Honeslty the real "next" Everquest

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Trex, Dec 28, 2020.

  1. Trex Journeyman

    Sorry for typo in title *Honestly*



    So about a month ago I stumbled on this when I got my new Oculus Quest 2. So keep in mind I was there during Everquest Beta and lived through the glory days of world first/racing/weddings/epic 1.0 ect. The community back then was thriving and real. The world felt real also (dark, scary, hard). Gm's/events/"real" world first/ect.

    So when I heard about a VR MMO I just thought this is a gimmick. But then I researched and finally went in. It is no gimmick. This game is as close (and I mean really close) to Ultima Online (without the pvp) and Everquest. Huge open world with real dungeons, caves, ect. You do not type chat in this game you use push to talk or open mic and talk to people as if you were standing right next to them. There are raids (normal and hard modes), crafting, fishing, dragon races, player housing, dungeons, battleground, and open world PVP (have to turn your flag on not a gank fest). The video talks about another raid but that just came out Dec 15th. There are casual guilds and hardcore guilds. You can mute people you dont like (though the community is beyond helpful).

    Now what makes this like Everquest. There is no map system where you can just open a map and walk around using it. You get maps but just peek at them and then close it to run around the world. You have to use a compass to find your way. For quest you have to use your quest journal (open your book). You use abilities and spells you can just hit some hotkey you have to plan your attacks, aim, and it takes skill. There is still the Tank/Healer/DPS trinity.

    What makes this game unique is the realism. I know it sounds crazy because the graphics are old school like Everquest (little cartoony) but because you are in first person you dont really feel it like you would think. Because talking to people and interacting it does not feel kiddish. Nothing really like it.

    I'll give you an example that just kinda shows you the difference in VR MMO and standard PC MMO's. I was killing a few mobs in the open world and after I killed a mob and was looting someone came up to me. They asked how to get to a mining cave that was nearby. This was the first time I was asked for direction and just naturally I turned the direction of the cave and pointed toward the path and told him where to go. As I was saying it I realized that I was legit giving direction like someone had walked up to me on the streets and asked how to get to a business. He even responded, "So between those two pillars and take your first right". Anyhow I know many including me are waiting for Pantheon but the more I play this game the more I think traditional MMO's just are losing their flavor. Nothing really compares to being in a world and I think that is what is lost...feeling like you are in a world.

    Anyhow thought I would share not to pull people away from Everquest but just because I have constantly been trying to find that original UO/EQ feeling and I have in a unique way. The video is from a guy who plays/raids/ect and just puts out a ton of videos but this was the best way to show the game. Also I mean.....I don't think a game has ever had what a "bard" is suppose to be like EQ and now this VR game.

    P.S. (Really hope this is the new trend....games like EQ/Aion/DAOC/WoW/ect in VR as an MMO just seems so close.
    Ironkeg and Fcseven XIII like this.
  2. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    VR isn't ready.

    No thanks.
    Krazzi likes this.
  3. Trex Journeyman

    There is finger tracking among other things...treadmills ect.
  4. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    I have played VR games designed for VR in actual VR 6-plane simulators costing millions.


    Yeah. No thanks. VR isn't ready.

    Sorry, not trying to poo-poo on your idea. The notion of a VR fantasy world of hack-n-slash appeals to me greatly. But we aren't there yet. I honestly don't believe we will be until holographic simulation becomes viable.
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  5. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    VR is I think always going to be niche, it will grow some & there may well be a few "killer apps" at some point but I think we are a long way from a really well designed VR experience, its still a very nascent technology that is still too expensive to become mainstream.

    Main reason I avoid VR is because you can fool the eye, but you absolutely cannot fool the inner ear & the disconnect between what the ears & eyes are sensing causes me a huge amount of discomfort, even the best VR kit I tried left me dry heaving after a very short amount of time, it was not a nice time.
  6. Trex Journeyman

    Two years ago I would of agreed with you as things like the PSVR as fun but not a real source of serious gaming. Over the last two years the strides have been dramatic. Haptic feedback, body temperature, multiple hand and movement tracking, pupil tracking ect. Heck there are dedicated processors now JUST for VR. Nvidia and Snapdragon are on their 2nd and 3rd gen chipsets (video posted). There is also no more screendoor effect and they have drastically mastered the hertz to prevent motion sickness.

    As for million dollar flight simulators....come on now. I have also been around million dollar simulators (combat related) and the majority of that price comes from the hardware (cockpit replicating/weapons/recoil simulators ect). The VR portion is actually really cheap compared to cost. Also you are paying out the butt for "troubleshooting and support". More expensive doesnt mean better. I have attached a video of someones non-VR simulator compared to the most recent Microsoft flight simulator (this edition was made with VR in mind and recent). If you watch any of these videos and think "VR isn't ready" you are just going off old news and saying things you have skimmed in passing. The Oculus Quest 2 is sold out everywhere (can check) and can only get them via ebay atm.

    The videos can speak for themselves but I still stick to my original post, Orbus VR is the closest thing I have seen (and Ive played nearly every major and minor MMO release in the past 20 years) that even gets close to touching the feeling I had during the UO/EQ hay days. Walking around and chatting with someone for the first time in EQ was amazing...was a new thing outside of chatrooms. In this VR game you are walking around in a MMO world having casual conversation that does not require a discord and makes it feel like you are fighting along side a person as if they were in the same room. The graphics on this game (not at all like many of the modern VR games) are very simple but while in the world it is a different experience where your not looking for graphical detail.



    (This one cost 10's of thousands of dollars)
    Low cost (2 grand or so) for a realistic flight simulator (for those that actually fly this is a drastic game changer).
  7. Svann2 The Magnificent

    I think people used to say computer games were "niche" because not that many people would spend that kind of money on a computer.
  8. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer


    VR isn't ready from personal experience. It still feels disjointed. Like a multitude of technologies that don't quite mesh. Is it better than two years ago? Yes. Is it ready for mainstream gaming? No. That's my opinion. I am entitled to it. I have tried the latest and greatest. It's impressive...but still a hard pass on something like an MMO.

    You are obviously passionate about your opinion on VR. Super. That doesn't mean everyone must share your opinion.
    Skuz likes this.
  9. Trex Journeyman

    I respect your opinion and appreciate your input. But just as in everything in life, opinions can start to be debunked with fact. If your opinion is that the mainstream isnt ready for VR, I will agree with you in terms of MMO if you are comparing it to WoW scale but Orbus already has half the playerbase (online) of Everquest. There were over 15 million VR gaming platforms sold in 2020 (will be more as oculus quest 2 was sold out in the first few days. They stated they are on track with their demand to get a 10 million player base. Remember this is a standalone VR system that does not need a computer or monitor or anything. 300$ and you have a full VR system with stat of the art tech in it. People pay 2x-3x for phones, which is the generation that VR is attracting (and random old farts like me).

    Also the Playstation 5 was designed for the PSVR2. The haptic feedback controller tech and camera was designed for their new VR (most likely coming out next Christmas). They already have a concept approved video based off their patents. The original PSVR sold 5 million headsets.

    I guess my question is...what is your definition of mainstream? I mean every VR headset that has been made in the last two years has Netflix VR, Amazon prime video VR, Youtube VR ect. I mean the PSVR alone netted Sony a 2 billion dollar profit (400$ x 5 mil units...not even counting games and accessories).



    ^ This is my definition of mainstream.
  10. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    That looks awful. Looks to be aimed at kids.
  11. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    No matter how good the visual side of VR gets, it can't fool the inner ear, games in VR don't trigger the eyeball/inner ear disconnect so long as you are playing on a flat plane, things like racing car simulators, run & gun, hack & slash - things that are mostly taking place on that flat plane the tech is okay.

    When you get into flight or moving in spatial 3D is where VR falls down & where people start throwing up, the prevailing thought in early VR was it was down to refresh rates & the speed of the gfx, which has mostly been solved with the most recent wave of devices, but it doesn't solve the eye/inner ear mismatch conundrum. To fix that you need something that can stimulate the inner ear to make its sensory input match what the eyes are seeing, without that the intense nausea, headaches & vomiting are just not going away.
    code-zero likes this.
  12. aalith New Member

    Teletubbies Online
  13. Vumad Cape Wearer


    Don't confuse profits and revenue.

    Also, that's not all Sony revenue. The retailers are also getting a chunk of each sale.

    Not to take away from the rest of your statements, but you opened with debunking with facts, and use non-facts, speculation and inaccurate terminology.

    3D gives me and a lot of people I know headaches. VR is just 3D strapped to your face. It doesn't change the problems with 3D that make people sick.
  14. Svann2 The Magnificent

    If there is game there Id think there are enough that dont get motion sickness to make a go of it. Looks very alpha alpha atm but ok.