Two Ideas to Improve the Game (long but important)

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Klokk, May 14, 2023.

  1. Klokk Journeyman

    Hail, Darkpaw Games

    I have two ideas that I believe will be good for the long-term health of our beloved EverQuest. Now that you guys have 64-Bit I’m hoping this stuff might be possible!
    For players – If you like these ideas or have come up with them yourselves in the past, please like the post to get it attention and comment on improvements.
    For Devs – Please share internally and consider how this may be possible.

    Idea #1: The Ultimate LFG Tool
    Problem: EverQuest requires people to work together for you to function/progress through the game. This is what makes this game amazing, but also why it suffers.
    Solution: Create a website/companion app/in-game UI element for the ultimate LFG tool
    Social: EverQuest should not have an auto-grouping system like many current MMOs, but some player agency to have the tools to get organized will help casual players especially get established in their community in an organized way.
    Context: What allows folks to level fast at TLP launch is guilds building static groups. This is scheduled play time for pre-determined classes to build great groups and minimize or eliminate LFG time. LFG is toxic to the play experience and most players do not want to form groups or are not set up for success with existing tools. Not everyone is in a guild, or a guild as organized/populated to promote static grouping.
    Design: What if during the day I could be LFG for when I get home? I would love an LFG tool to not just be about me getting in a crew for the evening, but maybe develop friendships and regular play with people in my level range and time zone. This could be accomplished by the following:
    · - Put up LFG flag with classes, levels, servers, etc.
    · - Put my regular play times and time zones
    · - Put in my objectives: XP, epic kills, progression needs
    · - Create Party Needs to advertise for needed classes, objectives
    · - System for players who want to subscribe and play but want to do so with others
    As corny as it sounds, it’s basically a friend finder lol. The goal is to create a way for players to schedule play time with each other to minimize idle time in the game, as well as give players a way to organize and build friendships for those who share play times and philosophy.
    Additional Benefits: I’m a 23 year EQ1 player, but know little of your other products. If this would be helpful to your other titles, perhaps pooling resources and making this a multi-game system could be helpful.
    Revenue Generation: I believe that players will subscribe for longer periods if they develop a network in game and have a means to organize and progress better than what exists today. This is impossible to measure; however, it stands to reason that if a player puts roots down and has active play experiences then they will be less likely to turn over month over month. New players may have an improved experience.

    Idea #2: Premium (paid) Mercenaries
    Boxing with 3rd party software occurs on your game. I don’t think this is necessarily a problem unless it’s afk farming or prevents the will to group.
    Problem: EverQuest’s population is not as healthy as it was in 2005. In addition, many people box because they want to avoid looking for a group, or they have found others but not a slower, cc, heals, tank etc. Because of this, boxing has both made EQ a little more antisocial, but also allowed players to function and continue playing the game.
    Many players turn to 3rd party software, multiple PCs, etc. to accomplish this. None of these activities are normal or even desired in gaming today. Boxing has divided the community, created toxic “industrial gaming” capabilities, and has created customer service inquiries/bans/suspensions/uncertainty for both players and the studio.
    Solution: The existing mercenary system needs an overhaul to be relevant. None of the mercs are as useful as a player after about level 70. This encourages people to sub out their merc for a player, but not in the most positive way. If I could pay an additional subscription fee on my account to have a mercenary with a full inventory list, full AAs, etc. just like a box, that has the AI to operate as well as if I were using 3rd party software, my bill would be simpler, the studio could restrict my capabilities based on the desired experience of the server and era, you could capitalize over the 3rd party authors (and/or hire them!), and it would become accessible to those who never had an intention to box.
    What do we do about making sure everyone doesn’t just have a DPG bot crew? XP/loot bonuses should be given when real players group, and when playing with your bots there should be no party bonus. They should be available for a player to pursue their own will, play anti-social when they feel like it, but progress should always be optimized when with other real people. These mercs should supplement the current needs or provide an ability for the player to play the game without a group when they can’t find one.
    What do we do about players who want to advance their mercenaries? All paid mercs should advance regardless of if they are in use or not. One should not have a suspended premium merc not obtaining xp and falling behind because they are playing with a real person.
    Design: Literally the same as if I am making a second account and starting a character. Full inventory slots, stat lines, AAs, focus, everything!
    Allow migration of characters on other accounts to become a merc on a primary account to allow transition.
    Revenue Generation: Of course, this does not impact revenue directly as boxes (mercs) are 1:1 as they are today. You could add a dollar or two to offset database costs. Also, this makes “boxing” accessible and legal and understood to those who in the past thought they never would box. This is increased revenue. The ability for people to want to group with players for bonuses, but having the ability to deploy the merc characters they have worked on to fill gaps allows us all to move forward and benefit from each other.

    Finally, it is quite clear who is in violation of rules when you own the system by which this need is satisfied.

    Sorry this has been so long, but I seriously believe these systems can help keep the spirit of what we love while allowing the game to remain accessible to folks as time goes on.

    Long live EQ!
    Metanis, Kithri and mischief2 like this.
  2. Mossaa Augur

    So what you say in your second item, is approve cheating? Paid mercs to replace cheat tools? Just focus more on banning all that use the third party cheat tools
    KobalWR likes this.
  3. Klokk Journeyman

    I dont think so. Lets say you and I are grouped and a couple of friends, we have no slower, and a little DPS couldnt hurt. thankfully we have some mercs (that are worth something) we pop out and it lets us do your epic 2.0 fight, or work on expansion prog that you need.

    The goal is to position mercs in a way where they can be a supplemental asset while we get cool bonuses for playing with 6 human beings, in a format by which DBG can easily see who is doing what.
  4. Fanra https://everquest.fanra.info

    I like an improved LFG tool (even though I don't need it as I group with my fellowship and guildies).

    I dislike premium mercenaries.
    Skuz likes this.
  5. Captain Video Augur

    #2: There already are paid mercenaries in the game, they're called second accounts. You don't think a boxed team deserves a party XP bonus (as relatively small as it is)? Then you need to find yourself a different game, because 0.001% of the EQ player base agrees with you.

    #1: This isn't 2000. Casual players aren't going to just materialize out of the worrdwork because you have some way-over-the-top matchmaking system. The size of the player base will never return to year 2000 levels. Period. Full stop. The ways forward in this game are either to have RL friends to play with, or join a guild. The fantasy of you sitting in your den with the entire gaming world at your beck and call is just that, a fantasy. A lot of social networking goes on in-game on all servers, It's very easy to find a guild that has other casual players in it. If you can't manage that, it's on you, not the game.

    #2a. Account-to-account character transfers are no more, this has been explained in many, many other threads on the various EQ forums. As for simultaneously playing two or more characters on one account, which is what you're really asking for, it would mean completely rewriting the entire game at a cost of millions of dollars. Win the lottery and buy the company, then it's a go. I also don't understand how you see such an approach as being any different from boxing, which you claim to despise.
    Skuz likes this.
  6. Klokk Journeyman


    Heck yeah! LFG tool has a lot of opportunity. What do you dislike about premium mercs? If this had to be, how would you change it? Do you think the existing merc system is enough, or how would you modify it?
  7. Klokk Journeyman

    P1 - The idea is to promote players grouping with each other because that tends to provide the best experience, while also acknowledging that folks sometimes want a more private experience or cannot find help to do what they need in that moment that they are on. I like EQ and dont need to find a different game. little dramatic bud :D

    P2 - idk that the system is a matchmaking one, but rather a way to find folks playing in your same play times. I dont think its over the top as the system is quite basic in 2023. Of course EQ's player count will not likely return to 2000 levels. Never said that. I dont play EQ in my den. Lots of hyperbole. Im not a casual player and generally play in high end raid guilds.

    P3 - idc about acct-acct xfers. idc about playing characters on the same acct. I 100% see where there are similarities in what happens on the back end though, but its just things you're saying? rewriting the entire game is a bit dramatic. idk what you're talking about. Millions of dollars *shrugs* who knows. Win the lottery and buy the company sounds fun. I don't despise boxing nor did I say that. I generally 6-box, even on true box. I hate keeping up with it all, its taxing to play, keep up with the hardware, OS updates, etc. Its not a good experience, not good for my energy bill, takes forever to log in, disperse gear, all that. Its not as fun playing by my self when others are around. I want to enjoy this game in my play times, I want to be functional even when few folks are online. This is not impossible. Agree to disagree?

    Edit: How would you see improvements to the LFG tool working out? perhaps what I posted is missing the mark, what are your thoughts? What about boxing? People do and will do it, they will use 3rd party, we all benefit and suffer in a myriad of ways which need no explanation. How would you handle it differently? Is today's system the best?
  8. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Mercs suck, intentionally so, and the player workaround is boxing, making Mercs decent enough to not need to box would massively reduce the amount of players using the wrong software.

    Making a viable molo-path through the game would also help a ton, but the current dev team is understaffed by too much to allow for that.

    Allowing 1 player to use 2 mercs at the same time is another suggestion that's done the rounds plenty, but that too would only really be band-aid solution with how poor mercs currently are but it would at least allow a limited form of solo play & reduce the temptation to use the wrong software.

    End of the day there are a lot of bridges EQ would need to cross before it attracts new players or a significant number of lapsed ones, but there are system changes which could help. Smart choices are needed and a willingness to invest in the required changes from the people at the top.
  9. Klokk Journeyman

    Agreed. Existing mercs are basically a quick path to 70, supplemental heals after. They get you high up enough for you to know you need to box unless you have a RL friend group that wont out level each other...that also covers specific roles...and that are always online and ready when you are lol. You could also happen across multiple established players not paying for a PL for their new boxes etc. This is all pretty rare to line up on TLP, and almost non-existent on live.

    You suggested a molo path up. That would be awesome imo, especially if paired with legit mercs. Little instanced boss kill missions/dungeon crawls to catch up level chunks (or whatever). Obviously, can still level up the traditional way. May even mitigate industrial power leveling some.

    I feel the same about dev time, but also I choose not to consider it, as when it comes to recommendations for the game I see our role as players to be inventive and share...DPG needs to figure out how to afford/get it done :D Admittedly, this is a tall task for them from my understanding.

    Recent events lead me to believe they need to hear more ideas from us.

    New players do exist! I play with two who have mostly been on unofficial servers and they love EQ, no classic MMO experience. Obviously they are more rare than not, but its a good game that's difficult to access. They have tons of fun. They would rather not play than box. The idea of having to box is completely insane to them because...its not normal to be necessary in a game LOL.