My thoughts about what the new server should be

[One Tin Soldier]

Most of you are assuming that it will be a new server which follows the correct timeline for patches and expansions and you're almost certainly right. I think that's probably what it will be as well.

The thing is, that seems kind of pointless to me. I mean, yes, it would be fun to have a fresh server again for a while but we all know that doesn't last. It will end up being just another blue server and do we really need two that are exactly the same?

Maybe they are going to wipe the server every time it reaches the end of the timeline and start it over again and again. I guess that would be something but I don't know how much motivation people would have to keep doing that over and over.

Honestly, I think they should take a chance on different rule sets. Try out different things and if it doesn't work wipe it and try something else. Try a team PvP server. If the population falls to a low level then wipe it.

Try a Team PvP server with a level 30 maximum level limit and you lose a level if you die to another player.

Try a vanilla blue server with custom content.

There are lots of thing that could be tried which would not require a lot of effort for the devs. Custom content of course would take some doing but a lot of other things wouldn't take a lot of work.

If they find a rule set that is popular then hey, make it permanent or wipe the current red server and change it to the new rule set.

[Tuurin]

Isn't that pretty much eqemu already is? Not sure what you're suggesting.

[One Tin Soldier]

I'm saying that having another server which is identical to the one we already have is pointless so why not experiment with different rule sets.

[Kayso2]

I think following a classic timeline for patch release and expansion will be a hugely different experience from what we have here on Blue.

Even with all the game knowledge and experience Velious will be a lot tougher on release with only seven months of Kunark gear and levels. I guess if 50% of people play clerics or rogues...

[Erati]

He’s right when Green reaches same patch as Blue theres 0 difference in servers outside of individual player wealth which really doesnt change a ton of the game outside of fewer twinks leveling. If there’s nothing significantly different within ruleset so the experience is different, Green will feel like a niche place just waiting to get back to where our characters are on Blue.

[DromalPhrenia]

Green server should have project M enabled.

[urbanbo]

So once green offloads everyone to blue it will get wiped and the cycle restarts?

[Tenagra]

I want the p99 experience but with different zems. Or some kind of zem of the week.

[walfreyydo]

+1 for coin-loot, team pvp server with balanced pvp ruleset (not 100% classic)

I have very very fond memories of the 1999 experience on Tallon Zek. I really like Blue, but its just not the same as TZ

[fadetree]

So, OP, your 'try this, try that' sounds good until you have to do it, as in all of the work it takes from staff. The entire point of this whole project has been to recreate as exactly as possible the original timeline and experience of EQ. Blue has been their testbed for developing the various patches and timeline events...once they have that in the can then they can replay it easily without having to put in tons of work. This project has never been about keeping players amused.
They did try a Red server but we all know how that turned out. I know some people like EQ PvP but most do not.

What I'd like to see is to have the client follow the timeline, too. Stone at first with the med book, etc.

[jdogg1983]

I hated Shadows of Luclin, but I was intrigued by the alternate advancements the expansion introduced. Would you guys be into the classic to velious timeline, but introducing AAs at some point?

[Osprey39]

+1 for coin-loot, team pvp server with balanced pvp ruleset (not 100% classic)

I have very very fond memories of the 1999 experience on Tallon Zek. I really like Blue, but its just not the same as TZ

I played on Vallon and Sullon Zek and they were fun but when I came here and saw that the PvP server topped out at about 100 people each evening, it was clear to me that there is very little desire for PvP in this community.

You can suggest all you want, it's a free country. If I were in charge though, there's no way I'd bother putting even 5 minutes worth of work into something PvP related when the existing server can't muster more than 100 people online concurrently. It's simply a waste of time and resources.

[slowpoke68]

I will take Green however the devs want to do it and be happy.

If they were to make changes for a recycle server though, my wish list would be:

1. Eliminate Zems
2. Eliminate pre-nerf versions of items or items that were later removed from the
game.
3. Nerf Charm.
4. Nerf Bard multi-mob kiting.

In other words get rid of anything that trivializes content and/or appeals to the pixel obsessed or neck bearded power levelers.

[Issar]

I will take Green however the devs want to do it and be happy.

If they were to make changes for a recycle server though, my wish list would be:

1. Eliminate Zems
2. Eliminate pre-nerf versions of items or items that were later removed from the
game.
3. Nerf Charm.
4. Nerf Bard multi-mob kiting.

In other words get rid of anything that trivializes content and/or appeals to the pixel obsessed or neck bearded power levelers.

Even as a Bard, I agree with all of this.
The elimination of MQs altogether would be pretty awesome improvement.

[Caldwin]

I will take Green however the devs want to do it and be happy.

If they were to make changes for a recycle server though, my wish list would be:

1. Eliminate Zems
2. Eliminate pre-nerf versions of items or items that were later removed from the
game.
3. Nerf Charm.
4. Nerf Bard multi-mob kiting.

In other words get rid of anything that trivializes content and/or appeals to the pixel obsessed or neck bearded power levelers.

Even as a Bard, I agree with all of this.
The elimination of MQs altogether would be pretty awesome improvement.

How about eliminating item recharging?

If I had the knowledge and resources to create my own server, I would make it as described above, with the exception of ZEMs. I would make ZEMs variable depending on population in zone, and maybe even vary ZEMs per mob or camp.

Another thing I would do is make it so high level items are less effective on lower level players. The bigger the level difference between the level needed to obtain an item and the player level, the worse the stats get. This will mean less trivialization of low level content, thus preserving the classic feel at low levels. No more super twinked soloists taking on content meant for full groups.

I'm not sure what can be done with high level players farming much lower level content though.

[fadetree]

I hated Shadows of Luclin, but I was intrigued by the alternate advancements the expansion introduced. Would you guys be into the classic to velious timeline, but introducing AAs at some point?

I wasn't crazy about Luclin, either, although I liked PoP. The archery AA's were a crucial and long awaited fix for Rangers, but if they had been obtainable some other way I wouldn't care about AA's in particular. AA's were really the start of character mudflation, which got worse and worse beyond PoP until incredibly powerful gear was literally raining down on players (the defiant stuff).

[Jimjam]

The defiant was a needed bandaid though; it got to the point where the gear needed to complete quests was better than the gear those quests gave as rewards. You had to do at least some level of raiding to do XP content.

Problem was the expansions were tested by cutting edge raiders in BIS.

[immaterial]

i believe one of the major goals of this server is preservation and accuracy. in that sense, yes it is worth it to have a vanilla classic server that gets all of the patches and expansions according to the original timeline.

[Jimjam]

Green server should have project M enabled.

:D

[azeth]

Eliminating MQs would be a very healthy improvement. Other suggestions are such bad ideas

[slowpoke68]

i believe one of the major goals of this server is preservation and accuracy. in that sense, yes it is worth it to have a vanilla classic server that gets all of the patches and expansions according to the original timeline.

Like I said before, if that is the way they want to do it, that is just fine by me. I'm just thrilled to see Green coming and for the chance to play on a new server.

[Osprey39]

i believe one of the major goals of this server is preservation and accuracy. in that sense, yes it is worth it to have a vanilla classic server that gets all of the patches and expansions according to the original timeline.

Once you eliminate human night blindness and casters staring at spellbooks as they med, all attempts to something in the name of accuracy go out the window.

[Muggens]

^not true.
Btw you can change your gamma in the .ini config file to a lower value and the night blindness is there.

[waffel]

Triple health regeneration rate, double mana regeneration rate.

[aaezil]

Make a firiona vie rp type server that would be awesome

[Topgunben]

My only hope is that green box will do more to incentivize the casual player at 50+.

Instances would ruin the game, but reduced spawn timers, like 1 day +or - 1 hour for Trakanon instead of 3.5 days would allow for casuals to have a chance.

vox, Trak, and Nagafen are dead within 20 minutes of spawn on Blue Box.

[Osprey39]

^not true.
Btw you can change your gamma in the .ini config file to a lower value and the night blindness is there.

You can't just say "not true" and make it so, friend. The facts won't let you and the facts are that EQ, at the time period we are playing, had night blind humans and low level casters that couldn't 'see' the game they were playing for a good deal of the time. Those things are not here in p99. That is definitely not classic EQ. The argument of "we're going to do/not do this thing because it is/isn't classic" loses a lot of weight when two of the biggest 'features' of classic EQ have already been removed from the game.

Don't mistake me, I don't miss those things, they were bad game design to begin with. That said, it's not debatable that they were part of the original game and you can't dispute that.

[Fammaden]

Yeah the original blind races were way worse than you can replicate with gamma in the titanium client. Not that I want that back, but if you think lowering gamma is at all similar you probably didn't play back then or didn't play a hum/erudite.

[Fammaden]

My only hope is that green box will do more to incentivize the casual player at 50+.

Instances would ruin the game, but reduced spawn timers, like 1 day +or - 1 hour for Trakanon instead of 3.5 days would allow for casuals to have a chance.

vox, Trak, and Nagafen are dead within 20 minutes of spawn on Blue Box.

Everybody has that one sort of QoL change they'd want above all others. If they caved on one then it would be a chain reaction of player complaints for more. "Not classic" is pretty disingenuous in many ways, but its easy to fall back on for not making too many drastic changes that deviate from the project's goals.

In terms of your point specifically, I think our best hope lies in the total population being split fairly evenly between blue and green. If only a limited number return and actually stick around on green long term, and the populations settled around 600-800ish peak on each server it would probably go a long way for the health of gameplay on each side.

Its hard to speculate how population will go though, there could be 500+ extra return for green and stay long term, green could be too niche and end up very low pop with most blue players staying with their established accounts and the new custom content, or green could be super popular and leave blue a ghost town. I could easily see green being less popular prior to Kunark launch too.

[Kanuvan]

nonsense, the fresh start is the reason people play it, it doesnt matter if its a "fleeting moment" or not, there will always be more fresh start servers to relive the experience

people are stuck in the endgame progression mindset and cant wrap there heads around the thought that people would rather relive classic leveling/progression where everyone is equal to start than farm their pointless 30th fungi

[Elysium]

Once you eliminate human night blindness and casters staring at spellbooks as they med, all attempts to something in the name of accuracy go out the window.

that's a client issue that they don't have control over. it doesn't take away from their efforts to make everything they can control as it was in classic

[kotton05]

Yup OP is trying to use his last brain cell forum questing.

[Muggens]

You can't just say "not true" and make it so, friend. The facts won't let you and the facts are that EQ, at the time period we are playing, had night blind humans and low level casters that couldn't 'see' the game they were playing for a good deal of the time. Those things are not here in p99. That is definitely not classic EQ. The argument of "we're going to do/not do this thing because it is/isn't classic" loses a lot of weight when two of the biggest 'features' of classic EQ have already been removed from the game.

Don't mistake me, I don't miss those things, they were bad game design to begin with. That said, it's not debatable that they were part of the original game and you can't dispute that.

With my settings Im completely in the dark at night on my human/erudite characters. I med with the book up.
I like it and dont see the "night blindness" as a bad game design but rather a good one.

[Jimjam]

Makes itemisation interesting. Fun running around with a torch looking like a real adventurer!

[Argh]

Nobody cares

[I Felt Nostalgic]

After some chatting with a couple of people I know what this new server is going to be about but I have been sworn to silence and will actually be killed if I spill the beans.