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Hi,

It seems we are all finally swallowing the pill that we won't see a Red 2.o, which is quite sad as P1999 has done such an awesome job with recreating the classic EQ experience, and even has the official legal blessings. So now we are seeing a lot of interest in new custom PvP servers. I thought I would throw my hat into the mix. I would love if P99 would even endorse one of these new prospective servers so we don't segment the PvP population any further and can share code and data- I think that's the best outcome for the community, but I leave that to the P99 crew.

Let me start with a few observations:

1- PvP emulator servers will never have the permanence that Live did, Red was the closest we ever got and ever will-- and that means the heavy investment required by players just doesn't add up. The majority of us still playing this thing are casuals by old standards. This can/does deter people from playing. Progression needs to be casual if we want to welcome players outside of the current niche group.

2- PvP emulator servers similarly will never have the population that Live did, or that Blue/Green have. The result is an empty world in one of the more collaborative games ever made. This is something great about the idea of the Faydwer PvP server, acknowledging this fact and trying to scale. I do think that project falls short of addressing some other realities though, and the level of customization and upfront cost a bit too ambitious without knowing if it's even fun, so here I am (sorry, I admire your initiative though!).

3- PvP emulator servers seem to always hit a point where things stagnate. The population nosedives, getting exponentially worse until the server is only played by the same small niche group, in a very particular style. There's lots of variables that contribute to this, but this is about the time you see a segment of the population start with the "WIPE IT" rants. I don't necessarily believe a wipe would fix Red for example, or some of the previous servers where this happened, as we would just get back to the same place inevitably, but there's something to be said about the appeal and energy that a fresh start server has.

Rather than resist these dynamics, I would like to see a server where we acknowledge them and embrace them instead- and also admit the fact that we probably won't get it right the first time. The software industry has been magnetized towards 'Agile' as it confronts the reality that we as developers often build software that our users don't want and doesn't fulfil their requirements. Such an iterative process addresses this by creating minimalistic feedback loops that involve the USERS (and data) foremost as the primary driving force for development. In this way we have confidence we are well aligned with our users and working towards the same goal. Now, after working in AAA games for 15 years, I can confidently say that the customer is NOT always right- game design and balance can be incredibly complex- but there is a harmony that can be achieved with huge benefits when we invite our users in to help us make the best products.

Now, wtf am I on about; EQ as we loved it hasn't been in development for 20 years. But, we've still yet to see a emulated PvP server with any staying power or continued interest or replayability. The demand exists, it's plain to see, but we are falling short somewhere, perhaps many places. I would like to create a server that is designed to increment towards addressing these shortcomings, in a way that is fun and doesn't nerfhammer anyone's experience in the process of experimentation. What I am describing is a server with a limited lifespan by design, with the quality of life improvements to make it viable to play in that shortened timeline, to the extent that the idea of losing your progress does not trump the exciting "fresh box" feeling and experiences for everyone after a reset. This would require hyper progression. Such a model would allow us to make major changes to the server mechanics and push them in the upcoming progression "seasons", rather then introducing them into the middle of the season where they would be disruptive to the server's ongoing dynamics. Meaning, if there is something alienating to you as a part of this season's ruleset, it won't be too long until that problem is addressed along with a fresh start for you... worst case you sit the season out. Same if real life comes knocking for a bit, you'll know you can come back to your favourite game and still be relevant and join in on the fun.

So, I've not (over)focused here on the ruleset of this server because the premise of this server is foremost to allow for changes to be made as the community requires them and to do that often. I have lots of ideas regarding customization and ruleset, and there are many more here in the community, but they are VERY secondary to implementing a framework that is going to let us have fun, improve the server continuously and give the community a permanent home.

But at a high level, this is what the first iteration might look like regarding ruleset:

- Highly accelerated XP and drop rates, bonus when grouped and guilded.
- Progression is triggered, not time based.
- Progression triggers will be tied to events and/or custom quests.
- The final stage of progression is a triggered server reset/wipe, following a chaotic "world ending" event. Guilds which are enjoying success will want to prevent this reset and preserve position, and those less advantaged will likely want to trigger the reset to get back to a fresh start world where they can be (more) competitive again.
- The world ending event will be triggerable before all content is unlocked (if you don't like this season, go destroy the world).
- Progression unlocks zones and drop tiers, not necessarily expansions. This is as the world will be limited in some way. For example, locked to the classic world and expanded carefully by drop tiers and/or selected zones (maybe the entrance to Old Seb is suddenly uncovered in Lower Guk). Alternatively, it could be locked to the expansion content (eg you are locked to Kunark for that era, with old world drops added to the pool). To vote on; I for one love the classic world but replayability could benefit from the change of setting during progression. But most importantly we want to strike a balance where you don't need to port around to find groups or PvP, but you can still find a quiet corner if you need it.
- Progression will be scaled so that the "season" (meaning: time til wipe) will last 1-3 months, depending on the choices made by players.
- There will be some incentive for those who continue playing the next season after reset, perhaps a questline, item or other reward. Your names will be preserved.
- There will be no content from after Velious.
- Guild based and FFA PvP, with maximum number of members (12?). Alliances and affiliations will be required to achieve some content.
- PvP will be all levels, but armor and resist checks in PvP will ignore level, so lower levels are much more viable during encounters. A group of skilled lower levels should be able to take down a much higher level player, be careful who you harass.
- Buffing/healing only within groups and guilds.
- Given the accelerated drop rate, either *all items* will be NO DROP and there will be no PvP item loot, or *all items will be droppable* and then lootable during PvP. To vote; both scenarios solve different problems and I could see us trying out both in different seasons.
- Coin will be lootable in PvP. In the chance of a globally NO-DROP world, there will be some custom vendors to drive the coin economy.
- Given the accelerated XP rate, there will be a considerable XP penalty for PvP death.
- World wide OOC (but not linked outside, if you want to talk shit, you'll need to log on)
- The zone will be alerted when someone engages another player in PvP, and the world alerted upon death.
- No boxing and most definitely no automation or hacking.

These would be the points I would focus on during the first iteration. It's important to remember that anything you read here can and would EVOLVE OVER TIME; everything is subject to getting the axe based on how it affects our experiences and population. You will get to suggest and vote on these changes directly, and you will get the right to change your mind later with no apology. This is the beauty in introducing a cyclical expiration date on the game world- if you don't like it, you can change it.

Anyone drinking my Kool-aid?