I've thought long and hard about this months ago.   To know the answer, you must ask what core emotions and needs did EQ1 fulfill in the millions of players who played it, especially early on.  A new game needs to simply stir those emotions and perhaps new ones.

Fear, Wonder, Excitement, Comradery, Accomplishment, Happiness, Sadness, Curiosness, Anticipation, Anger.

It's late (12:30am) so I'm tired.   Please add to this list.

As someone put it so well, happiness is not simply the constant supply of pleasant things.  It is the change in emotional state that matters.  Going from sad to happy is a much bigger emotional effect than going from happy to happier.  EQ1 stirred so many emotional states, I think.  Current games just don't do that.  For one, you know what to expect with MMOs; Two, mmos are so easy now that most of the emotional range isn't even touched upon. 

I honestly dont know

at the time of original EQ,  forced grouping was an acceptable norm in MMOs

- it no longer is  (and thats good thing)

but the heavy reliance on grouping built an active and mostly helpful community

character reps mattered much more

and you couldnt reroll a alt within a week or 2 -- to escape a bad rep

the balance between grouping and soloing is a tough one,

Original EQ was too extreme for grouping needs

the current WOW is too extreme for soloing ease

theres a balance somewhere between there - and I'm confident a new game will find it

I will attempt to answer, but of course this is just my opinion.

To recreate the feeling of the original EQ, you need to recreate the feeling of experiencing something completely fresh, vast and unknown.  You need the following ingredients:

1) A game world that feels vast and believable.  Doesn't need to be ultra realistic, it can be a low-tech as WoW, so long as it's consistent and it feels like it's a world, not something a Quake level designer has put together.

2) Creatures and NPCs that do not behave the way we have become accustomed to in MMOs today.  Spawning, respawning, pathing... etc.. it's old school, we need more convincing and entertaining AI algorithms and scripting.

3) Maintain concept of distance and remoteness, not providing insta-travel or at least, limiting the use of it.  I believe WoW actually has far better travel methods than EQ1 does now - with flying Zeppelins and boats, instead of EQ1s PoK and translocation Gnomes.

4) Create an environment that allows a self-policing community, so that players who are deliberately anti-social are deprived of the benefits of working in a community.  I'm not talking about forced grouping, I'm talking about maintaining a reputation.  When you were an asshole in EQ1, it hurt you, because people didn't want to help you out.

5) Allow activities and interactions in game that are not purely game-goal-driven.  EQ1 trader tunnel, teleporting for a fee, paying for SoWs, and all that stuff.

6) A lot of money.

7) A lot more money.

Originally posted by Recant

I will attempt to answer, but of course this is just my opinion.

To recreate the feeling of the original EQ, you need to recreate the feeling of experiencing something completely fresh, vast and unknown.  You need the following ingredients:

1) A game world that feels vast and believable.  Doesn't need to be ultra realistic, it can be a low-tech as WoW, so long as it's consistent and it feels like it's a world, not something a Quake level designer has put together.

2) Creatures and NPCs that do not behave the way we have become accustomed to in MMOs today.  Spawning, respawning, pathing... etc.. it's old school, we need more convincing and entertaining AI algorithms and scripting.

3) Maintain concept of distance and remoteness, not providing insta-travel or at least, limiting the use of it.  I believe WoW actually has far better travel methods than EQ1 does now - with flying Zeppelins and boats, instead of EQ1s PoK and translocation Gnomes.

4) Create an environment that allows a self-policing community, so that players who are deliberately anti-social are deprived of the benefits of working in a community.  I'm not talking about forced grouping, I'm talking about maintaining a reputation.  When you were an asshole in EQ1, it hurt you, because people didn't want to help you out.

5) Allow activities and interactions in game that are not purely game-goal-driven.  EQ1 trader tunnel, teleporting for a fee, paying for SoWs, and all that stuff.

6) A lot of money.

7) A lot more money.

I totally agree.  Especially about the self-policing community.

Back in EQ1 days, people DID have reputations to uphold.  In games like WoW, there is so much solo content that people don't necessarily care about how other percieve them.

Like someone else in the EQ forums said a while ago, people who played EQ1 can probably name 20-50 people off the top of thier heads who either they were friends with, or known members of the community.  That usually isn't the case for the new MMO's.  Of couse, this can be argued by the people who are in end game guilds and what not, but with EQ, you didn't have to be to be known or know other prominent members of the EQ community.  There was way more community in EQ1. 

I personally think Shadowbane did one thing right by actually rewarding exp bonuses for grouping, instead of the whole Group=Faster Kills=More exp formula.  That way you still have decent exp when you solo, but more exp for groups to encourage community.  This way you aren't forced to group, but rather encouraged.

Originally posted by Nadia

at the time of original EQ,  forced grouping was an acceptable norm in MMOs

- it no longer is  (and thats good thing)

This sums a big part of the challenge.  As players were once, forgiving.  If a 3 years old poop while he walks, you smile gently.  If a 10 years old poop while he walks, you put him in a "helping center".

- The journey is all that matter.

- The path of progression is what determine this journey.

- The player want to choose his journey.

You have a few possible approach from there:  Casual, catering, developped or hardcore.

Casual: Each activity yield exactly the same rewards. (CoX)

Catering: You favor the "worthy" activity (DAoC, EQ, WoW, EQ2)

Developped: Each activity has a different progression.

Hardcore: To master any activity, you must master all (Vanguard, Saga of Ryzom)­.

Explaining the developped approach would be quite hard, but if you want to see an example, just find my blog, if I can't explain it well, at least I give a fairly good example of a developped system.  The main advantage of a developped system is, that everyone is motivated to play for what he cares for, if this gameplay is supported by the game.  Nobody would quit a game because he is bad in a gameplay he doesn't play, but a majority would quit the game if they ain't good in THEIR gameplay.  A developped system covers these points.  WoW and EQ2 are moving slightly from Catering toward Developped, but they are clumsy to say the least (Resilience in PvP for WoW).

I pretty much agree with what recant said, especially the part about it needing to feel fresh and new.

There is one thing about early EQ that can never be recaputered by games following the familiar mmorpg blueprint.  And that is the fact that when we started we were playing in a world full of noobies.  Ok, some people had come from UO and maybe some had played Merdian 59 (or whatever that game was).  But I think the vast majority of people in EQ were playing their first mmorpg and didn't really know what to expect.

I wasn't just a noob when I started EQ, all my friends were noobs and most of the people I met were noobs.  There was something magical about that that just can't be recaptured by later games.

Even WoW, with all of it's millions of players, many of which were certainly playing there first mmorpg;  I doubt if it had that same feel because even though a lot of people were new, the general understanding of how these games work and what to expect had become too widespread by that point.

To recapture that lost magic a new game would have to be something really new.  Follow a completely different blueprint for game design so that people don't quite know what to expect.

As it is right now most of us can look at any given game and fairly accurately imagine how things will unfold.  We might not get the details exactly right but in general we can guess pretty well.

You guys mention elements I hadn't considered in hours of pondering months ago.  Two minds (or in this case, several) truly are better than one.  Item (2) in Recant's post, for example, is something that never occurred to me.

Months ago, I boiled down the needs to two simple feelings:  Wonder and Discovery.  If these two feelings can be created in a player for a sustained period of time, that player will most likely continue to subscribe and elinst their friends. 

How do we instill these feelings? 

Wonder - As Neanderthal mentions, people know what to expect with MMOs. So, most likely a game world itself graphically will not inspire wonder, no matter how many hours are spent on 3d modeling.   At most, players will be very impressed.  The ONLY way to create wonder in players today, I deduced, is through the storyline.  The game must have a story line or current events that inspire wonder; and one that continually unfolds (rather than beeing shoe-horned or appended as with the case with EQ and all other MMOs.)

Discovery - players are no longer content to run around and count the trees and mob types and watch the pretty streams.  Mobs are simply that; they are objects to be analyzed for expedient and maximum consumption (experience gain).   Players today have no care at all about the "soul" of mobs.  So, again, I think the storyline must fill the role of discovery.

This has been running through my mind for many years. Since the days of WoW and the personalities it has introduced to the MMORPG playerbase, I have lost touch with much that goes on due to sheer lack of interest. Forgive me if I am slightly off point in some areas.

For me, community has always been king. Those I interact with have always been my joy in the MMORPG world. Before the genre, I was still an avid gamer and very much enjoyed them, but I bored easily with the games. So, for me, when I began playing EQ in 1999, I was immediately hooked solely by the interaction of others. Even moreso when those others included people I knew personally and were friends, family and co-workers. Being able to talk EQ during break, lunch, or really whenever we had time to chat was amazing and bridged gaps between myself and others I most likely would not have conversed with otherwise.

Now, I was in no way as anti-social as I may be making myself sound. I was rather popular through school and had many opportunities for "adventure". The issue was my relationships with these people being rather empty and serving no real purpose. The only reason I even mention this is to emphasize that I have never been the starving for attention of social interaction type that would be immediately drawn to the MMORPG, resulting in my overall love for the game.

To date, no MMORPG has ever had a strong, versatile, humorous, intelligent and genuine community than EQ had in its prime. Yes, I remember the flame wars and shit lists, but then those actually meant something. We remember those events and for the most part they were always entertaining. If it happens in any other game, it's dumbed down and without meaning. Whereas in EQ, it was KSing, pushing people out of camps, clearing a zone you knew another guild would be going for the next morning etc. I have ideas as to why that is which I'm absolutely certain will be disagreed with, however, as I said, they are my ideas from my perceptions as a player. It's a shame I even feel the necessity to make this statement, but given the current MMORPG playerbase, it is most needed.

I'll start with PvP, a very sensitive subject. EQ has virtually no PvP to speak of, short of the PvP servers. The rest of us were stuck with the arenas. Personally I felt this was handled correctly. I have never and will never see a need for implementing PvP in the overall gameplay. EQ did it right. It was either a PvP server or it wasn't. Those who enjoyed PvP aspects, enjoyed them on a server with others who enjoyed PvP aspects. Those who do not enjoy them had their own server and never had to deal with it. Some will say, "If you don't want to PvP, don't PvP". The issue here is when you mix the players who do and do not enjoy PvP, you end up with conflicted servers such as Elune, where at least a year went by before BC was released and no one cared remotely about PvE, so those who were still working on things who started late or who were wishing to experience certain things from the perspective of another class were basically hung out to dry.

Everyone wanted to PvP, and with good reason. Rewards. It was simply more rewarding to do so at the time. More emphasis was put on one aspect of play than the other. Even as much money as Blizzard was making, they weren't putting equal time and effort into PvE and PvP. And if this doesn't happen, they cannot co-exist on the same server. Then you have experiences like people joining a run while they're queued for a BG and they drop as soon as it's ready.

This part is all about greed ultimately. I highly doubt anyone would PvP without rewards being available for doing so. It is no longer about helping your fellow player or simply doing things to have fun with others. I would say my fondest memories are from helping others when I had nothing to gain from it. In EQ, assisting others with acquiring their shawl, epic or simply running someone through a lost dungeon to get them their final points for an item they've been working toward. I always enjoyed those times mainly because I knew the drill and had more time to play around or have real engaging conversations with those in my group/raid.

I honestly do not believe, even given equal attention that PvE and PvP can co-exist on the same server without suffering damage to the community as a whole. I don't speak for PvP servers, as I've not spent an extended period of time on them, but I can say that PvP in general tends to attract a rather negative crowd. A crowd that does not contribute in any positive way to the community.

Where am I going with this? For those who were fortunate enough to experience the EQ community in its golden years, it is important to note, yet again, that EQ had no real PvP to speak of (again, minus the PvP servers), yet was thoroughly enjoyed by many and spoken of today as so great that we will never see such a community again. It seems as though no game developer will even consider the separation of PvP from PvE servers these days. There is this burning desire to have PvP from concept to creation and they cannot seem to fathom its absence, even as they continue to fail consistently at proper implementation.

Why? The obvious reason. Money. They feel that without PvP, the game will not be successful and the PvP players are more vocal than ever but they're mostly new gamers. Those whose introduction to the gaming world or at least the MMORPG genre was WoW. They come ranting and raving from forum to forum, spouting their endless "PvP Good! PvE Bad!" nonsense and this is what the developers see. While we sit back and let them do their thing because we know where we make one good argument, there will be a hundred to drown it out without so much as a "This is why I disagree".

As you can probably imagine, I could go on about this for hours, but I'll move on to something else. I simply want to point out that I do not believe the feel of EQ will ever be re-captured while developers chew at the bit to get PvP and PvE co-existing properly, as this just isn't possible. It has destroyed communities time and time again and will continue to do so. With EQ being so community driven and being a major part of the overall feel of the game, you must re-create the environment that forged such a community. You cannot re-create the environment when the elements of the environment are drastically changed. One element can disrupt an otherwise positive environment. Or if you like, "One bad apple spoils the bunch".

I played on many EQ servers. I loved server hopping when a new one was added to start racing to max lvl and just experiencing a brand new world and community. I played on the team faction PvP server which was a lot of fun and had a great community. With factions as in RvR and teams, you don't find the antisocial behavior of all out PvP.

You raise an excellent point, Urael.  I agree, community is crucial.  For a game I began designing last year, I make community crucial.  Players simply cannot progress without serious cooperation.  Players MUST need each other.  I don't mind people who solo, but I honestly see no place in an MMO for soloers.  My perspective is that of a Paladin in 1999 where I could not solo at all; I needed to seek out groups.  Years later I did solo or two-box, and it was fun for a while, but after the novelty wears off, you feel a bit hollow.  I would do everything in my power to add game mechanics so that a solo player could not kill a named for its loot.  This topic alone (to solor or not to solo) could fill an entire thread.

Yes, PvP should have separate servers.  One thing that impresses me greatly; is the ONLY server to defeat The Sleeper on EQ was a PvP server!  That shows serious community, at least at the high levels.  I do know firsthand that the lower levels on PvP servers are a gankfest, and many characters de-leveled from, say, 50 to level 5 so they could gank new players with impunity.  If someone had the courage to stick around, it was actually pretty fun.  But I'm sure 95% of potential PvPrs were disenchanted thanks to the de-levelers.