RIP Brad McQuaid

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Coleslaw

Blackwing Lair Raider
859
1,163
Well wishes and condolences are rarely poorly received.

One reply to Utnayan's post.

His skin wasn't as thick as he showed.. He knew his failings, but they really gutted him deeply. The chatter didn't hurt so much as the self-realization of failure. And it wasn't the failure of the game that hurt him so much as the failure that let down 120+ people he truly considered family (Vanguard team). That hurt him most of all.

He wasn't perfect. He got caught up in his own press. He made mistakes. Some he repeated over and over. But deep down he was just a guy that loved making games.

Don't deify him, but respect the dead, and stop shitting on him.

Oh, and he TRULY respected the passion here for gaming, even when he got ripped apart for dumb ideas. FOH was absolutely a place he'd read a lot. Once you filter through the noise, there are a lot of people here who know what they're talking about.. He understood that.. He loved that. He loved that he wasn't alone in that passion.

I'm not trying to White Knight Brad here.. But he WAS someone i considered a good friend. And it hurts that he's gone.

I remember his brief stint coming back to SOE and he logged in to Vanguard. I pm'd him and told him how wonderful the game was, and I really enjoyed it. He didn't respond, but I like to think he read it and it made him smile.
 
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dizzie

Triggered Happy
2,509
3,937
Ask a florist if they can make this in flowers.

index.jpg
 
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Muligan

Trakanon Raider
3,209
890
Would be nice if we had something add all of our signatures [First Name] "Game Name" or something similar that could just be digitally printed on something nice his family may want to keep as a keepsake just so they have a token of good memories and appreciation from the community. If it was suicide or drugs, I'm sure they would prefer remembering that Brad did a lot of good for others even if it was through some pixels but the community and relationships were (and are) very real.

Something like this... but probably not enough time to make something like that work.

FOH.jpg
 
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Synj

Dystopian Dreamer
<Gold Donor>
7,878
34,442
If we do anything I’d vote for a donation in lieu of flowers/gifts.
 
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popsicledeath

Potato del Grande
7,362
11,574
If we do anything I’d vote for a donation in lieu of flowers/gifts.


Nothing would honor Brad more than keeping his Vision alive. I'd prefer a more neutral site like Kickstarter, tho, but imagine a game launch party with Brad's family, friends and colleagues there to see his Vision once again going live and bringing entertainment and joy to us thankless gamers. If they launch a new Pantheon Kickstarter now I'd donate a few Hundo in Brad's honor and wouldn't that be the perfect sendoff? A living, breathing world crafted in his Vision. Best memorial ever.
 
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yerm

Golden Baronet of the Realm
5,956
15,348
The flower arrangement should look like his sword. We are FIRES of heaven, after all. His family won't know or care for our backstory or our bitching and bullying or vanguard brown and pantheon fallen memes. Not at all. They will only care that some big internet community respected the man and cared about his life's work.

We are posting on a forum based on his game, in a community that survived so many mentally ill sabotaged respawns intact. We really do owe it to the man who created everquest to pay respects on behalf of our everquest-themed community here.
 
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Vinen

God is dead
2,782
486
The flower arrangement should look like his sword. We are FIRES of heaven, after all. His family won't know or care for our backstory or our bitching and bullying or vanguard brown and pantheon fallen memes. Not at all. They will only care that some big internet community respected the man and cared about his life's work.

We are posting on a forum based on his game, in a community that survived so many mentally ill sabotaged respawns intact. We really do owe it to the man who created everquest to pay respects on behalf of our everquest-themed community here.

Someone with more time than I needs to set this up. legit.

Id donate a considerable amount. I cannot think of a person who has had more of an impact in my life. (That is not part of my family)
 
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Springbok

Karen
<Gold Donor>
8,970
12,474
I’m in for a donation as well, something eq related would be appropriate
 
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Hateyou

Not Great, Not Terrible
<Bronze Donator>
16,207
42,095
Yeah a fiery defender would be dope. We have any cosplayers with too much time on their hands??
 
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Locnar

<Bronze Donator>
2,711
2,993
Yeah a fiery defender would be dope. We have any cosplayers with too much time on their hands??

I'm already predicting pilgrimages at the grave site will happen and Instagram pics of people laying EQ related stuff on the grave. I just hope not at the funeral. Its a funeral not a convention.
 
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Folanlron

Trakanon Raider
2,212
639
ohh man, I met him in Seattle bought him a drink too. Smart guy he had so many ideas for EQ from what little I talked with him..(This was before Vanguard)
 
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Varia Vespasa

Vyemm Raider
1,961
3,756
RIP.

Everquest has been a staple in my life since 1999. Still remember running home after i bought my first copy, jumping some fence, falling, ripping my pants and having to explain to my mom how said accident happened.

My first moments in Norrath were like nothing before and nothing since. Gimme more of dat drug, holmes! Made a dark elf, couldn't see shit still. Stumbled through Neriak for about 30 mins before a pair of dark elves in Gossamer robes led me out. I remember they were Gossamer robes because they were so bright against the darkness. I remember that shit like it was yesterday.

gg Brad
Yeah, EQ was my staple for what, 6 years or so?
I was lucky on the darkness thing- FoH peeps pulled Varia over from Qeynos to Freeport when I was around level 7 or 8, and Soliani gave me the greatest gift my human ass could ask for- a Glowing Stone Band. Wore that my entire career. :)

Glowing Stone Band.png
 
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Awanka

Molten Core Raider
327
422
Damn. I saw him a few years ago at PAX, and he looked good; sharp and focused. I thought, "this son of a bitch might pull it off."
I would guess it was the stress that did him in. Creating an epic MMO with just force of will can't be good for you. It's the silent killer, my friends.

I liken McQuaid to Gygax, lunatics who go off the rails creatively, and in so doing, produced some of my favorite things. Fairer than that I can't say. I have nothing but gratitude.
 
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Sevens

Log Wizard
4,959
15,128
Why not take any donations and pledge it to Pantheon? I think this would honor Brad and what he was all about more than flowers.
 
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Muligan

Trakanon Raider
3,209
890
I'm down for a donation. As others have said, no matter how much crap we gave him over the years, I hope he understood it was because we loved the product and world he helped create so much. Everquest became more than a game or hobby for many of us. Everquest was always about people and that's what made it hard to leave. I appreciate what he and others did as it was fairly uncharted waters with the exception of Ultima Online. I hope Pantheon makes it, I think all of us always have but it's hard to ignore not only his faults but the MMO genre's faults and so we had some fun at that expense. Deep down I think everyone wanted Brad to succeed.
 
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Xexx

Vyemm Raider
7,385
1,603
All my teen years spent in EQ1, be it falling asleep camping Lodizal or 8 boxing my squad to sell plat on player auctions, i'd have not had that 10k in plat sales if it wasnt for this dude, RIP.