I can tell you exactly how EQ handles pathing, because I worked on EQ.
EQ uses a very (VERY) simple A* pathing algorithm, with fixed hand added PPOINTS for each zone.
The level designer literally runs through the zone with the client, using slash commands to add/delete ppoints in the level. Its sick, but thats how it works.
There are, IIRC (this was .. what.. nearly 3 or so years ago), 4 different types of PPOINT nodes. Land, Air, Water.. and a special "area" known as Wide Open. Wide Opens allow a mob to simply go straight from point A to point B if both points are in the wide open.
Land, Air, Water points are pretty much what they sound like.
ppoints are in groups, with each gropu limited to a certain number of points for efficiency.. Can't recall how many points. Each gropu can be connected to another group by shared ppoints. A mob can only move from one gropu to another through these connected points. This is why you see shitty pathing where a mob will run AWAY down a ways to a certain point then back up. Its goign to the nearest connector.
There was also a limit to the total number of ppoints, again a number I don't remember. In fact, Plain of Hate is only about half ppiinted (The other half we sealed off), because we ran out of points!
The pathing is a very simplified A* that chooses the next closest ppoint to move to based on its current ppoint and the ppoint closest to the target destination. Taking into account connecters between pppint routes, and ppoint types (If the mob has to travel through water, it can do so only on water ppoints). IIRC, Air points were never used while I Was there (I left before Kunark).
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