EverQuest - Justification Please....

[Doubleclick]

Hey all,

No, I'm not coming in here to bash EQ. I've never even played it, but I would like to try it out. This is where the problem starts.

I have a real issue with buying a game, and not being able to play it unless I pay more money.

I can't go back to play it in a year, like I can with Diablo, without forking out more cash.

But I really want to play!!!!

Can someone give me some info on this game and help me justify playing it?

(For those of you who what to know what the "General Question" is, it is this:

Why should I "Pay To Play"? Why would anyone do this? What is so good about this game that people have no problem adding EQ to their monthly bills?

I'm a real penny pincher, but I really want to play this...is the whole thing worth it?)

[Doubleclick]

Dope...this isn't GQ (Not that this question was ment to go in there...didn't think it was fitting....but at least I clarified what I was looking for. = )

[Fiver]

I second Doubleclick's questions and add one of my own:

Who is that gorgeous blonde chick, and why isn't she wearing more clothes for a hike in the snow?

[Lute Skywatcher]

Why should I "Pay To Play"? Why would anyone do this? What is so good about this game that people have no problem adding EQ to their monthly
bills?
Methinks SqrlCub would have the best answer. :D

[MrVisible]

Don't do it. Really.

Not that I expect you to listen to me. I know, back when I was fascinated by the gaudy box and the tales of massively multiplayer mayhem, nothing could have dissuaded me from playing the damned game.

I just ignored the friends I had that had dropped out of sight completely, or who only appeared at work, late, glassy-eyed, mouse-fingers twitching...

So I bought the game. I paid the money. And if you think you're cheap, at the time I was cheap and near-dirt-poor. And I played it.

The first weekend, I racked up sixteen hours of play. That was Saturday. Sunday I controlled myself. I was down to thirteen hours.

Then it was just six hours a day for the next couple of weeks. With bingeing on the weekends.

Finally, I found myself sitting in front of a spawn point in the middle of nowhere for hours at a time, whacking monsters as they appeared, and thinking how lucky I was to have found such a great source of combat...

I quit cold turkey. It took a while, but I got my life back together. Now, I play Diablo II. I play Majesty. I don't go near EQ.

The thing that got to me was that it was both insanely addictive, and just plain boring. The human interaction is limited to basic tactical information, for the most part, and desperate newbie pleas for help. And compared to regular games, the game play is abysmal.

So, be warned. They don't call it EverCrack for nothing.

[Manda JO]

1) You do get new content for your money. They are constantly adding new items, new quests, new ideas. Interface improvments come regularly (which is part of the reason the interface is a bitch to learn at first. It has grown organically in response to customers saying "you know, it would be really cool if we could do . . ."). Keeping the game interesting and balenced is an ongoing process which requires alot of man power. Now, many people feel like they could be doing a better job, and of course they could. But the job they are doing is pretty impressive.

2) It's ten bucks a month. Slightly more than a movie. Net, EQ saves me money--I don't go out as much, and I have to stay mostly sober for big raids (drunk cleric bad), so I go through less alcohol. Average amount played per week on EQ is about 20 hours/wk (though of course people fall all over the spectrum). That is 80hrs/$10. This in not unreasonable. Furthermore, since you can keep playing EQ for a couple years, you find yourself buying fewer games. Before EQ my husband and I would buy games we knew we would merely like, not love, because we had finished the last one and needed a fix. Now we only buy games that we have been activly anticipating, because EQ is always there as a fall back posisition. ANd, if you are paying for cable you can probably cancel that. Ever sincde we added hte second computer, my husband and i have abandoned the TV almost completly.

3) If you cancel your account, they don't delete your charecter and you can reactivate it 6 months later (after 6 months they reserve the right to delete, though they claim they haven't yet. Disk space they have, it is bandwidth that breaks them). SO oyu are not locked in to paying every month for hte rest of your life.

4)It is a hell of a fun game.

[Mac Guffin]

Put me on the list of those who are curious about EQ but have balked at paying to play. (That plus the fact that I refuse to own a credit card because I do not trust myself with one.) Really, there are a lot of games out there that support online play that don't charge for the privilige, such as Tribes, HalfLife, and so on. It just seems sooo much like a drug dealer mentality. "get em hooked and charge em out the wazzoo." I guess that's why they call it Evercrack.

I have a friend who is a hard-core WW2 simulation aviator. Pays about 30 bux a month to play, on top of his monthly DSL bill, which is another 30 bux. I just don't get it. But I hve gotten him hooked on Tribes, which is free to play online. I hope to save him some cash as he really can't afford the Pay-To-Play thing.

Just seems a little evil to me.

Lotsa games out there that don't charge for online play. Buy them, and send a message.

(Of course I am, by blood, a cheap ass Scottsman Try to take a penny away from me and I make copper wire.... :) )

[VenusProbe]

I don't usually admit my addictions in a public forum like this. I bought EQ a year ago, A "Friend" let me start a character on her account while a was over for the weekend. In two days I spent 16 hours playing, so when I got home I went right out and bought it.
Here it is a year later, I'd like to say that I played for a while and then got bored with it. But nooo... I have averaged 3 hours a day with the game over the last year! I hear the music in my head all the time, I love all my characters and have so much fun that sometimes I will give up sex to play EQ.
So at $9.95 a month the price to play the game is like $0.11 a day, how much did you pay last time you went to the movies? Was is better than sex?

[Mac Guffin]

reality check.......

$9.95 a month= $119.40 a year. You like a game that costs almost a hundred twenty dollars a year to play?

I think I will stick to the free games. Yeeks.

[Doubleclick]

Argh! Too...much...uncertanty...

I just check the EQ site and it says:

To play EverQuest, we require the subscription fee to be paid for by credit card, and unfortunately we do not have alternative payment methods at this time. Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express are the accepted credit cards as well as most Debit and Check Cards that display the Visa and MasterCard logo on the front of the card.

That sucks...I think I would probably jump on teh EQ band wagon, but the lack of payment methods suck. Send me a bill in the mail damnit!

Ah well...looks like I'll sick to UT and DiabloII..

Thanks guys.

[VenusProbe]

That should have been $0.11 an Hour. Also if you are going to play just to collect the phat lewt and camp the mobs. you will get bored with the game.

[Balance]

There is no justification. Evercrack is an evil, addictive, and (sorry, Manda) seriously overrated game. I have not played it--I have no desire to play it--but I have watched addicted friends play it for long periods, and listened to them talk about it for hours on end as their fingers twitched in withdrawal.

The character classes are poorly designed, the core classes have been nerfed into unplayability, it's generally impossible to play solo for those times when you don't want to form a team, the servers are infested with greedy assholes, and the company fundamentally doesn't give a $#!* about the people playing the game (because they know the players are already addicted).

Those are just the complaints I've heard from people who love the game, and spend hours each day playing it. I've seen them struggling with these problems while hanging out at their homes. If you really want a new addiction, go get the Sims or Black & White--you only pay once (not counting Sims expansion packs). If you want roleplaying, join a tabletop or LARP group--'cause it doesn't happen much online. Stay away from MMRPGs; they suck, at least for now. Maybe the next generation will be better (although most that I've heard of will be solid PvP, which I dislike).

[Britt]

You could also try a MUD they are completely free not even an initial game purchase required.
Be warned these are text based versions of Everquest and have been known to be every bit as addictive.

[Wastrel]

I played EQ for almost a year, and I have to say, I ended up hating it. Down to the very core of my being I wanted to heft my computer up and smash it against the wall. Why, you ask? Corpse runs, lag, nerfs, idiot tech support, CEOs and whatnot that don't give a rat's ass about the customer. People will recommend things to Verant on the message board all the time--some of the suggestions are even decent!--and Verant ignores them like little children.

Do I sound bitter? Yeah, I am. I lost a level 30 some odd ranger because of the horrid game mechanics.
However, if you plan on buying it, I say Godspeed. You do what you want.
All's I have to say is, avoid the damned boat at all costs...

[soulmurk]

The $9.89 per month is if you pay per month, I forget the exact dollar amounts but you can pay for months at a time up front and receive a discount.

The blonde girl is Firiona Vie, daughter of the High Elf King. She was kidnapped by the Iksar when RoK was introduced blah blah blah. I call her EverQuest Barbie.

If you like MMPORPG's, then the money is well worth it. Some others have brought up some of the negative aspects to the game, and there are many more to add I'm sure. There are positive aspects also, as the thousands of subscribers attest to.

As it stands now, the game is more than 2 years old and seriously in need of a good overhaul. None will be forthcoming because Verant is too busy working on the Star Wars game, and Sony is content to rake in over a million dollars a month for as long as they can with as little put back into the game as possible.

Several games are in the works now and will be released over the next year or two and will utilize lessons learned from EQ, just as EQ learned from the Realm, and the Realm from NWN, etc. If you are hesitant to get involved in EQ, stick it out a few months and wait for the next one, but you can plan on making monthly payments. The system has worked so well thus far, it isn't likely to change anytime soon. I played EQ for almost 2 years and although I'm no Rockefeller, $10 a month isn't going to break my bank. If I'm going to be spending as much time in such a place and putting so much effort into my character and the world around me, I'll gladly pay a few bucks a month to have full time employee's around to keep things flowing.

[Badtz Maru]

My wife and I used to play Asheron's Call, which is a fantasy MMORPG which doesn't rip off Tolkien and D&D as much, is skill-based (as opposed to class-based) and has a really weird dark fantasy setting. We had a lot of ex-EQ players who played, because the designers deliberately avoided adding elements that were unpopular in EQ. This was actually a bit of a problem as there were certain EQ-ish things the designers promised to never do which probably should have been done - as an example, they did no 'nerfing', which is when an item or skill is reduced in power for game balance. One of the biggest things EQ players complain about is building up a character or getting a rare item only to find it is less powerful next month. The thing is, since the game was skill based and you could make mix & match characters of endless variety, people found combinations of skills that made their characters extremely powerful that were not foreseen by the designers - a character which combines bow skill and life magic is able to outdamage characters twice their level. Somebody found a way of designing war mages which made them very weak for the first 16 levels but incredibly powerful after that - in some of the events the first people on every server to complete certain quests were characters with that template. They made changes to cut down on chest camping which made a certain skill (Lockpicking) almost useless. The EQ developers not only messed up their own game, they also screwed up some of their competition! 8^)

Anyway, I was fairly hooked on Asheron's Call for a while. Part of the reason MMORPGs will eat up a lot of time is you are working with other players a lot (though until the last 6 months or so there was nothing in the game that couldn't be overcome by a solo player) and you spend a lot of time waiting for them to show up. From what I hear this can add up to even more time in EQ (if you know the portal routes you can get almost anywhere in AC in 15 minutes or so, any town in about 5). You also have to play cautiously in these games because you can't save your game and restore your game from it if something bad happens. You frequently CAN'T stop playing without great risk to your character until you get back to a safe area, or you might get killed and have to go find your body to recover your valuables, which can take a long time if you don't pay attention to where you are. I've spent hours looking for my body (usually losing another while looking for the first, and every time you die in AC you lose a few of your most valuable items and become 5% weaker, which can make it a vicious circle). In EQ you also have the problem of having to wait long times for a particular monster to spawn (which is mostly avoided in AC).

If you like MMORPGs but are sick of EQ (or you are looking to start playing one but are scared from the horror stories about EQ) you might see if you can find a copy of Asheron's Call. It's the same monthly cost, but I've heard of people finding the game for $9.99 in bargain bins, and every month there is a major update, adding new monsters, quests, items, sometimes whole new lands, which kinda takes the bite out of the monthly payment.

[Sterra]

If you like doing lots of nothing everquest is your game
http://www.artifact-entertainment.com/horizons (some serious eq haters)

[Fiver]

soulmurk, thanks for the answer re: the blonde babe. Whoever that artist is draws pretty wimmins, I'll give him that. Is there an EQ gallery out there?

Everyone: must EQ be played online? Can't you just buy the software and play by yourself on your computer, like DOOM, Tomb Raider, etc.?

What's the format of the game? Is it just like D&D on the computer, with electronic character sheets instead of paper, graphic displayed maps instead of graph paper, random character generators instead of dice? Is there any action in the game, like in the battles or spell-casting?

[OpalCat]

Originally posted by mrvisible
The human interaction is limited to basic tactical information, for the most part, and desperate newbie pleas for help.

Um, then you aren't playing right.

IMO the human interaction is what makes the game. I've made a lot of great friends via the game, and we talk constantly thoughout the game. If you haven't made any friends, I can see where that would make it boring, but the idea is to make friends and meet up with them repeatedly. I'm in a great guild...Wolf Den (http://wolfden.eqguild.net)... it's small and family like.... we all talk to each other all the time and play together frequently. In fact, there have been times when we've gone off, 4 or 5 of us, and sat on a bridge somewhere just talking for an hour or so, without doing any adventuring at all.

They are constantly adding new stuff. Like they just added Velious, a whole new continent. Later this year they're adding a moon, complete with a new player race (cat people!) and a new class (beastmaster). There is a storyline and history about the whole place... for example right now there is a plague in North Karana... apparently the god Bertoxxulus (sp??) is getting revenge for some execution that happened in Qeynos (the city near there)... it isn't a static environment.

Everyone: must EQ be played online? Can't you just buy the software and play by yourself on your computer, like DOOM, Tomb Raider, etc.?
Yes it must be played online, there is no other choice. The format of the game is that you're in a complete 3-d world, surrounded by NPCs, player characters, monsters, animals, etc... there are some screenshots from my guild here: http://wolfden.eqguild.net/screenshots.html but most of them were posed. Maps? The game comes with a rather lacking in detail map, other maps are player-created maps found online at such sites as http://www.eqatlas.com/atlas.html

As for the cost, it's a lot more entertaining than going to a movie, and cheaper.

But then, I like it so much I created a site for it, http://www.eqguild.net

[OpalCat]

Um, yes, there is lots of action. In fights you can autoattack, but then if you are a melee class you also have to manually do things like kick, bash, etc. Caster classes have to cast their spells... attack spells, healing spells, etc... My main character is a mage... here is a list of the spells I can get: http://eq.castersrealm.com/spells/spells.asp?Class=Magician

I'm level 29 right now. I have most of my spells, but haven't managed to research the Air and Water elemental pets yet. At least I don't have to go to that island in the Ocean of Tears for my pet spells anymore!

The characters aren't randomly generated. Each race/class combination has a set of base stats and a set amount of points that you assign to the various attributes as you see fit.
There are 5 different camera angles you can choose from while playing.... first person, just behind yourself, just above yourself, a fair distance from yourself (and you can use alt+arrow keys to move the camera anywhere in that mode) etc....

Some images....
Qalnea's wedding http://www.eqguild.net/guilds/wolfden/screenshots/wedding2.jpg
at Qalnea's wedding reception we all got falling down drunk and started casting spells everywhere just for the light show: http://www.eqguild.net/guilds/wolfden/screenshots/weddingparty3.jpg (the distortion is because I was drunk at the time)
Me swimming underwater http://www.eqguild.net/guilds/wolfden/screenshots/EQ000065.jpg

[Goose]

Run away! Run away!

I've seen so many lives ruined from addiction. It isn't worth the risk.

[theendisnear]

10 dollars a month is the cheapest you will ever pay for so much entertainment.

[DZ42]

Everquest is a strange phenomenon. Many people simultaneously love it and hate it.

If you like the idea of a fantasy online roleplaying game, you have 3 choices so far: Everquest, Ultima Online, and Asheron's Call. Of these, EQ is generally considered to be the best - an opinion supported by number of subscribers (300,000+ and climbing).

It's hard to explain why I play this game - if I had to give a justification to someone who doesn't play, I'm not sure that I could. It's just fun - though it can be frustrating if you let it get that way. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish during your game time.

As for me -I was in their public beta test, then started playing as soon as the game went live, buying the game on the way home from work. (March 16, 1999 - I remember it well...).

I don't have as much time to put into it as some others (with the wife, nwe baby, house to take care of, etc) -so I take a very casual attitude when playing. In over 2 years of play time, my main character is only level 30 (halfway to the max of 60). (Of course, I play a wizard, so I came pre-nerfed).

So, in that time, I've spend about $250 on the subscription fees. Seems like a lot, but in that time I've purchased maybe 1 or 2 other games. I've probably saved money, rather than spend $40-$50 every couple months on a new game.

The reason it's pay-to-play, instead of free like Diablo, etc - is that the world is persistant. It doesn't turn off, reset, or go away (except for maint. periods). Their hardware (server) and ISP connection costs are huge, so most of the money goes to support the infrastructure.

Anyway, I probably didn't give a very good explanation of the game - mind is drifting. Despite the complaints though - it is a very good game, with a very large number of (mostly) satisfied players. It's definitely worth a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing.

One last note: If you're not in a hurry, keep your eye on this game: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com
It's due for release by the end of the year - supposed to be very similar to EQ in all the good ways, while fixing up some of the persistant problems from EQ, etc. It will be a 2nd generation game (if you consider EQ, UO, AC as first generation), so should improve on the current crop of games quite nicely.

Anyway, hope that helped somehow...

[DZ42]

Everquest is a strange phenomenon. Many people simultaneously love it and hate it.

If you like the idea of a fantasy online roleplaying game, you have 3 choices so far: Everquest, Ultima Online, and Asheron's Call. Of these, EQ is generally considered to be the best - an opinion supported by number of subscribers (300,000+ and climbing).

It's hard to explain why I play this game - if I had to give a justification to someone who doesn't play, I'm not sure that I could. It's just fun - though it can be frustrating if you let it get that way. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish during your game time.

As for me -I was in their public beta test, then started playing as soon as the game went live, buying the game on the way home from work. (March 16, 1999 - I remember it well...).

I don't have as much time to put into it as some others (with the wife, nwe baby, house to take care of, etc) -so I take a very casual attitude when playing. In over 2 years of play time, my main character is only level 30 (halfway to the max of 60). (Of course, I play a wizard, so I came pre-nerfed).

So, in that time, I've spend about $250 on the subscription fees. Seems like a lot, but in that time I've purchased maybe 1 or 2 other games. I've probably saved money, rather than spend $40-$50 every couple months on a new game.

The reason it's pay-to-play, instead of free like Diablo, etc - is that the world is persistant. It doesn't turn off, reset, or go away (except for maint. periods). Their hardware (server) and ISP connection costs are huge, so most of the money goes to support the infrastructure.

Anyway, I probably didn't give a very good explanation of the game - mind is drifting. Despite the complaints though - it is a very good game, with a very large number of (mostly) satisfied players. It's definitely worth a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing.

One last note: If you're not in a hurry, keep your eye on this game: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com
It's due for release by the end of the year - supposed to be very similar to EQ in all the good ways, while fixing up some of the persistant problems from EQ, etc. It will be a 2nd generation game (if you consider EQ, UO, AC as first generation), so should improve on the current crop of games quite nicely.

Anyway, hope that helped somehow...

[DZ42]

Everquest is a strange phenomenon. Many people simultaneously love it and hate it.

If you like the idea of a fantasy online roleplaying game, you have 3 choices so far: Everquest, Ultima Online, and Asheron's Call. Of these, EQ is generally considered to be the best - an opinion supported by number of subscribers (300,000+ and climbing).

It's hard to explain why I play this game - if I had to give a justification to someone who doesn't play, I'm not sure that I could. It's just fun - though it can be frustrating if you let it get that way. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish during your game time.

As for me -I was in their public beta test, then started playing as soon as the game went live, buying the game on the way home from work. (March 16, 1999 - I remember it well...).

I don't have as much time to put into it as some others (with the wife, nwe baby, house to take care of, etc) -so I take a very casual attitude when playing. In over 2 years of play time, my main character is only level 30 (halfway to the max of 60). (Of course, I play a wizard, so I came pre-nerfed).

So, in that time, I've spend about $250 on the subscription fees. Seems like a lot, but in that time I've purchased maybe 1 or 2 other games. I've probably saved money, rather than spend $40-$50 every couple months on a new game.

The reason it's pay-to-play, instead of free like Diablo, etc - is that the world is persistant. It doesn't turn off, reset, or go away (except for maint. periods). Their hardware (server) and ISP connection costs are huge, so most of the money goes to support the infrastructure.

Anyway, I probably didn't give a very good explanation of the game - mind is drifting. Despite the complaints though - it is a very good game, with a very large number of (mostly) satisfied players. It's definitely worth a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing.

One last note: If you're not in a hurry, keep your eye on this game: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com
It's due for release by the end of the year - supposed to be very similar to EQ in all the good ways, while fixing up some of the persistant problems from EQ, etc. It will be a 2nd generation game (if you consider EQ, UO, AC as first generation), so should improve on the current crop of games quite nicely.

Anyway, hope that helped somehow...

[DZ42]

Everquest is a strange phenomenon. Many people simultaneously love it and hate it.

If you like the idea of a fantasy online roleplaying game, you have 3 choices so far: Everquest, Ultima Online, and Asheron's Call. Of these, EQ is generally considered to be the best - an opinion supported by number of subscribers (300,000+ and climbing).

It's hard to explain why I play this game - if I had to give a justification to someone who doesn't play, I'm not sure that I could. It's just fun - though it can be frustrating if you let it get that way. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish during your game time.

As for me -I was in their public beta test, then started playing as soon as the game went live, buying the game on the way home from work. (March 16, 1999 - I remember it well...).

I don't have as much time to put into it as some others (with the wife, nwe baby, house to take care of, etc) -so I take a very casual attitude when playing. In over 2 years of play time, my main character is only level 30 (halfway to the max of 60). (Of course, I play a wizard, so I came pre-nerfed).

So, in that time, I've spend about $250 on the subscription fees. Seems like a lot, but in that time I've purchased maybe 1 or 2 other games. I've probably saved money, rather than spend $40-$50 every couple months on a new game.

The reason it's pay-to-play, instead of free like Diablo, etc - is that the world is persistant. It doesn't turn off, reset, or go away (except for maint. periods). Their hardware (server) and ISP connection costs are huge, so most of the money goes to support the infrastructure.

Anyway, I probably didn't give a very good explanation of the game - mind is drifting. Despite the complaints though - it is a very good game, with a very large number of (mostly) satisfied players. It's definitely worth a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing.

One last note: If you're not in a hurry, keep your eye on this game: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com
It's due for release by the end of the year - supposed to be very similar to EQ in all the good ways, while fixing up some of the persistant problems from EQ, etc. It will be a 2nd generation game (if you consider EQ, UO, AC as first generation), so should improve on the current crop of games quite nicely.

Anyway, hope that helped somehow...

[DZ42]

Everquest is a strange phenomenon. Many people simultaneously love it and hate it.

If you like the idea of a fantasy online roleplaying game, you have 3 choices so far: Everquest, Ultima Online, and Asheron's Call. Of these, EQ is generally considered to be the best - an opinion supported by number of subscribers (300,000+ and climbing).

It's hard to explain why I play this game - if I had to give a justification to someone who doesn't play, I'm not sure that I could. It's just fun - though it can be frustrating if you let it get that way. It all depends on what you're trying to accomplish during your game time.

As for me -I was in their public beta test, then started playing as soon as the game went live, buying the game on the way home from work. (March 16, 1999 - I remember it well...).

I don't have as much time to put into it as some others (with the wife, nwe baby, house to take care of, etc) -so I take a very casual attitude when playing. In over 2 years of play time, my main character is only level 30 (halfway to the max of 60). (Of course, I play a wizard, so I came pre-nerfed).

So, in that time, I've spend about $250 on the subscription fees. Seems like a lot, but in that time I've purchased maybe 1 or 2 other games. I've probably saved money, rather than spend $40-$50 every couple months on a new game.

The reason it's pay-to-play, instead of free like Diablo, etc - is that the world is persistant. It doesn't turn off, reset, or go away (except for maint. periods). Their hardware (server) and ISP connection costs are huge, so most of the money goes to support the infrastructure.

Anyway, I probably didn't give a very good explanation of the game - mind is drifting. Despite the complaints though - it is a very good game, with a very large number of (mostly) satisfied players. It's definitely worth a shot if you're interested in that sort of thing.

One last note: If you're not in a hurry, keep your eye on this game: http://www.darkageofcamelot.com
It's due for release by the end of the year - supposed to be very similar to EQ in all the good ways, while fixing up some of the persistant problems from EQ, etc. It will be a 2nd generation game (if you consider EQ, UO, AC as first generation), so should improve on the current crop of games quite nicely.

Anyway, hope that helped somehow...

[soulmurk]

For those that issue warnings about having seen peoples lives ruined because of an addiction to EQ, that isn't the games fault. You cannot blame a game for someone screwing up their priorities in life.

I'm hardly an advocate of EQ, I personally hate the game, but it's tiring to keep hearing how the game is to blame for so and so neglecting his job/wife/family/whatever.

[/quote]What's the format of the game? Is it just like D&D on the computer, with electronic character sheets instead of paper, graphic displayed maps instead of graph paper, random character generators instead of dice? Is there any action in the game, like in the battles or spell-casting?[/quote]

The format is similar to AD&D in regards to statistics being a major part of what a character can or cannot do. It is dissimilar in that stat scores span from negatives to over 200. A few points difference in AD&D would make a huge difference, in EQ a few points has very minimal effect. Also, there is a tremendous crutch on magical items. They are the only way to raise stat scores and resistances, other than some short lived spells.

This of course forces many people to sit at one spot in an attempt to get that one awesome item everyone wants, which of course leads to people fighting over who has the right to "camp" the item, and attempts at stealing the rightful campers spawn.

The action in the game is pretty minimal. There isn't much in the ways of variety or strategy. Fighters hit A to autoattack and press the corresponding kick hot key whenever it pops up, clerics sit back and heal hurt party members, wizards alternate between their most powerful spells and hope that the baddies don't latch on to them, so on and so forth.

The fact that the game is called an RPG is pretty misleading as roleplaying is pretty much absent from the world. Some people do RP, admirably, but there is no reward for it and the majority are just out to pad their stats and look good wearing their armor.

The persistant world is static in that there are quests that you can perform, and though they bring you money and experience, they do not alter the world at all. For example, the town of Qeynos (sonyeq backwards, how clever) has a problem with gnolls. Talk to such and such the NPC and he sets you with the task of killing such and such a gnoll. You bring back proof of finishing the monster, and are rewarded with some minor experience and money, but the gnolls still trouble Qeynos. In fact, you could do the same quest over and over. Other than the GM run special events, the world does not change, and in those events the circumstances and exact changes are preplanned out, there is no way to affect the world through your actions.

If you want some semblance of strategy, PvP is the way to go, but those servers are so filled with cheaters and bug exploiters that it quickly loses its fun.

Also unlike AD&D, or any pencil and paper game, is the sheer number of people to interact with at any one time, and of course their behavior. Some people are genuinely nice, but the anonymity of the internet allows for many to express their sadistic and cruel side without fear of retribution.

To sum it all up, no it isn't like AD&D other than in principle and the medieval setting. If you want AD&D minus the pens and paper, wait for Neverwinter Nights (http://www.neverwinternights.com) to come out.

[Wastrel]

Hmmm...
IMHO, I consider EQ more of a fantasy FPS then an MMORPG (which, by the way, is the "politically incorrect" term. They like to be called MMOGs now...go figure).

Personally, I'm waiting for NeverWinter Nights, Horizons, and AnarchyOnline. Waiting is the hardest part, though.

[Badtz Maru]

Yeah, if you are into pen and paper D&D you might want to wait for Neverwinter Nights. It will have a single-player game so you don't HAVE to go online, and it will include tools so you can design your own dungeons, towns, adventures, etc., make them available to online players, referee them in real-time (you can type in NPC dialogue on the fly if you like if you are the DM) and link them with other people's creations. My current DM is salivating over this element of the game.