I can only pray you mean, like, 1.3 and not 1.0.

Celeris Tujimson
Maurading Deceiver of The Nameless

"Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any." - Plato

Excellent explanation, Elephi, but just one minor quibble. On the PoM board we don't track fractional versions, just the major versions: 1, 2 and 3. I suggested version 2 when it hit the live servers and then 3 when it suddenly sprang up out of nowhere (human male turtles in the moat!). It was understood that PoM as it was just before version 2 went live was the (almost) fully realized version 1. There were, oh, about 5 or 6 updates of note to version 1 during it's time. I saw all but the very first, which was indeed non-functional.

The data set that Brenlo referred to on SOE's board is no doubt version 1 just before the switch to version 2. I'm also sure they have version 3 saved somewhere and that its release was unintentional. I doubt that one will see the light of day again but perhaps portions can be reused.


I've read Dual PoM proposals on both SOE's board and, earlier, on the PoM board. I take it one step further and encourage SOE to devote resources to evolving the concepts in PoM version 1 into an entire themed expansion. Call it the Funhouse expansion for now.

It doesn't have to be a huge geographic expanse. After all, you're entering the province of The Trickster himself. Think Madhouse but with a serious Everquest bent. Think fun. You are going IN not away or over. Click on the dollhouse and shrink as you fall in. You can just as easily click on a mirror and fall through the looking glass. Simple tricks developers and designers already know how to do.

This conceptual archtecture lends itself to an LDoN design. Yup, instanced content. There would be more differences, of course, because Bristlebane wants it that way. No more boring sameness every time. Click on a mirror, chessboard, potted plant or light fixture and you end up in an oddball room (with a puzzle to solve) or maze or upside down wing. Instead of augs there would be all sorts of wacky drops, which you then combine in your empty pots o' gold -- you did keep yours, didn't you? oh well, there can be a new way to make them -- to make useful items for your class. All classes would be covered, of course, not the limited casters+monk stuff from version 1. The dollhouse can even stay where it is to encourage foot traffic.

And so on. You get the idea. Think Funhouse. Think amusement park expansion but Everquest style. Take what nearly everyone who got to know old PoM knows was FUN and expand on it. Nearly everyone wanted to go there, and for a variety of reasons. (Halflings wanted to meet their god. Tunare druids wanted to complete their ring quests. Et cetera.) But few actually made it. Many of those that did made it their home for some time. I did for over 2 years. 2 years!

So take this pent up demand and satisfy it with a sizable expansion. This will satisfy both bean counters and players alike. Trust me. I know. I wrote the original PoM FAQ. I got to see everything old PoM had to offer, and it was FUN.