Looking back at this post, page 1 and page 2 could be completely different topics =)
About EQ problems..
Boy, there's a lot about EQ that could be better, but alas, the changes WOULD require a complete re-think about how the game works.
Take something like monster AI for an example. I feel that the reason you have these incredibly strong monsters is that the AI, well, sucks. It's very simple.
The AI in EQ is basically "Attack the character that is doing the most damage" There are slight variances inserted into this, like healing. This seems very basic, more like "You healed an aggro'd character, so I'm considering that heal like you were nuking me" and distance "Even though you did more damage on me, this other person did a bunch too and he's closer"
Unfortunately that's about it. Sure, it's a little bit more complicated than that, not much. So, to compensate, they make the mobs hit VERY hard, and have ridiculous amounts of hit points. Hundreds of thousands on some occations. Of course, you can kill these mobs relatively easy with a well-oiled group of people, because the AI on the monsters is predictable and easily overcome.
So let's say they want to chance this. They make the monsters smart. Well, the higher the level the smarter. They go for the casters and healers first (once they figure out which ones they are). They command other monsters (if they are leader monsters) to block your escape paths. They run away and get help. Change the fighting tactics in mid-fight. Actually tryig to escape in a no-win situation before they are almost dead. Things like that.
Of course, now we have monsters that cannot be killed. They would have to make them less powerful. But now the wizzards' nukes are too strong. Chanters would mezz to easily. Warriors could take their damage forever. Etc etc.
It would be a cascade effect and impossible to do without starting with a fresh server, adjusted quests, new items, new spells, so much changed. All this because they made the monsters smarter. Imagine the dynamics of of it all. EQ keeps it simple, because it started small and it's gotten huge huge based off the original way of thinking.
So maybe we'll see more dynamics in the future of MMORPG's, but not with EQ. The problems with rare drops and dumb monsters that hit too hard will remain, because they have to remain.
EQEmu is emulating Everquest, and the core principals are not being changed. The AI will attempt to mirror EQLive, and thus have the same pitfalls.
All this aside, I do like EQ. Yea, there's a lot I dislike, but you know, it's still fun. I can see how one could easily to fall into the "uber" trap though; all you want is the best loot, and all you see is WORK (over fun) to get them.
And there is a point when you can get to "the end" of what you can do in EQ. Fortunately they release expansions and new things to do, so you can explore these new places when they become available. This is fun! And it's all we have for now.
I'll keep playing and having fun, sometimes pissing off the uber minions of EQ until some GM boots me off.
-CB
ps. I really like EQEmu. =)
ps. I hate the word "uber" with a passion.
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