Sanctuary in the Sky - Post Apocalyptic Norrath
 

Hello all,

I would like to invite everyone to check out the open beta for the Sanctuary in the Sky server. The server has been in development for a year and has gone through several rounds of alpha testing. We are very proud of the world that we've created and would now like for you all to join us in the final beta test before officially launching the server. This is a very ambitious project and one that's close to my heart and will be a long term plan, with tons of content and more being added every day. Players will never run out of things to do and see, even once reaching the maximum level cap of 50, with future expansions raising the cap. Characters participating in this final beta will not be wiped once we roll into bringing the server live for good.

The stage is set in a post-apocalyptic reimagining of Norrath, with a highly stylized approach to itemization and dungeon themes. Think back to the feeling you had when you first began playing classic EverQuest, a sense of wonder and danger as you explore an unfamiliar new world. This feeling has been recreated here and we are very excited to share it with you.

Features:

+ 100% custom content - no item or zone is like it's classic Everquest counterpart, everything has been reworked from the ground up to give players a sense of the unknown, mystery and intrigue. There are many items and even zones that lie still undiscovered after multiple rounds of player testing.
+ Level 50 cap for the base game, with future expansions (already in the planning and development stages) raising the level cap
+ Dangerous and complex world - players will need to band together and form alliances as they set out to rediscover the lost world and find their place among the new pantheon of heroes
+ Professional customer service - You will never see a developer goofing off, spawning things for players or jabbering in OOC. GM powers are used very sparingly and only when necessary to provide support to the players
+ Dynamic world role playing events with a unique approach to player interaction and storytelling
+ Overall "artsy" feeling to the world, evoking suspense, intrigue, horror, mystery, and humor
+ Consistent level of quality - A very small development team so everything remains consistent and cohesive
+ Balanced gameplay - Everything in our world has its place and a purpose. Player feedback is constantly being monitored to ensure that bugs are fixed quickly and to ensure that balance remains throughout all aspects of the game

We have already been receiving wonderful feedback from our players and have had several groups of "regulars" who have been returning to play daily. I hope that you will take the time to check us out and join our world!

Do you have a website with forums, etc.?

Isn't Norrath always Post Apocalyptic in the fact the Kobolds took over the world and enslaved us? Hehe, just yanking your chain, and yeah, is there a site or anything?

We are working on the website right now, there will be forums and the whole works. And this is EXTRA post-apocalyptic! ;)

This server is pretty kool. If you are looking for a new twist with an old school feel you might want to try it out. It's so.customized you need to discover things. You can't just make some online inquiries to find answers, you gotta look around and talk to NPCs. The world is kind of small right now, but it's growing rapidly by exploration. One dungeon seems to lead to the next. So while there isn't a zone at a time feel, it's more of a guantlet type feel. I'd suggest grouping!!

You are right and wrong. Post-Apocalyptic yes, Kobolds no.

The world is considered Post-Apocalyptic because when Veeshan started the Age of Dragons, The Faceless created the diety's we now follow in game. They banded together and destroyed Veeshan but as a final move Veeshan tore a rip in the world which is how it is formed today. =p

Good stuff Liquest! I hope that my fellow lore nerds will enjoy the story that I'm telling in my world, too!

I plan on redownloading a client to check out your server. Any preffered client required to play?

I'm the other dev / admin on the server...

Players can get online from any of the supported EQEmu clients.

I myself use SoD, but UF and Titanium are also compatible.

I prefer SoD, but zerjz3 uses Titanium.

The plan is to make it so that a variety of players are able to get online and play, without too many software complications.

Just wanted to check in here in case anyone has had any issues today while I've been away, my sister had surgery and I haven't been able to check in with the server yet. I don't anticipate anyone running into problems but wanted to reach out since this is my only way of communicating until I get home in a few hours. Everyone doing ok?

No discovered sources for tiny daggers...

Tiny Daggers will be sold in the New Nexus in this evening's patch, I am sorry for the oversight on this issue.

I need to speak with you - Have some updates regarding hardware information.

I thought this server was long dead, but I'm glad I was wrong.
Good luck with it!

I've been playing on this server for the past couple days and I'm having a blast! Granted it IS in beta right now so there are a few things missing or broken but it is fun none-the-less. It's got kind of an old school feeling to it, slow leveling, dying is a huge hassle(you lose quite a bit of xp), quests/other dialogues aren't completely obvious, you need to wander around and see stuff and there is plenty to see. You are able to solo some things but it is significantly easier and faster with a group, so grab your friends or even just an acquaintance and come join me - err us.

more feedback if you are looking for a server to play on..
This server is unlike any other emu server i have played. It is challenging, and at the same time very rewarding. It may seem that "some things are missing", well in reality , some things just don't exist on this server. That being said there is a very complex under-lying theme, much of the world is just waiting to be discovered and explored. If you are looking for a fresh adventure, where the path is not laid out before you, but a new world to explore using old everquest mechanics, I'd suggest this server.
Send me a tell in game, if i'm not busy i'll hook you up with a damage shield or something to help you get going.
-blasticus

Looks like an interesting premise, hopefully this project goes well for you!

This server is amazing and I don't understand why more people aren't checking it out.

We need more people for the mid level group and raid zones, we're finding new stuff every day and we need the playerbase to be able to complete it. If you want a challenging in depth world to play in, this is the place for you so come join us and we'll help you level up to catch up with us. The highest level player right now is 33

The server has been down for about 30 minutes for a large scale update, will be back online in another 30 minutes with plenty of new surprises for the players. Hope that you check it out in 30!

We now have a forum at sanctuaryeq.freeforums.org - This will be updated daily with new information, patch notes, etc and give players a place to discuss the game.

I'm having a hard time connecting... I'm working on this sever along with Zerjz3.

I have the new hardware online...

Trouble connecting today.

We now have a new and improved website/forum at sanctuaryeq.weebly.com, thanks to player Dazurik!

Please get back to me ASAP.

*poke with stick* ...... *pokes with stick again* .....

done here. Unplayable at high level unless you plan on 6 boxing or waiting until 4+ other people log in to join you. (that are your level) So. if you want my droppables, hit me back here , or PM me, i'll meet you there and hand over all i can.

This is an exaggeration from someone who's been complaining about the server from day 1 and wants to be able to solo kill literally everything. I do not box and I'm having a good time.

This server is not intended to be a solo "do everything by yourself without interacting with other players" server nor is it intended to be played with everyone 6-boxing. Boxing is allowed but should not be required. This server is being designed around a playerbase that socializes and groups together, forms guilds, forms friendships and alliances and helps each other out. This server is not being designed for 1 person to be able to complete all of the content alone. I understand that it may be difficult to find groups sometimes with the current low number of players, but I am confident enough in my design and ideas that the base will grow over time. During beta it may become frustrating sometimes to not be able to find groups, but I will not be adjusting the difficulty level based on that. This is not your typical emu server and I am proud of that.

Nope. You die. Loose 20% exp. Can't even duo green mobs. Exp goes in reverse unless you have 4+ in a group. And by the way, you get roughly half your spells made available to you. No exaggration, that is fact.

This really is a pretty intense server. I'm 4 boxing, and it's still hard. Therefore the server is appropriately called High Difficulty. The content is exceptional though. They take the old eq motto to heart, "you're in our world now." Well their world is brutal, on a good day.

Zerjz3, I'm still waiting to hear back from you....

This server is not getting nearly the appreciation it deserves for the amount of time/effort/energy that's being put into its development. It seems that emu players only want buff bots, solo to win, hand holding, complete lack of immersion and storytelling from their servers. It's a sad state of affairs and it is making me strongly reconsider the personal sacrifices in my life that I am making to develop this server.

Hey Zerj3, I appreciate your idea in your server, I haven't taken the time to check it out yet, but I'm willing to play it, don't get discouraged, the trend now is high custom stuff, don't worry, you'll get players once they test it out and enjoy it, word of mouth is a powerful thing.

The very narrative of this server is a metaphor for the current paradigm in which MMO and more specifically EQemu players exist. Players start in the "sanctuary", a safe place where laziness and easiness is encouraged. Every kill of a training dummy levels the player until level 13, in which they can level no more. The citizens of the sanctuary criticize the outside world for being too harsh, too dangerous. A strange man appears, and offers the player a chance to truly experience life in the 'real world' , and once the player takes that plunge and enters the New Nexus, experience slows down to that of classic EverQuest (remember classic EverQuest, that brilliantly immersive game that captured our hearts and imaginations, despite its difficulty level and lack of instruction?) and things become difficult. Players are unable to solo easily, and must form friendships and alliances with their fellow players. The risk is high, but then so is the reward. The story telling, the NPCs, never break the fourth wall. Quest text never refers to itself as a quest, NPCs never refer to each other as being NPCs, the word 'server' is never once mentioned, the word 'levels' is never mentioned, players are never taken outside of the narrative and the world that has been created. So many servers here have an NPC with "Server Information" etc under their name - you won't find that here. The very point of this server is to create a world that feels real and alive. It is not meant to be an "emulator server". It is meant to be a game in its own right. It is meant to be a world.

Too many of our players are joining the server as mages or necromancers, not because they have a love for the class, but because they have been existing in this paradigm in which those are "solo classes" and will enable them to do what they please without the need for interaction with other players. That doesn't work here, and some players are turned off by that fact. Some players cannot figure out their way out of the sanctuary. Some players ask, "Where is the buff bot? Where are the teleporters?" - Some players quit because things are 'too hard' , when in reality they are no harder than classic EverQuest was. We have gotten lazy, jaded, and have lost our imaginations. This server was intended to change that fact, to change the paradigm we have all been playing in, but it seems that modern day MMO players do not want a challenge. They don't want to be immersed, storyline has no meaning to them. They only want to casually play a game, sequestered away by themselves with no regard for the game world as a whole. This server was meant to break us of that mindset, but it is not happening.

While I certainly respect that attitude, and I love the idea, the reality is that until you have a sizable population, your wish for people to team up probably won't happen. Nostalgia is a wonderful thing , but it also tends to gloss over the poorer aspects until we are subjected to them again. That nearly vertical difficulty curve, harsh death penalties, OP casters and UP melees are all things I don’t quite miss.

It is a shame, but that is the way it is. I popped on for a bit in this server's infancy and found nearly no one on. I rolled an Enchanter at first but quickly changed to a mage, because again as you state, that is a solo class. I'm not willing to box, so I made due with what I had. I did quite enjoy it (think I was low 20s maybe? I can’t quite recall.)

It certainly has great flavor, and I love the concept, but myself as a very casual player who gets 20 minutes here and there recognizes that this server is not quite for me. I'm not able to sit there for a few hours, hope someone logs on, is around my level, not boxing, and not antisocial. That’s what live eventually devolved into for myself playing a berserker.

If this server takes off, sure that kind of play will work for some, but unless or until you get a sustainable population, forcing grouping for just general progression is not going to work in my opinion.

Immersion, challenge and storyline are things I highly value in games, the problem is that I fear I am in the minority. Also I’ve become bitter, cynical and antisocial in my old age, so that probably doesn’t help much either ;)

You do absolutely have something unique and special here, but I almost think it would make a better single player experience, or at least have a gradual difficulty curve added to it. Sure, it may be no harder than classic Everquest was, but you also had extremely high population there at the beginning, and things have gradually taken a turn for the easy in the past dozen expansions are so. They realized their mistake.

I like your attitude and your server so far.

Here is my review:

XP: Awful. The rates are so bad and the death penalty is so steep that you better box a cleric to pull around with you for the rez. It isn't a 96% rez, but dying is pretty much like wasting 45 minutes of grinding. I understand you want a difficult server and you don't want people to play the normal "solo grind to max in 3 hours and all box war/clr/random dps" and win everything but the way the server is set up...you are inviting people to box their own groups. There aren't multiple groups running around at all hours of the day. There aren't multiple xp zones being camped at the same time. You either box a group and do the content yourself or you wait for others to log on. You say you won't adjust the difficulty and that is fine, but don't expect this server to boom if you are forced into boxing a group because the population is low and it takes you 5 days played(or more) to hit lvl 37.

Itemization: Amazing. The stats stats are a little weird. I find most stuff is full of CHA or STA. The clicks are mainly illusions or small buffs. The models - all A+. I haven't found a shield yet. I pretty much have only seen cloth/plate. 2handed weapons seem to never show up either. Everyone has the same 1hb equipped.

General content: All top notch. I love the progression I have done so far. The quests are great, the lore is on par with what I would want from a mainstream mmo. I can't do anything early morning because nobody else is on so I pretty much don't log in. I can't solo anything and my damage is so bad that even farming green con nameds is a pain in the ass. I also don't box and have no intention on spending another 2 days grinding my shaman, bard, ranger, and rogue so I can kill in Unrest at 5am.

I play a paladin at the moment. I have no tools that aid me in groups. I have 1 stun and a blind for aggro. My heal is garbage. I have no group heal, I have no HoT, I have still have Yaulp, my damage at lvl 26 with the 1hb quested from Unrest is doing more than my lvl 16 necro, but not really by a lot. Knowing that the server cuts off at 50, I won't have access to any defensive AA's, any slay undead AA's, any combat abilities, or any group utility spells such as Brells or group heals/hots. I guess I will be doing what pallies in classic did: casting rez on dead group members and blinding/rooting adds for CC. Doesn't bother me. I like my class and I understood completely what I was going to deal with upon creation. Just kind've odd to be worthless outside of like three spells.

The difficulty is where it should be for the big named mobs. They are fun, they aren't tank n spank, they require a group. I like that. I guess it comes down to: XP rates being horrible and the fact that I am almost level 26 and I am still using most of the gear I got between lvl's 10-14. My 2hander (dropped from Najena at lvl eighteen) is less efficient than my 1hander (dropped from Erudin at lvl thirteen) and I haven't found a shield to bash. And you pretty much have to box. That is the bottom line to it. You need to box to grind your way to 25 when you can group with the higher level crowd. And even at that point, don't ditch the boxes because you'll find yourself shit out of luck when nobody is on and you want to kill stuff or xp.

I like the server and will continue to play - I just hope some minor tweaks could be made to not require me to 6box.
*shrug*

Well put. It's not a "bad" server, it's just impossible to play casually
IF you have all your time to play, and do not have to handle life's other responsibilities, you can hang out and wait for people to get on and join with. But if you are average Joe player 1-2 hours of play per day, you can't get anything done there.

Many of these "issues" being reported would be non-existent if the server had the playerbase that it is being designed for.

What would happen if I adjusted the difficulty level to account for an extremely low playerbase, is that the playerbase would then grow over time, as it's already doing, and then the content would be trivialized by the larger number of players and would be "just another emu server" - Not going to happen. I am sorry that some of you are finding the difficulty level to be a bit too much, but blame the playerbase, not the server itself. Having more players would completely, COMPLETELY change all of the negative aspects that people are complaining about.

Zerjz, I've been a faithful player for awhile.. and I can honestly say, Please do NOT change anything. I quit eqemu for about a year, and when I came back to your server it was like being born again in the Everquest world. I find myself impatiently waiting for work to be done so I can log on everyday! We have a group that constantly logs in and plays and we are having absolute fun!

The negative people who dislike this server are apparently part of the instant gratification generation. There are those of us who enjoy that upgrade we died 10 times or camped for days to obtain. Please don't let those who don't understand this concept ruin it!