I've put off making any formal mention of the server because I've never considered it complete enough, but after 2 years of very casual development and play-testing I figure I might as well at least list out what we're doing.
- True Mob Difficulty Levels - Mobs range from levels 1 to 125 where level is an accurate measure of difficulty. Since high end content will always be red, in-game cons will display mob level. Since higher level mobs in EQ stop following any apparent tier formula, many high-end creatures get scaled to fit where either their stats place them in the curve, or their level places them in the curve, depending upon which is higher. This means some encounters will be more difficult than you may recall, but this doesn't start happening until level 46+ and gear compensates for the additional difficulty in most cases.
- Level-Scaled Global Loot - This was one of the first things we implemented. Loot has been scored and distributed according to mob level so every area of the world will drop meaningful loot of progressive quality. The higher the mob level, the better the loot.
- Uncapped Stat Bonuses - This was inspired by a server that Secrets had up briefly. Early on I found it difficult to create worthwhile quest rewards since stat caps and bonus caps are so low in traditional EQ. The stat cap is now raised through a charm progression (spell file needed!) and you receive bonuses for damage, evasion, hit chance, natural haste, spell proficiency, etc. based on applicable stats.
- Spell Power - Casting classes have access to the #spellpower command which lets you channel more or less mana into a spell for different effects. It carries some risks as well significant potential for attack spells and heals.
- Class Pets - Each class can summon a pet that casts a small set of beneficial spells and can assist them in combat. These pets can customized and given equipment for bonus damage and stats. They're still a work in progress but should always prove more powerful than traditional pets. Pet strength varies by class so don't expect your pet to tank for you if you're a warrior. In the case of melees they provide bonus damage and can greatly improve solo potential.
- Easy-Access World Camps - A handful of small camps are situated throughout the world for easy buying, selling, buffing, training, and scribing. These camps act as mini-hubs from when travel wasn't as easy. Some are specialized for training, tradeskills, or contain additional ports. They also have Lore Keepers who can provide a lot of useful information about quest locations and custom areas.
- Custom Quest Content - This isn't as complete or pervasive as I would like since I spent most of my time on global mechanics. There are quite a few quests as you level up but they taper off toward level 45. There are several charm upgrade quests (which become much more challenging at higher levels), and a few completely custom areas and bosses. Quest rewards usually have some really helpful click effects or augs so they're worth doing at any level.
- Permanent Waypoints - Characters can buy special bindstones that can be used to establish a permanent link to expedite travel. In the future I intend to make this account based so right now they're not especially useful for most players, but the binding event can also be a good way have a quick 10 minute play session where you're not hunting for level appropriate mobs.
- NPC Arena - This is still a work in progress, but characters of any level can test their abilities in an NPC arena where the mobs become more difficult and numerous. The arena currently supports solo participants and spectators.
- Misc Info
- Level 75 Cap
- No PoK because PoK sucks
- Numerous AA Titles
- Even XP gain until after level 70. There are no hell levels but leveling isn't much faster than traditional EQ.
- A cynical but well-meaning GM who casually works on the server when there aren't more fun and interesting things to do.
I think that's about it. This time of year is bad for development as I can't justify spending hours in front of my computer when the weather is nice, but I do check the forums daily.
Over the past two years we've developed a great community but we tend to see bursts of activity and inactivity. Power players will run out of things to do in a month or two but most seem to enjoy the journey. It's easy to solo without boxing but you'll eventually need groups and raids for the really high level stuff.
For the summer I've boosted XP rates by about 50%.
You can get more information at the website:
http://midian.homelinux.net
We also have a pretty standard set of tools (zam, char browser, etc) as well as a tool for looking up zones to level in.
Discordant Whisper Server
Linear Mode
