I am closer to 70 than I am farther from it. So this is an old fogies view. Been playing long time also, I think that's a given for most posters on this post. I told myself to check out EQ 2 many years ago but never did, the graphics aren't catchy and none of the other games interest me. The elf ears are too floppy or you have to go running around buildings, jumping over buildings, flying around to other cities, shooting stuff almost non stop etc. Meh (shrug) not for me. I know some folks really like that stuff. There is no end to Everquest so I am not looking to "finish" this game or any other. I am glad I started playing and still are. When you get old the amount of physical activities will vary greatly from age 60 (or even earlier) onward for various reasons. You might have a ton of time with nothing to do because you can't do it. Not everyone can travel in the motorhome or even travel at all. Right now, I have about 4 hours in the day I can do something physical like I used to and that includes just taking a walk. So you can sit in the rocking chair yelling at the neighbor kids to get off your lawn or log into EQ and yell at the ogre blocking the magus. If it dies before I do then I might get the time to list all that Ebay stuff laying around
"Provide visionary oversight and creative direction for an unannounced title within Darkpaw Games ... Experience developing MMO games. Strong portfolio of work in current game engines UE4/5.
Also there's this part of the official job listing: "Assist with the recruitment of key talent and grow and mentor the Design team." Once they hire the Creative Director you can expect an explosion of job postings for EQ3 because it's going to take scores of new hires to create a MMO. I suspect their farm out much of their graphics workload overseas.
Really EQ3 isn't needed. EQ1 with a brand new engine would be a winner for sure. Heck you probably don't need to do it all at once. Release it in classic like a TLP, and then add new content as an when expansions have been migrated to use the new engine.
IMO what EQ needs most of all is more content. Enough content to last a year every year is about right.
EQ3 doesn't mean everything is new, lorewise. It could be EQ1 remastered plus more. Call it EQ1 remastered or EQ3. EQ3 is better. Lorewise, EQ is before EQ2, its been like 10, 15 years since EQ2. EQ has yet to have playable arasai race, fey, sarnak, etc., which is in EQ2 that happens in the future, lorewise. EQ is just keeping alive by updating dependencies and using fancy terms such as UI upgrade, 64 bit upgrade. UI upgrade stalled for a bit, issues. 2 years worth of upgrading old code, old dependencies. Just think, 2 years time making a new game new engine every modern. If they went with lets MODERNIZE EQ, you'd see more armors, more skins, hairstyles facials, clothes, etc., weather cycles, night/day cycles, active world, etc. EQ did better than today's developers doing EQ, NPC had cycles, patterns, etc. Today, they static, just text and triggers. EQ2 people are basing EQ2 not doing well and thats that? EQ2 should not have launched, we all know this. You didn't see Runescape hurry to make a Runescape2 like EQ did with EQ2 when WoW launched in 2004, which runescape was 2001, EQ was 1999. Runescape didn't feel threatened, they didn't rush to do a Runescape 2. Runescape that game has more players than EQ and they do less work. Imagine that. Runescape WoW they are in conversations but EQ? Thats like a sad old MMORPG, sad old people mention this game, people laugh at EQ. Only people that EQ is current playerbase its nothing special like Runescape or WoW that draws in people. Also, FFXIV, they failed, they didn't make a FFXIV2, they restarted instead. That game is modernized, so it makes sense to keep the title. EQ is not modernized, lots of work needed. EQ3 is better route then trying to modernize EQ. Also, EQ has a stigma, not a good one. Some of you need to get out of the EQ bubble get the vibes of MMO scene. EQ3 thats new, thats not with stigma that EQ has, which old, inferior to WoW, outdated, etc. EQ3, that comes with NEW, superior, uses new engine uses new tech, up to date. EQ3 is something needed if EQ wants to be on the map again for a competitive MMORPG, in the sense of competitive with other MMORPGs. No one talks about raids in EQ anymore, back in 2006 the saying was "EQ has better raids", EQ raids are nothing anymore, it doesn't have any leg up on any other MMORPG it gets beat in every aspect of the game compared to other MMORPGs. Nostalgia isn't really a leg up when its been milked over an over an over again. The thing people look forward to right now is whats the new TLP? Nostalgia, this doesn't bring in new players this just brings people back. It's decent money they earn, but compared to what is out there that they could be earning, its pennies. It's like a small town person, saying "ooh this is good, sooo much" then you show them something medium or metro makes, "wow, thats astronomical" EQ still has brand relevance, need to do something with it before it goes away, it still has influencers who are doing nothing but getting older, and you're going to need new influencers otherwise making the EQ3, say in 2050, its not going to be such a hit since all the influencers are gone. Some of yall too conservative, "make EQ3 when I am no longer living", so thats what 2050? There's a thing game lifecycle, EQ has pretty much reached it, its got nothing going for it right now but TLPs. Market to do a new game version, is good. Several new game versions are in the works/talks and actually a thing. New technology is exciting at the moment. New game engine, Unreal Engine 5, its a year old, still very new, most of the bugs and what not gone. The best time for EQ3. Is now.
Many of us have many years, if not decades, of memories, friends (and enemies) and general history tied to this game. Maybe the current generation is fine with jumping ship every week to whatever is the popular trend but that doesn't mean DBG should use EQ as a cash cow to fund yet another, almost certainly doomed to flop 'new' game. Just imagine what EQ would be like if it hadn't been used to fund all the failures ? Maybe we'd have ship-to-ship combat ? Or maybe cloaks ?
They can do both, EQ being modernised for the 40-70 year old existing user base doesn't hurt the development of an EQ3 aimed at an entirely new audience. The Modernization of EQ is to secure the future of EQ, the game that has been the core cash-cow of Daybreak/Darkpaw & SoE before it.
EQ2 shouldn't have launched is your own opinion which might be shared by others but is not in any way a "we all know this". Were there some things unfinished at launch? yes, but it was still playable. There are a lot of things in WoW unfinished at launch, too. However, I believe the EQ2 development announcements predated the WoW development announcements and might well have been part of the reason Blizzard decided to start WoW development. I think one of their key developers who had been an avid EQ player was still playing EQ when EQ2 was announced at a Fan Faire (I don't recall if it was the pre-Ykesha Fan Faire or the one after since they do blur a bit after 20 years. I recall the Ykesha one more because of the Elvis-ified Frogloks on the banners and getting ill right after.) EQ2 launched a few weeks BEFORE WoW and had fewer issue with on-boarding players, server crashes, etc. because SOE knew more, at that time, about scaling.
I ain't ever quitting EQ so it will have to quit me. How will I ever quit EQ? If EQ 3 designs its characters like WoW, Diablo, Poe, etc. In so many games today, you have to choose a broad path for your character. I'll use Diablo 2 as an example because I'm sure everyone has played the game. I can't be a fire, cold, and lightning all power sorceress because I have to choose one path. I am a cold sorceress without all of the spell tree completed. I'm not even a master cold sorceress. I can't stand that. My frustration will be multiplied if I discover my skill point allocation was off. I'm max level but I can't contribute to the game properly because I put too many points or too few points into something. Great. I have to do a special quest or pay gold to reset my skill tree points. When I choose a class in EQ, the only path that I must choose is at the character select screen. I can max out every combat skill, tradeskill, AA skill, etc as long as I put in the time. Sure EQ has a few deity and race restrictions but those are moot. My maxed out ranger is just as good as another player's maxed out ranger (AA clickies and gear not included in this point). I only have room for one MMO in my life, and unfortunately or fortunately EQ is it.
Why are there multiple people in this thread acting like an Everquest 3 would somehow mean they would be forced to stop playing the first one? Creating an EQ3 would require an entire new team of people with extra funds provided by the publisher. You can have both. They are not mutually exclusive.
I can't have both. I only have time to play one MMO, and a lot of people are in the same boat. If the majority of EQ 1 players hop on over to EQ3, I don't care how much I still like EQ 1. I'm not playing a lowly populated game.
Honestly, I like that there is just enough content that one can grind through it in a few months and then be done with the current expansion outside of raids and whatnot. If I had to full time grind for 12 months to finish an expansion just in time for the next to release, I would get very frustrated with the game.
Theres nothing saying you have to finish all the content. If you dont finish it just means there is more content to choose from the next year. If you want to log off of eq then you always have that choice.
