Evercracked! looks back at EverQuest history
by Eliot Lefebvre 
Nov 14th 2009 at 4:00PM
Filed under: Fantasy, Video, EverQuest, Interviews, MMO industry
Everyone has their own lists of what games have been the most important in the grand scheme of the industry, but it's pretty impossible to argue that EverQuest doesn't deserve a spot near the top of the list. While time hasn't seen the classic game and its sequel remain the 900-pound-gorilla of the industry, it still holds a place near and dear to many people's hearts. More to the point, the impact it had on MMOs as a whole is undeniable. That's why the new Evercracked! video series running on IGN should bring a nice dose of joy, nostalgia, and general good feelings to a number of people.
Hosted by Jace Hall, the series is slated to include interviews with veteran players and designers, behind-the-scenes footage, and a general collection of trivia and recollections. The first episode is now available, with new episodes going live every week until December 10th, so really, what's keeping you? The game has inspired countless people into the genre, including the original sources of the industry's current big success story. Even if you're just looking for historical purposes, it's likely to contain some amusement. And if you got your start in the genre with EverQuest, well, that's all the better.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Loith said on 4:38PM 11-14-2009
Everquest was my first mmo, and I still hold it near and dear to my heart. I Wish I had Friends who still played so I could get back into it, but all of them have moved on. Ive never had the same feeling I had when I first played ever quest back in 2000, and got to see another Player right next to my Avatar. Breath Taking! This Video has mixed up some nostalgia and emotion from this Gamer. I think Jace is doing a good job and Im VERY much so looking forward to the next 9 :)
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Infexion said on 4:41PM 11-14-2009
Is this the same as the movie that was released at the last Fan Faire?
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Loith said on 5:16PM 11-14-2009
I think they only released the Trailer at the fan faire. Could be wrong though, I didn't go.
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sikk said on 1:06AM 11-15-2009
EQ was my first mmorpg and probably one of my favorite games of all time over all platforms. Playing on a pvp server from the get go it was a great compliment to the games mechanics. Since the game was group focused as far as progressing past the early levels reputation was important. If you randomly killed people you would soon be known as a pk (player killer) and chances are it would be harder if not impossible to find groups. Since dying included coin and a droppable item as loot, deaths mattered, as did recovering your corpse with armor/items. The whole mixture worked very well in the scheme of things. Also the fully connecting world with no instancing or copied zones added to the feel of a real world, something many of todays mmogs are failing quite badly on in my opinion, (they later added instancing in ldon, but pre ldon was the best).
It's funny to look back because many of the things that made EQ so great are mechanics that many of todays mmog designers seem to think are flaws. Ideas like a fully connected world, death penalty, player loot, and need for grouping are just a few examples. Most players play mmogs for a few reasons, IP weather new or already existing, gameplay, graphics, and community. Sadly many developers seem to forget about the community, in favor of money. Too many mmogs today decide to let players solo their way without ever grouping. The easiest way to create community in these games is to force them to group. It's the easiest building block to the idea around yet developers shy away and try to cater to the masses instead. There's a reason why EQ is still coming out with expansions 10 years down the road. Anyways I had many fun years with the game and don't regret any of it. Shout out to Rallos Zek and Sullon Zek!
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