It all sounds good so far. As a seasoned mir player (I started in '98 with the beta test of the original LoM2: Three Heroes) the only things I'm looking for are:
1 - Good Community. PK'ing IS a part of the game, it's up to the individual player as to whether they wish to PK or not. (Although it is HIGHLY annoying to get PK'ed right as you're about to kill a Boss single handed. Losing the boss drop and your own items. I believe this is covered under the individual server rules governing grief play.). But what I would really like to see is Higher Level characters actively helping lower level characters, and not just levelling up their "Friends" to increase the size of their guild. I've taken a few characters to level 30 on various servers recently, and left all of them due to the lack of a community (levelling alone is a long and boring propect!!)
2 - Opportunities for Group and Guild hunting. Bosses should always be harder to kill than the standard mobs around them (not that I need to explain this you many players). A lot of servers I've seen these days include some items that severely over power a character, enabling a level 20 Char to destroy WoomaTaurus (WT) solo. I can remember some old servers (I am purposely withholding server names) that required a combined total of at least 100 levels (aka 5 @ lvl 20) to beat WT let alone ZumaTaurus (ZT). Without the inclusion of extremely hard bosses, group hunting is a thing of the past.
3- A fair donation system (if used). I understand that servers require upkeep, and that in most cases this upkeep can be expensive. But do you really have to gather $2000 a month when the server costs are $50 a month?? (!Only an Example!) What makes these servers worse, however, is the inclusion of "Donation" items, specialised items that are only available to donators and can severely overpower them as a result. Other servers (not many thankfully), even give you an option of "Buying Experience". Why?? This too destroys the fun.
4- Clones, Tao pets and Wizard Taming Clones are essentially not needed. They reduce the need for group interaction. Why have a Tao when you have a Healer? Why hunt in a group when a Warrior's Clone can solo most bosses?? Wizard's have the Electric Shock (or Taming) skill, if you are putting in Wizard Pets, remove this spell. The balance of power needs to be readdressed in the world of Mir today. The wizard can buy 5 pets, but the Tao can only summon one? and don't even get me started on the cowardly Skeleton Familiar!! The removal of Wizard pets (with the exception of those tamed) and Warrior clones would restore the balance into the game and help prevent Warriors and Wizards power-levelling. Either this, or just remove the Tao completely. Poor guy, he's gone from being the most sort after group component to the most useless class in the game. Until you get Shinsu, and sometimes even then.
So, basically (and yes, this could have been shorter, but I'm in a ranting mood today) if you could guarantee a FAIR server with no additional in-game bonuses for Donations, a server with bosses of sufficiently deadly effect that you would need a mixed group of characters, and a server that will welcome new players, offer help/advice to new players then Yes. I'd be all over it like a rash on a skank!!!
