What things would you like to see in a new zone?

Grinkles

Grinkles

Developer
Staff member
If you could help shape an upcoming zone, what sorts of things would we see in it?
I'm talking about things such as:
  • Fight mechanics
  • Level range
  • Lore
  • NPC variety (classes, models, etc.)
  • Quests
  • "Soloability"
  • Zone Aesthetics (outdoor vs. indoor, snow, greenery, brown walls, etc.)
Here are a few bullet points of things I'd like to see in upcoming zones:
  • Something outdoors (but without tons of trees to get stuck on).
    • So much exping at 65 is done in dark, cramped indoor spaces. Players bump into one another, Shrink is practically a prerequisite (which diminishes the fun in playing with a racially diverse group in the first place), and SoD's lack of proper NPC pathing makes pulling enemies through narrow corridors hazardous and unpredictable.
    • It feels nice to exp in a zone where outdoor SoW-type buffs work in case you need to run for your life!
  • Charmable NPCs.
    • So many mobs at level 65 exp spots are either too high for long-duration DRU/ENC/NEC charm or are flat out immune to it, and I'd love to have the option to get back into charm kiting like in "the olden days" but with fresh content.
  • Enemies that are playable races.
    • NPCs who are Gnomes, Trolls, Iksar, etc. can be customized much more than non-playable races in terms of appearance (robes, plate armor, hats, gender, faces), and this could add a lot of variety to a zone's aesthetic. NPC armor tinting can even be coded for further customization, as seen on the blue-clad guards throughout Halas.
  • NPCs that don't summon.
    • The NPC ability to summon a player is ridiculous enough from a lore perspective, but it is flat out aggravating when the player is unintentionally summoned under the world, resulting in a frustrating "LOADING, PLEASE WAIT..." and an inaccessible corpse. Non-named, non-raid mobs don't need this ability.
    • Non-summoning NPCs would mean that classes such as Bards, Druids, Rangers, and Wizards could kite NPCs like they used to at lower levels.
  • Unique zone connection(s) you'd only find in Shards of Dalaya.
    • I was impressed the first time I traveled to Haegra Malath many years ago and realized I had to get a whirlwind in Goblinskull Mountains to whisk me way up onto the mountaintops in order to reach my destination. The Overgrowth does something similar by repurposing the previously useless drainpipe underneath the waterwheel in Underhill for its zoneline. I'd love to see more imaginative zonelines such as these instead of simply reusing established zonelines (which are limited in quantity anyway).
So, what's on your wishlist? o_O
 
My absolute favorite zone in any version of any EQ based game ever was old school Plane of Fear.

A wide open, non linear outdoor zone where things can go haywire in a heartbeat and steady nerves and a lot of CC is required to stay alive. Would love to see a 6 man version of such a zone. The problem is in shards these days though is a 6 man zone is either 1.) super high tier where a lot of people can't do it or 2.) not high enough tier where the super high tier players won't just power farm it or 3.) loot tuned so it's not worth farming for super high tier people therefore is not rewarding to low tier people (aside from no-drop loot).

So:
-Lots of wandering NPCs, lots of random drop nice loot off of trash (this is big big big and this is what made Cmal so appealing is that EVERY fight was exciting because who knows what it's going to drop!)
-Lots of danger
-Kiteable mobs so kiting is a viable form of CC but so many roaming mobs that kiting is super dangerous. Spell casters would be a good, more realistic substitute for summoning mobs.
-Bosses placed throughout. If you can get to them and clear an area large enough to fight them with no adds, then more power to you. Content skipping isn't a thing here. Content drops interesting enough loot where content skipping isn't considered anyhow by on-tier groups.
-A scary zone in area so players have to "break into" the zone, a la old fear.

Basically remake old fear. For 6 players. Man I'm not original.
 
Haenir said:
Plane of Dead Gnomes -

Zombie gnome survival zone, get sucked in, must escape/survive increasing large/powerful waves of undead anklebiters.
Click to expand...
I gotchu, Haenir.

ZombieGnomes_zps028800ad.jpg
 
I'd personally love to see a zone where people who are xp/tome capped could get something.


As to a little more in line with what you'd like to hear having mobs that don't summon would be great. Way way way too many mobs summon on SoD....almost everything does. I think it's one of the worst things about this game TBH.

I think something using skyfire would be sweet. Have a place where there are mobs people can kite around that's not too difficult but also have a hard area in the zone. Mix up the tiers a little like how EQ used to have lvl 15s in oasis killing crocs but also lvl 45s killing spectres and such. Maybe have a wandering dangerous mob around the easier part of the zone to encourage people to team up and kill it or high tier chars a chance to show off it they want and box it. It would also add a little danger in an otherwise laid back area.
 
A jumping map, or a map not about killing monsters, but getting to the next area with the use of spells. Levitation gaps, Speed hallways that require insane move speed, Invis, resist traps, see invis.

A permanent illusion potion, race change so you could be one of a few different available monsters.

A rebirth mode so you can reset your max level and lvl up again, getting % more experience per rebirth and other stats. Or just a different color name, an mmo had colors for the more rebirths you had. people re birthed 4-5 times.

Random hidden chests throughout the world, ones that aren't found grow in value.

A separate zone for death, be it a uber hard raid zone.

Impossible raids/monsters that aren't susposed to be killed. then way later on, possible.
 
veeshan's peak being made into something would be pretty epic that zone is amazing same with howling stones

so many great possibilities.... this game needs more content devs :(
 
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Veeshan's peak = Burning Eye
Howling stones = Odeum of Profundity
Skyfire = Also an Ikisith 2.0 thing.

I wonder how far along they are dev-wise.

With the whole summoning thing... the reason it exists is to not trivialize a lot of stuff for certain classes, which kind of seems important, if annoying.

It is funny though, I recently started playing around with ranged more (yay shadow shurikens) and I was surprised by the number of things that don't summon.
 
Riftseekers Sanctum - the feel and layout of that zone was always awesome to me for whatever reason...
 
I agree I'd like to see more outdoor zones, because, if nothing else, the druids can use some of their spells there that they cannot indoors.

I'd like to see charmable mobs that would be casters and would offer some unique buffs to you or your group - they wouldn't necessarily have to be good dps, but offering cool procs for all, or mini-cunning, mini-placid focus, or something cool happening when such charmed pets attack other NPCs.
Maybe have different types that you could choose what to charm based on group setup or the zone area where you're in - melee procs, overhaste or attack with melees, a pet that would grant everyone +2 evocation or a small bonus to spells of certain type... And they would have to be druid and/or necro charmable, too, so enchanters wouldn't be absolutely required. It would be nice if druids could be some dps in this zone (even before they get cataclysm). There should be a balance between risk and reward - perhaps such pets would be a great asset toward some types of NPCs, but other NPCs can sense their enemy from afar and having such a pet would bring more adds when attacking a certain type, or have those mobs howl with bloodlust.
Or have the mobs become very weak from rogue poisons or certain melee abilities of other classes that don't get used as much (I'm not an expert at melees).

It would be nice if there was a pet heal spell (a real heal with a bit, but not too long recast, not a 1700hp heal) or item quest in the zone: maybe an old, blind gentleman lost his dog in the vast zone and it's your mission to guide it back - be it through charm and it fighting on your side until you reach him, or guiding it through towards the master if you can't charm it. The pet is hurt and bleeding from its wounds, and it will soon become an undead - if you don't succeed in a timely manner, the beast attacks you. If you are successful, the experience increases your affinity to pets and you're able to heal them better;
as well as more focii for the classes that need them. Pet health/strength, disease focus for enchanters, affliciton enchancement... But then again the "fix" for all these issues should not come from a single zone.

I'm also always in favor of more tomes - I think they should be random and not too common, and offer some unique, but minor bonuses without prerequisite AAs. All your conjuration spells cost 5 mana less, or melee styles drain stamina 1% slower... Plus, most casters would love a nifty undead rogue stuck between worlds that gives you high-xp tome that lets you learn an additional glyph in Refuge, if you manage to slay it or negotiate to find a way to resurrect it and bring it back into the world of living, where it can continue its mischievous pratices. Comes with appropriate alignment hits. Perhaps the rogue could be from a horde of undead pirates who attack you randomly every now and then and are not trackable, so people couldn't farm it directly.
There need to be more lawful/chaotic aligment options.

As for the less-than-50+tomes-characters, it would be nice if they could get their spells without a raidforce, just with a balanced group. And maybe some xp-able items that are no drop, not BOE.
I also really like Zaela's bounty system of customization (and I love their stories).

Another, more straightforward option is just to have a zone where mobs have 10x the "normal" hitpoints and you also do 10-times the damage to them - everyone loves big numbers. But that would make some raid encounters that already use this mechanic feel less exclusive.

I have no idea what the game offers in terms of customization so don't laugh if my ideas are childish or boring. And I don't think a single zone should be "the ultimate zone" for any class.
 
I want to see a 6 man zone that is a race.

Two 6 man groups enter and fight the same encounters for time, whoever gets to the end first gets an extra bonus.
 
Grinkles said:
If you could help shape an upcoming zone, what sorts of things would we see in it?
I'm talking about things such as:
  • Fight mechanics
  • Level range
  • Lore
  • NPC variety (classes, models, etc.)
  • Quests
  • "Soloability"
  • Zone Aesthetics (outdoor vs. indoor, snow, greenery, brown walls, etc.)
Here are a few bullet points of things I'd like to see in upcoming zones:
  • Something outdoors (but without tons of trees to get stuck on).
    • So much exping at 65 is done in dark, cramped indoor spaces. Players bump into one another, Shrink is practically a prerequisite (which diminishes the fun in playing with a racially diverse group in the first place), and SoD's lack of proper NPC pathing makes pulling enemies through narrow corridors hazardous and unpredictable.
    • It feels nice to exp in a zone where outdoor SoW-type buffs work in case you need to run for your life!
  • Charmable NPCs.
    • So many mobs at level 65 exp spots are either too high for long-duration DRU/ENC/NEC charm or are flat out immune to it, and I'd love to have the option to get back into charm kiting like in "the olden days" but with fresh content.
  • Enemies that are playable races.
    • NPCs who are Gnomes, Trolls, Iksar, etc. can be customized much more than non-playable races in terms of appearance (robes, plate armor, hats, gender, faces), and this could add a lot of variety to a zone's aesthetic. NPC armor tinting can even be coded for further customization, as seen on the blue-clad guards throughout Halas.
  • NPCs that don't summon.
    • The NPC ability to summon a player is ridiculous enough from a lore perspective, but it is flat out aggravating when the player is unintentionally summoned under the world, resulting in a frustrating "LOADING, PLEASE WAIT..." and an inaccessible corpse. Non-named, non-raid mobs don't need this ability.
    • Non-summoning NPCs would mean that classes such as Bards, Druids, Rangers, and Wizards could kite NPCs like they used to at lower levels.
  • Unique zone connection(s) you'd only find in Shards of Dalaya.
    • I was impressed the first time I traveled to Haegra Malath many years ago and realized I had to get a whirlwind in Goblinskull Mountains to whisk me way up onto the mountaintops in order to reach my destination. The Overgrowth does something similar by repurposing the previously useless drainpipe underneath the waterwheel in Underhill for its zoneline. I'd love to see more imaginative zonelines such as these instead of simply reusing established zonelines (which are limited in quantity anyway).
So, what's on your wishlist? o_O
Click to expand...
Zone Aesthetics: Snow that has secret sink holes that lead to underground caves OoOOOOOOoooOOOOO make it funzy spot for new dudes to make some quest armor maybe? *better then boe* Not like bounties but something better.
 
Nwaij said:
Comping up next: people are offered PP to "throw" the game...
Click to expand...

That's why it scales with the performance of the other team. If the finish is closer, the better the benefit. Otherwise you just log one toon in to be the other "team" which wouldn't be in the spirit of Fuwok's idea.
 
RobbyBenson24 said:
That's why it scales with the performance of the other team. If the finish is closer, the better the benefit. Otherwise you just log one toon in to be the other "team" which wouldn't be in the spirit of Fuwok's idea.
Click to expand...
Oh, so opposed to throwing the game by being intentionally bad, you throw it by being 95% good, and then have a "accident" at the finish line? Gotcha! :p
 
I'd like to see more skill based fights than gear check fights. Asshole Mario style gameplay!

Also zones where you play as a monster. So like your team makeup doesn't mean shit, cause you zone in, are hit with X or Y or Z illusion and only get skills/spells/etc that those illusions get, and you have to fight through! Like a team of goblins fighting through Nurga trying to infiltrate a undead sarnak base and conquer the throne!
 
if 12 people want to game the fight for whatever the "extra" reward is (% chance at additional loot, rare drop % whatever), they probably deserve it for wasting all that time. Your team is going to want to win! And even if you agreed to throw the match you should win it, for sure, then, to screw loser baby matchfixer guys.
 
Seconding the "No Summoning" thing.

The game is completely stuffed full of non-named monsters that nevertheless have the ability to summon anyways, and it's one of the main reasons I don't log in anymore.
 
KaladimC --
Something analogous to Dwarf Fortress, where you indirectly (and directly perhaps) support an expedition of dwarves in going to recover some lost artifact or something. Could even use that competing teams idea -- maybe guild-based rather than 6-man group? Then you'd have opportunities to thwart/hinder competing expeditions.
 
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