So here i am, bored of the regular things..
I've tried vanguard. While i was originally impressed by the low levels it isn't growing on me, I've said goodbye's to the people i've played up to eight years with (8!!) and mosied on back to eq2 and eq1 - I can still drop into teamspeak and chat with them, but i think that we're going to inevitably grow apart
Ac is getting very boring. With my level 190 character i've gotten to the point that i just can't handle logging on to grind the same thing.
Eq2 - Well i still enjoy eq2, however as a 70 tempy with 62 aa points, I find myself still grinding for the sake of grinding.
That leaves 1 game (Well, i have a choice of a couple, but for now it's one game) Everquest. (Should be aptly named, Neverleave)

Eq Is currently having it's 8th aniversary celebration - 8 years with 13 expansion packs, The game is deep and rich and there's plenty to do from levels 1 to 75.
I came back to my level 51 paladin - Still in the same guild (Distant Thunder) on the same server (Bristlebane)
So right now, I have my paladin, and a new shiny (and now level 13!) cleric. I've noticed that between the time that i've left (The last time i actually remember playing was the ldon age) and now that i'm fairly under equipped. While i have a decent char, Compared to todays equipment i'm positivly ancient. Good thing for the fabled drops - I can actually catch up to people

As soon as i manage to find the screenshots that i've taken in eq1, I'll post some of the wonderfull new toys i've been getting.
-B-

So here I was in the Training zone of everquest – If any of you are not familiar with it, it’s basically a big set of caves that goblins and orc’s have taken over. There’s pretty much everything that has to do with eq set out – complete with a tutorial on how to use said features. After that it’s a quick trip through the caves – You can do some missions from the guards and accumulate some nice stuff along the way (Well. Nice to a new player, some of the well, well outfitted twinks I saw in there could make my higher level toons drool)

I think I need to explain a few things here – Just so we’re all on the same page. Again, those of you who are familiar with MMo’s can just ignore this little section… A Twink – is a secondary character for someone, often with premium equipment that the character would not be able to get on their on for considerable time. I have no ideal where the slang of “twink” came from however – It’s been around for years…

A Toon, or Alt – refers to another character usually all on one account (though with some hard core players there may be many characters spread over several accounts) There’s probably as many names for them as there are characters

Back to the Reality of my jaunt – I’d finished the tutorial, ran through some beginning missions and managed to get my self to a fearsome level 4. My second play session saw me again running missions for the guards – Mainly Kill a really big spider (the queen) her spider tamer (a cranky orc) and do a few other little tasks. My reward for this was practically nothing (Really. The loot sucked) The group that I was in to kill the queen (1 twinked paladin and I think a twinked cleric) helped me kill the queen, and then pretty much disbanded, however the cleric hung around long enough to loot the two venom sacks in the queens chest before leaving (like I said the loot sucked).

Onward Ho! The guards were suitably impressed with me, I gained another couple of levels – Woot 6. Now I can loose experience when I die.. and assigned me some more interesting tasks – Basically go kill more goblins and get back to us later… There was however an ogre guard who gave me a lantern bomb and told me to go blow up some kobold fort…. Yeah. I’ve seen the guards; guarding that sucker. Fat chance buddy…

Having looked at the fort, I decided to call it a night and leave the exploration (read, running for my life) for another day.

Tbiggs (Temu – Lvl 7 Warrior)

I was advised today that the NDA for Everquest II has been lifted. Thus I can talk about some of the great changes that are in Everquest II.

There is so much to talk about that I will be spending more than one blog on it.

This is an entirely different game but still has much of the feel of the old Everquest. Imagine, if you will, taking the best of every multi-player game that is out there and add it to Everquest. That will give you an idea about Everquest II.

Some of the highlights...houses, merchant buildings, complex trades to master, NPC that help you find other NPCs, automatic guild contributions, multiple copies of popular locations (like City of Heroes) to prevent overcrowding, fantastic graphics, surprising voice-overs for the NPCs (in fact several well-known Hollywood actor-types have lent their voices), fun new newbie zones that aren't accessible to higher level players, improved banks and on and on and on.

If it sounds like I am excited about this game....I am. I was bored with the constant hack and slash, hack and slash....to rise in levels. That has changed so much in EQII.

BUT I have saved the best for last....the most magnificent improvement for Everquest that has ever happened....you no longer lose your corpse. To begin with you no longer die and wake naked somewhere inconvenient. Instead you keep everything you own, some of it possibly damaged by whatever it was that killed you, and awaken at your bind point....always within the zone you began in. The penalty for dying is a death point penalty that is used against future experience. No more loss of levels upon dieing. However, you can remove much of the death penalty by finding your corpse and absorbing your essence. That means you have to find your corpse. Remember the old days of failing to note where you died and the cry of players..."Has anyone seen my corpse?". Not in EQII. You can now activate a waypoint that will lead you back to your corpse. That alone makes this game worth playing.

Keep your ears open, rumor has it that SOE will open the beta for more players. However, I note that, as of now, the beta signup is still closed.

More later. I am going back to see what else is new.

I mentioned yesterday that several new things had been introduced during the latest EQ expansion. One of the best, from my point of view, is the task.

Various task masters are located in various areas of the worlds, who give out tasks to individual players. This looks to be a real boon to the player that is having trouble finding anything to kill for experience or who is tired of mind numbing kill, rest, kill, rest, kill...ooops run for zone, rest, kill, rest, kill....die, etc.

Walk up to the taskmaster, ask for a task and you have a nice set of experience points, plus some cash at the end of the task.

The tasks tend to take about one hour and actually require you to think. The first task told me to scout out some caves. The caves were populated by NPCs that were blue to me, but tended to agro. Being a good EQer, I attempted to kill off the NPCs to obtain entrance to the caves. 3 deaths later I began to wonder if the task was doable. While trying to sneak up on the NPCs, I discovered that the task meant what it said, "Scout out the cave." It didn't say enter it, it didn't say kill someone. All I had to do was get in the vicinity of the cave, i.e. on top of it, without disturbing the monsters and viola! I had completed one section of the task.

Tasks seem to involve to errands and one final report which gets you your reward.

All in all, a nice change for the player with not a lot of time, or when you don't find anyone compatible to team with.

Oh, yes.....it was fun.

Texalor