Random Dialogue: Everquest as MMORPG Citizen
Dialogue, 2004-07-26

Five years out, the passion of a company once known as Verant Interactive has secured it's place in video game history. With competitors knocking down the door into the market and a recent loss of the #1 spot in number of subscribers, Sony Online Entertainment has renewed their commitment to Everquest through design, graphics, and community improvements. Given that Everquest has been around longer than almost any other Massive game, I'm going to spend a moment talking about how (for better or worse) Everquest has helped to define the Massively Multiplayer genre.

Design

Now, I know that EQ, Verant, and SOE didn't come up with what I'm going to talk about in a vacuum. MUDS, MUSHes, Pen and Paper gaming, and more recently other MMOGs have had a good deal of influence on Everquest.

That said, from a design perspective, EQ is a primary source material for many of the most popular games in the online market today. Every time you use the /camp command in a game, you have EQ to thank for that. Everquest's origins as a graphically enhanced Diku-style MUD have passed on Diku-MUD tendencies to all of the games that have followed. These tendencies are themselves a throwback to Pen and Paper gaming of the D&D variety. Visible statistics for player attributes combine with the statistics inherent in worn equipment and weapons to produce a series of values. These values are applied to a random check against the same values in an opponent, making combat an exercise in number-crunching. Dedicated players (twinks) can use these values to make their characters as effective as possible for whatever role they wish to play.

The "expansion" model of content release is also a seminal Everquest concept. The first expansion, Ruins of Kunark, was released only a year after the original game. This influx of additional content added significantly to the game. It also spoke to players about the commitment the company would have regarding upkeep and additions to the game world. Since then, expansions to EQ have set standards again in the form of graphics upgrades, massive content additions in the form of continents, technology enhancements (instancing), and user interface refinement. The expansion paradigm is one of the most commonly used techniques in the MMOG genre for getting a large amount of content out to the players.

Language and Community

Everquest's players have had as much to do with the propagation of Everquest as a cultural phenomenon as anything else. Everquest guilds usually begin as a group of people looking to adventure together. "Real Life" support in the form of websites and the Fan Faire have extended these loose collaborations of players into vibrant mini-communities. The way that EQ players comport themselves has led to guilds being not only a feature for most MMOGs, but an expected facet of the online gaming experience. Guilds have come to represent the power of the player base. SOE has always attempted to cater well to these groups, but recent events have indicated a new level within the player/developer dynamic for Guilds. The Guild Summit is a clear sign to the entire MMOG community that, at least in the eyes of SOE, guilds have enough clout to make the people who create the game modify their opinions.

This self-respect may spread to other guilds in other games, as many an aspect of online society has been shaped by the EQ community. The lingua franca of online players is filled to the brim by slogans, terms, and in-jokes first realized on the soil of Norrath. Ding!, Lewt, Mez, Rez, KOS, and SOW are all commonly used by MMOG players as a result of the early EQ player population. The ubiquitous acronym syndrome our niche market seems to enjoy may even be a result of EQ and it's expansions. EQ players know the expansions as ROK, SOL, POP, etc, and has may have led players to abbreviate other games in the genre (DAoC, SWG, FFXI, ATITD, etc.).

Popularity

Say what you will about the gameplay in EQ now, 400,000 people can't be completely off their rockers. The notoriety that EQ has received over the years probably makes it the best known online roleplaying game in America. People from all walks of life play or have played EQ. Many of the people I've met through MMOGing state that their online lives began with Everquest. IE: EQ is a really great starter drug to get people into the genre.

And notoriety has certainly been a part of the package as well. Article after article about EQ has been written within the online gaming media, and even on one or two occasions the popular press has gotten into the act. Everquest's success has made the industry as a whole more visible to the gaming public. Arguments could be made that without Verant and SOE's success with the MMORPG genre, the industry would look very differently than it does today. I know I wouldn't be doing what I do, that's for sure!

EQ's notoriety continues to grow, of course. Five years out and with another game set in the same world on the way, it's been an interesting ride to see with the SOE devs have in mind. This week is chok full of MMORPGDot features about this online phenomenon. Wednesday we have some screenshots for you showing off the capabilities of the EQ graphics engine, and showcasing what (eventually) all of Norrath will look like. Then on Friday we have my review of Everquest as it exists today, spots, marks, and all. We also have a contest running, if you haven't noticed yet. We'd love you to enter the MMORPGDot EQ Giveaway, and you can do that right here. Make sure to check back on Monday for our Screenshot feature, and until then, good adventuring!