<WHAT iF> You could run your own EverQuest server

I'd pay a lot of money for a stand alone, not online version of EQ, where I had access to all of the databases. Make mercs better, allow dual classing, ..if I could just do those two...I would pay quite a bit for that lol. I'd love to do this offline/single player, and also be able to run my own server.

I would love a total revamp of this game, where everything was balanced around a single player /multi character experience.

This idea is crazy and insane. And we could look back at it being the thing that took EQ into decades more of gameplay.

So people didn't really cheat it... it would probably have to work like the old PC games like Civilization and Heroes of Might and Magic where you have global control over certain conditions and sliders (rules, loot quality, etc.) and the placement of terrain/objects. This would likely have to be somewhat simplified (i.e., like the Mario Maker console game). Example you can make a level 50 dungeon era set to classic, Velious, Luclin or TSS. This changes the loot options, mob models and look of the objects. Done right... these could be allowed on progression servers...

Then, just like housing... you would go up to the rift NPC in Plane of Knowledge (or Freeport, or LDoN camps...) and a menu of running player worlds... really this could be the basis of "Lost Dungeons 2" in which the devs make a few scenarios but it is the playerbase that gives the expac meat by being the ones that develop it.

You could use a ranking system where the private server dungeon levels have to reach a peer rating on test server before the live server audience can access them. Top rated player designers would be allowed to connect more than one dungeon zone to create larger scenarios.

Possibly the player designer would be able to playtest their dungeon with their own characters offline via a new /playtestcopy command. You want to work out playability before presenting to the Test server rating population.

It's already there for you to use.
EQemu, the standard database, and a few others are available by searching
You can run it all on a local LAN easy mode using virtualbox

Take you an hour or two to get started then you can customize to your hearts content.

I think most people don't realize how terrible the backend is on this game in terms of changing items and testing. That is where you are going to spend endless hours in customization.

If i could design a server to run, i would offer a model based on how elder scrolls online does it, where all mobs are even level to you.
There are solo group and raid mobs in that game, but if a person is level 5 or 120, they could both group and fight the same mob with equal difficulty.
Heck, it was the smartest thing that xenimax did, i think it would be a possible saving grace for the eq franchise.

Games that rest their laurels on "end game" almost always destroy themselves.
If a game isn't worth the long journey from the beginning to the end, why play it?

While everybody has a differing opinion of what they think a server should be in this thread, it proves that at the very minimum, people have a desire to create their own EverQuest world.

I think it would be fantastic if DBG gave use the ability to do it, but until they do, we will have to rely on EQemu. I've been giving it a lot of thought over the past month, and I think I am going to finally start working on my server.

I'm curious how this turned out? I've been thinking about running my own as well.

I just checked the service terms and they’re still the same.

https://www.daybreakgames.com/terms-of-service

Among things you aren’t supposed to do...

“•Attempt to play any Daybreak Game(s) on any server that is not controlled or authorized by Daybreak or its designees.”

“•Create, use or provide any server or other site where any Daybreak Game(s) may be played, and to refrain from posting or distributing any utilities, emulators or other software tools related to any Daybreak Game(s) without the express written permission of Daybreak.”

So in brief, it’s still against the rules to run a home brew server.

To my knowledge only Project 1999 has been sanctioned by DBG.

https://www.everquest.com/news/project-1999-daybreak

I haven’t heard of any plans from Devs to offer a private server hosting service.

You already touched on the fact that EQEmu exists for people that want to tinker around and run something locally on their own hardware... But I imagine for most of us that are here, playing Live side, there's a certain allure to being on the up and up and having the Live "parent company" player base to play with.

I think what I would honestly like to see Daybreak do, rather than license a gang of privately owned servers that each feature their flavor of EverQuest... I would rather they work on opening things up more for the player base to take more work off of their shoulders. Player studio was a great way to get new art assets into the game, and some amazing things came from it. It was a way to allow the talented people within the community to contribute to EverQuest in a tangible way. I would like to see this taken even further.

For instance, Daybreak would have to update some legal terms of service I'm sure, but I'd like to see them not only reopen Player Studio for new items to constantly be added to the in-game Marketplace, but actually look within the community to find some talented coders who could help with a lot of the "back burner" issues and allow them to continue making new assets for expansions and patches. Sure, a lot of things need to be done locally at the source, but player coders off-site could do things like cleaning up and reworking the official UI (preferably something with less frills around the borders and less blue) and even making new Hero's Forge armor sets. I'm sure that player coders could even rework Freeport into something that resembles the real Freeport again and connect all the quest NPCs to make it work. It's not that I don't believe the developers couldn't do these things on their own, but it seems like almost everything (as far as changing old content) is low priority these days and there's never enough time to do anything that isn't part of a new development cycle.

Also, I think that Daybreak would do well to hire some off-site Game Masters to work from home on servers that require a Gold membership to play on. These would be actual Daybreak employees, who have strict rules that they need to follow, but can help resolve a lot of these issues that pour onto the forums and into the ticket system. I can't imagine hiring some Game Masters to work from home for ~$10 per hour wouldn't save them money versus paying someone to answer all those tickets repeatedly. That would also help get the Terms of Service enforced much better and make some people respect the rules.

Like your original post, I don't think this stuff will actually happen, but anything that gets us more content that isn't all focused at the very top levels of the game would be great, in my opinion.

I'd like a private offline server that is DBG sanctioned, I'd definitely pay well for that. I'd just like a few friends to be able to join nothing crazy.

I like the notion of having an offline world to stomp around in. But thinking it through, I would prefer to have access to all or none of it. I just wouldn't be satisfied with 2% of Norrath.

An offline version of Norrath has some appeal for me, but crossing the offline version with Live? Nah. I see too much risk for exploitation.

EH, first I think your underestimating how much hardware you'd have to throw at the EQ server. Sure with VM's I'm betting you could run it all on one box, but that box would be something like a HP DL380
(Honestly that's just an educated guess)

Honestly, I don't see them even seriously considering something like this. If the game dies and noone buys the rights.. maaaaaaybe someone will leak the bin or source. Even that I wouldn't count on, as for sure someone will buy it just to own the assets/ip.

As for being able to customize it? THEY can barely make changes server-to-server, I think you'd be sorely disappointed in how much you could tweak.

In all honesty, the is likely your best bet. IF its not up-to-date enough for you, help them work on it!! Most of what holds back expansions is getting all the quests and dialog written. (at least until they get to RoF, at which point they'll need a new client to go much further and that is a pain. Hell bazaar searching still doesn't work in the rof2 client.)

I'd only need through PoP to really be happy. I would also be willing to buy that HP to run it, I think 10k is my EQ personal server budget. I actually asked DB about this and they said they would get back to me, but never did.

If you wanted to play in your own personal Idaho could you just run it off your PC?

If you only need through pop, you should look into the EQENU community. Its pretty complete through OOW (don? i lost track if thats released yet or not, heh) and you can pretty easily run it from one PC if you wanted to.