Let the Players Decide the 25th Anniversary TLP Server Feature Set

How about Darkpaw does somethintg truly revolutionary and let the players decide what kind of TLP server that will be released for the 25th Anniversary in 2024. We know that the tech already exists to poll players and obtain their votes.

Yes, it would take a more time to formulate the feature set and tally the votes, but I the end result would be worth it. EQ TLP players are in the trenches in Norrath every day, they more than anyone know what works and what doesn't work. Since they have to live on these servers, I think it would be a refreshing idea to ask them what they would like to see.

In addition to what players devise, Darkpaw could also add some surprizes for EQ TLP players to sweeten the pot. The number "25" comes to mind for exp bonues, chance of rares, lockouts, etc. I'm sure they have some exciting features planned for us. The sky is the limit.

If this experiment in player democracy proves successful, I think it might be a good idea for this methodology to continue in the future. We could have Darkpaw design a TLP server and the players design a TLP server with two new servers each year. Then players could vote with their feet.

I think it would be a nice gesture on behalf of the devs. I'd be interested in hearing everyone's thoughts on this.

Votes have been proven not to work with previous Voting TLPs. Too much opportunity to troll.. you'll have people with no intention of playing on the server voting for the worst ruleset.

Secondly, only ForumQuesters would vote, not the casual playerbase, so you'll end up with a niche ruleset which doesnt appeal to the masses that like to reroll in classic year after year. ForumQuesters THINK you they know the ruleset they want but the reality is they really do not.

Bad idea, next.

As in a poll? Bad idea.

Players already do what they should be doing by providing feedback on the things they would like to see with some constructive reasoning being provided as to why they want it.

The devs will pick a few player ideas maybe mess them around a bit and some stuff of their own or completely transform them into something the player never intended for them to be & then voila! We will have a new TLP ruleset.

To offer a counter point to some of the feedback, this poll could be done in-game which would mitigate the Forumquest effect. And, it would be one vote per account. As we all know, these forums are not an always an accurate reflection of the opinions of the EQ community.

Generally speaking, I don't see anything wrong with Darkpaw coming out and simply asking what we want to see in a 25th Anniversary server. This could be as simple as an official thread on these forums or a more in-depth poll in-game poll. There are also 3rd party websites where polls can be hosted for official purposes to gather customer data.

It's in Darkpaw's best interests financially that the new server is so desirable and irrestable that it attracts record numbers of players.

In any event, the devs would always have the final say, so it's not like we'd get a Frankenstein monster server created by saboteurs. Since this is truly momentous occasion, I don't think it would hurt if Darkpaw took a more inclusive and collaboratrive approach to this special server.

The current server rules creation process is trial and error right now: the devs make a server and hope that it resonates with the players. Some do, some don't. That's a lot of resources to expend on unproven and untested rulesets without the added approval of players. I hope Darkpaw will keep open mind about consulting the players.

When the development team has done polls in-game with the poll up for several days (at least a week) and posted the poll results online, if the results didn't match exactly what the forum trolls wanted, the declared the results invalid for whatever reason they could manufacture, even when the vote was once per account and you needed a subscription (i.e. pre F2P).

I would be interested in a seasonal ruleset, however that is likely complex for the DBG team to implement.

IE: Every week or 2 weeks the server changes rulesets.

Selos EXP for 2 weeks
Mischief random loot for 2 weeks
FV loot for 2 weeks
Increase rares for 2 weeks
Increased faction for 2 weeks
Increased Spawn timers for 2 weeks
DZ Timers reducedfor 2 weeks
And so on

They would be able to take all of the ideas from the public and push them at some point and time during the high population days of Classic - PoPower.
They may even be able to bring in some of the PVP crowd at a point with a 2 weeks of PVP ( no gear loss ) or something of the sort.

A poll in game sounds like the perfect idea.

Until you realize the 36+ bot crews will be voting and voting and voting…with all those accounts.

This same idea comes up every year on the forums and gets shut down with good reasons every year. OP should feel bad about wasting people's time on it again.

The same idea?

That's news to me. Not everyone lives on the forums 24/7. There may be people who have never played EQ before or people that haven't played in 20 years. Please show me some evidence that my post is the same idea as other years. Also, I'm not required to check the forums to see if others have posted similiar ideas in the past 24 years.

Gets shut down?

There's a few people who don't like the idea. All good. I can handle that. There may be some who like the idea. This is a discussion forum. Last I checked, we discuss ideas and suggestions here.

Good reasons?

That's your opinion. I disagree. I think my suggestions are a good and worth considering. Feel free to formulate a cogent argument with some counterpoints. I'd be happy to have a discussion with you.

OP should feel bad?

No. I don't feel bad at all. I'm in a great mood. I have every right to post a new thread as you do to reply. You don't have to read my posts. You don't have to reply either. You chose to waste your own time by replying. That's not my fault, that's your fault.

Have a nice day!

If a person is paying for an account, they should get a vote. TLP servers require All Access Pass after all. I'm sure you mean box, not bot. Bots are illegal I think.

How many 36+ bot crews are running wild out there in Norrath?

Why do you think someone with 36 accounts would vote the wrong way?

Is there even such a thing as voting the wrong way?

Vote:

1. Server rules A
2. Server rules B
3. Server rules C
4. Server rules D

Which of these votes is "wrong"?

Thanks for this info Rijaki. I wasn't playing EQ back then, so I was unware of these problems. I had no idea that in-game polls were so controversial. Now I understand why some forum regulars are hesitant to embrace player feedback as they are afraid it will be gamed by bad actors.

Another thing to consider is that the 25th Anniversary will no doubt be getting a lot of gaming media buzz. I have a feeling that many old EQ players and those have not played in 20 years may be tempted to return to Norrath.

Asking old players about what EverQuest means to them and what they loved about the original EQ could be a great marketing scheme. This is a golden opportunity for Darkpaw to pull out all the stops and create an amazing TLP ruleset and reap some nice financial rewards as well.

Votes should be 1 vote per person, not per account. Someone being able to vote 36 times V someone only able to vote once or 6 or whatever is unfair. Everyone should be equal.

So i have nothing against your ideas. I like them in fact. But there's one issue. This quoted part. People who haven't played EQ in 20 years arent going to to want "special rulesets".

Theyre gonna want to relive that nostalgia. The original way it was. No free trade, no FTE, no fast unlock or exp boosts or anything like that. The special rule sets are for those people stuck in the continuous original - PoP loop. They don't want different content but they need SOMETHING different about it to keep them going back and back.

Special rule sets won't do much for people thatve never experienced it

The Avatars themselves being boxed and botted are not real people. There is only one person at the computer. It should be one vote per person, not per account. Every TLP has had multiple Box armies running around in them. Some large enough to pull off their own raids. You must not be paying attention.

It should not take a smart person to see that.

25th TLP
1 server, The Void
rules
1. daily rotating zones with Mischief rules
2. daily rotating zone with pvp enabled (pick the raid zones, pick zones known for botters/pl'ers, pick zones known for fighting over camps)
3. daily rotating zones with triple xp (pick the less dense less populated, ex. north karana)
4. daily rotating zones with double loot
5. No level increase for a week upon expansion unlock
6. Expansion challenges (group and raids) for the 1st week (so gotta pull all nighters upon expansion unlocks for the first week) upon expansion unlock, rewards server wide.

You are asssuming too much.

Plenty of prior EQ players would not come back for that, they would prefer to come back to a fully revamped & modernised EQ, and there are players who want neither the nostalgia or the revamp but a completely new EQ game, and a bunch who want some version of EQ that never existed except in their head / imagination / fever dreams etc.

You simply can't lump all lapsed players into just 1 bucket, that's just not how human beings work, lapsed EQ players are as diverse as current players or maybe even more diverse than current players in what they would want from EQ to draw them back.

That's what Live is. Yet they haven't come back

Thus any TLP and any ruleset wouldn't apply to them as they wouldn't care and are of no consideration (I don't think an EQ3 is in the books at all)

I believe this is more the current TLP loop runners than anyone who stopped playing 20 years ago, as Live may be that version they always wanted and never knew about.

/shrug.

That's a very good point! The solution is for Darkpaw to make two new 25th Anniversary servers: one for the veterans and one for nostalgia folks. Daybreak makes a lot of money from EQ, they can certainly afford to make two servers for this special event.

as henry ford said, if i had asked what my customers wanted, they would have said a faster horse.

No it isn't, though it has made great technical strides in the past 2-3 years, rescued from almost being in maintenance-mode, there is a long way to go yet.