Need advise for my site pharone.com

I am working on a complete revamp and redesign of my website www.Pharone.com, and I need advice, feedback, etc.

First off, this site is going to be an Everquest site along the lines of what Zam used to be. I say used to be because Zam (whether people realize it or not) quit supporting EQ long ago. People now use a site called EQResources. EQResources is a great site for modern EQ stuff. As for anything before the House of Thule expansion, EQResources doesn't really cover it, and what data that is on Zam's EQ site is outdated and in a lot of cases flat out incorrect.

So, I decided I would throw my hat in to the ring of game support sites, and try to help the game I spend most of my free time on. At the same time, I am an out-of-work web application developer, so this gives me something to help keep my skills up to speed.

Here's the thing. I am working on the design and layout right now. So, I would love some feedback from the community.

Please take a look at the site, and let me know your thoughts. What would you as a community like to see?

Thanks

I should point out that what I am most interested in right now is feedback on the areas that will be covered on the site. Click through the navigation bar at the top to see what is planned.

Thanks again

Sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make.

Dont really see a need for another EQ site. Unless your trying to promote your twitch feed. How far along are you going to get on it before you make another complain thread and threaten to quit again?

I do not recommend it, unless you have a lot of free time on hand, these kind of sites require a lot of work. I own two sites, neither are eq related. one is for my hubby's business and the other is a personal one and they require attention and need to be updated etc, never mind a site that should be so dynamic... so keep that in mind while you consider this.

Gotta love that ignore feature on the forums. Thanks DBG!

You are correct 100%. But, as I said in my original post, I'm between jobs and have entirely too much time on my hands right now. Thanks

Come on guys, no need to be rude and attack Risiko, it's amazing how poisonous the TLP forums can be... After all, it's great that after 17 years there are still people who want to invest time into the EQ world and are willing to develop EQ resources on the web.

So, Risiko, good luck to you and Pharone.com !

If you allow me to throw in my 2 cps, as a "consumer" of internet resources, I would be in need of an item database which works better than the Allakhazam one in relation to old expansions. Even when using the premium features and the filters, it's almost impossible to obtain accurate lists of item which would cover the early expacs, and therefore be TLP-compatible. Alla will display, even filtered, powerful items of zone revamps which don't exist on TLP servers, will display Defiant gear which we don't have, will show items (and mobs) not yet implemented, etc.. Try for example to find a caster item with Spell Haste III or Improved Damage III using the Search function and limiting to Kunark expansion, you'll see - whereas in classic/kunark era on TLP there isn't any SH III item at all and there is only (iirc) the white dragonscale cloak with ID III.

You could also add a "best in slot" filter for each class, tunable by level, and open to discussion. Such a feature doesn't exist anywhere (on p99 wiki is a kind of gear set suggestion per class and era, but it's not finished and it's not a dynamic data base, and there are no focus effects on p99 which changes the perspective a lot, see for example the impact of focus effect on the desirability of an Obulus Death Shroud on TLP servers vs. p99).

You could also bring a lot to the EQ community with an up to date spell data base for TLP servers. Alla/Lucy has eveything wrong now with the scaling of effects according to levels (damage related to level on nukes, for example) to a point I don't even use it anymore because it is full of I use only the p99 wiki for spell statistics, but p99 stops at Velious era and Luclin is not that far ahead of us.

Maybe for the spell database you could team up with the person running TLP spell planner who has done a great job but the spells have no hypertext link to a stat database about the spell itself (only the location/drop info is provided).

Well, I talk and talk, but I am aware how hard and difficult implementing such things can be, my apologies . I hope my few ideas will just give you some useful input. Good luck again !

Honestly I'd save that effort for Pantheon , the new MMO game Brad McQuaid is making. looks to be a great spiritual successor to EQ.

Between p99 wiki, raidloot items+spell/aa parsers, allakhazam, and EQResource (special events, current content) there isn't much you can't find very easily. There are a few minor TLP related things its difficult to find data on (what does Innoruuk drop on lockjaw, etc), we probably don't need another website to deal with those or the mountain of other thins we already have covered adequately.

Your site needs https. If it's not included with your web host, check out letsencrypt.org

haha.. Good luck with anything that guy makes lasting more than a year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EverQuest

Despite the trollish naysayers, I'd say go for it. I mean, suppose if the guy who started ragefire spells and ragefire prices listened to the general community feedback, we wouldn't have those two wonderful resources. Heck, even further back, imagine the negativity that the people who started Allakazam got when they came up with the idea?

I think it has potential.

You just need to find some niche information that the TLP community needs but doesn't currently have easy access to. Ragefireprices is a great example of something that I didn't know I wanted but as soon as it got fleshed out I use(d) the hell out of it.

I agree with Adonhiram. I think there is a niche demand for a site like allakhazam, but specifically for progression servers.

I use a combination of P99 wiki, allakhazam and Ragefirespells, but none of these completely cover these TLPs.

P99 doesn't have focus effects, and a lot of the zone and spawn information is incorrect for our TLPs.

Allakhazam's is useful, but doesn't separate between live and TLP. It's hard to find out if that item or spell you've looked up is in game or not. Plus, as someone said earlier, spell damage calculations are somewhat screwy.

Ragefirespells is a great resource, but not up to date for Velious yet, and is only part of the whole picture.

Well you've already gotten zam beat on the framework/layout. A content DB is going to be the hardest part. And as far as that goes, you're basically stuck with only 2 options:

1. Project EQ's database (http://www.peqtgc.com/downloads.php)
2. Takproject's database. (http://www.takproject.net/redirect/ bottom link)

A third, less legit option is to write the necessary tools to scrape a site like magelo or zam.

Then there's the start from scratch / crowdsource option, which, IMHO, will go nowhere.

I have fairly extensive experience perusing both projecteq and takproject's databases. Neither are without their flaws and require significant optimizations to make practical to use in a website that needs to be able to field queries rapidly.

All things considered, I think I like takproject's better, but it's only really thorough thru Kunark. Velious is in no shape to be used.

ProjectEQs DB goes deeper, but the problem with using that one is that it's not consistent with TLPs. Ie. It has late-game CoM mobs, defiant armor, etc etc.

Anywho, good luck. I've spent probably 50-60 hours playing with the concept of a content DB and haven't gotten a DB to a state I feel is production-ready. If you're interested in playing with what I *have* come up with, you can find it at http://tinyurl.com/eqtrilogy It's currently staged with the takproject DB and zones thru Velious which, as I said, are spotty with loot information.

PS. Thanks for linking my spell site.

Sigh - yeah I know... It's taking me awhile to get a handle on Velious. That expansion is a sh**-storm of random spell drops from random trash mobs.

I'm taking a week off work soon - and come hell or high water, Velious will be done!

I agree with a couple posters that it would be pretty awesome to have a website like alla specifically for TLPs.
One suggestion I have would be to expand on Xanadas's site about ragefirespells and maybe add some spell data. Alla spell data is spotty at best, it seems to have DD's and %slows mostly not correct.

Unfortunately, some of the most helpful information on Alla is in the comments, so maybe provide links to the equivalent item on Alla so that someone may look in the commentary for additional help with the mob / item they're looking at.

it is not an attack to point out this will be time consuming etc considering the history of previous posts. it will be a lot of frustrating work and he will get a lot of negative feedback as well. if he cannot take it as he has shown himself to be thin skinned before, and blows up again, it will be a lot of effort wasted. running a website like alla's is in no way easy. so, no, cautioning him is not an attack, it's reminding him what's involved.