The EQ2 Time-Locked Server Discussion Thread

Just touching base here as Roshen directed us here from the closed PvP server thread, but there seems some confusion (even from the devs) on what the Time-Locked PvP server will be. Here's a post from Roshen:

Fixed!

To clarify, our goal for this server is to create a "Time-Locked" server. There are no plans at this time for additional expansions to unlock as players progress through content, and thus is not by definition a "Progression Server"

https://forums.station.sony.com/eq2...-discussion-thread.560717/page-3#post-6210011

But now here I'm seeing all this stuff about unlocking expansions, which is scary for us PvPers because all the eventual additions like BGs, PvP gear, level locking/twinking and the AA slider, leapers and flying mounts, etc. all killed open PvP.

We'd rather have a frozen-in-time-forever open PvP server where all the bad stuff that killed open PvP never comes.

Just my two cents.

LOL! You know this is the wrong thread though

But yeah, I'm actually surprised us PvE'rs aren't asking for perma-lock @ RoK either. Everything went crazy after EoF, and RoK is the most sane.

I just stopped in because Roshen redirected the closed PvP server thread to here. Plus, everyone here including the devs is talking here about a progression server.

So is the PVE one progression or not? If PVE is just time locked I have no interest.

Can we get some clarification from the devs if there's going to be progression or just a server that's stuck in time? If it's just a server stuck in time my vote would be for level 80 cap with all RoK and TSO content. (Though admittedly I probably wouldn't play on it if that's the case)

Far as we know this is up to the players, which is why a good portion of these nine pages are discussion regarding potential rules as well as balances to prevent content from opening up too fast.

TBH this is roughly where I would lock it too, though EoF would be a fun place to lock as well since we didn't have Epics yet. XD

Well the problem with both threads being the merged is that pvp issues are going to be different than pve issues. The devs need to stop treating pvp like just an extension of pve and realize that they have different concerns.

Nah, I think Roshen meant to direct the people in the second pvp topic (the first one is still open) to the first, however he accidentally linked it here

Yeah I was thinking about saying SF or EoF because there wouldn't be epics but SF just doesn't have enough content and I really loved Kunark. Plus I think the TSO zones are really fun.

Will all the overland mobs be solo like they are now or will they actually be dangerous like they were at release? I remember getting pwned in Thundering Steppes back in the day by a skeleton, solo mobs would hardly bring back the feeling and what about Vermin Snye etc..will they be actualy dangerous again?

Why were they dumbed down to kiddy mode to begin with?

To be fair, some of the biggest raid mobs were contested bosses. Vision of Vox, Venekor, Lord Nagalik, King Zarak, The Kra'thuk

For me personally, I'll only ever play a beastlord (other than brief "emergencies"). So for the same reason I'm not reminiscing back on the new EQ1 progression server (which didn't include beastlord, which is what I played back then, and what lured me to try this game in the first place after Vanguard started to die), I wouldn't try it here if I couldn't play a beastlord. Certainly there are issues like beastlords not being able to get their epics when everyone else does, possibly putting them behind. They're behind in the current content anyways though, so it wouldn't really be any different.

TLDR: Rar supports having beastlords.

The zones I want to visit are all no longer available.

What is the "boat zone"? If you are talking about the initial boat ride to the Isle of Refuge then this entire project is hopeless. How can a couple of minutes on a boat be a "vomit coaster"? Everything that has been said is that all you are making are new servers with some zones turned off. I can start a level one character on any server now and play EQII as it is today. The problem is I have no desire to play current EQII. I really do not understand what you are trying to achieve other than a cash grab.

After having some more time to think about it, I think I have a better idea of what kind of realistic things I'd want to see.

Given my choice, I'd prefer for all races and classes to be open from the beginning. That might require some expansion-locked zones to be accessible, but I think Rar has a good point about having some player character choices behind a time-wall is discouraging for players who mained them.

Ideally the server would start with only the minimum content--that is, original game launch content plus necessary-for-race-and-class-access content. Then unlock content every few months as people progress until RoK. Stall at RoK for a little while, like six months or so. Then take a vote, and progress accordingly.

Now back to the dreaming: Ideally, I'd like to see a kind of alternate progression after RoK where things are unlocked on a piecemeal basis based on community demand (i.e., votes). So, for example, we might have DoV without flying mounts (though that would probably require a lot of work on zones to make places accessible). Or we might have AA lines for expansions that are still otherwise locked because they contained other content and features the community didn't want.

Eventually this starts to look like throwing away a few years of hard work and starting from scratch at a particularly popular point in time (for example, ROK). That's a lot like just designing new content, so it's probably cost-prohibitive, but I think the idea here is to galvanize the bulk of the various communities you've had since the game's launch a decade ago, and doing that means walking the line between the content that they loved and the content that made them leave without allowing them to really exhaust all content. In other words, an unenviable nightmare.

Whatever you guys to do, I'm excited about it. I've not put in near the amount of time some of us here have, so I'll defer to them on matters of detail, and more than anything I hope the folks working on Next take a good hard look at this project and at Ragefire/Lockjaw and say "Oh... well, sh*t; I guess we need to make sure when we're done it looks a lot like that."

Back in the day, I recall quite a number of people complaining about motion sickness from the boat ride intro. While the complaints did not pop up as often as server merge threads in the current era, there was still a good number of complaints.

On the other hand, can't say I remember many people pushing for, or celebrating the removal of the starter isle. But DBG have made it pretty clear that is not going to be present, so while it is a bit disappointing, I can only hope the rest of it is good.

I am trying to figure out what the "rest" is going to be. So far there has not been one thing mentioned by a developer that will be different than playing a level one character on a live server.

To clear things up a progression server will move to the next expansion after a certain amount of time or content clear. A time-locked server is not a permanent lock on an expansion but can be if the players want it so. You can still progress on a time-locked server but only after the majority agree to move on. We can stay on a certain expansion as long as we want on a time-locked server. You will unwillingly progress on a progression server after a certain amount of time.

Except none of the original launch content is going to be used:

1) No boat ride.

2) No Isle(s).

3) No suburbs.

4) No class quests.

5) No gear scaling.

6) No heroic overland content.

Name me one thing that is original launch content that will be on the new server?