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What is the reason for not making a classic server SOE?
This has been talked about and talked about and talked about and guess what SOE there is a HUUUUUGGGEE desire to see at least 1 classic server for Everquest. I just want to know why they haven't done it? I think it would bring back tons of people (look back at progression servers) like people have said before in other posts, they wouldn't have to recreate much maybe just tweak is all. I just don't get it. I play WoW now because EQ just sucks now and is only for the old skool players raiding. But my bro and I alike would come back if they came out with EQ classic server along with many others I'm sure.
So SOE what is your excuse?
Comments
Same excuse they use for SWG Pre-CU servers?
Thalos Vipav
Star Wars Galaxies: R.I.P.
Great question. We really do not know. I do not even want a "purely" classical server. I am perfectly fine with maps and so forth.
IDEAL SERVER:
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WoW and fast food = commercial successes.
I neither play WoW nor eat fast food.
They must have lost the code.
Well, it may not be a feasible solution for many of you, but there is a server that "lives literally in the Forgotten Lands at SOE" (in the words of Massively's web writer Mark Krump) and only has expansions up to Planes of Power ... it's Everquest Mac Edition's Al'Kabor server.
SOE only supplies power and network connection to an aging Dell PowerEdge ... no patches, no events at all. But the community is fantastic (and relaxed, of course).
You can play it even with an old PowerMac ... and the game is included in SOE's Station Pass.
www.eqmac.com/
It's a bit too old-fashioned for my tastes but I've noticed that most of the newcomers of Al'Kabor are PC users searching for this kind of game mechanics ...
Hope it helps.
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PoP was the final blow to EQ. We are talking the first trilogy here.
Thank you for the post.
No, it's not possible. This server is Mac-only due to the coding differences between PC servers and the Macintosh server.
Here's the (almost useless) official SOE web page:
Everquest Macintosh Edition
You can download the client here. It's free and you can play EQMac for free for 15 days.
The requirements are pretty modest (these hw specs were common in the late 2001, Mac OS X 10.2.6 has been released in May 2003):
I'm sorry, I'm not very familiar with EQ. I've only played the Mac version for a month two years ago (I was working on an article about Mac MMOs). I've also played EQ2 (via Boot Camp) for a couple of months but I've never played the PC version of EQ.
As I've written in my first post, this is not a feasible solution for the most of you. But I've found the EQMac story an interesting one
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If only the Mac version stopped at Velious. We can dream right.
if they would only make a eqmac client available for the pc...
err can you play EQmac on a pc? the guys over at EQmac were pretty clear that you can't
Imagine this if you will...
they create a classic server. Its wildly successful like the progression servers were at the start. Most people create characters.
The big wigs at SOE look at the numbers and say "Why are paying all this money to develop expansions for Everquest when everyone is playing on this old server with no new content?"
Development ends for Everyquest.
i bet you could if you set up a hackintosh and followed the stuff from the OSx86 project. i just might.
Whether it would run EQmac or not, I've no idea.
its been 7 years since i play tho
im assuming its still pay to play mmos? hehe
anywy i wouldnt play either
I would guess their excuse has to do with unified code.
It's likely more practical for them to have one copy of the game to work on, and a unified client to update across all servers. It's why a Progression server is the closest they've gotten to any sort of "Classic" server-- the entire current game is still there, it just has to be unlocked.
I'd wager there's more of a chance of a time-locked Progression server (with each expansion unlocking after a certain amount of time instead of their current setup), than there is of them creating a server that simply stops at a certain expansion. A time-locked server wouldn't be that hard, and they could still apply any new patches to it since all that content would be available at some point.
A server that simply stops at a certain point? They've already said that's not happening. But they mentioned variants on Progression, which is about as close as they'll ever get to a "Classic" setup.
I know I would play on the classic server right now and I can think of at least 10 or 12 people that would come back *today* to play on a classic server(old world/kunark/velious). I got them all playing again for the progression server a while back. They all had their complaints about how spells were overpowered for the old days(they were given a boost many years back) and that melee in general sucked in comparison. THey complained about the new "hot zone" drops in the kunark zones. They complained about a lot of things but they had a great time. That is, until luclin got unlocked within 2 or 3 months.
Luclin dug the hole on EQ going downhill and PoP just shoveled some dirt in its face. LDoN was a return to the old days in some ways but other than that the expansions have been pretty terrible. I think 90% of old players can agree on old world/kunark/velious being a real kickarse server. In fact, emulation people are already working on a couple servers just like this. I might look into that but I would certainly rather play it on Sony servers with the real coding rather than some repellent amateurs who run their servers with such an iron fist as to make Hitler and Stalin look like easy going, understanding guys.
What it comes down to is that they are on a shoestring budget. They cant even afford to turn on the lights in their offices practically. They could easily make a classic server but it would require a good bit of time to implement the server and considering their current content is still riddled with bugs, thats not practical. However, I think there is more to the anti-classic server soe attitude than just budget issues. They seem convinced that people are just in love with the idea of a classic server and wouldnt play it. Ive seen their comments on the issue and they couldn't be more out of touch with reality. They look at the progression servers and say "Look, see, we come up with a new idea, its popular for a day and then people quit." However they dont realize WHY people quit. Over half the progression population was people longing for eq classic and the people who actually like dthe idea of a progression server thought it was just going too fast. I have always loved this game, but the idiocy of SOE has never ceased to amaze me.
It wouldn't be worth it.
The Old Timers Guild
Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
All about the fun!
www.oldtimersguild.com
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett
That is probably the most probable reason, they certainly can't complain about the subscription numbers they had when the Progression server launched, as a matter of fact it was the highest subscription rate since nearly the launch.
However this pretty much sealed the deal:
The best anyone can hope for is that a new server is opened, even though it would appear they need to consolidate others.
The Old Timers Guild
Laid back, not so serious, no drama.
All about the fun!
www.oldtimersguild.com
An opinion should be the result of thought, not a substitute for it. - Jef Mallett
I would guess their excuse has to do with unified code.
It's likely more practical for them to have one copy of the game to work on, and a unified client to update across all servers. It's why a Progression server is the closest they've gotten to any sort of "Classic" server-- the entire current game is still there, it just has to be unlocked.
I'd wager there's more of a chance of a time-locked Progression server (with each expansion unlocking after a certain amount of time instead of their current setup), than there is of them creating a server that simply stops at a certain expansion. A time-locked server wouldn't be that hard, and they could still apply any new patches to it since all that content would be available at some point.
A server that simply stops at a certain point? They've already said that's not happening. But they mentioned variants on Progression, which is about as close as they'll ever get to a "Classic" setup.
No. They could have a single classic server that is never touched like the EQMac server. The EQMac server still has people on it, that should give them a clue. Give us a trilogy server please!
I would guess their excuse has to do with unified code.
It's likely more practical for them to have one copy of the game to work on, and a unified client to update across all servers. It's why a Progression server is the closest they've gotten to any sort of "Classic" server-- the entire current game is still there, it just has to be unlocked.
I'd wager there's more of a chance of a time-locked Progression server (with each expansion unlocking after a certain amount of time instead of their current setup), than there is of them creating a server that simply stops at a certain expansion. A time-locked server wouldn't be that hard, and they could still apply any new patches to it since all that content would be available at some point.
A server that simply stops at a certain point? They've already said that's not happening. But they mentioned variants on Progression, which is about as close as they'll ever get to a "Classic" setup.
No. They could have a single classic server that is never touched like the EQMac server. The EQMac server still has people on it, that should give them a clue. Give us a trilogy server please!
You're talking about Mac vs. PC.
Development of EQ on the Mac pretty much stopped after they released the initial client in 2003, most likely because sales were poor. That's why the EQMac server isn't touched. They have no interest in working on it. It still exists solely at their whim, and only because there is a small, but dedicated group that continues to play on it.
On the other hand, development of the PC version has been ongoing. Their primary focus is on the PC version, and in order to streamline their productivity on the game, they likely prefer that all of their PC servers have a single, unified client, which makes things much easier on their end. That's why you'll never see a server like what you want. It's not in their interest to have a PC server that just stops at a certain point. No matter what ruleset they put in (time-locked progression, raid progression, etc.), the core game client on that server will still be the same as every other server for the game.
I would guess their excuse has to do with unified code.
It's likely more practical for them to have one copy of the game to work on, and a unified client to update across all servers. It's why a Progression server is the closest they've gotten to any sort of "Classic" server-- the entire current game is still there, it just has to be unlocked.
I'd wager there's more of a chance of a time-locked Progression server (with each expansion unlocking after a certain amount of time instead of their current setup), than there is of them creating a server that simply stops at a certain expansion. A time-locked server wouldn't be that hard, and they could still apply any new patches to it since all that content would be available at some point.
A server that simply stops at a certain point? They've already said that's not happening. But they mentioned variants on Progression, which is about as close as they'll ever get to a "Classic" setup.
No. They could have a single classic server that is never touched like the EQMac server. The EQMac server still has people on it, that should give them a clue. Give us a trilogy server please!
You're talking about Mac vs. PC.
Development of EQ on the Mac pretty much stopped after they released the initial client in 2003, most likely because sales were poor. That's why the EQMac server isn't touched. They have no interest in working on it. It still exists solely at their whim, and only because there is a small, but dedicated group that continues to play on it.
On the other hand, development of the PC version has been ongoing. Their primary focus is on the PC version, and in order to streamline their productivity on the game, they likely prefer that all of their PC servers have a single, unified client, which makes things much easier on their end. That's why you'll never see a server like what you want. It's not in their interest to have a PC server that just stops at a certain point. No matter what ruleset they put in (time-locked progression, raid progression, etc.), the core game client on that server will still be the same as every other server for the game.
I wouldn't say never. I had heard that in the past many times about different things that came to past. Never is a strong word. The server would stop at Velious and there would be nothing to streamline, there would be no production on that server. When updating other servers they just simply do not update that one.I think one day some MMORPG developers will start have a variety of choices in their servers for different people. Sometimes people leave because of an expansion that hate that ruined the game and sometimes people dislike easy death penalties or dislike pvp etc. You may see servers such as a classic one, pvp, hardcore, casual, etc etc. Options are great.
Options are great, but let's look at the reality on the ground here-- SOE currently sells both of the EQ games in an "All-In-One" format, including the original games, and all expansions in the same package. They don't sell the individual expansions anymore, either. You can't just walk into Best Buy or Fry's and buy the original game, Kunark, and Velious anymore.
SOE wouldn't do that if it didn't reflect their basic MO when it comes to their games. The client on each of their servers is going to be exactly the same as the one they're currently selling in the stores, just because from a practical standpoint, that makes sense.
Servers are expensive. Why on Earth would they spend the money and resources to bring a brand new server online if it's just going to sit there untouched? They'd be more likely to bring another Progression server online before they ever did that.
Options are great, but let's look at the reality on the ground here-- SOE currently sells both of the EQ games in an "All-In-One" format, including the original games, and all expansions in the same package. They don't sell the individual expansions anymore, either. You can't just walk into Best Buy or Fry's and buy the original game, Kunark, and Velious anymore.
SOE wouldn't do that if it didn't reflect their basic MO when it comes to their games. The client on each of their servers is going to be exactly the same as the one they're currently selling in the stores, just because from a practical standpoint, that makes sense.
Servers are expensive. Why on Earth would they spend the money and resources to bring a brand new server online if it's just going to sit there untouched? They'd be more likely to bring another Progression server online before they ever did that.
I am just going to assume you know nothing of Dark Age of Camelot. It would explain a bit of your ignorance. Long ago instead of server merging they resorted to server clustering. There is 4(or 5?) clusters total. The classic server cluster consists of 3 servers and these 3 servers combined usually have 2-3 times the population of the non-classic clusters that consist of 6 servers. Ok, lets put this another way. The 3 classic servers combined have nearly as much population as the 20 non classic servers combined. Now, this is not a newness factor. These classic servers have been around for years (basically since the 2nd or 3rd expansion which screwed the game). These classic servers brought back old players to the game. These classic servers hold a significant population of the daoc playerbase.
Now please tell me why this would be overly expensive and so ridiculous to have a classic server? This is a fire and forget moneymaker. They just need to make it progress from old world to velious like the old eq did. A very slow pace.
I just dont see where this "money and resources" would have to come from. They merged servers already and probably should again. Vanguard just got merged from like 15 servers to 4 not too long ago either and to be honest the game is still wobbling around like a lame horse waiting to be put out of its misery. SWG from what I have been hearing (i have no first hand knowledge on this one) is another game facing severe population shortage since an update gone bad. Theoretically they should have servers piling up to their ears. I give mythic credit for realizing classic servers is what the players wanted, and they gave it to them. In return the players have paid them back with a lot of extra income they otherwise would not have had due to returning players. All SOE needs to do is realize their 15 expansions have destroyed the game, milked everyone dry, and left the remaining customers with extremely litttle company loyalty. Many of the old players like myself who have stuck around this long would rather SOE got in a little time machine, gone back to velious and just started the hell over. However, we would be willing to settle for just a classic server....and between us all weve got thousands of old eq buddies who would return to play classic with us in a heartbeat.
I have said before that i would not play again even on a Classic server but i have changed my mine. All the new games are garbage as far as im concerned so if i want to play something Classic EQ is really the only thing that interests me. So i would also be in.
Now i dont know if this is possible but, since they could do with some server merges again, the pop is a bit low, could they not move everyone off of one of the existing servers, disable all expansions on that server and open back up with just original EQ? Velious and Kunark could come later or at launch, doesnt really matter to me. Nothing after that though.
The only things that i see (and im not a programmer so i am probably wrong) that could cause a problem is graphic updates (which are cool to stay) and the zone updates, like no Oasis anymore and a Freeport that i cant find anything in (those are not ok with me).
So much like the progression server, all the content is on the server, but some of it will never be opened up.
So those of you smarter then me, is this possible?
Part of the answer lies with the existing communities.
They don't want to lose players from their servers to join these new servers...and then be merged with other old servers.
They don't want to see peoples playing the "same game" differently, that way they have to question themselves as if they play what they prefer or not...
They want new players to come to their servers, new options, new servers, will take a % of these new players; they don't conceive, for a moment, that these new players will not join the game otherwise.
Don't tell me you forget how the existing communities in EQ are?
- "If I understand you well, you are telling me until next time. " - Ren