Agreed. The game was designed to be playable on 56k/28.8 modems. It doesn't get easier to play because your modem is faster, aside from disconnecting a bit less perhaps.

Am I crazy or is the purpose of this server to recreate the classic experience, including all these "inconveniences"? If it is then these changes, however inconvenient, bring the server closer to its goal/purpose. If you need more in game info about your pet, maps, direction, whatever - how about you go to EQatlas and print out all those maps so you don't have to alt tab? This is what I did back in 1999, and I still have all those maps, and I still use them. Pet buff message crap - get a timer? And if all of these things are truly so bothersome to you that it makes the game not fun, why not play live and turn off all the new toon models, don't use PoK, stay in oldworld/kunark/velious stop at lvl 60 don't get AAs and cry less about why the classic server is too classic for you.

You still do everything the same today as compared to 1999 even if somethings were made easier to do over the last 13 years? Also this isn't a "classic"server.

If you read my post you'd see that the only thing that I directly state I do the same as in 99 is use my hard copy maps..... and also "Project 1999 is a free to play, emulated classic Everquest server. We provide a nostalgic experience for those wishing to relive the old days of Everquest as it was between 1999 and 2001." From the Library post titled Project1999 guidebook. Not classic? Maybe. Trying to be classic? Definitely. The more they make it like EQ was in 2000 the more I play like I did in 2000. Which is what I believed the entire point was...

This is the best argument I've seen in favor of the convenience-lowering changes. "... the more I play like I did in 2000..."

I'm just glad the computer I have now is over 16 times as powerful as the one I had then.

Spell slots and compass are another matter entirely. There is pros and cons to both. However the only one of the 3 that doesn't affect game play is in fact the internet speed which you used as a crutch for your argument. All internet speed does is get you in game faster, and zone faster...that's all. Sure the compass doesn't help with killing asps, but it helps with other parts of the game.

You're reaching for straws here.

The server is classic for the fact that it uses the same models, the mobs are the same, the dungeons are the same. Beyond that, I could care less about the UI. If you don't think the compass is classic you can turn it off. If you don't want target rings, you can turn those off too. If you don't like in-game maps, don't use them. I don't mind not having them, but I don't see why it's important to spend time to specifically disable them. I think there's more important things to worry about, such as the difficulty of encounters -- several people claim raid mobs are much easier to kill on P99, I'd rather see that fixed than worry about whether the compass is enabled.

Dust off your old PC and your 56k and play for a few days. Maybe you don't remember the exploit of "plugging", but your connection speed and stability make a huge difference in game play.

Some quick examples of why this experience is not classic: When EQ came out my comp could barely handle it. My clipping planes was all the way down (all the time) and trees were bugged with my graphics card so they showed up silver on my screen. The 56k was brutal due to disconnects, and tons of lag spikes. (Connection stability was shit...) On Xegony we bought/sold in Gfay, good luck not falling off the tree houses with all the lag. No item links... Speaking of trees, I killed a tree and used it to print out maps because my computer couldn't handle IE + EQ... (I don't even think windowed mode was classic TBH!) Oh yeah, remember how much loading a zone sucked...

There is no way to perfectly replicate the classic experience, unless you can go back in time... Because of this fact, I see no reason to take away all convenience that are not necessarily from the classic time period. That said, the hard part is where to draw the line on functionality that completely defaces the 'classic' game, and functionality that is not 'classic' but enhances game play.

In what kind of third world countries did you guys live in 99 that didn't have cable internets?

This:

and above all that:

is so true in my opinion. I couldn't agree more. I just don't get the point of forcing players to NOT use things like the compass when it can simply be hidden for those who desperately strive for a 101% classic experience - which indeed is impossible except if you manage to go back in time.

There will always be all kind of people but I'm absolutely convinced that the majority of the population loves p99 for the models, zones, major things like those and the community - not because they FINALLY can't use the compass. Why not making a poll? The way I see it, restricting basic UI elements (like the compass, spell shortcuts and such) which are by no means hurting the die-hard-classic-fans (who can disable them) just hurts the global population as it makes an already non-noob-friendly-game even more unfriendly. And, as awesome as p99 might be as is, I'm sure it could use all the fresh blood it can get. I'm sure the guys from red will agree...