Dial-a-Port

Some of the best people I met while replaying EverQuest where in a guild called Dial-a-Port. I will always advocate that public transportation is one of the truest gems in the MMO genre that was completely dumped for ease-of-life and quicker gratification in later entries. However, the private airlines that were gifted to Druids and Wizards created an entire economy.

Each of the classes were able to port to various zones. Most of the porting zones overlapped, but several were specific just to that class. Druids would appear at - appropriately - druid rings: recreations of Stonehenge-like monoliths pocketed in seemingly random locations (whose placement we'd have to ask a level designer...maybe someday?). Wizards, at spires. Wizards could also translocate, and port people to places without having to actually leave, themselves.

In this picture, we see a druid porting my own character. What my character is carrying is a representation of an inventory full of "bone chips." This common loot, found on almost every skeletal drop in the game, is a great example of the game's resource management. Bone chips, to most classes, are worthless. But to Necromancers and Shadow Knights, they are key ingredients to summoning their all-important pets: skeletal minions who serve crucial roles in combat and survivability. Although it was more common nearly 30 years ago, seeing someone in the auction channel selling a stack of bone chips for 10 platinum was almost a guarantee. Players incentivized to provide for other players, and economies working together. In this case, selling bone chips in the East Commonlands tunnel - only reachable (realistically) by port at those low levels.

Regardless, these players are the Uber drivers of Norrath. They even have a protocol around an "in-service light" by going /anon or not so players can see who is online if they type /who Dial in the chat prompt. I joined as it is an incredible way to make money in-game, but also seemed like a great way to meet interesting people. A cliché line, especially since this is what I'm sure thousands of ACTUAL Uber drivers have stated for their own reasons for joining the sometimes controversial company, but remains true for me and EverQuest. What I found was easily one of the most helpful and encouraging guild I'd come across.

That being said, I don't want to make it seem like there was any discrepancy in goodwill in this game. I played with some of the most well-known guilds in the game by the time my alts were through, and I encountered nothing but kindness the entire time. It was only when diving into the "United Nations" of Discord for the game that I saw the worst.

I have digressed greatly in this post - so, I will end with this. The dialogue listed in this painted are the word-for-word macros that my favorite porter used. There is so much care and time given to the most miniscule aspects of interaction in this game, between people and not "characters," that it really showcased something lost in time, or lost with iterations from companies looking to make the most money possible by the most addicted subscribers. But, if they are publicly traded, who can blame them? Everyone reports to someone, but the porter in Dial-a-Port reports only to their clients.