Memory Lane

[Dregor Thule]

http://home.att.ne.jp/surf/mirage/sayon ... rath3.html

Damn thing brought a tear to my eye When I think hard I remember all the frustrations, pain and boredom of playing, but it's been long enough that I can gloss over that and remember the good times when I played. Damn you, you crafty Japanese person!

[Crav]

Wow that really made me remember all the good time in the old days. Probably never have another experience like the early days of EQ, none of the other mmogs have really been able to duplicate that for me.

[Arborealus]

Yeah we all spent a lot of our lives there together loving, hating, laughing crying cussing and fighting...While I know I'll never go back I do miss many of you folks a lot. And the thrill of discovering and creating a world with you all...

Ya know we really did make Veeshan something special...And many of us shared a lot with each other...

I guess I never said this to y'all but thanks for being with me in a very special place and time...I do carry a piece of all of you with me wherever I go...Even when I cuss you for stupid opinions etc here...At least I care enough to try to explain what I think is important...

Veeshan really was a magical place in a lot of ways...And it would have been less if any of you hadn't been there to share it with (even Midnyte)...

Now back to my regularly scheduled conservative bashing...

[Dexail]

damn, I'm a little emotional at the moment... I'm gonna need a hug.

[IeailandDokktur]

oh shit man... I remember waiting for that damn boat.

/hug dexail lol

[Izna Marcos]

very nicely done. Brings back way to many memories, good and bad....
Bravo, to the maker, it defintely hits home. I too had a couple tears...

And yes i remember waiting for that stupid boat, and actually using those Spires too...
And getting lost in Tox, when i was level 5, cuz i couldn't see in the dark....

Really is sad what it is now, compared to then, imho...
But then i'd much rather have CT and the old times...lol being in NToV for 8 hours.and wiping...than any PoP raid..

All the excitment has slowly left it all..it seems...

[Kindo]

Wow is all I can say, that was very moving for the memories of the EQ of old.

To those of you that don't play anymore, you have left a legacy behind on Veeshan. You are still thought of often and missed frequently.

Hugs!

[sweetkastings]

I feel so unhappy now. That all day was the thing that made me cry the most. Now if only my life would do a 1-80.



If only.
Thanks,

[Mr Bacon]

On the verge of quitting the game myself, after watching this video I feel quite saddened to say the least. I of course became little bit teary eyed (my roommate stared at me confused..) but in a good way - remembering all that I've experienced in this game and how much its really changed.

I remember having people over watching me play, as I point out such structures in game as were displayed in that film.

What a run it's been.

[Denadeb]

Watching that brought back tons fond of memories of the game.

[Waran]

Yeah we all spent a lot of our lives there together loving, hating, laughing crying cussing and fighting...While I know I'll never go back I do miss many of you folks a lot. And the thrill of discovering and creating a world with you all...

Ya know we really did make Veeshan something special...And many of us shared a lot with each other...

I guess I never said this to y'all but thanks for being with me in a very special place and time...I do carry a piece of all of you with me wherever I go...Even when I cuss you for stupid opinions etc here...At least I care enough to try to explain what I think is important...

Veeshan really was a magical place in a lot of ways...And it would have been less if any of you hadn't been there to share it with (even Midnyte)...

Now back to my regularly scheduled conservative bashing...

That's great! But you're still not getting my Bud Light

Anyway, my thoughts exactly Arb. Very good times flash through my mind seeing that video. 5 years playing this game...so many friends I've met in game, and in person

[Arborealus]

Yeah we all spent a lot of our lives there together loving, hating, laughing crying cussing and fighting...While I know I'll never go back I do miss many of you folks a lot. And the thrill of discovering and creating a world with you all...

Ya know we really did make Veeshan something special...And many of us shared a lot with each other...

I guess I never said this to y'all but thanks for being with me in a very special place and time...I do carry a piece of all of you with me wherever I go...Even when I cuss you for stupid opinions etc here...At least I care enough to try to explain what I think is important...

Veeshan really was a magical place in a lot of ways...And it would have been less if any of you hadn't been there to share it with (even Midnyte)...

Now back to my regularly scheduled conservative bashing...

That's great! But you're still not getting my Bud Light

Anyway, my thoughts exactly Arb. Very good times flash through my mind seeing that video. 5 years playing this game...so many friends I've met in game, and in person

I was going for the vodka...:/

[Legenae]

Brings back a lot of memories. *sniff* It makes me want to play the game again, but what it USED to be... not as it is now.

[Ebumar]

Oh man... so many good memories. I miss you guys.

[Winnow]

Well done.

I always choose to remember the good things about any experience. The early days of EQ (first three years) are something that can never be repeated in any game for those of us that played. No longer will we be wide-eyed and new to the experiene of a massive online game the quality of EQ even with all of it's quirks.

There's no doubt that a game has become a classic when you remember fondly even the simple things such as waiting for the boat.

EQ is like high school. You only get one shot at it. I hope some of those that quit the game bitter because of how the game evolved will separate the early years from the ending years and remember how truly amazing this game was thanks the people at 989 Studios.

I wish I could put this CD into my drive and do it all over again.

Edit: removed pict to fix margins. (Sylvus is working hard on an margin fix for larger pictures!)

[Drozified]

Wow now that was pretty dam cool, those for sure where the good old days. I am looking at that on one PC and testing new stuff on the other, my how far we have come

[Adex_Xeda]

I never really had negative feelings of EQ. I just seemed to recognize the superficial nature of the game after years of playing it like an addict.

Everything you did was in preparation for the next kill. That was great for a long time until you got tired of killing mobs. Then what?

I hope new online games address that unidimentional fault.

I did enjoy my friends' company as well.

I learned what it is like to discover the unknown. I learned what it was like to achieve tons and tons of material gains, status, and power and then notice how shallow they were.

I think I learned a life lesson in that. Today I'm not so concerned about money, nor climbing the management ladder. Crazy as it may sound, EQ allowed me to experiment with a materialistic life. At what I considered the top I saw how "things" didn't make you whole. They didn't provide peace of heart, or contentment. You pull the plug and all that hard work and stuff goes poof. We poured days and days of our limited time into something that is as temporary as a sandcastle.

Same way with this world. You can bust your ass at your job, and work your tail off to make a mark in this world, but at some point the plug will be pulled on all of us, and all of our life's work will fade away to the forgotten. How many of us know any details about our great grandparents? It's all for nothing.

Better to do work now that transfers to the afterlife. Better to seek God and his rewards. They don't fade when we die.

Call me crazy, but EQ has strengthened my faith, by showing me the dead end of materalism.

[Adex_Xeda]

Perhaps I'm too harsh on my bittersweet memories.

I did have fun, lots of it.

[Kwonryu DragonFist]

The tune played when running thru the Karanas along the beach always made me emotional... It felt like coming home after a long time...

(Running from Freeport to Qeynos took a while )

[Winnow]

The tune played when running thru the Karanas along the beach always made me emotional... It felt like coming home after a long time...

(Running from Freeport to Qeynos took a while )

Yes : ) Being a Barbarian, and a trader of banded armor that I transported back to qeynos/halos to sell from N. Freeport, I made that trip many many times and always knew I was getting close after hearing that song along the beach.

The other song I always enjoyed was approaching Freeport from N. Ro right after leaving the beach.

Here's the midi music: (There 54 midi music files total from EQ original)

Here's W. Karana:

http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/wkar ... %20tox.mid

Approaching N. Freeport:

http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/app_nfreeport.MID

Rivervale song!

http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/Rivervale.mid

Boat music:

http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/ship_cauldron.mid


Here's link to 465kb file that has all 54 songs:

http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~gte985m/files/midi-eq.zip

[Mr Bacon]

Just makes you think how desperately SoE needs to make a "Classic" server. Unfortunately, it wouldn't even be close to the same experience we all had back then.

[Kwonryu DragonFist]

Here's W. Karana:
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/wkar ... %20tox.mid <-- The Best song IMHO! When i think EQ, i think about that song! So mucn memories when you explored by foot and everything was new!

A Truly Heroic tune! A hero coming home after a long period of time!

-

Approaching N. Freeport:
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/app_nfreeport.MID <--

Very emotional song!

I thought about evenings, nightime and finally reaching an inn at night after a long journey!

Rivervale song!
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/Rivervale.mid <- Ha, that tune always made me laugh , thinkin about those tiny toddlers with big hairy feets!

Oh and the Boat tune made me think about Magellan, Columbus and exploring the high seas! ARGH MATEY!

[Arborealus]

Here's W. Karana:
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/wkar ... %20tox.mid <-- The Best song IMHO! When i think EQ, i think about that song! So mucn memories when you explored by foot and everything was new!

A Truly Heroic tune! A hero coming home after a long period of time!

-

Approaching N. Freeport:
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/app_nfreeport.MID <--

Very emotional song!

I thought about evenings, nightime and finally reaching an inn at night after a long journey!

Rivervale song!
http://members.cox.net/fuzzydog/eq/Rivervale.mid <- Ha, that tune always made me laugh , thinkin about those tiny toddlers with big hairy feets!

Oh and the Boat tune made me think about Magellan, Columbus and exploring the high seas! ARGH MATEY!

I don't think Magellan or Columbus lagged and found themselves swimming suddenly though......Though they may have worked on languages while sailing...

[Midnyte_Ragebringer]

Wow. What great memories.

[Markulas]

Wow, I can't believe how many of the zones I've almost forgotten.

[DoHbOy]

amazing , i miss old eq

[Vetiria]

Wow, I can't believe how many of the zones I've almost forgotten.

I was thinking that. I was trying to name the zones as they went by, and I forgot quite a few of them.

Very well done.

[Siji]

I really miss what EQ was when we all started.. how you were afraid. How things were really unknown. How the trip on foot from Freeport to Qeynos was something that made your forehead sweat. How running through Highpass was a suicide run and you simply prayed to make it through. How almost everyone at one time or another fell off the cliffs on the ramp in East Karana..

I also remember a sadness when I saw North Freeport empty after the expansions came out and people relocated to the bazaar. I had such great memories of North Freeport.. trying to get into the bank through the crowds, lagging like mad, watching all the hugely powerful level 50's show off.. running around the rooftops.. I remember when it was actually common practice for new players to kill in East and West Freeport fields and sell rat ears and whiskers to the merchants to raise money instead of just begging for it. Bandit camps in South Ro being an occupation for weeks.. dreams of graduating to Guk. Fear of running through the desert in North Ro.. fear of the 'damn griffons' in the Karana's.. fear of the Beholder Maze.. the sheer incredible awe of seeing Neriak for the first time. Literally, I spent hours exploring that zone just amazed (and completely lost!).

I also miss a lot of the players. The fun that everyone used to have together doing simple things. EQ took up a lot of time in a lot of people's lives.. I'd guess that most would feel nostalgic looking back on it now.

I really hope Vangard can bring some of that back.

[Jice Virago]

There are days where I think about what it would be like to go back and play again, but innocence can only be lost once. I miss the people, but I don't miss the game. I knew I was done once I realized there was no way to get farther with only 20-30 people playing 2-3 nights a week. It just took a half a year or so in a time guild to convince myself it was over for me (no offense to CoE whom I am glad to have played with), with all the BS PoP involved. My hats off to anyone who led a guild through PoP (or past Velious, really) as there is no way I could stand doing something like that.

Brad and company were in the right place, at the right time, with the right idea. Unless someone comes out with a really well done and compelling game of a different genre, no one is going to feel like they did in EQ year one. Lightning just does not strike twice in the same place like that. Give them credit though, VI was the pioneer and did pretty well considering they were creating a new genre of games.

I do miss the people, though, especially my guildmates. I even miss some of the people I hated (and/or hated me) which is why I still haunt this board. But playing the WoW stress test, I have to say that the entire time sink + competition for content thing is something I really do not care for anymore. Until some game solves that problem, I think I am sticking to single player RPGs for a while. I really hope someone realizes that less grinding just means people will play more alts, instead of forcing people through a year+ of grind just to get to the game. Early EQ had that until all the old zones became empty.

Oh well, enough nostalgia for me.

[Jice Virago]

Actually Winnow, my favorite songs were the SolB combat music (the one with the tympani parts and chimes) and the music that played on the docks of East Freeport (basically a re-orchestration of the main theme, with an oboe solo), but I lost my MIDIs of those.

[Winnow]

Actually Winnow, my favorite songs were the SolB combat music (the one with the tympani parts and chimes) and the music that played on the docks of East Freeport (basically a re-orchestration of the main theme, with an oboe solo), but I lost my MIDIs of those.

Did you download the zip file of the 54 songs I linked above? There are several "Misc" ones in there that might be the ones you remember.

[Izna Marcos]

Someone, tonight, was asking me bout a Cazic group, and i said i wasn't interested and that i use to EXP there at 30 or so...
This guy was like WHAT? when? ...i'm not nearly as old school as some of you, but that moment tonight made me wanna slap that guy. Not cuz i was upset...mostly cuz he didn't know how it WAS, but thinks the world of norrath NOW, is so wonderful.

Part i really hate, is my BEST friend didn't start playing until ldon came out. I tell her she has no idea what it USE to be like, it was different, better, and she just looks at me funny, like i've said something she doesn't quite get...

I wasn't expecting to play EQ2, honestly...but i'm starting to think maybe i should, try it out. If for nothing else, than for that shock and awe newness....

I find myself on EQ , now, missing the PEOPLE, i use to play with...more than the things i do...(although i miss that too)..or did.The people of old, are Legends..and i'll always remember those times fondly, being in that place, with some of you, at that time..
Although i too miss things like NFP being packed with people, and having to run everywhere or find a Wizzy or Druid to port you.When having C2 was the best it got, and we all thought that was so wonderful. And when the Froggie robe was the best robe in the game...and when CT was a exp zone for lower levels.

Funny how one lil thing can mean so much , to so many people....

[Lynks]

And yes i remember waiting for that stupid boat, and actually using those Spires too...
And getting lost in Tox, when i was level 5, cuz i couldn't see in the dark....

When I was level 5, those fancy spires were just for show. There was no way my lvl 5 druid was going to make his ass all the way to Tox.

[Nali]

Sorry to bring back this old post, but it really is sad to watch. I remember that feeling of awe and how small I felt when i first started playing. Lately ive been thinking about how depressing it is. Im trying to quit Everquest but it is so hard to quit something that has been a part of your life for so long. Not in all the games ive played have i had as much fun as in Everquest. All the memories i shared with friends and enemies are still with me, and I wish so much i could go back in time and do it over again. Nothing quite like the feeling of going to Crushbone for the first time! Gesh im crying

[Kriista]

does anyone have a link to um, there was an old of one these, had less pop+ crap in it(i think it was a year ago or so old)
i believe it also had a jimmy eat world song in it
if i remember right it was just up to velious, or perhaps had a bit of luclin thats all
would love to see that for nostalgia
this one didnt do too much for me since it had OMGIAMRETARDEDCAUSEALOTISTWOWORDS of pop+ crap and i quit midway through that one

[Spankes]

http://home.att.ne.jp/surf/mirage/memory_album.html

[Siji]

If you want a serious case of melancholy and sadness, log into EverQuest these days as a newbie, and run around the old world zones.. There's a 99.5% chance that you'll be the only person showing up in the /who list for every zone. The chances are only slightly less than that for Kunark zones.

I always found it rather sad walking through North Freeport and not having that lag around the bank that we all used to hate so much. People walking around the rooftops, hanging out behind the Jade Inn, the troll and ogre people that were auctioning stuff hiding in the water tunnels..

It's got a shiney new coat and it almost looks like a new game, but it plays like the test server used to - with nobody in sight.

[Sargeras]

http://home.att.ne.jp/surf/mirage/memory_album.html

I like this one a lot better IMO.

[Seebs]

I still play and I still visit old Norrath. I actually do get emotinal when I go to these old places, Guk, Oasis, Karanas ... just helpless at time, hopeless.

Deleted most of what i just typed. I loved that part of my life. I loved that i stayed online 17 hours at a clip and didn;t care what others thought .. because I was happy in Norrath .. Happy with my online friends, happy with the fear and awe and feelings of panic.

The new games miss the point. This is an awful analogy, but men in combat have a bond that those not in war can understand. We that play EQ from the beginning have that same type of unique bond. It pales in comparison, but we have something more recent players and ebayed characters cannot possibly know about.

Locked in Befallen without a key, wrong turns in Guk, Hags in Unrest, Aviaks in Karana, your fisrt piece of Banded, Bronze, your first proc, your first heal on someone that was unconcious, Your first Dragon raid, 134 hour Corpse Recovery, Clearing the entrance to Fear, Dying into Hate, Grynok spawns, Werewolves, Treants, Dwarven Work Boots, GEBs ...

Good Lord ... I wish I had my old screenshots. I do have my memories and my friendships, and thankfully .. this board.

[Mplor]

I think of the early days of EQ as a sort of second childhood. Once you've grown past it, you can only remember it fondly but never re-live it. I cherish those memories and I'm very glad that VV is here to help keep them alive for me, if only in memory.

[Lalanae]

I think of the early days of EQ as a sort of second childhood. Once you've grown past it, you can only remember it fondly but never re-live it. I cherish those memories and I'm very glad that VV is here to help keep them alive for me, if only in memory.

Thats a great way to think about it! Thank God I was finishing up school at the time or could have hosed a career

[Chidoro]

I think of the early days of EQ as a sort of second childhood. Once you've grown past it, you can only remember it fondly but never re-live it. I cherish those memories and I'm very glad that VV is here to help keep them alive for me, if only in memory.

It's funny you say that. This type of feeling recently happened to me when I visited where I grew up. I told my wife that I was ready to start a family that evening. The only way to capture that again is to forget about yourself and give that chance to feel that way for our yet to be born children