Project Quarm - 1 Box Planes of Power

[Evia]

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

Dey'break Games needs to realize there's some mileage in making an official server that's classic with old models, mob timers and info, etc etc. The hard work has been done for them (P99) but they still go for the lazy option and keep out of era stuff for their progression servers. Their choice. Until then expect the classic crowd to keep playing here/Quarm.

I'd gladly pay daybreak a $15 a month sub if they offered a server similar to p99 or quarm. And I'd play there indefinitely. You're right tho for some reason they're not interested in doing that.... very well said.

[Seducio]

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

Dey'break Games needs to realize there's some mileage in making an official server that's classic with old models, mob timers and info, etc etc. The hard work has been done for them (P99) but they still go for the lazy option and keep out of era stuff for their progression servers. Their choice. Until then expect the classic crowd to keep playing here/Quarm.

I'd assume the active player base of Old school EQers across P99, TAKP, and PQ is in the 6k to 8k range player population. With semi-active players that might be able to get over 10k population, but I don't think that is the case anymore if only counting active players.

So let's assume 6k-8k population in the active Old school EQ player base for some fuzzy back of the envelope math.

If there was a server that cost $15/mo to play on that was officially supported, I doubt that all of the older players would actually pay on it. So let's do a probability tree.

50% Players willing to pay:
3000-4000 players x $15 x 12 months = $540,000 - $720,000 year

25% Players willing to pay:
1500 -2000 players x $15 x 12 months = $270,000 - $360,000 year

10% Players willing to pay:
600 - 800 players x $15 x 12 months = $108,000 - $144,000 year

What I'm getting at is in a perfect world where half or 50% of us were willing to pay a $15 fee you might get to place economically where having an official server for Old school EQers pencils out.

In the real world given all the free gaming options available, it's likely that less than 10% of us Old School EQers that currently pay nothing would be willing to pay that monthly fee.

Once you are that level the costs associated with maintaining a server, having paid company CSR staff for that game, and overhead in general create a scenario that does not pencil out for a company looking at the financials of it. The juice isn't worth the squeeze. There aren't enough folks that are willing to pay for this Old school version of EQ.

[Torven]

Daybreak has a duty and obligation to preserve the game so that it's not lost to time. EQ is a key piece of gaming history. People 1000 years from now should be able to play it as it was intended by the original designers. EQ isn't just an IP to monetize and throw away when it's no longer profitable. It's priceless like the Mona Lisa. It's historical art. I have similar concerns for other games but EQ is special. Even if it's "not profitable" (debatable) for them to set up and host a 1999 accurate server, they need to save EVERYTHING they have that allows the most accurate as possible server to be made. Back it all up and organize it. Allow people in the future who have the will to make it at least.

I kind of wish they would work with us emu guys in a mutually beneficial arrangement. We'd work for free under the right circumstances.

[Swish]

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

Daybreak has a duty and obligation to preserve the game so that it's not lost to time.

Daybreak/EG7 are a weird bunch -- this from their annual report in 2021:-

Enad Global 7 AB has two business areas,
• game development – both in one’s own name and in consulting assignments. EG7 has 8 game development and live operation
studios in North America and Europe within the group: Antimatter Games, Piranha, Toadman Studios, Big Blue Bubble,
Dimensional Ink, Standing Stone, Rogue Planet and Darkpaw. Daybreak is an MMO developer that has developed 13 MMOs in
its 24-year history, including EverQuest, the first MMORPG game entirely in 3D. Daybreak currently maintains a portfolio of 8
live titles, which contributes a strong foundation of stable revenues and profitability for the group.


• services— which include consulting activities relating to development strategies and marketing of games through the subsidiary
Petrol Advertising Inc., as well as distribution of games as publishers – digitally and physically through the subsidiary Fireshine
Games (formerly Sold Out Sales & Marketing Ltd). With the acquisition of Innova during the second quarter of 2021, the live
portfolio was expanded with another 12 titles. The MMOs published by Innova include Lineage 2, Black Desert Online and Blade
& Soul. The business model was intended to create provides the conditions for close collaborations as well as stable cash flows.
The result is an independent game development company that develops games through its own investments, which thus does not
have to rely on external investments. Combining Daybreak, Innova, My Singing Monsters and MechWarrior Online, EG7 currently
has 22 live titles, making EG7 one of the largest live title publishers and operators in the world. The company’s strategy is to
continue to grow by developing games via its own independent studios, and to continue to work its way up the value chain by
developing games with its own funds and locating games on its own.

Daybreak totally developed EverQuest and those other titles [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Seducio]

I like your ideas Torven, but I don't now how palatable that kind of arrangement would be to a gaming company. The work for free thing could create unnecessaries liabilities etc that the lawyers who'd have to sign off on it might not like. It's possible there are some creative ways to merge the interest to preserve classic EQ with the Emu devs capable of doing it.

The agreement between p99 and Daybreak would probably be revealing as to what the interests were of Daybreak when the paperwork was signed. If there isn't a non-disclosure clause then viewing that document would give insights as to whether any version of what you are suggesting is a possibility. Also Nilbog and Rogean probably have some personal insights beyond the agreement. If they have any contacts at Daybreak that'd also be useful.

There are moments in time when the IP of old franchises, things like old musicians catalogs, become very inexpensive. How much has the Everquest brand's value changed over the last five years. What is the IP currently worth. If the brand is diminishing in value there might be an inflection point where Daybreak would be willing to part ways with it.

Many possibilities are out there to preserve Classic EQ. Innovations from those who love classic EQ might be the only way to create the legacy of classic EQ as a piece of historical art that you suggest.

[magnetaress]

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

I like your ideas Torven, but I don't now how palatable that kind of arrangement would be to a gaming company. The work for free thing could create unnecessaries liabilities etc that the lawyers who'd have to sign off on it might not like. It's possible there are some creative ways to merge the interest to preserve classic EQ with the Emu devs capable of doing it.

The agreement between p99 and Daybreak would probably be revealing as to what the interests were of Daybreak when the paperwork was signed. If there isn't a non-disclosure clause then viewing that document would give insights as to whether any version of what you are suggesting is a possibility. Also Nilbog and Rogean probably have some personal insights beyond the agreement. If they have any contacts at Daybreak that'd also be useful.

There are moments in time when the IP of old franchises, things like old musicians catalogs, become very inexpensive. How much has the Everquest brand's value changed over the last five years. What is the IP currently worth. If the brand is diminishing in value there might be an inflection point where Daybreak would be willing to part ways with it.

Many possibilities are out there to preserve Classic EQ. Innovations from those who love classic EQ might be the only way to create the legacy of classic EQ as a piece of historical art that you suggest.

It sold for 300 mil to EG7 or something like that a while back. Between all the TLPs and EQ1 and 2 i think they maybe broke even ish. So it depends on if they launch a new game.

The problem with modern MMOs such as wow and eq live is the bloat --- they are like huge many abilities multiple thousands of pages of inventory, most of the game world is obsolete, someone needs to come kicking out the door with design principles that don't obsolete and bloat into 50 thousand buttons and useless inventory spaces. (I know how, and the Elder Scrolls Online went 1/4 the way there) so its possible for a not dumb dumb. Butt that doesnt exist in this world so LOL

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

I was thinking about trying Quarm for a change of pace and indulging on the QoL improvements, but for some reason I assumed the spell balance changes to Wizards that have existed on live for years were there since PoP so would be on Quarm. Every vanilla era wizard nuke on live now has a better DPM ratio by 20-50% or more. This buff makes the class go from completely useless dead weight, to just about playable with a group that takes pity on them. Sadly Quarm wizard nukes are the same value as on p99. They will get many improvements at 60 with Luclin AAs though but I wasn't planning on getting that far.

Anyway the project seems popular and successful so props to all involved.

wait till luclin to load up ur wizard

its not a bad class currently tho because people do not have end game velious kunark dps weapons so it actually is a good class if u play it right it can put out solid sustained dps from lvl 1-50 .59 dps to 17 dps without much effort or running oom, so it still has all the utilities, u can math it out by taking the number of ticks it takes to do dmg -- they basically can out dps wars and hybrids and they can do it while not face tanking the mobs so even better, i think rogues and monks, and rangers really only out dps them

mage pets and necros are in a class of their own its sick so are enchanters if they charm butt for leveling they all sacrifice xp if they use pets so its not like the least uberest class

[Jimjam]

My Singing Monsters is cool. The quarterling loves it.

[mycoolrausch]

I was thinking about trying Quarm for a change of pace and indulging on the QoL improvements, but for some reason I assumed the spell balance changes to Wizards that have existed on live for years were there since PoP so would be on Quarm. Every vanilla era wizard nuke on live now has a better DPM ratio by 20-50% or more. This buff makes the class go from completely useless dead weight, to just about playable with a group that takes pity on them. Sadly Quarm wizard nukes are the same value as on p99. They will get many improvements at 60 with Luclin AAs though but I wasn't planning on getting that far.

Anyway the project seems popular and successful so props to all involved.

[Seducio]

Infectious had asked me in a different thread that no longer exists to post Quarm population numbers one month after our last exchange about it. It's been a month since then. I can't quote the request because the thread is gone. Quarm still going strong it seems.

This was just pulled 5 minutes ago:

Live Statistics
Worldserver Name: The Project Quarm Server
Server Version: [U]
Server Status: UP
Players Online: 1580
Average Players: 1231
Max Players: 2147
Server Information
Registered Name: Project Quarm
Server Type: Legit, PvE
Class: Standard
Server Owner: Secrets
Website: http://projectquarm.com
Description: 1-Box, Planes of Power EverQuest Progression Server based on the TAKP Codebase. Minor QOL.

[Jimjam]

Last max players stat I saw was 2001 so popularity at some point increased ! Unless dual boxing is starting to settle in (suspicious number of intermittently afk ec mules).