The EQ2 Time-Locked Server Discussion Thread

NO

I am also assuming:

No adorning?

No Tinkering?

No loyalty merchants / tokens etc?

No cloaks?

One earring slot? (credit to Xevran)

No priest/mage ranged weapons?

Marketplace..? Limited to cosmetic only? (no exp potions etc, no bags/backpacks, no spell upgrades etc)?

I'm pretty ok with things like that staying optional personally.

There was only one ear slot as well.

Edit: EoF Patch notes (GU 29)

*** Headlines ***
- All characters can now wear a second earring. Go, glitter!

I almost said one earring slot in that post, but could not remember if it was wrist or ear. Adding it in as I am now reasonably confident it was the ear. Cheers

Honestly...a decent pvp system / server that is actually fun would bring players in from all over. Stuff out in MMO gameland right now is pretty stale.

Forgot to mention, I would love it if a server becomes locked at TSO.

There are xp potions and bags on the EQ1 progression server marketplace. It's a nice compromise though, the xp bonus is low, and the in game bags compare to the bags on the marketplace.

I would love to limit the travel options to the expansion at the time. I remember when Spirit of the Wolf meant something.

Personally I'd like a time locked for the option myself. But def don't want it to fly by either. Would like to see a decent amount of time before moving on and requirements for character progression that make that time frame mean something.

If possible make it as realistic to the orig progression as possible. IE For a certain expansion those quests came in 6 mo in after it's release for a year long expansion and say that particular expansion has a progression time of 90 days the quests would launch at 45 days (I realize this might add a bunch of work but just an idea)

Not so sure I'm a fan of this as there are many different types of players out there and raiders tend to burn through content at a rapid pace. Would be highly annoyed if the exp lasted only a short time because of a system like that.

Yeah that would be very cool if possible

Would prefer, if possible, NO AA's until AA's were actually a part of the game.

I would obviously prefer the old Isle of Refuge if at all possible. That said I think this is a great idea. Drop by mentor and set us on a quest to the existing newbie areas. Just add the harvesting quest to those areas.

Agreed.

I am curious as to if we are talking a complete reroll in the game as far as resetting all AA trees to how the used to be, such as like the old crusader tree having the spell damage increased by 72% based off int and when we could only put 8 points into one skill. Also are we going back to those days when SKs wore chain and still ran off intel for spells and strength for CAs? And will we need simple silly things such as strength to carry boxes and only have one set of gear to be able to fight a mob or are we going back to heat/cold resists, arcance/divine resists etc now or are we still keeping some of that newer. I assume there wont be AA trees for the first little bit because there werent at launch but as far as pvp goes I am hoping there will be no BG type interference when it comes to pvp.. in my honest opinion those are what killed pvp in EQ2. I like the idea of restarting the game from scratch like we did many years ago but am curious to see how they will handle old problems we had before. I too along with many miss the old starting zones and class system and even sometimes how the old crafting system worked, but i can see on the devs side how rerolling all that could eventually break the game as well. It will be an interesting experiment and i plan on taking part in it..

I don't have time to read the entire thread atm cuz I'm at work. However, I'd love to see a minimum 6 month lock on every xpac and then a 75%+ vote from active members. On top of that, all current raid bosses need to be dead. I'd love to see overland mobs be difficult. Even if that meant boosting overland mobs in expansions where they were initially solo based. The game forcing players to interact is what I miss most about this game. And for the love of all things Ever quest, no guild halls EVER please!

The fact I haven't logged in here in like...forever... should tell you how stoked I am for this!

I'd like to see Queens Colony/Overlord (can't remember the evil name) back. I know the original IoR is a no-go, but I also know you guys still have the art assets and probably the quests since it's all in the database. Just do that, drop us off at the docks in the "main" areas of the city (so near the castle for Qeynos, in the harbour for Freeport) and then have an NPC that points us towards Antonica/Commonlands.

If I remember correctly, the revamped IoR's gave progression to about 10 since the new class progression was in then. Then we can go level in the overland zones and their shared dungeons (Wailing Caves and the gnoll caves again? YES! Stormhold and Fallen Gate? All of my yes!). That'd be a reasonable progression in my opinion.

It does mean no Fae/Arasai/Sarnak, but eh. That should be do-able for the devs while still keeping a somewhat "original" feel. Also, I would LOVE to see the griffon tower building quests for Thundering Steppes (have that unlock after X amount of time), same for Nektulos Forest. I'd also keep Splitpaw, Bloodlines and Fallen Dynasty locked for a while, since they came post release. Maybe only for a month? Just an idea there.

I'd also love to see the Spire building quests for when KoS is to go live... I loved all of those things. The dragons that got summoned when you completed them were pretty awesome too.

Will the heroic zones will have 18+ hour lockouts, and the raid zones also have appropriate timers similar to the original days?

They don't have the old loot tables, they would have to start from scratch or modify what is there now.

If it can't be done by the code version of 'flipping a switch' I wouldn't count on it. The amount of changes/stuff a lot of people want would equate to an xpac worth of work. It was easier to do on EQ1 because it didn't take that much work. They didn't do a whole lot of 'revamping' on EQ1 compared to EQ2. The one earring slot might be a reach but the rest could just be made inaccessible, thus removing them from the game.

Hrm... Most of the stuff I queried should be pretty easy to "flip a switch" on. Would be more of a question of if they wanted to?

SOGA was around when I created my very first character back in 2005, it coincided with the Japanese launch of EQ2 not with any expansion or Adventure pack. Fallen Dynasty didn't launch until June of 2006. So I am 100% sure that it was not part of FD. I honestly have no idea when SOGA did launch though, and I have never used them because I dislike their style.




In regards to the progression server,

Without the Isle of refuge there would be no starter zone for the server, Kelethin, Gorowyn, Neriak and Halas would all have to be disabled. So unless the devs were willing to build a new starting area for the server there would be no place for new characters to start in Qeynos or Freeport.

While you could just plop them down next to their racial mentor, most of the low level questlines have been removed from those zones. There is very little to do in Q or FP now a days compared to the Classic EQ2 starting experience.

I haven't read through this entire thread yet but I'm too excited not to chime in with what I would like to see on a progression server from a pvp stand point. I'm sure most of these points have been addressed already but hopefully this will add to the thread by listing key elements.

I'm going to try to make this a list of mechanics and content that would need to be reverted to get a EOF (when I started pvp) feel to pvp. I will address gear, abilities, mechanics, content, and difficulty.

1. GEAR
Its very important that all gear stats be toned down to as near to original value as possible. I also believe its very important to properly utilize the pvp check box on items to tone down but not eliminate proc and item bonuses in pvp. Without these procs and bonuses you effectively eliminate nearly all gear disparity and with it the customization that gear offers for differences in play styles.

2. ABILITIES
Return original functionality to abilities that have been changed or removed from pvp. Some examples would be Strom of Steel, Reach, Makeshift Arrow, Charm, Inquisition, All of the power drains from coercer and illy, Storm of Arrows, Knockout Combination, Rays of Disintegration, Natures Walk, and many others.

3. MECHANICS
This is probably the most important of the list. As combat has sped up over the years with more and more casting speed/reuse and other stats being added in and the combat mechanics have changed with is There are three major mechanics I am aware of that need to be adressed. First and foremost is stats. Str should give melee damage, Agi ranged. Monks should gain mana from Str and Wis, etc. Optimizing your stat was a huge part of this game and it cannot be forgotten. Second is CC durations. Combat will be slower and CCs should return to original durations to reflect that. Third WEIGHT, items need weight, coins need wieght, everthing needs weight! With the large number of debuffs that effect strength weight played a huge factor in pvp and it should once again be a factor.

4. CONTENT I personally would love to see a TIMELOCKED pvp server locked at EOF or at the very least a vote based expansion release system that required 2/3rds vote, but I am curious what vanilla EQ2 pvp would be like. Particularly if item mastery and stat requirements become a thing again. And leadership points. Was that in EQ2? I may be thinking of the GoD release for EQ which I think was just before EQ2 release. Anyway. Yea =)





5. DIFFICULTY BRING BACK THE HURT! Get all these triple down mobs outta here and get the heroics back were they belong. A difficult world breeds a more proficient player!!

I'd love to stay and proof read what I wrote or expand upon my thoughts because this was written off the cuff but I just realized im late to finalize a car loan so off I go! I'll be back soon! hopefully I didnt fudge anything up too badly.

With some help from Google to find accurate info, you're right. Good catch.

Nov 2004 - EQ2 launched
Mar 2005 - Bloodline Chronicles
Jun 2005 - Splitpaw
Sep 2005 - Desert of Flames

The SOGA models came in with Live Update 16, on the 9th of November 2005.
https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq2/index.php?threads/live-update-16-november-09-2005.263029/

Feb 2006 - Kingdom of Sky
Jun 2006 - Fallen Dynasty

SOGA models were not a part of the games original release, but they were not a part of TFD either. As for whether or not they should be on the progression server, I consider it relatively minor compared to topics like itemization, and mob difficulty, but still curious to see what they plan to do.

I'd prefer them to be left in, as this is only a matter of personal choice and in no way affects time locking/progression.