Devs : considerations for better community activity and health

[Khaleesi]

Presumably most people noticed by now that not all things are classic here on Project 1999, and with that said, instead of arguing what things they changed, I figured we could discuss some things that would benefit the community and health of the server, by increasing it's population and activity levels in what are now quite dormant areas of Norrath.


To start, I am one to always look for out of the way places to experience and adventure. This has pros and cons.

Pros :

• Fun
• Break from the normal grind areas
• Not overly populated/swamped

Cons :

• Depending on where it is, it may be particularly time consuming or difficult in STARK contrast to normal/old world/common places
• Leads onto hard corpse runs
• Ultimately discourages people

Before people rebuttal that this is EverQuest and not meant to be easy, and that the pros of the out of the way places are worth it.. yes I agree, though as a community we seem to be consistently seeing (after how many years?) players (both new and twinks/alts) swamping the usual areas - EC, Guk, Unrest, Mistmoore, Karnors etc.

I can understand for people who are new and do not know others, cannot afford to pay for a lot of portals everywhere and/or are short on time because of real life, that they cannot manage to make the commitment to say doing Kaesora or <insert out of the way place here>.


And this is why I'd like to see two things happen :

1. Open up Surefall Glade portal. It would help breathe life back into Western Antonica, and encourage new players of all types to go back and forth for a myriad of reasons. New players may not be able to afford the Dial a Port service, however they may get a kind free ride with all the new traffic in the area. This traffic will see an increase in general activity and generate more trade /business as well. The added population will mean great zones such as Black Burrow, Qeynos Catacombs, Halas(starter lake for the win!), EverFrost and Permafrost will get more attention like they should. Subsequently Odus will be for more than just new Erudite twinks and Hole groups(which are still not as abundant as they should be). Even now, the Warrens is practically dead. There should be way more teenage level players in there, but why be an Erudite when you have to take the (sometimes broken) long boat to Qeynos, only to have to run all the way to Commonlands, if not lucky enough to find a teleport somewhere along the way, because you couldn't afford one in Toxxulia Forest, provided any one was even there to do it?

2. Increase the experience modifier in outdoor and indoor(more so) zones in out of the way places - which is OOT/Timorous, most of Kunark and parts of Velious. People who make the long journey to Dalnir for example need to be rewarded and rewarded well. And even more to a particular point, we do not spend enough time fighting miscellaneous open world mobs such as goblins on the coast in Butcherblock, or Iksar Bandits in Warsliks or ..there's just so many things to experience off of, yet they give a terribly low value in contrast to other more easy to reach/safer locale monsters, and particularly old world which are weaker, do not cast as much and take less effort to kill - and of course are closer to towns and vendors so you can sell, run back from a bind point etc.


I am of the strong belief that a little focus on these aspects, would see a healthy growth on that side of the world as well as encourage what I call 'nostalgia' players(oh an EQ Emulator, cool let's see what it's like, it's probably crappy, I'll just poke around a few minutes in Qeynos and relive my first Bard experiences, but I won't expect much..let's just have a little run around for ol' times sake), to stick with it and not be put off by the fact the game isn't loaded with players like they remember it years ago, where practically everything was camped and taken at all times.

Here they have some amazing advantages they never did previously, yet they can't reach or participate in them in ways that they should.

Heck even something miscellaneous such as camping a cleric in a dangerous zone and then coming on for a few hours, offering rez for donations, isn't much of a lucrative venture any more because there's no business to be had. Imagine a zone full of players in Permafrost from level 20(?) right up to 58 Druids camping in the pits, or groups on the third floor of Dalnir. Kedge rez anyone?

I have my issues with some of the things that are not classic here, that they've left in, yet they are what they are and we get on with it. However if the intent was to leave them in for the betterment of everyone, than that suggests to me that the developers aren't completely adverse to something 'not classic,' if there's enough of a good reason.


Any ways, food for thought.