I left for a simple reason.
It all can be viewed here:
http://everquestlore.wikia.com/wiki/...ense_Agreement
This:
Quote:
|
7. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, we hereby grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license to use the Software solely in connection with playing the Games via an authorized and fully-paid Account...
|
And:
Quote:
|
9. You may not use any third party software, programs, applications or utilities to modify the Software to change or otherwise affect, alter or modify play of the Games. You may not use our intellectual property rights contained in the Games or the Software to create or provide any other means through which the Games may be played by others, as through server emulators...
|
Funny I should miss this, you say? Well, I did. I just assumed that the value in EQ isn't the client, it's the server and the whole service that SOE supplies. That was my thinking up until I read the EULA.
I know ignorance or stupidity isn't a defense in court, but it's just the truth.
I left and got bored for a while and then tried EQ2. Then I got bored again until recently.
EQ2 is dumbed down. Or it feels that way. And way too much mudflation. It's just too superficial. It's pretty on the outside, but the more I dig the more it doesn't sit well with me. I can't play by being blind to it.
Frankly, EQ2 is just old and mudflated. Every MMORPG - that I'm aware of - experiences this.
I bought a class and got some SC. Had plans to get DOV. But...
EQ2 is an ok game. I may retry it to spend SC. But it's not what I'm specially looking for.
Now, I loved classic EQ. The era between 1999 and 2002. There're so many things I could bring up. Like how the user interface was much less cluttered back then. There was no radar or minimap or countless symbols above names or soft aggro mechanics or any of that other hand holding BS. Too much to count. People are obsessed with feedback and can't live without a bulky interface that tells them everything. I am thoroughly sick of people who think a game needs those things. IMHO, it has ruined the feel and immersion.
Anyway, EQ is old. There's so much I'd like to see improved.
Things to improve:
1. Graphics
2. NPC behavior/pathing (more intelligent, more receptive to player interaction)
3. Monster strategies against players (vary it so battles aren't always the same)
4. NPC conversation/quest scripts (natural language, more feedback/interaction)
5. Better /note window (so many games don't have this, but i love it)
6. More bind points and bind locations and types of gate potions
7. Revise corpse recovery so players have extra abilities/bonuses to get their corpse
8. Fix the in-game message boards system
9. More sandbox features; buildable houses/guilds/etc
10. Etc.
There's so much I'd like to improve but some of it I'd keep. I like the game to bite me when I don't do well. I like lots of details. I don't like lots of user interface windows or items. Keep the interface minimal while keeping the game complex. Give players more freedom in how they customize their character. So this means less focus on class-based design and more focus on either skill-based or hybrid forms. Give players direction but don't tell them what to do or herd them like sheep. Let players create communities and give them the tools they need.
Bottom line, I like complexity. I hate overly simple games with too few skills or stats or features. And I don't like a safety net. I want feedback that hurts sometimes and keeps me alert. So, ya...
Problem is, it's hard to find a game that fits.
But then in July this year I rediscovered an old game I had overlooked: Wurm Online.
Right now I'm playing Wurm Online. A very nice game that doesn't hold your hand too much. It's skill-based. It's a sandbox. It's different in how it does things. It doesn't have extensive lore or complex quests or detailed dungeons or lots of factions. However, it does have players and players leave behind ruins that're somewhat like dungeons. Players create their own lore and faction, sort of. But it'd be nice if the game developed its faction ideas more so that players could really feel like they were part of a unique group and not homogenous.
Wurm Online doesn't have:
1. In-game map (it does have a map dump outside the game that shows everything, though)
2. Radar that shows you what's around you
3. Streamlined gameplay that protects you from yourself
It does have:
3. Corpse recovery and experience-debt upon death
4. Tracking is not like in EQ... it just tells you who's been nearby in a certain location
5. Lots of skills (like 130+)
6. Lots of downtime (some skills need more content to fill-in the downtime gaps)
7. You can terraform the land and build anything on it
8. Epic PvP servers allow you to raid other settlements and constructions and kill others with no restrictions
It has a lot more.
Wurm Online is a survival game. It's tough to get into if you're alone.
Wurm Online could never be this way if it was more popular. It's a niche. It's F2P, but you need to get premium to really play it. And it's only about $12-13 for 2 months. Good deal (although with some limitations).
I'd recommend Wurm Online to a classic EQ player if you like sandbox games AND like classic EQ for its gameplay not because of nostalgia. Wurm Online is tough in a similar way that classic EQ was tough.
So here I am telling you I quit playing Project 1999. My stay here was enjoyable. I enjoyed the game. I first played Everquest in March 1999 on Rallos Zek. I later played off/on between 2001-02 and then later on in 2005/2007/2009-10. I came here to the emulator for the classic experience. To be honest, I never could have re-experienced it any other way. SOE would never do this. But on the other hand, the legal reasons for not playing here have weighed on my conscience and I must respect SOE's rules and their company name.