A New Beginning?

[AffEcT]

Dear Project 1999 Staff,

As fans of the original EverQuest, we have greatly enjoyed the amazing recreation provided by Project 1999.
With the holiday season behind us, we are looking towards the new year and wondering if there are any plans to launch a new server. Specifically, we would like to make a request for the creation of a new PvP server.

We recognize that Project 1999 Red, which launched in November 2011 (http://www.eqemulator.org/forums/showthread.php?t=34425&highlight=Project+1999), had its share of issues and changes over the years. However, it was also a server full of fun and good times.
Unfortunately, Red 1999 has become largely inactive in recent years, with very few players and low activity.
As the server is at the end of its timeline, with even the Sleeper having been awoken years ago, we believe it is time to consider a fresh start.

In 2020, members of the EverQuest PvP community came together in an effort to advocate for a PvP-Progression Server on EQLive.
Although we were able to gather a significant number of players, our request was largely ignored by Daybreak Games and nothing came of it.
It seems that they may not have a strong interest in fostering a PvP community, or may feel that it would require a significant amount of work to police such a community.
mmobomb.com (https://www.mmobomb.com/news/everquest-players-planning-protest-pvp-progression-servers)

In discussions with friends and members of the PvP community, we have considered the various team rulesets that were implemented in EverQuest, such as Vallon Zek, Tallon Zek, and Sullon Zek.
While we appreciate the concepts behind these rulesets, we believe they are flawed and will lead to large class and race imbalances.

Sullon Zek is a great example of this, Evil Team in Sullon Zek has access to powerful PvP classes like Necromancers and Shadow Knights, as well as strong racial options like Trolls, Iksars, and Ogres.
Team rulesets tend to create imbalance and unnecessary limitations.



This is the first draft of our concept, Project 1999 Purple, also known as Project Mayhem (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0137523/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_ov_rdat).

This server is a free-for-all environment where members of the same guild cannot harm each other in player versus player (PvP) combat. Guilds are limited to 50 members, and there is a 4 level range for PvP in the open world.
However, in designated "RAID" zones, there is no PvP range limit, allowing for full range PvP.
If a player engages in out-of-range healing or buffing, they will receive a full range PvP tag for 5 minutes.

To ensure some fairness for new characters on this server, they will be immune to PvP combat until they have gained level 5.
In addition, all combat skills are capped at two levels above a player's current level. Losing two levels will not affect the effectiveness of these skills, but losing more will lower the caps to remain two levels above the player's current level.
Players can only loot coins from other characters in PvP.
Characters cannot bind in any dungeon zones. Clickie items can not be recharged.
A lot of these rules are already in effect on Red 1999.

Please note that the Play Nice Policy does not apply on this server. Characters are able to resolve conflicts through combat.
Also, causing experience loss by "training" NPCs on other characters is not considered a violation on this server.
All other rules regarding general decency, such as threats and cheating, still apply and will be strictly enforced, just like on the other Project 1999 servers.

Numat has developed a working PvP leaderboard that integrates with the Client PvP leaderboard. This allows for a seasonal PvP ladder that resets every 3 months, showcasing the top players in PvP.
Titles could be awarded to the top players as a status symbol, and during events, bounties can be placed on the top players for additional points. Player and Guild tournaments could be hosted based on the PvP leaderboard.
Leaderboard (https://imgur.com/hg6peyw)


Everquest is an amazing game, but there are certainly some areas where some improvement could be needed in terms of player versus player gameplay.
In addition, it's clear that the developers had to work under a tight deadline when creating the game, which may have caused them to overlook certain elements.
However, this is not a criticism, but rather as a testament to their achievement in creating such a comprehensive game despite the constraints they faced.
We have several ideas on how to enhance the PvP experience and address some of the issues that were missed in the original development process.

We would all be interested in hearing your thoughts on the possibility of launching a new PvP server and any ideas that could be implemented to create an enjoyable new experience. Thank you for considering our request.

Happy New Year! May it be filled with new adventures and shiny pixels.

[Tradesonred]

To be honest im grateful theres people to bring positive vibes to feedback because personally, i acknowledge ive become a bitter vet and my input, like yesterday's comment, is starting to verge on the negative just to be negative, which i feel ive avoided up to this point. Im just bitter i guess because i feel were losing the window for a populated server.

I also cant help myself giving my 2 cents theorycrafting, the next best thing to playing a populated server.

You cant allow training, it will devolve into a shit show it looks like you cant apprehend, im not sure how aware you are of the kind of players that make up part of the population here. To give you an example, when the server launched, a guild took shifts to level a cleric so they could prevent anyone from entering Guk, by training a bunch of mobs to the entrance. This is the lengths to which they will go, at the beginning bracket level.

The rest of your post looks fine.

[Swish]

Start a new server with item loot, even if its taken out later its better added in on launch than 6 months along.

[Gazette Reporter Casey]

Imagine how dumb you would have to be to not know who Affect is, and not realize he has played on red since day one.

[AffEcT]

You cant allow training, it will devolve into a shit show it looks like you cant apprehend, im not sure how aware you are of the kind of players that make up part of the population here. To give you an example, when the server launched, a guild took shifts to level a cleric so they could prevent anyone from entering Guk, by training a bunch of mobs to the entrance. This is the lengths to which they will go, at the beginning bracket level.


The decision to not implement a "Play Nice Policy" that allows training in-game has a rich history and is based on past experiences.
While I do not condone training or griefing, I do recognize that training can be a useful tool in certain situations, such as when facing off against a giant zerg.
Also, implementing the "Play Nice Policy" would be quite labor-intensive and would require constant active GM presence, which is not a realistic expectation on the P1999 staff.

In the early days of Red 1999, there were two top guilds who were engaged in fierce competition over content.
This made the server incredibly active and exciting.
However, the era came to an end when one of the guilds was banned for 30 days due to training. As a result, the guild quit the server and the dark ages of Red 1999 began.

To provide an example, let's say guild #1 is raiding in Plane of Fear.
Another guild, guild #2, arrives and engages in PvP with guild #1. Guild #1 emerges victorious but guild #2 decides to train guild #1, effectively wiping out the raid. In retaliation, guild #1 trains guild #2.
At this point, guild #2 contacts staff and the GMs arrive, banning an entire guild for 30 days without knowing the full context of the situation.
This kind of behavior can lead to "LawyerQuesting" and a corrupt server where GMs hold too much power. It is better for the community to handle its own problems rather than having an authority dictate the outcomes of the server.

There are numerous instances of GMs making poor decisions based on ignorance or personal bias.
While there are certainly competent staff members, we must recognize that all humans are flawed and this can be a major issue.

Regarding the example of training at the zone line in Guk, it's worth noting that there are multiple zone lines in Guk and other zones like Guk, providing various tactical options.
While it is possible to spend an excessive amount of time training at a zone line, it is important to remember that boxing is not allowed on Project 1999, so this player probably won't get much else done.
Project 1999 has implemented level checks on certain zones, so it is probably not possible for a low-level cleric, for example, to enter those areas.

Thank you for the feedback, Tradesonred.
We are still in the process of developing these ideas and our primary goal is to facilitate a discussion with the staff to see if we can find a future for the PvP community within this amazing project that nilbog and Rogean created.

[Krazy/sickpuppy]

It’s been 10+ years . Give up already

[magnetaress]

Good TLDR posts from Affect I agree.

[Tradesonred]

In the early days of Red 1999, there were two top guilds who were engaged in fierce competition over content.
This made the server incredibly active and exciting.

Thats not how i remember it. When the server launched, i had no idea they would go with xp loss in pvp. I logged in, started playing and went what... ? When they blocked Guk in the swamp, i tried to rally everyone in the zone to go in and try to engage them. No one wanted to because of xp loss, this would be a recurring dynamic. No one pvp'd. It was nothing like Rallos, night and day.

I remember just before quitting the first time during kunark, it took me more than 15 raptor kills to make up for one pvp death.

Once i pleaded with staff for months to remove it and nothing happened, i half gave up and told myself well, what else can i do? I can see the zones i never did on live. So i joined Nihilum. We would sit for weeks unchallenged in fear and i pointed this out on the forums. I remember some angry nerd shouting funnily at me on voice "YOU NEVER GO AGAINST THE GUUUUUILLD"

What needed to happen is smaller guilds getting fed up with nihilum, making a truce to go in there and challenge nihilum. Its xp loss that prevented that, no the training ban.

I agree its resource intensive for GMs to enforce it, but i dont see a successful server without it. The same 80 people playing right now training themselves, maybe.

[Castle2.0]

jfrj2QdoaJM

[Ghost of Starman]

The best thing that could happen to Red is to be shut down immediately, the forums deleted, and a banner put up saying no new PvP server will ever be part of the P99 Project, that way the 50 lost souls who still haunt the dead server could move on with their lives.

[Gustoo]

We’re all in favor of literally anything from Staff red related at this point.

[Tradesonred]

and a banner put up saying no new PvP server will ever be part of the P99 Project, that way the 50 lost souls who still haunt the dead server could move on with their lives.

This comment made me wonder if thats not actually one of the reasons why they are not announcing anything. If that happened the forums would just be dead overnight. At least quite dying, maybe youd see a bit of activity with some people loggin in because they would resign themselves to "thats all there is" but i would bet on a corpse.

[Platexchange]

Love Affect, great guy, but the purists still playing velious a decade later need to give it up. Rogean isn't touching Red unless it's pulling the plug over a glass of wine. Rise of Zek is literally the only PVP server worth playing on. If you guys played there instead there would be a population instead of the small pvp base split on R99 and RoZ. I've raided Vex Thal, played a beastlord, and even fought in PoP. Get out of the snow and move on from R99 and we'd have some good entertainment again on a pvp server.

[Cwall 146.0]

yea just play rise of zek: https://discord.gg/ayQKUdnf

new box this month

the p99 staff doesn't care about the pvp community nor have they ever

[Barik]

nobody wants to play your drug, toxic box that's what ruined the server in the first place, fuck off you wanker.

[Tradesonred]

nobody wants to play your drug, toxic box that's what ruined the server in the first place, fuck off you wanker.

You cant blame people for playing within the parameters that the devs set up for their own server. Cheating and training, ok. But even training im not going to cry a river over it, its not why servers fail.

The first 2 years failure was essentially all on the server setup's back. Nobody would have been able to "grief people off the server" if xp loss wasnt put in or was anyone's fault that it took them till mid-kunark (where pop hit single digit at night) to react when the population was long gone. Server never really recovered from that failed start. Holocaust had its toxicity but thats understood to be something you can never completely extract yourself from, its the fucking internet, MMO internet. You have to anticipate that and work accordingly.

[Cwall 146.0]

no clue what he's even referring to

p99 staff killed red99

[Sithen.]

We’re all in favor of literally anything from Staff red related at this point.

👆🏿

[Krazy/sickpuppy]

no clue what he's even referring to

p99 staff killed red99

This 100%

[Stasis01]

u can't kill what never lived.

[Jimjam]

If you’re going to permit training as a pvp tactic you’re going to need to remove pve xp penalties for death.

[magnetaress]

If you’re going to permit training as a pvp tactic you’re going to need to remove pve xp penalties for death.

i agree simple solution

and send ppl to their bind with gear

and allow binding only in melee spots in cities

tada!

also if u plug or go ld in a zone line u just spawn in at your bind when u log in

:)

Also make zoning take two minutes.

places like HK and neriak will turn into a bloodbath, butt they should be anyway.

[Jimjam]

Those are nice solutions too. I like limiting everyone to bind in melee spots.

It would be a shame to cut out corpse runs entirely though. I don't know what the solution to this may be. Perhaps the bottom half of your bag slots are left where you die. That way you aren't vulnerable to losing your main gear to corpse campers, but you still have incentive to perform corpse recoveries (which are fun little adventures in their own right).

[Krazy/sickpuppy]

Return to bind with gear ? Nah

[Platexchange]

Whats velious in 2023 look like? lol

[Tradesonred]

All this great feedback will be lost, like tears... in rain

[magnetaress]

The glass is already broken.

It's simultaneously broken and not broken.

Just enjoy it for what it is in the moment now. and Share ur elf thoughts freely

[nottitanuk]

bump

[Salaryman]

quit trying to make servers, mmos were called persistent worlds before called mmos, i want my progress to not be deleted or made futile through expansions or new servers. I think the game youre all looking for is "counterstrike"

[Raclen]

quit trying to make servers, mmos were called persistent worlds before called mmos, i want my progress to not be deleted or made futile through expansions or new servers. I think the game youre all looking for is "counterstrike"

Every mmo either has fresh restarts or keeps progressing with expansions