[Poll by Post] Red99: A short questionnaire for our Blue community members

[Champion_Standing]

All I had to do was read the ooc chat for 15 minutes and I never logged back in. It doesn't matter what you do with the server, your community is toxic as fuck and nobody with a functioning brain would want to associate themselves with the current R99 population. Enforcing some rules regarding behavior would do a hell of a lot more in the long run than GM events and group exp bonuses.

[Tewaz]

Originally Posted by Champion_Standing [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

All I had to do was read the ooc chat for 15 minutes and I never logged back in. It doesn't matter what you do with the server, your community is toxic as fuck and nobody with a functioning brain would want to associate themselves with the current R99 population. Enforcing some rules regarding behavior would do a hell of a lot more in the long run than GM events and group exp bonuses.

This. I tried red for a while, but it felt like being in a 9th grade class room from when I taught high school. If the attitudes and population were similar to what they are on Blue, I would definitely play red. ESPECIALLY with an exp bonus.

[Wiwi]

If you played on Red 1999 in the past, why did you quit?
I played a rogue to level 5 because the Blue server was down.

What did you like about the server?
I wasn't on long enough to care.

Would you want to play again?
Doubtful.

If not, why?
I play other PVP games that take care of that fix and I only have so much time to play EQ during the week. I'd rather play on a server with a population that's closer to classic and with PVE since I never played PVP in EQ.

It doesn't help the Red cause that the same band of proselytes are posting something to the effect of "...you wouldn't have that problem if you played on Red" or "you don't have the balls to play on Red" in Blue thread topics. It's obnoxious advertising. Please stop spamming the blue threads.

Hold some big events on the Red server. Bring back Rubicite to Cazic for a week or have a week where the old DE mask drops off random world mobs or release Velious on Red 2 weeks prior to Blue. That will get you people logging in.

[Yumyums Inmahtumtums]

I used to play on blue and now play on red. I'm not sure in going to go back. Ever.

I started on red because after reading raid discussion page after raid discussion page I got absolutely sick of the rule lawyering. The simple fact is that I stepped back one day and looked at the shit I was reading about class R and class C and was disgusted that THIS is what I do with my gaming time. I deal enough in my daily life with contractual language, it need not filter into my gaming experience.

I don't have the time for that and probably never will. Ymmv but the communities are largely the same, they're just moderated by the fact that you can/can't virtually shit stomp someone for being a disturber.

[Derubael]

Originally Posted by Bohab [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Note: I enjoy MMO PvP games very much. I played DAoC for 6 years, WAR, GW2 and Eve... my experience with PvP is fairly extensive. I have not played EQ PvP very much at all.

1. Not enough players. I understand if I play maybe someone else will play and maybe someone else will play if they play... but I just can't leave behind the major investment in time I've already made on blue to risk playing with a core of only 30 players every single day.

This is part of the reason we are doing such a huge promotion right now. If we get a large number of people to start over on Red, people won't feel this way anymore [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

We're already hitting above 200, and there are a ton of newbie groups roaming around!

Originally Posted by Bohab [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

2. Starting over. Gosh I currently have 4 level 60s... all of which are geared to the nines and a gaggle of geared alts on blue of all level ranges to choose from. Logging in to red with my level 1 and my dagger* watching all the currently dedicated red players running around on 60s with gear I already own is just disheartening. I don't want to start over from scratch. The majority of my EQ playtime has already come and gone and I've successfully accomplished my goals already.

You can always to a blue - > red platinum transfer. Granted, the rates are high, but this way you won't have to start with a dagger*

There are a number of trusted blue -> red platinum transfer services available in the EC tunnel. Spend a half an hour researching and pick someone with a good rep and you're good to go.

Originally Posted by Bohab [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

3. EQ PvP does not look fun. I say "does not look" because I have not actually tried it as far as playing an established end game character. I base my opinion solely off the many EQ pvp videos posted by the red players here. Playing a melee and clicking pumice and cycling junk buffs an entire fight just looks not fun. From the videos I've seen it looks like unscripted zerging chaos where everyone is in it for themselves. Perhaps I'm just ignorant of EQ pvp but I've played many different mmo PvP games and what I enjoy is fast paced, organized pvp, where your skill as a player delivers the outcome of who wins. Yes I understand all pvp games have balance issues but EQ pvp does not look balanced what so ever. Not only based on what classes are clearly better vs each other in pvp but also it appears it can be entirely based on gear, spell versions and level. This can be said for nearly every mmorpg with pvp but when it comes to EQ and specifically this server, these issues should they exist won't be adjusted with patches. We have a set timeline of patches... there are no balance patches in the works. These unbalances will exist forever.

It's not for everyone. I'm a die hard PvP guy and even I will admit EQ PvP isn't as polished as it could have been. That being said, it's still a blast. Small engagements are still just as heart pumping and enjoyable as an other MMORPG, and large scale engagements are a flurry of communication, coordination, and team effort. In regards to balance, that's part of the beauty of the system. There really aren't any "super classes" in classic EQ PvP, but there are certainly ones that excel. What's really great though is that when you group together with others, these unbalances are no longer so stark.

And in the end, the best parts about EQ PvP really have nothing to do with the mechanics themselves. In an FFA PvP game the environment is so different that the dynamic of the entire game is changed. It's more challenging, for one thing. For another (and my personal favorite) the friendships and enemies you make really mean something. When someone 'has your back' on a PvP server, it means 10x more than it would on Blue. These friends will actually be fighting for your life against real people - as opposed to showing up in Mistmoore to heal you for a couple hours against the same NPC's you've always fought against.

Especially right now, with so many new players rolling on the server, the feelings of comradery and friendship are stronger than they've ever been. It's definitely worth checking out to see what you think. Also remember that you can play one character on blue and one character on red at the same time, so there's really nothing to lose!

Originally Posted by Bohab [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

4. Poor attitude. Yes, when it is a PvP game people are competitive and tempers will flair and you will have ignorant assholes but the stigma with the p99 red server is just so bad. To have this attitude in your face constantly makes p99 red not appealing what so ever. If anyone or anything ruined the chance for p99 red to thrive it was the players themselves.

In the past, I would 100% agree with this, but the staff and the players have been working really hard to change this. There are a lot of misconceptions about Red99 based on what the community was like for the last couple years. So many people have been making improvements and adjustments in their attitude to eliminate this from the box. Diehard asshats are publicly chastised both in game and on the forums. Obviously some trash talk still occurs, but it's no more than what you'd find on blue, if not less.

The majority of the community in-game is helpful, friendly, and fun. I've been working really hard to eliminate the misconception that Red is just a haven for assholes and trolls!

Originally Posted by myriverse [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Nothing is always rainbows.

After 5 years on live (PVE), I only encountered one truly bad apple, and he was quickly dealt with by CSR. Never yet met a truly bad apple on P99, either.

Nothing wrong with protecting your camp. It's how you protect it.
Nothing wrong with EC fat cats. Items sell for however much a person is willing to buy them. If buyers refuse, watch those prices plummet.
RNF doesn't matter... ever. But better RNF than anything else.

Originally Posted by Champion_Standing [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

All I had to do was read the ooc chat for 15 minutes and I never logged back in. It doesn't matter what you do with the server, your community is toxic as fuck and nobody with a functioning brain would want to associate themselves with the current R99 population. Enforcing some rules regarding behavior would do a hell of a lot more in the long run than GM events and group exp bonuses.

There are more trolls and assholes on Blue than there are on Red. The ones on Red just get more exposure due to global OOC. Fortunately, that has been drastically changed (although it's bugged right now, that should be fixed soon), so you will no longer have to hear every grievance in OOC all the time. In addition to this, we have been actively seeking out people who are only on the server to fuck with others, and removing them from the box. The community is better than it's ever been, and is only getting better. Most people are working very hard to change the idea that Red99 is only fun if you're an asshole.

And let's be completely honest here - with all the shit that goes on in Blue RnF, with the overwhelming number of petitions we get in-game and on the forums every single day, and with the sheer amount of negativity that is present on the PvE server all around, it's clear that the blue community shares a similar % of trolls, assholes, and problem players as Red. The only difference in the past has been an active effort by the greater community on Red to change that, and the implementation of Global OOC. Now that both of these have been changed, there's no basis for an attack on the Red community as a reason to not play!

[Brut]

If you played on Red 1999 in the past, why did you quit?
Populance was at all time low towards late Classic era (like feckin sub-10 online on dead hours), logged in usually to run thru lguk to freeport and find not a single soul anywhere. If I did find some Nilly alt in Oasis specs, he'd gate or upon being slain a full group of his chums log in to come avenge him. Then Kunark opened, meant the horror of lvling 51-60 and meant an abundance of fungi/epic rogue twinks infesting every teens leveling zone, completely ruining the lower level game.

What did you like about the server?
Red generally requires more attention than blue. You can't just pull a quad kite, slay them, then alt tab to snes emulator for 15mins med break. Had to keep buffs up, have mana up, keep pvp spells up, generally know/guess who's what class/level when you saw them in zone, have a really good idea how to fight specific class if someone gave trouble, keep spinning the camera to watch around you if some hostile was in the zone potentially gunning for you. And if you wanted a camp, you could just take it (only problem is that back in the day no PnP meant that 90% of the tools were int casters that were bound by the camp and would bindrush you endlessly). Mostly liked that there were damned people online and the server hadnt stagnated yet.

Would you want to play again? If not, why?
Nope. Leveling toon to 60 sucks, and Velious will increase the gear gap even further allowing alot of the absolute horribads to be succesful in pvp. Also I've always hated the "yo bro is ur body rdy bro u mad bro"-community of red.

[Malone88]

Well, I'm trying red out this week.

The group XP bonus is real nice, but solo is still a grind, especially untwinked.

The world seems pretty empty, but at least the global_ooc provides some social elements (good or bad).

Not looking forward to higher levels where I'd need to level in groups. Staple spots like Unrest and Mistmoore appeared empty last night, though it's hard to really know because everyone is ANON. Sure you can put groups together in global_ooc, but then you might have to spend half your play time trying to get to where the group is. Haven't tried getting ports yet -- can't afford it anyway.

I pretty much suck at PVP, but for the most part it has been minimal. Was ganked by a mage the other night, but he/she was really nice about it after they took my 1 plat "donation' and promised not to attack me again (though the plat was offered back to me). We shot a bunch of tells back and forth after that. All good. Nice that you don't lose XP from PVP deaths and can get back on your feet quickly.

The one big positive is getting the camps you want whenever you want them..provided you are high enough to solo them (or can find a group or partner to help). Another good thing is that you can get the toon names you want much easier ;-)

[Kushie]

If you have never played on Red 99, what has kept you away?

Population. Also the community seems like a bunch of wankers.


The exp modifier is tempting to try though.

[jaybone]

Where is the if we deleted red and made teams I would play option deru!

[jaybone]

Originally Posted by Derubael [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

This is part of the reason we are doing such a huge promotion right now. If we get a large number of people to start over on Red, people won't feel this way anymore [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

We're already hitting above 200, and there are a ton of newbie groups roaming around!



You can always to a blue - > red platinum transfer. Granted, the rates are high, but this way you won't have to start with a dagger*

There are a number of trusted blue -> red platinum transfer services available in the EC tunnel. Spend a half an hour researching and pick someone with a good rep and you're good to go.



It's not for everyone. I'm a die hard PvP guy and even I will admit EQ PvP isn't as polished as it could have been. That being said, it's still a blast. Small engagements are still just as heart pumping and enjoyable as an other MMORPG, and large scale engagements are a flurry of communication, coordination, and team effort. In regards to balance, that's part of the beauty of the system. There really aren't any "super classes" in classic EQ PvP, but there are certainly ones that excel. What's really great though is that when you group together with others, these unbalances are no longer so stark.

And in the end, the best parts about EQ PvP really have nothing to do with the mechanics themselves. In an FFA PvP game the environment is so different that the dynamic of the entire game is changed. It's more challenging, for one thing. For another (and my personal favorite) the friendships and enemies you make really mean something. When someone 'has your back' on a PvP server, it means 10x more than it would on Blue. These friends will actually be fighting for your life against real people - as opposed to showing up in Mistmoore to heal you for a couple hours against the same NPC's you've always fought against.

Especially right now, with so many new players rolling on the server, the feelings of comradery and friendship are stronger than they've ever been. It's definitely worth checking out to see what you think. Also remember that you can play one character on blue and one character on red at the same time, so there's really nothing to lose!



In the past, I would 100% agree with this, but the staff and the players have been working really hard to change this. There are a lot of misconceptions about Red99 based on what the community was like for the last couple years. So many people have been making improvements and adjustments in their attitude to eliminate this from the box. Diehard asshats are publicly chastised both in game and on the forums. Obviously some trash talk still occurs, but it's no more than what you'd find on blue, if not less.

The majority of the community in-game is helpful, friendly, and fun. I've been working really hard to eliminate the misconception that Red is just a haven for assholes and trolls!





There are more trolls and assholes on Blue than there are on Red. The ones on Red just get more exposure due to global OOC. Fortunately, that has been drastically changed (although it's bugged right now, that should be fixed soon), so you will no longer have to hear every grievance in OOC all the time. In addition to this, we have been actively seeking out people who are only on the server to fuck with others, and removing them from the box. The community is better than it's ever been, and is only getting better. Most people are working very hard to change the idea that Red99 is only fun if you're an asshole.

And let's be completely honest here - with all the shit that goes on in Blue RnF, with the overwhelming number of petitions we get in-game and on the forums every single day, and with the sheer amount of negativity that is present on the PvE server all around, it's clear that the blue community shares a similar % of trolls, assholes, and problem players as Red. The only difference in the past has been an active effort by the greater community on Red to change that, and the implementation of Global OOC. Now that both of these have been changed, there's no basis for an attack on the Red community as a reason to not play!

I'm sure there are more ass holes on a server that has a 15:1 player ratio.