Idea for custom content: Classic Spirit server

[Vexenu]

Now that the "beta" Blue server has run its course and the fresh Green/Teal servers have launched, many players have turned their eyes to the possibility of the long-awaited "custom content" Rogean, Nilbog & Co. have talked about for years. There are obviously numerous possibilities for what exactly "custom content" could look like, with varying degrees of difficulty involved in creating it. For example, would the custom content be entirely new? Or perhaps just carefully selected portions of Luclin and PoP? Those are the most commonly bandied about ideas, at least.

I have another proposal for "custom content": a server that makes small balance changes to the game in an effort to more accurately reproduce the spirit rather than the letter of classic EverQuest. Following the launch of Green and Teal, it became obvious to many players that scrupulously recreating the content and mechanics of classic EQ is paradoxically not the best way to recreate the feel of classic EQ. This is because 20 years of game knowledge and experience has fundamentally altered the way that people play the game. That being the case, the only way to more accurately emulate the actual gameplay of classic EQ is to make minor changes to the game that discourage powergaming and cheese tactics. At the same time, we can use this opportunity to make minor changes to class balance. These changes are made with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight and are conceived with the effort of promoting maximum balance between classes with minimal modification to the game.

All that being said, the Classic Spirit server I'm proposing would have the following custom changes:


Item recharging disabled
Multiquesting disabled
Midnight Mallet effect changed to proc
Ivandyr's Hoop effect removed from item
Wooly Spider Silk Nets changed to LORE
Soulfire clicky changed to Paladin-only
Reaper of the Dead clicky changed to SK-only
All high-level droppable weapons and armor tagged with level requirements (twinking still possible but you must use more level-appropriate gear rather than super-high end stuff)
ZEMs of uncommonly utilized dungeons increased
"Hot zones" with additional XP bonus rotated regularly through uncommonly utilized dungeons
Particularly dangerous/annoying leveling dungeons (Runnyeye, Cazic-Thule, etc...) optimized for easier play (i.e. fix excessive NPC mana pools and healing/aggroing through walls)
Legacy items (Manastone, Guise, JBoots, Rubicite, etc...) NOT in game. They demonstrably cause more trouble than they're worth on a new server
AOE spell limit in place (no Chardok AOE)
All charm spells limited to a fixed six-tick duration (36 sec). They either resist outright or last 36 seconds every time (Charm becomes emergency CC and/or risky short-term DPS/tanking, not the OP monstrosity it is now)
Clarity removed from Enchanters and given to Wizards
Wizards given innate spell criticals
Paladins and SKs given innate undead criticals
Melody implemented for Bards
Monk AC/mitigation nerfed to post-Velious patch level
Lifetap spells restored to lure/unresistable status
Pet window enabled (QoL)
Torpor overwrites runspeed buffs and drains 50 mana per tick (https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142396&page=8)
Hybrid XP penalty removed
-25% XP penalty for solo players
5% XP bonus removed from Halflings and given to Humans
Player-enforced raid rotations mandatory, with semi-regular simulated server resets (Earthquakes) that are FFA on all raid mobs


tl;dr a server with no item recharging, no MQs, no legacy items, reduced twinking, penalized soloing, discouraged powergaming/poopsocking and minor class balance changes to nerf Enchanters/Shamans/Monks and buff hybrids/Wizards.

Would you player on this server? What other changes would you propose for a Classic Spirit server?

[bwe]

+1

[theonesler]

I would not. But thanks for coming out!

[Erati]

Jboots arent legacy items? They just get moved to a quest.

Your server vision seems extremely targeted and the beauty of Classic EQ is its free flowing.

[Firepuff]

I would support that! :)

One cave-at:
Everquest back then was developed as a continuous project under the assumption that there would always be a "next patch", rather than a content freeze at a specific cut-off point.

Meaning, there were serveral fixes to classes and balancing issues, that were delayed untill luclin(for practical reasons), but still addressed issues in the original trilogy, those should be included as well.
Adding spellcrit for wizards(as you mention) is one of them, but im sure there are many more later fixes aswell (familiars for wizards!!!) , that would make it a much more polished game. :)

They could even add extra zones that would fit well with the original trilogy. A "re-itemized" veksar for example. or (if you are feeling creative, something new, like an orc fortress next to orc highway in oasis, there was probably supposed to be "something" there?). Or maybe fix those quests that were never finished back then...(Daybreak actually did fix some kunark-era quests with the latest progression sever iirc. :) )

p.s. I think Sony kept jboots in the game on purpose, otherwise they wouldn't have added Tboots later. But yeah, I think having such a needed item drop from a single npc was poor design(and even Sony fixed that).

[Sizar]

All high-level droppable weapons and armor tagged with level requirements (twinking still possible but you must use more level-appropriate gear rather than super-high end stuff)

Noooope. Twinking is one of the most fun things to do in this 20 year old elf sim.

[Evia]

I like everything you listed. Would definitely give the classic spirit imho. I might even add to mix up loot tables. It would be awesome to kill a named again and have NO IDEA what's going to drop!
Or having the community Come together at kunark launch to figure out where the fungi tunic drops now. Stuff like that!

[Erati]

I like everything you listed. Would definitely give the classic spirit imho. I might even add to mix up loot tables. It would be awesome to kill a named again and have NO IDEA what's going to drop!
Or having the community Come together at kunark launch to figure out where the fungi tunic drops now. Stuff like that!

Thats only fun for like 2 weeks tho, the beauty of this game is its longevity.

These are all large n part fleeting gimmicks of entertainment bc many of us know everything but theres so many noobs who dont know everything that the game is how u describe to them.

[Wurl]

Good write up, this is a really good summary of what I think a lot of P99 players (myself included) actually want from P99. Maybe we'll get this with Green 2.0!

[bwe]

Thats only fun for like 2 weeks tho, the beauty of this game is its longevity.

These are all large n part fleeting gimmicks of entertainment bc many of us know everything but theres so many noobs who dont know everything that the game is how u describe to them.

Oh look we've got a genius over here

[uygi]

I like some of the ideas, but one thing sticks out: you have a serious hard-on for wizards to be better. You want to give them clarity and spell crits? Wizards are already extremely powerful on raids, arguably the greatest total raiding utility pre-velious.

[Vexenu]

Jboots arent legacy items? They just get moved to a quest.

Your server vision seems extremely targeted and the beauty of Classic EQ is its free flowing.

That refers only to JBoots dropping off Najena, not the JBoots quest.

Noooope. Twinking is one of the most fun things to do in this 20 year old elf sim.

You could still twink, you just couldn't do something like put a Fungi, CoF and a T-staff on a level 1 Monk, for example. You'd have to settle for something like Cured Silk and Fighting Batons. Basically anything that drops from a mob level 35 or above would have a level requirement ranging from 30 (FBSS, for example) to 50 (Fungi Tunic).

I like some of the ideas, but one thing sticks out: you have a serious hard-on for wizards to be better. You want to give them clarity and spell crits? Wizards are already extremely powerful on raids, arguably the greatest total raiding utility pre-velious.

Even with Clarity and spell crits Wizards are still the worst INT caster overall and remain very niche. Giving them Clarity gives people a reason to invite them to XP groups and simultaneously provides a much needed nerf to the most OP class in the game in Enchanters. And spell crits are just a no-brainer and more of a fun gimmick than a serious buff, being a relatively small DPS bump in most cases. Most people would still not want to play Wizards because they are very boring and offer little in the way of versatility compared to other classes.

[Ivory]

I'd rather a "max level 30" server.

[Tilien]

Now that the "beta" Blue server has run its course and the fresh Green/Teal servers have launched, many players have turned their eyes to the possibility of the long-awaited "custom content" Rogean, Nilbog & Co. have talked about for years.

I think most players are currently having their eyes on planes and Kunark on green, and those wanting custom content are more likely to want some high end zones for their Blue characters to get a little more life from while camping on Green.

The proposed balance changes are interested, with a slightly obvious bias against enchanters and toward Wizards. Nerf charm and chanters are basically just cc, haste and clarity, but you want to take clarity away so enchanters do... cc and haste?

I think there is some interesting prospect in opening up later-on balance fixes, etc. but you're proposing a new server. Perhaps one you'd like to run. That being said: I don't think your timing is very good with Green well underway. How many people want to reroll 2 months into new characters? If that number is less than the current Blue player base you're going to need to enable soloing, and a solo xp penalty is going to kill the game.

[Erati]

I'd rather a "max level 30" server.

this.

[azeth]

A lot of these ideas are neat except level minimums on items and the wizard bonuses. Id try this server though.

Eliminating recharging, MQs, adjusting charm, adding negative % to solo xp are definitely things I can get on board with.

[uygi]

Chanters are pretty nerfed already by no tab targeting. 36 sec fixed duration charm is... interesting.

Wizards are shitty group DPS, giving them clarity is more like an incentive for melees to level a pocket wizard...

[Erati]

Chanters are pretty nerfed already by no tab targeting. 36 sec fixed duration charm is... interesting.

Wizards are shitty group DPS, giving them clarity is more like an incentive for melees to level a pocket wizard...

36 set duration would be a buff in some cases bc you could preplan for breaks knowing when they are coming. More mana yes but less random deaths.

[Vexenu]

The proposed balance changes are interested, with a slightly obvious bias against enchanters and toward Wizards. Nerf charm and chanters are basically just cc, haste and clarity, but you want to take clarity away so enchanters do... cc and haste?


That's kind of how class balance works: you remove a little from the overpowered classes and add something to the underpowered classes.

Even without Clarity and nerfed charm, Enchanters would still be extremely powerful and versatile. They would remain the best CC class by a mile, have haste and slow, Tash, Theft of Thought for mana and their underrated animation pets. But they'd shift to being more of a support class than a "literally does not need a group because I can solo everything myself" class. Which is much more in line with the original designer intention for the class. That being said, I would settle for Enchanters retaining Clarity if their charm was heavily nerfed as I proposed. They would still be a little OP in that case (and Wizards still shit-tier for everything but 32k HP raid mobs) but it would be a move in the right direction. Maybe give Wizards Theft of Thought and buff Harvest instead?

[Erati]

way too many wizard buffs - do you play one?

[uygi]

36 set duration would be a buff in some cases bc you could preplan for breaks knowing when they are coming. More mana yes but less random deaths.

I agree!

[azeth]

#givecharmtowizards

[Vexenu]

36 set duration would be a buff in some cases bc you could preplan for breaks knowing when they are coming. More mana yes but less random deaths.

Skilled and daring Enchanters could make practical use of fixed duration charm for certain limited applications (breaking camps or soloing/duoing a big mob by timing recasts). But it would be impractical for solo XP grinding or holding a charm pet in a group due to constantly having to re-cast charm.

[Erati]

Skilled and daring Enchanters could make practical use of fixed duration charm for certain limited applications (breaking camps or soloing/duoing a big mob by timing recasts). But it would be impractical for solo XP grinding or holding a charm pet in a group due to constantly having to re-cast charm.

Um the way you grind exp w charm is have two similar mobs beat up each other til both are near death then you easily finish both off, rinse repeat. Holding pets for hours is group exp w charm. So 36 sec charm plenty good to fly tru levels solo.

I dont think you are nerfing it quite as you think you are but none the less its an interesting EQy discussion :)

If you want a real charm nerf make a shit ton of mobs commonly found immune to it.

[bubur]

necro charm undead
dru charm animals
enc charm humanoids

i havent thought it totally thru but may be more balanced

[Vexenu]

way too many wizard buffs - do you play one?

Have a 60 Wiz on Blue that I don't play out of boredom. The class is literally useless outside of a raid when compared to everything else. They need some kind of buff to make them more attractive. Anyone who's played a Wiz knows this, and the population numbers attest as well. As I said, perhaps giving them Clarity would be too far, but giving them ToT and an upgraded Harvest spell might suffice.

The main thing that all honest players can agree on at this point regarding class balance (while perhaps disagreeing on specifics): Enchanters, Shamans, Monks need toning down, while Hybrids and Wizards need a little love.

[Erati]

Have a 60 Wiz on Blue that I don't play out of boredom. The class is literally useless outside of a raid when compared to everything else. They need some kind of buff to make them more attractive. Anyone who's played a Wiz knows this, and the population numbers attest as well. As I said, perhaps giving them Clarity would be too far, but giving them ToT and an upgraded Harvest spell might suffice.

The main thing that all honest players can agree on at this point regarding class balance (while perhaps disagreeing on specifics): Enchanters, Shamans, Monks need toning down, while Hybrids and Wizards need a little love.

Yes Wizard can be boring raid wise bc you cast like 2 spells and sit in camp.

They are not useless outside of a raid tho thats weird to say, they can do many things cept camp mobs solo that summon. Thats their only limitation.

[Wurl]

necro charm undead
dru charm animals
enc charm humanoids

i havent thought it totally thru but may be more balanced
Yeah, Shards of Dalaya made it so enchanters couldn't charm undead, which I liked a lot.

[Vexenu]

Um the way you grind exp w charm is have two similar mobs beat up each other til both are near death then you easily finish both off, rinse repeat. Holding pets for hours is group exp w charm. So 36 sec charm plenty good to fly tru levels solo.

I dont think you are nerfing it quite as you think you are but none the less its an interesting EQy discussion :)

If you want a real charm nerf make a shit ton of mobs commonly found immune to it.

36 second charms would severely constrain Enchanter charm soloing for XP. 36 seconds is not that long in EQ. A lot of pets would require a second cast of charm, which would take a big toll on mana over time. I think in most cases you'd level faster and safer with the animation. Maybe not, though. At least charming would take more skill and be more risky in that case. Right now it's simply a faceroll tactic and trivializes the game.

[uygi]

The main thing that all honest players can agree on at this point regarding class balance (while perhaps disagreeing on specifics): Enchanters, Shamans, Monks need toning down, while Hybrids and Wizards need a little love.

I don't know that hybrids need much love, and I don't think wizards need any. I leveled two wizards on Blue for raid parking and thought they were fine. Hybrids... Could use some minor boosts for viability. Ranger heals could suck a little less, Paladins... not sure how to fix. I think SKs would be more balanced if they got a slightly (one tier) better pet and slightly better lifetaps (SKs currently have a 45hp max tap). But hybrids have plenty of utility already, they're better group contributors than wizards for sure.

[Scoojitsu]

I like the suggested changes and would try such a server.

[azeth]

I don't know that hybrids need much love, and I don't think wizards need any. I leveled two wizards on Blue for raid parking and thought they were fine. Hybrids... Could use some minor boosts for viability. Ranger heals could suck a little less, Paladins... not sure how to fix. I think SKs would be more balanced if they got a slightly (one tier) better pet and slightly better lifetaps (SKs currently have a 45hp max tap). But hybrids have plenty of utility already, they're better group contributors than wizards for sure.

Make lay hands effect the group and work as a CH. Decrease the cool down to like 15 minutes. Give both SKs and Paladins a higher max defense than every other class when using a shield, but don't allow them to riposte or parry

[Vexenu]

I don't know that hybrids need much love, and I don't think wizards need any. I leveled two wizards on Blue for raid parking and thought they were fine. Hybrids... Could use some minor boosts for viability. Ranger heals could suck a little less, Paladins... not sure how to fix. I think SKs would be more balanced if they got a slightly (one tier) better pet and slightly better lifetaps (SKs currently have a 45hp max tap). But hybrids have plenty of utility already, they're better group contributors than wizards for sure.

LOL, of course they're fine if that's all you use them for. But leveling toons just to have them parked at specific raid mobs is not in the spirit of classic EQ, and would be discouraged on this server (forced rotations) except for all but the most hardcore players (FFA on earthquakes). The idea is to have people actually want to play their main class, rather than feel useless most of the time or only log a class on specifically to kill a raid mob.

Making Soulfire and Reaper Pal/SK only gives them a bit of a raid buff and allows them to play hero. Undead criticals just adds some flair. I agree they don't need a ton. Wizards definitely need something, though, whether Clarity or ToT/buffed Harvest. They literally offer nothing outside of raid mob kills, which makes the class stand out as uniquely bad among the rest.

[uygi]

I mean... if you want wizards to be legitimately useful for something else, you need to completely redesign the class. Or play Red.

[Vexenu]

I mean... if you want wizards to be legitimately useful for something else, you need to completely redesign the class. Or play Red.

Or...give them Clarity, one of the best buffs in the game, which would not only increase their own sustained DPS but give them something substantial to offer XP groups?

Enchanters without Clarity (and charm) still offer substantial benefits to the group in the form of haste, slow, mez, tash, runes, stuns and their animation pet.

Suddenly balance becomes much more even by shifting a single spell between classes.

[azeth]

Or...give them Clarity, one of the best buffs in the game, which would not only increase their own sustained DPS but give them something substantial to offer XP groups?

Enchanters without Clarity (and charm) still offer substantial benefits to the group in the form of haste, slow, mez, tash, runes, stuns and their animation pet.

Suddenly balance becomes much more even by shifting a single spell between classes.

Give wizards Tash, ToT and remove root from enc

[Solist]

Wait a dorf cleric could proc slows this way? That’d be even more confusing for optimal cleric race!

[Solist]

Why not just make soulfires nets mallets etc clickable pre 55 only. Post 55 they’re useless.

Win win.

[Firepuff]

I don't think classes should get changes, that they wouldn't have gotten later, if the server wasn't stuck in velious forever.

[Ivory]

Give wizards.....the ability to craft spells into no-drop lore 1 use items....

So, basically, they can store spells! perhaps at higher wizard-crafting, you can store multi-charges (or have additional wizard focus items to store spells in).

That would change how wizard behaves. They already are the trump card of groups, to nuke things down in a rush. But really mages can also if they just save some mana.

THIS would make them truly powerful magic users.

[Firepuff]

Give wizards.....the ability to craft spells into no-drop lore 1 use items....

So, basically, they can store spells! perhaps at higher wizard-crafting, you can store multi-charges (or have additional wizard focus items to store spells in).

That would change how wizard behaves. They already are the trump card of groups, to nuke things down in a rush. But really mages can also if they just save some mana.

THIS would make them truly powerful magic users.

So basically they can make single-charge clickies with other classes spells?
That would put pressure on the wizard to farm runes forever, not sure I like that tbh.

I can just picture it....

"Hey! why don't you summon your necro-pet and give the cleric some KEI and DMF!! are you lazy?!!!" :(

[Ivory]

So basically they can make single-charge clickies with other classes spells?
That would put pressure on the wizard to farm runes forever, not sure I like that tbh.

I can just picture it....

"Hey! why don't you summon your necro-pet and give the cleric some KEI and DMF!! are you lazy?!!!" :(

No no, i was talking about their own spells. Basically a way to store some extra power for pinches.

[Erati]

No no, i was talking about their own spells. Basically a way to store some extra power for pinches.

Basically classic “expendable” AAs.

They add them later so its in line w EQ vision.

[MaCtastic]

I just sense hate for enchanters, with a sprinkle of torp shaman hate as well.

Remember, it does take a master enchanter to do the hard stuff. Also, one resist or bad rng that low HP pool goes fast.

[solleks]

You outta ya mind son. You don't nerf hobbits

[Dolalin]

I think this is, broadly, a good initiative. There are plainly some things the original EQ dev team got wrong that could be fun to try to fix on a server dedicated to that purpose.

[Firepuff]

Well, research on live, did add single use clickie-nukes on scrolls, So it doesn't sound too far out.
Still, "requiring" a single class to farm runes before every raid to achieve peak performance isn't me cup tea tbh.

I don't think it should be wizard only though, if they add that.

Or maybe not just nukes, but other class defining spells too, single-use instant evac maybe....

[uygi]

Giving wizards Clarity is mostly going to convince melees to make wizard port mules that they use to support their group IMO. If I was a non-mana class leveling a 34 wizard would be step #1 after I got 50, then I can port and crack the casters in my group. That wiz alt can easily get to my group, and can port people to/from it too.

If the rogues, warriors and monks can Clarity, why would you waste a slot on a wizard?

[Ivory]

Basically classic “expendable” AAs.

They add them later so its in line w EQ vision.

Ya, it would make wizards more fun to play....since in a group if anything goes wrong, they getta do the epic moment of walking forward and bein like "looks like I gotta get serious"

....then insta-clicking some big firepower, or self runes to tank some, or stuff like that.

And doesn't really change the dynamics of anything much. Wizards are still wizards, just with some added customization for their "prepared spells" (evac? rune? a nuke? ....there are options for different playstyles).

oooo maybe the spell they can prepare is capable of being one from the NEXT spell level. Giving them a glimpse into their future powerrr.

[Kaedain]

Making soul fire paladin only clicky, given the way people raid , you’d certainly see more paladins around on raids for that alone I’d wager

[uygi]

"Imbuing" a spell into an expendable item? So unclassic sounding I don't even know what to say. I think it would be a port much of the time, and a nuke on raid targets. And it probably wouldn't be super balance-changing as I imagine it.

[Ivory]

Still, "requiring" a single class to farm runes before every raid to achieve peak performance isn't me cup tea tbh.


Don't make it use the same crafting system as if they are making the spell for the first time..... that would be bananas.

Just have a few store bought ingredients. Maybe high or super powerful stuff put in a little bit more of a drop limiter (or cost limiter).

[Wurl]

One obvious thing for the custom server: get rid of hell levels.

[uygi]

One obvious thing for the custom server: all levels are hell levels.
FTFY

[Wurl]

Another thing, it's not good to frame the soloing XP difference as a penalty. I would phrase it like "25% XP bonus for grouping". Or maybe do something like "5% XP bonus per party member" so that everyone doesn't just duo.

[Erati]

One obvious thing for the custom server: get rid of hell levels.

There are no hell levels.

Its an illusion.

Think David Copperfield.

[Firepuff]

Don't make it use the same crafting system as if they are making the spell for the first time..... that would be bananas.

Just have a few store bought ingredients. Maybe high or super powerful stuff put in a little bit more of a drop limiter (or cost limiter).

Hmm, it could probably work out with some careful tuning. I don't think it should be "super-powerful" though, not anything they can't cast normally, we don't want a team-manaburn issue. :p

[Siege]

I fully support a Classic+ server that attempts to balance Classic EverQuest. I would even go one step further than you and nerf root rotting and kiting in general. Hell, I'd just get rid of all run speed buffs and make it so that Root breaks on damage like Mes. Anything to get rid of 'cheese' and make EverQuest more difficult would be fine in my book.

[Vexenu]

Giving wizards Clarity is mostly going to convince melees to make wizard port mules that they use to support their group IMO. If I was a non-mana class leveling a 34 wizard would be step #1 after I got 50, then I can port and crack the casters in my group. That wiz alt can easily get to my group, and can port people to/from it too.

If the rogues, warriors and monks can Clarity, why would you waste a slot on a wizard?

Ok, say we nix the Clarity idea: how would you propose to buff Wizards while making as few changes as possible to the game?

Massively buff Harvest? Say, make it return 25% mana on a 3 minute recast? Introduce a new spell line of low mana, moderate damage nukes to give them some reasonable sustained DPS? (Shards of Dalaya did this). Add a droppable/easily obtainable Wiz nuke clicky that's comparable to the JBB/Burnt Wood Staff?

In other words, what would you have to add to Wizards to make them an attractive option to invite to your group? Because currently they offer nothing. Mages, Necros and especially Enchanters all offer substantially more. Wizards inarguably need something, so what could it be?

[Ivory]

In other words, what would you have to add to Wizards to make them an attractive option to invite to your group?

A good player ALWAYS trumps whatever class they are playing.

[Wurl]

A good player ALWAYS trumps whatever class they are playing.
I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

[Axlrose]

Some random ideas -

- If a paladin and a shadow knight come within x distance from each other, then the two players become player versus player to the other. There would be no way the two classes would ever work together in a group. Each player does not need to automatically attack the other, but any and all beneficial spells would not work on their counterpart.

- Similar to Live, wizards could obtain the Spell: Minor Familiar at level 29 which then offers the wizard the ability to perform critical damage in battle.

- Perhaps at level 49, wizards could obtain a Spell: Wild Magic. This spell is similar to the Lich line of spells where it very slowly ticks off hit points off the wizard, but the wizard and anybody in his or her group casting spells could potentially get a random event from the spell cast: nothing happens to the spell does half or double its effect to the spell costs half or double its mana to an outright critical. It would need to be fleshed out further (with some spells not be effected), but the thought is the master of magic is becoming more magic than physical. Since it is a beneficial spell, it can be clicked off.

- At certain levels for each, a druid and ranger naturally blend into the wilderness. Thus if the player does not move (and obviously not under attack), then the player becomes hidden to monsters and players until they move again. A powerful invisibility spell that makes the player undetectable even with Spell: See Invisible.

- High level mages should get similar enchanter spells that allows the mage to turn into one of the four elementals (and with benefits).

- Religion should play a greater part in how the world reacts to a player. And a player should be able to move to another religion (within reason) once with their previous religion dubious to permanently kill on sight.

- Bards should be able to compose songs in a similar fashion to how the intelligence casters have their Research. Perhaps take a current song scroll and combine it with a found fragment of a lyric (rare item drops) to create a song with a greater effect or effects. Of course, the song can be a dud (failed to combine)...

Thanks!

[Tecmos Deception]

These changes are made with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight and are conceived with the effort of promoting maximum balance between classes with minimal modification to the game.

I get that the original devs did a lot of dumb stuff, and that they didn't predict a lot of gameplay that seems in hindsight like it should have been fairly obvious. Along those lines, I feel like removing recharging, altering many clickies, fixing patently broken things like buggy pathing, removing assorted exploits (think lev trick, zone warps, corpsing no rent items, gnome wall hacks, etc), and some balance tweaks would definitely be true to "the classic spirit."

But I think your changes miss the mark overall.

EQ classes are so obviously imbalanced that the devs couldn't possibly have actually intended them to be "balanced" in the modern understanding. Trying to do so, therefore, isn't in keeping with the spirit OR the mechanics of the game; you're basically just making a truly custom server and using the words "classic spirit" to make it sound more palatable.

And even beyond that, you have strong biases that show through in your balancing attempts. You heavily penalize solo players despite many classes having toolkits that obviously contemplated solo play? You nerf the enchanters to the ground, buff the hell out of wizards, and tweak some melee classes. But you don't address the asinine discrepancy between clerics and other healers? Between raid warriors and other raid tanks? You don't buff rogues to be more than a player mage pet who can sometimes drag corpses? Lol.



Personally as far as class balance goes, I'd limit enchanter charm to humanoids, give wizards innate crits and massively buff harvest, eliminate class exp bonuses/penalties, nerf CH (perhaps make it heal a percentage of max or something so it still is a unique, powerful spell), buff poisons damage and utility potential, give paladins significant self-healing perks, give SKs significant lifetap perks, give rangers significant archery perks. I don't know what else but I feel like that would go a long ways to evening out the classes without drastically altering their original design/vibe like totally reworking charm, moving clarity around, giving SK undead crits, etc. does. I want to say "no" to melody, but I guess I've never played a bard with it so maybe it's just a RSI relief and laziness tool more than a real adjustment to the class's power.

[Tecmos Deception]

I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

A bad enchanter is probably more trouble than he'd be worth though. So Ivory WAS still kinda onto something.

[bbsmitz]

A bad enchanter is probably more trouble than he'd be worth though. So Ivory WAS still kinda onto something.

Not to completely derail this thread from it's original intent but I'm new player playing an enchanter. What are some examples of fuckups/common enc mistakes to try to avoid in group play?

[Tecmos Deception]

Not to completely derail this thread from it's original intent but I'm new player playing an enchanter. What are some examples of fuckups/common enc mistakes to try to avoid in group play?

Hit up the wiki. There are good guides there covering new to experienced enchanter play.

Generally mistakes would be trying to charm too strong of a pet for the situation, letting your animation screw up mezzes, not being careful with what you're mezzing and causing issues with memory blurs sticking on stuff that you don't want blurred, and getting yourself beat up more than necessary causing a drain on healer mana. I guess stuff like that is what I'm picturing from a "bad" enchanter.

[Keebz]

Clarity removed from Enchanters and given to Wizards
Wizards given innate spell criticals
Paladins and SKs given innate undead criticals
Melody implemented for Bards
Monk AC/mitigation nerfed to post-Velious patch level
...
Pet window enabled (QoL)
...
Torpor overwrites runspeed buffs and drains 50 mana per tick (https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=142396&page=8)
...
-25% XP penalty for solo players



I like the classic "in spirit" parts, but the random buffs/nerfs to classes are very unnecessary imho.

Randomly buffing Wizards and hybrids is totally not classic in spirit. Nor is nerfing Shamans and solo players. The pet window is also not classic in spirit at all. I'd also hold off on nerfing monks until they are actually super OP (Velious).

[AegnorP99]

Add a droppable/easily obtainable Wiz nuke clicky that's comparable to the JBB/Burnt Wood Staff?

This would be my suggestion. A wizard changes dramatically once they get a high level click robe. They go from one of the worst sustained dps classes to bringing very solid dps on top of their other utiity (root, stun, evac, etc.)

Additional droppable mid level clicky nukes would make an enormous difference in bringing wizards more on par with other classes in a group situation. Pretty silly that mages and shamans got these items in Kunark and wizards did not.

[Ivory]

I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

That is bananas....a well played wizard could be BONKERS in an exp group. Like run out , quad kite, then "drop off" almost dead mobs to the group to stretch mana further.....while spin jump throwing daggers.

Lower level I'd probably have some awesome dagger and be out DPSing everyone with just melee.... and have built my armor to be very high so I could tank some in case there was no warrior....so draw agro with stun, then use runes + good gear to be a wiz-tank without draining healers mana.

Or higher level, tracking all the battle and incoming danger, CCing multi-pulls by rooting as they came in. Stun to pull agro then rooting on the side..... or maybe have some fun if things are bein stomped and root everything next to the tank, then AE rain a couple times.....WHILE THROWING DAGGERS!

Yea, a well played class is a flurry of action.....the possibilities are endless!

[Izmael]

A bad enc can just follow a group around, suck up exp, and respond to C / haste requests. And this will immediately make pretty much any exp group so much better.

[Ivory]

A bad enc can just follow a group around, suck up exp, and respond to C / haste requests. And this will immediately make pretty much any exp group so much better.

A bad enc responds to C / Haste requests....after 5-30 minutes of asking.... lol

A good enc refreshes before it's about to fade (since they cast on themselves to time)....but a bad enc is "please, haste...please.....what? You're oom??? WHY ARE YOU NUKING?! If they are on you, ROOT THEM! .....someone revive the ench....again...."

[Vexenu]

EQ classes are so obviously imbalanced that the devs couldn't possibly have actually intended them to be "balanced" in the modern understanding. Trying to do so, therefore, isn't in keeping with the spirit OR the mechanics of the game; you're basically just making a truly custom server and using the words "classic spirit" to make it sound more palatable.

And even beyond that, you have strong biases that show through in your balancing attempts. You heavily penalize solo players despite many classes having toolkits that obviously contemplated solo play? You nerf the enchanters to the ground, buff the hell out of wizards, and tweak some melee classes. But you don't address the asinine discrepancy between clerics and other healers? Between raid warriors and other raid tanks? You don't buff rogues to be more than a player mage pet who can sometimes drag corpses? Lol.

Personally as far as class balance goes, I'd limit enchanter charm to humanoids, give wizards innate crits and massively buff harvest, eliminate class exp bonuses/penalties, nerf CH (perhaps make it heal a percentage of max or something so it still is a unique, powerful spell), buff poisons damage and utility potential, give paladins significant self-healing perks, give SKs significant lifetap perks, give rangers significant archery perks. I don't know what else but I feel like that would go a long ways to evening out the classes without drastically altering their original design/vibe like totally reworking charm, moving clarity around, giving SK undead crits, etc. does. I want to say "no" to melody, but I guess I've never played a bard with it so maybe it's just a RSI relief and laziness tool more than a real adjustment to the class's power.

The idea is to not to balance the classes in the sense that every class is equally powerful, it's to simply reduce the power disparity between classes while making as few changes as possible to the game. So, no, I don't want to change Rogues or modify CH. I just want the weakest classes (Wiz, Hybrids) to get a little extra boost and knock the OP classes (Ench, Shm, Monk) down a peg. And I want to emphasize, the main point is in making as few changes as possible, otherwise the game quickly becomes unrecognizable.

I like the classic "in spirit" parts, but the random buffs/nerfs to classes are very unnecessary imho.

Randomly buffing Wizards and hybrids is totally not classic in spirit. Nor is nerfing Shamans and solo players. The pet window is also not classic in spirit at all. I'd also hold off on nerfing monks until they are actually super OP (Velious).

Class balance changes are classic AF. Literally every patch was tweaking class balance in some way. The devs clearly did not want enormous power disparities between the classes. They wanted each class to be distinct and powerful within its own niche. Thought experiment: imagine the original EQ dev team in 1999-2000 had all the knowledge of EQ tactics and mechanics that we have now. Do you really think they would leave class balance the way it is, or would they make some adjustments, with some classes being buffed and some nerfed?

Also, on a more general note, it's interesting that almost all the negative feedback has been in regards to the proposed class balance changes. I can only assume that means most people are in favor of the other changes, which is what I expected.

[loramin]

Wow, when a post is made at 7AM, and by the afternoon it's already reached 8 pages, you know the OP struck a nerve! Good job OP :)

[Ivory]

I just want the weakest classes (Wiz, Hybrids) to get a little extra boost and knock the OP classes (Ench, Shm, Monk) down a peg.

The game is supposed to be a group game.....the answer isn't "we need to make everyone who doesn't solo stomp the end game able to do that!"....

It's "everyone trivializing the game content, we should pull their power back".

And also cap the level at level 30. Then no matter how powerful you think you are, you aint. Even pet classes get super hit, since their pets are NPC pet levels.....which a player can surpass with equipment easily in being able to hit higher level things.

BOOM BOW! Make EQ hard again!

[Keebz]

The idea is to not to balance the classes in the sense that every class is equally powerful, it's to simply reduce the power disparity between classes while making as few changes as possible to the game. So, no, I don't want to change Rogues or modify CH. I just want the weakest classes (Wiz, Hybrids) to get a little extra boost and knock the OP classes (Ench, Shm, Monk) down a peg. And I want to emphasize, the main point is in making as few changes as possible, otherwise the game quickly becomes unrecognizable.

I guess I don't think the classes are that unbalanced. I mainly just think charm and AOE are OP, because the game was tuned for 56k modems and Pentium IIs.

I also don't think Monk is super OP until Velious raid gear. Topor is OP, but it's pretty hard to get a hold of, which makes it acceptable somehow. Also there is no reason to nerf soloing, as the hybrids and wizards can actually sorta do that, which is one of their advantages over pure melee.

I also don't think you can make all these changes AND also understand how that affects class balance enough to make specific class ability tweaks. For example, no item recharging and no mallets is a huge warrior nerf in itself, and therefore a hybrid buff.

[Erati]

Wow, when a post is made at 7AM, and by the afternoon it's already reached 8 pages, you know the OP struck a nerve! Good job OP :)

Nah we re bored today ;)

[zodium]

it would be sensible to nerf halflings, as we are completely overpowered

[Erati]

it would be sensible to nerf halflings, as we are completely overpowered

false.

Only one face unlocks halfling power thats worth nerfing.

Maybe add like a unibrow or runny nose boogers to limit the potential easy gains.

[Vexenu]

So based on the excellent feedback and criticism (much of it quite valid) I would amend the proposal to this:


Item recharging disabled
Multiquesting disabled
Midnight Mallet effect changed to proc
Ivandyr's Hoop effect removed from item
Wooly Spider Silk Nets changed to LORE
Soulfire clicky changed to Paladin-only
Reaper of the Dead clicky changed to SK-only
All high-level droppable weapons and armor tagged with level requirements (twinking still possible but you must use more level-appropriate gear rather than super-high end stuff)
ZEMs of uncommonly utilized dungeons increased
"Hot zones" with additional XP bonus rotated regularly through uncommonly utilized dungeons
Particularly dangerous/annoying leveling dungeons (Runnyeye, Cazic-Thule, etc...) optimized for easier play (i.e. fix excessive NPC mana pools and healing/aggroing through walls)
Legacy items (Manastone, Guise, JBoots, Rubicite, etc...) NOT in game. They demonstrably cause more trouble than they're worth on a new server
AOE spell limit in place (no Chardok AOE)
All charm spells limited to a fixed six-tick duration (36 sec). They either resist outright or last 36 seconds every time (Charm becomes emergency CC and/or risky short-term DPS/tanking, not the OP monstrosity it is now)
Clarity removed from Enchanters and given to Wizards
JBB equivalent clicky added for Wizards in Kunark era
Spell: Harvest changed from returning 10% mana every 10 minutes to 20% mana every 3 minutes
Wizards given innate spell criticals
Paladins and SKs given innate undead criticals
Melody implemented for Bards
Monk AC/mitigation nerfed to post-Velious patch level towards end of Velious timeline
Lifetap spells restored to lure/unresistable status
Pet window enabled (QoL)
Torpor overwrites runspeed buffs and drains 50 mana per tick
Hybrid XP penalty removed
-25% XP penalty for solo players
+5% XP bonus for each player in group
+5% XP bonus removed from Halflings and given to Humans
Player-enforced raid rotations mandatory, with semi-regular simulated server resets (Earthquakes) that are FFA on all raid mobs


At this point I think the most contentious change would be making charm a fixed 36 second duration. But as was pointed out, this actually makes charm better and more predictable in certain applications. Highly skilled Enchanters would still got a lot of mileage out of charm. But it definitely makes it harder for JoeBlow_Enchanter_001 to charm for easy XP and massive group DPS. I think it's a good compromise.

But I would love to hear more ideas from people on how to balance charm in the spirit of classic. I think it's one of the most important considerations.

[Evia]

Charm would be fine if they increased % of chance to break and made it so Enchanters cant charm anything only humanoids.

I actually liked the idea of Clarity to Wizards.

[Tecmos Deception]

So based on the excellent feedback and criticism (much of it quite valid) I would amend the proposal to this:


Item recharging disabled
Multiquesting disabled
Midnight Mallet effect changed to proc
Ivandyr's Hoop effect removed from item
Wooly Spider Silk Nets changed to LORE
Soulfire clicky changed to Paladin-only
Reaper of the Dead clicky changed to SK-only
All high-level droppable weapons and armor tagged with level requirements (twinking still possible but you must use more level-appropriate gear rather than super-high end stuff)
ZEMs of uncommonly utilized dungeons increased
"Hot zones" with additional XP bonus rotated regularly through uncommonly utilized dungeons
Particularly dangerous/annoying leveling dungeons (Runnyeye, Cazic-Thule, etc...) optimized for easier play (i.e. fix excessive NPC mana pools and healing/aggroing through walls)
Legacy items (Manastone, Guise, JBoots, Rubicite, etc...) NOT in game. They demonstrably cause more trouble than they're worth on a new server
AOE spell limit in place (no Chardok AOE)
All charm spells limited to a fixed six-tick duration (36 sec). They either resist outright or last 36 seconds every time (Charm becomes emergency CC and/or risky short-term DPS/tanking, not the OP monstrosity it is now)
Clarity removed from Enchanters and given to Wizards
JBB equivalent clicky added for Wizards in Kunark era
Spell: Harvest changed from returning 10% mana every 10 minutes to 20% mana every 3 minutes
Wizards given innate spell criticals
Paladins and SKs given innate undead criticals
Melody implemented for Bards
Monk AC/mitigation nerfed to post-Velious patch level towards end of Velious timeline
Lifetap spells restored to lure/unresistable status
Pet window enabled (QoL)
Torpor overwrites runspeed buffs and drains 50 mana per tick
Hybrid XP penalty removed
-25% XP penalty for solo players
+5% XP bonus for each player in group
+5% XP bonus removed from Halflings and given to Humans
Player-enforced raid rotations mandatory, with semi-regular simulated server resets (Earthquakes) that are FFA on all raid mobs


At this point I think the most contentious change would be making charm a fixed 36 second duration. But as was pointed out, this actually makes charm better and more predictable in certain applications. Highly skilled Enchanters would still got a lot of mileage out of charm. But it definitely makes it harder for JoeBlow_Enchanter_001 to charm for easy XP and massive group DPS. I think it's a good compromise.

But I would love to hear more ideas from people on how to balance charm in the spirit of classic. I think it's one of the most important considerations.

36-second charm totally changes the spell and how it is used. If you insist on nerfing charm, then just nerf it. Give it a 4-minute max duration and more upfront resists. Now it's less reliable in the heat of things, significantly more mana intensive, lower average duration, but while still being usable in the same sort of way as it was on live and is now.

I hate the twinking change. I've always hated changes that force players to play a certain way arbitrarily. Would you rather see someone playing a big twink, or someone buying a lot of power level? Cause you're gonna get one or the other, except the former at least will sometimes be in groups and hanging out with lowbies and stuff.

Instead of giving wizards some kind of clicky, reduce the mana costs on all their nukes by like 30%. They get higher damage over time but without having to get an item in order for their class to function. Plus there are clicky nukes in Kunark already, they're just rare. I'm not sure if this AND harvest buff AND innate crits is a bit much though, especially for classic era.

[Wurl]

Twinking is kind of the end-game of classic EQ. It causes some negative behaviors, but that would be the hardest change to swallow and I think you actually lose a lot of the PvE sandbox feel of classic EQ without the extreme twinking.

Otherwise, I think the list is still looking good for what a classic+ server would look like.

[Vexenu]

36-second charm totally changes the spell and how it is used. If you insist on nerfing charm, then just nerf it. Give it a 4-minute max duration and more upfront resists. Now it's less reliable in the heat of things, significantly more mana intensive, lower average duration, but while still being usable in the same sort of way as it was on live and is now.

Not a bad idea. Basically just make it harder to use so that only players who are really dialed in and focused can make it work reliably. XP groups might not even want Enchanters to charm in many cases. I think any change to charm should have that goal in mind: make charm into a situationally useful spell in the skilled Enchanter's toolkit, rather than something he wants to be doing nearly 100% of the time because it's so powerful.


Instead of giving wizards some kind of clicky, reduce the mana costs on all their nukes by like 30%. They get higher damage over time but without having to get an item in order for their class to function. Plus there are clicky nukes in Kunark already, they're just rare. I'm not sure if this AND harvest buff AND innate crits is a bit much though, especially for classic era.

Solid idea.


I hate the twinking change. I've always hated changes that force players to play a certain way arbitrarily. Would you rather see someone playing a big twink, or someone buying a lot of power level? Cause you're gonna get one or the other, except the former at least will sometimes be in groups and hanging out with lowbies and stuff.

Twinking is kind of the end-game of classic EQ. It causes some negative behaviors, but that would be the hardest change to swallow and I think you actually lose a lot of the PvE sandbox feel of classic EQ without the extreme twinking.

Otherwise, I think the list is still looking good for what a classic+ server would look like.

I feel you guys here, speaking as someone who spent much more time twinking and leveling alts than doing anything else. But let's be honest: mudflation kind of breaks the game at a certain point. When you have Kunark weapons you can barely give away that are superior to Vanilla-era planar weapons, something is clearly amiss. On the other hand, twinking is fun and breathes a lot of life back into the game. There must be a happy medium.

So: what if the level-restricted items were fairly limited? Basically things like Fungi, all 36% haste, any weapons that drop in 50+ Kunark/Velious content. In this case, you could still twink a Monk with an FBSS and a Wu's Quivering Staff. You're still an absolute meat grinder compared to what you would be naked. But the game isn't completely trivialized (mostly by the Fungi).

In fact, you could probably limit the proposal to ONLY the Fungi Tunic requiring a level of 46 or 50 and accomplish 80% of what is intended. This is actually very similar to the change staff made with epics requiring a minimum level, and so not unprecedented. What would you guys think about that? Just put a minimum level on the Fungi Tunic and leave everything else alone?

[Ivory]

On the other hand, twinking is fun and breathes a lot of life back into the game.

If you want something really bananas....try playing without twinking....AND without grinding.

"But....if you don't grind...what do you do?" - If that is your thought, then whewww get ready for an adventure!!!

Questing, roaming around dungeons, seeking great power and getting upgrades....RPing and hiring other players to help out (not with twink money! with your own stuff you got from random quests and adventures!).

It's a totally different game. You don't stop advancing if you don't grind...you just advance in a totally different way. It's sooooo much more fun than twinking. (since a good twink you will feel basically godly....and that is fun for a bit...but then super boring because all there is is a grind).

[Tecmos Deception]

What is inherently wrong with mudflation on a classic timeline? Without it, with OPs twinking limitations, 2 years from now, new players and very casual players would be struggling to form groups that can handle anything except oasis, loio, overthere while the heavy players are clustered in Seb, hs, velks, raids, not rolling enough alts to fill in and the alts that might be there aren't big twinks to carry the load of empty slots and casual players.

Nobody likes a cof fungi fungus Tstaff monk killing half of unrest and not grouping. But that sort of player isn't going to be joining up casual and newb groups anyway if you limit his twinking... he'll just buy PL and take over even more of the zone so he can get higher to use his cool toys.

[fadetree]

You guys are kind of hard core about the 'you must group' idea. Penalizing solo exp? What for? Y'know, some people do have a different idea of what is fun in EQ.

Not everyone feels the same as you do. I would not have the experience you are describing if I simply 'played that way'. It's not because I haven't tried it, and it's not because I don't understand what you are saying.

Not everybody likes RPing. Not everybody hates grinding, I actually like it. Not everybody likes HAVING to group. Not everybody thinks it's evil to solo or twink. There are many different playstyles...and I actually think limited BOXING (gasp) is not evil either. I know, I've said it, and I'm out now. I feel free.

I like a lot of the ideas for this server, and would try, but I notice that you gave wizards a bump, mentioned SKs and Pallies, but think that Rangers should be left with the complete joke that classic archery is.

[Keebz]

I notice that you gave wizards a bump, mentioned SKs and Pallies, but think that Rangers should be left with the complete joke that classic archery is.

This is the problem with randomly buffing classes... everyone wants a hand out.

Just nerf the exploity stuff only a small percent of people even know about in classic and then see how it pans out.

[Vexenu]

What is inherently wrong with mudflation on a classic timeline? Without it, with OPs twinking limitations, 2 years from now, new players and very casual players would be struggling to form groups that can handle anything except oasis, loio, overthere while the heavy players are clustered in Seb, hs, velks, raids, not rolling enough alts to fill in and the alts that might be there aren't big twinks to carry the load of empty slots and casual players.

Nobody likes a cof fungi fungus Tstaff monk killing half of unrest and not grouping. But that sort of player isn't going to be joining up casual and newb groups anyway if you limit his twinking... he'll just buy PL and take over even more of the zone so he can get higher to use his cool toys.

Some valid points. So what's the downside of giving ONLY the Fungi a level 46 requirement? The staff did this for Epics mostly due to the insanity of Rogues leveling up with cheap Ragebringers. Can we not agree that a Fungi is equally if not more powerful than a Ragebringer for twinking, and is unique among items in this regard? (And no the Iksar BP is not lost on me, I think it's a much more reasonable twinking item that is powerful but not completely over the top).

[Keebz]

So what's the downside of giving ONLY the Fungi a level 46 requirement? The staff did this for Epics mostly due to the insanity of Rogues leveling up with cheap Ragebringers. Can we not agree that a Fungi is equally if not more powerful than a Ragebringer for twinking, and is unique among items in this regard? (And no the Iksar BP is not lost on me, I think it's a much more reasonable twinking item that is powerful but not completely over the top).

Well Fungi twinking was definitely classic, and is pretty fun, but you make a good point.

I remember on live the added a level requirement to Venomous Axe of the Velium Brood in Luclin, which is uh significantly weaker than a Fungi.

[Wurl]

You guys are kind of hard core about the 'you must group' idea. Penalizing solo exp?
You should update the OP with the newest version of the list, Vexenu.

In fact, you could probably limit the proposal to ONLY the Fungi Tunic requiring a level of 46 or 50 and accomplish 80% of what is intended.
I like this idea, making fungi and a maybe a handful of the worst twink offenders have level requirements.

[Trexller]

Harm touch should not get partial or full resist on lower than red con

[Barantor]

If you want to limit twinking, why not have any item that is gotten in a dungeon 30+ be no drop? That way 30+ requires a lot more thought about what items you want? This would only be for slotted items with stats, not random things or spell components or the like. Also allows for some twinking done below those levels and a market for that. The only other way to really decrease the twinking would be a whole system of item degradation, but that's beyond the scope of the game.

I think racial modifiers would need an overhaul completely. Humans suffer from too many things that they don't make up for. I'd heard the halfling xp bonus was supposed to be on humans? (that true? seems like it may be a rumor?) Humans should be the most popular race because of their prevalence of breeding compared to other races in fantasy and in game lore, so an xp bonus on them would definitely make them a bit more favored.

I'd also be ok with races getting the classes they got later, like halflings getting ranger and gnomes getting SK/Paladins. I'd even be apocryphal and say allow barbs, trolls and ogres their beastlords as they don't have a whole lot of class choice anyway.

I always wondered if some of the ruined looking pyramidal structures were supposed to be more wizard spires later. It wouldn't hurt wizards to have that utility of porting since there is only one class that has a boon on that anyway.

I'd change Runnyeye to the post revamp version, there is a reason not many folks xp in there now with a random high level roaming mob.

[aaezil]

None of that except open a Firiona vie ruleset server and enforce one toon per physical human

[Roth]

I haven't read all of this, but did read the first 5 pages. The most important thing with a server like this is to NOT make it feels like a custom server... this means don't give clarity to wizards. It would be way too different from what we're used to.

Just give wizards lower mana costs or faster regen when they sit. That's all they really need to not break raiding.

[Nagoya]

I like your idea OP.

But also, I don't like the line about twinking, and the other one about -25%xp for solo.
Everything else is good.

But that's the thing. And one of the reason P99 took the path they took I think;
As soon as you start compromising, then everything is up for debate.
And nobody wants to debate with nerds.

[vordrax]

No -25% exp for solo players.
Get rid of ZEM, put all zones at 150 (200% of what it is now in most zones.)
HOWEVER, for every hour you spend in the same zone, -33% exp and drop rate. Resets after being out of the zone for 48 hours. This is account wide, so no swapping characters to avoid it. Let's get people exploring and not sitting in Guk all day.

[Clinicus]

Instanced raid zones.

Keep the raid bosses in exp/city zones non-instanced to keep the nostalgia/grouping, but instance dedicated raid zones. VP, ToV, all Planes (maybe ST, maybe not, I dunno), future custom raid zones, etc.

[mischief419]

* Turn warriors into live's berserkers to make them NOT boring
* Innate wiz crits are cool and make sense since they're also the 2nd most boring on non-pvp.
* Add Beastlord without Luclin. Fun class! Custom Epic later to not involve Luclin?
* Make a few select Luclin zones accessible via a portal with nerfed items. Selective Luclin without Luclin!
* I like the +zone exp modifier things. It'd encourage people to not crowd as much while we're overcrowded, already.
* Would be cool to see some broken quests .... finished! Rathe Mtns has some MYSTERIOUS shit: Like that underground golem statue that glows? Those sphinx's that don't do anything? What about those mysterious obelisks all over the world (I bet shams were almost able to self-teleport)? What about that "god-like" efreeti in Temple of Sol Ro? There's so much "placeholder" content just ready to finish with custom content.