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If anything I say has already been implemented in some way in later tiers, I apologize. I have just begun to get my crew T3 flagged. Most of these ideas are off the cuff.
I am new to EZ (a couple of months) and I believe I am the “target” player for a server like this. I am someone who enjoys the nostalgia and graphic simplicity of EQEmu. The idea of outfitting your characters, having fun, doing cool things. The ability to have as many toons as you want is nice. That is probably one of the best benefits of EZ.
These are some really rough ideas and thoughts I've had.
Positives
-Advancing from one tier to the other should come with a large increase in power. My T2 crew should be able to lay waste to QVIC. Pulling the zone and mass killing with AoE is fun.
-New players able to benefit from higher players farming. My first group is 95% geared in T2 armor because Noot needed essences and was kind and patient enough to let me loot all the armor I needed. It’s these acts of kindness that is the main draw for me here. Other games don’t provide an environment where some “twinking” can occur. Half my group now has Halloween pets because of the kind soul of another higher tiered player -- completely blanking on his name sorry!
Story
-From what I’ve seen so far, it’s just kill-kill-kill-loot your armor. Move on. I don’t feel like my characters are existing in a world where they actually affect things. This is a RPG, afterall. I think a lot of us would enjoy a storyline or some emotional investment into something, anything.
Could be as simple as needing to rescue a little girl’s father. You stumble upon a hut in the Misty Thicket. A little halfling girl tells you her story. Let’s go save her father! Boom, you’re invested already. Maybe the King of Neriak wants you to rescue his kidnapped prince. Something like this could quickly get you started down a storyline with rewards and items and emotional investment.
Random Ideas
-Timed elements, i.e. have to clear a zone in under 30 mins, hold off an onslaught of NPCs for 20 mins. I think adding the element of a countdown of some sort adds a feeling of tension, drama, etc.
-Escorting a NPC from attackers.
-Choice of difficulty
If past events/zones have been scalable, I think having an option to turn on a GOD-like mode level of difficulty could satiate the hardcore, uber-equipped veterans. Normal or “EZ” mode could be the usual increase in difficulty that the average, casual player can work through. But GOD mode will extend the life of new content with much harder fights. Rewards will be slightly better gear. GOD mode would be something you don’t have to complete to progress to the next tier, but it is something additional to do if ambitious and willing.
-References to pop culture. I know WoW did this to some degree and I always thought it was neat. They had to tip-toe around copyright. We do not. We’re on a pirated game for crying out loud. We can have NPCs named MICKEY MOUSE if we wanted to. This opens up WORLDS of possibilities. We could have themes in different tiers/portions of future content.
We meet a halfling named THE IMP. Wants you to help him become King of his city. Or a high elven woman named KHALEESI. She wants you retrieve her dragon eggs. Or avenge her father’s murder. A human named THE BASTARD … or SNOW. There’s so many possibilities to inject some creativity and fun into this server.
-Puzzles/riddles. It’s always fun to figure out the answer to something or have a revelation of some sorts instead of just being spoon fed info. Yeah, you only get that warm fuzzy once per puzzle, but maybe an entire Tier is a puzzle and completing the tier coincides having that revelation at the same time.
-Random Easter Egg Hunts
Have a chest pop randomly somewhere in some zone. A server wide message with a riddle/clue. Inside the chest is random item or a copper/silver/golden ticket that’s redeemable based on the type of ticket.
-Reward/Potion to temporarily make zones provide double loot or double/triple/etc experience
An added reward item for EZ credits?
-Lure-type player attractor. This is a rough idea but I'm intrigued with the idea of lures from Pokémon Go. Perhaps this could increase the socialization factor. (If so desired.)
-Global Loot table
I wouldn’t mind seeing some really, really, rare items drop globally and be TRADEABLE. Like super unique and powerful. Can just be a handful. Can you imagine if a newer player got a hold of one -- what would some of the super-veterans with very deep pockets be willing to pay for such an item? People would be known for having that item just like back in EQ ‘98.
-Item Uniqueness
While I like the idea of “ultimate” weapons/charms, the naming convention is so… blah. Imagine reading Lord of the Rings and Ilsidur uses the “Ultimate Sword.” It does nothing to imply the heritage and backstory of a weapon.
Now let’s make a NPC called Tariema. Oh, there’s a new NPC in Nexus. Let’s hail him. Find out he’s a master smith, banished or escaped from some troubled lands. We learn he can make weapons. Tells you about past kings/nobles/heroes he’s made weapons for. He’s the go to man/woman for quality weapons.
He says he can make you one. Just needs the raw goods. Same stuff as the UW.
Hand him the goods. You get “XXX’s Bane” or “Tariema’s Whatever.” There’s now a link from your weapon to the world in some way. It may be small, but in a RPG these little things add up. This contributes to the verisimilitude of a RPG.
-I know there is a limited number of people creating content for the server. So they want to maximize the time it takes to accomplish the new content.
So X = the time it takes to finish a Tier. From what I’ve seen so far, you must kill mobs 99% of the time to finish a tier. There is some time spent combining armor, but that is negligible.
If Y = killing mobs and X = time spent finishing a tier then:
Y = X from what I’ve seen. But so much more can go into X.
Let’s say:
A = travel time. I like the idea of “globe-trotting” like in the DG/CG quest.
B = talking to NPCs/learning their storyline.
C = obtaining an item to continue the story/quest.
D = Exploration. This doesn’t mean new zones. I actually like the old school Nektulos, Lavastorm, Faydark, Karanas, etc. This could mean simple things as needing to talk to a new NPC or pick up an item off the ground somewhere.
So, now, instead of X = Y:
X = Y + A + B + C + D
And of course you could weigh the proportions any way you want.
EZ Credits
Gaming has entered an age of supplementing yourself via in-game purchases. See iOS games. Need more Candy Crush lives? Plop down a dollar.
I don’t mind this and I think it could be improved for EZ. I think off the bat, the credit prices could be easily halved. Ideally, an even greater discount.
I’m fairly new and already some of the grind of T1/T2 and then needing all the correct armor pieces from Cazic can be a bit tedious. Sometimes you reach a plateau of interest and need a little something to give you a boost. How about pluck down $5 and get 75 water/ice crystals. Skip the grind for a evening and get some upgrades for your crew. I don’t see how this hurts anyone.
Had a bad week at work? Stressed out? Want a quick fix? Have $20 to blow? Go all out and get 300 tokens/crystals/whatever. Some of the credit items have a bit of a sticker shock to them. Some people want to advance in game, but not have the copious and disposable free time to feel like you’re making progress. Things like that could help. Again, no one is being forced to buy things. We are here to have fun and if plopping down 20 bucks for several hours of getting loot for your crew will do that, I see no issue.
This ties into the newbie reward. I want to start a second group for some variety, but the idea of playing catch up alone is exhausting. If I could plop down $5 a character to get them to T1 real quick, I’d do that in a heartbeat. But $30 each for a crew of 6? $180. Much harder to swallow than $30.
To the inevitable “You think T2 is bad, just wait…” -- should that really be the prevailing attitude? I think server growth should be the goal, and the barrier to entry is quite large. If plopping down $50 kickstarts your crew in a meaningful and FUN way, I say why not. I mean you start at level 100 now in WoW… When you start messing with 12-18 characters, that’s a lot of grinding. When you have 2-3 hours to play once, maybe TWICE a week… I’ll be done with current content in 5 years.
Some new rewards would be cool, too. These are little bonuses that add to the fun of the game. What if the pet selection was expanded? Different pets with different spells/buffs, etc.
Conclusion
I’ve combed through the forums looking at different topics and guides from years past. I’ve seen a lot of people giving out ideas and then other people squashing down their ideas because it would make things “too easy” or breaks the game or something. The fact is I don’t see those names around any longer. They’re gone. They've quit. What good being defensive did. There should be a focus on what makes the game FUN to play now -- not minimizing the hurt feelings of someone who sees a noob loot a UC after he’s grinded out the game for the past 4 years.
If the devs see some worth to my ideas, I can help. I want to help. I will really buckle down and brainstorm. I find this stuff fun. A hobby of mine is screenwriting. I’ve written 20 screenplays in the past 8 years. I am not a professional, but maybe one day. I think I have a knack for story, story structure, dialogue, emotional resonance, and “cool things.” I want to contribute and I think I could help make EZ an even more memorable game to play.
I’m also not afraid of crunching numbers. My bachelors is in Statistics. I could assist in data analysis and report out statistically significant findings, as well.
If there’s someone I can reach out to express further interest just let me know and I will do so.
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