[A1rh3ad]

Originally Posted by paulgiamatti [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

QFT

I wouldn't exactly call EQ a sandbox game, but it is far from linear. In a lot of ways it is a weird game that doesn't make a lot of sense, but I think that's why most of us are here. Almost everything about the game leads you to social interaction - its content is arbitrary and esoteric, it's wildly unbalanced in many ways, and it's very unforgiving.

I'd agree that EQ's gameplay, because of its arbitrariness, does allow for an unknowable number of ways to do things and a huge array of playstyles. The extremes are much more extreme than all of its successors - it's possible to be very, very bad at the game as well as prodigiously good. Unfortunately, this same arbitrariness also allows for some pretty stupid things like corner tanking boss mobs, bags full of one-off clickable items, and insanely long camps.

But with the drudging work comes, I think, much more than your average reward. Nothing else quite matches the adrenaline rush of just barely surviving an unlucky pull in Howling Stones, or the first time your guild slays a dragon with only a few left standing at the end. Nothing really does quite match the satisfaction of leading a successful group to the depths of some absurdly remote zone, truly challenging yourself and your teammates in the process.

The removal of this is 100% of the problem with MMOs now. It makes it feel like a real world. Not everything in life has a purpose and not everything is going to be profitable. Sometimes you spend years in college for a degree the is practically worthless. You cant portal or teleport across the globe and visit everywhere in an instant. It takes time and planning. You dont call your friends and suddenly appear at the club bar or wherever your destination is. Life is arbitrary. As mmos "progressed" they started removing the arbitrary nature of it bit by bit for convenience. It gets to the point where why even level at all? Start everyone with epics and call it a game. Heres a better idea, put in an action game and forget RPG all together. WoW took a big hit from this. Now nobody quests. Everything is done from LFG in town. As populated as it is you wouldnt know it from walking around questing. In fact there is no reason to. Instant dungeons give you way more than the quests.
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