2 new TLPs announced for 20th Anniversary

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Elbereth, Jan 23, 2019.

  1. TimeBreak Elder

    Needless to say this is EQ and DheyBreakGames, so both will be broken and have crap rule-sets from the jump. Hopefully 1 is decent and will have a strong player base.
  2. Gemstoner Elder

    I'm up for either server that has:

    6 month unlocks
    slow exp (Coirnav level is fine)
    Truebox

    I'd also prefer:
    no FV loot rules - some loot you should have to group/raid to get
    AoC/no pickzones - I could go either way


    corpse runs are interesting, but doubt its doable and hmm, probably would suck in the long run

    I'm a casual player but I'm not sure if my list fits the hardcore or ultra casual better lol. I guess I just want it closer to EQ at release.
  3. snailish Augur

    A great customer to have is the one who pays to barely play, and never catches up needing new content. This is actually a lot of players on live...

    -------

    As far as "ultra-casual" goes... hopefully that is viewed through the limited playtime in little bursts lens of defining casual. A few hours a week on average. This is the playerbase that keeps quitting when Kunark drops to early (and so on) on past progression (because they were still leveling in their 20s and 30s on their mains). This is not a population that interested in catching up to live, they want a slow journey through early content with different views on when they will likely lose interest (Velious!, PoP is the end. GoD...) It's no harm to most/any of the existing progression servers if this ultra-casual server:

    -has fast, very fast XP.
    -has slow unlocks... possibly the longest we've ever seen on progression, But automatic (no voting).
    -truebox appeases some, so it is probably there.
    -AoC and pick is well liked so it is probably there. Make casuals that aren't so ultra able to do things like epics and get some gear rather than one guild blocking others (the way it used to be)
    -I don't think it needs free trade loot, but it could have it.
    -not sure if I think it would need motm and so on.

    The point is... if you don't play really slow (and take 6-8 months to get to 50 on a normal progression server) the ultra casual should sound like the worst thing ever to you --and that is okay. This is a niche population idea just like hardcore server that is mostly likely going to have racing unlocks.

    If you don't like the niches... stay on existing servers and be happy. I see this as win-win-win if done reasonably well.
    andross77 likes this.
  4. TLP Addict Augur

    My only real wish is all classes unlocked from day 1.
  5. Noober New Member

    What does AoC stand for?
  6. TLP Addict Augur

    Agent of Change, the NPC on instanced servers that you talk to in order to open an instanced raid zone.
    snailish likes this.
  7. Umul Augur

    Truebox, AOC's and pickzones need to be on the casual one for sure. Maybe the "hardcore" server will have no modern QoL changes.

    No truebox
    No aoc
    No /pick
    slow xp
    some wrinkle added in for the unlocks to make it feel event server-ish but not really...

    edit* I would prefer no truebox on a casual server but I know it scares people away. Its just so much nice to box from one pc Lol
  8. Kaumf New Member

    Coirnav Rule Set with Player versus Player (possibly no expansion unlock until current expansion is beaten)

    Given that there are already several TLP's still quite early in the expansion progression, and given that there is going to be two new TLP's launched at the same time, the best way to capture more new or returning players with something not yet offered is to have a PVP TLP as the hard core server. I understand your average carebear EQ player will wet their pants at this concept or claim it will just be a griefers paradise, however there are millions of gamers all over the world who exclusively play Player versus Player games on a daily basis simply because nothing beats the challenge or thrill of competing against real skilled players. These popular PVP games are also large money earners.

    The demise of the existing EQ PVP servers was brought about by poor policing of hackers combined with crybabies wasting GM's time by report bombing anyone who was too competitive claiming they are griefers under the so called play nice policy. There is no actual enforced play nice policy anymore, and anti-hack technology has improved. If this concept is not for you then there is clearly other normal servers and TLP options for you to play on. Benefits of a PVP TLP concept include offering a server unlike all current servers with the competitive nature of such a server leading to possible Everquest tournaments maybe even with prize money or sponsorship like other current PVP games and a different focus on quests, gear, group and guild play not currently considered on "blue" servers. Clearly we all enjoy Everquests early expansions but this can be experienced in a different more challenging way.

    Even today there are very few games that can achieve challenging 50 vs 50 guild wars the way Everquest did back in the PVP hayday. Much of this is due to netcoding unable to manage the increased graphics demand of modern games so that only players with high spec PC's can run modern PVP games with large numbers of players in the same zone or map. As a simple and well optimised game with 20 years of content backing it up, Everquest PVP could make a resurgence offering large guild battles of perhaps hundreds of players. The politics, guild management, and command and communication would take Everquest TLP to a new level that simply can not be achieved exclusively playing against NPC's.

    Ultimately Daybreak wants to make money selling store items and subscriptions, and the most fanatical players willing to drop money on a game to buy the best gear with store bought krono or consumables are those competing for PVP bragging rights and guild domination. The economy will also favour real groups over boxers / farmers bringing back true coordinated of group and guild play.
    Seriously, wouldn't it be nice to deal with deliberate trainers or box crews hogging zones by just getting some friends and clearing them out? Where has the sense of competition gone... clearly moved on to other games that offer a PVP environment. Those players are the untapped population that EQ needs to attract back and the way to do it is a PVP TLP.
  9. taliefer Augur


    el oh el.

    if you think hacking on eq has been curtailed at all, you are just wrong. you can essentially get away with anything, as long as you arent AFK. that and the elimination of the play nice policy ensure any PVP server is a hackfest and griefers paradise.

    that said, i dont really care if they make one of the options a PVP server, i am positive it would flop rapidly, as every other eq pvp server has, but hey who knows. id wish it luck
    snailish, Jontrann and andross77 like this.
  10. Trizek Augur

    My Take.

    Ultra Casual core features:
    Rage Fire Exp Rates
    AoC enabled
    Pick Zones enabled
    3-6 Month expansion unlocks
    True Box either disabled or allow only 2-3 boxing before "Truebox" kicks in.
    MoTM / similar features disabled
    FV loot rules

    Hardcore features
    PvP server
    Phini or slower Exp rates
    No AoC
    No Pick Zones
    True Box enabled
    Corpse Runs
    MoTM / similar features enabled
    1 Death = char deleted (okay maybe this is too much lol)
    ForumBoss, Jontrann and Rile like this.
  11. Zalamyr Augur

    What I'd like to see for the casual server
    • AoC - enabled
    • Pickzone - enabled
    • Truebox - no preference
    • Exp - Fast. Starting near live rates and building up to a 50% bonus by TSS and double exp by RoF.
    • Rare Mobs - Spawn more often.
    • Unlocks - Phinny style. Automatic but fairly fast.
    AoC and pickzone seems like no brainers for a casual server. Less fighting for camps, no poop socking. Hooray.

    Truebox I could go either way on. Personally, I'd like to see it on, but a lot of casual players like having their own box group so they can play at whatever times they like. Tossup.

    Exp needs to be fast. I know a lot of people, myself included, who would stay subbed to EQ all the time if we had endless free time. Unfortunately, we don't, and EQ has a lot of grind in it. A lot. Faster exp means casual players can spend more time enjoying content and less time grinding.

    Bonus rare mobs goes along with the above point. Faster exp reduces leveling/AA times. More rare mobs reduces the gear grind time.

    Fast unlocks might seem backwards for a casual server, but I think it's the most successful strategy. With the above tweaks (fast exp and more rares) casual players should have no problem keeping up. Auto unlocks means the server is never stuck. I think we've seen from Phinny that a faster pace retains more players.

    I feel like slow servers are always destined to die when they're stuck at level 70 for almost 2 years. If these are supposed to be "progression" servers, that we "progress" through, the intention needs to be for players to stick to it to the end. Players who want a super slow server that they won't get outrun on should probably just play Agnarr. A slow server (6ish month unlocks) would absolutely, 100%, die during the years it's stuck at level 70. And not to be a doomsayer about the fate of EQ, but a slow server would take more than a decade to actually go through the content, and close to two decades if live EQ keeps getting expansions for several more years. There's just no point to that.

    Frankly, I think a server with the above ruleset would not only be the most popular progression server, it could likely be the most popular server period, for a long time to come. I'd come back for that full time, and I think I could drag a few of my friends too. We all quit for the same reasons, the game just takes too much time.
    andross77 likes this.
  12. Punchu Augur

    I like how this turned into yet another "my preferred TLP rule set server" thread.
    andross77, code-zero and Rile like this.
  13. Elskidor Augur

    I think everyone took the hint they needed ideas when it was stated that they're still deciding on a rule set. They're reading this and will deliver 2 more Phinny clones, but the hardcore will have 200% less xp.
    Yruc and Phinny4Life like this.
  14. Geoux Lorekeeper

    When the new TLP servers go up, I'll have unlock calendars set up for them respectively.
  15. Jontrann Augur


    Worst case scenario
  16. Quill Augur

    True Box is the opposite of casual friendly. If you think a casual player rolls with multiple computers setup in Death Star format, just... no. The only thing True Box has ever done is prevent regular players from boxing.

    Simply go True Pay and make people pay for their own accounts to use the casual-friendly server. You will not see 20+ box crews running around and it'll be a far nicer place.
    So Happy likes this.
  17. Rile Lorekeeper

    I really feel for all the people who post TLP threads, what are they going to do with their time now that 2 new TLPs are here?

    Do they get a year+ headstart on the next TLP posts? I have no doubt
  18. Artaserse2 Elder

    Actually True Box is very casual friendly. "Regular" players 2 boxing don't have any serious difficulties in a True Box situation. I see them all the time on Agnarr & Coirnav. What it does do is make it much more difficult for mega-Box crews often using 20+ toons from running wild & disrupting regular players (both casual & hardcore) from gaining normal experience.

    As I have said before True Box is the Standard now. No one wants a repeat of what happened on Ragefire when it opened.
    Zanarnar and snailish like this.
  19. Quill Augur

    There are better ways of solving your mega-boxer issues by going True Pay. You force people to pay for their own subs to use this server, and watch what happens to the 'mega-box' population. The only reason mega-boxers exist is from people who have farmed up so much Krono that they want ways to spend it.

    And I don't give two figs if it is this Mythical STANDARD, standards change. The simple fact is that most regular players do not play with multiple computers, and its a major inconvenience to do so... even for those that are willing.

    All so some hardcore doesn't have to have his eyes and ego hurt by seeing a mega-box team. Better to get rid of them in a more organic manner. Simply have them pay for their own stuff if they want to do that. They can't live off other people paying their subs for them.

    We'll see just who is Daddy Warbucks and wants to 40-box this game while paying for every single sub. I think you'll find they are few and far between.
    Sabi and code-zero like this.
  20. Xeris Augur

    I don't think its a huge inconvenience to play with multiple computers. One day in classic on Agnarr, my sk got lvl 50 and I was bored and thought ... hmm I have a laptop on my desk, let's fire up an account. And thus, my 2nd box was born.

    I'd give another 1-2 lifetime subs for another locked server.
    MBear likes this.