QOL differences between P99 and TLP

[maxtorps]

I'm putting some finishing touches to the next episode which is about the quality of life differences between P99 and TLP's.

We used this list:
https://www.reddit.com/r/everquest/comments/go4enb/list_of_quality_of_life_differences_between_tlp/

Faster Exp Rate / No Hell Levels / No Class Penalties - Exp moves considerably faster than P99/classic, and there are no hell levels or exp penalties for classes.

Exp weighted towards Even+ Cons / Full Groups - Exp bonuses are weighted towards even+ cons and full groups. Players tend to favor full groups that are charm-heavy, as charm generates a ton of DPS like in P99.

Picks - As zones get crowded, a new "pick"of that zone will be created. You can use /pick to move to the newly created pick. This lets lots of people play in the same "zone" to help overcrowding.

Raid Instances - While guilds can compete in the open world for raid bosses, you can spawn a private instance of the zone with your guild and kill the raid bosses at your leisure. There is a cooldown on how often you can do this.

No corpse runs / smaller exp penalty upon death.

In-Game Maps - No need to have the P1999 wiki pulled up on the second monitor. In-game maps with TLPs!

LFG System / Global Chat Channels - An in-game LFG system and global chat channels really helps with forming groups.

Shared Banks / Parcel Merchants - Shared banks and parcel merchants in towns allow you to send items to characters.

Extended Target Window - Amazing tool. Can leave it on auto to show mobs aggro on your group. Or you can right click on it and choose targets. For example, as a raid cleric, I can put raid tanks in there that aren't in my group so I can monitor their health.

The Daybreak Store - 25% exp bonus potions for 4 hours is helpful but also lots of other little benefits. The 4 hour sow potion is incredible when a server starts, as is the 40 slot 100% weight reduction bag.

Advanced Loot Window - Takes getting used to but alleviates the need to manually right-click and loot every corpse.

Saved Spell Lists / No Re-Memorization Upon Death - Can save spell lists by right clicking on the spell book.

Weapon Augments - This lets tanks and especially warriors have a chance at generating aggro.

PCs Generally More Powerful - The power level of TLP characters is massively higher than P99. Most camps until you hit The Hole will be limited by mobs. Single pulling is almost never worth it especially with a charm pet that most groups over level 20 will have.

More Potions - Incredibly powerful. The greater concentration potions for mana regen, disease cure for bees/draco, heals, etc.

Origin - ALL classes get this at level 5. It's a teleport to your home town with a cooldown of 18 minutes.

/hidecorpse alwaysnpc - Hide all dead mobs but not player corpses.

Boats are optional - Gnomish translocators located near boats now instantly port players across oceans; boats are still available for rides.

Soulbinders - No need to beg for binds now; soulbinder NPCs can bind you at cities.

Easy Skill Increases - A built in skill catch up mechanic causes rapid skill increases if you fall behind in a skill.

Bandoliers - Easy weapon switching via hotkey.

No meditate button.

"Revamped" textures in many classic zones. Luclin player-model textures can be turned off and classic textures used.

Most pre-raid classic content available upon launch.

Some classic items will possess valuable focus effects disabled at classic but (i.e., increase to type damage, etc) available in later expansions.

TLPs allow boxing to various extents [Aradune: 2 box limit on two different devices).

No PNP. Certain players may attempt to train or KS you, but bad apples can be avoided via pick system.

Certain cash camps permacamped by RMT/neckbeards (GEBs).

Currency no longer weighs anything. Monks, rejoice.

Bards can use /melody to ease song twisting; rangers can AFK more with bow /autofire.

DPS Racing is the standard. FTE (first to engage) is considered a discretionary courtesy.

What are some of your thoughts on these? I'll include many of them in the episode.

Thanks

[maxtorps]

I should have been clearer, sorry. What we are looking for are your comments on the pros and cons of any of the QOL differences. Thanks!

[spoil]

It's been a while since I played on a TLP but I remember you could also see what buffs/debuffs were on a target. Also the raid window. And of course, Krono.

Obviously I'm on p99 for a reason, quality is subjective. Some people love the raid instances, store potions, krono, free-trade and all that stuff. I would personally rather have a lower-level character with worse gear on p99.

[jolanar]

Individually none of the changes are deal breakers for the most part. But when you add them all up it makes the game feel completely different.

[Rader]

Individually none of the changes are deal breakers for the most part. But when you add them all up it makes the game feel completely different.

This part of the game is where I diverge from the p99 mentality, QOL implementations would be an improvement.

But, it is "not classic"

c'est la vie, p99 is what the devs make it, deal with it or leave

[maxtorps]

A lot of these QOL differences on the TLP's seem to make the game easier, by a substantial amount. To me, this takes away some of the challenge and the sense of achievement. Yet, in converstations I've had, this doesn't mean a lot to some. In fact, I found myself agreeing with a lot of them with only a few hard passes.

What would you say, if anything, to proponents of either version?

[mcoy]

Individually none of the changes are deal breakers for the most part. But when you add them all up it makes the game feel completely different.

Most of these, by themselves, make it a completely different game. It's the brutal unfairness that made EQ so drawing (at least, for me). There are a number of other mmo's to play if you want "easy mode". It just doesn't feel the same when you accomplish anything, as compared to classic.

-Mcoy

[WarpathEQ]

I wouldn't define any of this as quality of life improvements. In fact as someone who came back to the game after decades away (which seems to be like 95%+ of the people that are starting a new EQ account today) if you described any of these things as part of EQ I would have never came back to the game.

If I wanted to play a completely different game I certainly would pick one with modern graphics. Funny enough what made me hungry for EQ was trying the D4 beta when it first dropped before the retail release. Quite frankly the list of what you described sounds a lot more like D4 and if those things were appealing I would just play D4 and not EQ.

And that's without even considering other games Buldar's Gate 3 that dropped since I joined P99.

[Nitsude]

For me personally, the revamped NPC textures like orcs and especially revamped zones like Nektulos, Lavastorm, Commons, etc. are a huge nostalgia breaker on TLPs. They're a constant reminder that you're not playing classic EQ.

[Rader]

For me personally, the revamped NPC textures like orcs and especially revamped zones like Nektulos, Lavastorm, Commons, etc. are a huge nostalgia breaker on TLPs. They're a constant reminder that you're not playing classic EQ.

The revamped zones were horrible, for the most part. Freeport in particular was atrocious. I wouldn't call those "QOL" by any means.

[enjchanter]

I would list everything you mentioned as a pro and makes the game better than p99

There is almost literally nothing challenging in classic eq so I don't feel like removing headaches rakes anything away from the game

[eddrick]

The Solo Artist Challenge (https://wiki.project1999.com/Solo_Artist_Challenge) has always been quite challenging on p99 for those willing to take on those risky battles solo. Especially true as you work your way down toward the harder mobs on the list.

My take away from a month or two of TLP play several years ago was that my character on the TLP seemed more powerful there than equivalent leveled p99 character. To me this felt "off" and slightly overpowered to what I was used to. Ultimately the slightly easier gameplay lead to me losing interest on the TLP much earlier than I would have here.

The simplest way to put it is that it felt more "Arcade-like" with less downtime and less risk involved in trying things. I noticed I only enjoyed playing on a TLP for maybe 45 min to an hour before I was done. Here on p99 that would have been a multiple hour session. Overall for me this made TLPs less fun and less immersive to me overall compared with p99.

[Jimjam]

Similar to origin is the return home button. I liked that one. It let your character head back to it’s starter city ‘offscreen’ letting you start a new adventure next time you played (iirc you had to be offline for 8 hours for it to become available).

[mcoy]

Oh yeah, I didn't see the "Rest" mechanic in the list if it was there. That's a big game-changer. Is that present on the TLPs? I only made it as far as making a human cleric in freeport and gave up because I didn't like the revamped zone/graphics either.

-Mcoy

[DeathsSilkyMist]

For the most part QoL doesn't affect veteran players very much. QoL features would probably get more players in the door of P99, but making the game easier would also have players leaving faster.

It's a conundrum that is difficult to solve. P99 has nostalgia going for it, which is how it recruits most players. They are already willing to put up with some clunkiness to relive the Everquest experience.

[Treefall]

I have definitely experienced my wife struggling with clunky EQ in P99 and not wanting to play for many sessions from time to time (she is not a gamer), and I think that all of those things would probably help her to enjoy the game and not get so flustered/stressed/want to take so many breaks.

That being said, that is not EQ in my opinion, and if I wanted to play a game with all of that quality of life improvement with her I would have just had her play classic WoW with me or any number of modern MMOs.

That's not to say I won't someday play on a TLP if life is busy and I want something that is kind of like the EQ I remember without the time commitment, maybe have my kids play too.

I do think there are things in that list that anyone could pick and choose but ultimately as has been said all of it combined makes for a vastly different game.

[Rader]

Cool with non QOL for the most part, but wtf is the problem with shared bank?
Wouldn't this actually help the GMs with less issues with fraud acusations on trades?

[Troxx]

I quit live eq and abandoned any desire to even consider TLPs right around the time they revamped the common lands and Freeport. It upset me to know that I could never again go back and visit those zones and experience them (at least visually) the way they always were. It was the straw that broke the camels back.

I legitimately loved the game and each of the first half-dozen or more expansions. I personally feel the game peaked around PoP but still had a ton of fun through OoW. From there it slowly declined.

As EQ expansions marched onward, the game felt smaller and smaller and less complex/interactive. Travel was too fast. The game was too easy. The communities and players became more insular. Everyone boxed. Mercenaries really killed the grouping game.

In my last year or 2 I ultimately entertained myself by using Macroquest2. I copied my characters to test server so I could play for free on as many accounts as I wanted. I wrote some pretty complex macro scripts to automatically play all but my primary character and could load 6 instances at a time to have my own custom built group that always played/reacted perfectly. Novelty wore off and I logged in less and less.

I know we may all be tired of p99 since it’s stagnated forever at Velious … but this project is truly a magnificent thing. The aggressive stance on policing basic things like no hacks and no botting was icing on the cake. As tempted as I have been at times to load a 2nd instance to do something as simple as buff, rez or port myself … it is the fact that I can’t/shouldn’t that makes this server so great. It’s the reliance on others to get what you want/need or achieve certain goals that keeps some of the original eq magic alive.

First time I logged into p99 and made my way to EC tunnel to see the vibrant hawking of goods - nearly brought a tear to my eye.

#nostalgia

[maxtorps]

Thank you everyone! The latest episode is up!

Are TLP's EZ mode? (https://richardsonsrubicon.com/escape-to-everquest-are-tlps-ez-mode/)