Contrary to popular opinion that instanced and keyed zones ruined the EQ live PvP servers, it actually occurred much sooner. Even with over 1000 people online, having Velious open just resulted in too many barren, mid-level and outdoors zones with nobody in them. Anybody that played EQ live PvP servers knows this but nobody really talks about it and instead tries to blame it on something more obvious like PoK or Luclin.
During Classic, you have most high level PvP centered around Guk and SolB, just two zones that direct a lot of PvP traffic around them and occasionally dragons or planes.
Once Kunark opens, you have high level PvP centered around Karnors, Sebillis, and occasionally Chardok/dragons/planes. PvP is still being funneled mostly around 2 places. The main thing to note here is that Kunark loot made most of classic loot completely obsolete, so the player base doesn't really become diluted by the addition of more zones. People just don't go to the older zones at all since there's no reason to, except an occasional epic quest item, froglok crown, or whatever.
It sounds ironic due to the reason why, but this is where the real problem starts. Velious comes out with many new high level areas while
making very little Kunark content obsolete. Most high level PvP was occuring on just 1 continent before, and centered around only a few places. Now high level PvP is scattered across 2 continents and many places. The number of useless, mid-level, outdoors zones where nobody will ever find each other to PvP but you are forced to traverse anyway has also increased exponentially:
- The giant, barren zone of Iceclad ocean (as people search for lodizal)
- The giant, barren zone of Great Divide (as people run around Kael and Thurg)
- The giant, barren zone of Cobalt scar (as people run to Dragon Necropolis and ToV)
- The giant, barren zone of Wakening Lands (as people run to Skyshrine and Kael)
- The giant, barren zone of Eastern Wastes (as people run to and from Sleepers)
- The giant, barren zone of Western Wastes (as people run to ToV)
Even though the Kunark expansion added more zones, Velious dilutes PvP way more than Kunark did. I don't think the answer is to stop the server at Kunark. A server with no future expansions basically has no future. I think if this server ever is released, it should probably include all the normal classic and Kunark zones, but go custom after that and integrate the entrances for all content from Velious and beyond into the existing zones.
An example of this is how people were talking about integrating PoP zones into the old world for P99 blue server:
http://www.project1999.org/forums/sh...ad.php?t=11879
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