The EQ2 Time-Locked Server Discussion Thread

Discussion in 'General Gameplay Discussion' started by Vinyard, Jun 4, 2015.

  1. Octane Member

    This is going to be awesome but there is some big points that need to be considered. The common denominators are here throughout all of these posts and it seems it comes down to itemization and content. It's surprising to me that people keep referencing content because this should be the easiest one. Let's wind the clocks back to November of 2004. T1 - T5. I mean what happened?! These comments on flying mounts and no AA and things like that have me wondering why that is even up for debate? They didn't even exist and if it's a true travel back in time then why is this topic even a worry?

    I am with Baltazarr on some of his views. Unlock the content at the appropriate time and it will give the people a closer feel to how the game really was in T5. I am going to just going to assume that it actually is impossible to plug in a complete reset and roll the clocks back to original status. That's fine. This is where the fine tuning comes in and hopefully its done correctly. There needs to be an up front difference between currently wearing T5 gear with no AA selected and running a raid for example at level 50. Right now it's just easy, simple as that. I mean you could get mastercrafted armor and at the rate some of these guilds are going, clear most of the content with maybe upgrading a piece or two. Back during T5 I played a tank and Ebon was a staple point in your path to do end game. I can even remember paying 4p on average per piece maybe 3.5 if someone was feeling generous.

    Itemization is going to be key and it will lay the foundation down for the first few expansions and give it a real time feel. Just like numerous people have said about crit chance, why is this even up in the air? It wasn't in the game then it shouldn't be until it was properly introduced. So the blue increases on gear like crit bonus and potency need to go. Potency in specific. If we are making our spells/combat arts more powerful upfront, that is going to wreck the balance of dps in raids like Baltazarr was saying. Some of those broken pieces need attention, honestly. I started March of 2005 and have raided every expansion except ToV. I can tell you that those +4, +3 stats on fabled T5 raid loot did not exist on live. If they did, not for very long. I mean come on back then the charms were a single stat item that buffed what +12 or +14 to a single stat like wisdom or strength? Let's be honest back then we had to buff for cold and heat, not just "elemental." The game has been simplified and that is one of the points I wanted to argue about mechanics. Leave the mechanics somewhat alone and reset us back to 50, some of the spell and combat art changes over the years have been for the better. Some I will agree, have been put into the game to keep up with the constant changes to keep those spells and combat arts relevant.

    If the itemization is screwed up from the get go it's only going to get worse as other expansions are revealed. T5 in my own opinion, is the toughest one to crack. It's the original launch, the most content. I certainly don't want to foot slog through T5, DOF and maybe parts of KoS until "what is current now," catches up with us in EoF. Speaking of foot slogging someone mentioned they want the boats back? The bell system I personally think works fine, makes travel efficient without the feel of you are porting around. I agree with no guild halls, ports, etc at launch. Why? Because it wasn't in the game during T5. It doesn't have to be all cut and dry either. "Well if it wasn't in the game then it shouldn't now." Over the years things have changed and travel in my opinion has changed for the better. Lets say you're Freeport. Who wants to zone from EFP, zone to Commonlands, take the griffon tower to Nek station, zone into Nektulos forest, run to the docks and wait for a boat, and then run through Thundering Steppes to zone to Antonica. Some of these changes helped cut down on the bottle necks and choke points that just cost us time.

    The botting and locking down mobs is only going to matter if people honestly don't play. I remember having five or six groups of people in CT trying to get those mobs for the Screaming Mace to spawn. One group always seemed to time it right and the named would spawn and they got the update. That is just reality and it's going to happen. Hopefully the respawn isn't 8 hours. As far as voting and when is it going to be fair to unlock the next expansion, it should be in line with what makes sense. Roll out Bloodline at a proper date, roll out Splitpaw at a proper date and the entire Marr series. Guilds should be able to get the entire prismatic 1.0 during that timeline. When T5 was live this was very doable. Crafting should make a big appearance because it's a big part of the game. Raid mobs would not have dropped items like the amalgam stone to make fabled raid armor if not.

    Gninja it's awesome you guys are going down this path. I just hope the necessary tweaks are going to be done to make this project a worthwhile experience. The people here have raised some specific and important concerns. I hope they can be addressed and answered accordingly to the needs of the EQ2 community. I still eagerly await the official launch of the TLE server either way. For everyone else on the sideline that has an opinion or a suggestion and you haven't, please do. Any idea big or small will pay dividends. Here we go...
  2. Balbasur Active Member

    How will curing work? Will the group cure cure everything? Will healers get 4 diffrent kind of cures etc? Lol, healer going to be OP if single cure cures everything
  3. Wabit Active Member

    I put this in the wrong thread. so repost here. I'm looking at the PvE aspect.

    Didn't it take about 2 months for the first ppl to hit 50 originally? And that was just the hardcore (server is down so I can sleep now) players. So here's my idea for t5 progression:

    1. Keep the game vanilla (only races/classes like on the release, no exp/debt remover potions, repair bots, ect...)
    2. When the prizzy quest is completed the first time, wait like 3 weeks and put in the Vampire pack.
    3. Vampire pack get beat wait 2-3 weeks and release the plague (unlock frogloks).
    4. SotL is beat release the splitpaw pack and start the timer to vote on unlocking DoF. (can add the exp/debt potions into game around this time).

    Make most of the 1 and done raid instances 18 hr timer, contesteds like 3-7 day random (true random) timer, the vamp/SotL raids 5-6.5 day timers (with no reentry).

    5. bang head against wall when DoF opens up and start timer to vote on KoS opening. (ok a little too soon, but didn't the DMP get beat only a week before KoS came out? Yes it'll be easier now cause it's known how to beat it).
    6. Redo the DMP so it's completely different, hard, and watch us suffer. =D
  4. Daeth New Member

    I just want to go back to the good old days of TSO and RoK with all the cool items to hunt like Najena's Ring, the Wicked Wand, Bloodthirsty Choker etc etc. Where procs scaled with your stats and were actually fun and powerful to acquire. Sentinels Fate ruined the game for me.

    Procs and gear need to be reverted to what they actually were during each expansion though, otherwise I just don't see the point.
  5. Jaden Well-Known Member

    ------------

    My very fond memories of EQ II, even after leveling to max still include the island and original starter cities:).

    Will you please spend time either tuning the op player strength downward, upping the spawn rates in open world areas or something?

    The exp mod for the server and especially the mobs near cap/raid mobs and bosses MUST be adjusted. Otherwise the op forward progressed player spells, dmg tables and pets will make it trivial. PLEASE take time to work on those as well as any potential population issue plans before the servers are launched. Thank you.
  6. Wabit Active Member

    Random thought this am. I was looking at my old t5 gear, some was changed and some wasn't. The things that weren't changed were all pretty consistent with stats bonuses equaled around 30-40 total, and had some proc on them: Tower Shield of Woe had +40 stats (something for all 5) and a 5% chance for 24 divine damage (Guard/Zerker equip).

    If the Dev's would give us some base figures for gear I'd bet the community could do some of the itemization via the Players Studio thingy. Either some new designs (would like to keep the shiney t5 fabled look, but that's just me), or update some of the current in-game loot. T5 gear looked great, DoF I looked like a hobo in my multicolored gear.

    It might be more hassle for them, I dunno.
  7. Bella222 Active Member

    For PVE, I feel that if we cannot go back to the old, fun starting racial areas that came after Isle of Refuge, then it would not be worth the money to pay for what you are suggesting.

    PVP is a different matter altogether. I will leave that to the PVPers.
  8. Filnydar Member

    The itemisation on some expansion-defining questlines should be on par with the rest : e.g. the rewards from the Claymore questline have never been changed when everything else has been scaled up to the newer standards.
  9. gqwild New Member


    I agree with Jeht, Please bring back the old City Soundtracks. Hearing the original music gets me on the nostalgia train. Why was it changed to begin with? The old music was better.
    Jeht likes this.
  10. Meekah New Member

    I think that easy travel hurt pvp, Its fun to jump ppl running through the zone
  11. Spakka New Member

    Why do people keep asking for the Plague to run again? Firstly, the solution is known now so it would be a very short-lived event indeed. Secondly (if I remember correctly) it was really only of interest to Alchemists as they were the only ones who could do the solution questline. The worst live event ever in my opinion, mainly due to the fact that only a narrow segment of the population had any actual involvement in a solution, the rest of us just stood around puking green blobs...
  12. KhaineUK Active Member


    I actually wouldn't mind seeing it again, but I'd change the "cure" to be a recipe usable by any level 50 crafter. There's plenty of generic recipes around for anyone to use as is. :) Then anyone can do it.
  13. Sheliah New Member

    • No easy ports (i.e. no bells, no guild halls until their expansion)
    • I would LOVE it if I could customize my characters with intelligence for fighters and wisdom with whatever meaning and so on, instead of "you're all about strength, strength is all your gear has, the end".
    /2c
  14. Borke New Member

    I don't understand, what is the point of these servers, when you can roll a new character and play the start quests already. Could somebody explain what all the fuss is about.
  15. Wabit Active Member

    wasn't it
    Int = spells, mage mana pool, poisons? (Crusaders needed it)
    Wis = heals, priest mana pool, resists? (Crusaders needed it)
    Agi = avoidance, scouts for something
    Sta = HP, 1:5 i think was ratio
    Str = melee attacks, fighter mana pool, how many coppers you could carry (silly mages can't move lol)

    I could be off on some of these (too many years and beers). My guard was Sta, Str, Agi in that order. I think my unbuffed int was like 17 at lvl 50 as a Guard.
  16. Wabit Active Member


    PvE standpoint:
    I'm guessing you didn't play at launch. The game was different back then geared almost exclusively towards grouping, there weren't many instanced zones (everything contested). Everything in the game took longer: slow leveling, slow travel (no bells to everywhere), 75% (guess) of mobs after 20ish were ^^^, the game mechanics were nothing like the current 1-50. You didn't become your end class until 20; 1-10 fighter, (solo zone quest) 10-20 warrior, (solo zone quest) 20 guard. There was progression for yourself (too bad this is gone). Part is negstalgia, part is wanting to play on even terms with a community of people. Goto Zek now and // and how many people are there?

    I just reloaded the game after 4ish years my 90 Guard with 200ish AA is soloing trash x4 in RoK
  17. Nicolos Active Member

    I said this at the time and I am going to say it again. Taking out the islands was a mistake. It was done by a group of developers that didn't work on that content therefore had no love for it. They wanted to showcase the newer zones that THEY had worked on in order to move the game in another direction; a direction, btw, that has seen dwindling numbers every since. I get that they wanted to force new players into not so outdated content and in some ways I agreed. But the isles should have been locked to veteran players only, opening to new players after their first character hit a certain level. Excuses such as complaints of motion sickness on the boat (really?) holds no water, so to speak, as you can still get on almost identical boats through the old access quests. Why not take that out for your oh so sensitive community?

    The crusade continued as they stripped the old cities of very, very well written quests of the likes that the current team just can't duplicate until they finally just took the sub cities out all together. Lore used to mean something in this game. A story that, under Vhalen, was leading to something massive has now fallen completely flat. Updating areas and story is a good thing but not at the expense of memory and nostalgia. We have had chronomancers around for years; simply take all the old content you remove and gate them behind that NPC.

    We can't change the past but let's look to the future. You have seen how emotions get stirred at the very thought of a throwback server. Multiple 20+ pages on a thread is something you very rarely see these days. You potentially have a huge success on your hands but not if it is done the way things have been carelessly done the last years. Take the time and resources to do this content right. Mechanics and such must stay within reason. I get that and even advocate for it. But visuals such as old zones and quests go such a long way in recreating the nostalgia. And truly, your work wouldn't even have to go in vain for just the one server. Put the boat ride back in as a clickable, tutorial style option on the character select for all servers. Gate the old FP/Q and sub cities behind a chronomancer. Put it out of the way of the new player path so they won't even know it's there if you must. You'd have players returning to your new server as well as your old ones.

    Moral of the story (TL;DR) and my 2 copper is this:
    You have a mass of potential new (returning) players that haven't played this game in years and most likely won't ever come back for the new content alone. Take some of your resources and focus on the content that made this game what it used to be.
    Miltin, Hreysti, Seefar and 1 other person like this.
  18. Wulfhammer Active Member

    OMG I remember that...... Jesus I'm smilling !!!
  19. Wulfhammer Active Member

    I would prefer a vote every 6 months... No rushing required... Just plenty of time to soak up what we have until a mojority vote wins an unlock.
  20. Wulfhammer Active Member

    That goes for Chomper as well... Used to be a big deal when he spawned and everyone rushed to group to take it down.. Now you just solo it for the shitz n giggles... I mean how boring is that?!

    Put some challenge back in please devs...