fixing the raid scene without instancing

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by kraggnar, Jul 16, 2015.

  1. Vaclav Augur


    Obviously if you're into expansion work window (although I thought they were campaigns now - neener!) I'd suggest waiting until after its done - but you guys still get some time for side projects/pet projects between campaigns now right? (new schedule thats not really been done in a while - I know you did with the yearly schedule before the rename)

    If you still get some of such time and such could be allocated to doing something like that you could state that you'd like to do X/Y to try to alleviate things down the road but not yet. Easier to keep people calm when they know something to help is down the road - a light at the end of the tunnel to speak.

    [i.e. work on one less anniversary thing instead maybe? could even make it something with level scaling to let current servers do it too even maybe? Just spitballing...]

    Sure it would have more loss than something immediate - but it would be something in the meantime. Although I will say with the likely timeframe you'd get time for such and when the need is - I'd do it for Classic + Kunark in one shebang - after that plentiful content should help guilds spread out without too much stress.

    It's great to have the dialogue though, man, I appreciate it. Everyone wants these servers to be a roaring success - and while the initial demand is clearly there, the key thing is to keep that insane initial population committed for the long haul. Hopefully you can help the last few rough edges get hammered out to perfect things.
    Rhiyannon and PrathunEQ like this.
  2. Kegwell Lurker since '99

    What happens when your planned content doesn't sell because people have already quit?
  3. Vaclav Augur


    There's much better ways to phrase something like that - that comes across as hostile to me - let's not scare them off from this awesome communication today. (i.e. "Remember that each person that sticks around is another potential campaign sale in a few years..." or something like that)
  4. Prathun Developer

    Oops! We've been calling it our campansion internally, a portmanteau of campaign and expansion, but I keep thinking companion in my head, and then I type dumb things. I'll fix that. :)
    Axxius, Iila and Aneuren like this.
  5. taliefer Augur

    with one server set to be on a fastrack, and likely to be the more populated server still, theres even less benefit to "fixing" /instancing old EQ really. its not gonna happen. i, like others, do appreciate the communication and discussion tho.

    its really a cost/benefit analysis, and if its as time consuming as it appears, its just not worthwhile when only 1, lesser populated, progression server is going to be on the original slow timeline
  6. Prathun Developer

    Well, we've had a lot of passionate feedback that our last few expansions were light on content, especially in the raid department, and we're trying to react to that and give the people what they want by creating as much new content as humanly possible. Will it be enough? I don't know. Honestly, I've been here since 2002 and I don't have any memories of anyone ever saying we've made enough content, but we're committed to creating as much as we can with the time and resources we have.
    Behee, Nenake, Rhiyannon and 7 others like this.
  7. Banuvan Augur


    Except Classic raid targets are relevant for much longer than just Classic. If only for the epic drops themselves they stay relevant.
  8. Kegwell Lurker since '99

    I hope so to, because the launch success of the TLP is somewhat related to the number of bored people on live with nothing to decent left to do.

    Give me something to do, somewhere, that is immersive and fun, away from D baggery.
    The RoI on that should be worth it.
  9. RangerGuy Augur


    Glad to see that as many of us expected the the TLP's do in fact eat resources and budge from live servers! So if "campaigns" turn out to be to little to late after TDS we can thank the TLP for all the time and resources it cannibalized costing us raids here or there, possibly zones.

    While I'm sure some will say more more more no matter what for the most part no one was complaining there wasn't enough to do in VoA, HoT or RoF once it was all released. The issue is CoTF and TDS being very light in both raids and group content paired with you guys negating all prior expansions for stuff like xp with the nerfs, gear with resets and focus decay and fun since stuff like leveling up friends or old tasks like tears of alaris become not worth it anymore with all the after the fact leveling up changes. If you erase the xp gain and such from older content then you better be sure there is enough content in the current campansion for all the differing playstyles. Not force everyone into new content when its light everywhere due to resources and timing be short.
    Spellfire and Iila like this.
  10. taliefer Augur


    except they havent implented any new content that he refers too.
    Fallfyres likes this.
  11. Elkay Augur

    Bolded what you may have missed, RangerGuy. They're doing what they can for the TLP servers without sacrificing their Live deliverables.
  12. Vaclav Augur


    Actually that's a great point too Banuvan. "Simply" (always complications) turning on the Harbingers could go a ways I'd imagine towards reducing stress as well.

    Planar armor, Epic Drops and Sky are all I really would be bummed about missing out until instanced content personally - rest there's preferences but nothing I'm super concerned with personally. (plus targets get so plentiful "missed" targets get more frequent as time rolls on)
  13. Rauven Augur


    I did too. I want a legends like server on any MMORPG I play, but I never get one.
    Fallfyres and Elkay like this.
  14. taliefer Augur


    i would definitely be willing to pay a higher monthly sub for a progression server that had dedicated resources
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  15. Banuvan Augur



    Exactly. Investing in classic targets goes a long way. Lockjaw especially since they have a longer timer on expansion releases that makes the classic targets that much more relevant. Making raid targets into expedition type encounters isn't just for now. It's for the next 2-3 expansions as well. That means they stay relevant for another 9-12 months on RF ( depending on how the voting works out ) and upwards of 2 years for lockjaw. Investing the time and resources now has the potential to keep things rolling for years.

    Let me say something I've always said btw. I'm not talking about every single raid target out there. In Classic I can only see making Naggy and Vox into expedition type targets. In Kunark it would be Trakanon. Leave the others alone as they are now. Phinny is a ~4 hour spawn. You can kill him 6 times a day potentially. Naggy and Vox are the premier raid targets of Classic. Trakanon is the big baddie of Kunark ( not counting VP ). This leaves open world raid targets there for competing while allowing everybody who wants to put in the effort of killing the premier targets able to do them.
  16. Hendar2 Augur

    I doubt many would be willing to pay enough to cover the actual cost of even one developer. If we assume the low low starvation rate of 40K (probably an entry level person with no exp but a desire to be in the game industry that overrides common sense, present company excepted of course), we need to double that to account for overhead. That is a bit over $10/month from everyone.

    That's pretty much doubling what people on the longer subscriptions pay.
  17. taliefer Augur


    i cant speak for everyone, but i know for a premium server (which these are), with dedicated support, id be willing to pay 25-30 a month. 27.99 probably be a sweet spot. thats still cheap for a month of entertainment.

    now, they would probably need to spell out exactly what kind of support that would entail. instancing? new content that fits in era? both?

    call it EQR (Everquest rein-visioned) and depending on what they do id even be willing to re-purchase old expansions if it included enough changes/new content, claimable items, etc.
    Elkay likes this.
  18. Aneuren Tempered Steel

    Thank you for the posts, Absor and Prathun.
    Fallfyres and PrathunEQ like this.
  19. Kellaer Augur

    Thank you. That is what we want. At least, that is what I want. Content, and lots of it. And it's what TDS sorely lacks.
  20. Simone Augur

    I don't really think to much has to change on the progression servers raid wise; increased the spawn timers on many of the mobs have already done much to help more guilds have a shot at the bosses and would love to see more of that going forward. Faster respawns timers on most raid bosses has proven to work at alleviating many of the issues.

    When it comes to Kunark maybe Trakanon needs to be on a 6 hour timer or something and similar treatment given to other raid bosses. In Velious maybe mobs like King Tormax and Lord Yelniak, Avatar of War event, etc. need to be on 6-12 hour timers. Maybe the bosses in Temple of Veeshan need to be on a 36-48 hour timer. In Luclin Emperor Ssraezsha and Lord Inquisitor Seru need to be on a 6-12 hour timer and the bosses in Vex Thal need to be reduced to 36-48 hours. Anyway something like that.

    On Vulak'Aerr Emperor Ssraezsha was spawning once every 6 days and 1 guild got the first 14 kills out of the total 15 times he spawned before the Planes of Power expansion opened up which allowed that guild to have Vex Thal all to themselves for the full three months Shadows of Luclin was the current expansion. I would not like to see such a situation repeated on the current progression servers.