Having played P99 for a week now, I'm convinced that if the original EQ was redone using modern tech, it would be a total win. I'm a game developer, and I'd do everything I could to get on that project.
There is a massive hole in the market right now that no-one seems to have seen. The first company to produce a quality, high-fantasy MMO with depth and space will corner a large niche market (at least). A revamped EQ (EQ2 is misnamed, it's a totally different game) would nail this. Keep the mechanics and the balance as close to the original as possible - be OCD about this. Use art that maintains the feel of the original art, but of much higher resolution. Create animations and effects that keep the feel of the originals but are of much higher quality (especially animations). Reproduce Classic EQ up to Velious and stop. Dig down, not out. Additions should enhance and enriche what was already there, not extend it. The game should in every respect feel to an EQ veteran as if someone wiped their glasses: everything is the same, but suddenly clearer and better and if possible, deeper.
This wouldn't be a WoW killer. It would be for everyone else who either loved EQ or wanted a consistent, challenging world in which to adventure. ADD gamers and cutesy console gamers need not apply. It would not be mass market, it would be intentionally niche market, and uncompromising about that.
If I knew enough money people, and knew someone at Sony, I may even pitch the idea. Done right, it can't lose.
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