There is some pretty heated opinions here about EQ Next.
One thing I hope they do right is keep their lore from EQ1 early days. EQ1 had some pretty cool angles, it was open ended to a lot of interpertation and imagination. Races hating each other etc. I guess it seemed really basic back then but looking back it had a nice and thought out back story. For example, being despised everywhere as a troll, but barely tolerated in some areas of Neriak was cool. You never knew if you walked into the wrong building if the NPC's for would attack you or not, it kind of let you have an open imagination about their motives. Maybe it was just me though.
Faction and the racial landscape in EQ was pretty much my favorite feature of EQ. Combined with the huge amount of (racial) starting cities spread over the globe, it made for the best MMO world, never to be replicated ever since imo. You mentioned the Trolls in Neriak: there are many such examples to be given, where /con would be your best friend. From a safe distance off course, since the whole "Scowling to Ally" aggro-scale added to the exitement of the faction system.
Details like the fact that "Glares at you threateningly" would actuallly let you get closer to an NPC before it attacked you then when it was "scowling" were just wonderful. I remember being scared of Giant Beetles in West Karana because they glowered dubiously at me, untill I found out that I could approach those safely. But you never knew how far you were from "threateningly" if you killed an NPC with faction that was "dubious". In todays MMOs, mobs and NPC's are either aggro or they are not. In EQ mobs had a different aggro-radius, you had sit aggro, low health aggro and even a system for visibility aggro for the Sneak skill.
Minmaxing faction, carefully so that you did not ruin too much with other groups was a typical example of emergent gameplay. Not only that, but to me the possibility to adjust your faction in Everquest is as close as it gets to actually having an impact on your MMO world. Changing your position in the political landscape of EQ not only opened up cities, but was plain fun. Being able to order a drink at the Goblin bartender, deep in the dungeon of Runnyeye because you became friendly with the goblins, not having to run anymore from Kizdean Gix, or being able to visit Halas and not be chased out of the city by hordes of Barbarians. Goblins, Halflings, Dwarves, Trolls, Ogres, Humans, they were all connected through a maze of factions.
I will take a dynamic like that over any Guild Wars 2 DE that resets in 5 minutes. Or phasing which is nothing more then being in either of two phases of a linear storypath.
When I see the simplicity of "Reputation"or faction systems in games like WoW or Rift, I can only wonder why they ever bothered to put that shit in. Just another iteration of grindy "collect them all" stuff.
Next week: merchant-diving!
Ok, rant over.