Step Locked TLPs

My pipe dream.

TLP servers that are step locked. Start and play on which ever one you want. If you want to move to the next expansion, pay a small fee for a transfer or start a new character. Guilds could have their members locked into each one, and have fun skipping back and fourth to what ever era they want to raid for the week. Others that just like the first two expansions can live out their life in Velious, or what ever one they want just like the 'Charge The Lair' peeps on Agnarr.

TLP Server Steps:
1) A server locked at Velious
2) One Locked at Luclin
3) One Locked at PoP
4) One Locked at LDoN, (Agnarr)
5) One Locked at GoD
6) One Locked at TSS
7) Transfer to a live server if you want to continue....

No

Why?

You get to play on which ever one you want. And more.

Two reasons, first is we know there is a limit to the number of servers they can have up at once. Second is that it would spread the population out and a bunch if not all of those servers would be close to dead.

There is no limit to the number of servers they can have up. See Blizzard's WoW servers lists.

Why would they be dead? Only the unpopular ones would be, and those are later into all the expansions. But some people still enjoy them, so guilds would be on them doing content.

Every time a new TLP is launched, it is very populated, as people like to play in classic era. The most healthy server is going to be the first one. Velious locked. I would imagine the second most populated would be PoP locked.

Again, the same guild could have characters on each server, and can schedule raids with its members in which ever era they want, every week.

I see, just a drive-by board troll.

This would probably hurt the revenue generated from the annual "new" TLP rush.

No. They pay their service provider on a per-server basis, and there is a budget. Blizzard can have 100x the number of servers because they have 100x the budget.

There is nothing conceptually wrong with your idea, much the same has been proposed before, but EQ doesn't have anywhere close to the population numbers needed to support it.

It is mainly the same people with the same all access accounts rushing to new TLPs from the old ones. Because their current sever has progressed beyond the expansions they like. There is no loss of monthly revenue from those already active accounts.

EQ is not WoW, it has different limits/budgets. Those servers are not free

They would be dead because the population normally found on 1 server, probably around 5000 people at launch, would be spread over 6 servers. If spread evenly that is only around 800 people per server. Dead servers make people quit an the populations would either consolidate on 1 server, so why bother having the others, or they will all die. People rush to a new TLP in part due to the population boom and the chance to start fresh with a bunch of other people, not because they adore classic.

Very few people play on more than 1 server at a time. This is not a thing that will happen.

This is a horrible idea every time someone brings it up. TLPs don't have the population to support this many servers.

We are only talking 5 more servers. which they do not have an issue with keeping up as TLPs already. Look at the server list. You will see more than 6 right now.

Servers support those interested in those particular expansions. See Agnarr, you consider it dead, but not the people still playing on it and having fun. People do play on more than one server already. Just because you don't, doesn't mean no one else does. How will they 'all' die, when people want to be on the most populated servers, as you claim. That is why the first couple locked servers will always be healthy. Have you checked out the populations on the live servers DB keeps around? Yeah...

I said revenue, I did not limit it to monthly revenue. I am talking about the revenue from all the other purchases that come along with a "fresh" TLP. That rush is driven by something that is unique to that "fresh" start, a certain environment exists around it that tends to open wallets. The subscription is just one source of revenue but more and more revenue continues to be generated by non-subscription purchases and I would wager it will far surpass subscriptions if it has not already.

WoW != EQ and we know in the past they have had to do server merges before they could launch new TLP servers.

Also how do you not expect the servers to have population problems as the player base moves from server to server to advance to the next expansion. Sure a single server has a great population but when you attempt to spread that population across 7 different servers you get a different result.

Also not sure why you think it would be a good idea to force players to pay to move onto the next expansion server or why you think guilds would run toons on multiple servers.

Blizzard also has a newer code base without all the limitations that EQ has. I am sure that some of the issues that they have with the number of servers is architecture based and not just paying for more servers.

TLP servers that are step locked actually makes a TLP PvP server sound like a great idea in comparison.

No (not a driveby troll)

the masses simply dont want level locked, its a very niche thing

they had to cancel pop lock from aradune/riz cause so many people were mad at the idea
https://www.everquest.com/news/eq-rizlona-aradune-progression-server-launch-2020

Do you mean expansion locked as this does not appear to be a level locked idea.

A troll would have had something pejorative to say.

You said this was a pipe dream. Out of curiosity, what do you use the pipe for?