EverQuest - Enjoying It So Far

While patiently waiting for WoW to get over Pandaria (and hopefully easymode) and Minecraft to get past it's 1.7 development birth pangs, I decided to try out the classic MMO EverQuest. So far, I enjoy it.

Now I know it's not the original version of the game as many changes have taken place since, but it's still an experience. It's definitely something most current WoW players would find archaic, what with having to actually leave town to go do dungeons and all (gasp). Heck, the basic maps for most areas are nothing more than pencil lines of the buildings if you're lucky - some maps are entirely blank and you have to figure out what's where. Yes, you can mark locations and things on the map, and you'll have to do that (or download maps from somewhere else) if you want to keep from getting lost.

You also don't get to know as much information about enemy mobs as most games have now either. Basically, clicking on them will give you a hint as to their difficulty in relation to your character, and their HP is listed as a percentage as opposed to a number.

Don't be confused though, I am not complaining. I like this because I have to actually explore the world and keep watch for enemies that might be too powerful. Those are foreign concepts to most MMOs now, and that infuriates me. If I know that a game is holding my hand all the way and making sure I'm not getting in over my head, what's the challenge?

In WoW for example, you have to take several deliberate steps out of the way to actually find yourself in a bind. If you follow the normal style of play, most of your time is spent sitting in town waiting on a dungeon queue that is tuned specifically to your level. If you're not a total idiot, you'll tackle that dungeon fairly easily, pop back to town, and repeat the cycle ad nauseum. This is not my idea of fun. It's boring and repetitive, and it encourages being a selfish jerkbag because you'll likely never see the people you're grouped with ever again.

Compare that to EverQuest where you have to travel to locations, find other players to help, and generally try to keep a good reputation on your server. Night and day difference there. Ok, I'll hop off my soapbox now and show you some screenshots.

Here's a few pics I snapped of various mounts in the game. The giant hands are relatively new - there's different ones for different classes, and some of them are kinda creepy. The steeds are interesting as well, almost "horseman of the apocalypse" looking. The one that really caught me off-guard was the steampunk jetpack. That's all kinds of cool, and I want one!

Finally, here's me and my merc downing a rare spawn out in Blightfire Moors. Nothing special to any of the high-level players, but I'm still a newb at the game, so yay me!