True story
you die deep in undead Guk- You make arrangements with your group, two of which are in guilds, to meet at a specified time to get together and see what you can do.
That time comes, you show up, no one else does. You seek them out, you see they are on, you send tells saying - politely -"wtf"- They say- ah yeah my guild got me out. You, internally wonder why this person could not have also selected the force of their guild to help you ALL out, considering the previously agreed upon time. You make judgments on that person about their character, and unfriend them.
Same with the others, you wonder where they are- they did not show.
Next day same thing, but other got their corpse- again from being on at another time etc. etc.
Unfriending them all, you go about your day to day, and start asking around. Maybe even start running- on the edge- naked to the place. You wait outside and ask people going in " are you going in?" and explain situation. If they are heading to where you were, 2 days ago, would they let you follow them in, while they kill the monsters, so you can loot your corpse. Many say nothing- you invis and follow along anyway.
You die again.
You try again- but, having been made being hyper aware from the need to get all your stuff(!), -realize you have actually memorized some of the dungeon.
This time when you are invising down pass another group, and they see you (they are higher level).
They ask why, you tell story, Monk comes back with pull, after quietly waiting for monster to die, Monk states if that was YOUR corpse HE saw from pulling that way.
You say yes and ask again to follow along if they are headed that way.
Monk states the way is clear, you refresh invis, and proceed- asking directions first.
Monk whispers "consent"
Fearful, you do.
You mem gate (just in case)
The group leaves. you whisper to the monk if you should follow- he says "wait"
You wait.
You think you hear pops starting, you re-fresh invis- you feel yourself starting to appear! you refresh invis again.
You see your disembodied corpse heading jerkily towards you and stop.
You whisper to the monk "are you there?" He whispers "wait"
You wait, and hear pops starting, more flappy foot-falls, some running flappy foot falls.
You begin looting your corpse and the monk whispers "wait"
You whisper "I am sorry, I hear repopping, I am scared, I want to give you something but I can’t stay"
The monks whispers "leave something- wait"
You know what he wants, you try to leave money but you realize you can’t just leave money so you add an undead froglock tongue on corpse and all of the 29P and 300 gold- keeping the silver and copper, and whisper "I would like to give you more, if you could meet me in town-I promise I will remember, or let me know when you are able" You loot and gate. Once you get back at bind point, an odd text message appears "Cylindrias would like to offer you a 96% rez, do you accept?"
You hit yes- you appear alone at your naked corpse, nothing on it, you click it, it vanishes- the area looks strange-, the monk whispers "wait"
You gate.
Again the same text message appears when you pop at bind, and you click it again, thinking it a bug- You appear in the middle of a high powered group, and in seemingly in the middle of the fight for all the spells being cast. You loot the undead froglock tongue and the cash. There's a lot of weird things in your shields place. You see the monk. You see you are at zone in, you offer the froglock tongue to the monk with the cash and say "you forgot this". He cancels trade.
You turn to leave and zone out the monk says "WAIT". You zone. You zone back in (for politeness sake)
The group is looking at you with swirlies spells graphics all about them,- you realize it looks like a wizard port spell, there are no monsters around.
The cleric asks if you can get out and you reply you can gate, and thank them. You think you should offer some services in return and before you can get that thought out you remember the wizard casting a port spell and you shout "WAIT!."
And they are gone. You forgot their names. You gate. Maybe do some crafting.
(I found your version of this post on Game informer and had to copy across my reply from then wehen i saw it here just to make sure you got my commendations!)
Dude! you nailed it, beautifully said and my thoughts mirrored exactly!! I'm playing project99 at the moment (just got back on) and experiencing the same feelings again 17 years later. One of my favourite things I just got to experience again the other night was fighting in EC as a level 11, got a bit comfortable in the zone, making some great progress feeling pretty cocky and BAM... dead... Griffin comes by and reminds me that life is precious and you better be watching your back :)
Love that element of EQ and I thought for a moment you might have touched on that while remembering oasis, can still remember the frightened shouts of mid teen levels pleading for some high levels to come and deal with a marauding Giant or maybe Lockjaw devouring everyone who wasn't paying close enough attention to the shouts of their fellow fighters... man they were fun times, but the fun doesn't end there because then it all comes around again when one day I am crossing through Oasis as now a level 30-40 and be able to come to the aid of what was once your own call for help, On your own or with the help of a few others you manage to take down the giant in a long and drawn out fight... all the while surrounded by a crowd of excited low level players who just caught a glimpse of what they can do if they keep working hard to progress, all working together with their own methods for staying alive in a zone full of hidden dangers by being social, raising the alarms and looking out for each other for the greater good. Each one just trying desperately to gather xp while not dying on the beach at the hand of a massively powerful mob for their level. It's a multitude of moments like that, that makes all the hardship that comes before it worth it!
Loved your thoughts and write up man, the Pantheon team should frame this and work towards it every day :)
While I'm not a fan of responding to necro'd threads like this one, the 'magic' of EQ1 existed because it was new. You didn't know the rules under which the world operated or where everything was located or what NPCs dropped what items, or where your next spell was sold, or where the next zone would be for the upcoming levels. It was all unknown. There was the magic of discovery.
Pantheon will not have all of that. By release everything that can be known about this game through alpha and beta testing will be collated, cataloged and place on dozens upon dozens of spoiler sites. And because you've played MMOs in the past instinctively know all the rules under which the world operates. The mystery and magic will be fleeting compared to the first generation of these type of games.
RedGang said: VR staff and every community member should read the OP. Many do not seem to understand the magic of early EQ1. I see posts, VR staff and even Pantheon youtubers reminiscing about the good ol days of EQ2 and landmark, as if they were something to aspire to. You cannot fully comprehend Brad's vision for Pantheon, without putting some time into the Project 1999 servers. If you find those servers unplayable then you don't even understand what you are supporting/developing.
Vand hit the nail on the head though. That magic can never fully come back unless you are brand new to RPG gaming or MMORPG's. And part of that magic was that there was zero direction on how to play the game other than from the community. Its lost to the annals of nostalgia.