What are YOU looking for?

[Kavanah]

I had a server up for a little while that was my favorite (not in a biased way, just that I did exactly what I thought a fun server would be.) I simply couldn't host it anymore and maxed out my personal ability and skills with scripting/my sql:

-Locked for PoP era w/ max level 70
-All spells could be purchased or turned in for from drops
-Plat was allocated properly and merchants had loot that could not be found only purchased. (This allowed players who couldn't solo to get the main bosses in a zone's drops but could spend time farming plat to purchase a few upgrades during solo time.)
-Spells had a minor overhaul, tweaking them to be a bit more flashy and useful but nothing complicated or crazy. (Clr, Shm, and Dru, all healed the same but Clr's buffed hp/ac much better, Shm slow/haste slightly reduced to makeup for heal increase, Dru dot/dd increased.)
-People could box a second character if they wanted.
-All content custom adjusted to allow for most people and class combinations to work through each zone level w/ 1.5exp.
-Every single item existing in PEQ through PoP was adjusted stat and graphic by hand (spent several months on this alone) as well as over 1000 custom items added in.
-NPCs gave "quests" that were really hints depending on your class of where to farm for good gear at your level ie. an SK may want to hit kurns for a shield and then crushbone for a 1hs
-Each class had minor adjustments to make them more distinctive, especially melee classes. Wars taunt and aggro increased, Rangers bow damage/accuracy increased and only needed 1 arrow for unlimited archery (special arrows could be found around the world)
-Minor tweaks to some zones

I had the server live for about a week and never promoted it. Just tested it out with a friend of mine and we had the most fun reliving a somewhat live feel while feeling like we had an updated game that was rewarding every time we logged in for a few hours. Unfortunately I lost all the db on my hardrive and have been looking for similar server for a long time now with nothing coming quite close =(

[Mortykins]

Vote for Pedro

Edit : Kingly , thanks for all you have done for us , we love ya bud!

www.raidaddicts.org

[sunbeam]

I don't know if I am a good indicator of the EMU playerbase.

But here's what I want.

I do not want to box. I do not want to use bots. But I still want to solo. With any class.

EQ was set up from the beginning to encourage grouping and social aspects. But there is no way you can make the original EQ setup work with the limited populations that all the EMU servers (save P1999 sorta) have.

(Although for a number of reasons, more game knowledge available, the fact it is implemented improperly, in a lot of ways P1999 is very different or at least plays differently from classic. Neckbeards... neckbeards gonna cockblock.)

There have been a number of approaches with enabling soloing on EMU servers. Buff bots, a vendor that hands out epics available at level one, etc.

My favorite approach so far has been the one taken on the Vengful Soloist and Envy of the Irish, namely stats (well some of them actually do something). I.E. strength enhances melee damage, wis/int spell dot damage, dex maybe ranged damage, you get the drift. And on those servers gear has a multiplier on it, so that an item with +5 str and +25 hp's, would actually yield +20 str and +100 hp's and so on.

This approach really works well for soloing, up until Velious where the boss mobs started with the inflated hp's. But you can have a fine time running around and getting your own gear and doing zones and Traks with stuff you solo yourself up until then.

And actually I don't mind boss mob types requiring "a group." I wouldn't mind it being more than one, but it can be hard to find more than 6 people who will do something like that on even "successful" servers from a population standpoint.

That said, you also have to include some way for melee to heal themselves. The ones I mentioned have rapid out of combat regen.

Anyway. Now I am going to put in some of my pet peeves.

1) Okay that classic server you worked so hard to code? The one you want to provide the classic EQ experience?

The one you adjusted so trade skills... are like classic? You know, no recipes, no autocombines.

Why in the name of god did you do that? Just why? It wasn't hard enough to farm pelts and component for some of these trade skills as it was?

You really felt the need to have someone go look up old recipes from EQ traders (if you can even find them at this point, and you haven't helpfully included them on your website)?

And above all you felt that the "classic" experience requires people to .... have even more carpal tunnel than the autocombine system that comes out of the box?

Dude it's not coming back. The trade skill system was always stupid. From the beginning. There was no need for it to be implemented the way it was. Doing it that way doesn't enhance the magic one iota.

Obviously you don't HAVE to do trade skills. But a lot of quests require trade skill items, and I have yet to see a non P1999 server with an actual economy.

Now here's my other peeve. I want you dev. Yes you. I want you to play on your own server. I want you to play a warrior who worships.... Mithaniel Marr (so you are human I guess).

Now the boats? Not being able to port? Have to run everywhere? Have to do corpse recoveries?

I want you to fully relive the classic experience. You know the one where a level 50 warrior without his gear has to run for his life. The one where you probably had to bind in Freeport to xp in lower guk.

The one where you are on a server with maybe 15 or 20 other people tops.

I know coding and bug fixing needs to be done. But I think it would be useful for you to actually experience what some things are like in classic for some classes, if you think the PoK books ruined the game.

Just saying no matter what you do, it isn't going to be like a live server of the era with at least 1500 people running around original/kunark/velious.

And yet you insist on implementing a forced things that were designed to force grouping on servers where groups are awful hard to come by.

This is a catch 22. I do not want to bust the chops of someone who works hard to provide a fun experience for people. But I also don't think some of you have really thought through what you are asking people to actually do.

[chrsschb]

What I wanted in a server (and created for myself):

• Balanced Content (Tailored for 1-3 groups of players + boxes)
  • I prefer no bots/boxes, but welcome them on low-pop servers
• Classic feel (quests, zones, items, etc)
• Quality of life improvements:
  • Translocators (City to City, Nexus Spires, Boats, and specific Raids)
  • Spellscriber (Creates powerful spells at cost, doesn't give them for free)
  • Quests for early warriors to give access to better aggro weapons
  • Edited Spells (Certain heals, pets, etc)
  • No No-Drop (except specific quest items/rewards)
  • No Recommended/Required Levels to use items
  • No Minimum Levels for Powerful Buffs
  • Spell / Research / Tradeskill / Tome Merchants
  • Nexus Hub
  • Corpse Summoner (for a cost) & Soulbinders
  • Gate Potions / Rez Potions
  • Removed lockpick / key requirements for certain zones/doors
• Reverted classic zones (VP, Nurga, Droga, ToCT, etc)
• Custom content:
  • Separate Progression Path (Custom Bosses, Items, Quests, and Lore)
  • New Spells
  • Upgradeable Items (Charms, Weapons, and Armor)
  • Progression Trackers
  • Challenge Encounters / Ring Events
  • Balanced to be in line with regular content
• Involved Admin Team (Admins play with normal characters on the server)
• No Fabled spawns
• Limited to Trilogy (may potentially grow to SoL/PoP)

[phorest]

I like 2 players/ 1main+1box per ip.
I like slower but not stupid slow exp.
I like auto scribe spells on level .
I like rare random loot. like 1 in 100 on regular mobs, and 1 in 5 on boss mobs.
I like customized, but not barren. Not "all the same" but real, customized zones.
I also like grouping. building friendships, and walks on the beach.

[Krical]

I am looking for a server wich can provide:


Solo progression (grouping but no boxes or bots)

Clickies for cures, SoW, DS etc (no buffer NPC!)

Progression similar to EZ server, visit old zones, get a few items kill bosses etc

Remove the "#peqzone and #zone" make use of Wizards and Druids.

HUB zone (Poknowledge or maybe even EC tunnels for old school sake) add a few npc's wich sells potions, starter gear etc

Considering if the server would be like EZ with progression, add a endgame boss for each Tier so people need to group up to defeat it (dont have to be like 10 people to do it, 3 should suffice)

Don't make the leveling too tedious, make 1-max level fast and rather have slower paced endgame content so people dont have to worry about their character level but rather AA points and gear. Slow lvling is old-school, we got p99 for that

[Splose]

Originally Posted by Krical

Slow lvling is old-school, we got p99 for that

It's only considered old school because most custom server developers don't devote the same attention to 1-max that they do to just the max.

[Krical]

Originally Posted by Splose

It's only considered old school because most custom server developers don't devote the same attention to 1-max that they do to just the max.

I've personally never been a big fan of long lvling time, now a days its used to learn the game, but most players playing here already know what EQ is all about and therefor makes lvling really tedious for most of us.

[fzzzty]

I've wanted to get into eqemu for years and try out some ideas. If someone has similar views I'd be interested in doing something. I like everything bufferofnewbies (?) said early on. My EQ live experience mostly ends at PoP (tried but haven't really stuck with EQ live much after that happened) so I might make assumptions for that era...

(PS sorry this is so long)

Everyone has different opinions, play styles, preferences and ideas of "fun", so this shouldn't be taken as a suggestion of what is best or most fun or even good. It's just what I've come up with as ideas that sound fun to me (without actually trying most of them).

I think my overall goal would be a more engrossing experience with close to a zero-sum economy (impossible, but a goal) and less of a noticeable grind and rush-to-the-end experience. Most servers are raid-focused, I'd like to see one that is whole-game-focused.

In no particular order:

Much more class-, deity-, faction- and race-related quest lines. EQ is unique in it's faction and deity aspects, as far as I know, but they are wholly undervalued in-game. I would probably make gods unkillable or remove them entirely except events or something. Ideally, each deity would be different. Good gods might help their followers more often. Innoruuk should really just run around killing his followers if they get in the way... :P I would introduce quests for most factions, so if you for some reason maxed out your Crushbone faction, you could realize some benefit from it.

I like classic--real classic. I would limit it at Kunark or Velious probably and then put in custom content like epic armor, quests and zones. I would like to start from that classic era quests, but people say this is very hard to do... I am more of a journey than destination person, though, so I don't care much about pandering to the hardcore level-ASAP raid crowd (sorry)... I did that for years and I'm over it. Don't get me wrong, raiding is fun, but I have little sympathy for people that rush through or skip content to level up then get bored when there's no stuff to do. I also prefer the classic era distinction in classes.

I've always felt that leveling is a fabricated "goal" and really exposes deficiencies in the game design. The game itself should be fun, players should enjoy it regardless of level, sort of like Skyrim. I may get rid of levels altogether, really, if possible, and focus on skills. Skills in EQ are basically a joke, which I always felt was a shame. I always had things maxed and they made very little difference. Even my Wiz on live had his melee skills maxed out...that shouldn't happen (pacing was too short). This should be more grind-y and have meaningful impact. You should be able to play a War and effectively be a Ber just because you use 2Hers, having an actual Ber class is a symptom of bad design, IMHO. I'm not sure this is possible though. I might even tie spells into this, so if you work on a particular skill line, you automatically get new spells as you progress, though that might not be possible, either...

I would like to have a "core" set of features and differing rulesets on top of that (e.g. an RP server, EZ, PVP, hardcore, ...). Personally, I'd prefer a hardcore server without global chat channels, but that's definitely a niche. Building an infrastructure around this would be important (and something I can definitely do), with automatic builds, branches, deployments and stuff. I do this for my day job as a C# dev and IT person.

I believe the largest problem with EQ is the economy, there aren't enough item and money sinks and it degrades/inflates quickly. I would allow mercenaries, potentially an unlimited number of them. Not #bots, mercenaries, with upkeep. I would probably allow 2 characters per IP. This would allow casual people like myself to attempt harder content if unable to find a group (or undesirable). Even non-grouped people can benefit the community and be social. Maybe only for the EZ server.

No in-game maps. Sorry. Ranger only if possible (they need all the help they can get, haha).

I would prefer using newer clients for effects and nicer features and whatnot. I'm not sure if one can add new effects or add effects to armor but I'd like to experiment with that. I've always wanted permanent effects on armor, not just weapons.

I would try to preserve class-defining capabilities, like rezzes and ports, while allowing players an alternative. For example, a port NPC, for a price or quest, crafted port items (by porting players), etc.. However, something like the Nexus is too impacting on that aspect of port classes, rendering a significant aspect of those classes moot (an aspect which the class has at the expense of missing other things, like survivability).

I would love to implement Project M.

I do value the social grouping aspects of EQ, but I think they are overrated and I know very well the other side of that coin, being casual due to RL responsibilities, so I wouldn't want to force that play style on people and exclude them.

I would tweak crafting to make it more viable, much less focus on dropped gear, more on crafted or quested--less of an XP grind. Ideally, one could get the same sort of gear from quests, crafting or raiding, at the same level with the same amount of time invested. Raising the importance of skills plays into this: the same weapon should be noticeably different in effectiveness between characters with a large gap in skill. Traditional EQ had a horrible crafting experience. The pacing was okay, maybe even too fast, but it seemed horrible because usually the things you could make at your level weren't effective versus dropped items, so you had to grind that also... If possible I would make failures tend to create worse-than-expected-but-usable items, rather than just disappearing. I would introduce deconstruction somehow to get some mats back. I would attach the creator's name to the item if possible, maybe in the lore, maybe with a message "For my ex, may this Ring of Rain Spell proc serve you well. XOXO".

Cursed items would be interesting, if possible, though I doubt you could prevent un-equipping an item. Would give more importance to Identify. :P

Item sinks are a bit harder. I would probably introduce item damage/durability and crafter repair. Haven't thought much about that yet.

Eventually, I would like to implement a more dynamic and reactive environment, but within the familiar classic zones. Things like Crushbone orcs, if left unculled, spreading into gfay and maybe causing problems for Kelethin, or taking over Kelethin. All automatic or guided, with quests and loot. It's a ton of work, sure, but there is enough to keep people busy for a long time with enough imagination.

[Huppy]

Originally Posted by fzzzty

I may get rid of levels altogether, really, if possible, and focus on skills.

That's an interesting concept, which has crossed my mind in the past. Having a server, where
there is no leveling at all. Some players want to zoom to the max level, then work on skills,
prioritizing the leveling over everything else. Myself, I was always about the content on the
way up, (quests, skills, trades, running through kithicor at night, haha.).

The individual player preference would probably be more popular among the "grinding" crowd,
who love the slow leveling and focus more on the enjoyment of the content. But it would not
be hard for someone to adjust the starting level and max level to the same number.

Whether a server like that would gain popularity, or not, is unknown to me.

[bufferofnewbies]

I find that best times are when the game is complete throughout all levels, not just endgame.
I do not consider the low/middle game to be a barrier, but rather a place for the developers to tell a story and to allow the player to tell theirs.

But I am just an old RPer.

It is my belief that any server that only develops endgame content should just go ahead and start people off at the highest level.
If you need them to learn the class, just set up a zone where they can practice safely.

I want to play the entire game, not just three or four zones.
Sadly, too few follow my ideal path.
For this, I must change my own game style to accommodate the limitations.

[zerjz3]

Originally Posted by bufferofnewbies

I find that best times are when the game is complete throughout all levels, not just endgame.
I do not consider the low/middle game to be a barrier, but rather a place for the developers to tell a story and to allow the player to tell theirs.

But I am just an old RPer.

It is my belief that any server that only develops endgame content should just go ahead and start people off at the highest level.
If you need them to learn the class, just set up a zone where they can practice safely.

I want to play the entire game, not just three or four zones.
Sadly, too few follow my ideal path.
For this, I must change my own game style to accommodate the limitations.

You should consider checking out Sanctuary. I think it might be what you're looking for.

From our website (www.playsanctuary.com) :

We live in an age of cookie cutter games and virtual theme parks. The modern expectation for an MMO isn't a world to live in - it's a game to play in and some buttons to mash; easy and rapid bursts of dopamine. Actions aren't held accountable because everyone is self sufficient, there's never a need to socialize, never a reason to help another out. Gone are the days of forging relationships, friendships, partnerships - they have been replaced by offline auction houses and cross server dungeon queues. Immersion is a thing of the past, as you are constantly being reminded that you're playing a game: buy this, click here, follow the glowing trail to the next quest hub. Players rely on mercenaries, bots, and boxes: artificial group members, treated like robots and used solely to propel through the content as fast as possible, rushing through the journey to arrive at the destination sooner. Quest dialogue is skipped, barely skimmed through, and condensed into a single list of objectives: kill and collect, like a drone. Seek and destroy.

Sanctuary is none of those things.


We don't believe in instant gratification. For us, it's about the journey, not the destination. Our players aren't just warm bodies to fill group slots, they are people, each with their own personalities and distinctive play styles. We cater to the heart and the soul, not brute strength. To progress through the content of Sanctuary, a player will need to use strategy, cleverness, creativity. Trying to smash your way through our content will result in death and its harsh penalties. Using your mind will result in satisfying rewards with real purpose and meaning, not just a bigger number on your sword.

Things will be slow. You will start out with nothing - naked, cold, and alone. What you wear will be sewn yourself, from materials you gather yourself. There are no quest hubs... there are no tasks with clearly defined objectives for you to idly complete while you watch a movie. Your weapon, if you choose to use one, will be handcrafted from the resources of the earth. Your character will be whoever and whatever you define it to be through your chosen style of play and through your actions and decisions. You may start as an Adventurer and decide that combat isn't really for you, and you would rather spend your time crafting unique goods and selling them to the other players, happily living out your days as a Merchant. That same Adventurer may choose to be on the front lines of battle, training to be a fierce Warrior. Both of these are completely different play styles, and both are totally viable options for the same base class.

Our game is designed for a player to play one character, focusing on its growth and development, and teaming up with friends and allies when the going gets rough. We do not design our content for "boxing" multiple characters, dragging them along behind you like robot butlers, and this play style is unsupported. Players of Sanctuary will get a much more rich and fulfilling experience by choosing one main character to play and sticking with it, as there is a lot of "horizontal progression" that doesn't necessarily get reflected in numbers and stats, and trying to spread this type of progression across multiple characters at once can be underwhelming.

Player economy is vital to Sanctuary. Many tradeskill recipes are kept exclusive to certain classes, subclasses, and progression points in our world. Each player is not intended to master every tradeskill, in fact, that would be impossible. Success with tradeskills comes from choosing one or two to master, and the opportunity for fame and fortune is ripe with our complex and elaborate tradeskill system. Start simply, combining a stick and coal to make a torch, and with some time and effort, you'll be a master woodworker, crafting ornate bows from the rarest woods available.

Our world is full of exploration potential, and when encountering what seems to be a brick wall, find a way to chip away at it until you can progress. If your ideas don't work, ask a friend, as two heads are always better than one. When brute force isn't doing the job, look around for resources that may help you come up with another solution. There is never just one way to solve a problem, and solitude and isolation from the community will get you nowhere. Use what has been given to you and strategize a way to find more resources to work with.

As you're playing Sanctuary, always keep in mind that in our world, the journey is more important than the destination. Enjoy your journey, build your community, and have fun!

[kokey98]

Ideal server:

-a least Luclin Era - if earlier than PoP, a travel system* (see below for explanation)

-PvE

-Bots/limited boxing (same # of bots as boxes in-use allowed at the same time, and relative to raid difficulty. e.g. if 1 allowed - may have 1 bot or 1 box, 2 allowed - any combo of boxes and bots adding to 2 etc..)

-limited gear vendors - a little weaker than what you find at that level. moreso for level 1 (if newb armor quests not present) than for later levels. maybe a full set at low level but for later levels (mayabe upto 35-40ish) stuff that is weak enough that it can only be useful to round out gear or a hard to find slot for those levels. at some point it should be expected that the player can go to dungeons, or whatever, and properly outfit themselves.

-tradeskill vendors - at least for rarer things or somethign that requires larger population for it to be commonly found.

-RoF2 allowed. or at least UF. after trying takp/project2002 i will never use some clunky, crappy client again. the older software isn't better. it looks like crap and runs like crap. i don't care about hte exploits that i don't use... why screw everyone for a few doing stupid things. even worse if the rationale is emotion or nostalgia based. again, inclusion > exclusion. if some want to use that crappy software, then they can choose to do so, while the rational people will use better software.

_________________________

Mostly theory, explanation and gibberish will be found below:

i've leveled countless toons to max over EQ/EQ2/WoW/whatever else. i've roughed it too many times with brand new accounts or toons. it's no longer amusing. anything that can help the early going that doesn't influence the latter stages of the game would be welcomed. low level spells should be cheap! since the population is so small, the orignal balance for players included being able to sell that luck hq bear pelt for some spell money at low levels. so, something should be adjusted for making money or buying neccessities. i think it's easier to reduce spell prices so that you don't unexpectedly make somethign else too easy at low levels -> less ramifications.

rate of exp = gathering of gear. i think that's the key. the biggest problem wiht re-tuned servers is that you either outrace your gear, or your gear is way too OP.

Era isn't even that key to me, as long as travel is somewhat aided. i actually like earlier eras more for simplicity in an already complex game when it comes to gear and zones etc... oh! and spellbooks... just too many spells to organize with later expansions.

* - some ways allow for both perspectives of travel, other ways are exclusive. when a rule is created that does the latter on somethign that is clearly an opinion, i don't get it. so, the people that like to travel want those that don't to be forced to do so. seems like a bitter way to do things. while, having portals or pok allows for both to be happy. why would someone who supposedly enjoys autrunning for 20+ minutes be upset that someone else who does not enjoy that crap to avoid it. hypocrits.

the peripheral stuff in the game should be about inclusion, and not exlusion. you don't like seeing people click a stone, then suck it up and stop forcing your opinons on others. each to their own on enjoying the small stuff in the game (or believing that its a total bore and waste of my time to hit autorun and watch tv while my toon buggers off)

i think some people's memories are a little off on "classic" difficulty at level 1. you could go out and kill lev 1-2 moss snakes, decaying skeles and equivalents without a problem with just the basic tunic and starter weapon. on some servers the moss snake lays you out 80% of the time. a tank (non-solo class) in patchwork with a cracked staff could take out evens/yellows upto level 5-6 or so.

since population is always a problem, some basic vendors would be nice. nothing too advanced that you won't dungeon crawl for gear upgrades at that level. it can't prevent you from wanting to do content. i want to visit the dungeons as i level. i want to tool around in them for more than 10minutes or use #zone loc to get right to a boss room.

tradeskill vendors - and i don't even like tradeskills, but for others

the race newbie gear is great for a start - even if it's out of era. i just don't think 20hours of collecting stuff matches the reward at those levels. the drop rates shouldn't require too much for so little. i shouldn't be able to run 1 circuit of the newbie zone and have an entire set, either. i think being able to get a 2-3 pieces before returning to sell vendor crap is about right. as long as you get them before your level allows you to go to dungeons for some fun.

if you allow boxing, then bots should also be allowed. i don't want to run 6 clients on my pc and burn out my gpu/cpu. whether a script on my computer runs them or a script on the server is really no different. it's silly to differentiate between the two. allowing multiboxing then limiting how you control them doesn't make sense either.

if no boxing/bots, then some tuning would be required for raid content. why make a server where no one will ever be able to defeat teh tougher npc's? either due to population or .. well mostly that.

with boxing/bots - raids tuned to 1 group of decently equipped players, or if poorly equipped with more people.

i don't want a cavalcade of bots/boxes following me around. 10-20-30 bots/boxes is a bit ridiculous and avoidable. i bet it's less load on server too by limiting the #s.

[Wanwen]

Sounds like what alot of you are looking for as far as a luclin based, going to PoP eventually server already exists.

Server Information Thread:
http://www.vegarlson-server.org/index.php?topic=165.0

[demonstar55]

PEQ but more accurate :P