GoD-Mode TLP

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by Skuz, Jun 22, 2020.

  1. Aneuren Tempered Steel

    You know what makes this idea interesting to me? Seeing how many people would push into GoD content before the appropriate level and, perhaps in so doing, realize that there is content beyond Classic EQ that they might just enjoy.
    Tweakfour17, code-zero and Skuz like this.
  2. Mercanyin Augur


    Please reference the interviews and posts.
  3. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Here Holly touches on the problems GoD had.



    Also worth a look is the twitch stream of Shawn Lord, former EQ Dev
    https://m.twitch.tv/averylovingrobot/profile


    Shawn has several recent streams recorded with other former EQ Dev team members/leads/coders etc. as guests
    Scott Hartsman, Ryan Barker, Bill Fisher, Rich Waters, Akil Hooper, Todd Schmidt so far - and some others contributing via chat or discord.
    Several of the devs in those streams have mentioned problems with GoD, specifically how after LDoN a big chunk of the experienced team had to be shunted onto EQ2 to get that done before WoW launched, Shawn himself mentions this as does Akil Hooper (Lyndroh), and Rich Waters.
    Left behind to finish up GoD was at the time a team of mostly the apprentices to the experienced Devs.

    Prathun chimed in on chat of one of the streams explaining there was a lot more to the problems with GoD tuning than just the anticipated level raise that ended up not going in with it.
    Pawtato likes this.
  4. Pawtato Augur


    There's old EQ guild boards that are still active and have some ex devs that post on them and handle AMAs with the dev team.

    The interview with Holly is good like Skuz linked above.
  5. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    The other thing that was going on during GoD development was the full engine revamp to bring the game up from Direct X 7.0 (I think) to Direct X 9.0

    https://www.firesofheaven.org/threads/everquest-ama-answered.10980/

  6. Mercanyin Augur


    I have watched that before. My point was for someone who is saying they are referencing something. To actually reference it and not just use that phrase to try and make their point.

    I am also on board with a new server starting out at GoD so that we get the Beastlord/Berserker and Vah-Shir at level 1. Plus all of the lower level spells that never get used. Such as, Clerics heal over time spells, Shadowknights despair line etc...
    Skuz likes this.
  7. Pawtato Augur

    Elidroth: https://www.firesofheaven.org/threa...ak-russian-shutdown.989/page-144#post-2434501
    Gates was a disaster at launch, for a lot of reasons. Delays in getting it finished, designers responsible for major aspects of it quitting just as testing of content was to begin leaving people scrambling to figure out just what the hell was intended, poor communication from community people on updates, and so forth. If you think SOE TRIED to kill EQ, you're a moron. Nobody actively tries to kill a profitable product. That's pure stupidity. EQ2 didn't really take THAT many players from EQ1.. although a lot of people DID try EQ2 when it launched, the majority of players who left EQ did so for a few reasons:

    1) The absolute disaster that Gates was at launch. Not just game balance, but an entirely new lore that nobody gave a about.
    2) WoW. This part is huge. WoW was simply a better game. All the years of so many classes being unable to play alone, and here comes WoW where EVERY class can play alone. Logging on and sitting on your sucks.
    3) The game was several years old at this point. It's not unreasonable to think people just moved on. When you combine this with the above reasons, it made it much easier to move on.

    EQ had been the red-headed stepchild of SOE for a long time. It made the money, but almost every game that came along afterwards was intended to be the new cash cow, and it frankly just never worked. It wasn't until DCUO really got going that ANY game made more money than EQ.. H1Z1 did initially as well once there were revenue streams in place. Those of us who worked on EQ were pretty unhappy about constantly being the revenue, but getting on by management. Holly actually helped to change that in a lot of ways, but it took Ponytail getting shitcanned to actually give EQ a voice in the company again. While he was in charge of the EQ franchise, we were more a necessary annoyance to him.. We paid the bills, but he preferred that we just shut the up and stay out of sight.
    Skuz and Mercanyin like this.
  8. Mercanyin Augur

  9. Nennius Curmudgeon

    Mercanyin and Pawtato like this.
  10. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Yeah Elidroth doesn't mince his words at all there, it's fascinating to get an insight into how each member of the team felt and it blows my mind how EQ was built & how each expansion had it's own drama, trials & tribulations behind the scenes. This kind of history is deeply resonant with me having played so long.

    Back on topic though:

    GoD seems like a great place to start a TLP even knowing all of the problems it had, perhaps even because of them. It's massive departure from D&D at the time might have alienated some of the fanbase back in the day but I think it set the tone for just how bold EQ was and how brave it was to go off exploring so many new themes. I think of GoD/OMM as exploring the "demonic" realms of fantasy that are often poorly done.
  11. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    :rolleyes:
  12. code-zero Augur

    If there is some way to place limits on levels per week this is one of the most interesting and innovative proposals for a TLP (LLP?) server in a very long time. The economy would be interesting as things like banded armor may become more generally available as the fast levelers could skill up tradeskills
    Skuz likes this.
  13. Mercanyin Augur

    #maketradeskillsgreatagain
    Skuz likes this.
  14. Twixi New Member

    I would like to see one close to Fippy, but with tweaks. 1. Extra slow exp like half of corniav 2. All classes released at launch. I know vah shir and drakk wouldn't be available but you could still do bst, zerk, or the later combos like halfling ranger.
    Keep the 3 month unlocks. I think it could be fun playing through classic as a server or bst. Without aa, could make it more interesting, rather than the same rinse and repeat we have now with classic launches
  15. code-zero Augur

    The only way all classes are going to be available at launch is if GoD is open.
    Skuz likes this.
  16. jeskola pheerie

    This is a neat novel idea, but I see it drawing reletively small numbers and not making sense to Darkpaw financially.
    Skuz likes this.
  17. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    That's very possibly true, the idea & logic I feel are solid but the caveat being the level-locking likely requires new tech. If the team felt the new tech was not worth it for such a short-start maybe they could double the level-locked stages, so 8 weeks to unlock 50 rather than 4, though I would still rather the server hit GoD/OoW before the next year's TLP opens just so that players got to see something beyond PoP.

    Some of the rationale behind that slowed down start is to help account for any problems at the launch and so fewer players feel left behind at the beginning, it being a little less of a race than prior servers that open with 50 being the primary goal to rush for.

    I don't expect to see a TLP next year with Rizlona's boxing-server rules so perhaps my proposed/idea would fit best alongside an Aradune-style TLP launched next year as the alternative server option for those looking for something different.
  18. Mercanyin Augur

    I would very much like to play either Iksar Shaman or Iksar Shadowknight from day 1. I would not mind at all the level locking and perhaps also slow the experience down. I have played EQ2 far longer than I ever did EQ and one thing that I really dislike about that game now is you level so fast that by the time you've gone to one zone to complete a quest chain. You have out-leveled the content. Although you get the chronomage on live servers. They disabled them on the TLP there. I get that same thing from EQ now. You out-level the content fast. The only difference between EQ and EQ2 is that EQ will still drop loot from trivial mobs.

    #GoD-LeveLHardcoreServer
  19. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Thanks for the feedback.

    Classic XP is pretty slow, alongside the level locking it should let players explore a little more of the content rather than just laser-focusing on the most optimal path only.
  20. Mercanyin Augur


    How do we start a petition and get people signed on to have this server launch next TLP set?