I think Everquest 1 is the best game out there. The reasons it is the best are:
1. They have the most spells out there.
2. They have the most zones
3. They have the most options to play (IE: LDoN, DoN Missions, epic quest, camping for gear, etc)
4. They have the best mobility (IE: tons of ports, Nexus, PoK books)
5. They have 6sh years of content backing them up.
I think the things that keep people away from EQ1 are:
1. The graphics are not as good as EQ2, and they are not as cartoonish and colorful as WoW.
2. The Spell effects lack compared to other games.
3. The camera angles can drive a man nuts.
4. Mob chase you forever (unlike WoW and EQ2 where they stop after a moment)
5. You lose exp rather then go into debt when you die. And thus you can lose a level. Even DAoC loses exp, but you never lose a level.
6. The lack of quest makes the only means for exp is through grinding.
7. The quest you do have very limited information to help guide you.
8. There is no real good map system. EQ2 has a great map system. As well as WoW.
9. The guild options are not as interactive as EQ2. Man I love the guild system in EQ2.
I think SONY needs to remake Everquest1. Just redo it all.
1. Remake all the zones with today’s technology. The layout of the zones are there already, just redraw them.
2. Use the map system that is close to EQ2 or WoW. Make a mini-map like WoW.
3. Create a LOT more quest. Make it more like WoW. Where you always are working on a quest. There is hardly any grinding.
4. Use the mini-map to help you locate quest turn ins. That is one of the best things about WoW. You run by a town and see a yellow dot. That Dot lets you know you have a quest turn in. Very helpful.
5. Make the quest easier to understand. You have something on, or around, the quest giver to let you know that they have a quest. And another marker to let you know that you have one already with them, but you are not done with it, or you are.
6. Recreate the Guild System to match EQ2. That would make guilds much more interactive. More then just a tag above your head.
7. CHANGE THE CAMERA OPTIONS! Who wants to hit F9 to get different angles. Just use the way EQ2 and WoW use them. You can look around with the left mouse, or move with the right. They tried to implement this before I left, but it is no where near as good as the other games.
This may seem like a lot of work, and it is. BUT, look at the big picture:
1. They do not have to create the lore, it is already there.
2. They do not have to create classes and races, they are already there.
3. They do not have to create spell list, they are already there.
4. They do not have to think of how the zones will look, or where they will locate towns. They just have to redraw it with today’s technology (which is actually going to be the biggest part of this remake I think).
5. They have everything for the game already there. They just take the concept they already have, and have it off to the graphic artist.
6. They have the cliental for EQ1, and all the old EQers. If they remade EQ1 with today’s technology, I GUATANTEE that they will get 50% of all their old players back to try it out, if not more.
I would suggest that they trash the old EQ1 once this new one has been out for a while. Give the players a change to upgrade their machines to meet the new one. But that should not be hard. The minimum for EQ1 is like a 233mhz…. NO ONE has that anymore. So why have a game that requires so little?
I would go back to it if they redid it. My brothers would (all 3, already asked em ). My best friends would, again, already asked em. We all play WoW now because the colors are more comfortable, and it is not as linear as EQ2. EQ2 is very limited on your options to go anywhere you want. EQ1 and WoW you have so many options. Start in Faydark, run to Halas and level there. I loved that. In EQ2, it is Qeynos and run to Antonica…. Then Thundering steeps…. Then….. blah blah blah.