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The Mood

And what does the community feel about Project 1999 and Classic EverQuest? Otto, former guild leader of Inglourious Basterds added his thoughts.

"I haven’t had this much fun playing video games since EverQuest came out, when it was classic. When I found out about this classic server, I was instantly attracted and came right away to this server. So, I’m here for the classic feel and to relive EverQuest in its finest days."

"There is no other MMOG that is going to give you the level of nostalgia that Project 1999 will," added one of the guild's officers, Karsten. "This [server] offers you a better way of spending your classic time than any other server that’s ever been created, ever... They’ve done a very good job of keeping the classic feel and keeping the integrity of the server... The hacking is very low."

Stanley Soulcat from Transcendence told me that for him, Project 1999 "is a rush and, at the same time an amazing chance to display your gaming skills in front of your peers... I would say significantly more so than in other games.

"If you liked EverQuest before it went to the moon," he concluded, "come back because they have recreated it in such an amazing fashion as to not be repeated."

With such a high level of nostalgic appreciation and enjoyment of the server, one may ask why SOE hasn't created a purely classic server. The Project 1999 team had its own theory on that.

"They had their attempt at it with the progression servers--Combine and Sleeper," offered Rogean. "That didn’t live up to the expectations. Within three to four months, we were already in Luclin. People tend to think that the classic experience ends when Luclin opened, so at that point, a lot of people lost interest. Every month, another expansion opened and it rapidly declined in population.

"It wasn’t a true rollback to 1999, so you were still using the latest client, the latest mechanics, the latest spawn updates and nerfs; all that stuff was still in the game. It didn’t live up to the expectation in the long run, and Sony has come to the conclusion that it would be a hassle to open a classic server as they would have to support a different code base and a different server altogether, which is pretty much years older than anything they’re currently working on now, and they didn’t want to deal with that hassle."


Whether or not Sony creates a Classic server or missed their chance, they're still very much committed to EverQuest and its players. Recent rumors have cropped up that Underfoot would be the last expansion of the game's 11-year running. Smedley confirmed that this was indeed just a rumor.

"I came out of a meeting two weeks ago where we were focusing on an expansion that will be coming out later this year," he told me at GDC in early March.

I also asked him about the future of EverQuest and "EverQuest 'Next' " which was leaked out in the game's Anniversary book last year. What is "EverQuest 'Next'?"

"It’s what it sounds like," Smedley said. "We’re not going to stand still with the EverQuest franchise. We’re working with it now and we’re going to take it to the next level. We intend for it to be the game of the century – you watch."

For over a decade now EverQuest has enthralled thousands of gamers around the world. Nostalgia has played a large role in reserving the game a special spot in player's lives. There's something markedly powerful about a title that can retain such popularity long past its expiry date in terms of advancement in the technology of today. Such potency to power motivation for players to not only rebuild the experience by hand, but be joined by thousands of others with the same sentimental affinity to play the game is not only rare, but impinging monumental.

Whether it be the difficulty of the game, the social implications, or just the fondness of yesteryear that brings players back one thing is amply clear: The impression that EverQuest made in 1999 is still very much recognizable today.

If the enticement to play the game as it was over a decade ago pulls you strongly, Project 1999 has made a lot of people happy but at the cost of breaching the EULA with SOE. Maybe one day we will see the teams from Sony and Project 1999 come together and find a solution. When that day comes, bring a sleeping bag, because it will be one hell of a lineup to get in game.