Is the server overpopulated? Or is it something more?
 

So, I've gotten up to level 56 and have been doing more raiding lately....along with that, I'm starting to discover just how overpopulated the server seems to be! ((And, on my trip up to 56...i also noticed the experience really wasn't the same....ghost zones, no one doing lower quests... it was just a lot of grinding and insane twinked out characters)).

But this overpopulation is really felt most in terms of high end raiding and the time-scales for getting anything accomplished. For example, killing inny happens for a guild once every few months. Or simply being able to kill the noble djorn in sky happens also once every couple of months.

Add into the fact that a lot of classes need rare items from these mobs...and you are looking at years to maybe get a chance at your epic??? Then, if you consider things like trakanon and getting VP keys....to key an entire guild, would take a decade!!

Things seem extremely over populated. Even with earthquakes now and then...the time scales for these things is insane.

Personally...I would love to see something more to do than just twink out an alt or sit around for the next raid target rotation.

Heck, even if you make an alt on this server...a lot of the earlier content seems dead (no groups really hunt in cazic thule or splitpaw for example). The reason is that there is no real reason to go to those places.... you can get a lot better equipment from visiting the commons and buying a few things then go back to grinding.

There are a ton of items and content in everquest....that were relevant at some point (on an earlier server).

As people like to say "this isn't classic" :P

But this problem comes from more than just "too many high levels"....it is really a break down in what everquest was meant to be (everquest was never about solely high end farming, it was more about facing challenges and overcoming those high end raids as you got stronger together)


So, how to revitalize the earlier game? (meaning more people will want to play that instead of always sitting around for next raids)

Simple! Create a "refresh server"!

This would be another server that wipes itself clean every year or so (though, instead of deleting the characters, it dumps them onto the main server for people who want to keep playing their characters and continue onto the end game, or who don't want to lose their work and just keep going).

Alternatively, you can choose to permanently delete your character (with some rewards depending on their level? title if you had a level 60 or a fun item that summons a pet? Or could even work with gm's once a year to make some fun stuff)) or select a non-weapon item to "gift" to your next character on the server (weapon items would break things too much).

Basically....this means people would have the opportunity to play through the "classic everquest experience" as if it were really just EQ releasing again in 1999. Over and over again.

This would fragment the server population a bit... and leave the current server alone (so people could continue to raid). But it would revitalize the lower end game and give less competition on the main server for raiding. Effectively....everyone wins!

Suddenly doing newbie quests becomes relevant again ....and getting to hate / fear with several months left before the refresh becomes exciting (instead of waiting for your guilds rotation to clear it for the pixels and yawns).

My SK is up to 24 now. She has a rubicite BP among other darkforge stuff, a FBSS, nocti blade and Atramentous shield...sure she could be more twinked, but it makes a mockery of "classic" leveling ;).

The problem with wiping? 100s of EconomyQuest players...

http://www.inewsguyana.com/wp-conten...e.gif-w500.gif

blue is actually popular

That is why you make this another server that keeps refreshing. So no one is effected that doesn't want to be (everyone could simply ignore it and keep playing on the server existing like nothing happened).

Everything that people have worked for over the last years will remain untouched. That way everyone who is enjoying hopping on to decimate sky every week with their guildies will be able to do that.

BUT, a new server that is set up to solve this problem now...and in the future....will be able to provide the "classic eq experience" to anyone that wants it.

Heck, you could even play on both servers and enjoy the high end raiding on the current server...and go level up on the "real classic server" with an alt. Eventually the "real classic server" character would come over to the main server anyway, so it isn't a big deal.

I really like what you're presenting here, but I'm not sure a reset server fixes the core issue of people seeking to min/max their characters.

How does an imminent death timeline encourage people to enjoy a wider array of content? And who would join with t-minus 3 months to wipe?

What you may actually want is an inverted Firiona Vie rule set where most everything is no-drop. In this scenario you don't necessarily need a reset timeline and TunnelQuest is put to rest aside from tradeskill materials or hand-crafted gear.

Yes! Make stuff No-Drop! Everything but tradeskill and playercrafted items :o

Awesome idea!

No.


1) Server costs and adding a new server, and splitting population by a bit won't help things. You want a full community, right?

2) No/less trading, making everything no drop; also adds to cutting down player interaction, EC fun, etc. Then again, people may work/group more often in result of this may, which would increase player interaction.

Regardless... no.

I wouldn't mind a fresh start seems I am new here, and loved when they put progression servers in on Live EQ, but I'd like the community / server to be as full as possible, and splitting people like that, and getting rid of trading for the most part would be detrimental in the long run... that's not including server costs / people running this stuff having to look after another server.

Then again... if raiding is really that bad top-end... that's disappointing to say the least. To compensate for that, if you want to fix that issue and give everyone the time / chance to get their drops / epics, increase respawn timers. That would alleviate your issues with raiding, and no need to make a new server, start everyone fresh, get rid of trading, more server costs, etc etc etc. Then again, certain guild(s) could take full advantage of faster spawn timers and farm farm farm...

Either way, there is no one single answer for this "issue."


I get where you're going with all this though... they've implemented this on other games, most notably Diablo 2 with Ladder Seasons. It's a great idea and it works. It's the only reason why I am returning to Diablo 3 in fact, but this game is too community driven to have everyone be split up.

Well, people can try to min/max their characters...but there simply isn't a huge amount of high level items floating around that they can buy for 50pp. So, in an attempt to min/max...they will need to go do some quests (or hunt in places the good weapons drop).

People will chase the loot, and it will take them to all the zones (that is how the game is designed). Which means people won't just grind in oasis...they will want to go somewhere that they could get a decent weapon drop (or at least some PP for spells / items).

Imminent death means there will NEVER be a huge glut of money and high levels (to twink with). So (in general) people are on their own to get their loot and do their quests (which means they need to rely on each other, work together, and play the game...which, again, is how EQ was designed).

A person could join with 3 months until wipe, because their characters wouldn't be killed....they are simply moved over to the "normal server" (the one we currently have, which never wipes). Basically, no fate worse than simply having started on the server we currently have :P

Though, I would like to see options for people who want to let their characters die (keeping a non weapon item... or getting a special title after certain levels....or getting to have a unique item ((even just something named differently, if you perma-death your level 50-60 character?))).

Basically, a little perk that differentiates your character in recognition for choosing to perma-death your character on the wipe (instead of transferring it over). This gives people a reason to start over and keep playing on the refresh server.


Yea, but trading is part of everquest. It isn't a bad thing to be able to trade and sell things....it just becomes really wonky when you have everyone with multiple level 60's....and everything has lost its value.

Or, even if you ignore the trading, just having tons of really high levels means you can use them to camp stuff for you (even if it was no drop, you would still have your character kill it and your twink camped out at the zone line or something....go visit lower guk sometime, and see all the rogues sitting there waiting to loot a mask).

Nothing in the thread that hasn't been proposed before, and the devs aren't going to do it.