In regards to monopolizing a spawn

[skarlorn]

this would go over great in sebilis.

[Brontus]

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

Nor should it, because the change implies an unreasonable amount of enforcement for a volunteer staff to carry out.

It is only unreasonable given the current staffing level which I believe is too low to service the current server population here on P1999.

I say this because I was deeply involved with the EverQuest Guide Program for many years. I can tell from actual experience, each EQ live server had at least 3 times the number of volunteer guides that are currently assigned to P1999 if not more. We also had the benefit of the SWAT Team -- a special band of roving GMs, Senior Guides and Guides who would go from server to server to slay the petition queue of servers with high petition queues.

If the admins here are genuinely striving to create a classic EQ experience then the answer is to apply this admirable standard to all levels of the EQ experience including bringing the levels of GM/Guide staffing to EQ live levels which are historically accurate for the 1999-2001 time period.

Yes, enforcing the play nice policy took up a significant amount of our time but it was part of the job and worth it in the long run as players would stay in line and behave responsibly because they knew there were consequences. GM admins, Senior Guides, Guides were constantly doing investigations and gathering evidence on players that were violating these rules. We would make notes on each player account and eventually if a player accrued enough bad incidents on their file, the GMs would step in and ban them.

Policing a MMORPG like EQ that affords players a lot of freedom is not easy but it has to be done. That my friend is classic EverQuest and to me and many here, it's worth it.

Additionally, it's worth noting that back on EQ Live during that same classic time period, GM and volunteers did not have to spend any time on doing IP exemptions because 2 boxing was not illegal. The admins here have decided that 2 boxing is not allowed so that requirement has put additional stress on the volunteers here to process exemptions and investigate offenders. This is precious time they could be spending doing fun activities like running quests and events for the community.

To me the answer on many issues afflicting P1999 right is to increase staffing levels. Is managing volunteers easy? No. It takes a lot work, much organization and tireless dedication. Not everyone is cut out to be a GM or a Guide. We volunteered back in the day and we didn't get paid but we did it and we enjoyed it.

My undying respect goes out to the staff here on all levels for what they are doing. Being a volunteer is a thankless job and sometimes players hold you to impossible standards but it's very rewarding knowing that you are helping to create an unparalleled online experience that is simply not available anywhere else.

[Mythanor]

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

Found it - Linkage


I'm confused at the "nor should it", the aim of the server was to provide a classic everquest experience. Over the last week I've seen a lot of pro-farmer pro-monopolizing spawn posters saying pretty much "its classic, screw you". Now I'm providing irrefutable evidence its not classic.

So the "its classic" should only apply to things that were classic that benefit farmers but not to things that don't benefit them?

This is the reason they changed it, so they didn't end up with a server much like we have at the moment, good people mostly but with a bunch at the top shitting on the rest - From the letter I linked:

[Ikon]

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

It is only unreasonable given the current staffing level which I believe is too low to service the current server population here on P1999.

I say this because I was deeply involved with the EverQuest Guide Program for many years. I can tell from actual experience, each EQ live server had at least 3 times the number of volunteer guides that are currently assigned to P1999 if not more. We also had the benefit of the SWAT Team -- a special band of roving GMs, Senior Guides and Guides who would go from server to server to slay the petition queue of servers with high petition queues.

If the admins here are genuinely striving to create a classic EQ experience then the answer is to apply this admirable standard to all levels of the EQ experience including bringing the levels of GM/Guide staffing to EQ live levels which are historically accurate for the 1999-2001 time period.

Yes, enforcing the play nice policy took up a significant amount of our time but it was part of the job and worth it in the long run as players would stay in line and behave responsibly because they knew there were consequences. GM admins, Senior Guides, Guides were constantly doing investigations and gathering evidence on players that were violating these rules. We would make notes on each player account and eventually if a player accrued enough bad incidents on their file, the GMs would step in and ban them.

Policing a MMORPG like EQ that affords players a lot of freedom is not easy but it has to be done. That my friend is classic EverQuest and to me and many here, it's worth it.

Additionally, it's worth noting that back on EQ Live during that same classic time period, GM and volunteers did not have to spend any time on doing IP exemptions because 2 boxing was not illegal. The admins here have decided that 2 boxing is not allowed so that requirement has put additional stress on the volunteers here to process exemptions and investigate offenders. This is precious time they could be spending doing fun activities like running quests and events for the community.

To me the answer on many issues afflicting P1999 right is to increase staffing levels. Is managing volunteers easy? No. It takes a lot work, much organization and tireless dedication. Not everyone is cut out to be a GM or a Guide. We volunteered back in the day and we didn't get paid but we did it and we enjoyed it.

My undying respect goes out to the staff here on all levels for what they are doing. Being a volunteer is a thankless job and sometimes players hold you to impossible standards but it's very rewarding knowing that you are helping to create an unparalleled online experience that is simply not available anywhere else.

I'd be more than happy to go through the volunteer guide process if we could get some classic rules on the server. I'm sure there are other responsible people who would too.

[RDawg816]

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

I say this because I was deeply involved with the EverQuest Guide Program for many years.

Policing a MMORPG like EQ that affords players a lot of freedom is not easy but it has to be done. That my friend is classic EverQuest and to me and many here, it's worth it.

To me the answer on many issues afflicting P1999 right is to increase staffing levels....
Not everyone is cut out to be a GM or a Guide. We volunteered back in the day and we didn't get paid but we did it and we enjoyed it.

Are you volunteering? There is an application you can fill out...

[paulgiamatti]

I will say that the current climate of the server is a lot better than it's ever been, and right now would be a great time to attempt something like another R/C rotation. Unfortunately, I get the feeling that even though this is true, the current staff just doesn't have the motivation to make it happen after having given it their all during the awful Kunark and pre-Sleeper years, or the manpower after having lost some of their most prolific GMs like Derubael and Eunomia. I don't blame them, especially while the two dominating guilds are still run by people who see denying content to other players as part of the fun, and anything less as carebear appeasement or "not hardcore enough". The main flaw of the project still isn't and has never been the staff, though of course they aren't perfect.

So I don't mean to say I'm happy about the status quo. The status quo sucks in many ways, which is why being optimistic about applying this rule to P99 doesn't make any sense. It would be disastrous. You can't rely on the playerbase to just make something like this work, or even just not fuck it up to the point that makes it anything less than a shitshow for the staff. It's a nice thought, but a bad idea.

[Leiker]

Having been casual scum for most of the Kunark years when one guild reigned supreme and locked down all content, the current server highend scene is really not that bad.

[Mythanor]

I think the OP had more in mind, then just "High End" content. It this it was more in reference to every day grouping/ spawns/ quests/ epics, etc... not just how many poop socks does it take to grow a neckbeard, and how fair/ unfair that is. Let's not get off track or muddle the waters.

[paulgiamatti]

*muddy the waters

And no, that's not off track at all because the amended play nice policy addressing camp disputes would extend to the raid scene as well. We all know the raid scene isn't the policy's primary concern, and that's because guilds mercilessly controlling end-game content, some of which isn't even raid content, was not an issue back then. If it was, the policy would've reflected that.

"Spawns in the game can no longer be claimed or controlled by a single player or group" is and has always been the exact antithesis of every dominant guild's MO on P99. TMO's charter literally read something like, "Our goal is to dominate the server." Absolutely nothing is different about A/A - it's the same bullshit under different names. It's also largely the reason why guides and GMs won't have the time or the desire to enforce a policy like this irrespective of the raid scene. When they're not doing item reimbursements, or character recoveries, or IP exemptions, or sussing out hackers and multi-boxers and RMTers, they're too busy dealing with this week's litany of ToV petitions. And I'm sure the queue of non-raid petitions involving player disputes isn't exactly empty either.

[TheDuck]

lol for everyone argueing against this, you guys are probably the ones monopolizing spawns.


i played blue, i remember. i could walk up to a camp, get on the list and eventually get my turn. not on blue. the rules are being manipulated so people can stay on it forever.