I was an old school Ultima Online MMORPG player and I always considered it one of the pioneers of MMORPG's. I have heard of Meridian 59 but never have seen any good screenshots/info. Does anyone here remember that game and if so do you know or have any good screenshots or information about the game? I would love to see how the MMORPG has evovled and how it began wihtin Meridian 59.
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Meridian 59
- Thread starter Kai
- Start date
metsallica
Member
It's still going as strong as an 8-year-old MMORPG can go... http://meridian59.neardeathstudios.com/
I even have a friend that plays it to this very day, having started back in '96! He maintains that it's better than all of the 3D MMORPGs out there and may in fact be just slightly insane.
I even have a friend that plays it to this very day, having started back in '96! He maintains that it's better than all of the 3D MMORPGs out there and may in fact be just slightly insane.
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
I used to play M59. In fact I was one of the Alpha testers, then Beta, then retail...
People complain about the cost of games now, but in it's hayday, M59 cost $30 a month to play, and lots of people gladly paid it.
Eventually I became a Bard for the game and worked directly with the developers designing my own in game events and helping to implement new storylines. I'd have to say that the events team that M59 had is what kept that game going. I have yet to see another game have a team so involved with the players.
Anyway...the game.
The game is still around, run now by NDS (Near Death Studios...has members of the original programmers from 3DO) and is about the undergo a graphics overhaul.
Oh, and the best way to learn about the game...PLAY IT!
Just go to Skotos.com and sign up for a free account, download the game (84mb) and start playing. I think they give you a month of free play. The only downside is you don't get to experience the PvP of this game (which was one of the best things) as the free trial is on a non-pvp server.
Have fun.
People complain about the cost of games now, but in it's hayday, M59 cost $30 a month to play, and lots of people gladly paid it.
Eventually I became a Bard for the game and worked directly with the developers designing my own in game events and helping to implement new storylines. I'd have to say that the events team that M59 had is what kept that game going. I have yet to see another game have a team so involved with the players.
Anyway...the game.
The game is still around, run now by NDS (Near Death Studios...has members of the original programmers from 3DO) and is about the undergo a graphics overhaul.
Oh, and the best way to learn about the game...PLAY IT!
Just go to Skotos.com and sign up for a free account, download the game (84mb) and start playing. I think they give you a month of free play. The only downside is you don't get to experience the PvP of this game (which was one of the best things) as the free trial is on a non-pvp server.
Have fun.
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
What server did your friend play on? Maybe I knew him...it was a very close community for the most part back then. Even if I didn't know him on my main player's server...I may have met him (or her) through the Bard program.metsallica said:
metsallica
Member
I don't know offhand but next time I see him I'll ask. He may have gone by the name Sargon if that rings any bells.
mjq jazz bar
Banned
The other game I always wanted to play was The Realm Online. Did anyone play that?
TekunoRobby
Tag of Excellence
Ha ha same here, I remember having a blast with that game. I was picked for one of the earliest phases of testing too, quite suprising.Mr Pockets said:
Stuggernaut
Grandma's Chippy
The Realm was out before M59...it was fun UNTIL you played M59...then it sucked. Cool story and all, but the interface and gameplay was not lively enough for me.mjq jazz bar said:
As for M59, I was on server 108 in 3DO days as =SpAwN=, then SrBardGleeman on server 107, then got promoted to SageGleeman on all servers and pretty much played those characters until the day they pulled the plug, litterally. I remember being on as the Admins said goodbye and then the game just turned off.
Has any other major MMORPG permanently shut down yet? When you play a game for 5+ years it is kinda sad to see it end like that...I don't think current generations of players have really experienced it yet.
metsallica
Member
Mr Pockets, from my friend:
He still plays, too.
He still plays, too.
ManaByte
Member
Mr Pockets said:
EA is shutting down Earth & Beyond in September. Don't be too shocked if Sims Online follows soon after.
EQ, FFXI, DAOC, and UO are the only MMORPGS currently on the market that are 100% not going anywhere. EQ and FFXI have the most subscriptions, DAOC is making Mythic a profit and that's all they need to keep going, and EA would be lynched and burned to the ground if they ever even thought of shutting down UO.