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Are Newbies Traveling in the Dark?

By Aunraye



Great ships, magnificent horses, fluffy clouds, or your own two feet… How
do you get around in the world of Everquest? The focus is Everquest simply because
it is the game of my experience. What sorts of amazing adventures await you
as you try to travel from place to place in this vast world that has won over
your heart?

The time spent running and walking to get over distances on the map certainly
didn't look as long as they really are. As you go you keep your eyes open for
any little creature that you can use to gain a bit of experience or get an item
you need to finish that armor. Occasionally, you stumble across a path, and
you wonder if it is safer to travel along it or stay on your present course.

Following a path into a new city, with my much-loved dark elf, turned into
a fatal mistake. How? Guards! There went my understanding that they were there
only to keep back the monsters chasing me. No, the guards to this city were
there to keep people like me out. Dark elves were not much loved. Before I knew
what had happened, I was dead and back in my home city. Lucky for me I was not
yet high enough level to need a corpse run. I was still bound into my home city,
so now my long traveled path was time lost that I would have to redo.

Of course, there was another option that I was introduced to shortly after
this happened. Plane of Knowledge was a place that wasn't always there, but
unlike players of old, I could now use it. This place amazed me. I had no idea
what to think of it. My first impression wasn't too positive as I tried to use
the map and discovered just how crowded it was! At that time I had no idea what
all the statues with place names on them meant.

My loving friends luckily stepped in then to save me. It took only minutes
after they vanished before a statue that I got tells with, "Click on the
stone! It'll take you to us." I have to admit I was hesitant, especially
when it seemed like my computer froze up after clicking, but before long there
I was in a new place without all the walking! What would this mean for my traveling
in the future? I was full of exciting questions and thrills as I made this journey.

Over time, I better learned how to use the Plane of Knowledge. Despite the
ease and helpfulness of this feature, it was not all fun. It didn't take long
before I learned about the horror of POK lag. In fact while with a group from
my guild, where they all had made "baby" characters to play with me,
I was forced to let them go ahead for about ten minutes before I was able to
get through the POK without losing my connection.

The more I used the POK, the more I realized I missed something. I missed the
trek through the woods to get to the next city with all the dangers within.
As I gained levels the danger was less and more at the same time. I could beat
most things I found in my usual trek, but now deaths meant having to recover
my body for my gear. I wanted to rediscover that cute little ice covered land
that had enthralled me for hours one day. I wanted to find the thrill of traveling
through the towns.

Even travel in the tutorials can be fraught with perils if you are unfamiliar
with your controls. For me, the tutorial was a dark place. Trying to keep up
with my group with or without auto-following was difficult. I could barely see
the stairs. In fact, I lost count of how many times I fell off the stairs. I
know many of you must think this sounds incredibly silly, but until someone
suggested I turn up my far clip plane past 50% it was my world. When they suggested
such, you would not believe my surprise to learn my default level was 0. Learning
about this was a lifesaver when it came to traveling, and brought a whole new
level of love to the "old" way of doing things.

With this new sight, I was even more eager to return to the lands I had traveled
and see them with light! The landscapes were brighter and more amazing. I could
see where to step as I traveled up stairways and ramps in Felwithe. I could
spot my long searched for snake, orc, or pixie in the distance now and not only
when they were right on top of me. It was a whole new world, and I was in love
all over again.

So no matter how you learn to get around, it's important to remember the excitement
of discovering new places on your own. The feeling of amazement as you move
past four red targets without getting caught is something not to forget! It's
the quick stop to attack that skeleton for a few coins or just to test a new
skill or weapon that make traveling so much fun. The Plane of Knowledge makes
getting to new places easier, but it needs to be seen in moderation as a way
to find new lands to discover not to make it so that you never experience them.




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Last Updated: Mar 29, 2016

About The Author

Karen is H.D.i.C. (Head Druid in Charge) at EQHammer. She likes chocolate chip pancakes, warm hugs, gaming so late that it's early, and rooting things and covering them with bees. Don't read her Ten Ton Hammer column every Tuesday. Or the EQHammer one every Thursday, either.

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