Future of Everquest?

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Nevzat6666, May 29, 2021.

  1. Nevzat6666 New Member

    What is the future of Everquest? As a returning player for 10 years + to Mischief, i am glad to see the game has been worked on and lots of areas have been improved.. overall i'm finding it a more enjoyable experience with the QOL added here and there (it's just enough).

    Are there any future plans to either do a graphics revamp or something of that nature? Lots of other games are going in the route rather than creating a whole new game, by creating a graphically upgraded "fresh start" as an almost expansion (PSO2 and POE) this helps retain people with the ability to swap between expansions at will, so things like cosmetics etc will carry over although upgraded somewhat, and other things will be carried over.

    What kind of scope do Daybreak have for updating EQ in terms of things like the graphics and the engine or is it just not possible because of it being built on old technology?

    There is no game competing with Everquest right now, and since i've come back i realised i missed it loads, it really is the greatest MMO it's just a shame that it is horribly dated in certain areas (graphics, and some clunkiness etc) but the gameplay is what i love.

    Wondering if there is anything on the horizon for the game.. I always thought Everquest was on it's last breath but the recent Mischief servers have got alot of old players back (me included) so i think it's a perfect opportunity to ramp things up a bit and bring in alot of new players/a true EQ sequel.
  2. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    No clue what PSO2 or POE is? :confused:
    The longterm plans for EQ1 are not public knowledge at this point.

    That said: EQ1 needs a technology update badly, not just to look competitive, but to stay compatible with modern hardware.

    I think there are 4 possible ways it can go:
    1. They can ignore the problems and just make expansions, until the whole thing collapses.
    2. They can try to fix problems as the occur, always playing "catch-up" with the compatibility issues.
    3. They can code a new bespoke 64bit game-engine from scratch.
    4. They can buy a new engine and try to fit it into EQ1.
    What option they pick depends mostly on how much EG7 is willing to invest in the game, and what technical limitations there are for EQ, that are too difficult to change.
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  3. Andarriel Everquest player since 2000

    They will go the 1 route.

    Andarriel
  4. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    I personally think option 1 is very unlikely, as it will mean EQ will only have a few years left...I doubt the EQ1 devs are looking for new jobs... It has actually been confirmed by Jchan that this is NOT the plan(at least if it is up to the EQ1 team). That is a deliberate "sunset"! :eek:
    I doubt EG7 thinks EQ1 is running so badly financially, that it doesn't deserve any long term plans at all.


    Option 2 and 4 are more plausible imo.

    Option 2 is the cheapest one in the short term. and is what we "appear" to have currently...
    The big question is, if they are doing it as a short term solution to win time, while working on option 3 or option 4.

    Option 3 is the most expensive and is probably too much work to be worth it. It is "almost" comparable to a completely new mmo regarding work-effort...

    Option 4 is a realistic dream scenario(I think), if they can afford it.


    This is all just guessing though! :cool:
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  5. Smedolvin New Member

    The best future for Everquest would be a group of passionate fans who want to bring the world of Norrath forward using todays technology to make the experience more engaging and immersive. They would need to buy it outright or start a spiritual successor.

    As someone who has played EQ since 1999, I remember the days when the development team had their "vision" (double edged sword here) and were improving the game world and the player experience. From original to Velious we saw some of the coolest stuff introduced. They were still elbow deep and passionate about the game world. Over time the team disbanded and the game was sold off to those who wanted to just milk the IP. This brings us to today. EQ is nothing but a obscure source of revenue from progression servers and nostalgia.

    Opinions will differ but my personal opinion is that EQ is chained up in a dungeon somewhere with tubes hooked up to it. Once it's bled dry, that will be the end of it. The game needs a new owner who gives a . A group of folks willing to take a risk on the game and bring it back to life. While a good portion of EQ fans are loving the progression cycle of start over from scratch and fight over mobs like the old days, this isn't doing anything for the "future" of Everquest.
  6. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    A game that has been open-sourced and kept alive by a passionate fanbase for free, has been tried before. The original Doom has that fate(and it still blooms! :D ). But I think keeping a complex mmorpg up to AAA standard is a bit too much to ask from a fanbase.

    However I get a different impression from EG7(they seem sincere), and I don't think they will abandon EQ1.
    I also think the current dev team is genuinely passionate about EQ1...
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  7. Vumad Cape Wearer


    It's called Pantheon, Rise of the Fallen.
  8. Waring_McMarrin Augur


    Wasn't that supposed to be in beta 2-3 years ago?
  9. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    They've never announced a timeline for Beta.

    So far there was a Pre-Alpha test-phase in Dec 2017
    (prior to a major code overhaul / refactoring which was begun some way into 2018;s "Project Faerthale" which was to be an end-to-end Level 1 to 50 build of the game).

    There were several further Pre-Alpha tests in 2020 using the new build.

    Alpha 1 is still awaiting a date, meanwhile a "roadmap" of things VR wants in place before commencing the Alpha phase was a part of a developer newsletter in March 2021

    It's a long development phase so far since it started back in 2013 but is supposedly fully-funded to completion, additional funding will accelerate development and allow for an earlier launch.
  10. Vumad Cape Wearer


    Yes, which proves the small guys making it happen isn't working out.
    Gyurika Godofwar likes this.
  11. Metanis Bad Company

    One thing is for sure, the investment world is sloshing with money right now and a visionary could tap that and evolve EQ1 into a newer 64-bit EQ and then springboard that new engine into a wholly new EQ3.

    Owning the EQ franchise is a tremendous advantage in terms of intellectual property rights and customer retention.

    To me it's like that famous meme from the movie Field of Dreams. If you build it, they will come! The on-going popularity of TLP seems to prove that.
  12. Accipiter Old Timer


    Does that ever work? Serious question.
  13. Jumbur Improved Familiar


    There have been a few successes for less complex genres. Doom(sourceports and a strong modding scene), and I think Streets of Rage(fan-made remake, but in "retro-style"). But I haven't heard of anything that would compete with commercial current-gen games on a technical level.

    But in a weird way, I think the current dev-team for EQ1 all qualifies as fans, if you go by the "get to know your dev" articles, they just lack manpower/funding.

    There are of course those hyper-hyped next-gen mmo's running on the "kickstarter"-model, but none of them have proved a success yet(afaik, they are still a work in progress). At best they have a "promising tech-demo/alpha" to show their fans. Time will tell how that works out.
  14. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    It will be option 3.
    Skuz likes this.
  15. KarmaKitty Augur

    They need daddy deep pockets, since should code everything from scratch based on what they know now (to do and not do) and the latest tech.

    They should include a modern web based market place / auction house as well as character data like eqplayers and magelo. This should include a fix to the monetary system well past plat.

    Trim down the trash cash drops. I don't want a 40 slot bag full of crap because. We should only see cash drops, tradeskill drops (all gems are ts drops), wearable/usable drops or quest drops. If I get an
    item I should be able to do something with it other than only sell it to a vendor for cash. You can drop
    the cash so do so.

    Plan it (all of it) out (well) across 150 levels even if they only deliver 1-30 the first day. Know what you are going to do down the road.

    Enough ranting. Just make it fun.
  16. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    Not to worry. The work on option 3 has already begun. It's not going to be quick, however. Darkpaw is going to run out the clock on 32-bit support.
  17. Jumbur Improved Familiar

    If they go with option 3, then I hope they will get rid of all the weird quirks in the engine that limits them, when adding new functionality. :)

    There have already been expansions and features that has been limited by engine limitations.
  18. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    The limitations a 32-bit engine imposes on EverQuest are many and varied. The number of compromises, custom code changes, workarounds, and generalized code reductions that have been made due to not upgrading to a modern client are likely going to present new challenges once the new client goes live.

    In short, it will require LOTS of patience even after the 64-bit client goes live before the players see many of the benefits to established game systems.
    Jumbur likes this.