EQ1's EQ2 Anniversary Server

I'm aware of the Mayong server, and I played on it. My apprehension comes from the fear that they won't be using the Mayong code, but instead, using the Quarm code... With free trade like Firiona Vie. While I don't personally have a problem with free trade, the byproduct seems to be that Daybreak lacks the technology to turn free trade back off, in order to let characters leave servers like Firiona Vie and other free trade servers. When Mayong ended, those characters were released and turned loose into the greater EQ community, so I was able to take them "home" to my Live server and enjoy them with my other characters. When Quarm ended I felt like I wasted my time investing into those characters because Daybreak created a prison graveyard server called Brekt, where all of the Quarm characters are trapped for all of eternity and not allowed to go anywhere else (not even Firiona Vie, which shares the same loot system) for some mysterious reasons that were never explained. Logging in to Brekt, it has less players than Trakanon, but at least on Trakanon you can pay to leave. Daybreak won't even take the money from the former Quarm players.

I would have said it was obvious too that transfers wouldn't be permitted until a merge happened, until Mangler came along. Server transfer tokens are available on Mangler today, so if for some reason you wanted off of the TLP and wanted to go to Live, you just buy a token and bounce. I think on this new server it would be fair to sell transfer tokens from day one, with the price tag elevated to be the same as the level 85 heroic boost.

I'm all for trying new things with new types of servers, but I hate the idea of being locked down and trapped in the future... So I'm hoping they design this in a way that permits more freedom than Quarm players ended up having.

Right now their technology to outright merge servers is broken. But if and when they get that working again, just about every server eventually gets merged. The only exceptions seem to be the free trade servers, which is stupid because Quarm characters should have just been merged into Firiona Vie instead of creating Brekt. But, Brekt, the non-RP free trade server is a clear indication of how many people actually want free trade rules in EQ... Login and watch the tumbleweeds roll by.

I might be in the minority here, but I don't play on Firiona Vie because I know I can never take those characters anywhere else. (I also personally believe in earning my gear and items instead of paying for them, but that's a whole different issue.) I play on the normal TLP servers because I know that after all that time investment and becoming attached to my characters, I can eventually transfer them back to my Live server to be with all of my other characters. I don't think I would even dabble on a free trade TLP, because I would feel like I'm just wasting my time in the long run. I gave Quarm a try and felt like I ultimately got burned, so my personal interest in free trade has expired.

I probably wouldn't mind free trade nearly as much if the current policies in place didn't imprison the characters on those servers forever. I would even accept a system that deleted all of their items if you left, just so there was a way out if I changed my mind. They allow transfers to Firiona Vie, but not off... Which makes little sense to me, since most of the things you'd earned on FV would become no trade on a Live server... So I have to assume it's a technology issue.

As far as transfers off go on this new server, though... I personally left EverQuest when the level cap was 70. I came back and took the easy route of jumping onto Mangler, because that was content in EverQuest that I knew well. If I was to jump onto my 70's, I would have no idea where to go and level up these days. (And I certainly wouldn't be able to find groups.) I'm interested in this new anniversary server because it's going to give me an opportunity to play the higher level content (and hopefully get caught up to Live) and have other players to do it with. This will be my first time getting to play the level 85+ game, and I'm just fearful that when I finally get my first level 110+ characters, they're going to be stuck on this server forever, long after the population has moved on.

I know that my situation isn't the same as the majority of people who will be playing on this server, but I also can't believe I'll be alone.

You keep making this about Free Trade vs No-trade. Both rulesets are irrelevant in relation to what you are talking about.

Please notice the '2-3 months' part. It's a TLP, not an event server.

So it's a regular TLP server, except that you start at level 85 rather than zero and the server starts at House of Thule. It is not an event server for House of Thule. It will progress through the following expansions until it hits live:

• 1.17 House of Thule
• 1.18 Veil of Alaris
• 1.19 Rain of Fear
• 1.20 Call of the Forsaken
• 1.21 The Darkened Sea
• 1.22 The Broken Mirror
• 1.23 Empires of Kunark
• 1.24 Ring of Scale
• 1.25 The Burning Lands

More than likely, the level increasing expansions will be 3 months and the non-level increasing expansions will be 2 months.

It is doubtful DBGs is going to create some kind of special transfer token, with a higher price (cost of a heroic toon + transfer token = 6000 DBC), just for this server. When you create a character on this server, you should plan on never leaving the server. Typically, any server with any kind of unique ruleset limits transfers.

It is kind of cool though. It will catch up to live fairly quickly and from that point on, it will be a gold sub required server, but any character you ever create there will automatically start out at level 85.

So, Free Trade or No-Trade makes no difference. It is irrelevant.

I will bite and respond to a couple of your comments though:

If Brekt had continued on from Omens of War as a TLP server, it would have been very popular. As it stood, there was no real reason to play on Brekt. Brekt was simply a dump server. Firiona Vie on the other hand is a hugely popular server. In fact, it is the most popular Everquest server population wise second only to whatever the most recently released TLP server is. I'm not sure why you would use Brekt as an indication of how desired Free-Trade is. I, personally, would only ever play on a Free Trade server and I had no desire what so ever to play on Brekt. However, if Brekt had been a TLP continuing on from OoW, I would have played there for sure.

When you start playing on a new TLP, from classic on wards, almost all items are tradable. It creates a huge trade economy. Free Trade doesn't stop you from earning your gear. It gives you alternate ways for getting the gear you want. Your group can go to any zone regardless of what drops there and you can still be working towards getting that specific item you want. I also enjoy playing several toons (alts) and having the ability to hand down items to them saves me a great deal of time.

If Quarm had been a No-Trade server, you would still not have been able to transfer your toons back over to your live server. Again, DBGs isn't going to give you the ability to create unlimited higher level toons and then just transfer them to any server. That is the whole reason they created the dump server.

You are correct in that you will not be able to transfer your character off the server. However what difference does that make? The server will probably be a healthy end game server, caught up to live, that will continue to get new expansions as they are released by DBGs. Why not just make this your new home server, as you stopped playing at level 70 on your old server?

Just a couple points to really hit on here. And please note, I'm not trying to in any way attack you, Firiona Vie, the free trade rules, or anything... It's just not my preferred method to play EQ, but I'm fine with that type of server existing for others.

First, I want to point back to my first, where I addressed the free trade point...

I would be 100% cool with them making the new server be free trade, if there was an option to leave. It's ironic that a ruleset that involves the word "free" always (thus far) translates to imprisonment. Just because the rule set doesn't particularly appeal to me doesn't mean I have a significant problem with it. I just think Daybreak's track record shows that free trade and server transfer options can never coexist, lol.

I don't think it would be realistic to charge the price of an 85 boost PLUS a transfer token. I think it would be realistic though, to charge JUST the price of an 85 boost FOR a transfer token on this server. After all, both using an 85 boost on your Live server and transferring from the new one at 85 would basically result in you getting a level 85 character on your Live server.

And, as was pointed out earlier by someone else, there was the Mayong server... Which allowed people to start at level 51 with 50 AA's, and those characters were free to move wherever they wanted, and still are. While 51 isn't level 85, it was a decent little "free" boost for its era.

Quarm, to my knowledge, is the only example of a server where the 51/50 characters were "condemned" and dumped somewhere to never leave again. Between Mayong and Quarm, the ONLY difference in the character creation rules WAS free trade... So naturally, I suspect that free trade is the reason why Quarm characters got imprisoned and Mayong characters could go where they please.

In truth? I might make it my new "Live" server at that point. But part of me holds out hope that some of my friends who are 105-110 and quit will come back, and I'll be able to play with them again one day. I guess I like to have options and not be pigeon holed into one server forever. Part of me also fears that this server won't retain a population for the long run, since it appeals more to the "Live" crowd, who have done these expansions a lot more recently... They'll probably fall off as we get into content they're more used to doing. This server is going to be a new experience, after all.

I get where you are coming from.

However, here is the problematic part.

The server allows you to basically create a heroic character, which normally costs 3500 SC. It doesn't just let you create one of them, you can create unlimited 85s - on unlimited accounts (as long as they are gold). The only way DBGs can control this feature is to make them non-transferable. If I want to transfer a toon from say Coirnav to Bertox, it's going to cost me 2500 SC. If they allowed transfers off this server for 2500 SC, you can surely see the problem. It would be exploitable.

It might seem logical to you that they create a special transfer token (at a cost that encompasses the heroic upgrade and transfer fee), specifically for this server. I'm saying, I doubt they will ever do this.

We could go around in circles. The only way we will know for sure is when they announce the server rules. My guess is that it's a TLP progressing from House of Thule to current live expansions. It will continue to get expansions as they are released by DBGs. It will be a required Gold server. Characters created here will start at 85 + AAs up to the previous expansion + gear (basically a heroic character). They will probably state at server launch that there are no transfer off the server.

That's my guess.

Will be the first tlp server to actually die sometime after pop.

Do you have proof of this or are you just speculating?

Until they give us more details no one will know for sure, they could limit it to 1 char per account on this server, they could treat the Heroic Chars as they do on live at the moment and if you delete one you don't get some of the goodies on its replacement, which would give a max of 14 - 16 per account. If you transfer off this server you could lose a char slot.

Right now its a waiting game to see what they are doing.

Quote from the producers letter:

So, like the 51/50 server, except 85 . . .

Of course, everything here is speculation until they post an FAQ. However, it looks like the barrier will be House of Thule and level 85.

Maybe I can't read. But where does it say anything about how many characters you can or cannot create. Or if they all get the 15kpp or just one?

"Players will start as level 85 heroic characters" certainly does not imply the only first character you ever create. Although it technically could be interpeted that way by the grammar and semantics, it would not be the natural, straightforward reading of what was posted.

Well I'm sure that the idea that someone might train create and delete characters in order to exploit the initial 15k plat starting money never occurred to the devs just like they never caught on to people exploiting the starting gear coming in bags that could be sold in the bazaar...oh wait they DID catch on to that!

Give them some credit people.

I am actually really excited about this server. There have been way to many servers that start from the beginning and rinse and repeat just to fade once mercs are release and content becomes harder (Underfoot use to make people give up). This server will actually bring me back to the game because I WANT to see something new for once without having the daunting task of playing catch up for the first few months just to be useful to a raiding guild. House of Thule is a smart starting place because they can make some extra money off housing items from the store and the gear from group zones is pretty legit. But the Shawl is still a must have for many classes so there will be some back farming into Underfoot I assume.

With that here are a few of my hopes.

No Truebox. I don't care if they allow programs that allow you to box as much as you want OR they introduce a new system that only allows you 1 character that ACTUALLY works...meaning no more virtual machines ect ect, but for the love of Tunare no more Truebox. Beyond frustrating to be using a laptop to box like a normal person just to get a disconnect message because you hit a basic macro button that the system thinks someone is cheating.(Like super basic macro..that is built into the game hot button feature) Truebox has been out for so long now that all the master programmers have perfected their 12+ box teams to avoid the system. Unless you get rid of Truebox it will never be "fair". One character only or just leave it wide open for everyone.

Please at a minimum make it 3 months per expansion with levels and 2 without. I would prefer 3 months universally but anything less that would be a very big disappointment. This IS NOT one of your 10+ fresh start servers. Everyone has seen the first 10-15 expansions a dozen times. Only a small few have seen anything past House of Thule. Please let us enjoy them a little before you make everything worthless again. The majority of these expansions are a bit harder raiding and grouping content so don't turn the server into some grind that resets to fast not allowing us a break to enjoy the view. 3 months is a fair sweet spot. I will settle for 2 months without levels but if you make it 2 months for everything, I believe it will backfire with people leaving due to burnout. I personally am waiting for Pantheon so I would LOVE to play on this server and catch up to live while I wait seeing all the expansions I never touched before with people who are doing them together at appropriate levels.

No free loot. This server will be unique enough, dont throw an atomic bomb ruleset into it that will just cause the forums to rage and spend months talking about how unfair the loot system is instead of how people are enjoying the later expansions. If you treat this server right, you will actually get people to buy expansions in the future they don't own..so more of a win for you.

Lastly, just be smart before launching the server. Make sure you have a 1-2 hour meeting that is just a focus on what issues will this server create. An example is the J5 merc. I suggest you just GIVE everyone the J5 merc flag or make an NPC that will create an instance where you can go in and do them with a group. Trying to get a useable merc at launch with everyone farming that quest will be a nightmare if you don't prep for it. Maybe find a way to allow the Shawl catch-up to not require a creation kill from Underfoot. Not saying having people skip any of the group stuff (make them earn their tier 8 convortum flagging) but instead of requiring the head from first creation kill, make it a drop from say a Tier 3 raid boss in HoT instead. Still requires some raiding and skill but not weeks of back raiding which will be a unhealthy grind for the start of a new server. Especially when 1/3rd of the guild won't want the shawl and won't have the motivation to go kill underfoot raid bosses.

Anyhow, I'm excited about this server either way. Finally something different and reasonable. Selo's server was a good start to doing something different but many of us don't want a 30 day expansion where you basically get a nice meal served to you but 20% into your nicely cooked steak someone knocks your plate onto the ground and you don't get to finish or enjoy your meal. This server has great potential in my opinion for those who are finally looking for a NEW Everquest experience in an era where MMO's are just stalled.

This is the point I feel like we keep coming to an impasse on. I am saying they should create a transfer token that costs more, but I'm not saying it should cost the price of an 85 boost and a transfer token. I feel like, for this server, the transfer token should cost JUST the amount of a level 85 boost. I think that would be fair, given the character boost is the more expensive of the two services already.

For example, if I could buy a level 85 token on The Rathe and make a level 85 toon there. Or, I could make a level 85 on this new server and then transfer it to The Rathe. Either way, I'm accomplishing the same goal of having a level 85 toon on The Rathe... And at the point where anyone would be wanting to spend that money to transfer, I feel like the fact you started at level 85 would be almost irrelevant... It'd be like moving any other toon you leveled up, but the higher cost would be justified just because you did skip over the first 85 levels.

Worrying about a transfer seems like at-least a year away? By then there could be a dozen things different in how they handle transfers...or lack there of currently since they are broken.

First, with regard to issues with this server and the other live servers, I think that it is rather simple to see that no server transfers off will ever be allowed as along as this server exists with the ability to make HCs for free. Whenever the server does catch up to the Live Servers it will likely be merged into an already existing server, and the make a HC for free aspect will be turned off (just as was done with Mayong).

It would be at least 14, possibly 16, character slots (8 from current subscription, 3 from Dolls of Character, 3 from Marketplace; and 2 if you happened to have had an All Access when the transition from Gold to the current All-Access sub happened).

The issue with that idea is that the description of the server so far fits more in line with what Nolrog said. The server is specifically being advertised as all characters being created on the server are HC's not that you will have X number of heroic flags set to that server. The number of HCs would vary greatly depending on how many slots you have, so some could have as few as 8 others could need 16.

If anything, my bet is that their solution will be that no one gets either the 15k or the Bayle marks upon making their character.

It is the same code, the only difference is that they decided to flip the 0 to a 1 regarding using FV's item ruleset on Quarm in order to facilitate its growth due to the nature of the event that it was.

I think it will be a Heroic Character in name only. All your going to get is level 85. Nothing has been said about the additional gear, money or mount.

That's ridiculous.

The Producers Letter states that you

The Heroic Character FAQ lists what that entails

Per Sheldon "Bazinga".

Well if I had my preferences I would honestly like the server to be "free trade' Honestly, No Trade items really always took the immersion out of the game for me. I mean even in a fantasy setting, it is absurd that you can't sell your sword, helmet, shield, etc. Also, I like the fact that buying gear off the market is an alternative way of gearing your toons because, I am 47 years old and have a demanding job that requires me to be out of town about half a month at a time. I will never be able to raid enough to gear up my toon fully and that is even assuming a raiding guild would tolerate a player that would likely missed 50-70% of their raids due to my job.

That being said, at the end of the day, I guess it doesn't matter and I am looking forward to this new server. I have never played past level 65 and quite frankly it is pure hell trying to level toons up from scratch unless you box because none of the servers have any sort of low level gameplay and grouping any more. It will be really nice to start at level 85 for all the characters I ever wanted to try out at high levels and be on equal footing to everyone else. I am also looking forward to the rather slow expansion release rate just so players like me, have more time to play the content and catch up to the the front runners rather than be left in the dust as they race through the expansions.

If its Free trade then it will become a krono nightmare. Every epic piece, important class specific items will be targeted by the bot armies. Also by HoT, cultural gear is in full effect and would make the gear useless when you can buy gear equal to it. Dunno just my thoughts but nothing like trying a new server while throwing a crazy loot twist into it as well. Not sure I want a server where something that important could be handled wrong and boom..dead server. I like safe and sound. Besides after HoT most expansions don't need the previous xpansions for flagging to catch up and play with friends so "buying" loot isn't as important. Aa's and Augs are the important part.