Deja Vu! Only this time, it's the grand old dame of MMORPG, Everquest:
"EQLive": Another Cull
Given that back in the day, when I used to play, they stated that their ideal server population was intended to be about 1600 players, 18 whole servers effectively being closed is pretty severe. And this isn't the first time either; 'Rallos Zek', the free-for-all PvP server, where I endured a good two years of self-inflicted mental cruelty, has long gone, along with 'Kane Bayle', the second of the two 'European' servers where I spent a gentler few months. At one point, there were at least fourty of these busy little worlds, plain, roleplaying, PvP, French, German, Team PvP and even the laughable 'Legends' premium server with added GM support. ($50 a month for ONE GAME is pushing it even for an obsessive like me.)
Now another 18 are slated to go. The reasons are many, I'd imagine. Everquest is a very old title, ground-breaking in it's day. It's only competitor at launch was the isometric sprite-based Ultima Online, and for many, and for a long time, Everquest was revolutionary. Success breeds imitation however, and before long, the shelves were awash with similar games, all inspired and refined variants on the basic Everquest model. (See...well...pretty much any other post for a list) People grow tired, move on, and in a heavily guild and group-just based social game like Everquest, this can snowball quite quickly. Surely, with the arrival of Everquest II, the ideal scenario for SOE is that everyone leaves EQ1 and resumes life in the sequel, allowing them to save costs by just turning off the predecessor completely.
Still, it looks to be far from over for the veteran life-wrecking escapist treadmill:
It's The Chart Guy Again!
EQ2 hasn't been out that long, and the Station Access Pass subscription plan buggers numbers up a bit, but despite no longer enjoying it's Golden Age, it's certainly not plummeting just yet.
Anyway, finding myself becoming increasingly bored of Everquest II, (Yes yes, I should have waited a fortnight for World of WoWcraft. I know...I feel stupid enough as it is, don't rub it in.), and having this wonderful Station Access Pass, I decided to reinstall what bits of Everquest 1 I do have, and go on a bit of a virtual nostalgia tour of 'Where I used to hang out'. Just as in Real Life, places from our past hold significance and memories for us, having spent so many days and years inside these little cyberspace getaways, I find myself fondly remembering those times and places.
So this week, I'm going on a trip down memory lane, to Everquest...
Cont tomorrow...