Idea for custom content: Classic Spirit server

[Wurl]

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

A good player ALWAYS trumps whatever class they are playing.

I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

[Axlrose]

Some random ideas -

- If a paladin and a shadow knight come within x distance from each other, then the two players become player versus player to the other. There would be no way the two classes would ever work together in a group. Each player does not need to automatically attack the other, but any and all beneficial spells would not work on their counterpart.

- Similar to Live, wizards could obtain the Spell: Minor Familiar at level 29 which then offers the wizard the ability to perform critical damage in battle.

- Perhaps at level 49, wizards could obtain a Spell: Wild Magic. This spell is similar to the Lich line of spells where it very slowly ticks off hit points off the wizard, but the wizard and anybody in his or her group casting spells could potentially get a random event from the spell cast: nothing happens to the spell does half or double its effect to the spell costs half or double its mana to an outright critical. It would need to be fleshed out further (with some spells not be effected), but the thought is the master of magic is becoming more magic than physical. Since it is a beneficial spell, it can be clicked off.

- At certain levels for each, a druid and ranger naturally blend into the wilderness. Thus if the player does not move (and obviously not under attack), then the player becomes hidden to monsters and players until they move again. A powerful invisibility spell that makes the player undetectable even with Spell: See Invisible.

- High level mages should get similar enchanter spells that allows the mage to turn into one of the four elementals (and with benefits).

- Religion should play a greater part in how the world reacts to a player. And a player should be able to move to another religion (within reason) once with their previous religion dubious to permanently kill on sight.

- Bards should be able to compose songs in a similar fashion to how the intelligence casters have their Research. Perhaps take a current song scroll and combine it with a found fragment of a lyric (rare item drops) to create a song with a greater effect or effects. Of course, the song can be a dud (failed to combine)...

Thanks!

[Tecmos Deception]

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

These changes are made with the benefit of 20 years of hindsight and are conceived with the effort of promoting maximum balance between classes with minimal modification to the game.

I get that the original devs did a lot of dumb stuff, and that they didn't predict a lot of gameplay that seems in hindsight like it should have been fairly obvious. Along those lines, I feel like removing recharging, altering many clickies, fixing patently broken things like buggy pathing, removing assorted exploits (think lev trick, zone warps, corpsing no rent items, gnome wall hacks, etc), and some balance tweaks would definitely be true to "the classic spirit."

But I think your changes miss the mark overall.

EQ classes are so obviously imbalanced that the devs couldn't possibly have actually intended them to be "balanced" in the modern understanding. Trying to do so, therefore, isn't in keeping with the spirit OR the mechanics of the game; you're basically just making a truly custom server and using the words "classic spirit" to make it sound more palatable.

And even beyond that, you have strong biases that show through in your balancing attempts. You heavily penalize solo players despite many classes having toolkits that obviously contemplated solo play? You nerf the enchanters to the ground, buff the hell out of wizards, and tweak some melee classes. But you don't address the asinine discrepancy between clerics and other healers? Between raid warriors and other raid tanks? You don't buff rogues to be more than a player mage pet who can sometimes drag corpses? Lol.



Personally as far as class balance goes, I'd limit enchanter charm to humanoids, give wizards innate crits and massively buff harvest, eliminate class exp bonuses/penalties, nerf CH (perhaps make it heal a percentage of max or something so it still is a unique, powerful spell), buff poisons damage and utility potential, give paladins significant self-healing perks, give SKs significant lifetap perks, give rangers significant archery perks. I don't know what else but I feel like that would go a long ways to evening out the classes without drastically altering their original design/vibe like totally reworking charm, moving clarity around, giving SK undead crits, etc. does. I want to say "no" to melody, but I guess I've never played a bard with it so maybe it's just a RSI relief and laziness tool more than a real adjustment to the class's power.

[Tecmos Deception]

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

I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

A bad enchanter is probably more trouble than he'd be worth though. So Ivory WAS still kinda onto something.

[bbsmitz]

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

A bad enchanter is probably more trouble than he'd be worth though. So Ivory WAS still kinda onto something.

Not to completely derail this thread from it's original intent but I'm new player playing an enchanter. What are some examples of fuckups/common enc mistakes to try to avoid in group play?

[Tecmos Deception]

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

Not to completely derail this thread from it's original intent but I'm new player playing an enchanter. What are some examples of fuckups/common enc mistakes to try to avoid in group play?

Hit up the wiki. There are good guides there covering new to experienced enchanter play.

Generally mistakes would be trying to charm too strong of a pet for the situation, letting your animation screw up mezzes, not being careful with what you're mezzing and causing issues with memory blurs sticking on stuff that you don't want blurred, and getting yourself beat up more than necessary causing a drain on healer mana. I guess stuff like that is what I'm picturing from a "bad" enchanter.

[Keebz]

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

• Clarity removed from Enchanters and given to Wizards
• Wizards given innate spell criticals
• Paladins and SKs given innate undead criticals
• Melody implemented for Bards
• Monk AC/mitigation nerfed to post-Velious patch level
  ...
• Pet window enabled (QoL)
  ...
• Torpor overwrites runspeed buffs and drains 50 mana per tick
  ...
• -25% XP penalty for solo players

I like the classic "in spirit" parts, but the random buffs/nerfs to classes are very unnecessary imho.

Randomly buffing Wizards and hybrids is totally not classic in spirit. Nor is nerfing Shamans and solo players. The pet window is also not classic in spirit at all. I'd also hold off on nerfing monks until they are actually super OP (Velious).

[AegnorP99]

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

Add a droppable/easily obtainable Wiz nuke clicky that's comparable to the JBB/Burnt Wood Staff?

This would be my suggestion. A wizard changes dramatically once they get a high level click robe. They go from one of the worst sustained dps classes to bringing very solid dps on top of their other utiity (root, stun, evac, etc.)

Additional droppable mid level clicky nukes would make an enormous difference in bringing wizards more on par with other classes in a group situation. Pretty silly that mages and shamans got these items in Kunark and wizards did not.

[Ivory]

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

I'd take a moderately competent enchanter over the world's best wizard in an XP group..

That is bananas....a well played wizard could be BONKERS in an exp group. Like run out , quad kite, then "drop off" almost dead mobs to the group to stretch mana further.....while spin jump throwing daggers.

Lower level I'd probably have some awesome dagger and be out DPSing everyone with just melee.... and have built my armor to be very high so I could tank some in case there was no warrior....so draw agro with stun, then use runes + good gear to be a wiz-tank without draining healers mana.

Or higher level, tracking all the battle and incoming danger, CCing multi-pulls by rooting as they came in. Stun to pull agro then rooting on the side..... or maybe have some fun if things are bein stomped and root everything next to the tank, then AE rain a couple times.....WHILE THROWING DAGGERS!

Yea, a well played class is a flurry of action.....the possibilities are endless!

[Izmael]

A bad enc can just follow a group around, suck up exp, and respond to C / haste requests. And this will immediately make pretty much any exp group so much better.