Does this server have more casual players then EQ Live did?

[Yak]

I found this server to be very populated and at the lower levels on live was very empty.

[Lindsay Carouselle]

I was showing my wife the game last night and was telling her about why it's superior to WoW (the game she and I played together for a couple years). Risk vs. reward, as well as other reasons. As I was roaming around, she had commented on how other people in the zone were responding to questions respectfully and she was amazed. Considering our most recent gaming experiences, it's not a surprise. I told her back in '99 when I first started, the community (Innoruuk server) was so tight-knit that even the so-called "bad" boys and girls had strong support...enough so to help stifle long flame wars and such. That just doesn't exist in the highly accessible department store-feel of WoW.

The idea of "casual players" here is both sensible and a little strange at the same time. Casual, in the sense that it's not necessarily a booming, overcrowded server with a much more toned-down gaming style that favors being more cerebral than, for example, hopping from one quest hub to the next with easy directions inbetween. Modern MMORPG's are like factory assembly lines in that it's constantly in motion, no time to stop and think as there's probably someone nearby who's blasting you for being a "noob" or cramping their style.

On the other hand, this EQ project is also a bit hardcore, too. When my wife mentioned the respectful nature of the other players (which I agreed with), it occurred to me that it's very likely that the majority of you who're supporting this cause are old-time players from EQ's infancy, such as myself. Therefore, it's probable that the time we're spending gaming online could have been spent on a more modernized, heftier game such as WoW, Guild Wars or even the underrated EQ2. ..but no. We're here, treading very old ground, doing things we probably haven't done for ten years. That's dedication; loyalty on a grand level. I call that "hardcore." To bypass the simplicity of other games for the sake of regaining a memory of when they were tough and required a true community and the "togetherness" that comes with it. A standard gamer would float to where it's easy and popular. So be it, no problem with that. ..but it was for me, which is why I'm here now...doing Bertoxxulous' bidding as well as I possibly can. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

Sorry for the long-winded opinion, but coming back to EQ after a long, LONG hiatus has been a therapeutic thing for me. I appreciate this a lot and it's been fun grinding like hell to just reach level 5.

-Bryan.

[Nedala]

Your cat got a nice helmet! Where does it drop?

[Lindsay Carouselle]

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

Your cat got a nice helmet! Where does it drop?

The Plane of Produce.

When you first enter, hang a right at the statue of the Broccoli King and head down the banana-yellow hallway. Bypass the Carrot Rogues as they are non-aggro and don't really drop anything good anyways. You'll find yourself at two doors. The one on the left will go into the Vegetable Arena and the one on the right will go to the Fruit Catacombs. Go right.

Pull everything you can as there's a chance that each kill may trigger an instant spawn of King Ka-Melon-Melon. Take him out fast as the longer you keep him alive, the stronger his progressive Rind Armor spell lasts and, thus, cumulates. He's got a roughly 15% chance to drop the Skullcap of Tartness; the headpiece that goofy cat in my avatar picture is wearing. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[stormlord]

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

What I am getting at is when I played EQ Live I used to group for 4 to 6 hours at one time. Now that I am married, with two small kids, a full time job, and rental properties I no longer have the 4 to 6 hours in one sitting like I did back then. There for, I am doing fairly well if I can get 2 solid hours of nonstop playtime.

So I guess my real question is how long does the average player spend in a group on this server in one setting? Am I to tied down / casual to group on this server?

I was going to play a cleric but they are very group dependent. My second choice would be a shaman and then a bard. All three are group classes but only the later two can solo well at later levels. If its going to be hard to only group for short amounts of time on this server then I think it might be better to go with one of the later. However if there are a lot of players on this server in the same boat as I am. Then may be it would be ok to play the cleric who can’t group for very long periods of time.

I am asking you all because this server has been around for over a year and I am just now looking into playing on this server after not playing EQ for over five years.

Thanks for you time.

Tonden Ockay

Okies. Don't play a cleric. I'd go with the bard. 2 hours is not much time. You might want to throw out your dreams and play a necro or druid or magician. I'm not joking. Maybe i'm exaggerating a bit. Even when I am working 8 hour days I can still push 5 hour playtimes. That's more than enough. But 2 hours is just not enough if I'm speaking honestly. It takes a while to get a good group and then there's the whole "Ahhh, you can't leave us soo soooooon!????? (pout, tear)" It's a whole lot easier to play a necro or magician or druid because then you're not tied down in anyway. Druids might get port requests, but you can go anon.

If it doesn't work out, as a last effort to get interested, play a necro. No need to feel bad about it. The class was designed that way. It's not too powerful when you consider that in the raiding scene you need diversity to survive. If anything necros and mages are great in the non-raid zones for peeps with low playtime.

Then when you're lvl 50 you can twink a cleric/shaman/bard if you -must- play one.

[feste]

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

oh man, this is the first time I've been retroactively de-awesomed because of some dude who plays WoW.

just made me laugh coffee out my nose lol

[Dr4z3r]

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

People wont mind if you only have an hour or so to group. That's plenty of time.

[jim454ss]

Some of these posts got me real sentimental, lol. Tonden, an hour or two is fine in my opinion, just always do your best to find a replacement.

[Bubbles]

I would hesitate to call anything on this server "Casual". It's the word that, for the most part, is the worst one to describe the player base, at least in comparisons to live... where a ton of people did play casually.

That said, while the cleric isn't the world's most efficient solo player, the cleric is highly sought after in pretty much any group setting, and clerics are one of the best duo classes in the game.

Their Stuns / Lulls / Heals / Buffs / Roots / Fears / etc are incredibly diverse for a class thought to be a one-trick pony, and you can add a ton of utility to almost any situation.

[Daywolf]

Played a cleric on live (and have one on grand creation) and soloed sometimes. Actually it is/was a pretty solid class for solo vs. undead. Cleric is more than a heal-bot, people hah