<insert nilbog / rogean quotes about never being another blue server nor a server wipe>

One way or another, the solution for carebears is to remove the competition.

Don't PvP in a game that wasn't built for PvP. Competitive EQ... is PvP.

If you want to PvE you need some mechanism that removes competition. Instancing is the gold standard, but scheduling works too. Instancing isn't classic... scheduling IS classic, but it still led to endless rule lawyering and pushing of the limits. Scheduling did not, historically speaking, ever stop hardcore guilds from dominating. What stopped them was the release of expansions.

I would have to say that the current state of affairs seems VERY MUCH inline with classic to me. For better or worse it's very classic and that's why this raid drama is nostalgic for me =}

If you want a new server dedicated to the casual type of player why dont you make it and fund it?
Rogean and crew are probably busy enough with p99 blue and red and velious.
Take the lead chest and host your own server.
You get to make all the rules and control the climate of your very own server.
You might have to start over from scratch but that shouldnt be a big deal.

It's kind of a slap in the face to have a prime box wasting away with sub 100 pop everyday in light of the current clusterfuck that is Blue. Red is a joke.

Variance was a terrible idea. A non classic "fix" that has only made the problem 100 times worse

Stop coddling the fucktards. Release the source code or something so the guilds here that are getting fucked in the ass can go setup a classic box somewhere free from the fucktard assholes. Wipe Red and create Blue 2.0 or something. Ban all high end guilds like TMO and IB from playing there. If they want the extreme "competition" where you're COTH ducking for a week straight then fine. Have at it.

They can wallow in the box they've created. Let sane and rational people have a server that free from that cancerous mentality that is ruining this server. I mean COTH ducking? Really? Lawl what a joke you people are. How embarrassing.

Why should they bother?

Was Project 1999 created for fucktard assholes that COTH duck for a week straight or the people that want to experience and enjoy classic Everquest?

If the devs want COTH ducking fucktards running this server than they don't they advertise the server with that being the selling point?

I remember the UO community discussing the nature of griefing and PvP back in 2000.

Basically the analysis at the time was that when it comes to PvP there are sheeps and there are wolves.

The wolves are the hardcore players. They don't play for themselves, they play to win. To win they need losers. They need people to beat. The wolves follow the sheep because the wolves need to eat.

If you make a new server the wolves will follow you there, or new wolves will follow you there, and they will eat the sheep as long as they are physically able to.

You either create a game that prevents PvP like WoW did, which protects casuals from the wolves to a great degree, or you accept that the wolves are going to find you and feed.

TMO/IB sound like wolves in that their goal and enjoyment in the game is to beat the other people. They are competitive. They will follow the sheep wherever the sheep go and will only stop if their fangs are removed.

Wolves are very much classic... classic was always dominated by wolves. The same was true for Ultima Online, The Realm, Asheron's Call, Shadowbane, and lots of other old school games. They all allowed more PvP than games today and they all had the same situation where the hardcore wolf players devoured the casuals.

The casual rebellion begun with WoW. Casuals flocked to wow because it let them "achieve their goals" without the interference of the wolves.

Anyway you guys might want to ask yourselves why you're so hung up on re-killing fake dragons. It's really NOT that fun. The best gameplay fun that EQ offers is in a small group crawling dungeons and the rest of the game is fun only to the extent that you use the world of EQ for roleplaying.

You guys seem like perma-victims to me, like some part of you enjoys being victimized. You're wanting to win a game that you can't possibly win and that would offer you no benefit even if you did win.

It's probably the existence of the pixel deniers that keeps you guys interested. As soon as you all got your uber loot you'd probably get bored and quit.

Seriously though, with non variance we'd just turn every raid into noble. Which is honestly about the least stressful raid minus those expensive fucking keys. Show up 20 minutes before or so, buff up, pull slot lever. Kinda like VS before extended variances, who didn't love the pit party!

Could just leave it to lottery like it was before--let the mob come out of the gate with someone aggroed. No reason to complain about autofire at that point.

If you're reduced to COTH ducking what the fuck are you really winning?

It's sad and pathetic. Not winning

Chest, do you ever stop QQing? Holy shit man you are more of a neckbeard nerd than any class C scum could strive to be.

is it that hard for guild leaders to speak with each other and come to an agreement to stop coth ducking and for guilds to punish members doing so? Isnt that was the staff wanted us to do to begin with?