Count me out of Everquest. I have played this RPG since it first hit the
shelves of my local game store- and I must say; I am quite disappointed to
where it has ended up as.
It had great promise, but frankly- it's the worse fantasy game i have ever
played. As a matter of fact; THERE IS NO 'FANTASY' about it!!!! I had a
number of fantastic dreams when I first heard of Everquest- a land where one
can travel across lands and dimensions, a true world where you can follow a
trail through a path of forest for hours to reach the fabled land of elves-
or journey through a dark dungeon where rumors of a powerful sorceror made
his home there-, creating monstrosities and twisting creatures and beings to
its desire, with people cowering in fear to its name- or journey to an inn
within a city, where you meat cut-throats, warriors, magicians of promised
power to journey with you to a quest assigned to you- but these dreams have
been shattered! Never has any of this happened in the world of Norrath to me.
Playing as a priestess of Tunare, I had great ambitions of journeying and
making a mark upon my name as an adventurerer and holy advisor. But I am lost
in a world of technicality- noone cares about adventuring or imagination in
the world of Norrath. I am lost in a world of levels, fancy weapons, and
items. Noone in the world of EQ cares about being in a diffrent world- its
only a contest on who can reach the highest level, get the most fanciful
weapon, or the the most striking robe.
Try to prove me wrong- I doubt it! Through my months of journeying in the
world of Norrath, I HAVE ONLY MET ONE PERSON that truly tried to roleplay
(and i have met many people through different servers) - and even he turned
into the 'world of mundane unimagination' after a month. Am I wrong? Read
this mailing list- what do people talk about on this list? This is what they
talk about-
" How can I find the (some generic magic item that everyone else talks
about) "
What level is --- (some monster that someone wants to kill to get an item,
and camp out til he/she gets it)
Where can I hunt to get to level (a number) -
Etc.... etc...."
Not that any of this is wrong, people are asking for help- but this is all
anyone talks about in EQ! ! ! I once belonged to an RPG community and game
where mailing lists were designed to be 'in character' , where Mordok the
warrior may share his thoughts about the Golden Dragons Inn, or the Dark
Elves gathering a war party to rid the land of people who oppose them, or
magicians giving hints to the knowledge of their power through a quest for
them (And i thought this was one of the most exciting RPGs until they started
charging money per hour to play) - does any of this happen EQ, wheteher
through mailing lists or in the game itself? To believe that EQ made a
measly attempt to have people roleplay by coloring their names a different
color!? All i get from those people are male characters asking for my phone
number or address (considering I play a female character), or ---
"How much damage does that spell do?
When will (the monster) spawn again?
WHat number is your (skill) at?
Whats the stats of your (item) ?
I can't wait til reach level (#) etc...etc..."
I am not making bones about it- yes, it is great to reach the next level
so you can cast a different spell, etc.. to enliven your adventure- but what
does everyone else look for after that? THIS is what -
" I can't wait to reach the next level!!! "
So what happens when you reach level 100? What are you going to do then,
keep fighting monsters til you reach level 101?

There is no fiction about EQ. Its not a RPG, its a video game with no
imagination. Its a game with promised excitement, yet it will rot (and it is
already starting to) from the inside, and will not last long at all. I am
quitting my characters, and looking forward to this other game that i saw on
the web ( a complicated multi-player text RPG, but not a traditional MUD). I
am sure mostl of the people reading this doesn't give a damn about anything
of what I said - trash me all you want- I dont care.
Tenzin Alexander