TAKP TLP Voting Poll: Duration

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by robregen, Aug 23, 2024.

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Slow vs Fast each expansion

This poll will close on Sep 23, 2024 at 3:07 AM.
  1. Fast pace (3 months)

    41.5%
  2. Slow pace (6 months)

    58.5%
  1. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    8,487
    okay we'll have 2 options. Fast vs Slow for each expansion.

    Fast 3 months
    Slow 6 months
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2024
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  2. Neealana

    Neealana People Like Me

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    I don’t understand.
    3 or 6 months to go from classic to POP?
    Or 3 or 6 months for each phase ? ( Classic, Kunark, Velious, Luclin, POP )

    Yeah , I am Captain Obvious (
     
  3. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    8,487
    3 or 6 month for each expansion or phase.
     
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  4. Baler

    Baler Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    72
    I voted 3 months, that's about 90 days.
    Which is a good pace if the server plans to dump into TAKP and start again.
    3 month (and 4 month) cycles are also part of gamer culture in some cases already.
    A nice spike in population every 3 months is superior to every 6 months.
    3 months would be better for this population size anyways.

    Sorry if that seems fast to some folks, but 90 days is long for others.

    An ideas.
    3 months classic-luclin, 6 months pop
    which would be 18 months, (1.5 years)
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2024
  5. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

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    8,487
    I also voted for 3 months. 6 months would go on for about 3 years which is a bit long for a seasonal server imo.
     
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  6. sterling

    sterling Member

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    18
    I'm looking to invest a little time and enjoy the journey. 3 months feels like a rush to the end point as quickly as possible.
     
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  7. Opilione

    Opilione New Member

    Messages:
    2
    Perhaps some sort of middle ground is possible; For example, Classic - Kunark - Velious unlocked every 3 months. While SoL & PoP last 6 months each.

    Edit; nevermind me, already suggested by Baler
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2024
  8. Pithy

    Pithy I Feel Loved

    Messages:
    2,696
    Thanks for revising the wording in the poll, dev pals. I think this version is cleaner, and there's always the option to fine-tune details later (e.g. a little more time in best-loved expansions, a little less in annoying ones [looking at you, cats on the moon]).

    Roughly three months each in classic and Kunark makes sense to me. I'm not sure what you do in Velious on a server like this if you hit 60 in Kunark. Farm spells, I guess? PL alts? Grind faction? Three months seems long-ish for that, but I could be totally off base as I don't have much TLP experience. Three months in Luclin (ugh) seems like plenty to me after having spent five years or whatever in TAKP Luclin. Maybe too long!

    Some folks have said that they'd like longer in PoP on the spinoff server. That kinda surprises me. I feel like PoP on the spinoff should be shortish - once folks are flagged up, why not merge into TAKP where they can play with the full population, raid easily, etc? Seems to me like PoP play should happen mainly on TAKP.
     
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  9. sterling

    sterling Member

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    18
    Is the goal of the TLP just to feed a dozen or so new players into the 'main' server on an accelerated schedule?
     
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  10. Foxboxx

    Foxboxx People Like Me

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    I voted for 3 months, but I hope we get some buffs to group exp bonuses to help keep the grind properly tempered. I'd still want to be able to mess around on alts and such, but such a short time between expansions would make it tough to enjoy multiple characters without some kind of change to exp rates.
     
  11. Elroz

    Elroz I Feel Loved Staff Member

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    Pretty sure we landed on keeping the takp exp code active and not using the vanilla-era exp code
     
  12. Anta

    Anta New Member

    Messages:
    16
    It makes sense on live TLPs to have short expansion releases with their increased exp rates, stronger character spell/melee power and instanced and open world raid targets. Even with takp exp rates, 3 months is hardly enough time to level up and/or get to end game raid content before the next expansion releases. I wish the goal here didn't seem to be just to feed an existing server already at the end of its progression cycle.
     
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  13. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

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    8,487
    well actually exp rate is decreased in these live TLP. Today's EQ combat / stats are more overpowering than it was back in that earlier era. They have to buff the raid mobs with Mitigation of the Mighty to make up for that.
     
  14. Anta

    Anta New Member

    Messages:
    16
    Yeah, I'm aware. I've leveled to max on takp, live, p99 and quarm. I like the idea of the sightly higher takp exp rates over quarm and p99, but I can't imagine 3 month expansion releases on anything but live where most raid content for an expansion is defeated within 24 to 48 hours of release.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2024
  15. Foxboxx

    Foxboxx People Like Me

    Messages:
    239
    Standard takp exp rates should be fine in zones with a proper ZEM, but it would be nice if ZEM increases could be extended beyond the standard Highkeep/Crushbone/etc and be given to zones like Splitpaw and Runnyeye, along with future Kunark and Velious dungeons. There's no real reason for their ZEM to be kept so much lower than the other places, and it would certainly help spread out the population if the server does become overcrowded or box heavy. Just increasing any zone with less than 100 ZEM to the original intended 100 could do wonders to spread out the exp groups and keep things moving at a good rate.

    Who is really so attached to the idea of an overcrowded Highkeep staying the best place for nearly 30 levels just because of some arbitrary exp bonus.
     
  16. Pithy

    Pithy I Feel Loved

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    I do think rotating ZEMs among zones (even if the ZEMs themselves didn't increase over today's) would be an easy and valuable tweak. Nudge folks into interesting out-of-the-way zones, rather than Highkeep.
     
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  17. Tuluvien

    Tuluvien I Feel Loved

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    Only issue I can really see with that is that I assume some of the ZEM are adjusted to offset high mob density or similar things, and with a higher ZEM would become the new experience highway instead of spreading out players. Could have unforseen outcomes without prior analysis.

    Great idea though, we've all spent a long time with AK ZEM, would be interesting to freshen it up.
     
  18. Pithy

    Pithy I Feel Loved

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    2,696
    I think "new experience highway" would be a feature, not a bug! It'd be a great way to steer much of the population into fun out-of-the-way zones that we could all experience together. Take the 200% ZEM off of Highkeep, put it on Cazic Thule 1.0 (which I'm psyched to experience) for a reset! Then nudge gnomes into Dalnir or ToFS or whatever the next reset. And there'd still be a bunch of zones that got ZEMs in the 133% (RunnyEye) to 173% (Solusek A) range, where folks who don't love crowds could still get good exp in zones that see little traffic on TAKP.

    That said, I agree that there's some risk of accidentally creating insanely good experience zones, but I think the players and devs could just monitor experience rates and adjust if things got silly.
     
  19. Darchon

    Darchon I Feel Loved

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    I definitely favor faster expansion launches and faster exp. TAKP exp is good though some sort of boost during Kunark could be nice since that 51-60 grind is pretty tough even with TAKP exp.
     
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  20. Baler

    Baler Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    72
    So long as the server is as Akkurate as possible, exp can be anything anyone wants.

    Just don't go crazy with custom. That's why I stopped playing another server.

    Rotating HoT Zones, weekly, could be fun.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2024
  21. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

    Messages:
    8,487
    just be accurate to the era. and most definately could add a biweekly HoT Zones.
     
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  22. Foxboxx

    Foxboxx People Like Me

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    239
    Rotating hotzones definitely sounds fun too! Perhaps as expansions release, you could have it so every biweekly rotation makes sure each expansion has at least 1 active hotzone to give plenty of options. Luclin especially has plenty of zones that get neglected because of high hp, low ZEMs, and little itemization, so it will be nice to see some exp bonuses rotated into zones like Echo Caverns/Netherbian Lair/Mons Letalis.
     
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  23. Darchon

    Darchon I Feel Loved

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    I think the more important thing than one per expansion is one per level bracket. And if we are going the route of hotzones it shouldn’t be a flat value for all zones.

    Mistmoore and Cazic Thule are vastly different experiences due to the number of healers and multi-pulls in the later compared to the former.
     
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  24. Elroz

    Elroz I Feel Loved Staff Member

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    2,350
    gorge of king xorbb, emerald jungle, western wastes, grimling forest, plane of disease - one hotzone for each expansion and one zone for each level bracket
     
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  25. Braven

    Braven People Like Me

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    112
    It would be nice to see it directed more towards dungeons. There are lots of empty ones (Dalnir, Perma, Kerra, AR, CC, etc) and a hotzone or zonewide drop would be nice to facilitate grouping rather than just a leveling speed boost. If you want that youd probably just stick to Uguk, Kurns, HK, with their crazy ZEMs anyway.
     
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  26. Pithy

    Pithy I Feel Loved

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    Emphasizing dungeons sounds fun to me too. Traveling through sprawling outdoor zones is iconic EQ, but outdoor killing just doesn't scratch the same itch for me that dungeon diving does.

    Here are some dungeons I'd nominate for occasional hotzones:
    • RunnyEye (level 10-30 ish)
    • Befallen (5-25)
    • Sol A (20-35)
    • Sol B (40-60)
    • Upper Guk (5-25)
    • Lower Guk (30-50)
    • Cazic Thule 1.0 for sure!
    • Permafrost (20-60)
    • Blackburrow (5-20)
    • Splitpaw (25-40)
    • Warrens (5-20)
    • Kerra Isle (15-25)
    • The Hole (45-60)
    • Crushbone (1-15)
    • Kedge Keep (35-50)
    • Unrest (15-30)
    • Mistmoore (30-40)
    • Kurn's (5-15)
    • Nurga (30-35)
    • Droga (35-45)
    • Dalnir (25-35)
    • City of Mist (35-45)
    • Kaesora (30-50)
    • Karnor's (45-55)
    • Howling Stones (50-60)
    • Chardok 2.0 (50-60)
    • Sebilis (50-60)
    • Crystal Caverns (30-40)
    • ToFS (30-45)
    • Velk's (50-60)
    • Siren's Grotto (45-60)
    • Dragon Necropolis (50-60)
    • Plane of Mischief (55+)
    • Paludal (5-25)
    • Acrylia (40-50)
    • Grieg's (50-60)
    • Ssra (50+)
    • Akheva (45-55)
     
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  27. Frosst

    Frosst Well-Known Member

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    104
    Sorry to derail, but the mention of Cazic 1.0 got me thinking about something. I played in the original Cazic 1.0 back in the day on a Sony Server when I was around level 30. The place was challenging, but a lot of fun to xp in. It seemed to go on forever and I never got a chance to fully explore it. It was kind of sad when they revamped it (and we got the version we have now). A technological question: on TAKP Prime, would it be technologically possible to add back in the Cazic 1.0 zone alongside the Revamped version? What I'm envisioning is a Stone or a piece of architecture either in the Feerott or inside Cazic that you could click and have it take you to the old school version. If that were available, low level people could go there and experience the old version and higher level people could go enjoy the revamped/hardcore version that we have now.
     
    Last edited: Aug 25, 2024
  28. robregen

    robregen Administrator Staff Member

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    8,487
    instancing and versioning would be needed in order to work like this. But there can be issues as seen on PEQ and even on PQ with instancing. it's a constant issue having to try to make it work like we wanted to. I think it's not worth to put in the effort. It either this or the other.
     
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  29. Tryfan

    Tryfan People Like Me

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    427
    Along with hotzones it would also be good if mobs themselves had experience bonuses that made more sense. I believe this exists to a small extent but so little its hardly noticeable. You would need less ZEM focus if enchanter, cleric, shaman, maybe necro mobs were worth considerably, and I mean significantly more experience than their warrior compatriots. These are a big part of why people won't go to Dalnir, Nurga, etc and even some specific camps in otherwise popular zones. The risk isn't worth the reward. Everquest's original devs never figured out risk vs reward. Too few of them actually played like normal people.
     
  30. Frosst

    Frosst Well-Known Member

    Messages:
    104
    That makes sense, thanks for explaining. To keep things on fresh or interesting on TAKP Prime, it might be cool to bring back the old version of CT for a limited time (could do it during the anniversary event, or randomly in other parts of the year) (that is assuming it would be feasible/convenient to do so). Would be a lot of fun to level up some new characters in that place if it came available.