Custom Content or Custom Class?
 

I saw a thread or two on this but nothing about this specific topic.

I made a post a while back on the off topic forums about the Archer class concept, and perhaps adding a "classic" themed race to Project 99, that feels like it came right out of the original EverQuest. Aviak was a popular one, but I remember old classic polls where Gnoll and Orc got really high votes. I don't know if anyone else remembers those, it was a really old poll from SOE's website. I don't mean a new model. I am talking literally taking the Aviak or Orc model out of the classic game, polishing the textures up, and adding it in. I'm sure some reskin could create Orc facial variations or could create a female Orc. (Ew). This would be much better than what SOE did with the Frogloks in my opinion, and I'd rather play an original classic Froglok model than what ended up coming out in live.

Anyways, on the class. Archery as it stands has a lot of the same mechanics as melee and dex affects it the same exact way strength affects melee. EverQuest was always missing a classic bow ranged character, like the Archer, and I feel that Nilbog and the rest of the developers here would be the ones to do it properly. No, the only ones to do it properly, and balance it so that it's "classic."

This concept would only be visited of course once Project99 is a perfect recreation of original EQ, obviously.

There is literally an infinite list of things they can do with this project in the next few years. I think as a baseline Blue should always remain unchanged. Then they can launch a new server to progress through Kunark and Velious at a Live like pace and then veer off into custom content. Depending upon what they had in mind, whether it's classes or continents, I bet it would draw more people over to P1999 and I'm certain they'd do a terrific job developing it.

Erudite monks

IMO, instead of a new class I think it'd be better for them to add different classes to races who don't have them. But only in a way that makes sense ( good example of one NOT to do would be Ogre Wizard ).

As far as custom content goes, I think that creating totally new content (like the Shards of D) would be a mistake. There were certain zones, items, mechanics, etc in future expansions that people felt were classic feeling, and others that were not at all and changed the game for the worse. I think that they take those things that felt more classical inclined and add them into the game. For instance, the mortal races of Norath gaining access to the homes of the gods like Plane of Innovation, Plane of Justice, etc: Classic. Plane of Knowledge having books you could click to go anywhere in the world: Not classic.

I throw in my vote for a hybrid shaman mage class with access to the epic pet without the ridiculous epic quest.

And don't say beastlord lol

I'm not sure about adding classes to races that didn't originally have them. Although an Erudite Monk would be cool.

I don't know what the devs plans are, but keeping blue totally unchanged and releasing a new progression server where it's blue with a bunch of other classic goodies seems like a bad idea. The servers are basically competing with one another at that point. I'm pretty sure most classic players feel as if it doesn't have to be 100% the same to still feel "classic."

I don't feel like any of the content after Luclin, or a lot of it during Luclin, maintained the classic feel. So they'd really have to pick and choose specific areas of content to port over. I'm still most interested in an Archer class. I'd like to see bows used.

Troll bard.

New instrument. Drumsticks. You beat them on the enemy's skulls.

But for real, I don't think a Troll or Ogre could ever have the finesse for instruments.

^ this. Remove all race/class restrictions ^^ and add some kind of Mage Knight class, cloth pbaoe and two-handed weapons :D