Custom Servers

[sklead]

Originally Posted by sunbeam

I've kind of given up on the whole thing for the most part. Every few months I get the itch and play a bit, but it runs it's course pretty quickly.

The problem for me is:

1) I don't want to use mercs (or bots; how guys parse the difference I do not know).

2) I do not want to box. Period. Even with Macroquest (and if you don't use something like the the /follow command is too much of a pain to play with). I don't want to spend a lot of time setting up macros and the like.

3) The content (or characters) needs to be adjusted so a solo character (though I'd gladly group with others) can do the game solo. You just cannot count on having anyone else around and interested in doing things with you on an EMU.

4) XP and AA rates. Flat out these things do not need to be like live. No one is going to spend years running around an EMU to max out their character. Well most people.

So you're saying an optimal server would be one without mercs or bots, doesn't allow boxing, is geared for soloers, and has increased XP and AA rates? From what I've seen most servers allow bots at least because of the low populations and they don't want to make things easy to solo. Also in regards to custom servers, most people just throw a few custom mobs in a hub zone and label their server as "custom". Maybe it's just me, but when I see that a server is custom I expect more than a hub zone with custom mobs.

[sunbeam]

Originally Posted by sklead

So you're saying an optimal server would be one without mercs or bots, doesn't allow boxing, is geared for soloers, and has increased XP and AA rates? From what I've seen most servers allow bots at least because of the low populations and they don't want to make things easy to solo. Also in regards to custom servers, most people just throw a few custom mobs in a hub zone and label their server as "custom". Maybe it's just me, but when I see that a server is custom I expect more than a hub zone with custom mobs.

That might be the best server for me.

I think that the problem is that Everquest has an unwieldy backbone for being a solo game.

From the ground up it had the "Vision" and was designed for group interaction.

The problem is that virtually all the EMU servers are low population. In the end it has to turn into a solo game, whether the server is advertised as solo or not. The question is how the server does it. My opinion is that even servers with a high population like EZ Server and THF are solo servers. It's simply that the box armies inflate the population numbers.

It is a rare EMU server that ever hits 50 (yeah way too high for unique people) max. And that is not enough to really do content if the server is at all trying to be like EQ through GoD.

Then there is the fact that Everquest is a profoundly dissatisfying solo experience.

From rare drops, to the that mobs get so much more powerful than your character as you level. To stupid abilities like Summon, that was put in to place to keep some classes from being able to solo content like they did before. Then there are the f#&()ing stupid cock blocks and time sinks like keys. And Hell Levels, if someone feels the need to be that legit.



This game only makes sense if you have a lot of people running around at the same time doing things. If you don't have that, it is really an awful solo game.

I've tried P1999. But the magic isn't there for me. I really just don't want to jump on the hamster wheel again. Particularly with a dev crew like that one has. The whole thing of "halfings are going to get the xp bonus that humans were supposed to get, because it's like live darn it." Or the stupid drops that get nerfed that they try to follow because live did it that way. I mean if I had been playing when Kunark went live I know I would be going straight to the Circlet of Shadows camp. Or the Moss Covered Twig, you'll get to enjoy that for a little while.

Just seems a little moronical on the P1999 devs part. Plus they have screwed up lots with certain guilds on that server.