EXP bonus for new players from mac server?

[Lanuven]

should be doing this to promote the server and help those coming over from Mac...

[Fianna]

I dont see why they should be treated any different than the rest of us.

[Aprio]

brb building a mac

[fischsemmel]

I dont see why they should be treated any different than the rest of us.

Because you're already here, while they are not.

[Lanuven]

I dont see why they should be treated any different than the rest of us.

There's been multiple exp bonus's given for "random event," on this server. Its what helps bring people to the server and keeps them entertained while trying something new out and starting from nothing.

[SyanideGas]

There's been multiple exp bonus's given for "random event," on this server. Its what helps bring people to the server and keeps them entertained while trying something new out and starting from nothing.

I like this idea,wouldnt mind a little xp bonus for a bit :P

[maverixdamighty]

disagree with the above post. an increased experience rate might help generate more people to start here and get caught up.

[Lanuven]

An increased experience rate doesn't promote the server. Perhaps PoP has made you soft. P99 will fix that. Now roll a Troll SK and post again when you can't feel your fingers any more.

Who are you? ive been on this server since April 2011..

An exp bonus does help promote the server cause all it takes is 1 person form mac to start playing and tell all their other mac friends to try it as well. /backhand for shitting up my thread with ure nonsense

[nichomachean]

Who are you? ive been on this server since April 2011..

An exp bonus does help promote the server cause all it takes is 1 person form mac to start playing and tell all their other mac friends to try it as well. /backhand for shitting up my thread with ure nonsense

How does an experience bonus cause people from EQMac to tell their friends to play P99? Mac players will tell their friends to play, or they will not tell their friends to play, irrespective of the experience bonus. It's an added perk but not necessary, imo.

[maverixdamighty]

before i hear about leveling up i'm already a level 60 hybrid and don't mind that others will have an easier time leveling for a week or so. having more numbers is a good thing for this server.

[Flunklesnarkin]

they have done across the board exp bonuses in the past.. maybe could do something like that for a couple days for everybody after the mac servers shut down.


but i dont see why they should limit it to just new players lol.

[noffo]

Do we have any tutorials on the forum for getting P99 to run on a Mac? If not, then maybe we should get one started and stickied, so that we are prepared when they start "knocking" on our door.

[Morsakin]

I'm all for giving these people a bonus exp week. (And make it apply to everyone, perhaps up to a certain level?)

Sure, we may not have been given this treatment, but given the fact that many of these individuals just lost (potentially) years worth of work on that server, I think these recent events have created a unique situation where a little bit of empathy would go a long way, both in improving/maintaining server population but also in fostering a new element of the community.

[Hitchens]

The problem with bribing people with entitlements is that it becomes expected.

[Raelador]

Part of the problem on this server is negative people who think they have had it tougher than others. I personally think exp bonus should be increased even greater in dungeons to promote group play. When I thought of Everquest before I started playing on P99 I remember grouping in CT, Unrest, Runnyeye, ect. ect. not kiting by myself in some poorly modeled landscape.

[Rubexcube666]

Just to say this, there are a few mac people who already moved over, I grouped with them in CB last night!

Direct quote from both of them:
"Wow, I don't remember leveling taking this long" (lvl 2 woodelf ranger)
"Hmmm, grinding is takeing me forever" (lvl 5 druid)

me: "u mad bro?"

on a none trolling note from me though, i'm glad to see that they already know about P99, I hope that means more groups for my little lvl 6 baby druid!

[Hitchens]

Part of the problem on this server is negative people who think they have had it tougher than others. I personally think exp bonus should be increased even greater in dungeons to promote group play. When I thought of Everquest before I started playing on P99 I remember grouping in CT, Unrest, Runnyeye, ect. ect. not kiting by myself in some poorly modeled landscape.

I've had little problems finding groups, whether outdoor or indoor. All it takes is a little effort. Send tells, ask for players in OOC, etc.

[Flunklesnarkin]

For real tho... game was easier at server launch when people could take advantage of the various game elements before they got nerfed to level...

pet exp shit and npc helping to kill monster nerfs to name a few.

[Lanuven]

Btw, i was talking about exp bonus across the server, NOT on an individual basis for only the mac people.

[Rubexcube666]

or half their death penalties, that would be a decent incentive.... that or just ruin when you have a mac puller to your group...
"oh.... he died again, suprise suprise."

[inyane]

Should really just make them all level 60, give them epics, and perhaps 10k starting cash.

That way they'll feel welcome, won't have to worry about how slow classic exp is, and will immediately become useful.

[Rubexcube666]

or lvl 1's with epics that req 60. that'll make the xp grind fun.

[messiah_b]

Who are you? ive been on this server since April 2011..

Easy buddy you're going to bust out of your muscle tee flexing your reg-date like that.

[maverixdamighty]

Part of the problem on this server is negative people who think they have had it tougher than others. I personally think exp bonus should be increased even greater in dungeons to promote group play. When I thought of Everquest before I started playing on P99 I remember grouping in CT, Unrest, Runnyeye, ect. ect. not kiting by myself in some poorly modeled landscape.


This is already done by the ZEM...

[Morsakin]

It's not reasonable, however, to imply that those who run this server for free should compensate for a profit-making company's asshattery.

+1 internets.

[sbvera13]

I aggree with OP, a 25% bonus or so for say one week, following a formal invitation to the EQMac guys, would be nice to help make them welcome. Just make it clear that it's not a normal thing.

[Pomaikai]

I have to agree. This isn't about bragging how you had to walk to school, in the snow, uphill, both ways. We all will benefit by having more players on the server. The fact that the EQMac folks have no recourse at all makes this a true opportunity for P1999. Because of the way the EQMac server was setup, you could never transfer characters to, or from it, so when it shuts down, these folks lose everything with no recourse. So why not pull out the welcome wagon, roll out the red carpet, and make them feel welcome? Post a nice letter inviting all the EQMac folks to come join P1999 with a good tutorial on playing EQ on a Mac, followed by a week long exp bonus (a nice reasonable amount) for the whole server, and I think we'd not only get a lot of those players trying P1999, but a lot of them staying on P1999. If Rogean doesn't want to ramp up exp for everyone, just up the ZEM's for the starting zones so the new players get the bonus. Zones catering to L1-15 or 20 sounds about right.

[Slave]

People play on P99 because it is the closest thing to a Classic EverQuest experience that you can find, grind and all.

[inyane]

i dunno, i don't get it i guess. so they get a tiny exp bonus, maybe in that time they get to level 10 or whatever. bonus goes away, and now the exp seems even slower to them, and they say "wow, even with that 25% bonus exp it was slow, it really sucks now"

/quit

[Hitchens]

What happens when the exp bonus is removed and the grind returns to normal? If EQMac players are unhappy with the grind, I'm not sure a mere week will result in enough invested time to where they would stay when it was over.

Is it worth setting such a precedent without any guarantee of a sustained increase in players?

Intentions and results are often very different.

[Grozmok]

EXP tears...

nom nom nom

[Rubexcube666]

dont' worry i have a used Tissue for those.... there is lotion in it.

[bionicbadger]

who the hell want more whiny mac users around?

[Aprio]

who the hell want more whiny mac users around?

Shhh, you're cluttering the thread with stupid. Go to rants and flames please.

[Pomaikai]

The concept that we won't get many new players to P1999 because the exp sucks is pretty silly. The concept that because they knowingly received a little exp bonus as a way of saying, "We're sorry you got ass raped by SOE, and lost years worth of hard work in a single day." that they'll be forever spoiled is even sillier.

[Hitchens]

If the idea that it's hard for P1999 to get more players due to the exp is silly, then why does there need to be an exp bonus to attract more players?

[Pomaikai]

Why do stores run sales? They already have customers. To get new customers in the door, and to drum up business. Works the same way here. We're using the exp bonus to entice the old EQMac players to give P1999 a try.

If we can attract a lot of new players due to EQMac shutting down, then we have a larger pool of players that may stay for the long haul. Will we keep them all? Of course not, but the numbers of sustaining new players will be larger. With a larger server population we'll keep more current players from leaving due to low server population, and attract more new players because they see a healthier server population. Also, with more people playing regularly, Rogean should see an increase in donations to the server which will help us all out.

Seriously, this is just a basic sales technique, and I've been a salesman for over 30 years. This is basically a sales promotion that costs nothing to advertise and run except a little time and effort. The benefits, especially if we get more donors to P1999, will mean a lot to us all. More money in the coffers will most likely result us seeing Velious sooner, rather than later. Make sense?

[Hitchens]

Stores are commercial enterprises who's existence relies on drumming up additional business.

P1999 is not.

The analogy does not work.

[Nulak]

Btw can SOE do the same to P99 or we're safe ? I heard its only because of some MAC codebase issue ?

[eqravenprince]

You are doing them a disservice by not letting them experience the slow level grind in all it's glory.

[Pomaikai]

Stores are commercial enterprises who's existence relies on drumming up additional business.

P1999 is not.

The analogy does not work.

Wait... This entire server's existence is because of drummed up business. Sure, most of the advertising has been word of mouth, but Red 1999 got some actual ads run. In order to maintain a viable economy and a fun gaming experience we NEED new players to keep coming to P1999 because you will always have some attrition of the existing playerbase, for whatever reason. How do you think those people learn about P1999? Because we, the existing players are drumming up business by telling our friends and old guildies from Live about the server! And in all seriousness, running this server costs Rogean money each and every month. From electricity, to bandwidth, to hardware, and of course tons of his own time and effort. So drumming up business that might lead to more donations to offset his own personal costs of running this server for our amusement? That sounds like a business to me. Maybe a non-profit business, but a business nonetheless.

[Hitchens]

No, the entire server's existence is because the people who own it choose to pay the bills. Just because you spend money on something does not make it a business, that's called a hobby.

[Pomaikai]

Dude, even as a hobby we need more players all the time. Seriously, you can't see that?

[Rubexcube666]

More players = more possible donators though. That would have an internal conflict with footing the bills. I typically donate a little here and there to games i play for free with good admins and help!

Like this community already!

[Pomaikai]

Ah, but we ARE competing for their gaming time. We are sort of competing with the other free servers out there, but mainly we are competing for what game they spend their time playing. Will it be WoW, Rift, LOTRO, EQ, SW:TOR, etc, or P1999? So yes, we're competing with every other MMORPG for players. It's a little different, but not a whole lot, and certainly not enough to keep basic sales promotions from working as intended.

[Hitchens]

I don't recall saying that more players won't benefit the server.

I'm saying that there's no reason to believe that a week long experience bonus will translate into a sustained larger player base. The experience bonus will have to end eventually, at which point experience levels return to normal. If a player is unsatisfied with the experience rate on P1999, a paltry week of an increased rate will mean very little.

If you can present a logical counter-argument to this, I'm all ears. But I don't really do appeals to emotion.

[Rubexcube666]

I like that the sever has bonuses for special days during the year. That should be enough of a hitch in and of itself.

[Flunklesnarkin]

Idk whats going on in this thread...

if exp bonus does nothing.. then don't freak out about it if they decide to do it for a weak..

I didn't see anywhere near as much heartache and grief when they did the holiday exp bonuses. (i actually can't recall any)

so if giving shafted mac players (and everybody else in p99) a short period of time for better exp would even help a few people come to the server... it might be a good thing.

if nobody from eqmac decides to join p99 on the other hand.. a short exp bonus isn't going to destroy game balance on the server.. its happened before and i didn't see people crying "the end is near~!"


on another note enough with metaphors just say what you mean.. metaphor just leave shit open for trolls.

[Hitchens]

Idk whats going on in this thread...

if exp bonus does nothing.. then don't freak out about it if they decide to do it for a weak..

I didn't see anywhere near as much heartache and grief when they did the holiday exp bonuses. (i actually can't recall any)

so if giving shafted mac players (and everybody else in p99) a short period of time for better exp would even help a few people come to the server... it might be a good thing.

if nobody from eqmac decides to join p99 on the other hand.. a short exp bonus isn't going to destroy game balance on the server.. its happened before and i didn't see people crying "the end is near~!"


on another note enough with metaphors just say what you mean.. metaphor just leave shit open for trolls.

People are just exchanging ideas, I don't think anyone is under the impression that P1999 is a democracy. ;)

[Pomaikai]

Normally, I'd be agreeing with you here Hitchens. But we just happen to be right on the edge of a singularly unique event. The closing of an entire EQ server with no recourse for that servers population. Normally when SOE closes a server, they merge it with another server, preserving that population, their characters, their items, and all of their time and hard work. In this case though, that cannot happen. These people are screwed and homeless, AND they play EQ. In fact, they play an EQ that is closer to P1999 than any other Live server out there. These folks, baring the issues with getting the game to run on a different OS, are a perfect fit for P1999. Think of this as a Perfect Storm. We can either ride the wave and haul in a lot of people who I truly think would be very interested in what we have to offer, or we can just watch the majority of them go elsewhere with their gaming time. Personally, I've always been of the opinion that you strike when the iron is hot.

Think of it this way... Do you want to go salmon fishing anytime, or when the fish are spawning? Hint: You'll catch a lot more when they are spawning.

[Hitchens]

I don't want to go salmon fishing at all. ;)

[Pomaikai]

The sky is blue. You may now argue against that for the sake of arguing, Hitch.
/sigh

[Rubexcube666]

you do the fishing, i'll do the eating... mmmmmm salmon

[inyane]

As for the mac users...well, that server has been around a long time. Long before bootcamp, and macs being able to run windows.

I would suspect more of them would run to the regular eq servers playing with a windows client vs coming here

[Hitchens]

Just having a little fun with your metaphor.

You see argument, I see two people exchanging ideas. Perspectives are funny like that.

[Rubexcube666]

Shhh inyane, dont' give them ideas.

[Pomaikai]

Exchanging ideas is one thing. Being stubborn for the sake of being stubborn because it makes your insides do a Snoopy dance is another thing. ;)

[Hitchens]

You seem to be under the impression that I disagree with you merely for the sake of it.

That's not the case. I disagree because I simply disagree, just like you disagree with me simply because you do. And that's okay.

[Pomaikai]

As for the mac users...well, that server has been around a long time. Long before bootcamp, and macs being able to run windows.

I would suspect more of them would run to the regular eq servers playing with a windows client vs coming here
See, I disagree because SOE isn't letting them move their characters to another server. Me? I'd feel pretty damned betrayed that SOE wouldn't take the time, after all the years of my paying them a monthly usage fee, to manually recreate characters on another server for them. Sure, they might have to wait a while for it to all happen, but SOE should have been proactive and have done this in advance before announcing the closure. SOE could have made these diehard fans whole, and yet they didn't. They screwed them good and hard. I know I wouldn't be all that eager to reward someone who did that to me. In fact, the concept of playing the game for free and in a roundabout way "sticking it to the man" by playing EQ on P1999 instead of on a regular SOE server would sort of feel like justice.

[fischsemmel]

I don't recall saying that more players won't benefit the server.

I'm saying that there's no reason to believe that a week long experience bonus will translate into a sustained larger player base. The experience bonus will have to end eventually, at which point experience levels return to normal. If a player is unsatisfied with the experience rate on P1999, a paltry week of an increased rate will mean very little.

If you can present a logical counter-argument to this, I'm all ears. But I don't really do appeals to emotion.

My gut feeling that an xp bonus will lure in some players beyond those who would join without an xp bonus, which will then result in at least some of those extra players staying, is as legitimate a thought as your gut feeling that all of the players who sign up just because of the bonus xp will be unable to handle the normal xp rate, and therefore will quit when the bonus dries up.

It's cool to ignore the fact that your thoughts on the issue are just as empirically and quantitatively baseless as mine are, though, and then to call me out to present a "logical counter-argument," as if a logical argument had been made for me to counter.

[Hitchens]

That was a reply to Pomaikai. I have no idea why you think anyone was calling you out. This isn't a contest or a fight.

[fischsemmel]

That was a reply to Pomaikai.

I saw an argument against granting an xp bonus when I had, earlier in the thread, been pro-xp bonus, so I picked up on it. You didn't quote anyone or use any names, so I couldn't tell you were talking to someone in particular anyway.

I have no idea why you think anyone was calling you out. This isn't a contest or a fight.

If you can present a logical counter-argument to this, I'm all ears.

If that isn't a dictionary definition of "call out," then I don't know what is.

[Hitchens]

I suppose you'll just have to take my word for it that it was a response to Pomaikai and not an attempt to call you, or anyone else for that matter, out.

[Pomaikai]

I knew that it was directed at me, although it did feel like he was calling me out. :D

[Hitchens]

Well then I apologize, because it wasn't the intention.

[Pomaikai]

It's all cool. I like debating. If it had bothered me, I'd have used a >mad< face instead. :p

[formallydickman]

People play on P99 because it is the closest thing to a Classic EverQuest experience that you can find, grind and all.

[Hitchens]

It's all cool. I like debating.

Same here. Ideas and opinions need external scrutiny.

[lukus]

Hi All,

Just to let you know that im currently an eqmac player and i briefly played on p1999 while soe was down with the whole hacking thing last year. I can only really go on discussion in my guild and a lot of us are considering moving over to p1999 if Al'Kabor does close.

Although i cant speak for everybody on eqmac i find it very friendly that you are considering offering a exp bonus for if/when the mac players come across. Please dont feel that it is a necessity for us to play on your server. A lot of us who play on eqmac brought macs specifically chasing a classic server experience exp grinds and all.

We are not the type of people to upset the apple cart and i personally would think it would be amazing for a mass emigration from eqmac over onto p1999 and i think this would be beneficial for both parties.

Lukus

[fischsemmel]

Although i cant speak for everybody on eqmac i find it very friendly that you are considering offering a exp bonus for if/when the mac players come across.

Well really, this is just some p99 players talking about an xp bonus. No one with any authority around here has said anything on the subject.

[lukus]

Well really, this is just some p99 players talking about an xp bonus. No one with any authority around here has said anything on the subject.


Still its nice some of the players are thinking of ways to welcome us.

[Lron]

Well i am for sure not a P99 player and i agree with the sentiments in Lukus's post.

While timing an EXP bonus week for us a couple days after the AK server closes would really help galvanize the masses over on eqmac to transition over here, it would not be necessary.

Although, if it would inflame the existing player base we would definitely be against it.

[Grozmok]

I'm lazy.

+1 to exp bonus so I can level my goddamn tr0ll SK fastah.

[Blither]

You are doing them a disservice by not letting them experience the slow level grind in all it's glory.

/agree!!!!

Seriously, MMO's where you can get to level 50 in a week disgust me. When I first played EQ, with the +40% penalty to wood elf bards, it rocked. The time investment in my character and the anticipation of seeing new zones kept me playing and wanting more. It took me close to 6 months to get to 50, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I stayed up late in groups in dangerous places and learned the layout of the zones because I wanted to see more and do more. I suffered through the long grind and that made the next reward so much better. I never felt as though I hadn't earned something.

Please don't gimp the game like they did on EQlive. No shortcuts! If anything, make it even longer. The single greatest characteristic of EQ Classic was that it was HARD. All other MMO's are gimped, dumbed-down, ridiculous wankfests that a 5 year old can play. Old EQ was never that game.

[Grozmok]

^

I dunno, even with the changes to the exp curve in Velious the game was still fucking grindy as hell IMO.

[Pomaikai]

I agree with you Blither. It's just that a short period of exp bonus as a welcome to this group of people, which is pretty much a once in a lifetime event in the EQ universe, won't break the game or the experience of the long hard slog to 60. Sure, you might get a little boost, but it's not going to be game changing. And as I said, if you're really worried about this being too powerful for those of us at higher levels, then limit it to ZEM bonuses in the beginning zones would be fine. The idea is to make these folks feel welcome. We want them to stay!

[Blither]

No, and that's not a bad idea, Pomaikai. A one-week exp boost to try and attract EQ Mac players could be a good thing. I would never want to see it permanent, that's all. Or too often, that would be bad, too.

[Heebee]

should be doing this to promote the server and help those coming over from Mac...

No thanks.

[Fianna]

ITT: Older players want moar exp so they pretend to care about new players from EQmac. ;)

[Pomaikai]

Which is exactly why I suggested only modifying the ZEM's of the starting zones. So it wouldn't be extra exp for the experienced players, if Rogean was worried about that.
/shrug

[Razdeline]

I think an xp bonus is a great idea. And my characters are max level.

[sbvera13]

ITT: Older players want moar exp so they pretend to care about new players from EQmac. ;)

You say that like it's a bad thing. Welcoming these players to the server means an influx of people, economic activity, groups at more levels, more guilds and more people to play with. Why not encourage the people who are already here to come and enjoy it as well? It'd be the perfect opportunity to start out a new alt, or dust one off and get working on it. Sure, there will be some who use it to speed up that last bit of 59-60 or whatnot, but the boost to the server and amount of activity as a whole would be completely worth it.

[emp82]

No.

I liked the couple of xp bonuses I got while leveling but part of the appeal to this game is how much harder than the newer games it is. How you can't be a complete scrub and still survive past level 20 or if you do survive you have a terrible reputation and will never get groups.

I feel like xp bonuses given to specific players will do more harm than good.

[Autotune]

Let us give people searching for the classic experience something that is not classic.

[Raelador]

It's easy to find groups outside of dungeons. If you say you have little trouble finding groups inside of dungeons then you're lying to prove your point or you have a ton more friends in Everquest that are all around the same level.

I am fully aware there are exp bonuses in dungeons. My argument is it needs to be even greater on a server like this to encourage dungeon crawls.

This is a great emulation of a classic server, and I love it. The fact still remains that there weren't an average of 250 people on the server during the day and an average of 575 people at night. It was more like 1500 during the day and 2750 at night on a normal server. Frankly Norrath is too big for just 500 people, and Velious only makes things larger.

Btw "Smart-guy" Hitchens this one's for you.

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b208/calibrat348/normal_Internet-SeriousBusiness.jpg

[Faisca]

A few plat coins and some gear is the best help you can give to beginners. With those they can level must faster than with an exp bonus.

[mwatt]

My comments on what has been said before:

* Experience bonuses were not unheard of on classic.

* I don't think it is a terrible idea and it won't ruin EQ to have these now and then.

* On the other hand, I don't think a week long experience bonus is going to be a real factor in whether or not someone from EQMac decides to come here or not.

IMO, bottom line, it probably doesn't really matter either way.

[Masq]

playing a rogue its impossible to find groups. I typically message people and sit LFG for 2-3 hours before logging out.

[Morsakin]

No one with any authority around here has said anything on the subject.

Although apparently the question has been proposed to the staff members already (thanks, Amelinda), so at this point it's up to them and what they think is best for the server.

[Lanuven]

Let us give people searching for the classic experience something that is not classic.

I just want an exp bonus to level my alts quicker!

[Flunklesnarkin]

the more you post.. the more right you are...

amirite?

[Rubexcube666]

Getting righter by clicking 'post quick reply' +1 to rubexcube rightness!

[bamzal]

if they dont like the xp rate, they can stay on eqmac...
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Rubexcube666]

yeah i got the mace from the undead cleric in kith. I'm lvl 7 LOL awesome orc bashing mace.

[jarshale]

A little bonus xp would be cool, but not for a whole week. Maybe a day or two tops.

[Burrito]

As someone already mentioned in the thread-

Save that bronze/ringmail and that fine steel weapon that dropped for the newer players. Easiest way to help them past the autoattack levels while keeping it as classic as possible. Maybe give them some of that gear that's been collecting dust on the server.

[eqravenprince]

playing a rogue its impossible to find groups. I typically message people and sit LFG for 2-3 hours before logging out.

Sounds exactly like classic EQ. There were plenty of times back in 1999-2001 where I would sit LFG for an hour or more before logging off to go play an alt. I had to stick to the absolute most popular zones as a Rogue and that only had mild success.

[Kriven]

More players is never a bad thing. I'm starting from scratch but the reason for quitting was having a real struggle to find groups in the early-mid 40s. Having more people to level with can only be a bonus for everyone and helps keep the necro population down :D

I could take or leave the bonus XP, it never lasts long enough to be noticeable :P