<WHAT iF> You could run your own EverQuest server

First and foremost, I am NOT talking about a emulated EverQuest server like P99. The guys and gals over at EQemu do a fantastic job, but I am referring to being able to run your own EverQuest server that is made and licensed by DBG.

The idea of running your own EverQuest server is intriguing and fun to think about, and if you want to do it, you certainly can by using the EQemu system.

But... It would be nice if there was an out of the box solution provided by DBG for running your own server.

Here's what I would like to see if this was to ever be offered by DBG in the future:

• Login and security services provided by DBG as part of the normal EverQuest client
• Searchable section of private-ran servers on the server select screen
• 1 Free server license per account - runs on your computer
• Option to run server on DBG hardware for monthly fee. Monthly cost based on number of logins at the same time (10, 100, 500, etc)
• Ability for any DBG account to buy tokens with Day Break Cash to donate towards paying the fees of running a private server on DBG hardware
• All expansions except most recent expansion are free for private servers to enable (clients still have to purchase the expansions of course)
• Most recent expansion cost a license fee to enable on private server
• Ability for any DBG account to buy tokens with Day Break Cash to donate towards paying the fees to enable the most recent expansion on a private server
• Owner of private server has full GM rights, and can assign GM privileges to any users on that private server
• Configuration panel in game that allows them to modify most everything in game including (turning on and off particular expansions, setting experience modifiers, setting mob spawn rates, enabling/disabling mob spawns, modifying AC/Base DMG/Etc of mobs, modifying class abilities/spells/AAs)
• Editor for quests, achievements, collections, and missions where they can create/edit/delete any and all of these. (Example: creating an achievement for killing all Kunark Raid Mobs gives you your epic 1.0 as an achievement reward)
• Editor for races and classes. (Example: a server might give Harm Touch to all Dark Elves as a racial trait or give Complete Heal spell to the Paladin class.)
• Server can be set to private "invite only", "public", "public with password" access
• Owners can view/edit/remove all characters created on their server via a character manager.
• Ability for owner of server to ban by account (not just by character)
• Server setting to allow/disallow multi-boxing on same computer
• Ability to backup data to DBG hardware for private servers ran on the owner's computer

Will it ever happen? Probably not. But, I can dream right.

Just out of curiosity (and the fact that I am at work on Christmas Eve and bored), I was wonder just how much you would pay for a private server.

How much would you be willing to pay for...

1. Running a private EverQuest server on DBG hardware (per month)

• $50
• $100
• $200
• Nothing
• More

2. Monthly cost per block of 10 concurrent users

• $5
• $10
• Nothing
• More

3. Enabling the most recent expansion on your server

• $150
• $200
• $300
• Nothing
• More

I would just want something that is standalone not online so i could at least log in my toons and run around a few old zones (north freeport as example) and if it could have all current expansions and actual mobs that spawn and what not i'd pay in upwards of 2k for that ability ..

Holy crap. You would pay $2000 to have a private server that you play offline by yourself? Surely, I'm reading that wrong.

2k one time fee and as long as I get the server to myself and its a full functioning server and I can have my toons .. would not really be a private server .. since It would be played on my PC and not online.. ?

Yeah, but if you wanted to play on your own, you can do that today with EQemu with out spending any money at all. I mean, you would still have to login through the EQemu servers, but that's it. The idea of a DBG-licensed server was to be able to play with others (albeit a select number of people) while using an EverQuest server that was created by DBG.

I suppose the one thing you would be getting from what you was talking about though would be the fact that it was completely offline. I'm not sure that even EQemu can do that.

It's an interesting idea though. Basically what you want is EverQuest as a stand-alone offline RPG. They could certainly do that if they wanted, but I would think something like that would cost similar to any other stand-alone RPG like Witcher 3, Fall Out 3, Spiderman, Red Dead Redemption 2, etc; $60.

ya they used to have a sample tutorial in the EQ folder you could .exe and would load EQ tutorial but it was offline and just was able to run around kill few things was nice ..

after 20 years of putting money into this game and my characters would be nice to be able to log them in offline if and when EQ ever does sunsets and keep my toons and play a bit .. doesnt have to be too fancy ..

How much data would there be to download EQ to run offline on your own machine?

What is the business model? Canibalizing current business model because...?

I think if/when they finally decide to sunset the game selling the software to use with the ability to transfer our current characters data would be an interesting idea. Make it so people have the ability to run their own server if they wish or just play in their own world. I am not sure what price I would be willing to pay for this but obviously having spent thousands of dollars already I would be torn between losing all that money, time, and effort and wanting to spend hundreds of dollars more for something I have already invested into. Until this time though I don't really see the point unless someone has the ability to game at work but does not want to use the company internet so they just want to play a single player version of EQ?

I think polls are a no-no

Won't happen unless someone else buys the EQ IP and thinks that might be a route to follow.
At this point DBG isn't investing they just maintain at best.

I believe there are a few Solo 's out there that are wicked easy to setup now days with less than 2 hours worth of effort.

Why not just offer exclusive non-player-transfer licensed servers through the regular portal? If DBG required All-Access to use them, it could create a new dynamic way to choose what type of play one wanted in Everquest. Imaging being able to select servers with different zones, rule sets, and play styles - all included with All-Access.

Having a registration and approval process that includes a business plan type of proposal that includes the goals of the new server would assure only a limited number of new servers to keep the player base from splintering.

#1 I would do a database change to expansions enabled to 0. This is required since I will be re-building the entire game experience from the ground up so people have no idea what the mobs or quests are going to be.

#2 I would do a database search for defiant and delete anything that shows up.*I am going to custom loot all mobs anyways but it bothers me even knowing defiant exists and I feel a certain satisfaction in watching it deleted.

#3 I would do a database search for poktele and remove all pok books.

#4 I would attempt to redo each zone and cheat a little by using existing factions and renaming them to speed up the process. No zone would be the same as it was before.

#5 Each class and spells completely redone. Many spells that do really good things will be quested spells. Like clerics need to go on a spiritual journey to get a rez (for example.) Many pet classes will not have permanent pets. I envision a new mage class that acts more like a final fantasy summoner, bringing forth a powerful, temporary summons which only exists for a short time but does some fantastic things. Many of the Necromancer spells will involve corpses and death. Necromancers will have improved group related spells that still make them feel evil and necrotic.

Many more things I would do. Quests would be commonplace, named would be very special, some named would have respawn times of months or more but show up in unexpected areas. The respawn timer of these rare named would be random as well so when you actually get that drop they have you have something really special on your hands.

I'll be restoring the locked doors in unrest, adding some nice quest scythes for necros cause that is lacking and i'l be darned if a necro doesn't feel right with a scythe.

I could go on but I'll stop here.....

(I have no interest in having my own server unless it can be 100% custom.)

Alternate server I'd create:

I would make an I wanna be the guy server filled with roaming death mobs and you have to struggle to survive and level up because.... you wanna be the guy!

Alternate server I'd create #2:

Sword art online, one life server.

Yes, you only have one life. all classes need to use sword art abilities. When you die, it's all over. due to the hard nature of the server, grouping is heavily encouraged to ensure survival. in RARE RARE RARE occasions and researched log files it may be possible to get your life restored to to an error or lag, but generally death is permanent.

#3:
Monster server. Everyone is a monster yeah! (This one is just total nonsense I decided to add last second.)

#4: I would be 100% no 200%, no infinity % NOT willing to host a normal everquest server. (Reiterating my obsession with a new kind of server concept and development.

In fact, Daybreak, I will help create the new server for free. Private message me for contact info and I will 100% free work for you to make this happen. I can do mysql and server editing.

I would think any new server would start with the basics.

I would keep defiant, but it would only dropped of named mobs, and I would create other armor to compete with it.

I would likely keep the PoK books, but they would not be in the PoK since I would radically change what that zone does.

I would revamp the factions to reflect how the game was originally designed.

That would be a lot of work, but having each class less cookie cutter and more to type is a good thing.

I was thinking something similar to this. There would have to be a balance between attainable items for casual players and difficult to get items for hard-core (not just raid) players.

Having locked doors and traps could even replace mobs.

Of course.

I don't think I'd want to run my own server, but I probably would pay $100 to $200 for an unlocker that'd let me design my own dungeon/instance scenarios that my friends/family could play through. Although, I feel like a feature like that should require players to have subscribed accounts to play through user instance dungeons, similar to the progression servers.

I wonder how hard it would be for the Devs to build out an EQ dungeon master feature from the existing housing feature?

This feature is available in EQ2. It did not work well.

My personal server would require all accounts to have 50+ krono to log in. No scrub players allowed.