Petition to SOE for a Classic EverQuest Server
We hereby petition Sony Online Entertainment LLC to undertake the development and release of a Classic EverQuest server with the following ruleset:
Must include only the base game, Kunark, and Velious. Must use the Classic and Velious user interfaces. Must be an accurate recreation of the client's patched status as of November 8, 2001, the last game update before the release of the Luclin expansion.
Must include only the base game upon release of the server, followed by the release of the Kunark expansion after a period of 6-12 months, and then the Velious expansion after a period of 6-12 months. Release intervals the same length as original are suggested.
Must include only items, quests, spells, mobs, factions, gameplay mechanics, spell effects, zone graphics, music, and other features as they were as of November 8, 2001.
Must not deviate from the gameplay mechanics as they were as of November 8, 2001, no matter how tempting it may be. This includes working boats, corpse rot time, experience rates, hell levels, class and racial experience penalties, and class statistics as examples.
Special Considerations:
Must include only original versions of zones that were altered before November 8, 2001 upon release of the server. Historical GM events and instances where zones were altered during the Classic era should be recreated on a timeline comparable to their original date.
Zones released outside of the expansions during the period between the release of the game and November 8, 2001 should be released on a timeline comparable to their original release date with the exception of Paineel, which should be out at release.
Bugs and broken or unfinished quests may be fixed or finished so long as they do not change intentional gameplay mechanics from the Classic era and follow "The Vision".
Items and other features nerfed between the release of the game and November 8, 2001 should be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine if they should remain in a nerfed or pre-nerf state. The state decided upon should remain permanent, and alternate methods of acquiring pre-nerf items, reduced drop rates for example, may be considered.
Code may be optimized to run better on modern computers and servers, but all gameplay mechanics and features must remain as they were as of November 8, 2001. Similarly, the graphics engine may be updated to DirectX 9 to run better on modern computers, but spell effects and zone graphics must remain as they were as of November 8, 2001.
Other special considerations should be dealt with on a case by case basis, while considering feedback from the Classic EverQuest enthusiast community without compromising the integrity of the Classic nature of the server.
We understand that the cost of the development and maintenance of the Classic EverQuest server will be paid for by our renewed or current subscription fees of $14.99 per month minimum and by the re-packaging and sale of the game client to provide the most accurately dated client files in either a digital download or retail box set. If these specific terms cannot be met in full, we implore Sony Online Entertainment to seek alternative measures to ensure they are met.
Sincerely,The Undersigned