Monsters and Memories (Project_N) - Old School Indie MMO

Quaid

Trump's Staff
12,558
7,158
Man i can’t lie, this delay announcement has made me much more optimistic about the game.

I can’t wait to hear their new class design direction. I think a lot hinges on it.
 
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Quaid

Trump's Staff
12,558
7,158
Another really important benefit of this delay is players will have three starting zones to choose from.

Spreading out the population will mean fewer day-1 servers will be necessary, and the load on zones will be more spread out. I wonder if part of this change is a kind of fail-safe, so if they can't figure out the item storage related lag they introduced to Night Harbour in time for EA at least players are a bit more spread out.

I'm real curious to see how far along Ail'Voreth (spelling?) is after the length of time it is taking Falindral to get polished up. Four extra months is really not a ton of time...
 
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Quaid

Trump's Staff
12,558
7,158
Same can be said about the doomer whining that about 80% of the "critique" in this thread. I don't think there is any danger of this forum producing dev bootlickers

Is it just doomer whining? Or is some of it warranted criticism?

They just delayed a hard launch date that would see significant revenue to pay unpaid staff because the game as it stands doesn’t have strong enough appeal. (Classes/gameplay, itemization, performance)

I think the evidence leans one way more than the other.
 
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Flobee

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
3,257
3,786
Is it just doomer whining? Or is some of it warranted criticism?

They just delayed a hard launch date that would see significant revenue to pay unpaid staff because the game as it stands doesn’t have strong enough appeal. (Classes/gameplay, itemization, performance)

I think the evidence leans one way more than the other.
Thats why I said 80%. There is plenty of legitimate criticism, this thread is almost entirely not that. For example I'm holding my beta key for a pal who I have recommended not to play just yet because I know the issues that exist would turn him off. I definitely agree with the delay
 

Gravel

Mr. Poopybutthole
47,018
170,012
I’m curious, is you guys’ general consensus that a successful MMO that captures the 1999 EQ feeling of wonderment/newness no longer possible? Or will it take another big jump in technology? Or do you have to be in your teens or 20s to feel that? I don’t pretend to know the answer, I’m just curious what y’all think.
It's both an age of the player phenomenon, as well as the time period the game came out. You'll never recapture 1999 era internet where everyone wasn't so connected like they are now.

Several people have mentioned it over the years in this thread, but you're talking peak instant messaging era (ICQ, AIM, etc) and EQ was basically a social media platform wrapped in the package of an RPG. The whole idea of sitting around a camp waiting for respawns works when you'd be sitting there waiting for your friends to message you anyway. In 2026, that's just not a thing that a game can replicate.
 
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gauze

Molten Core Raider
1,188
432
It's both an age of the player phenomenon, as well as the time period the game came out. You'll never recapture 1999 era internet where everyone wasn't so connected like they are now.

Several people have mentioned it over the years in this thread, but you're talking peak instant messaging era (ICQ, AIM, etc) and EQ was basically a social media platform wrapped in the package of an RPG. The whole idea of sitting around a camp waiting for respawns works when you'd be sitting there waiting for your friends to message you anyway. In 2026, that's just not a thing that a game can replicate.

I think it's possible but maybe more technological and/or philosophical than copypaste. A sorta crucial part of the '99 experience is a mixture of not figured out and new, which was critical during the time.. but the ceiling of general skill has been raised, the ability of passed knowledge has increase 10x. Tabbing and hitting abilities is fine, medding in and between fights is fine.. but everything is a health sponge to some context, samesame mechanics, we've all learned for 20 something years.. the "challenge" is more or less gone.. Mistakes aren't necessarily a challenge to intelligence but negligence and laziness. At the core r/n we're just playing the equivalent of fashion bag simulator but do I hit harder with new item.

I like MnM but the mobs aren't scary enough, picking camps based off composition or the sorta threats don't really exist; its just about efficiency in which camps provide the least threat and best rotational uptime to experience/kill speed.. currently the biggest challenge is am I over pulling or is there a caster in the group.. I mean have you been hit by an archer mob yet, you could literally leave an archer mob sitting no cc.. does/did nothing for damage. (bow adjustments today, not sure if that changes yet)

Maybe my '99 peebrain thought differently, but I adamantly remember dying being scary... mobs feeling inapproachable til someone more experienced walked with you or fafo had larger context. Granted, I was 12 in '99, and started with FFXI and SWG.. but watching my friends 9yrold play P99.. while his dad is a long time EQ player, his sorta wonderment/exploration hit's different than it did for when I was younger.

Certain game designs of a '99 mmo are absolutely worth keeping, but there has to be some kinda change to the challenge and I don't mean every encounter is a raid encounter either haha. imo atleast.
 

vegetoeeVegetoee

Trakanon Raider
150
125
I think it's possible but maybe more technological and/or philosophical than copypaste. A sorta crucial part of the '99 experience is a mixture of not figured out and new, which was critical during the time.. but the ceiling of general skill has been raised, the ability of passed knowledge has increase 10x. Tabbing and hitting abilities is fine, medding in and between fights is fine.. but everything is a health sponge to some context, samesame mechanics, we've all learned for 20 something years.. the "challenge" is more or less gone.. Mistakes aren't necessarily a challenge to intelligence but negligence and laziness. At the core r/n we're just playing the equivalent of fashion bag simulator but do I hit harder with new item.

I like MnM but the mobs aren't scary enough, picking camps based off composition or the sorta threats don't really exist; its just about efficiency in which camps provide the least threat and best rotational uptime to experience/kill speed.. currently the biggest challenge is am I over pulling or is there a caster in the group.. I mean have you been hit by an archer mob yet, you could literally leave an archer mob sitting no cc.. does/did nothing for damage. (bow adjustments today, not sure if that changes yet)

Maybe my '99 peebrain thought differently, but I adamantly remember dying being scary... mobs feeling inapproachable til someone more experienced walked with you or fafo had larger context. Granted, I was 12 in '99, and started with FFXI and SWG.. but watching my friends 9yrold play P99.. while his dad is a long time EQ player, his sorta wonderment/exploration hit's different than it did for when I was younger.

Certain game designs of a '99 mmo are absolutely worth keeping, but there has to be some kinda change to the challenge and I don't mean every encounter is a raid encounter either haha. imo atleast.
I agree mostly. I don't many of you realize that 1999 was not a glorified chat sim. I didn't play EQ to chat like a highschool teen. I played it along with thousands of us, to explore a world AND socialize. So, I don't think it will be an issue to recreate a good old-fashioned MMO in 2026 that follows EQ. I think the issues stem from how gaming and people have evolved. I believe the team is going about it in the right way. You focus on the journey and make it the most meaningful part. However, I don't think this team can deliver that kind of experience.

Once again, I say MNM will do well for a niche game and last 3-5 years. It will not be EQ reincarnated. It will not be WOW 2.0. It will however spark a new coming of MMOs that will. The next team that takes MNM's ideas and refines them better, with more money, will reignite the newest MMO revitalization.
 

Araxen

Golden Baronet of the Realm
11,155
8,621
They finally nerfed the jumping speed boost. More people will be dying now. lol That changed needed to be made though.

Mobs will now leash too(pretty big change to the game). The patch notes say it's a large radius so we'll see on that.


Patch notes for 0.23.0.0

General
Many zone stability and lag issues addressed
Some client performance issues addressed
Issues with haste influencing damage caps have been resolved... again.
NPC pathing in shallow water and shorelines has been improved.
Party frame issues should be resolved.
Placeable objects with no interactions will no longer block clicks (ie. Caltrops)
Garrison gate in Night Harbor should now be much more easy to interact with
Interaction with world objects that have complex or large shapes should be easier
Reloading inventories no longer duplicates stats
Make boats more consistent hopefully fixing the issue with being stranded out in the waters
Spamming jump to skip on top of the water should be much harder to do (though it is known that there are still some unaddressed edge cases that make it possible)
Client corpse inventories will now reload when you open a corpse. This should prevent any weirdness. If you are unable to loot an item close and reopen the corpse
Fixes addressing the issue we had with the Beta PVP where stale character data overwrote current character data causing a reversion of XP and Coin

Balance
AC has been increased for back face and waist items that previously had no AC or low AC
The stats on The Measure Stick have been reduced to better match the level and difficulty requirements
Change how NPCs deal AOE damage to pets
We now have very limited and very large range leashing. If you travel a significant distance away from an NPC either through running or through gating it will disengage
The speed boost you get from jumping has been removed

Abilities
Traps and other abilities that create an object that casts a spell will now check resists on and aggro targets that activate them
Most buffs that allow a lower level spell to override them after you've zoned or relogged with the buff will no longer be overwritten
Beastmaster bonded pets will now standardize their health to be in line with other summoned pet health. The exact values will be reviewed in the future
Gating within a zone will now break charm instead of bringing them with you. Be advised they won't be happy
Charmed NPCs will no longer retain charm vfx and be uncharmable after their previous master zones
Dominate the Mind now has a max level of 52 and can be resisted. The ability has a sizable resist modifier that should keep it mostly reliable when the target is within a reasonable level difference.
Fists of Flame (Monk Celestial Strike proc) now has a 12s duration in pvp
Beastmaster Revive Companion line has had its mana cost adjusted to 50/200/400 and its cast time increased to 8s. These costs will be reexamined when the Beastmaster receives its upcoming ability updates and may change at that time.
Newly resurrected mounts and Beastmaster companions will be starving
Regeneration effects will again apply correctly while using Feign Death
Fix to Ogre Smash ability
Fixes to various Glinting Hollow abilities
Pinning Shot and Telekinetic Knockback have had their pinned requirement removed pending a fix for that condition
Disengagement's threat reduction now works properly and the ability now requires a target
Blinding Powder Incapacitate Sap and Scatter Shot can all now correctly be dispelled by anti-incapacitate abilities (like Tenacity)


Itemization
Fixed several bows that were not correctly set up to fire arrows
Items can be optionally set to only allow clickie activation if you can normally equip the item (affecting items like Torvald Signet Ring)
Renamed “Mortician’s Spade” to “Grave Marker”. Also gave it a fitting description for something that drops off a grave robber.
Fixed a few Glinting Hollow related items (class requirements stats and more)
Torvald’s Signet Ring and other similar items must now be equipped to be used.


Mounts
Mounts will no longer react and enter combat when attacked.
Stabling a mount now has a distance check
Mounts will now level up while traveling if they are behind you in level
Mount corpses will now load when a zone restarts and be available to resurrect or access their inventory for 7 days
Expired mount corpses can be retrieved at a Stable Master for 1g. (still has that new mount smell!)

Tradeskills
Backpacks and saddlebags are now Leatherworking only
Satchels and Pouches are now Tailoring only
Alchemy tincture lines added
Alchemy Deadliness elixir line added
Weight of ores have been increased incentivizing the use of donkeys and mounts for high tier gathering
Implemented two mid tier herbs Stygian Moss and Shadeshroom
Crafted enchanted equipment now return components on failure

UI
Character Creator v2 - Major Redesign
All available races and classes now have descriptions.
All racial and class stat bonuses now show.
Deity image placeholders have been replaced.
Deity selection now includes information about them.
The map’s been updated to show the future state of the game — including both surface and deep starting locations. (no deep locations can be selected at this time)


Housing
Better handling for furniture
Better handling for furniture container items
You can now recover furniture when disassembling it with a furniture wrench (purchased from a carpenter supplier)
Transferring or converting a house no longer packs it up. The item ownership does transfer with the house
Packed up furniture containers or disassembled furniture containers will deposit their items in the house owner's customs agent recovery inventory
Fixes to guild storage
Fixes to being open to interact with furniture through walls

PVP
Fix bug that prevented NPC Guards from summoning their targets
Fix bug that allowed Feign Death cheesing of NPC Guard aggro

NPCs
Glass Flats Shard Bats now social aggro
Fix to Crypt Broodmother sometimes rarely despawning shortly after spawning

World Objects
Glinting Hollow braziers now work properly
Furniture should now be recoverable by using a furniture wrench on it

Sound
Allow casting sounds to be defined to only be heard by the caster
Remove the default combine sound when crafting
List of all changed sounds will follow...

Sounds list (0.23.0.0)
Added Crafting sound effects for the following crafting stations:

Anvil
Grindingwheel
Stove
Cauldron
Loom
Jewelcrafting
Tanning
Carpentry
Grilltop
Enchanting

Added Idle Ambience sound effects for the following crafting stations:

Grilltop
Cauldron
Stove
Forge

Added Ability: Shield Bash sound effect

Added new Campfire recording for Login Scene - now in Stereo for more ASMR.

Added crafting sound effects for Mortar & Pestle container (Grind)

Added Opening/Interacting sound effects for the following crafting stations:

Cauldron
Enchanting
Grilltop
Tanning
Jewelcrafting
Stove
Grindingwheel
Carpentry
Anvil
Loom

Limited Playback 1 Voice per Game Object for several sound sources to mitigate looping sounds duplicating on Reload command.
 
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Siliconemelons

Ssraeszha Raider
14,658
23,610
I actually don’t remember any EQIM, I do remember their shitty in game mp3 player app
I loved when they put that in, no longer had to alt tab to winamp, and it could use the playlists etc. *heedingthecall.mp3* oh its raid time yo

EQIM was an out of "EQ"/Game chat program you could talk to I think guild ooc auction and tells... maybe other restrictions but it was fairly cool to jump in and chat w/o having to load the entire game
 

Koushirou

Log Wizard
<Gold Donor>
5,846
15,611
I loved when they put that in, no longer had to alt tab to winamp, and it could use the playlists etc. *heedingthecall.mp3* oh its raid time yo

EQIN was an out of "EQ"/Game chat program you could talk to I think guild ooc auction and tells... maybe other restrictions but it was fairly cool to jump in and chat w/o having to load the entire game

When I got sent to boarding school with no EQ, this was the only way I had back then to keep in touch with all my friends. Was a lifesaver. Though, shortly after they gave the option to just DL the whole EQ client instead of needing discs. Checkmate, parents.
 
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Kaines

Potato Supreme
19,619
56,149
I agree mostly. I don't many of you realize that 1999 was not a glorified chat sim. I didn't play EQ to chat like a highschool teen. I played it along with thousands of us, to explore a world AND socialize. So, I don't think it will be an issue to recreate a good old-fashioned MMO in 2026 that follows EQ. I think the issues stem from how gaming and people have evolved. I believe the team is going about it in the right way. You focus on the journey and make it the most meaningful part. However, I don't think this team can deliver that kind of experience.

Once again, I say MNM will do well for a niche game and last 3-5 years. It will not be EQ reincarnated. It will not be WOW 2.0. It will however spark a new coming of MMOs that will. The next team that takes MNM's ideas and refines them better, with more money, will reignite the newest MMO revitalization.
Charlie Brown Football GIF
 

Gravel

Mr. Poopybutthole
47,018
170,012
They finally nerfed the jumping speed boost. More people will be dying now. lol That changed needed to be made though.

Mobs will now leash too(pretty big change to the game). The patch notes say it's a large radius so we'll see on that.

Mobs leashing seems like a massive change. Basically flying in the face of the "super punishing old school mechanics" so many of the diehards seem to want.