1999 was the year that the MMORPG genre took its first step into the light. This step was Everquest. It was one of the first few games in that time to combine online cooperative play. Surprisingly Everquest was released with graphics rivaling the FPS and RPG game genres. It was probably due to this fact that it attracted many players. Majority of the MMORPG’s we see today have learned from the example that Everquest set. It performed decently on 56k modems since high speed DSL lines weren’t readily available in 1999. The graphics rendered on the characters and cities are remarkably implemented. However the visuals aren’t consistent throughout the game. Certain areas tend to be lacking in quality and texture.
The sound score done was a typical fantasy soundtrack but was memorable. Many players who spent their time in Everquest would still recall some of the tracks. The characters available at that time were humans, dark elves and dwarves. The typical classes you would expect with any MMORPG. However the classes were quite unique. The game also struck unique balance which forced players to group and take on cooperative missions or even simply travel as a group. This philosophy carried onto many other MMORPGs you see today.
As a pioneer there were a few bugs that Everquest had. The obscenely long time needed to level your character. Players would spend weeks in the initial starting zones before they could obtain a level that would allow them to travel the world. The game interface was less than impressive. The menu and quest logs were mundane notepads with no creativity put in it. However the game attracted a large player pool and was the first taste of MMORPGs. The game mechanics were simple but each character had many spells and strikes to choose from. Even over several months of play there were many spells left to learn.
Overall Everquest wins hands down for being the best in its time. The content and seamless gameplay led it to be a success.
No comments:
Post a Comment