Longing for the Old Days of P1999, Yet Grateful for the Journey

[IzHaN80]

Originally Posted by WarpathEQ [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The reason you're finding loot you didn't know existed in places on Quarm is because it never actually did exist there on EQ, Quarm is a non-EQ custom project that uses EQ as an interface. Playing on that server does not represent playing Everquest as it was created.

Scarcity creates value. Sure we could re-engineer the game so you can get a full BIS character in 90 days or less but then you essentially completed the game and have no reason to keep playing.

For me personally, and I think I capture the general sentiment of the player base, the massive investment that is required to unlock the full potential of your character is the entire draw to the game. As a form of entertainment this is the only game I've stuck with beyond ~90 days in the last 20 years. In fact the last time I encountered a game that had that kind of engagement is was the original EQ and nothing really accomplished that before.

No, it’s because I was finally able to go into places I could never experience before. Most of my time on P1999 was spent soloing, or occasionally duoing. People are often too busy to bother with lower-level dungeons, and a lot of content has simply faded away over the years — like getting Jboots in Najena, the Manastone, and many other items I was able to experience on Quarm.

So anyway, my point is: I’m longing for P99 to be what it once was — the main EQ server that united everyone. A server where the heavy “poopsocking” doesn’t dominate the game, where a few QoL improvements could exist without breaking the difficulty, and where things aren’t needlessly broken under the excuse of being “classic.”

Just saying.

[IzHaN80]

Originally Posted by Rygar [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Very little gear is "needed". Just group and have fun. A crazy pull that nearly wipes your group is exhilarating (doesn't matter if you are wearing rags), it will be remembered long after a piece of raid gear drops for you or the 5th alt.

It really depends on your class — gear makes a huge difference. But I get where you’re coming from. I miss those days too, but honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine this server ever being as populated as it once was, where you could just stumble into groups and dive into low-level dungeons or dangerous zones together.

[sajbert]

Rose tinted glasses I say. Early on in Classic they changed ZEMs which boosted outdoor XP by a lot. The result was that every single spawn worth a damn more or less was camped 24/7.

People had to stand in line to camp a single gnoll in South Karana, or the hermit, or the Aviak Guards in Lake Rathe, or Cynthia or Hill Giants in Mountains of Rathe or Frost Giants in Everfrost, Harbor Dwarves in Butcherblock and more. Sometimes even obscure little known about spawns were camped. Meanwhile groups in the same usual locations (HHK and MM) ran on but typically difficult to get a spot.

Since gear was shit melee struggled. Warriors were basically useless. Class XP penalties were brutal.

... The legacy camps were just a small part of the pain relatively.

[Ekco]

QoL improvements are the slippery slope into the current mmorpg failstate, listening to what players want was a disaster, it's like that Steve Jobs quote about customers not knowing what they want.

this place is a nostalgia simulator for a terribly designed video game in hindsight and if you don't actually have nostalgia for things you didn't get to experience of course things like Quarm and Everquest live for that matter will be enjoyable to you.

[cd288]

Originally Posted by IzHaN80 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

It does a lot of things better than P99, especially when it comes to quality-of-life improvements. The camera feels smoother, you can see your XP per hour, you can actually track your DoT damage — and the list could go on for a while. These are just quality-of-life changes that don’t lower the difficulty of the game, but they make the journey less painful and a bit more enjoyable.

But I never said it was better than P99 — it’s just different. And to be honest, I think the people defending this model as if it were the only way are actually the ones killing the servers.

I feel like you didn’t really pay attention to what I wrote before — or maybe ChatGPT didn’t capture my feelings properly when translating. What I meant is this: P99 needs a new server. A fresh start. No merging. Why would anyone want to merge servers? What’s the point? What’s needed is a new cycle. Bring people back, make them level together again, group up, and experience that old vanilla classic feeling all over.

Like I said earlier, Quarm is nice — but it will never be P1999. I grew up on this server, I love it deeply. But when I return and see it empty, when I see the same guild dominating the same raids, when there’s nothing fun or new left to do… yeah, I think it’s time for P1999 to do something about it.

Then you don't like classic EQ, and that's fine. Quarm exists for you. It's super annoying when people make posts that are essentially "I don't like classic EQ, and I get the non-classic EQ experience on another server, but for no reason P99 should mimic that experience even though I can find that experience on this other server."

We don't need that here.

Also, the only thing P99 "needs to do about it" is to launch a new server. Which the staff will do when they have the time and energy. If you want to absolutely kill P99 forever, that would be by implementing Quarm changes here.

[cd288]

Originally Posted by IzHaN80 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I feel that if you merge servers, people will just stay on the merged server and won’t move to a new one. A lot of players (with all due respect) are “poopsockers” who simply can’t let go of their toons, like their entire life depends on them.

What we actually need is a way to force people to move away from their old toons. Merging only creates more problems: deleted characters, messy name conflicts, and a ton of extra work for the devs. Too many variables, and none of them really fix the issue.

?

Really? Because literally hundreds of people left Blue to go play on Green when it launched. You're entirely wrong.

[Danth]

Originally Posted by IzHaN80 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Because, let’s face it — we all have lives now.

Some of us were adults and "had lives" when this game originally came out. We found ways to make do. It ain't going to change just because you finally grew up. It's on you to adapt to the known conditions.

P99 has had a pretty good run. It opened at about the right time, with a fair bit of pent-up demand and not a lot of good options. P99 peaked in population only around 2019, when it was already pushing 10 years old. Green's launch and splitting up the community seems to have contributed ultimately to a decline in the long term, probably in conjunction with high-quality alternatives becoming available. Even if a new server were to open, I don't think it'll hold population as long next time around. P99 always harbored many players who didn't care so much about classic EQ as they cared about free high-quality EQ, and this isn't the only stop for such folks anymore.

[Jimjam]

I went to an iron age village in Wales. It was nice, but they needed to install central heating, plumbing and electrical to the reconstructed houses to appeal to modern audiences.

[Goregasmic]

Originally Posted by IzHaN80 [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I just wish they would reset the server.

As for a custom ruleset — nothing that breaks the game’s difficulty. Some QoL changes could be included. Strictly sticking to “classic” doesn’t always mean better, or even more fun. A lot of things were broken back then, and they were only fixed when X patch eventually came in. That’s kind of BS, especially when they knowingly reintroduce bugs just because “that’s how it was in classic.”

Things like DoT damage not showing in the window, DoTs not dealing their full damage because of a bug that got intentionally reimplemented “for the sake of being classic,” nerfing loot that was supposedly not “classic” without solid proof (looking at you, Seafury Cyclops)… and honestly, the list could go on and on.

Sticking to classic doesn't mean it is better but it was what it was. If you start implementing later fixes where do you stop and why? And QOL stuff is the same, where do you stop and when does it become a different game? And by making some people happy you'll be pissing off others.

Sticking to classic is the "easiest" way to avoid those pitfalls.

[IzHaN80]

Originally Posted by Goregasmic [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Sticking to classic doesn't mean it is better but it was what it was. If you start implementing later fixes where do you stop and why? And QOL stuff is the same, where do you stop and when does it become a different game? And by making some people happy you'll be pissing off others.

Sticking to classic is the "easiest" way to avoid those pitfalls.

A smoother camera would certainly enhance the experience, and fixing the Damage Over Time mechanics, which are currently bugged, wouldn’t hurt either. I remember being able to cast spells while sitting on the ground without needing to toggle the sit/stand hotkey. The target cycling could use some improvement as well. I truly believe that these quality-of-life changes wouldn’t break the immersion of the game; rather, they would make life a bit easier for everyone. Such adjustments could attract more players, and in the end, everyone would benefit.

Claiming that these enhancements would negatively impact the server and detract from its classic feel reminds me of the time when many aspects were nerfed without any solid evidence—just based on a few old posts from random forums by individuals who likely had little understanding of the game.