4 ms·

Like many, I never played Meridian 59 but knew it as a major inspiration for arguably the first popular MMO: Everquest. Here's the earliest video I know of EQ,

Like many, I never played Meridian 59 but knew it as a major inspiration for arguably the first popular MMO: Everquest. Here's the earliest video I know of EQ, and it has a very M59 feel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFKrlynZNtU&list=FLrvKUlysHtYslGY0jtMIsJQ&index=6 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFKrlynZNtU&list=FLrvKUlysHt...

shiftpgdn 12y ago
I would argue Ultima Online set the bar for MMOs long before Everquest. The UO servers had 3000+ players online vs the 300ish of Meridian 59.
- syncsynchalt 12y ago
  I wasn't sure how to phrase it. The first two real MMOs (in the massive sense) where UO and EQ, with UO coming first. That said I think modern MMOs would claim more in common with EQ than UO.
  - LanceH 12y ago
    EQ being the first in full 3D as I recall.
  - sshconnection 12y ago
    They do. Pre-patch UO was much more of a free for all. Then the 2nd Age created a mirrored server that prohibited all but mutual combat. It took a lot of the excitement out of it for me. The risk/reward of going to dungeons and territorial feuds were what drew me to the game.
    - nrb 12y ago
      Minor correction: Renaissance, not the 2nd Age, split the world into two mirrored facets.
- codezero 12y ago
  I agree, though I do think EverQuest was more popular in the public image, I remember when it was mentioned in the movie "The New Guy" and I was like, whoa!
- sireat 12y ago
  UO was the first really popular MMO but it was 2D(or 2.5D at best). EQ was the first 3D MMO. UO was fantastic for its mix of PvE and PvP. For a time, you could be a player who preferred PvE but you could still protect yourself against PvP. I remember mining in rags, when underneath I was a fully maxed armed plate wearing mage ready to pounce on any unsuspecting griefers. EQ took a different route, it emphasized PvE. PvP servers were considered broken. There were endless discussions in gaming forums lamenting this lack of "forced but fun" PvP in EQ which was present in UO. However, EQ proved to be more influential, the big successes that followed like WoW emphasized PvE and the care-bear factor. Those games that tried to bring some sort of forced PvP onto users failed.(I am not sure where EVE falls in this regard) Disclaimer: I played both UO(1998-2000) and EQ(2000-2006) and my bots still play EQ.
codezero 12y ago
Everquest's designers have credited MUDs as the primary inspiration, I believe. I wish I had a reference, but they one of the creators of a big MUD (Diku I think) was considering litigation at the time :) I think MUDs are sort of the genesis of most multiplayer online games, but there is some seed in BBS Doors as well (Legend of the Red Dragon etc...) that had some multi-player persistence. Besides that, obviously pen and paper RPGs as well as fantasy adventure games (Kings Quest etc...) played a role in influencing all of these games.
- jghn 12y ago
  Everything back then was heavily based on MU*s (ie also MUSH, MUSE, MUX, etc), for instance Designer Dragon (aka Raph Koster) came from LegendMud. For those who were around back then, there is zero question that many design decisions of EQ were chosen as a direct reaction to the state of things in UO and evolving customer tastes. Put simply, the average gamer simply was not (and still is not) ready for the sort of sandbox that UO initially provided, but a Diku on steroids was definitely in the cards.
- syncsynchalt 12y ago
  Aradune definitely referenced MUDs a lot when speaking about the EQ design. I don't have any cites handy either.
imanaccount247 12y ago
EQ was not inspired by meridian, nor was it the first popular mmog. UO was the first popular mmog by any measure. And EQ was inspired by muds (just like meridian was). They were mainly inspired by opposing camps in the mud world, they don't really have that much in common. EQ is basically dikumud with graphics. Meridian and UO came from the virtual world camp.

shiftpgdn 12y ago

I would argue Ultima Online set the bar for MMOs long before Everquest. The UO servers had 3000+ players online vs the 300ish of Meridian 59.

syncsynchalt 12y ago
I wasn't sure how to phrase it. The first two real MMOs (in the massive sense) where UO and EQ, with UO coming first. That said I think modern MMOs would claim more in common with EQ than UO.
- LanceH 12y ago
  EQ being the first in full 3D as I recall.
- sshconnection 12y ago
  They do. Pre-patch UO was much more of a free for all. Then the 2nd Age created a mirrored server that prohibited all but mutual combat. It took a lot of the excitement out of it for me. The risk/reward of going to dungeons and territorial feuds were what drew me to the game.
  - nrb 12y ago
    Minor correction: Renaissance, not the 2nd Age, split the world into two mirrored facets.
codezero 12y ago
I agree, though I do think EverQuest was more popular in the public image, I remember when it was mentioned in the movie "The New Guy" and I was like, whoa!
sireat 12y ago
UO was the first really popular MMO but it was 2D(or 2.5D at best). EQ was the first 3D MMO. UO was fantastic for its mix of PvE and PvP. For a time, you could be a player who preferred PvE but you could still protect yourself against PvP. I remember mining in rags, when underneath I was a fully maxed armed plate wearing mage ready to pounce on any unsuspecting griefers. EQ took a different route, it emphasized PvE. PvP servers were considered broken. There were endless discussions in gaming forums lamenting this lack of "forced but fun" PvP in EQ which was present in UO. However, EQ proved to be more influential, the big successes that followed like WoW emphasized PvE and the care-bear factor. Those games that tried to bring some sort of forced PvP onto users failed.(I am not sure where EVE falls in this regard) Disclaimer: I played both UO(1998-2000) and EQ(2000-2006) and my bots still play EQ.

codezero 12y ago

Everquest's designers have credited MUDs as the primary inspiration, I believe. I wish I had a reference, but they one of the creators of a big MUD (Diku I think) was considering litigation at the time :) I think MUDs are sort of the genesis of most multiplayer online games, but there is some seed in BBS Doors as well (Legend of the Red Dragon etc...) that had some multi-player persistence. Besides that, obviously pen and paper RPGs as well as fantasy adventure games (Kings Quest etc...) played a role in influencing all of these games.

jghn 12y ago
Everything back then was heavily based on MU*s (ie also MUSH, MUSE, MUX, etc), for instance Designer Dragon (aka Raph Koster) came from LegendMud. For those who were around back then, there is zero question that many design decisions of EQ were chosen as a direct reaction to the state of things in UO and evolving customer tastes. Put simply, the average gamer simply was not (and still is not) ready for the sort of sandbox that UO initially provided, but a Diku on steroids was definitely in the cards.
syncsynchalt 12y ago
Aradune definitely referenced MUDs a lot when speaking about the EQ design. I don't have any cites handy either.

imanaccount247 12y ago

EQ was not inspired by meridian, nor was it the first popular mmog. UO was the first popular mmog by any measure. And EQ was inspired by muds (just like meridian was). They were mainly inspired by opposing camps in the mud world, they don't really have that much in common. EQ is basically dikumud with graphics. Meridian and UO came from the virtual world camp.