The real reason the population is declining is...

[Slave]

Originally Posted by Doublestep [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

give me SZ or give me Discord

SZ had some very advantageously hardcore mechanics going for it that were seemingly not considered for R99:

No Play Nice Policy: players are more invested in a game they can feel like they can make a difference in, as opposed to being constantly hobbled by some fairyland ruleset that causes GMs to come rushing to the aid of the bluest of the players. Take care of business yourself or GTFO.

No Artificially Limiting Level Range for PvP: God, this just makes no real sense. You have a plethora of problems that come along with it, such as OOR healers, groups haphazardly engaging, exploiting the utterly nonintuitive system.

Last but not least, Teams: gave players something bigger than themselves to be a part of without the punishment of having to be in a (dumbfoundingly stupid) player-run guild. Teams fomented grouping, PvP, and most of all, community.

[LizardNecro]

Originally Posted by Slave [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

No Play Nice Policy: players are more invested in a game they can feel like they can make a difference in, as opposed to being constantly hobbled by some fairyland ruleset that causes GMs to come rushing to the aid of the bluest of the players. Take care of business yourself or GTFO.

+1

This is why I abandoned my blue character and joined SZ on launch. Best EQ decision I ever made!

[Slave]

Originally Posted by LizardNecro [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

+1

This is why I abandoned my blue character and joined SZ on launch. Best EQ decision I ever made!

Let me tell you a true tale of Sullon Zek:

-I was in the Oasis with maybe the first character I ever made there, healing up on the dock with some others of my team.

-Along comes a deeply red enemy caster who proceeded to cast 1 horrifyingly devastating AOE on the lot of us.

-Everyone tries to run away, screaming and in flames as 5 or 6 people die instantly.

I played Sullon Zek for over a year after that; it was probably the coolest thing I'd ever experienced in ANY game up to that point.

[Chronoburn]

The first MMO experience I had was SZ. 10 years later, I'm still looking for that same experience. I'm coming to terms now that it will never be replicated.

[Slave]

Originally Posted by Chronoburn [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

The first MMO experience I had was SZ. 10 years later, I'm still looking for that same experience. I'm coming to terms now that it will never be replicated.

I swear, every time I post something about SZ about 3 or 4 veterans of the server chime in. Keep the faith... the developers here can be stubborn but they don't seem to be completely devoid of reason and critical thought.