We interview Game Designer, David Ford who's been with the EverQuest team since the summer of 2005.

It's not just every day an MMO turns ten years old. In fact, it's somewhat of a new thing. This week we're going to be extremely busy stalking members of the EverQuest team, both new and old. Join us all week as we celebrate ten years of EverQuest and please don't forget to join us tomorrow as we celebrate ten years of EverQuest at the official developers chat.

Our first victim is Game Designer, David Ford; who's been with the team since the summer of 2005.

ZAM : Hey David Ford! Thanks for celebrating EverQuest with us!

David Ford : Thanks! It's a real honor to be a member of the EverQuest team as we reach this milestone!

ZAM : How long have you been working on EverQuest and how did you get started?

David : I've been working on the EQ team for just under four years now. I started working as an apprentice in the summer of 2005 and around October of that year I was hired on as a full time designer just in time to start work on the Prophecy of Ro expansion. It was really exciting for me to have the opportunity to work on EQ after playing the game for several years prior to joining SOE.

ZAM : What is both your most and least favorite memory about working on EverQuest.

David : My favorite memory (so far) would be the creation of the quests I worked on for the Secrets of Faydwer expansion that players can do once per day. I was given the freedom to create some quests that were more interesting than standard "kill 10 rats" type of quests that involved some interesting (to me, at least!) mechanics and locations in SoF.

My least favorite memory would have to be working on the Revamp of Freeport. It was one of the first tasks I worked on after joining the EQ team and it was a massive and grueling undertaking! I wouldn't want to do another city revamp like that any time soon!

ZAM : Which class have you played the most in your EverQuest career? What makes that class stand out above the rest for you?

David : I picked a Wizard in 1999 when I started playing EverQuest based on the class description. I wanted to be the guy who stood safely in the back and made things explode. It turned out to be fun, and I've been a one-character guy ever since.

ZAM : Over the years, is there a particular change that you've seen made to EverQuest that stands out against the rest?

David : I wouldn't say there has been one single change that stands out more than any other. The past few years the EQ team has worked really hard to update the game engine to smooth out rough spots and make the game easier and more enjoyable to play. That doesn't mean the game is less challenging, but the team has tried to remove some of the barriers between the Player and the Fun.

ZAM : What is your all time favorite zone? Also, what's your favorite memory from within that zone?

David : My favorite zone is Solteris. Although, I haven't experienced the zone as a player, as a Designer it was amazingly fun to work in and create events for.  The Art team did an astounding job creating that zone. It looks amazing and the players seemed to enjoy the content in Solteris. Overall it was a very positive experience.

ZAM : Thanks so much for your time! Here's to another ten years of EverQuest!

David : Thank you!

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com