An Oldschool Zone?

[snowli]

<p>I was thinking about some of the game elements I miss sometimes from EQ1 - and wondered if there was any interest in creating a single old school type zone, just as an experiment of a different experience for a group.</p><p>To define what I mean as an old school EQ1 type zone feelings, these are some of the things that could be implemented:</p><ol><li>Mobs that don't die in 10 seconds or under. Same xp over time is fine, but just longer individual fights.</li><li>Lots of wandering social mobs to make pulling & positioning important.</li><li>Not having everything encounter based so split pulling is possible.</li><li>Extremely long leash ranges or no leash for this zone, so you can't just run problems off.</li><li>Mobs that require mezzing and crowd control. Possibly mobs that have complimentary abilities, like make vulnerable to piercing tank mobs mixed with rogue dagger user type mobs.</li><li>Some mobs that might run off to get LOTS of reinforcements so require mezzing/rooting/snaring/stunning etc.</li><li>Run for reinforcement at low hp mobs.</li><li>Mobs that are very different types, and visually clearly different, so that it's actually important to select what you do in which order to which mob - for example:</li></ol><ul><li>healer mobs that really chuck out tons of hp's so have to be controlled or taken down early, (or mana drained?)</li><li>tank mobs that absorb damage really well, so they are bad selections for just target closest and burn it down</li><li>mage mobs that are fragile but nuke hard, probably from range, and/or provide meaningful detriments (not just spamming 20 nox abilities, 1 of which is a dangerous stun hidden under 19 dots that aren't worth curing) howabout a mage mob that puts out a 50% healing reduction aura for e.g.</li><li>scout mobs that backstab hard from behind, sneak & ambush players etc</li></ul><p>Overall just 1 zone with a different feel, more tactical, requiring a different focus than tank & spank everything design. I don't know if it would immediately be a success with all players, but it would afterall be just 1 zone, and more choices are good.</p>

[Rahatmattata]

<p>Sounds good to me, but I'd also like to see these things:</p><p>Contested zone.</p><p>Placeholders for named.</p><p>Dangerous paths to rare named mobs with deadly traps that must be somehow disabled or several players will die.</p><p>And of course, I would like if it were a massive zone with several layers such as the image below, as well as creative use of the z-axis. Maybe even vast underwater catacombs and a low gravity mad sorcerer's layer with repulsor bouncy balls.</p><p><img src="http://www.greyhawkonline.com/grodog/grodog_notes_on_wheggi_quilt_map_level_low.jpg" width="1753" height="2475" /></p>

[DaFriar]

<p>Is that the [Removed for Content] map of UIndermountain?!! I loved that set! <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>I'm not so sure about the trains again, but I did love when mobs would seek their buddies.. I miss yelling at the ranger / druid for not snaring, as usual <img src="/smilies/3b63d1616c5dfcf29f8a7a031aaa7cad.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p>

[Sedenten]

<p>I would LOVE an entire expansion based around an immense Undermountain-sized zone, completely contested.  I want 5+ level dungeons, with each level spanning the size of the current size of the Hole with multiple entrances and exits.  The Hole is huge in it's own right, but it'd be nice to get an entire expansion dealing solely with a dungeon much, much larger than it.  Put a city on top of the dungeon that bases it's entire existence and prosperity off of adventurers traveling to the area to find fame and fortune within the dungeon.  Raid instances could be built in with the final boss of said expansion being the creator and overseer of the dungeon itself (think the mad wizard that designed and built the Undermountain).  Ah, the ideas would be limitless, if some EQ lore could be found to work with a similar idea <img src="/smilies/8a80c6485cd926be453217d59a84a888.gif" border="0" alt="SMILEY" /></p><p>Also, I'd like to see a lot of EQ2 fights like the old EQ1 Muramite Proving Grounds raid trials--Trial of Corruption is a prime example.  Not even the 6-pack fight in Ravenscale approaches the chaos that was that raid in it's original form.  Non-fighters that called for help and had their fighter allies taunt players off of them (intelligently!), enchanters that helped with that by mezzing players that were beating on healers and DPS, healers that ran away and healed their group.  It was all complete with 'ASSIST ME NOW!" calls from the NPC's and monks that FD'ed for a few minutes when they reached low health.  Rogues constantly went into stealth and appeared behind healers to launch devastating backstabs as well.  The entire fight was one of the most fun events I've been in for any game so far, and forced players to approach fighting from a completely different perspective.  The entire idea behind the MPG trials (group and raid) was in general awesome.  I wouldn't mind seeing the entire idea replicated in some fashion for EQ2.</p><p>I, too, would like to see more dungeons have behaviour patterned after the traditional EQ1 dungeons.  I'm not sure if they can pull off the "feel" of forcing players to split and pull, since "splitting" was an unintentional player designed concept and encounters break when FD or blur-like abilities are used.  Monks FD'ing and bards using Fading Memories to split out named from a room full of trash was not something intended by development back in the EQ1 days.  It just happened, so even if they designed dungeons in EQ2 to support that mechanic it'd be up to players to actually start doing it.  There was even a point in time when FD was threatened to be nerfed due to the "exploit" of players first figuring out how to split up NPC's.  It's all history now, though.</p>