What would you like to see in EQ, 2017 & beyond?

-the ability (via a quest, earned AA or /) to change my character's origin or have more origin-like abilities

-More revamps of pre-TSS content to be modern high end content. If level 85 is the "new tutorial" then let's bracket it all up from there, with 85-100 zones being very efficient for xp. Basically, reverse the zone "pyramid" so the bulk of the content on live servers is where the bulk of the players are. Benefits progression by enhancing the nostalgia market.

-at least a 51/50 character creation option for subscribed accounts on the majority of servers (I'd like a lower template too, but 51/50 exists already).

-more keys onto the keyring. Some of these era-available so the key is norent, or not in game until a later era but obtainable and ringable later. This does not harm rogues and such on progression, but gives all the content back to live servers. It also allows the use of locked doors more in newer content (knowing that 2 expacs later anyone can get the key).

-a dream... but more playable races. Even if only available out of Crescent Reach. Aviak gets my vote, but many other worthy races that already exist in game.

-era-seeded race/class/diety combos opened up*. What I mean by era seeded is activate them across the various expacs that have minimal reroll interest. Example: Iksar berzerker active with PoR. This gives any new combos to live right away, and builds more potion $ incentive into progression. *lore logicial with existing lore, or new lore added to make it logical (so wood elf shadowknights of Bertoxx are out... but Vah Shir Druids could be in).

-More expacs like EoK. Dream: an expac like TSS that goes 1 to cap.

That's my starter list. What about you?

The return of talking gear.

• Graphical updates on everything pre-Omens(keep the updates faithful!), and stop copy-pasting anachronistic graphics!
• UI-overhaul, getting a usefull default UI with hi-res support is a must nowadays.
• Remove defiant gear on trash, and dump it on named mobs instead, make nameds matter! or better yet: Remove defiant gear completely and buff the original loot instead(fabled item-stats could work?), increase spawn rates, camping the same mob for weeks is not feasible anymore.
• Make early quests compatible with the quest journal, I want a game with consistency!
• "Port" ldon to the new HA format, thats like 300-ish(?) new high-level HAs right there...
• Make group-quests/missions request-able for a solo-player, I want to play through old progression, with out having to bother guildies(or make dummy boxes).
• Better sound-effects, most people play without sound for a reason! Playing a "spammy" caster is a constant "fuihsss, fuihsss, fuihsss, fuihsss, fuihsss, fuihsss", its terrible!
• Improve server-performance on AB, its horrible atm!!!

We have many great expansions, but EQ as a whole is an inconsistent and anachronistic mess right now...

This mindset is curious to me. If anything, the last several years of TLP, and the release of Agnarr's ruleset is a clear indication that the way forward for DBG and EverQuest as a sustainable game, is through nostalgia. Content and expansions for max level raiding will continue to happen - but reworking graphics, UI's, etc is a waste of resources and will not attract new or returning consumers that will add to the bottom line.

DBG's recent change to NPC graphics in old world zones has received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and is a perfect example of where the resource investment needs to be.

The players who wants to relive the past on TLP servers will probably leave rather quickly, when they find out that TLP is a very different game than the Classic EQ, they remember. The players who stays on TLP more than a few months. stays because of the community and their friends.

Nostalgia is a dead end imo, and will drive people away in the long run.
I see it as a passing trend, and not the future that will keep EQ alive...
What people remember from Classic EQ, is not the game itself, they remember being kids in a fresh and undiscovered world, playing with other kids, and forming friendships. Nostalgia can't bring that back...(well maybe the friendships... )

I see tons of nostalgia seekers who complain about boxing for example....they won't last on a TLP server...

TLPs are about "meta-gaming" the "server-start" phase with box armies...at least that my impression from the forums....

Modern EQ has great potential... focus on that...

1.) Figuring out fix for server stability issues. This has a major impact on customer satisfaction levels when a new server or expansion launches especially. - 2.) Scheduled updates from Developers on where they see current class balance and their goals on such. - 3.) Condensing of UI bloat/abilities. 4.) Ending habit of fixing things that aren't broke that have been in game for many years in favor of allowing completely ridiculous newer abilities to remain. - 5.) RoF like expansion (most recent best expansion IMO).

UI does need a bit of an overhaul if anything because of larger monitor sizes. Whereas we used to all see EQ through a "postage stamp" part of the screen, the interface evolved eventually to give us full screen, but with screens being so large now, and many playing on 4K TVs, etc, it would be advantageous to evolve again to include features that would make that much more suitable for comfortable, easy on the eyes gameplay.

An expac based on war in Antonica, with legions of undead gnolls, angry aviaks (maybe add a new zone off South Karana that is a cliff-like bird roosting island that rises from the ocean and you have to dungeon crawl an insane path up it to the nesting plateau at the top..), goblins everywhere, Kithicor fully taken over by the denizens from plane of Hate (add a zone off it called "Deepest Kithicor" and actually have it be full of trees and feel like an old-growth forest) and so on.

So basically the majority of content redone as higher level (just move the low level stuff into some key places and/or provide alternative sources for quests. But not all... obsolete many things). This is for the live server crowd.

By default this increases the nostalgia factor for future progression. You want to level up in the Karanas, Blackburrow, or want to do the obsolete things, etc. you play on progression. The existence of progression servers frees the devs to change the live world. Live does not need to be a museum.

I see this as win-win, and within the original vision (i.e., look to revamps done LDoN and prior... they followed this concept, though often just within a single zone).

free transfers off of zek

A lot of interesting ideas there, attaching high-level neighbor zones to classic zones that sort of expands old-lore driven conflicts, has worked well before. CotF, RoF and SoD, was based on that idea, SoD even had the added historical bonus of time travel.

Im ambivalent regarding drastic changes to old zones though, but they have done so before(Grobb will never feel like a Froglok city again ), and it will be hard to make sense lorewise with two versions of the same zone, there is a limit to how many dimensions/dreams/alternate timelines we can handle before it becomes silly...
I still don't think it makes any sense we can have both lceanium and dreadlands existing side by side... RoF had the same confusing issue with 2 version of Velious...
Apart from the lore issue, it could probably work.

The skypiercing capital of aviaks could be a cool dungeon, we need more skyscrapers in EQ...
I always wondered how the aviaks spread from South Karanas to Timorous Deep, I think they have been underestimated alot...

A dead end and passing trend that DBG admittedly dumps the majority of their resources into - launching new servers semi-annually since 2011, often times having to release back to back servers because of overwhelming demand.

Definitely seems like a passing trend, and not the single largest source of revenue keeping DBG and EQ afloat right now.

1. A Level increase.
2. No underwater zones.
3. And at least marginal graphic improvements.

And a way to /outputfile all known recipes!

I'd like to see the opposite of everything Jumbur suggested.

What I would like and what we can reasonably expect are probably two widely separate things. I will be happy if they get the stability issues ironed out.. .maybe merge live servers and keep putting out expansions like EoK with player power increases.

How they increase player power is irrelevant to me be it level/aa/gear/spells or gear/aa (with some aa being focus effects to improve spells. (but cover more spells this time in focus effects).

I'd like to see pretty much exactly what Jumbur suggested.

Future success depends on fixing/upgrading the base of the game. Milking nostalgia will eventually dry up.

The UI is my biggest concern. It's a mess, and a massive barrier to entry. You interact with the game through the UI. It should have the utmost attention. There's something like 85+ different windows that can be toggled on/off at this point (not including hotbars). It's complicated, archaic, and a huge learning curve/timesink for new players.

Third party addons are not an answer. Make an entirely new UI if you have to and let it be a second default option upon game loading. Scaling is long overdue.

The graphics are decent, but will eventually need work to stay relevant. How come I still can't mouselook without stuttering in 2017? I have the hardware, and I've spent time optimizing. Run around POK with mouselook. Try a few 180's or 360's. It should not happen.

Fix inconsistencies within your systems and modernize. Lay groundwork going forward.

God no. No offense if you are the exception to the behavior of most people on Zek but you can all stay on your prison colony.

"everything opposite" but that would mean:

• Graphical downgrades on everything post Omens, retro style FTW!
• UI underhaul: should only work on 320*200.
• Increase defiant gear on everything.
• Change the new quests to be flag based!
• Port the new HAs to the ldon-system, 9000 gribbles to max the charm-aug!
• Make solo-quests require a group.
• Even worse sound, pc-speaker FTW!
• "Nuke AB from orbit, its the only way to be sure"

Sorry! Im in my sarcastic mood today!!

A clone of the Experience Vial system from EQ2 so I'm not throwing xp completely into the void 90% of the time.

Sounds pretty good!