FAQ 2008-11-01 [part 3 of 5]

(Available on the web as http://www.icynic.com/~don/EQ/age.faq.htm)

4. User Interface (UI)

4.1 Q: How can I increase my frame rate to make the picture move more
smoothly?

A: Add this to the file EQCLIENT.INI in your EverQuest folder, under the
[Default] section:

UseTnL=False
VideoModeBitsPerPixel=16

Note: This may not help all systems. Use at your own discretion.

Other things you can try: In the game under Options (Alt-O pop-up window),
choose lower settings for spell and environment particles, and/or lower the
setting for the far clip plane (how far away you can see). The less the game
has to draw, the better it can keep up. Paradoxically, it may even help to
LOWER the frame rate Options setting, because the game may keep up better if
it's not trying to generate as many frames.

You may also want to turn off Luclin character models (more detailed
appearances for player character races, added in the Luclin expansion). To
do that, turn off "AutoPlay" in the Patcher window when you're starting the
game. When it finishes downloading any updates and offers you a big "PLAY"
button, click further down on "Game Options". It will fire up an application
to edit various options, including which races to use the "detailed" models
for; turn some off. Some of the other options may be worth tinkering with
also, such as turning off "Social Animations".

Even if your machine keeps up most of the time, you may find you need to turn
down some settings during raids, where there are lots of characters present.
(Disabling the detailed character models may be particularly useful in such
situations, but is awkward since you can't change it from within the game.
Plan ahead!) See section 8.1 for more tips on improving system performance
for raids.

As Sony adds more complex graphics to the EQ world, older machines may have
trouble keeping up. Sometimes there are new options in the Display tab
of the Options window (or the "Advanced" subwindow off the Display options)
that let you reduce or turn off the new graphics. If you're seeing a lot
of "lag" in areas that used to be okay for you, try turning off some of these:
Sky Type Complex, Use Advanced Lighting, Radial Flora, Shadows.

Also, the /shownames command has several different levels to hide/show parts
of names such as titles, last names, and guild names. Showing less of each
name helps frame rate in crowded situations. Some people like /shownames 1,
which shows just the first names of characters. Type /shownames alone to
get a list of the levels, and then try /shownames 1, /shownames 2, etc. to
see what each level does.

Finally, if you're having trouble in a crowded area such as the Bazaar or
Guild Lobby, it may help to change your camera angle so you're not trying to
see as much. Use "Page Down" to angle the camera slightly toward the
ground, or use F9 to find an overhead view.

4.2 Q: How do I change the colors of the text?

A: While in the game, bring up the Options pop-up (Alt-O) and go to the
Colors tab. Click on the category of text whose color you want to change,
then click the button at the bottom and adjust the color to your liking.
(You may have to scroll a bit to see all the text categories.)

4.3 Q: How can I see where I'm going when my map window fills so much of my
screen?

A: The map window, and in fact any window, can be made transparent by
right-clicking on its title bar to open its menu, then hovering the cursor
above the first option, "Window". This will show another drop down menu.
Move the cursor over "Alpha" and left-click on "Faded Level". (This is for
making the window transparent a few seconds after the mouse moves out of the
window. To make it transparent always, select "Normal Level".) You'll get
a box in which to enter a value from 0 to 100. 0 will make the window frame
and control elements, but not the contents, completely transparent, 100 will
make it completely opaque, and 50 will make it semi-transparent. Note that
you cannot generally click on or target things through a transparent window.
You can also obtain smaller map windows from the eqinterface site,
http://www.eqinterface.com/.

4.4 Q: What's the key that opens the such-and-such window? Or whatever? And
can I change it?

A: To start with the last part, yes, if there's a key to do something,
you can almost certainly change which key it is. To find out what key does
something, or to change it, you start by opening the Options window, either
via the EQ button or by typing alt-O. One of the top-level tabs in that
window is "Keys", under which you select a category of keys. For example,
in the UI category you'll find that "Alt U" toggles (opens and closes) the
Tribute Window. Each action can be invoked by up to two different keys,
and keys can be "modified" by any combination of Shift, Ctrl, and Alt.

To change the key(s) that invoke any given game function, find the entry you
want in the Options/Keys list and left-click in that row under the Keypress
or Alternate column. The next key you press, together with Shift/Ctrl/Alt
keys that you hold down while pressing it, will become one of the two ways
to do that function. (To avoid making any change, type the Esc key, which
thus cannot itself be assigned as the key to invoke anything else.) Some
actions do not have any keys assigned by default, but you can set up keys
for them in the Options window in the same way.

If the Options window shows a key in red, it means the same key (including
any Shift/Ctrl/Alt shown) is also being used to perform some other function.
This can work; tying the left arrow key to both "turn left" and a hotkey is a
traditional way to improve one's skill in tracking, foraging, etc., by making
you invoke the skill every time you turn left. But if it shows in red and
you don't know why, look through the other key settings. (The other use of
the key will be easy to spot since it, of course, also shows as red, though
you may need to check other Keys categories or go to Keys-->All.)

It is a good idea to periodically take a few minutes and just browse through
the key assignments to see what's available. Not only does it change from
time to time, but you may find something that seemed useless in the past, but
that you now find important enough to assign a key to it. You might also
want to remove some key assignments, to make it harder to accidentally
turn off essential UI elements.

One last caution: Changes made in the Options Keys tab, like many other
Options tabs, affect all characters played on that computer, even using
multiple accounts. And if you go to a different computer, your key
settings won't be there.

4.5 Q: What else can I change about the User Interface, and how?

A: Quite a bit, depending on how much you're willing to fiddle with.
Note: All of the things listed in this section and the next are changes
that get stored on your computer, so if you go to a friend's house and log
onto your EQ account from there, your changes won't be there.

Within the game, you can rearrange the size and locations of the windows,
and can set their "alpha" levels to make them become more transparent. (But
be aware that you generally cannot click to target things that are covered by
a transparent window.) You can split up your chat messages across multiple
windows (per question 5.7) so the important stuff is easier to notice and
doesn't get pushed off the top of the window too quickly. The Options window
(accessed via Alt-O) has many settings you can adjust; the Keys options in
particular let you change which keys invoke various functions. Browsing
the rather long list of available functions may give you some ideas of ways
to make the game play more smoothly for you, e.g. by making shift-F9 and
control-F9 switch directly to certain camera angles rather than having to
hit F9 repeatedly to cycle through all the cameras. (Note: Changing which
keys do each function will affect ALL characters played on that computer.)

If you're a bit braver, you can edit various files in your EverQuest folder.
This can be an easier way to fine-tune window locations, alpha settings,
etc., or to copy your favorite socials from one character to another. Be
careful to save a copy of the file before changing it, in case you screw up
and need to change it back. Also, changes might not take effect until the
character involved changes zones. The files most likely to be worth looking
at are:

eqclient.ini
stuff that affects all characters played on that computer, including
key mappings and text colors, as well as pre-login stuff such as
whether to use more detailed character models and whether it's time
to bug you again about buying the latest expansion
charactername_servername.ini
hot buttons and socials, action/skill/combat buttons, and the text
people see when they "inspect" you; friends/ignore lists used to be
stored here and you may still find out-of-date versions in these
files, but the real lists are stored by the server now
UI_charactername_servername.ini
everything else specific to the character, including window positions
and alpha levels, chat filters and autojoin list (and lots more, but
those are the main things you might fiddle with)

If you want to make more sweeping changes to the UI, see question 4.6.

4.6 Q: I've heard I can use a different User Interface (UI) from the one that
comes with EverQuest. How do I do that?

A: The UI that comes with EverQuest has evolved over the years to reflect
in-game changes. Thousands of players use the default user interface, or
make small changes using the Options window, but many have chosen either to
write their own or to use the clever UIs written by other people.

The largest collection of UIs for EverQuest is at http://www.eqinterface.com/.
You will have to register to get the new UIs but doing so is free.

Once on the site you will see that there are a number of complete UIs that
change all of the parts of your EverQuest world to a specific theme. Other
areas give you the ability to load smaller map windows, tailored items for
specific classes, maps for zones and even the ability to view recipes and
spell lists in your storyline window (via alt-N).

4.7 Q: How do I get the UI I have downloaded to work in EverQuest?

A: In your EverQuest folder (which can be seen in Windows Explorer) there
are a number of sub-folders. If you are changing your complete UI, go to
the "uifiles" folder. You will see one folder there called "default".
This contains the stock standard interface you see on the screen if you have
no other UI loaded. LEAVE THIS FOLDER ALONE AND MAKE NO CHANGES TO IT. In
the "uifiles" folder create a new folder named "me". (It can be called
anything, but simple is good in this case. If you're going to use different
UIs for each of your characters, name each folder after the character.)
Unload your downloaded new UI files into the "me" folder. In the game you
will start out with the stock standard UI provided by SOE. In your chat
window, type "/loadskin me" and hit Enter. For a few seconds your screen
will stop, then it will reappear with your new UI loaded. You will have to
rearrange the screen to suit your style of play.

Some UI elements such as spell lists or maps (which can be downloaded from
http://www.mapfiend.net/) require their own folders or can be downloaded
straight into existing folders. For example, the maps mentioned above are
downloaded straight into your "maps" folder inside the "EverQuest" folder.
Spells and trade skill notes normally appear under the storyline button in
game and (you guessed it) will be under the "storyline" folder in your
"EverQuest" main folder.

Each of the UIs normally carries instructions for its use, either on the web
site or in "readme" files.

4.8 Q: I play a warrior and do not need a caster or mana bar with my
character. How can I change this?

A: Most of the complete UI sets include modifications for specific classes.
Warriors can reclaim the space taken up by their blank mana bar, druids and
rangers can find new tracking interfaces, and so on. If you are happy with
the general theme you are using, make another folder in the "uifiles" folder,
call it "warrior" or something else appropriate, and copy all the files from
your "me" folder into the "warrior" folder. Then copy any additional
class-specific files from the http://www.eqinterface.com/ site. In game,
playing your warrior, at the chat window type "/loadskin warrior" and your
new UI should appear without the mana and casting bars. You can have as
many UI folders as you need to outfit the different classes you play; just
ensure that they have all the base files in them first, and then add/replace
the class-specific files.

4.9 Q: My UI does not work after the last patch. What happened?

A: Sometimes SOE changes the files for the way their own interface operates.
Sites such as eqinterface will normally have files to add to your custom UI
after a patch. Download the new file(s) and overwrite the versions in each
of your custom UI folders.

4.10 Q: I want to design and code my own UI. How do I go about it?

A: Sites such as http://www.eqinterface.com/ give you the necessary tools to
do so. Their forum area is also very good for picking up hints on where
to go.

4.11 Q: Sony changed the default UI and I liked the old one better. Can I
change it back?

A: As mentioned above, SOE sometimes changes parts of the default interface.
Sometimes (though far less often) they make sweeping changes to the whole UI.
In the latter case, the old UI generally remains available for a while, so
you can copy some or all of it into a custom UI folder if you liked the old
UI better. SOE does not maintain the old UI, however, so over time as new
features get added to the game, the old UI will fall out of date and not
support those features. Still, if you're selective about which parts you
copy, you can probably keep using parts of an old UI for quite a while.

In early 2006, SOE introduced another overhaul to the UI, and many people
disliked some of the new features, particularly the new spell gem and buff
window icons. When the PoR expansion came out soon afterward, the new
features caused more of the old UI elements (e.g., the bank window) to stop
working, so it became harder (though not impossible) to continue to use the
old UI as is. If you're using the new default UI but want to continue to
use the old spell icons, you should copy the following files from your
uifiles\default_old folder to a custom UI folder: gemicons01.tga through
gemicons03.tga, spells01.tga through spells07.tga, and window_pieces02.tga
(so the gem icons fit better in the spell bar). Note that if SOE adds new
spells with totally new icons, those icons are unlikely to be added to the
old UI.

Another part of the same UI change was that hotbutton windows are now 1-by-10
(or 10-by-1) instead of 2-by-5. If the longer, skinnier hotbars don't suit
your playing style, you can keep the old ones by copying EQUI_HotButtonWnd.xml
from the uifiles\default_old folder to your custom UI.

4.12 Q: What are audio triggers and how do I use them?

A: Audio triggers were added as part of the UI introduced in Fall 2005.
They let you set up sounds to alert you when certain events appear in your
chat windows. For example, you might want to be warned when mobs enrage, or
cast Gate, or when you lose auto-follow, or . . . . For many more ideas on
how audio triggers can be useful, try http://www.icynic.com/~don/EQ/triggers/.
That page includes a link to a tutorial covering the basics of how to set up
audio triggers, including adding your own custom sounds.

5. Chat Channels

5.1 Q: What are chat channels?

A: Chat channels are like chat rooms that everyone on your server can
access. Unlike /shout and /ooc, which can be read only by people in the same
zone with you, chat channels can be read by everyone on the server, if they
choose. (Some channels require a password, but you can think of the password
as being just part of the channel name, since you need to know the name to
be able to join it, too.) There are also established chat channels that can
be joined by everyone on EVERY EverQuest server, if they so desire.

5.2 Q: How do I join/start a chat channel?

A: Type /join channelname. For example, if you wanted to join the market
channel on your server, you would type /join market. (Most servers do have
a market channel of some sort, though they might be named something else like
auction, bazaar, or whatever. If you want to find out, ask around or
experiment.) If you want to join a channel that has a password, type /join
channelassword. For example, to join a market channel with the password
of shop, you would type /join market:shop. To create a new channel, type
/join followed by the name of the channel you want to create, and a password
if you think it should have one.

To join a channel on another server, type /join servername.channelassword.
For example, if you wanted to join the market on the Drinal server, you would
type /join drinal.market. There are also channels that are not associated
with any one server; these are named serverwide.channelname. For instance,
the channel for alt.games.everquest readers is serverwide.age:age.

In all cases, when you join you'll see a message in which the number to the
right of the channel name tells you how many people are in that channel at
the time you joined. The number to the left of the channel name is what you
use to talk in that channel: use /1 to talk to channel 1, etc.

In mid-2005, several special chat channels were added, and all players are
automatically joined to some of them. Characters level 20 and under are put
in the NewPlayer channel, while levels 21 and up are placed in the General
channel as well as in class-specific and continent-specific channels. These
channels can be a great source of information, but can also be distracting.
If you decide you don't want to be in those channels, there's a button in the
Options window to disable them; however, as with most Options settings, your
choice affects all characters played on that machine. If you want
some of your characters to join one or more of the special channels, you can
have those characters "autojoin" those channels, as described below.

5.3 Q: How do I leave a channel I have joined?

A: Type /leave Channel#. For example, if you have only joined the drinal
market channel, it will be channel 1. To leave it, you would type /leave 1 .
In general, the channel number is the number shown to the left of the
channel name when you joined.

5.4 Q: Can I automatically join a channel every time I log in?

A: Yes; this is called "autojoining". If you know that you want to
participate in a certain chat channel every time you are online, type
/autojoin channelname (or /autojoin channelnameassword if there's a
password). If you want to autojoin more than one channel, then type it
like this: /autojoin channelnameassword, nextchannel:nextpassword, and so
on. For example, to autojoin both the NewPlayer channel and the serverwide
alt.games.everquest chat, type "/autojoin NewPlayer, serverwide.age:age".
Note: autojoining channels sets them to be joined the next time you log in,
not for the session you are in. If you want to be in the channels you have
set in your autojoin list that session, you must join the channels manually
by using the /join command.

5.5 Q: How do I stop automatically joining a channel?

A: You have to type the /autojoin command again, leaving out the channels
you no longer want to include (but listing all the ones you want to keep).
(Some people claim you can just type /autojoin for a channel that's already
on your list, and it'll un-autojoin you, but experiments show this not to be
the case. In fact, that will un-autojoin all the OTHER channels and leave
you autojoining only the one you were trying to remove!) If you don't want
to be in any channels, you can either type "/autojoin , " (slash, autojoin,
space, comma, enter) or go into the file UI_charactername_servername.ini in
your EverQuest folder and edit down the autojoin list as it is shown there.

5.6 Q: What are some current serverwide channels?

A: Here are a few. Others will be added as they are discovered.

* serverwide.age:age (chat channel for this newsgroup)
* serverwide.beastlords:beastlords
* serverwide.bards:bards
* serverwide.cleric:cleric
* serverwide.druidsgroveassword (main druid's chat channel)
* serverwide.eqlive:tnz (The Newbie Zone; official Sony EQlive Forum)
* serverwide.enchanter:enchanter
* serverwide.eqdruids:eqdruids
* serverwide.eqtraders:eqtraders (trade skills, not character trades!)
* serverwide.magicians:fluffy
* serverwide.paladinsaladins
* serverwide.ranger:ranger
* serverwide.rangersglade:glade
* serverwide.sk:sk (shadowknights)

5.7 Q: I've joined too many channels and now the text is flying by too fast!
What should I do? Can I have separate chat windows?

A: Chat windows allow a player to use separate windows for specific chat
tasks. For example, if you are on a guild raid you can have all your say
and guild text in one window, and your raid and battle spam in another. You
can create as many windows as you like, but most players opt for at most two
or three, as the screen gets too busy.

Right click on the black title bar of your main chat window where it says
"Main Chat". The second option down on the list is "New Chat Window". Left
click on that to bring up your new chat window. The new window will appear
over the top of the main chat window, and can then be dragged to another
location and re-sized if you wish.

In the new chat window, right click on the title bar and choose "Filters".
Another menu opens which allows you to choose which types of messages go
into the new window. You can continue customizing these windows with the
filters to split the different types of chat among the windows.

5.8 Q: How do I find out how many people are in a channel and who?

A: Type /list #, where # is the number of the channel. For example, if you
are in serverwide.age:age and it's the only channel you joined, type /list 1.
Typing /list with no number lists all the channels you're in.

5.9 Q: Can I send text to a channel without knowing the channel number?

A: Yes. This can be useful for hotkeys. E.g., suppose your guild uses
channel "uberraid" for communicating during a raid. (There's also /rsay, of
course, but often a raid wants to have one channel for essential orders, and
another for chat, or healing messages, etc.) The channel number will vary
depending on how many other channels you had open when you joined the raid.
If you have a hotkey that includes sending a message to the channel, you'd
rather not have to modify the channel number each time you raid. To send
to the channel by name, regardless of number, use "/chat #uberraid blahblah".
That's a real number sign (#) before the name. You must have joined the
channel for this to work.

Similarly, you can make a channel be the default place for text typed into a
chat window (the place a message goes if you type ENTER, blahblah, ENTER).
The command for changing the destination for messages typed in that manner is
/channel; direct it to a chat channel using, e.g., "/channel chat uberraid"
or "/channel chat serverwide.age". (You can also set the default channel for
a window using the chat window's menu, under "Channel".)

6. Posting in alt.games.everquest

6.1 Q: I posted one innocent little question, and got flamed. Why?

A: alt.games.everquest has an established community, and several long-time
residents have strong personalities. We also have a steady influx of new
readers here, many of whom make no effort to do any research at all before
they ask questions. This combination seems to bring out the flame-throwers
on a regular basis. We also have several here who enjoy long, repetitious,
self-imploding discussions laced with personal attacks and expletives. If
you do find yourself getting flamed, probably the best reaction would be just
to shrug it off, and not reply in kind. It is very useful to have a thick
skin in AGE, and a little common sense and perspective aren't a bad idea,
either.

6.2 Q: So does that mean that I can't ask any questions here at all?

A: Not at all. There are many people here who are very knowledgeable about
EQ and are happy to share what they know. It would be helpful if you were to
do some basic research before you ask questions that may have been asked many
times before. The fact that you're reading this FAQ is a good sign, but the
FAQ can't cover every recurring question. One thing you might try is going
to http://groups.google.com/groups?q=alt.games.everquest and checking the
"Search only in alt.games.everquest" radio button, then typing in some key
words from your question. But if that doesn't help, by all means fire away.
If you get flamed for it, refer to question 6.1.

6.3 Q: What is top posting, and why is it so hated here?

A: Top posting is the act of posting your reply on top of quoted material,
that is, ahead of the text to which you are responding, rather than placing
your response either at the bottom of quoted material or interspersed
throughout it. AGE is a newsgroup that on the whole feels strongly about
top posting, and the feelings are not warm and fuzzy. The discussions in
AGE are often complex and wandering, and having to scroll to the bottom of
a post to see what the heck a person is replying to is awkward and annoying,
and breaks the flow of the post. You might prefer top posting and that is
your prerogative, but if you insist on using it here you can expect to be
flamed and to land on a lot of folks' Kill Files. And please don't try to
skirt the issue by just not quoting anything at all, either. People are
not going to go back through the thread playing detective to try to figure
out what the heck you're responding to. Similarly, if you're responding to
a long post, don't quote the whole post; try to quote just the part relevant
to your response, or the first part if you're making an overall response to
the entire post. In other words, when someone reads your post from top to
bottom, they should first see enough of the older post to remind them what
the context is, and then see your response.

6.4 Q: I've noticed a lot of unfriendly posts coming from the same people.
This newsgroup sure has its share of jerks, eh?

A: It would be hard to find an active newsgroup that doesn't. However,
many of the more virulent posters we have are basically right in what they
say, once you look past the rudeness of manner of their presentation. They
may be enthusiastic in going after people who post facts or opinions that
they dispute. But if you can get past that, you might find that they can
teach a lot about EQ. If you can't get past it, no worries. Just ignore
them or place them in your Kill File. Endless arguing with them will not
generally make anyone think you are especially clever, or put them in their
place, or do whatever it is you are hoping to do. Also, if you make some
clever misspelling of a regular's posting name in an effort to win an
argument, you automatically lose that argument. /nod

6.5 Q: Will everyone hate me if I make an off topic comment or post?

A: No, not everyone. Almost every active newsgroup out there experiences
some degree of topic drift; you have about as good a chance of stopping it as
you do of stopping continental drift. AGE is a fairly active group, and the
drift is quite noticeable at times. If this annoys you then it is best just
to start ignoring a thread when it goes from talking about the best offhand
weapon for a halfling ranger to the best way to make nachos. If you are
starting a new thread that is clearly not related to EQ, it is a good idea
to give it a subject starting with the letters OT (off topic) so that those
who want to avoid such threads can do so from the start.

6.6 Q: I posted something I heard was true, and then some guy jumped all over
me for being wrong! Why did he make such a big deal over it?

A: Because that's something that is important to several posters here. In
this place, a.g.e., we do check facts. We will google while we post, and we
will google and research other people's assertions if we feel they are in
error. And we do ask for and expect cited sources. This might be viewed as
both good and bad. Bad, because we can come across as niggling, harsh, and
overly intolerant to dubious statements. But also good, because if you read
a fact here about some aspect of EQ, you can be fairly certain that if it
isn't correct at the start, it will almost certainly be corrected quickly.
Of course, in many instances the "facts" aren't really available, and it
might even be questionable whether anyone at SOE knows the answer. Then you
will get a long, drawn out discussion, usually with flaming, where people
will discuss their opinions on the matter at hand. Once you get used to the
place, and learn the standards to which we hold ourselves and others, you
might find that it is well worth the effort.

6.7 Q: What else should I know about newsgroup etiquette?

The following are a couple web sites regarding common etiquette techniques
for newsgroups. (Note that, in case it's not obvious, the "emily" page
is written tongue-in-cheek, giving exaggerated examples of what NOT to do.)

Quoting Style in Newsgroup Postings:
http://www.xs4all.nl/~wijnands/nnq/nquote.html

General Net Etiquette:
http://www.templetons.com/brad/emily.html

Here is a brief, generic Netiquette guide. You can take most of this to
almost any newsgroup you go to.

* Newsgroups are like self-governing communities; there are no "Newsgroup
Cops." Instead, posters regulate themselves. Below are some simple rules
of newsgroup etiquette to understand before you venture into a newsgroup.
Think of these as a set of guidelines that will keep you from making
mistakes and will make you look and sound like a veteran newsgroup poster.
* This is not a "binary" newsgroup, please do not post binaries (images,
programs, etc.).
* Do not post in HTML. Many people still read newsgroups as "plain text".
Posting links to web sites is fine.
* Lurk. Read the newsgroup without posting for a few weeks. This is known
as "lurking," and it will give you the flavor of the newsgroup.
* Read the FAQ. Find and read the newsgroup's FAQ (list of Frequently Asked
Questions and other important information). It can answer questions you
didn't know you had, and is the quickest way to learn about a newsgroup.
* Stay on-topic. Know what's on-topic and what's off-limits. Every
newsgroup is a little different in what it talks about, and how it does
the talking.
* DON'T SHOUT. TYPING IN ALL CAPS IS CONSIDERED SHOUTING. It's easier to
read a mix of upper- and lower-case letters.
* Never, ever post "MAKE MONEY FAST." It doesn't work, it gets people
really mad, and no matter what it says, it's probably illegal.
* Everyone hates commercials. Don't post advertisements or commercial
messages. They also get people really mad.
* Ignore "trolls." Some people get a thrill from posting "flames" (really
obnoxious messages) just to get a rise out of people. Sad, isn't it?
Such people are called "trolls". (No relationship to the troll race in
EverQuest!) Don't feed the trolls. Witty responses can sometimes be
amusing, but they are really aimed at other readers and are not attempting
to reply to the troll.
* Don't "spam." Spam is posting the same message to dozens, even hundreds
or thousands of unrelated newsgroups. No matter how important you think
your message may be, it's not worth it. Think about it: If everyone
posted about every topic, and posted copies everywhere, no one would be
able to find anything.
* Be Original. Don't over quote: Copying a long post (more than 20 lines)
just to add "I agree" or "me too" is considered bad form. Make clear who
and what you are replying to.
* The Golden Rule: Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.
Remember, every expert was a newbie once.

7. EverQuest II

7.1 Q: What is this EverQuest II game that I hear about?

A: EverQuest II is another MMORPG by SOE, released in November 2004. It
is set in the world of Norrath, several hundred years in the future, after
the planet has suffered some major cataclysm that destroys much of the known
world. The two games have some superficial similarities (some shared
geography, races, etc.) but quite different rules and user interfaces.

7.2 Q: Does this mean that the EverQuest I am playing is ending?

A: EverQuest II is not meant to be a replacement for EverQuest Live. The
two games have different development teams (the Dragons of Norrath and
later expansions for EQ Live came out after EQ II launched), and SOE steadily
maintains that it means to maintain both games for as long as there is enough
of a demand to keep them both going. EverQuest is currently a very popular
title, and it has managed to remain so despite challenges from other MMORPG's
that people were certain would mean its decline. That said, few things in
life are guaranteed, and if EQ drops in popularity for whatever reason to the
point that is no longer profitable, it is unrealistic to expect that SOE will
continue it. Still, the day when they do pull the plug on EverQuest Live
seems to be remote at this time.

7.3 Q: Can I post about EQ II on alt.games.everquest?

A: If the post pertains only to EQ II, it would be better to post it on
alt.games.everquest2, or on Sony's EQ2 forums. Posts comparing EQ II to
EQ Live are fair game, just like comparisons to any other MMORPG. If you do
post here about EQ II, it's considered polite to include EQ2 somewhere in the
subject to make sure people know which game you're talking about. If you
don't, you should accept your inevitable chastisement. For a while, some
folks marked posts about EverQuest Live (the "original" EverQuest) with "EQ1",
but this practice dropped off once most EQ2 traffic moved elsewhere.

Note: If you do put "EQ2" (or "EQ1") in your subject, don't immediately
follow it with a colon (as in, Subject: EQ2: Newbie questions). It seems
some news-reading tools (e.g., Outlook) assume anything in front of the colon
must be the equivalent of "Re:" in some foreign language, so the EQ2 part
might get discarded from the subject when people reply to your post.

7.4 Q: How can I find out more about EverQuest II?

A: This FAQ does not include anything about how to play EverQuest II.
There is a section in the links portion at the bottom of this document that
will lead you to EQII websites.


[End of part 3 of 5]