by Karen Hertzberg on Jul 28, 2007
Bring Back That EQ Feeling
Is community the glue that holds the most enduring MMOs, like
EverQuest, together? Shayalyn challenges the SOE devs to leave
Vanguard: Saga of Heroes a niche game that focuses on community, even
at the expense of "soloability."
The thing that gives EQ such staying power is the
thing that I think
most games today lack–community. Most classes had to group in
EQ. You had to wait for mana to regen. You held down a camp for hours,
and you actually talked to your group members between fights. And yet,
the developers of today’s MMOs are afraid to force grouping
in any way because games in which players can’t solo
don’t seem to maintain subscribers.