Evercraft First Impressions - Was it Good?

We got to jump into Evercraft for the first time this past weekend and I came away from the experience feeling like there is a tremendous amount of potential here. Perhaps even more than I originally thought.
This game not only feels like Everquest in many ways, it also has the potential to bring that style of MMO to a wider audience.
These are my first impressions of the indie MMO in-development, Evercraft Online.
More info can be found on their website here: evercraftonlin...
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[@KyleLeMaster]

Over 600 CCUs! We'll post some stats next week. Sorry for the crowded yards. As mentioned, this is busier than Leont will ever be given all the starting experiences. We got some amazing data though so thank you all!

[@Redbeardflynn]

Fantastic. The servers held up wonderfully. Excellent job and congratulations. Looking forward to what you all do in the future.

[@arvendekoh2266]

Second video on this I've watched yours. I'm excited to try it later down the line.... you mentioning the memories of areas like Newbie Log ... I feel like after these 'player made poi's" kind of became empty over th years, that was when the magic went away... Thanks for your time and research! /salute

[@OneFiveYankee]

It was a good time, ty for helping us reconnect with some of the EQ nostalgia

[@luxsasha]

Huge congrats, you're doing amazing work here

[@ClassNCool]

You did such an amazing job! Thank you for this gem ❤

[@gamhuin]

I was super impressed with how smooth the playtest was and how much was already present and working well in the game. It's VERY EverQuest just with a voxel'ish style, but in a new world to experience. The gnolls are adorable!

[@Redbeardflynn]

I felt so bad killing gnoll pups....

[@justinbeard2024]

The game looks crazy polished, even at this stage. A love letter to EQ with a unique twist

[@RyanLevRon-t4c]

I’d love to try it out

[@rickbotic6063]

never bought a compass and quickly became the guy in the friend group who told or guided friends to different places in the world. A testament to how well the landmarks were for getting my bearings and understanding the world layout.

[@la_kooljgaming]

Neve Eat Shredded Wheat

[@brianmurphy6480]

Never Eat Soggy Waffles. 🤷‍♂️

[@ClassNCool]

Was it good? HECK NO. IT WAS FREAKING AMAZING!!!!!!!

[@playertwo1516]

I don’t know why everybody keep saying it’s good. It’s far from good.

[@ClassNCool]

@@playertwo1516 completely agree... Dare I say it was the best experience of my life.

[@playertwo1516]

@@ClassNCool it’s an ok game. I know it’s only alpha but it’s pretty much gonna release like this. The ui, combat, graphics, and controls feel like a step backwards. the looting is so clunky for example. Gameplay is almost exactly like everquest but everquest is better. What they should’ve done is make a game like everquest but improve everything else like what pantheon is doing

[@KyleLeMaster]

​@playertwo1516 Hi PlayerTwo! Just want to correct; No, the game isn't near launch state. What you're seeing is iterative incremental progress and not the sum of our desicions. Thanks for checking it out!

[@ClassNCool]

@@playertwo1516 I replaced pictures of my wife and kids with pictures of EverCraft. I burned my original copy of EverQuest and asked Smedley for a refund.

[@actavisteq1282]

Thanks for covering this, was traveling this weekend would’ve loved to try it. Hopefully they do a second test soon.

[@Redbeardflynn]

I believe they announce their tests in the discord so if you aren't already in there you'll probably want to jump in to catch the next one!

[@pauld6222]

This game was such a breath of fresh air. I had so much fun! I wasn't a fan of the Minecraft graphics but after a while, it grew on me. The characters are so funny looking that I found myself laughing at the animations. I quickly didnt even mind the graphics. I had way more fun in this game than Pantheon by far. I played many of the classes to get a feel for them and only got two of them to level 5. I had fun on all of them I tried. What is great is that this is only in Alpha and there is alot more to come. Some of the things I really hope they work on for the next open test are: -allow keybinds to use to use shift/alt/ctrl such as Alt+I or something like that. -need more of each level of mobs. -fill dead areas with mobs. -add the "/loot" command (already in game) to a hotkey. -smoother leveling experience for non casting classes until they get some better skills at L4. -shorten the night a little bit. -specific spell descriptions. -less downtime. Overall it was so much fun though. Im 100% sure things will get tweaked and changed and Im looking forward to see where it goes.

[@Erekai]

It was "Never Eat Soggy Waffles" when I was a kid.

[@Razman.99]

I was looking for this one!

[@thekhalanos3253]

I only played for about 2 hours and it was so nice. Even as you stated I was lost for about 20 min trying to find where I was suppose to go. Just felt good. It’s hard to articulate. They need to promote this game more. I never heard of it until yesterday by slight chance on twitch.

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

pre alpha looks fantasic. So can we get some volunteer body guards to drive ahead of these devs just to help avoid any traffic accidents, taste test their food. Ill scrub their toilets if it helps. Looking forward to merely throwing money at them

[@Singleballtheory]

I loved playing the game, and I'm very keen on seeing how it progresses. Was very nostalgic, but it truly is it's own world and I was really impressed with how muchworld there actually is out there. I got lost for the better part of two hours exploring unfinished areas before a Dev finally flew in and rescued me. And you're spot on about learning/using landmarks to navigate as well. I truly think there's an audience for this type of thing and I certainly hope they'll do more open tests as the move forward.

[@G-MacMcToot]

I had a very similar experience. It was really nice to start as a necromancer and be taken back to my first EQ experience, trying to find the evil guilds in the sewers. I did hunt for it for a bit before I saw the well and wondered if they'd thought of that. That was a golden moment. It's rare to actually discover things on your own in an MMO these days and I did in my first 5mins :) I don't mind the graphics, as long as it has depth. It looks like they've a lot of interesting classes and races lined up. I'm excited for this one. I'd love to play an EQ-style Bard again.

[@EsrohNchainS]

I had a grand time. The feel of it was unreal and I felt all of my eq vibes being met. Plot twist- a whole new world though and mechanics. I can not wait for this game. I feel lost without it already! Baby come back!!!!!!

[@NatBard]

Played a WAR to lvl8 this weekend. The combat felt pretty active tanking for the group, doing pulls, keeping agro, swapping stances situationally, getting a last hit in with certain skills. I definitely did a lot of kick+auto but I had lots of fun with the role.

[@DesertTOON]

I had a good time. Their pre-Alpha was hell of a lot better than most betas I have played TBH.

[@OneFiveYankee]

It was crazy stable for me considering!

[@VisceralMonkey504]

Really enjoyed the steam the other night. I'm super impressed by this game, it hearkens back to EQ in all the right ways with the spell particles and feel. The lightening looks great and I went from not paying any attention to it (the name, dear gods the name) to actively waiting for it.

[@Kharmzi]

I played a little bit but mostly just ran around exploring. Was great to see so many players. Excited to see how it continues to develop.

[@Surfer247]

Don't understand the hate for the graphics. Looks considerably better than M&M to me. As an OG Everquest player, I'm looking forward to giving this a try.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Its stylistic, not hate. I struggle with the proportions and making a connection. Doesn't mean in anyway they're bad, might be one of the most widely appreciated graphic styles out there due to Minecraft after all!

[@brianmurphy6480]

I'd actually find it more "realistic" than the cartoonish World of Warcraft look. Lord knows I tried to get into that game when my EQ Guild moved almost wholesale over to it, but just couldn't take the way it looked.

[@Surfer247]

​@@Redbeardflynn Hey! I understand how that came across. To clarify, I was not speaking to your comments in the video so much as I was some of the comments which were a bit more critical! Love your videos man, I appreciate the games you cover and your perspective! :)

[@jogumby]

Very impressed by how smooth it ran. My only issue was drop rates. I had to get 6 spider eyes and after a couple hours of killing spiders I had zero. A friend said that was to increase difficulty but I did find it hard, just dull and frustrating. I don't mind lower drop rates but this was way too low. Come on! Spiders each have 8 eyes! LOL. Looking forward to future tests.

[@gumbypokey7]

This one definitely scratched the EQ nostalgia itch for me. I think there's a potential sub-genre of MMO coming that fit into this category, MnM for sure and maybe Pantheon to a lesser extent.

[@jonathankendrick2789]

Was great, played 3 classes. Necro,sk and shaman.

[@mgaming7]

I can not wait to play this. I am going to wait for actual release of beta just before. Dark Elf Necro !!!!

[@bani1046]

Sun sets in the west. I remember that because of old western movies when i was a kid back in the early 70's. All i ever needed to learn them.

[@fadedshadeTV]

I had a ton of fun with this game, it really felt like old school EQ in many ways - I do have a bunch of notes, but they are mostly minor ones, sadly i never found any kind of suggestion forum on the Discord to post them at. If some things change i could definitely see me playing this over a TLP and that says a lot for me as an avid TLP enjoyer. I agree that this could definitely hit the Minecraft crowd, but many of those players are also quite a bit more casual and less grind oriented, which doesnt really hit what ECO is currently. But grabbing even a small fraction of that market, is still a ton of players and if ECO add some more QoL changes to it, they could even grab more i feel. Overall i was extremely impressed with the game and its stability. I only encountered one DC which was the same one you had during your stream and all of sunday was just smooth sailing for me all day. Its also enjoyable that the game was a few hundred MB and not the 10+ GB that most other MMOs are. Sometimes, less is truly more

[@Tatayn1]

I hope the game expands its content soon, particularly for evil characters. There are an abundance of Alder encampments, yet I've found no significant ones for evil characters.

[@Raider1377]

I'm watching this, well listening to this, while playing in the play-test.

[@FirstNameLastName-okayyoutube]

excited for this!

[@Forevergames-vn6gd]

I loved it ! 12 necro here!

[@kendi64]

Never Eat Soggy Worms I kept trying to find the sense heading skill... But it didn't bother me too much. Just learning where things are located and sticking to an area for a bit of time works. However best to not wander aimlessly in the woods yet! I'm so used to running in other games that it took awhile to get used to it again. But that is what swiftness of wilds? is for, and the constricting vines (forgot the name, I had just recently got it). The music is well done - similar feel without it being the same.

[@Beldarak]

Very excited about it. I really hope we'll see more old-school MMO like that coming out. The modern formula just doesn't work for me and while it's annoying that all the newer MMO follow it, it's infuriating that older MMO change to that formulat (Guild Wars 2 and WoW adding level scaling...) :/

[@TheShadoeryder]

It has some potential but there are some old school features I can frankly do without 25 years later haha

[@alfred480]

Starting location for human's and elves is also determined by your class. All those Nature-y classes(Druid, Beastlord, Ranger) will start in Greenwood Cover instead of Leont.

[@justinbeard2024]

I'm going to go to Amazon or something or Walmart and get like an actual trapper keeper And go get a notebook Page protectors in actually start writing things down Same thing with monsters and memories see if I can make some maps, next time they open the friends and family server!😊

[@jazznblues9496]

After initially hesitating about the graphics, I found myself irresistibly drawn into the game when I stumbled upon an old stream by Alphablue when he played a ranger. I liked what I saw and decided to plunge into the world, disregarding my usual weekend commitments, just as I used to with classic EverQuest. Experimenting with different classes, I felt disappointed that the Bard wasn't available yet. Though I enjoyed the Beastlord class, my heart longed for the familiar rhythms of the Bard, reminiscent of my days in EQ. I missed the intricate manoeuvres required to orchestrate my songs and the inevitable strain on my wrists. However, one drawback I encountered was the absence of an ignore command or at least one that I could locate. There was moment when general chat became less than desirable, because of a single individual prompting me to eventually switch it off entirely.

[@KyleLeMaster]

Ignore command will certainly be coming. Thanks for checking it out!

[@delamota9753]

Still infuriated at those dang necros killing my palabro npcs while i was trying to turn in the quest, mad fun tho

[@springfieldhomeinspections]

Great video and Great game! Looking forward to the next test and definitely had that old school feel. Had a lot of fun playing it. I hope it succeeds and turns into a huge success!

[@Lessthanpropane]

test was a blast! excited to see how they do the bard class!

[@bani1046]

I really want to play this. I miss old ever quest. I get so tired of MMOS in general very fast now. I miss the days of you had to work hard to get a level and it meant something. Doing corps runs with friends or just making new ones giving someone a hand in that all to often corps runs.

[@Redbeardflynn]

Hopefully they'll have another test soon and you can jump in!

[@ChaosSlayerZX]

As much as I am NOT a fan of MineCraft graphics, the way terrain and objects blend together, make it looks very cool overall. Still, I would prefer regular graphics, but never the less - nicely done!

[@goblinphreak2132]

I had a ton of fun. But I think they are undervaluing their product. I was in their discord and someone mentioned that the world feels, small. And with MORE players, it will get cluttered real fast. The developer said they were planning for 3000 players.... I think they will get WAY more than this. Its genuinely fun as hell. So I honestly think they are gonna be SHOCKED when they blow up at their launch. Its gonna be mad fun.

[@formergoat9257]

I'm looking forward to this one.

[@charlesminckler2978]

I played EQ. I was very good at navigating but I rarely used a compass unless I was looking for a very specific location. Having sense heading and /loc we’re critical. Follow roads or zone walls more than a compass. I tried evercraft, I didn’t have fun or get very far. I think my choice of wood elf might have been part of the trouble. The hills were bare of creatures. There was a huge gap between level 1 and level 4+ mobs. The biggest issue I had was input lag. I’m not into the Minecraft looks, but that wasn’t a problem for me. I was disappointed that with the voxel world, their plans for no destructive landscape.

[@MichaelLuckhardt]

I too had a wonderful time during the EQC Alpha - It honestly didn't even feel like an alpha. Spells and abilities all felt polished (Icons designs all unique, spell effects for different abilities were in, loved the flavor text descriptions as well). Quests seemed mostly functional, Exp gain felt about right, mobs leashing also felt like they chased you JUST enough to be scary but not ctazy enough to where it was through the entire map. Man, it was great! I guess there will be more areas implemented in the future, higher level caps with more abilities, and races. But yeah, amazing start.

[@madprophetus]

Make a game that's got super deep gameplay and doesn't cost a mountain of gold to create new content for, and you've got the next iteration of the MMO genre. It's only a matter of time.

[@ChaosSlayerZX]

I never like the wow style - follow the arrow, but I also like my game to have in-game map. I mean Baldurs Gates and Diablo both had them before EQ. It doesn't need to be perfectly lay-out.Ideally I imagine a system where map starts unexplored and gets revealed as you travel around. However your exact position is somewhat uncertain. And this is where skill like "Sense Location" could come into play - so yes you know that you somewhere in "Blue Woods", but where exactly? You hit your "Sense Location" and base on your skill check it will give you a better (or possible worse) "exact" location. And if your skill is low it can put you way off.

[@darkwulf2k]

NESW was Never Eat Shredded Wheat. Good ol EQ dropping a sword on the ground to find north..... Maybe i am spoiled by maps, but seriously, not sure i can play a game w/o. or at least a compass pointing. I get the immersion thing, but this really feels like making things difficult for difficult sakes. I would also point out using a map to navigate is as old as time, and to me stopping to look at a map just makes sense, even it was like old EQ maps where you had to draw it in.

[@CoreChamber]

Awesome game. Woot, thank you, cant wait.

[@mattp722]

@Redbeardflynn What type/model kit is that behind you, and how is the speed/reaction on the high hat? I've been looking at different electronic kits lately. (Apologies for the completely off-topic post - feel free to dm if you would rather not answer here).

[@akdgame]

Not a big fan of the graphics, but if the systems and game play are good, then graphics don't matter that much to me. Seems very old school EQ, which is perfect for me. Will definitely try it!

[@lowriser1170]

Redbeardflynn do we know when next test is? 😮

[@Tinfoiledhat]

It was amazing

[@itsvoices1]

wait melee isn't pronounced mili?

[@Pickle2345]

Whats the experience speed like?

[@Redbeardflynn]

Pretty slow but I expect it to be constantly changed and adjusted as they get more testing data. Since it's looking to EQ I'd imagine it'll probably stay slow.

[@mordiaky]

After this game they need to make “World of WarQuest”

[@Parasite_Eve_1776]

The graphics doesnt look any worse than everqurst honesty lol as long as the controls feel better, im all for it.

[@shroomzBacteria]

Best game ever

[@Yiladan]

Mispronounced towns is as EverQuest as it gets haha

[@christopherg7483]

Made it to level 3, had fun but will say for some reason though, this game has seemed to attract quite a bit of the toxic side of the EQ fanbase. Sure there were helpful people but they were outnumbered by the number of downright hostile players

[@Redbeardflynn]

Ugh that's disappointing to hear. I wish people could just be nice and kind to each other

[@christopherg7483]

@@Redbeardflynn agreed. For what its worth, i had fun with my friends so there is that XD

[@poisonated7467]

Odd, I had the opposite experience. I don't think I met any hostile players during my journey, I made a few friends along the way! I hope you encounter better in the future.

[@zukansculpts]

Never Eat Soggy Waffles

[@natebookout1353]

I never noticed losing exp when I died

[@KyleLeMaster]

You don't yet, but there will be experience loss.

[@natebookout1353]

@@KyleLeMaster gotcha

[@jaypayne4744]

Nellie Eats Shredded Wheat

[@SobKnight]

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

[@TBKTheamazing]

Never eat shredded wheat

[@raeshalgoul8505]

Clean up on aisle 3 STAT!!!

[@Duncanator583]

Never Eat Soggy Wheat

[@Redbeardflynn]

Its amazing to me how many different ways we all learned the same basic thing: cardinal directions.

[@brianmurphy6480]

What the heck? No "Sense Heading" skill?! 🤯

[@Lmfaocj]

Hot take. This looks better than pantheon.

[@ross-sound-journal]

Ah i missed it

[@ChurroDude]

Nobody Eats Soggy Waffles

[@WolfOfIberia]

Will it allow players to build things?

[@Redbeardflynn]

Nope, not currently part of the game as far as I know based on the faq

[@WolfOfIberia]

@@Redbeardflynn Cheers, it's a shame would be interesting to see.

[@trenchbat]

Never Eat Soggy Weetbix (New Zealand)

[@Guyonthecouch420]

I wanted to hate this game. I will be playing with my kids though 😂😂. Is there a sense heading button? Lol right after I say that you mention it 😅

[@Redbeardflynn]

Haha, I kind of hope they add sense heading but the idea of a compass is cool, too.

[@Guyonthecouch420]

@@Redbeardflynn the compass does sound like a cool simple idea. Thank you for making so many great videos! You keep me hooked on games like EQ!

[@delcien9697]

for me I liked it a lot, i think it needs quest givers to be much more obvious because right now u have to chat to every single npc to see if they have a quest, also a compass/map should be there, and also , it took forever (3-5 minutes) for my wizards mana to fill up completely, that was crazy too long, shud be 1 min max i reckon. lastly, u only get xp if u attack mobs 1st, I helped a dude who had pulled too many mobs, i helped kill 3 of them , i got no xp for the effort which sucked because i spent ages resting/ waiting for my mana to reach 100%, and the 4th one killed me as well, which was nice :(

[@ESSBrew]

I couldnt stand how slow you run in the game, thats why I stopped, cuz I got tired of looking for stuff while running so slow. I needed a mage pet reeagent, and I could not figure out where to buy.

[@nowayjosedaniel]

Personally, I liked this better than p1999 but as someone with a life, a wife, kids, and a job? I will never play this for the same reasons I dont play p1999.

[@ShawnTerps]

Never eat slimy worms

[@Roarrior]

Show me Kelethin or it didn't happen!

[@adventuride9611]

I’m just glad you didn’t play a Druid 😂

[@GuaridoNutri]

the only thing that puts me out is the Minecraft look, i really dont like it.

[@john-michaelveach2083]

Played for about an hour and it didn't hook me. Seemed well made, but the graphics really turn me off. Also, it is mechanically a direct copy of everquest, so I'll just play EQ.

[@Parasite_Eve_1776]

I try to play everquest but it's just to clunky. I don't mind the outdated graphics but it just feels weird just trying to control my character. Hoping this fixes that cause I really like the old school mmo just like everquest.

[@losbloontas]

Couldn't get over how bad the UI is , the quest log layout is awful, and combat didn't feel satisfying. I'll try it again sone other time but man was it rough. Tired of going backwards with my MMOs, a game that looks worse than original EQ, and plays slightly worse than classic WoW. Not a good combo. Hope it makes some good changes

[@googleifyouseekayu]

rather jus play EQ, but could see how this is to get kids into mmo's

[@joshua7426]

Honestly game is boring asf

[@sampedro9316]

It's not finished

[@joshua7426]

@sampedro9316 still doesn't make it any less boring, combat is bad, questing was bad, skill system was beyond terrible.

[@petermoore2897]

And Daybreak will probably sue them hopefully

[@nowayjosedaniel]

I have no doubt a lot of old school p1999 players will like this of they are sick of p1999 and can stand the unappealing voxel characters. However this is going to have such a huge problem with new players, because they arent just inspired by EQ or iterating or bringing EQ to 2024. They are cloning it, almost exactly, including the outdated UX. Meanwhile they will attract kids who love minecraft and at best 20-somethings who grew up playing minecraft. The generations who will be the last to stand for waiting in line to camp named mobs and a 1999 UX where you have to manuallu drop items on NPC's. That is without pointing out the attention span of younger people and their need for action, which is contrary to everything an EQ clone is. They seem to have no consideration of bringing EQ into the modern era of design as well. The kids who played EQ have families now. They dont have 18 hrs to spent camping a spawn, only to miss a drop. Finally the minecraft style will attract everyone young who loves minecraft...and there is no minecraft. No building at all. They will quit en mass or complain and be met with a very toxic p1999 veteran old timer crowd who has a ton of disdain for their adhd lego demands and insults.

[@original1537]

It was alright. Got to lvl 7 but I couldn't get passed the shit/lazzy mind craft graphics.. MnM will be better.

[@PaperJedi]

Why do you say lazy? Its actually quite complex models in the game. Just because they arnt your style doesnt mean they are shit or lazy.

[@original1537]

@@PaperJedi Because the graphics/models are taken from a current game that's been out for years. Not to mention everything else was taken from EQ. Complex? lmfao alright buddy.

[@PaperJedi]

@@original1537 visually similar does not make it the same. Ignorance is bliss it's ok.

[@mav4394]

@@PaperJediI hope the game releases soon, from the sound of it you need this lmfao.

[@DontMindMeImAnIdiot]

Never eat soggy waffles

[@dick8689]

You say apple and i say apple, who cares, there is no right way to pronounce things

[@TheWhisperingPenis]

I feel like a pretty simple sale for these games is just mentioning Hogger in early WoW. People loved that, its one thing people always mention. Thats just grouping and finding a named mob. Thats Everquest. What ive never heard mentioned is how much fun everyone had being solo doing fetch quests. People treat instances like chores. It sounds like few are having fun in WoW experiences over just being addicted.

[@Omniaverage]

Never Eat Shredded Wheat

[@timhook8186]

Never eat shredded wheat

[@rockett42]

Never Eat Soggy Waffles

[@_wizen]

Never Enjoy Sh**ty WoW