. Monks who remember raster on live I don't think they can ever forget that

[Lagaidh]

As a paladin who got his epic when it was useless...

I remember the Ragefire camps in SolB for guild clerics. We'd be there so long we'd get pissy with each other.

Ugh. I can't believe I allowed a video game to subject me to such torture that I was more than willing to accept.

Heh. Maybe camping vanilla Ragefire could be made into an enhanced interrogation technique.

[syztem]

How many did the paw of opolla on live? farming the degenerate guk weed? that was just amazingly fun

[Yasi]

I find it even more fascinating that People went through the epic quest shit without knowing what's in for them at the end. I mean: some random dude on a pyramid telling you to gather some items doesn't really translate into "figure this out and get a best-in-Slot-item" - especially if you consider non-epic quest rewards that were often rather shitty.

[Bummey]

I find it even more fascinating that People went through the epic quest shit without knowing what's in for them at the end. I mean: some random dude on a pyramid telling you to gather some items doesn't really translate into "figure this out and get a best-in-Slot-item" - especially if you consider non-epic quest rewards that were often rather shitty.

The patch notes said this:

EPIC QUESTS - We are pleased to announce that we have implemented new "Fiery Avenger" style quests for every class in the game (including paladins). The ultimate reward for each quest boasts a custom model with unique particle effects. We think that you will be pleased.

You can bet your ass that everyone read that and dropped everything to run around the world, look for new mobs, hail every NPC looking for new text, and jump on anything that popped up. "If Paladins get a flaming sword, what will <my class> get?!"

[koros]

Packet sniffers? There's absolutely no reason to give the wooden painting to the human skeleton in FM for the druid epic, but somehow we know to do that.

I was working on/following this very closely when it was being solved on live back in the day. This made me curious so I actually looked it up:

Josia
Registered User
(10/26/00 6:22:01 am)
Re: Epic Quest - Teldin Quest with Logs

my apologies if this is somewhere else. I looked through some other threads, but couldn't locate my answer.


In the part where you take the old painting to the human skeleton in the Frontier Mountains, where does this skeleton appear?

I looked all over the Mountains last night, but could not find him. Is it always there, or is it something that only appears every so often?


Also, as I was doing this part, I wondered what clue that Niera gave to prompt one to go to the Frontier Mountains? Did someone just happen upon this?


thanks,
Josia

Ungar Raventhorn
Registered User
(10/26/00 6:49:04 am)
Re: Epic Quest - Teldin Quest with Logs
She is always up I think unless someone has given her a painting then she needs to respawn.

It's almost impossible to find it on tracking with all the trash in the zone. Easier if you get a SK, Necro or Cleric and have them cast Sense Undead.

As for giving the painting.. It was a pretty good educated guess. Niera has powder and won't give it up because it reminds her of her mother. Her mom is dead and you have a painting of Niera, so you gotta give the painting to her dead mom somewhere..

I gave the painting to Jarnel Marfury a ghost in FoB first who wasn't KoS.. Human skele in Frontier worked..


Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20010111131200/http://pub13.ezboard.com/fthedruidsgrovequests.showMessage?topicID=2788.top ic

[kagrobb]

For all the quests that were found and solved there were many that were found and never solved, and there there were many many quests never found at all and are rumored to be in the game still.

[Danth]

You can bet your ass that everyone read that and dropped everything to run around the world, look for new mobs, hail every NPC looking for new text, and jump on anything that popped up. "If Paladins get a flaming sword, what will <my class> get?!"

My recollection--hazy after so many years--is that solving the epic questlines was very much a race followed closely by much of the Everquest community at-large.

Danth

[Neno]

Everything got posted to the various forums/sites back then. New NPCs, new conversations, new drops, and anything that seemed out of the ordinary. It was like they took a dozen puzzles and dropped the pieces all over the world when it came to the epic quests. People just kept trying things until something worked and brain storming ideas in between. It does seem like a massive undertaking to figure it out and that is exactly what it was, 1000s of players across all of the servers working together and sharing what they found.

[Baadan]

and there were many many quests never found at all and are rumored to be in the game still.

This is the coolest thing, to me. I wish there was a way to know. I wonder if these quests made it to P99.

[Daldaen]

The developers on Live already said every complete quest was solved many years ago.

The random quests that seemed to have dead ends, like the named animals in South Karana who drop quest pieces (Cracktusk, Gnawfang, etc.) which have no other purpose, are likely a result of an intern's unfinished project. Many cases of this exist in the early stages of EQ.

[azeth]

The developers on Live already said every complete quest was solved many years ago.

The random quests that seemed to have dead ends, like the named animals in South Karana who drop quest pieces (Cracktusk, Gnawfang, etc.) which have no other purpose, are likely a result of an intern's unfinished project. Many cases of this exist in the early stages of EQ.

I think these unfinished quests add value. It's kind of neat that not every square peg has a square hole it fits into

[Erati]

stupid Gnawfang and Cracktusk

such a waste of excitement as a tracking class

[Jimjam]

I think these unfinished quests add value. It's kind of neat that not every square peg has a square hole it fits into

Agreed, the world feels so constructed when every last detail ties in with everything else...

Plus, having some loose threads allows the devs to tie new expansions into existing content better (not that they ever really bothered doing that so much).

[Sorn]

I still think it's funny that there's a quest for a dragon whose reward is to drop you in front of something KoS in the hopes that you die horribly.

[Sadre Spinegnawer]

Message boards. There were boards completely dedicated to solving EQ quests. Communities came together and said "Ok I turned this item in and it worked, this is the next step" and someone else might be able to figure out the next step, and so on.

This was the main conduit. I remember when the epics came out, the various boards were collaborative. The main enchanter site had a thread, and people just brainstormed and tried things out, and if they solved something, they posted it.

If I am remembering correctly, it was still laborious. I know my own personal story. I decided to try to be first chanter to 60 on my server instead of doing the epic (I ended up being second chanter to 60, on Quellious). I hit 60 before the chanter epic had been solved. I had VoG. So then the epic gets solved and I see the effect, and I'm like wtf.

Never did the epic.

But also I highly suspect sometimes devs playing the game would leak out infoz on the quests.

But one thing is sure, during classic, quests were not solved at lightning speed. Likewise with encounter strats. I remember Trakanon being a "mystery" when Kunark came out, and it took a fair while before my server killed it.

Those were different days. People were playing **tons** but at another level they sometimes played like casuals -- ie, not really knowing how to tackle content, not being super-efficient, etc. My take on how players do games these days, they want solutions and maximum efficiency to quests and encounters ASAP. That is one reason why designing a modern MMO is nearly impossible. We all are too good at this shit now. We chew through content too fast. What company wants to spend a year+ developing content that will be beaten in less than a week? We done beat the genre -- to death.

[Jimjam]

I just think it is a shame no one ever solved the rogue off-hand epic!

[Daywolf]

Wow I haven't seen that name in ages.
Yeah it wasn't heavily used by EQ players, nothing like zam when that came around. But it was used and well known by UO players that played EQ as well. Was one of the best community sites for UO, everyone used it as a go-to for linked info at the official UO forums. But now, for some years, it's not very active at all, well considering EQ and UO live are low pops. Both games went in the wrong direction some years after release state :(
edit: speaking of stratics

[Yuuvy The Destroyer]

The developers on Live already said every complete quest was solved many years ago.

The random quests that seemed to have dead ends, like the named animals in South Karana who drop quest pieces (Cracktusk, Gnawfang, etc.) which have no other purpose, are likely a result of an intern's unfinished project. Many cases of this exist in the early stages of EQ.

I recall a thread on the old foh guild page where a lead dev had said that something like 30%? of the quests had not been found.

Would have been around 2003-ish.

[Sajuuk]

Thanks for all the replies folks. Yeah, it's true that a new mmo like classic EQ would be impossible to market and be a success in todays world. Would be really interesting to see us P99ers try a fresh server that somehow would only be playable without outside help. I know, that would be impossible.

I do really enjoy being able to see how quest turn out. As someone would joined live when LoY came out, questing was just not something anyone I played with did back then... except for PoP progression. As a family man, it's nice being able to do EQ quest even if it's not truely questing using wiki. Oh to be a 14year old loser with 8 hours a day to play again. It's funny tho, even holding the wikis hand while questing, STILL harder than doing a wow quest lol.

[Jimjam]

In LoY I did the quest for Stoicism (mini torpor) on a shaman with a bunch of my friends. LoY was a great expansion for noobing about in!

[Valura]

everlore

that website hated the 10 year old me

shame on my parents for letting me use the internet unsupervised at that age

[Hoozi]

We had a GM in our guild (only the guild leader knew it at the time) and we got lots of inside information from him - which gave us a huge leg up on the rest of the server. Was pretty awesome.

[ShadexDemarr]

It was also a different generation of player back then. When Everquest first came out a large portion of their early community were old MUD players, as was Brad McQuiad. These hard core gamers and readers were used to playing games where the secret password to get into the last room of the final castle to defeat the boss was written on a slip of paper in a drawer in the first room you spawned into over a year ago.

I remember lots of books and slips of paper and all sorts of information spread all over Norrath, some even in other languages, that covered history, myths, all sorts of stuff that contained hints for various quests. As someone that was also forged on MUDs and now loves hard core ARGs where hours of research and speculation are required to solve the greatest challenges I returned to P99 because of that level of challenge. The modern gamers in general are simply not used to that level of challenge. Games like WoW and countless mindless add-ons that point on your map exactly where to go and what to do have changed the mentality of gamers in general. It is for that reason I believe that people have a hard time comprehending the effort that was so commonplace for many gamers in times past.

[radda]

I've thought the same thing OP, but it wasn't till the epic 2.0 for enchanted that I realized by that time it was the community of class forums or obviously violates and random friends

[radda]

I mean guilddmates and that I happen to be on the bleeding edge for completing the new 2.0

[Jimjam]

I was reading Unsolved Mysteries in Everquest (https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/unsolved-mysteries.226521/) this morning.

[Zuranthium]

Would be really interesting to see us P99ers try a fresh server that somehow would only be playable without outside help. I know, that would be impossible.

It's not impossible at all. What needs to happen is dynamic content, instead of static content. That way only basic things like map layouts would remain the same and whenever you go somewhere in the game world over different periods of time, it's a different experience. Thus a wiki would not be able to tell people exactly where to go and what to do, nor would there be nearly as much crowding around specific content.

[Gumbo]

I know when I played back in 1999, when the game came out, everyone and their mothers used Allakhazam.

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/

[Danth]

Thanks for all the replies folks. Yeah, it's true that a new mmo like classic EQ would be impossible to market and be a success in todays world.

True, but today's gaming world exists as it does in no small part due to games like EQ. An Olds Curved Dash would fail on the marketplace today, as well. It's all part of the natural progression of industries.

Danth