For the Anniversary... New Race/Class Combos?

Some of us know how to program and utilize databases, so we aren't 'guessing', we actually understand how it works. That being said, a new race/class selection would require expanded register address space. Pretty much, they would need to recompile the entire thing as 64 bit and that isn't a small thing to do for the joy of adding new races/classes. I sure wish they'd do it though, as it would add another 20 years of life to the game easy with all the doors such an event would open up.

So you are confirming it would be a ton of work unlike the others who think they know things and think it would be super easy. So yeah thank you for pointing that out.

He was confirming that adding a NEW Race and/or Class would be a ton of work. And it would be. (EQ as it is coded cannot handle more than 16 of either, until the engine is rebuilt.) However, enabling new Race/Class combos from existing Races would take a couple of hours. It's just a matter of updating tables to enable the Race/Class combo, adding new entries in another table to set a starting spawn/Origin location for that Race/Class combo, adding a template for the starting stats in the Character Creator, and setting what items spawn in the inventory upon character creation... like the newbie note, and then you have to run a script (which is automated and takes about 45 seconds) to add the new Race to all of the existing items for the Class you added it to. That, again, is just changing a number in a table, but for a massive amount of entries... That's why you script/automate it. It literally takes amateurs a couple of hours to do on the bootleg EQ servers... I would expect the professional EQ devs could do it just as quickly, probably faster.

This may be a bit presumptive and optimistic. No offense. A dev would need to clarify the amount of work.

I think they have said in the past that most of the work of making a new race/class combo is graphics.
In particular swinging graphics.

So while you may know how to program, if you look back at prior threads (new races/classes when they were last introduced) assuming you know their code is likely a wrong assumption.

I can do hello world too.

Is there any low-hanging fruit that wouldn't require changing swinging graphics or adding new armor sets?

In a lot of the examples I provided... For example, Half Elf Shadow Knights and Clerics... All of the animations that would be required are already present in the game because of Half Elf Paladins, Druids, and Rogues. (Casting, Bashing, Stabbing.)

I provided a lengthy list of combinations that I personally felt like they could make sense, with the hopes that maybe the developers would latch onto one or two and add them into the game.

And as far as the "code" arguments go, I can understand why those of you unfamiliar with coding keep making this argument, but it's not going to convince those of us that are that any of this is an impossibility. Adding a NEW Race/Class would be far more difficult than unlocking new combos for the Races that already exist.

No and No. I need a little more imagination on those two names. The rest were just fine.

Perhaps I am not understanding the spirit of the OP's initial post, but I would be happy if they just did what was done a long time ago with the original EQ and bring back what made just about every class unique and feel needed in the game.

Besides the obvious warrior tanking and cleric healing, a cleric could bring a person back from the dead and have newly revived person not lose as much exp. A necromancer was ideal for finding and dragging the body back relatively safely to begin with and both the Cleric and the Necro would be paid for their troubles. A magician (or one of the mages) was the only one that could transport people. A rogue was great in a dungeon for several reasons. Another mage type was known for their crafting ability, etc.

Now experience penalties are less, as well as needing to find your body to retrieve all your stuff is not really necessary these days. Books transport you every where, etc. The same with racial perks. The regen was really a blessing as most other races hated you and although may still do, it's just not as important as it once was. Also if what I read was correct, maybe it was a server rule only, money no longer weighs anything. I remember that being a big deal back then. You had to keep depositing it in banks/exchanging it for better currency like silver or gold or platinum. Plus you had to go to the bank so you did not lose it all when you could not retrieve your own corpse or find a nice enough necromancer to do it. Those were the good old days in my opinion.

I guess I would not mind some new stuff, but I know the old stuff actually worked and made the game worth while. They just removed it, I assume, to make it more like other games and that was a mistake in my opinion. And what better way to honor the anniversary, but to take it back to it's roots?

I have noticed the Orc ranger (Scoutmaster) in Overseer. Adding playable races via cookie cutter/ cut & paste would be cool I think. If only it didn't hinder any fixes the game already needs by taking time away from Devs.

I will post here what I did in another thread that was locked due to necroing on my behalf. I feel it matches the same spirit of this current thread and wish it not to be lost to the pages of time, so I hope that is alright to continue the discussion, if even worthy of such a feat. A simple posted link would not suffice, as nothing can be discussed there any longer. Thank you for your understanding.


Someone suggested mushroom men as a playable race and I thought that interesting and replied in kind-

"I actually like that idea. But it would have to make sense in the EQ world with what we know or assume of mushrooms/fungi from established knowledge to the fictional. They would be slower perhaps to learn because they are long living, but lose less exp upon death because they grow to maturity faster. Maybe also regen faster under certain conditions, like in the rain/thunderstorm. (No seriously look it up on Begin Japanology Plus ) Part of the attack could be spores that would be area of effect (at least at higher levels) and would poison/plague a group. Or they could enchant them to fight on their side. Have some nature abilities (or spells) or have the ability to hide in a forest or near a tree at least. Maybe have a mini swarm of little mushrooms as pets. (It) Maybe easier to kill each one (individually) than a regular pet skeleton or wolf, but since there would be at least three or more (depending on the character's level and training) of the little ankle biters it would still take time to kill them all and the enemy would still be taking consecutive hits, even if not powerful ones. I'd also like to see a gentle sway to them for an animation. I'd choose that race for sure."

Someone else had posted another new race suggestion that I found intriguing as well about a blob race and how it could look after it ate something-

"It would depend on what that race just ate. The body would have to dissolve in the gelatinous goo and only the bones and metal equipment would be left, which eventually would be discarded on the ground, the equipment anyway. And eating would heal it, as it fed on the remains. (However it could only eat so much and only so often, so it's healing factor would be both a godsend and a disadvantage.) Although it could also injure itself if it ate the wrong thing I'd imagine. It would be immune or at least able to absorb certain attacks while being totally punished by others. Perhaps it could shape shift. Really an endless amount of possibilities.


I personally would like kobolds from the forest. I forget where it is. There are snakes and you can go under ground. They look like standing coyotes with robes if I remember correctly. Different from the pictures of the tutorial, unless I am thinking of two different races and or they were simply reimagined. I always wanted to play as a pup monk though (in a lot of RPG settings). The quickest and most agile of the races, but definitely weaker as well.


And the goblins always had me intrigued as well, that you would fight early on as a barbarian. Really a lot of potential of what is already there even with back stories for some, official, assumed or totally made up."

-Thank you.

The classes are all different and definitely have unique feels. With 16 races and tons of illusions available I can't really imagine a need for that either. I have a bard and sacks full of illusions and yet being a goblin or whatever really loses it's appeal after a short while.

Anyway, you should try playing a race/class for a nice long time and don't be deluded into thinking that there's no lore past the original starting cities. The game is full of amazing lore and storylines far past the rather paltry amount from the original game.

They are not as different as they were in Classic EQ, where almost each race and class had a niche to them. You were very dependent on a race or class in order to progress. Now things are basically handed to you. I remember there were always calls for corpse runs and rezs. Or paying a toll to be teleported some where. A Ranger to scout ahead. Now it's just, touch the book and be done with it or you do not lose as much as you once had to worry about those things.

You really aren't actually playing the game, are you?

Take your troll SK and do it the hard way, run through moors the highpass, head down to kithicor, commonlands, through the tunnel to the Ro deserts then into the swamp and from there to grobb.

That's all...just play

New race: shadowed men

Hard part bypassed!

I don't want to kill the fun in this thread. It is nice to dream and brain storm.

But the devs have largely ruled out the possibility of a new class/race combo (much less new races or classes) in the near future. This is the transcript of their response:

Question 8: Can we please have Gnome Beastlords and/or Gnome Monks?

Pip: Sadly, as much as I want to open up these options, I will have to defer to the amount of work needed for such an endeavor to my cohorts who knows what they are doing. (Or so they tell me, it's not like I can really argue with them.)

niente: My top choice is iksar berserker! Unfortunately adding new class/race combinations is a lot of work.

Aristo: All player races that have the monk-specific animations (flying kick, etc) can currently be monks. While we relatively recently got the ability back to make slight modifications to old models, we do not have the capability to add new sets of animations to our player models. So basically no new monk races with our current models.

Absor: Beastlords are animal lovers, they understand the wilderness and the ways of the beasts. Gnomes understand clockworks, magic, and caves. Note that their zoo has one animal in it... Beastlords is a no-go lore-wise for gnomes. As for monks... well... gnome != Yoda. I don't see them having the discipline to go through the training. That being said, I suppose it isn't the worst idea, as far as lore goes. Not the best, but not the worst. From the practical side, it's not very likely that we will be adding classes to races that don't already have them.

Edit: Arguably, in their defense (limited resources), they would rather turn out a larger expansion than a small expansion with 1 or 2 new class/race combos.

Maybe I misunderstood your reply, but I am just getting back to it actually. It's like night and day. Two totally different games except for the most basic of ideas and the lore of course. Were you around for classic and was weaned into the new parts slowly expansion by expansion and never actually noticed or gave it much thought? Coming back to it years later is quite a shock, like being teleported to Everfrost Peaks with nothing but a loin cloth to keep you warm, while having a mob of angry woolly mammoths chase you down...

funny how they spent many many hours prolly hundreds if not thousands of hours on the Overseer project that no one asked for .. and yet everyone would be thrilled for a new race/class combo we know it can be done . if they had put those hundreds of hours into that instead of Overseer well jmo.

I'm liking overseer a lot and I don't want to see the devs wasting time and effort on any new races or classes or race/class combination. So no, not everyone.

Do they do polls or ask in the forums to see what the community actually wants?

Sometimes, like this AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread.
This one is locked and over though.

Transcription of the Discord talk here :
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fbj33QylEtgvOfPPMWZ7oOq5C8-VqTRtgxxDYq8_8so/edit?usp=sharing

Provided kindly by Fanra.