Should TLP's have a fixed end point?

You are right. It's no advantage and directly impacts who some players join a TLP to begin with.

I believe there is room for A server with such a ruleset, even a /servertransfer off at any time server, but keep other normal TLPs on the same cycle.

They could for the pre-pop expansions; however, I don't see how guilds would be able to gear up and do 2 expacs of raids in 2 months. Let alone doing whatever progression is necessary or other skill progression needed for future expacs.

Well, the benefit would be to have a different ruleset that lends itself to a fixed end point. A xrazy idea that was passed around a year or two ago was something like;
Next expac unlocks the moment all bosses from current are killed. Combined with vastly increased XP/rares/factions and reduced lockouts.

Example; After phinny/naggy/vox/eye (does OoA have serverwide?) die, kunark opens. After Gore/Sev/Tal/Trak and VP are clear, Velious opens - etc

Obv this is just 1 idea, but thats a server where you could say "After 90 days" or something the server ends. Or "When Mearatas is beaten" the server ends. Give acct rewards for ppl on the server, slightly increased rewards based on guild performance or whatever.

I'll give it to you that it is a creative idea. Is it a good one? That is certainly debatable.

It is obviously devised by, and for, the most hardcore of no-lifers.

Sure, but who cares. Just give the rewards to anyone above lvl X on the server. Then casual people dont have to worry about "keeping up" they can enjoy endless content, fast xp, fast rares, etc.

The point is, there are many knobs to turn.

end point? userpool-wise, numbers tell it's somewhere between velious and pop.

No?

The best content is all after POP so no, this idea will ruin TLPs for lots of people.

There are more people on TLPs that play post POP than there are annual recyclers.

This only ensures one zerg guild burns through and the other 95% of players on the server are undergeared for advancement.

This math sucks.

1) It's literally the roughest of rough draft for an idea
2) You're wrong. Because some of the expacs don't require you to be geared well to beat them. Someone could just ignore DoN prog and spend the time gearing in anguish/tacvi so that when DoDH starts, you have a headstart. There is just no way to maintain a force for "everything"
3) Even if by some astronomical effort you are right... so what? I even said you give everyone on the server the reward

I would spectate

If they wanted to test this, do a TLP year with two servers.

One that goes all the way to Live with Mischief ruleset and a relatively briskly paced unlock cycle.

One that goes to The Broken Mirror with a combination of the Mischief and Oakwynd rulesets and a relatively sluggish unlock cycle up until the last few expansions.

When the TBM one concludes, players can either leave their characters there or move it to the still-ongoing one.

This would be an awful test. TBM is YEARS away and even less appealing with a "sluggish unlock cycle"

True. But if it's going to have a pre-determined end point, having a longer window to complete expansion goals sounds better in theory. Of course in practice that actually has been proven wrong constantly.

So maybe brisk pace both with the added bonus of the "To TBM" server also starting w/ Kunark unlocked for more leveling path diversity.

Agnaar is very good, so I wouldn't want to screw it up. That being said, naked transfer to Agnaar off of select TLPs with slow Experience and leveling <65 wouldn't be to bad if it didn't interfere with the culture there. That or deleveling like you have a level 80 on another TLP but it has dried up, so you would rather be a 65 on Agnaar.

It would be a problem if they let anyone with a lot of strikes on. Couldn't allow transfers from FV for instance because of the fast Exp.

If nobody wants to go, it would be a waste of effort. Only reason to do it would be 1) Make money on transfers 2) Increase Agnaar population a bit.

Great idea! They should start a server like this...and call it something catchy like... Vaniki!

2 months classic and 1 month each expansion,if you did away with most of the aa grind,each expansion give 70% of aa on release or100%.Take keying out if its been done on that account on any server,full loot drop from each named killed,also random items drop from same lvl nameds,the issue is having to gear up raiding forces and keep up with expansion.doing luclin shards for the 10th time even if they are way easier now its still a pain.

A fixed endpoint is great for a variety of reasons:

1. There's no pressure to "keep up." Once your server reaches its end point, you can play as much or as little as you like and you won't fall behind. For example: I could barely play from Feb-July this year, I would've missed maybe 2 xpac unlocks on a normal TLP. That puts me insanely far behind. I'm no longer in my guild, and I have to play EVEN MORE to catch up. Luckily, I play on Agnarr. I could take a 6 month break and come back and I'm still BIS, my guild is still here, and I can pick up immediately where I left off. I've got a guildie who came back after 2 years gone
2. To me, it helps me justify the 'investment' in my character. I don't want to invest a bunch of time and possibly money on my character on a TLP that requires me to grind 20+ hours/week to keep up for an endless period of time, and if I take a break, the server is basically over for me. I've only spent real money on potions, crates, etc, on Agnarr for this reason
3. VERY FEW players want to play to live EQ. Pretty much all TLP servers that have hit live have had 1 guild only by the time it hit live. So of let's say 10,000 people that might play on a given TLP at some point, only about 100 of them play through to live. Most people have specific time periods they enjoy playing in and don't intend on going to live. Having era locked places for those people to "retire" to would be very ideal. This will allow people to play in eras they enjoy and not have to artificially keep themselves there in a live server setting, for example. Nobody would really do this
4. Having a locked server allows you to fully commit to each character. On a regular TLP, it's too much work, and mostly impossible to be fully BIS on characters as you're progressing. On a locked TLP like Agnarr for example: you can take your time to do every single quest, every TS, get every piece of loot, aug, etc.

You could theoretically do this yourself on a live server and just say "I will only play up to X lvl and only explore zones up to X expansion," but the problem would be in finding a group of people who want that and commit to it. Having this as the feature of a server solves that problem: all the people who want that will go to the server.

No thanks. I'm pretty sure you can transfer off a TLP to Live at any time you want anyway, making the entire concept pointless. The rest of the players who want to continue the timeline shouldn't be punished just because you don't want to continue playing.