Dragonpen Advance Progression Server

[Devincean]

Dragonpen.org has been doing private servers for awhile I took a break from running them however after running a very successful wow private server for a very long time and loosing interest. Now I have decided to set my sites on EQ the constant addiction I can't break.

As for the EQ server we are planning something like this and as its starting to near completion I decided it was time to post it here first. We still are doing closed beta testing making sure everything is ready for when the server is switch to public login. Most of the dragonpen clan are old school EQ players we plan to bring back what made EQ classic pre PoP great by bringing it to the new content.

Server Details

What we mean for Advanced Progression Server.... We want to include all the features of the latest expansions better hotbars, targeting system, AA's, Mercs/bots but progress the server starting from Ruins of Kunark to the latest expansion however we plan to remove some features the newer expansions added that ruined the world of the game.

We will be doing this in the following ways:

1. 2 bot spawnable 64 bot max per account

2. Increased exp for aa, group, solo, raid (quest xp stays the same)

3. Increased money and rare item drops and rare spawns

4. GM guided progression we plan to run the server very close to the GM run Premium servers back in the day where GMs will be allowed and encourage to help put together and run raids for players on a daily/weekly bases

5. Limited progression we are launching the server with limited zones/level cap to progress players through each expansion with all the features of the latest expansion max cap at start will be 55 allowing players to still grind AA while waiting for progression unlock.... progression unlocks speed will be determined by the community
(we will have zones closed to keep players from entering everything past the initial EQ Ruins of Kunark release so all connecting expansion zones will be disabled)

6. No bazaar zones ever (both bazaar zones have been disabled this is to encourage old school person to person trade marketing the way it was back at the beginning)

7. No Plane of knowledge port stones all port stones and books around the world have been removed or disabled save one that connects PoK to the Nexus and the Nexus to PoK this is to bring back druid and wizards porting (bot ports may or may not be removed)

8. Corpses have your items and exp

9. Tier and bag/trinket vendors for end game tier sets with redeemable currency

10. No Tutorial Zone (Drakkin playable however all races can choose between Drakkin starting city Crescent Reach or race home city still working on limiting serpents spine content but connecting it to Ruins of Kunark expansion)

12. Guild lobby entrances in all AA still use able however exit to PoK will drop you in east commanlands till PoP expansion (work in progress hopefully we have it complete by launch)

13. Custom vendors in all starting cities with cheaper mounts and unique items (still working on full list of items to be on the vendors)

14. Higher level Power leveling via buffs completely allowed and encouraged to sell buffs for donations (same goes for corpse summons and resurrections)

15. Removal of Corpse summoners from guild lobby (still being decided we don't want to discourage use of necro corpse summons)

[Randymarsh9]

No offence, but other than a few things, this sounds like a bunch of other servers right now. Alakamin, Nagafens Lair, Pelicans Server (me), and I'm sure a few others are already doing all kinds of progression things.

[ghanja]

Originally Posted by Randymarsh9

No offence, but other than a few things, this sounds like a bunch of other servers right now. Alakamin, Nagafens Lair, Pelicans Server (me), and I'm sure a few others are already doing all kinds of progression things.

I'll save the OP from it...

And?

[Randymarsh9]

I'm just saying it's probably not a good time to release another progression server since there are so many around right now. It probably won't get as strong of a playerbase as he might want initially

[supahsen1]

He really is right though...
Might be in a better spot if you maybe work with other devs on something that that is already up and running. I'm sure there is someone out there who could use the help anyways too.

[ghanja]

Originally Posted by Randymarsh9

I'm just saying it's probably not a good time to release another progression server since there are so many around right now. It probably won't get as strong of a playerbase as he might want initially

Was hoping it was that, as the derogatory interpretation wouldn't be like you, given your posting history.

What servers of the past (that are now of course gone) would get the vote for a come-back I wonder?

Who knows, maybe the OP has an old guild composed of 30, 40 or whatever number of RL people.

Personally, I'm always down with trying a new server, PvE, PvP, doesn't matter to me. His style and implementation may be better than some others.. tough to say.

But until more old school EQ players become exposed to EQEMU (I've spoken to quite a few thus far that are interested or have come over), well.. :/

Time to have an exposure campaign. <grin>

[Randymarsh9]

Oops, yeah, I didn't realize I came off as a jerk right there. I'm sure that Devincean's server would be good, but there's just a lot of competition in that area right now, and with the good reputation Nagafen's Lair and Alakamin seem to have, idk how many people he could initially attract away from those. I probably would try it out too though. I've tried pretty much every server haha.

[ChaosSlayerZ]

IMHO, healthy competition breeds creativity and progress.
This is specially true since these projects are not financially motivated - your server is not going choke and die like a RL business would due to lack of customers (unless of course you shut it down yourself).

Of course some servers may look similar, and it may seem logical that it would in everyone best interest for admins to "combine the effort", but in reality it doesn't work this way. Everyone has his own "vision" on how to run things, even if they taking the most basic classic-like approach. You can't just take 5 individual admins and tell them - get together and run just 1 server. It takes certain affinity and mutual compatibility for 2 or more people to work on the same project by their own free will. Such thing will either occur naturally, or not at all.

In the main time things and creative ideas will continuously get flushed out and fine tuned. Some servers will close, unfortunate but such is life, some will grow. Ultimately the players will demonstrate what they want from a server by their attendance.

[Davood]

IMHO I say let him run the server, if he has a better project plan then he deserves his fair share of the community, if not he will probably still learn some valuable RL skills from trying it and maybe latch on to another project later if he wants.

I have noticed a little aggression as of late in the posts directed at new server ops / servers... I have a solution/idea... we could have a sort of "Staging" discussion board, where people who want to start a server can network together so if they have similar ideologies they can enable each other instead of doing individual efforts which usually end in burn out..

This of course may not work, but might help some people figure out earlier on that they need to be doing structured planning or they will quickly descend into scope creep.

Using something like teamlab.com (i think is link) is also a great way to track work between resources (people) and assign tasks etc.

shrug

[Randymarsh9]

For the record, I wasn't trying to say not to do it lol. It was more just advice

[c0ncrete]

did i see someone suggest that some people in the community should behave more like they are part of a community? are you crazy? it's all about winning and being the best and having your server name in a different color!