This week we've been extremely busy stalking members of the EverQuest team, both new and old. Join us all week as we celebrate ten years of EverQuest and if you missed the official Developers Chat on Tuesday, we've published a log so you can see what you missed!

Today we had a talk with Game Designer, Ed "Aristo" Hardin; who's been with the team since the November of 2006.

ZAM: Hey Aristo! Thanks for celebrating EverQuest with us!

Aristo: Thanks for having me!

ZAM: How long have you been working on EverQuest and how did you get started?

Aristo: I started working on EQ in QA in November of 2006.  I began a design apprenticeship in July of 2007, and was hired full time in April of 2008.

ZAM: What is both your most and least favorite memory about working on EverQuest.

Aristo: So far, I had the most fun going into last year's Living Legacy zone revamps as a player and seeing them full of people having fun again.  It was great to run around Blackburrow and be scared for my safety.  My least favorite moment was when I realized that the Defiant armor was both overpowered for the table I'd been working off of, and that I'd been working off of a raid table and not a group one.  My first huge project resulted in an emergency patch the next day...

ZAM: What about from playing EverQuest?

Aristo: Aside from my guild beating Rallos Zek the first time, probably my most heartwarming moment was when most of my guild, and a good number of friends, turned up in Skyfire Mountains to fight Talendor for my brother-in-law.  This was before you could spawn the encounter, and we had to race to get him engaged before others could --  and this was at 3 in the morning.  It was incredibly tense, but we got the force there in time and were able to get him his epic piece.  He'd helped so many people and it was great to see the help in return.

ZAM: Which class have you played the most in your EverQuest career? What makes that class stand out above the rest for you?

Aristo: I don't reveal what class I play.  If people knew my day job, I wouldn't get the great feedback that I get when I'm playing.  :)  I do additionally enjoy my necromancer, who I am trying to grind AAs on in the 50s.  I love how his fights are constantly riding the edge between "complete control" and "utter chaos."

ZAM: Over the years, is there a particular change that you've seen made to EverQuest that stands out against the rest?

Aristo: For me, it was the addition of OOC regen.  It made raid wipes take 5 minutes instead of 15 or more.

ZAM: What is your all time favorite zone? Also, what's your favorite memory from within that zone?

Aristo: I love Blackburrow.  Most of my characters, at least early on, started in Qeynos, and cut their teeth in the depths of that zone.  I think my favorite day was when the tunnel layout finally "clicked" in my head and I knew the fastest way to any point from any other point in the zone.  It felt like I'd suddenly comprehended another language and was playing the game on a different level.  No matter where I was, I knew the fastest way to train up the ramp...

ZAM: Thanks so much for your time! Here's to another ten years of EverQuest!

Aristo: It'll be hard to top the first ten, that's for sure.

Andrew "Tamat" Beegle
Editor-in-Chief
ZAM.com