Mac-ively Multiplayer

Earlier in the summer Sony Online announced that their massively popular massively multiplayer role-playing game EverQuest would be seeking new victims players, with the release of a Macintosh version developed by Westlake Interactive. A couple of weeks later a dedicated MacinQuest website has now been launched to give fans a taste of things to come, including a FAQ featuring pertinent questions such as "isn't EQ three years old - why bring it to the Mac now?" The answer apparently is .. well, they artfully dodged answering the question actually, instead pointing out that Mac users will get one handy bundle of EverQuest and all its various add-ons up to and including Shadows of Luclin, complete with the updated graphics, new zones, character races and classes included therein. EverQuest for the Mac will enter beta testing towards the end of the year, with a spring 2003 release currently planned. The only catch is that Mac Questers will be restricted to their own ghetto as the port won't be compatible with the PC version. Sony Online helpfully tell us that "there are several reasons for this" without actually saying what any of them are, apart from claiming that "since most of the Mac users will be first-time customers of EQ, they will receive the best value and enjoyment out of the game by starting on an even playing field, and not having to compete with PC users who have a substantial head start". Not that this stops them from dumping PC newbies into those servers, of course... More details can be found on the official EQ Mac page. Related Feature - EverCraft?