Prathum would it be feasible to create a new zone, call it epic 1 for arguments sake, put all the epic mobs in that one zone, they drop no other loot other than epic pieces all on shorter timers. Flag it so it doesn't show up on the special servers.
If instancing is an option, you could just adjust the spawn timers of anything in the zone to be up upon zone creation. That could save a lot of time. Let them sit on test for a month and let the players tell you what's wrong.
Regardless of how much time and effort you claim it will take to make the change and how it would affect Progression servers. I still say do it. Make the changes for the good of the game, and to reopen some of the older content to new players and returning players and to those who have played for years but really never got to experience it because of the people who are always permacamping the mobs because of their horrible spawn times. Progression servers would benefit more than they would be disrupted by this change. As a person who tired them I would have loved the change because the chaos and issues involved with the easier game and the people in top guilds cut off any one who wanted to try and progress. Start up guilds died fast on the servers and mobs were held in lockouts so that only certain guilds could get certain epics. This was a horrible mess that could have been cleaned up by changing spawn times. Yeah its not like it used to be if you change the timers. But the game is no where near what it used to be anyway, and progression servers were nothing like the game was. So changing this should do nothing but at least give everyone equal footing. If you will not change the spawn times because you really are that worried about the progression and special rule servers then please make make instances for every one of the mobs I listed... That way I can at least attempt some of the old progressions.
I do understand that it isn't something as simple as just flipping a switch and it takes more than just changing one number. It has to be thought through, checked, rechecked, and then there has to be enough time to actually work on the changes in the first place just as a start. I do not claim to know how easy or difficult it specifically is because only someone who has worked with the coding could really tell that and then some people have more of a knack for it than others as well. If you guys and gals decide to move forward on it, would it be easier doing small portions at a time rather than trying to do huge portions at once?
Used to be SOE had the "ALL or NOTHING" attitude, so with them moving away from rolling out FULL COMPLETE expansions at a single time, and still claiming that something like this would be too much of a burden on their time, I would honestly not expect to see a favorable answer.
Nearly the entire Rain of Fear expansion was basically a copy and paste modification of old zones, creatures, and modified loot tables etc, so please do not insult the player base intelligence with the generalized statement you gave, they are smarter than that.
Nah I wouldn't want you going and getting a big head or anything. LOL But being able to recognize a sensible and intelligent idea when it is put forth......thats another thing. The issue with creating instances based off of the zones as they are, by using a Copy and Paste method mechanic is far easier than the "redesign approach," SOE utilized in the Seeds of Destruction expansion. While I may like the redesigned zones more than their old original counterparts; the fact of the matter is that Prathun is making it sound like having to fully redesign each zone that houses these old long respawn mobs.
Think that would be a fun thing for them to do... Go back and fix spawn times in spurts... like First take on the Dragons and Fear mobs from Original expansion... DO that.. then 3 months later pop out maybe a couple Kunark changes. Then 3 months later.. more Kunark changes and then some Velious.. do this over and over.. untill POP.. and you have an endless supply of "new" Old content.. that will bring in nostaliga. Also you can test how it goes as you move along to see if there is something that has to be changed or updated.
If you stop at PoP, Tharrg, you are still missing some good long respawn mobs. CBQ for instance - Lizardscale Plated Girdle a must have clicky for any meleer, and from the GoD expansion.
Then scrap the TLP servers. To not solve a problem like old content respawns just because your two LEAST populated servers would be badly affected is a poor excuse. They are horrible. I played on Fippy for almost a year. What the term "Time Locked Progression" suggests is NOT what you guys have produced. Should be called "Expansion/Feature Based Voting Release."
Good because I was getting worried I'd given out a false impression. I'm not really that bothered about the timers, but I know a lot have struggled to get epic drops. I did mine before manaburn was nerfed, so you can guess how long ago that was.
Nearly 25 pages now, and definitely NOT the same 5 people wanting the spawn timers reduced, though it does seem more and more like only 5 consistant people against the idea - counting all their "new member" acct. alts saying the same thing, popping up on this thread.
I argue that progression servers would benefit alot from change in spawn time... Who here from old Kunark days or older.. remember PUG Dragon raids... the dragons were not killed within seconds of spawning.. They sometimes were up for weeks on end. Untill a group of people got together to kill them. Nothing was as fun as the PUG raids.. and they were amazing and a key part of the social game. With the current ease that players have at the game a single guild can hold the spawn and drop it within seconds of it spawning. If you change the spawn times you would eliminate the fighting over the respawn. No one wants to sit in a zone with 50+ people ready to light up a spawn as soon as it repsawns.. If you change the spawn time.. people will be able to take turns on kills which frees up the confusion and anger over kills. And because it becomes a camp instead of a first come first serve encounter the issues that happen should be easier for GM;s to clear up and the players should be able to clear them up themselves. I see this as a no brainer.
To be fair, the progression servers were very popular to start and they plan to do more in the future. As well, they were very, very, very clear far before opening the servers that there would be a time factor, in game actions, and a vote required to progress through each expansion.
yeah but like other things that needed votes... the votes became rigged or broken.... or at least most seemed to feel that... hence the decline in population after POP...... Most players that started were hoping to keep the servers in older expansions longer.. but the mentality of the race to finish 1st... took the game where most didnt want to go.. hence the low population
One of the biggest problems they had on the servers were people voting and winning the vote to keep them locked behind certain expansions for much longer than many of the vocal minority wanted. There were multiple multi-page threads on the issue for months.
I will argue that it was a majority that wanted them to stay locked. But lets not worry about that.. Lets discuss this issue about spawn times. If you played on Time lock servers.. do you think the reduction in spawn times would have benifted the server more? Or would it harm them? I will argue they would benefit... as many hit the max levels and ran out of things to do. Raid bosses and zones respawning faster would open up more progression for more people and aleviate some boredom.. Thoughts?
Tharrg, I know you have said it before, and I agree and so do more people SOE violated the terms and classification of the TLP's just as has been said, and all for the sake of those who would rather rush to the end, just to claim they did something first. This is my whole reason for railing against Progression Servers of any kind. Create the rule set and stick to the rule set, is my opinion. That means SOE labels a server as TLP, that doesn't mean voting to me, that means let it play out according to time just as the expansions were originally released. If they create a server for Voting Progression then stick to that, but not this mixed crap. Alas though no matter how many times SOE attempts to do a Progression server I do not see it working for long as there will always be something or the other that screws it up. The whole reason it won't work as long as voting is enabled is you know there are all those unscroupulous people, who cheat the game, make use of each and every exloit, and they are always in the top 1% of the server status with maybe 5 or 6 accounts. Essentially it is those people who get the vote pushed through, and they rush through everything again and again, until they reach the current situation all over.
Personally I think it would be far worse on a progression server. Certain mobs for sure would be worse, ie. Golems of Fear, and Kunark open world dragons for instance - those specifically would most like be hounded far more than usual, just because of the tradeable/sellable pieces. However then again, it could also be far worse for mobs like Vulak Aerr, Dagarn the Destroyer, Emperor Ssra, Aten Ha Ra, Greig and Lord Inquisitor Seru - just because their loot is no trade doesn't mean you have those same unscourpulous people selling looting rights.
