AoC Level-locked Start* All expansions up to GoD open at launch. Truebox ON - but removed when DoDH unlocks Free-to-Play accounts allowed on server when VoA unlocks Expansion Unlock schedule as below: Level 10 - Week 01 *Classic XP* Level 20 - Week 02 Level 30 - Week 03 Level 40 - Week 04 Level 50 - Week 05 *Progression XP* Level 50 - Week 06 Level 50 - Week 07 Level 50 - Week 08 Alternative*: Start with 51/50 character Level 60 - 12 Weeks Level 65 - 12 Weeks *GoD XP* OoW - 08 Weeks DoN - 04 Weeks DoDH - 08 Weeks PoR - 04 Weeks TSS - 12 Weeks *Live XP* TBS - 8 Weeks SoF - 12 Weeks SoD - 10 Weeks UF - 10 Weeks HoT - 10 Weeks VoA - 12 Weeks RoF - 12 Weeks CoTF - 08 Weeks TDS - 12 Weeks TBM - 08 Weeks EoK - 08 Weeks RoS - 12 Weeks TBL - 08 Weeks ToV - 12 Weeks CoV - 12 Weeks
I'd rather just a simple GOD start expansion. Skip the trash (classic-luclin) and get to the better stuff.
How would that be helpful this year? New TLP launches some time in May. Mischief/Thornblade move from Gates to OOW at the end of May. We would then have two years worth of TLPs on almost the same exact timeline.
Because 1. The server wouldn't be Free Trade 2. The server wouldn't be random loot 3. For the first time ever you get bsts and zerkers leveling with everyone rather than being PLed which opens many different zones rather than the same boring ones people do (UR, Guk, Solb, Hole, Seb) And who cares where other servers are? People play the same 3 expansions on repeat each year and usually take the same exact half dozen zones to level in throughout the year. Aradune/Riz were in POP when they left for Mischief/TB and just 7 months later...back in POP they went!
I get 1 and 2. I even get 3. But I don't see many people flipping servers to start over in the exact same era they are already in. However people will still do the same zones only it will be Paludal, ToFS, etc. I'm not against a Gates launch server, I just don't think it would do well starting it at the same time as another TLP is still in Gates.
Decent suggestion Skuz. I'd opt for the 51/50 alternative to encourage people to get in game with a relatively fresh ruleset instead of yet another year long slog through trilogy. I think it's pretty clear that a lot of people that have actually made it beyond OoW have enjoyed the content, yet the prime of TLP's never get to that point. It would be a good opportunity for the developers to let the player base see some of the newer expansions in a fresh server environment.
I hate to be a naysayer here, since I'm sure a lot of thought has been put into this idea, plus I would personally love to see a TLP with a GoD start. I get why he wants this. Having said that, here's where I think it would break down... The current TLP setup is such that a GoD start would mean the tutorial is unlocked. Anyone who is familiar with the tutorial can ding 10 solo in two hours, even at Classic XP rate. If the server is level-locked at 10 for the first week, that means I'm twiddling my thumbs all that week unable to play there. If the tutorial is kept locked for this particular server, then no Gloomingdeep armor yet, which makes the GoD Abysmal Armor quests relevant, and realistically you have to be 65 to do those, and on this timeline it's a 20-week wait before level 65 unlocks. People are going to be doing a lot of waiting around in general on this timeline, because it's REALLY easy to solo to 50 with that much content available. I'm also not a fan of starting at 51/50. You'd be locked out of the tutorial, and the same issue of having to wait until 65 unlocks to do any of the GoD armor quests still applies. 51/50 was tried on the event servers several years back and was not popular then. If a TLP is truly intended to relive the experience of shaping your character's path from the beginning, that dictates a start at level 1. I wouldn't object if players were given the option to start at 51/50, if I could decline it. I am guessing that allowing a TLP server to go F2P before hitting Live is a non-starter from the company's perspective, since the subs are a revenue source. I don't see how they would fit into the existing player base at that point anyway, since they would be way too far behind in AAs, and F2P doesn't give you much of an AA quota to work with. If the intent is to allow established players on that server to go off-sub for a while and keep going, you can do that on a Live server instead. At that stage of progression, I would want to be guilding with people who were all able muster the same level of commitment as I would have. I think if the start-up approach is going to be level-lock rather than expansion-lock, there's still going to be a demand to go immediately to 50, and then get to 65 ASAP.
Level locking could be a fun concept. I could imagine a lot of guilds trying to push the limits of each level range instead of being held back by only expansions. I can imagine a lot of different approaches between guilds in a server environment such as this. I played way back on the 51/50 years ago, I thought it was a fun concept and it was quite popular at the time. I remember rolling tons of characters there and playing through the Planes multiple times. I feel like TLP's weren't as refined back then with AoC's and what not, things have improved significantly since the earlier days.
I'm a firm believer in the adage "There is no such thing as bad publicity" So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.
HAHA! Edit: Someone, wrap all the worst TLP server ideas into one, also please give it a terrible name like Benito's "Prison Server" and THEN make it PvP. That.... will explode the forums.
