Longing for the Old Days of P1999, Yet Grateful for the Journey

[IzHaN80]

There’s a part of me that would love to go back to the days when P1999 was my drug of choice. Exploring the Desert of Ro, one of my favorite places, watching people level up there — veterans and newcomers alike. Wandering through Karana, returning to the roots, seeing the server alive and full of people everywhere… but it’s hard now.

Since Quarm, it’s been especially difficult, and I understand why. On Quarm I was able to experience grouping in dungeons I never thought could be filled with so many players, witnessing loot drop for the first time that I never even imagined existed in those places. Raiding, making friends, camping valuable items — so many things without having to invest three sleepless weeks of your life, glued to the chair, waiting for a single mob to spawn with the hope it would finally drop what you were looking for… and not losing your mind after 14+ hours when it didn’t. Because, let’s face it — we all have lives now.

Things that might seem small — like not seeing the damage of your DoTs, mobs not taking full damage unless they hit you first and remain static, the clunky camera, the XP rate, even having rings that immediately tell you a mob’s difficulty instead of spamming /con nonstop — these are just a few of the many details that wear you down.

I don’t care much about Luclin, I don’t care much about PoP. All I wish is that P99 could adapt, just a little, to today’s players. That it wouldn’t only cater to those who can spend unhealthy amounts of time in front of a PC 24/7 chasing items. I’m not asking to be hand-held, I’m not asking for free rewards. But most of us here are adults now, with responsibilities. At least those of us who have loved this game since 1999.

And yet, I have nothing but gratitude. Thank you, Project 1999. You brought me back to my childhood. You allowed me to enjoy EverQuest again. I leveled many characters to 60. I raided — not endlessly, but enough to have fun in Kael, in Plane of Fear, and other events.

P1999, I wish you could be what you once were: with that classic soul, but just a little more adapted to what players need today. Quarm is wonderful, I enjoy it — it removes absurd barriers and unnecessary tedium at the start, giving us a smoother path — but… it will never be my P1999.

Disclaimer: I have used GPT to help me out traduce my thoughts, since English isn't my first language, so excuse me if you find a bit of ChatGPT in my text.

[cd288]

Another post from Quarm people talking about how it's better than P99 and P99 needs to do what Quarm does?

No thanks.

The low population here currently isn't because of Quarm. It's because the servers are old and mudflated. If they merged tomorrow and launched a new server, the new server's pop would be a couple thousand people. People are just playing Quarm because there's no new P99 alternative right now.

[Goregasmic]

You can't long for p99 and then in the same breath wish for a custom ruleset. It is classic or it isn't, for better or for worse.

[Ekco]

People have this thing where they project their current experiences unto other people / reality as a whole.

not everyone is as bored of classic as you(s) currently are and for some people Quarm/THJ is this amazeballs new concept where they've never experienced/ even considered the fact you can play everquest in a different custom way or that expansions past Velious exist and have an urge to tell other people about it because they're having an insane amount of fun

check back in after a year or two and let me know if that sugar high still has some legs

as Motel 6 says, "We'll Leave the Light On For You" when you're ready to come back.

[Rygar]

Very little gear is "needed". Just group and have fun. A crazy pull that nearly wipes your group is exhilarating (doesn't matter if you are wearing rags), it will be remembered long after a piece of raid gear drops for you or the 5th alt.

[WarpathEQ]

The reason you're finding loot you didn't know existed in places on Quarm is because it never actually did exist there on EQ, Quarm is a non-EQ custom project that uses EQ as an interface. Playing on that server does not represent playing Everquest as it was created.

Scarcity creates value. Sure we could re-engineer the game so you can get a full BIS character in 90 days or less but then you essentially completed the game and have no reason to keep playing.

For me personally, and I think I capture the general sentiment of the player base, the massive investment that is required to unlock the full potential of your character is the entire draw to the game. As a form of entertainment this is the only game I've stuck with beyond ~90 days in the last 20 years. In fact the last time I encountered a game that had that kind of engagement is was the original EQ and nothing really accomplished that before.

[IzHaN80]

Another post from Quarm people talking about how it's better than P99 and P99 needs to do what Quarm does?

No thanks.

The low population here currently isn't because of Quarm. It's because the servers are old and mudflated. If they merged tomorrow and launched a new server, the new server's pop would be a couple thousand people. People are just playing Quarm because there's no new P99 alternative right now.

It does a lot of things better than P99, especially when it comes to quality-of-life improvements. The camera feels smoother, you can see your XP per hour, you can actually track your DoT damage — and the list could go on for a while. These are just quality-of-life changes that don’t lower the difficulty of the game, but they make the journey less painful and a bit more enjoyable.

But I never said it was better than P99 — it’s just different. And to be honest, I think the people defending this model as if it were the only way are actually the ones killing the servers.

I feel like you didn’t really pay attention to what I wrote before — or maybe ChatGPT didn’t capture my feelings properly when translating. What I meant is this: P99 needs a new server. A fresh start. No merging. Why would anyone want to merge servers? What’s the point? What’s needed is a new cycle. Bring people back, make them level together again, group up, and experience that old vanilla classic feeling all over.

Like I said earlier, Quarm is nice — but it will never be P1999. I grew up on this server, I love it deeply. But when I return and see it empty, when I see the same guild dominating the same raids, when there’s nothing fun or new left to do… yeah, I think it’s time for P1999 to do something about it.

[loramin]

What I meant is this: P99 needs a new server. A fresh start. No merging. Why would anyone want to merge servers? What’s the point?

The point of merging servers is to get a fresh server. The staff's plan, since before Green ever existed, has always been to merge Green into Blue, and then start a fresh ("Green 2.0") server.

[IzHaN80]

You can't long for p99 and then in the same breath wish for a custom ruleset. It is classic or it isn't, for better or for worse.

I just wish they would reset the server.

As for a custom ruleset — nothing that breaks the game’s difficulty. Some QoL changes could be included. Strictly sticking to “classic” doesn’t always mean better, or even more fun. A lot of things were broken back then, and they were only fixed when X patch eventually came in. That’s kind of BS, especially when they knowingly reintroduce bugs just because “that’s how it was in classic.”

Things like DoT damage not showing in the window, DoTs not dealing their full damage because of a bug that got intentionally reimplemented “for the sake of being classic,” nerfing loot that was supposedly not “classic” without solid proof (looking at you, Seafury Cyclops)… and honestly, the list could go on and on.

[IzHaN80]

The point of merging servers is to get a fresh server. The staff's plan, since before Green ever existed, has always been to merge Green into Blue, and then start a fresh ("Green 2.0") server.

I feel that if you merge servers, people will just stay on the merged server and won’t move to a new one. A lot of players (with all due respect) are “poopsockers” who simply can’t let go of their toons, like their entire life depends on them.

What we actually need is a way to force people to move away from their old toons. Merging only creates more problems: deleted characters, messy name conflicts, and a ton of extra work for the devs. Too many variables, and none of them really fix the issue.

[IzHaN80]

The reason you're finding loot you didn't know existed in places on Quarm is because it never actually did exist there on EQ, Quarm is a non-EQ custom project that uses EQ as an interface. Playing on that server does not represent playing Everquest as it was created.

Scarcity creates value. Sure we could re-engineer the game so you can get a full BIS character in 90 days or less but then you essentially completed the game and have no reason to keep playing.

For me personally, and I think I capture the general sentiment of the player base, the massive investment that is required to unlock the full potential of your character is the entire draw to the game. As a form of entertainment this is the only game I've stuck with beyond ~90 days in the last 20 years. In fact the last time I encountered a game that had that kind of engagement is was the original EQ and nothing really accomplished that before.

No, it’s because I was finally able to go into places I could never experience before. Most of my time on P1999 was spent soloing, or occasionally duoing. People are often too busy to bother with lower-level dungeons, and a lot of content has simply faded away over the years — like getting Jboots in Najena, the Manastone, and many other items I was able to experience on Quarm.

So anyway, my point is: I’m longing for P99 to be what it once was — the main EQ server that united everyone. A server where the heavy “poopsocking” doesn’t dominate the game, where a few QoL improvements could exist without breaking the difficulty, and where things aren’t needlessly broken under the excuse of being “classic.”

Just saying.

[IzHaN80]

Very little gear is "needed". Just group and have fun. A crazy pull that nearly wipes your group is exhilarating (doesn't matter if you are wearing rags), it will be remembered long after a piece of raid gear drops for you or the 5th alt.

It really depends on your class — gear makes a huge difference. But I get where you’re coming from. I miss those days too, but honestly, it’s hard for me to imagine this server ever being as populated as it once was, where you could just stumble into groups and dive into low-level dungeons or dangerous zones together.

[sajbert]

Rose tinted glasses I say. Early on in Classic they changed ZEMs which boosted outdoor XP by a lot. The result was that every single spawn worth a damn more or less was camped 24/7.

People had to stand in line to camp a single gnoll in South Karana, or the hermit, or the Aviak Guards in Lake Rathe, or Cynthia or Hill Giants in Mountains of Rathe or Frost Giants in Everfrost, Harbor Dwarves in Butcherblock and more. Sometimes even obscure little known about spawns were camped. Meanwhile groups in the same usual locations (HHK and MM) ran on but typically difficult to get a spot.

Since gear was shit melee struggled. Warriors were basically useless. Class XP penalties were brutal.

... The legacy camps were just a small part of the pain relatively.

[Ekco]

QoL improvements are the slippery slope into the current mmorpg failstate, listening to what players want was a disaster, it's like that Steve Jobs quote about customers not knowing what they want.

this place is a nostalgia simulator for a terribly designed video game in hindsight and if you don't actually have nostalgia for things you didn't get to experience of course things like Quarm and Everquest live for that matter will be enjoyable to you.

[cd288]

It does a lot of things better than P99, especially when it comes to quality-of-life improvements. The camera feels smoother, you can see your XP per hour, you can actually track your DoT damage — and the list could go on for a while. These are just quality-of-life changes that don’t lower the difficulty of the game, but they make the journey less painful and a bit more enjoyable.

But I never said it was better than P99 — it’s just different. And to be honest, I think the people defending this model as if it were the only way are actually the ones killing the servers.

I feel like you didn’t really pay attention to what I wrote before — or maybe ChatGPT didn’t capture my feelings properly when translating. What I meant is this: P99 needs a new server. A fresh start. No merging. Why would anyone want to merge servers? What’s the point? What’s needed is a new cycle. Bring people back, make them level together again, group up, and experience that old vanilla classic feeling all over.

Like I said earlier, Quarm is nice — but it will never be P1999. I grew up on this server, I love it deeply. But when I return and see it empty, when I see the same guild dominating the same raids, when there’s nothing fun or new left to do… yeah, I think it’s time for P1999 to do something about it.

Then you don't like classic EQ, and that's fine. Quarm exists for you. It's super annoying when people make posts that are essentially "I don't like classic EQ, and I get the non-classic EQ experience on another server, but for no reason P99 should mimic that experience even though I can find that experience on this other server."

We don't need that here.

Also, the only thing P99 "needs to do about it" is to launch a new server. Which the staff will do when they have the time and energy. If you want to absolutely kill P99 forever, that would be by implementing Quarm changes here.

[cd288]

I feel that if you merge servers, people will just stay on the merged server and won’t move to a new one. A lot of players (with all due respect) are “poopsockers” who simply can’t let go of their toons, like their entire life depends on them.

What we actually need is a way to force people to move away from their old toons. Merging only creates more problems: deleted characters, messy name conflicts, and a ton of extra work for the devs. Too many variables, and none of them really fix the issue.

?

Really? Because literally hundreds of people left Blue to go play on Green when it launched. You're entirely wrong.

[Danth]

Because, let’s face it — we all have lives now.

Some of us were adults and "had lives" when this game originally came out. We found ways to make do. It ain't going to change just because you finally grew up. It's on you to adapt to the known conditions.

P99 has had a pretty good run. It opened at about the right time, with a fair bit of pent-up demand and not a lot of good options. P99 peaked in population only around 2019, when it was already pushing 10 years old. Green's launch and splitting up the community seems to have contributed ultimately to a decline in the long term, probably in conjunction with high-quality alternatives becoming available. Even if a new server were to open, I don't think it'll hold population as long next time around. P99 always harbored many players who didn't care so much about classic EQ as they cared about free high-quality EQ, and this isn't the only stop for such folks anymore.

[Jimjam]

I went to an iron age village in Wales. It was nice, but they needed to install central heating, plumbing and electrical to the reconstructed houses to appeal to modern audiences.

[Goregasmic]

I just wish they would reset the server.

As for a custom ruleset — nothing that breaks the game’s difficulty. Some QoL changes could be included. Strictly sticking to “classic” doesn’t always mean better, or even more fun. A lot of things were broken back then, and they were only fixed when X patch eventually came in. That’s kind of BS, especially when they knowingly reintroduce bugs just because “that’s how it was in classic.”

Things like DoT damage not showing in the window, DoTs not dealing their full damage because of a bug that got intentionally reimplemented “for the sake of being classic,” nerfing loot that was supposedly not “classic” without solid proof (looking at you, Seafury Cyclops)… and honestly, the list could go on and on.

Sticking to classic doesn't mean it is better but it was what it was. If you start implementing later fixes where do you stop and why? And QOL stuff is the same, where do you stop and when does it become a different game? And by making some people happy you'll be pissing off others.

Sticking to classic is the "easiest" way to avoid those pitfalls.

[IzHaN80]

Sticking to classic doesn't mean it is better but it was what it was. If you start implementing later fixes where do you stop and why? And QOL stuff is the same, where do you stop and when does it become a different game? And by making some people happy you'll be pissing off others.

Sticking to classic is the "easiest" way to avoid those pitfalls.

A smoother camera would certainly enhance the experience, and fixing the Damage Over Time mechanics, which are currently bugged, wouldn’t hurt either. I remember being able to cast spells while sitting on the ground without needing to toggle the sit/stand hotkey. The target cycling could use some improvement as well. I truly believe that these quality-of-life changes wouldn’t break the immersion of the game; rather, they would make life a bit easier for everyone. Such adjustments could attract more players, and in the end, everyone would benefit.

Claiming that these enhancements would negatively impact the server and detract from its classic feel reminds me of the time when many aspects were nerfed without any solid evidence—just based on a few old posts from random forums by individuals who likely had little understanding of the game.

[IzHaN80]

Some of us were adults and "had lives" when this game originally came out. We found ways to make do. It ain't going to change just because you finally grew up. It's on you to adapt to the known conditions.

P99 has had a pretty good run. It opened at about the right time, with a fair bit of pent-up demand and not a lot of good options. P99 peaked in population only around 2019, when it was already pushing 10 years old. Green's launch and splitting up the community seems to have contributed ultimately to a decline in the long term, probably in conjunction with high-quality alternatives becoming available. Even if a new server were to open, I don't think it'll hold population as long next time around. P99 always harbored many players who didn't care so much about classic EQ as they cared about free high-quality EQ, and this isn't the only stop for such folks anymore.

If you were able to sit in front of a computer for a week straight (without sleeping) as an adult, you were either not very responsible or didn’t have much of a life. That said, I’m not here to argue about that now. I apologize if what I say offends anyone; that’s not my intention. I grew up playing Original EQ and later P1999. I have several level 60 characters and have participated in various raids. I haven’t been in any top guilds because I simply don’t have the time, but I know there are many others like me. Those players eventually moved to Quarm, and I joined them because that’s where I found a community to share progress with, level up together, and explore dungeons I had never visited on my own. Both Green and Blue don’t have enough active population to maintain a steady flow of players leveling up in those areas.

For me, Everquest has always been about the journey rather than the destination. It’s always been more fun to level up, explore new places, and meet people. If you allow the server to remain in its current state, it will inevitably die sooner or later. I don’t know who suggested we give Quarm time. Quarm continues to grow, but I’ll say it again: it’s not P1999. To those who understand, words are unnecessary. If people remain stubborn with the excuse of “classic” and refuse to update the server, everything will eventually crumble. The numbers speak for themselves; I don’t need to say more.

[IzHaN80]

QoL improvements are the slippery slope into the current mmorpg failstate, listening to what players want was a disaster, it's like that Steve Jobs quote about customers not knowing what they want.

this place is a nostalgia simulator for a terribly designed video game in hindsight and if you don't actually have nostalgia for things you didn't get to experience of course things like Quarm and Everquest live for that matter will be enjoyable to you.

It's not even about custom features; they could simply fix the silly change that broke Damage Over Time. It used to work as intended, and now you can't even see the damage in the window, and the damage is also broken and i bet a lot of people to the date doesn't even know that as of today.

They could also make the camera much smoother than it currently is; this was one of the common complaints in Quarm, and now Quarm's camera is significantly better than P1999's. These adjustments aren't game-breaking nor are they custom features; they are just elements that used to exist and weren't broken.

For instance, being able to use the sit/stand button to interrupt your spellcasting instead of having to crouch, or standing up while sitting without needing to press the sit button. These features didn't break the game and were part of the experience here.

[IzHaN80]

Then you don't like classic EQ, and that's fine. Quarm exists for you. It's super annoying when people make posts that are essentially "I don't like classic EQ, and I get the non-classic EQ experience on another server, but for no reason P99 should mimic that experience even though I can find that experience on this other server."

We don't need that here.

Also, the only thing P99 "needs to do about it" is to launch a new server. Which the staff will do when they have the time and energy. If you want to absolutely kill P99 forever, that would be by implementing Quarm changes here.

Don’t be fooled—this isn’t exactly classic EQ either. If it were truly classic, one of the longest-running debates here would look very different: Enchanters simply wouldn’t be this dominant. Back in the day, playing a caster was a lot tougher. On Quarm, for instance, casters faces real challenges, while here you can see Enchanters soloing entire zones with little risk or spellcasters having barely any penalties, they don't get interrupt as often as they should be, etc... Channeling here is a joke.

Of course, there are many other examples I could mention, but I think the key point is that this version doesn’t really reflect how difficult classic EQ actually was for spellcasters for example.

[Danth]

If you were able to sit in front of a computer for a week straight (without sleeping) as an adult, you were either not very responsible or didnÂ’t have much of a life.

Of course I didn't, that's the point. Don't need to; the handful of items that require such effort are unnecessary to the point I not-so-jokingly call them a trap. I don't like all aspects of EQ and never did, but P99's admins have been fairly consistent in their goals since the start and I accept it for what it is as the cost of entry. I'm not bothered by the notion of P99 running its course and gadually fading into obscurity and eventual closure. That's its fate, with or without a new server or minor changes; that might push out the date but the end result stays the same. So what? I was here at opening in 2009 when between glitches and DDOS's the few players present weren't sure it'd even survive the year. Here we are 15+ years later. I never expected it to last forever, and in practice it has far exceeded any reasonable or even wild expectations. P99 could close tomorrow and it could be regarded as nothing except an unqualified success.

[Raj]

I went to an iron age village in Wales. It was nice, but they needed to install central heating, plumbing and electrical to the reconstructed houses to appeal to modern audiences.

What is this “central heating, plumbing and electrical?” that u were speaking of? I am very hip and modern but could you please share some details my friend?

[Raj]

The incredible repetitions by this poster and intense details of specific mechanics so many times….OP. If you stopped at page 1 I would not be reading at this thread like it is just a thinly veiled advertisement for that other server Quorm by someone whom is simply impersonating to be just a random nostalgic player like most of you and me my friends. :cool:

Im afraid OP I am pegging you out to be someone who indeed has a strong vested interest in the successes of Quorm and wants to be stealing players from P99 and possibly has a bone to be chewed against the operators of [I]these[I] classic EQ servers on P99.

[sajbert]

I think there's room for change but the problem with "fixing" negative aspects of a game is that it's easy to miss how they helped make the good aspects better or simply added to the flavor in a way that made it what it is. There is a slope and we've seen game devs slip before.

E.g. I don't think fixing the game camera would hurt the game in any way but instanced raids or rooted dragons could.

[loramin]

Im afraid OP I am pegging you out to be someone who indeed has a strong vested interest in the successes of Quorm and wants to be stealing players from P99 and possibly has a bone to be chewed against the operators of [I]these[I] classic EQ servers on P99.

While I agree with your assessment, even a broken clock ...

Back in the day, playing a caster was a lot tougher. On Quarm, for instance, casters faces real challenges, while here you can see Enchanters soloing entire zones with little risk or spellcasters having barely any penalties, they don't get interrupt as often as they should be, etc... Channeling here is a joke.


https://i.imgflip.com/6bhkw3.jpg

[cd288]

OP can get lost.

This entire thread is basically: "Quarm is better than P99 and I want P99 to make changes to be like Quarm."

It's the most nonsensical asinine thread on here in awhile. OP literally has a server that provides what they want. OP, you can go stay on that server and enjoy yourself there. We don't need to change this server to cater to you. The whole point of P99 is it doesn't have the things you're asking for and we're okay with that.

OP's request is like walking into a place that only serves pizza and whining about how they need to serve you a cheeseburger because you like the cheeseburgers from the restaurant down the block.

[Ghost_of_Fippy]

There’s a part of me that would love to go back to the days when P1999 was my drug of choice. Exploring the Desert of Ro, one of my favorite places, watching people level up there — veterans and newcomers alike. Wandering through Karana, returning to the roots, seeing the server alive and full of people everywhere… but it’s hard now.



The only change I would like to see on P99 is instanced Raids with 7 day account lockouts. Then everyone will get the chance to see end game content, and not just two large guilds that lock down and monopolize content.

Quarm got this part right.

[Ekco]

instanced Raids with 7 day account lockouts. Then everyone will get the chance to see end game content, and not just two large guilds that lock down and monopolize content.

Quarm got this part right.

that's the crux of the whole debate really and there's equally valid schools of thought on it and it's been talked to death

butt the literal stated design was that not everyone would 100% the content, we weren't even suppose to farm named mobs obsessively, not everyone is suppose to have their epic or raid.

the human reaction to want to BiS a character and unrealstically progress in a fantasy world is a flaw with the players, not the video game.

a problem that didn't exist when this was done with a pencil and piece of paper.

[Makken]

The reason you're finding loot you didn't know existed in places on Quarm is because it never actually did exist there on EQ, Quarm is a non-EQ custom project that uses EQ as an interface. Playing on that server does not represent playing Everquest as it was created.

Scarcity creates value. Sure we could re-engineer the game so you can get a full BIS character in 90 days or less but then you essentially completed the game and have no reason to keep playing.

For me personally, and I think I capture the general sentiment of the player base, the massive investment that is required to unlock the full potential of your character is the entire draw to the game. As a form of entertainment this is the only game I've stuck with beyond ~90 days in the last 20 years. In fact the last time I encountered a game that had that kind of engagement is was the original EQ and nothing really accomplished that before.

Preach--samsies

[Duik]

Very little gear is "needed". Just group and have fun. A crazy pull that nearly wipes your group is exhilarating (doesn't matter if you are wearing rags), it will be remembered long after a piece of raid gear drops for you or the 5th alt.

Ive never done the raid drop for 5th alt thing but the rest rings true.

[Goregasmic]

A smoother camera would certainly enhance the experience, and fixing the Damage Over Time mechanics, which are currently bugged, wouldn’t hurt either. I remember being able to cast spells while sitting on the ground without needing to toggle the sit/stand hotkey. The target cycling could use some improvement as well. I truly believe that these quality-of-life changes wouldn’t break the immersion of the game; rather, they would make life a bit easier for everyone. Such adjustments could attract more players, and in the end, everyone would benefit.

Claiming that these enhancements would negatively impact the server and detract from its classic feel reminds me of the time when many aspects were nerfed without any solid evidence—just based on a few old posts from random forums by individuals who likely had little understanding of the game.

These are minor things and it wouldn't break immersion but no one is coming back for better target cycling.

And it is basically the project of one guy that is a lot more interested in making this classic than player count so I'm not even sure why we're discussing this.

[IzHaN80]

The incredible repetitions by this poster and intense details of specific mechanics so many times….OP. If you stopped at page 1 I would not be reading at this thread like it is just a thinly veiled advertisement for that other server Quorm by someone whom is simply impersonating to be just a random nostalgic player like most of you and me my friends. :cool:

Im afraid OP I am pegging you out to be someone who indeed has a strong vested interest in the successes of Quorm and wants to be stealing players from P99 and possibly has a bone to be chewed against the operators of [I]these[I] classic EQ servers on P99.

Seriously? It’s exactly the opposite of what you just said. I think you didn’t even bother to read what I wrote if you believe I have any interest in seeing P99 die. On the contrary — I believe P99 should finally drop the “classic” excuse for certain changes. There are plenty of things here that are not classic, yet people accept them out of pure convenience — and yes, because it’s hypocritical.

The truth is, many people don’t want change because they’re still tied to the same character they’ve had for years. They’re not interested in new challenges, new competition, or fresh blood. They just log in every day to admire how overstuffed their characters are with gear, then log off and cry for a merge… only to come back and do the exact same thing: running the same farmed-out raids, locking out others from content, while the server continues to sink.

I tried Quarm, just like many from P1999, and the playerbase there keeps growing. But you know what? I still play P1999. The problem is that too many here act like they know everything, but don’t actually read or even try to understand what’s being said.

So let me repeat it again, as many times as it takes: a merge alone will not fix P1999. I wish it could, but it won’t. What we really need are incentives to bring in new players — if you actually want this to remain a living server, and not just a graveyard of old elephants.

TL;DR: I don’t want P99 to die — I want it to evolve. A merge won’t fix anything; it’ll just keep the same old players doing the same old raids. What P99 really needs is a fresh start and incentives for new players, instead of hiding behind the “classic” excuse while the server slowly empties.

[IzHaN80]

OP can get lost.

This entire thread is basically: "Quarm is better than P99 and I want P99 to make changes to be like Quarm."

It's the most nonsensical asinine thread on here in awhile. OP literally has a server that provides what they want. OP, you can go stay on that server and enjoy yourself there. We don't need to change this server to cater to you. The whole point of P99 is it doesn't have the things you're asking for and we're okay with that.

OP's request is like walking into a place that only serves pizza and whining about how they need to serve you a cheeseburger because you like the cheeseburgers from the restaurant down the block.

I see a lot of people just don’t get it… The server is dying because of Quarm, and what I want is for people to finally wake up and stop using “classic” as a convenient excuse. Changes need to be made if we want to bring back all those lost players.

Personally, I still play both Blue and Green with my characters. Why? Because it saddens me to see the place where I grew up slowly dying. And even though I watch people doing the same things as always, then turning around and claiming that a merge would somehow fix everything — it’s frustrating. They don’t see the reality or the seriousness of the situation.

At least I don’t want to see P99 shut down. But what about you? Would you rather cling to “classic” until the server closes, or finally accept some small QoL changes that should’ve been added long ago — fixes to things that were never truly balanced in the first place? Everyone screams “classic,” but Enchanters and spellcasters in general are anything but classic right now.

[Jimjam]

Why would the server shut down just because it is empty?

[IzHaN80]

Why would the server shut down just because it is empty?

What would be the point to keep the server up, costing them money when it has nobody in there to enjoy and play the game?

[Jimjam]

What would be the point to keep the server up, costing them money when it has nobody in there to enjoy and play the game?

Your answer hinges on the server’s owner valuing player enjoyment. Why do you assume they value player enjoyment so highly? They are not a player. This is not a commercial server. If anything players are a cost not of value.

[Ekco]

Your answer hinges on the server’s owner valuing player enjoyment. Why do you assume they value player enjoyment so highly? They are not a player. This is not a commercial server. If anything players are a cost not of value.

you only have to lurk in the eqemu discord for like 5 minutes to realize the people who work on this stuff don't give a single solitary fook what the players think/care about, we literally exist to drudge through wayback machine posts to make the database 0.001% more accurate and nothing else

IzHaN80 is like the only person that didn't get this memo like a decade+ ago

[IzHaN80]

Your answer hinges on the server’s owner valuing player enjoyment. Why do you assume they value player enjoyment so highly? They are not a player. This is not a commercial server. If anything players are a cost not of value.

What would be the point of opening a NON-COMMERCIAL server, as you said yourself, if you don’t actually care whether people join, play, and enjoy it? Now that’s a good one…

[IzHaN80]

you only have to lurk in the eqemu discord for like 5 minutes to realize the people who work on this stuff don't give a single solitary fook what the players think/care about, we literally exist to drudge through wayback machine posts to make the database 0.001% more accurate and nothing else

IzHaN80 is like the only person that didn't get this memo like a decade+ ago

Of course, they didn’t open a server just for their own personal amusement without caring about the players. That’s exactly why rules exist in the first place — to prevent conflicts and keep the server healthy. If they truly didn’t care, the easier approach would be to just ban or kick people and move on, don’t you think? That wouldn’t make much sense.

And I also notice there’s no response to my latest posts on this subject. To me, that’s a clear sign I struck the real issue. Nothing further to add.

[Duik]

Go
Play
Quam.

Please.

[Duik]

Also.
Nobody answered my questions so therefore i hit a nerve.
This interview is OVER!

Lolocaust.

[IzHaN80]

Go
Play
Quam.

Please.

Dude, you don’t get to tell me where to play. Try learning to read first, unless skipping school was your main achievement.

Also

Also.
Nobody answered my questions so therefore i hit a nerve.
This interview is OVER!

Lolocaust.

Seriously, I think you should give school another try, reading comprehension clearly isn’t your strong suit. xD

[Goregasmic]

What would be the point of opening a NON-COMMERCIAL server, as you said yourself, if you don’t actually care whether people join, play, and enjoy it? Now that’s a good one…

They've mentionned a number of times in no uncertain terms they wanted to recreate classic EQ as much as possible and if you don't like it that's not their problem. They've degraded QOL for inconsequential stuff before for the sake of making things classic (like velium block chiseling) so I don't see them doing a 180 on this to make the server more popular.

[Duik]

Seriously.

Go
Play
In
Traffic.

[Ekco]

as Duik's lawyer i'd like to point out the "Traffic" he's referring to here is traffic in the game frogger, a video game my client is passionate about and he seriously thinks the other user should go play it

[Swish]

Why would the server shut down just because it is empty?

None of the P99 servers will ever be empty. The addiction will keep people here for decaades to come.

[Sillyturtle]

What would be the point of opening a NON-COMMERCIAL server, as you said yourself, if you don’t actually care whether people join, play, and enjoy it? Now that’s a good one…

Because Nilbog and Rogean literally do this because they want to make an accurate representation of EQ in the era they've chosen. They don't care how many people play. Never have.

You don't get it.

[sajbert]

Because Nilbog and Rogean literally do this because they want to make an accurate representation of EQ in the era they've chosen. They don't care how many people play. Never have.

You don't get it.

/List wasn't Classic.

Rooting dragons isn't Classic either but it could be argued that by rooting dragons current gameplay is closer to the classic experience. However, if we're to use that as a design philosophy then why have they allowed solo and small group farming of hate or massive cleric bot armies? Who can look at a raid consisting of 20+ clerics with identical gear named healbotone healbotwtwo healbotthree and so fourth and think "Yep, that brings me back to the Classic days".

Racing is an interesting phenomenon too.

[Hemenway]

So wait, this is supposed to be classic everquest but they root dragons and have a /list for queueing for mobs???

[IzHaN80]

Because Nilbog and Rogean literally do this because they want to make an accurate representation of EQ in the era they've chosen. They don't care how many people play. Never have.

You don't get it.

Right, because all that really matters to him is a “representation” of what EQ was in that era, who cares about the players, right? In fact, who even needs players at all? I’m sure without them, the server would still be a beautiful little “representation.”

Your comment makes zero sense. To begin with, the guy actually went through the trouble of creating the server, then added rules, improved them over time, and even implemented non-classic systems just to prevent people from killing each other over camped items, XP bonuses, events, yeah, clearly the playerbase doesn’t matter at all. lol

So please, stop with the nonsense already…

[Ekco]

these inquries would make more sense if there wasn't already 16 years of evidence to point to

if your still this confused i suggest reading through the forums a bit

[loramin]

They're not confused, they're a troll.

https://thesandtrap.com/uploads/monthly_2017_07/large.595a49e5c89fb_DontFeedtheTrolls.gif.cb3d7ea7 b471cf83997cccc0bd27c79a.gif

[Jimjam]

Right, because all that really matters to him is a “representation” of what EQ was in that era, who cares about the players, right? In fact, who even needs players at all? I’m sure without them, the server would still be a beautiful little “representation.”

Your comment makes zero sense. To begin with, the guy actually went through the trouble of creating the server, then added rules, improved them over time, and even implemented non-classic systems just to prevent people from killing each other over camped items, XP bonuses, events, yeah, clearly the playerbase doesn’t matter at all. lol

So please, stop with the nonsense already…

Many of these changes are to make the players more manageable for CSR, not for player enjoyment.

P99 doesn’t have classic paid staff so has to make compromises on CSR policy, such as increased automation in enforcement of classic csr policy like turn taking / sharing / griefing / etc.

[IzHaN80]

Many of these changes are to make the players more manageable for CSR, not for player enjoyment.

P99 doesn’t have classic paid staff so has to make compromises on CSR policy, such as increased automation in enforcement of classic csr policy like turn taking / sharing / griefing / etc.

That's part of player enjoyment.... xD

[Duik]

as Duik's lawyer i'd like to point out the "Traffic" he's referring to here is traffic in the game frogger, a video game my client is passionate about and he seriously thinks the other user should go play it

I have no money for a lawyer. Will you work for a stack of well cooked pancakes?

[Ekco]

Yeah, that just saves me a step, I always convert fiat into pancakes anyway.
https://i.imgur.com/d7aPBaV.jpeg

I've actually rotated to sandwiches, gone through a jar n a half of grey poupon this week.

[IzHaN80]

https://www.project1999.com/forums/showthread.php?t=441820

Another proof of 'classic', they're really wanting to kill people in the servers :[

[Duik]

Everyday I'm Wafflin'

Waff, Wafflin'.

[cd288]

I see a lot of people just don’t get it… The server is dying because of Quarm, and what I want is for people to finally wake up and stop using “classic” as a convenient excuse. Changes need to be made if we want to bring back all those lost players.

Personally, I still play both Blue and Green with my characters. Why? Because it saddens me to see the place where I grew up slowly dying. And even though I watch people doing the same things as always, then turning around and claiming that a merge would somehow fix everything — it’s frustrating. They don’t see the reality or the seriousness of the situation.

At least I don’t want to see P99 shut down. But what about you? Would you rather cling to “classic” until the server closes, or finally accept some small QoL changes that should’ve been added long ago — fixes to things that were never truly balanced in the first place? Everyone screams “classic,” but Enchanters and spellcasters in general are anything but classic right now.

It's not "dying because of Quarm". It's currently low pop because the server is old and mudflated. You must not have been around pre-Green. We ran this same pop on P99 for years pre-Green. Then when they launched Green it exploded for awhile.

The same thing happens on the TLPs and other emulated servers. The same thing will happen on Quarm eventually. Then when a new server is launched people come back because they like doing a fresh playthrough. If P99 launched Green 2.0 tomorrow there would be close to 2k people playing it.

We don't need your suggested changes. We don't WANT a server with your changes. If we did, guess what we'd be doing: PLAYING ON QUARM.

So take your BS, shove it up your rear end, and go back to your easy server.

[cd288]

Dude, you don’t get to tell me where to play. Try learning to read first, unless skipping school was your main achievement.

"You don't get to tell me where to play but I get to tell you how you should want to play"

STFU OP

Right, because all that really matters to him is a “representation” of what EQ was in that era, who cares about the players, right? In fact, who even needs players at all? I’m sure without them, the server would still be a beautiful little “representation.”

Your comment makes zero sense. To begin with, the guy actually went through the trouble of creating the server, then added rules, improved them over time, and even implemented non-classic systems just to prevent people from killing each other over camped items, XP bonuses, events, yeah, clearly the playerbase doesn’t matter at all. lol

So please, stop with the nonsense already…

Again, you must not have been around here very much. Nilbog has quite literally said, in his own words, that he does not care how many people play on the server. All those things you listed aren't done to increase player numbers, they are done to create a fun experience for the people who do play here. They quite literally couldn't care less about your whining opinion, nor do any of us. Get lost.

[Hemenway]

I was actually thinking of playing here but this cd288 fellow has convinced me to play Quarm instead.

Thanks for letting me know the type of person who still plays here.

So yeah p99 isn’t dying because of Quarm, it’s dying because it’s not classic and because of people like you.

[Ekco]

if the other servers are so good, why post here
https://i.imgur.com/fQ3ThnN.png

[Jimjam]

if the other servers are so good, why post here
https://i.imgur.com/fQ3ThnN.png

Rogean got the best forums, even if it is third age and most of the most powerful elves already sailed west.

[cd288]

I was actually thinking of playing here but this cd288 fellow has convinced me to play Quarm instead.

Thanks for letting me know the type of person who still plays here.

So yeah p99 isn’t dying because of Quarm, it’s dying because it’s not classic and because of people like you.

Enjoy Quarm, I hope it brings you what you're looking for. Most P99 players in game are some of the most welcoming and helpful gamers I've met. I will go out of my way to help anyone in game.

What we don't like is when people come from other servers and demand that P99 be changed to suit themselves. We play P99 because we like it the way it is. Just like people play other servers because they like them the way they are. We don't go on Quarm's discord server (or subreddit if they have one) and demand that Quarm be changed to be like P99. Quarm offers an experience that certain people like, and that's great. P99 offers a different experience that other people like, which is fine too. OP came in and started obnoxiously insulting people who disagreed with them over demanding that P99 change to be like Quarm for no other reason other than "I want two servers offering me the experience I like instead of one."

And again, P99 isn't "dying" it's going through the same population cycle it always does (and that most other servers go through). Server is old and mudflated, so people stop playing until the next iteration when they come back for a fresh run.

[Ekco]

Rogean got the best forums, even if it is third age and most of the most powerful elves already sailed west.

fuck man...

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/98/59/48/9859481cc03d160a78e9a3866c85afa1--sad-quotes-lotr-quotes.jpg

[loramin]

Enjoy Quarm, I hope it brings you what you're looking for. Most P99 players in game are some of the most welcoming and helpful gamers I've met. I will go out of my way to help anyone in game.

What we don't like is when people come from other servers and demand that P99 be changed to suit themselves. We play P99 because we like it the way it is. Just like people play other servers because they like them the way they are. We don't go on Quarm's discord server (or subreddit if they have one) and demand that Quarm be changed to be like P99. Quarm offers an experience that certain people like, and that's great. P99 offers a different experience that other people like, which is fine too. OP came in and started obnoxiously insulting people who disagreed with them over demanding that P99 change to be like Quarm for no other reason other than "I want two servers offering me the experience I like instead of one."

And again, P99 isn't "dying" it's going through the same population cycle it always does (and that most other servers go through). Server is old and mudflated, so people stop playing until the next iteration when they come back for a fresh run.

Dude, stop being a chump and taking the bait.

https://thesandtrap.com/uploads/monthly_2017_07/large.595a49e5c89fb_DontFeedtheTrolls.gif.cb3d7ea7 b471cf83997cccc0bd27c79a.gif

P.S. And in case you or anyone else thinks this is a real post (and responds to it):

I was actually thinking of playing here but this cd288 fellow has convinced me to play Quarm instead.

Thanks for letting me know the type of person who still plays here.

So yeah p99 isn’t dying because of Quarm, it’s dying because it’s not classic and because of people like you.

Just look at the poster's history: it's painfully obvious that it's a troll account.

[shovelquest]

Rogean got the best forums, even if it is third age and most of the most powerful elves already sailed west.

You know how McDonalds is a real estate company, disguised as a food service company?

P99 is a forum project, disguised as an emulated classic Everquest project.

[IzHaN80]

It's not "dying because of Quarm". It's currently low pop because the server is old and mudflated. You must not have been around pre-Green. We ran this same pop on P99 for years pre-Green. Then when they launched Green it exploded for awhile.

The same thing happens on the TLPs and other emulated servers. The same thing will happen on Quarm eventually. Then when a new server is launched people come back because they like doing a fresh playthrough. If P99 launched Green 2.0 tomorrow there would be close to 2k people playing it.

We don't need your suggested changes. We don't WANT a server with your changes. If we did, guess what we'd be doing: PLAYING ON QUARM.

So take your BS, shove it up your rear end, and go back to your easy server.

You’re so retarded you still haven’t realized that I already mentioned I play on P99 and only tried Quarm when it first launched. But of course, what can we expect from people who don’t even know how to read? Same as those who vote — complete illiterates who are satisfied with whatever they’re given, without a hint of critical thinking.

Look, you can shove your words up your ass, asshole, okay? I’ll keep playing wherever the hell I want, you’re not going to kick me out, you fucking moron.

Besides, Quarm is way harder than P99 — but what can you expect from someone as braindead as you, who never even touched the server? lol

[IzHaN80]

Enjoy Quarm, I hope it brings you what you're looking for. Most P99 players in game are some of the most welcoming and helpful gamers I've met. I will go out of my way to help anyone in game.

What we don't like is when people come from other servers and demand that P99 be changed to suit themselves. We play P99 because we like it the way it is. Just like people play other servers because they like them the way they are. We don't go on Quarm's discord server (or subreddit if they have one) and demand that Quarm be changed to be like P99. Quarm offers an experience that certain people like, and that's great. P99 offers a different experience that other people like, which is fine too. OP came in and started obnoxiously insulting people who disagreed with them over demanding that P99 change to be like Quarm for no other reason other than "I want two servers offering me the experience I like instead of one."

And again, P99 isn't "dying" it's going through the same population cycle it always does (and that most other servers go through). Server is old and mudflated, so people stop playing until the next iteration when they come back for a fresh run.

Lol, me insulting people? I was the one being insulted first, several times. I actually tried to stay polite, but enough is enough. Honestly, I couldn’t care less — I’ll play wherever I feel like. Keep telling yourselves the server isn’t dying because of Quarm… sure. But the truth is, it’s dying because of stupid people like you all defending the indefensible. lol

And just in case people doesn't fucking get it yet:

I FUCKING PLAY IN P99 YOU FUCKING TARDS!!! LOL

But after seeing this ridiculous way of thinking and the kind of replies here, I might as well just move on with my fellow Good Guys who already went to Quarm, and watch this server slowly bleed out player by player… until it’s nothing more than a Red 2.0.

[IzHaN80]

So wait, this is supposed to be classic EverQuest but they root dragons and have a /list for queueing mobs???

I couldn't agree more with this guy. P99 isn’t classic — it’s “classic” only when it suits them. This is just a pseudo-classic version of EQ. The hypocrisy is off the charts, lol.

[cd288]

Dude is having a meltdown because P99 won't make their server like Quarm. What an odd thing to do when you literally have Quarm to play on. Clearly a well-adjusted individual, calling people retards...lol...

[kmoore00]

Trust me, People will flock to the new server in droves, only a few will stay on the merged server for their characters, its just the fresh start that drives us!

[cd288]

Dude, stop being a chump and taking the bait.



P.S. And in case you or anyone else thinks this is a real post (and responds to it):



Just look at the poster's history: it's painfully obvious that it's a troll account.

Ah fair point. I had assumed he was legit because he had made a post talking about starting on P99 in the Starting Zone. But good point.

[Jimjam]

uOjDaRJwhbU

Blah. blah blah blah.
You ruined ... blue for me(!)

[Duik]

So wait, this is supposed to be classic EverQuest but they root dragons and have a /list for queueing mobs???

I couldn't agree more with this guy. P99 isn’t classic — it’s “classic” only when it suits them. This is just a pseudo-classic version of EQ. The hypocrisy is off the charts, lol.

They dont care what you (or me for that matter!) think or want.

Ya know who gets listened to? Teddie, he posts quest questions/updates using respect and well researched and written paragraphs.

Try that lil buddy! I bet you cant.

[Knuckle]

I feel like I should of jumped on the Quarm train, but I put too many years into EQ private servers. At this point in my life Green only worked for me because I was working remote most of the time I played. The sad truth is the game has fundamentally changed to a job in my mind for 90% of my playtime. Since leaving remote work the last 2 years I realized it is significantly harder for me to play this game. It's a wonderful MMO, but the time sacrifice is absolutely insane, and of course, thats the catch 22 of what makes it great. So in my mind, it's a really great game especially with the right social network, outside of that its a relic.

[Goregasmic]

I feel like I should of jumped on the Quarm train, but I put too many years into EQ private servers. At this point in my life Green only worked for me because I was working remote most of the time I played. The sad truth is the game has fundamentally changed to a job in my mind for 90% of my playtime. Since leaving remote work the last 2 years I realized it is significantly harder for me to play this game. It's a wonderful MMO, but the time sacrifice is absolutely insane, and of course, thats the catch 22 of what makes it great. So in my mind, it's a really great game especially with the right social network, outside of that its a relic.

It is an absolute abyss of a time sink which I can't really afford but the beauty of it in 2025 in my opinion is that it is almost an idle game for the most part. Whack a mob every 16-32mins and hope the next named drops something good. Sell it and every now and then do something fun wih your gear. Time sink but you can still get something out of it regardless of how much time you have to invest.

[Jimjam]

Its mobile gaming at home, but from before mobile gaming.

[Treefall]

I feel like I should of jumped on the Quarm train, but I put too many years into EQ private servers. At this point in my life Green only worked for me because I was working remote most of the time I played. The sad truth is the game has fundamentally changed to a job in my mind for 90% of my playtime. Since leaving remote work the last 2 years I realized it is significantly harder for me to play this game. It's a wonderful MMO, but the time sacrifice is absolutely insane, and of course, thats the catch 22 of what makes it great. So in my mind, it's a really great game especially with the right social network, outside of that its a relic.

The only thing it's really missing is scheduled raid times for every raid mob.

You can literally work full time and raid a few hours a few nights a week and do pretty well for yourself. Yeah, you won't be geared quickly but you'll get geared...throw in some harder-core weekends periodically or days off being on call and you can still move up pretty quickly.

Up to 50, especially on an alt with gear, I can easily do a level every evening or two. 50+ it slows down, but it's not like it isn't something I can casually do and make progress.

I am rambling but ultimately saying I disagree with you completely. In a game like WoW I feel obligated to be super active all the time and progressing. Here I can fiddle-fart around and be on one camp peacefully for weeks very casually.

[Xer0]

I feel that if you merge servers, people will just stay on the merged server and won’t move to a new one. A lot of players (with all due respect) are “poopsockers” who simply can’t let go of their toons, like their entire life depends on them.

What we actually need is a way to force people to move away from their old toons. Merging only creates more problems: deleted characters, messy name conflicts, and a ton of extra work for the devs. Too many variables, and none of them really fix the issue.

Look what happened to blue when green dropped. It never recovered.

[sajbert]

Look what happened to blue when green dropped. It never recovered.

I think there are a few reasons for that.

1) The future of blue was and remains unknown. Will it one day become merged or will it forever be a lonely server and share the fate of red? I wouldn't mind starting up a character on Blue if i knew the servers would be merged

2) Blue initially had the advantage of more content but as Green progressed and Green had the advantage of novelty. As Green lost its novelty it also gained more content and in the end Green is just a newer and otherwise equivalent version of Blue. There's no reason to play Blue unless you're already heavily invested.

3) Quarm

[Gustoo]

There is no reason to play green now. As blue has cooler history and characters and maybe some old timers from the better days.

Three good servers need a little bit of love

[IzHaN80]

Make EQ great again!

[Duik]

EQ is the player community.
If you think isn't great, you think the community isn't great.

Also. Noboby thinks your M.E.G.A play on words is funny or clever.
That would literally turn it shitty.