Just out of curiosity,,,Follow

As I read these boards, I keep coming across comments from lots of people that say they don't play EQ anymore or that they're retired, etc.... Sometimes it'll say so on their signatures. So I'm just wondering why are you still hanging around these boards if you don't play the game anymore?

EQ's milkshake still brings the boys to the yard.

My guess is that they are estranged from the game, yet, as in marriage, they always want to see what their ex is doing. Speaking from my own perspective, there are times when I get bored with EQ. I like to check out different things. For example, I worked on golf. My short game sucks and still does. My job started taking play time away was another reason. My wife rotated to the Day Shift at her job and that drew me away.

No matter what pulled me from EQ, I always end up coming back. Rarely do I go back to my old toons, so for all intents and purposes, the "person" I was for EQ purposes is gone. I start a new toon, join a new guild and start all over again.

No, you can't have my old gear. I twink my new toons with that stuff =p.

EQ isn't the only game in town. I have tried WoW, DAoC, SWG and EQ II, but none have held me for more than a month. I have played EQ off and on for four years, so they must be doing something right.

I haven't played EQ since late '03, and unlike most people that post here about returning, I have had no such urge. I thoroughly enjoyed the 4 years I did play and look back at most of it with fond memory. On the other hand, I do loath SOE enough to even pass their consumer electronics by for another brand when I am in the market. I think it is hard for some of the newer people to fully understand how much hate there was for Sony when they took over and started changing things.

Anyway... I always look in on this forum from time to time because I spent many years here as an active poster. This was one of the first forum communities I was a part of and it was (and is) a damn good group of people. Many of the same people from back then are still posting here. I made friends on the forum that translated to friends in game, that have since remained friends out of game. It doesn't get any better than that! I believe that EQ brought in a different type of person, someone more involved in roleplay, perhaps more mature, certainly more respectful and friendly than other games tend to attract. A subset of those people came here and made this place just a nice place to spend time.

Some of the recent posts here about the EQ community no longer being friendly are quite interesting. As others said, we had to work together back then. The same reasons I left (inability to find groups, the proliferation of multi-boxers, inability to solo) remain today. I suspect that some of the people left are basically solo-boxing their way through the game with little to no concern for others around them.

Still this community is a friendly, helpful one. It is sad that there is so little traffic here nowadays, but that is just representative of the populations in EQ. In the end, it won't matter: whenever you started playing, whenever you left, you will look back on EQ with good memories.

Sony has always been a part of EQ, EQ2 and now Vanguard. Verant is a game development company that gets it's financing from SOE and agree to turn over the day to day operations to SOE when the games go live. That's what they do.

Also be grateful that former eq players post here. This forum is dead as it is w/o losing the former players. We also contribute considerably to the knowledge base for people asking questions.