Jonric: In overview, how would you introduce the technology you've recently implemented? What are the benefits in the players' visual and gameplay experience, and have the hardware requirements risen?

Jamey Ryan: The new graphics engine went live in March 2004. This push was primarily technological, and it will be used to its greatest measure in future EverQuest expansions. The sky has changed, and players should notice improved performance, better targeting, better pathing, etc.

I'm sort of a techno junkie so I always like to upgrade my hardware to the latest and greatest and look for any excuse to do so. However, the overarching tenet behind this new graphics engine was that our min spec wouldn't change. So, we've been able to take advantage of the latest and greatest in graphics hardware and software, but also have integrated fallback solutions for folks who choose not to upgrade their hardware.