What are you looking for in a server?

[ChaosSlayerZ]

Originally Posted by gravystain

I think Shards of Dalaya did an awesome job making its own variation of Everquest.

+1 for SOD

Their population went to 0 after tweaking HP regen values to try and make warriors and hybrids solo better. This change alone only made the solo classes more powerful and while yes the melee classes could solo a little better they still didn't because it was too slow. Meanwhile level 12 mage pets were soloing the entire unrest castle. My point is that i dont believe there is a happy medium in making a semi classic server. A lot of people in this thread have expressed the opinion that they think all classes should be able to solo. The amount of changes it would take to make a rogue be able to solo are huge. When they finally get to a good soloing tweak for them the casters, hybrids and monks have then turned into Greek gods. I think if someone wants to make a server like this it could be really fun but it needs to be marketed as something new and fresh, not a walk down memory lane of the Everquest we all knew and loved.

I agree. You can't just take base EQ DB tweak a few settings I have a new generation MMO. EQ was designed with group-hard core mindset (albeit with few OP classes like necro) which can't just tweak on the fly.
You have to sit down with a spreadsheet, put in values, evaluate class ideas and methods - essentially do this from the SCRATCH (yes, thats exactly my plans for my own server). You may still use similar spell names for the sake of lore consistency, but you have re-balance ENTIRE class system for it to work right.

If you reduce base mobs hp by half - you powering up wizards and underpowering DoT clases. If you give players ultra-high regeneration and planar weapon at level 1 - you powering up melees, while casters fall down. Etc.

My advice to some of you server devs is to not lose your identity as a server. The identity crisis bug hit my last server and it didn't go well.

THIS. You know what killed EQ2 for me? Their envy for WoW population and attempt to attract more players from WoW by emulating WoW. At the end they failed - why would WoW players play WoW-clone when they can play WoW? And at the same time they alienated EQ2 players who actually liked it the way it was.

Formulate your vision, your system and your methods - and stick to it. Yes there is always room for adjustment and improvement, but don't turn the ship 180 degree around because 1 guy doesn't like it.

[gravystain]

Well said. I'm a sucker for classic EQ but have been following the RebuildEQ server for a month now and it looks super cool. Couldn't be further away from my 'normal' preference but the way they market their product i feel i know what i'm getting into before its even in alpha and look forward to trying it. Find your niche and embrace it. Whether its a era based classic server, pvp, custom, solo, or fun server. Know what you are and just keep polishing your product. There's always going to be people that say they want this or that feature or xyz is why the population isnt growing fast enough but ive found for every person you gain from yeilding to a few suggestions you lose someone who came to the server for its initial concept.

[DanCanDo]

Originally Posted by ChaosSlayerZ

don't turn the ship 180 degree around because 1 guy doesn't like it.

THAT ^^^^ is paramount to any server OP's goals/visions/happiness

[Darkscis]

Originally Posted by ChaosSlayerZ

Formulate your vision, your system and your methods - and stick to it. Yes there is always room for adjustment and improvement, but don't turn the ship 180 degree around because 1 guy doesn't like it.

100% this. This is what killed off Elysium. We were trying to accomodate/change/re-code to satisfy every single complaining voice on the forums instead of staying true to exactly how we envisioned the server going. This left us with half finished/unpolished content, things all over the place and a general lack of focus going forward. We also ended up working on content that we ourselves had no interest in doing, which means as Dev's we lost motivation because it wasn't fun for *US*.

Now I digress because this has ventured off topic a bit, sorry about that!

What I personally look for in a server: Basically what I originally said. As an aging player with commitments and time constraints I look for a server that allows me to progress at my own pace. I don't like to group up not because I am anti-social but because I don't like the feeling I get when I have to let a group down by suddenly having to log off. This means I really only even look at servers that are flagged as "solo". I don't think that players should be "punished" because of this play style though - so my ideal server would be one that you can progress and achieve everything 100% solo if that is your desire. Make it take 10x as long if you don't group, or have alternate methods for group/solo or whatever - just as long as I can achieve everything someone who groups can **EVENTUALLY** I am happy. I don't expect handouts, I don't expect it to be easy to solo but I don't like it when I am forced to group (for example, via script mechanics, min raid requirements - that kind of thing).

So an example of this is what we tried to achieve on Elysium. We had 2 factions in our custom content; Vampire Hunters and Vampires. If you worked for the Vampire Hunters you could "raid" (group content) Dreadspire Keep and loot your drops as normal after defeating the encounters. For those that didn't want to group, you could work for the Vampires instead. This was our "solo" version of content. You essentially did a quest for each of those same bosses in Dreadspire Keep and earnt their drops through that, rather than killing them. All players ended up with the same gear, but the solo players had to work a little longer at it by first doing faction work to become Ally and then by actually completing the quest. The raiders were able to go in, learn the encounters and get their loot the normal way.