Global item rarity needs to be looked at

[Spitty]

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

all items should of already been made rarer due to the unrealistic timeline

this isnt classic. kunark never lasted this long

What exactly would that accomplish? What part of 'classic' are you trying to preserve? Altering the drop-rate would create yet another non-classic element. Do you want things to be classic, or don't you?

I don't get where you're coming from, except that you're clearly offended that the gear you can trade isn't worth as much plat as it was.

You gotta draw the line somewhere; either the drop rates are preserved in classic format, or the serverwide rarity of certain items is preserved by making other game mechanics non-classic.

I think you'll find a lot of people would be unhappy when it takes twice the amount of time to camp an item just so yours doesn't lose 'value'. The delayed Velious release has already sent people away; your kind of thinking would further aggravate the exodus.

[falkun]

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

I think you'll find a lot of people would be unhappy when it takes twice the amount of time to camp an item just so yours doesn't lose 'value'. The delayed Velious release has already sent people away; your kind of thinking would further aggravate the exodus.

Its a 13 year old game releasing half as fast (or slower than that) as it did the first time. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "hurry up and wait".

/sarcasm on
Get those pixels before they're lost and gone forever.
/rollseyes
/sarcasm off

[Fountree]

Taking into account the rate that content is being added, global item rarity should be looked at IMO. That's just me though. I've said this many times in the past on this board but I'll do it again: Capturing the glory of Classic EQ is just as much about the big picture of when content is released (macro) as it is anything else. If content isn't added within a certain timeframe, it's difficult to compare the p99 experience to live. That's not a jab at the devs or anything, I think we all appreciate everything they've done in terms of the server and it's upkeep, but it's just the truth. No new content affects nearly every aspect of the game, from the economy, to population, to groups and server morale.

[rabuliz]

I started just over a month ago and it has been a rough go. Part of that is because I work so damned much; the other part is that it is a bear for a true newbie to get gear because it is so expensive. Thankfully some very kind folks have helped me out with some weapons, but from my perspective prices on low level monk gear are insane. Then again there are tons of twinked monks out there. Maybe that's why.

[Spitty]

The only way that would work without a flood of bug reports and petitions would be to have a linear decline in non-fixed item drops that started with the release of Kunark, and assuming that game mechanics and drop rates were perfectly classic at release.

As time progresses (a linear function), drop rates decrease (again, following a linear decline) accordingly. The change is extremely subtle (1%/month?) so that a major difference isn't noticed, but helps mitigate market flooding and preserves something of the 'big picture' you talk about without giving the impression that a change is actually taking place.

Your first problem is going to be fixed item drops - mobs that spawn on a specific timeline with a specific amount of drops. Do you change the spawn rate on Trak so that less BPs enter the market? Do you add garbage drops (Fire Opal classically comes to mind) to account for the decreasing drop rates? People probably won't get too fired up if the occasional VS dropped a gem instead of pants, but what happens when that becomes an every-other-week event?

Will that drive off more players than if we simply maintained a 'classic' drop-rate for all mobs and accepted the fact that the p99 economy is never going to be a classic emulation? From my view, it never was; people stockpiled manastones just like they stockpiled fungis, and will be stockpiling Lodi shields and so on.

Finally, what do you do with Velious to avoid what's happening now in Kunark? You can't start with decreased drops, or people will complain of a non-classic expansion. You can't decrease drops using the linear offset because you would eventually reach the zero crossing where absolutely nothing drops. Do we simply stop caring because, unlike Kunark, Velious is the final word and not an intermediary release like Kunark?

[Arclanz]

Sign me up for the longer leveling times! But first, get rid of the bugs/eploits/etc that permit monty haul powerleveling on P99. A level 1 character gets full xp from a lvl 40 mob? Preposterous.

Dang, Spitty, you are flirting with brilliance in your post up there. Bravo.

[falkun]

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

Taking into account the rate that content is being added, global item rarity should be looked at IMO.

So because you've consumed all the content at a higher rate than the rest of the server, the rest of the server should have a harder time consuming the content?

IMO, you should consume content slower. If you consume content slower, then the amount provided will last longer.

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

That's just me though. I've said this many times in the past on this board but I'll do it again: Capturing the glory of Classic EQ is just as much about the big picture of when content is released (macro) as it is anything else.

I completely agree. The glory of classic EQ is in the FORCED cooperation. For instance: hiring a druid or wizard for a port or raid forces working towards cooperation instead of domination.

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

If content isn't added within a certain timeframe, it's difficult to compare the p99 experience to live. That's not a jab at the devs or anything, I think we all appreciate everything they've done in terms of the server and it's upkeep, but it's just the truth.

I agree, its difficult to compare these two vastly different timelines. The P99 timeline is also different because of the tools that exist external to the game that did not in 1999-2001. The knowledge base now is vastly greater, allowing us to consume content that is released slower than classic in a manner which is faster than classic.

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

No new content affects nearly every aspect of the game, from the economy, to population, to groups and server morale.

Again, that's a perspective. Let me illuminate an alternate viewpoint: More even distribution of content consumption affects nearly every aspect of the game, from the economy, to population, to groups and server morale. You call it handouts, that's fine. But in this purely capitalistic server, the top of the pyramid consumes the content and then whines for more content. If everyone enjoyed the content slower, you wouldn't run out of goals to accomplish. You ran yourselves out of content, don't blame the rest of the server or force us to work harder than even you did because you are bored or want to preserve some self-entitled sense of "I'm better than thou".

EDIT: And I love that you bring up server morale. Most of the server loves the leveling, the grouping, and the raiding for their own gear. Buying BIS does not aid server morale. Killing boss_mob_01 and looting BIS, being congratulated by your raiding comrades does. AoEing Mistmoore or Unrest and discouraging those leveling for the first time from exploring those zones for fear of trains is detrimental to server morale. The best thing you can do for a person is help them help themselves (there's a "feed a man a fish" parable in there somewhere). If more persons feel better about the server, then you've increased server morale.

[Spitty]

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

Sign me up for the longer leveling times! But first, get rid of the bugs/eploits/etc that permit monty haul powerleveling on P99. A level 1 character gets full xp from a lvl 40 mob? Preposterous.

Dang, Spitty, you are flirting with brilliance in your post up there. Bravo.

I suspected something of the sort was happening during the original Kunark to Velious transition, because major guilds would report that certain raid targets were suddenly dropping gems instead of desirable loot.

It's an effective strategy from a management perspective, but I enjoy playing the game as it is more than I do thinking about how it could be manipulated to serve my play style better.

[phobus]

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

I started just over a month ago and it has been a rough go. Part of that is because I work so damned much; the other part is that it is a bear for a true newbie to get gear because it is so expensive. Thankfully some very kind folks have helped me out with some weapons, but from my perspective prices on low level monk gear are insane. Then again there are tons of twinked monks out there. Maybe that's why.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see this. Gear in general is more abundant here than it ever was on live (see the rest of this thread for the reasons why). Weapons that would have been considered pretty decent back in live Kunark (~.50 ratio two-handed swords like Blade of Xalgoz, for example) are practically worthless here and get sold to vendors more often than not. Ditto for bronze armor, which as I recall was all most people could afford until the 20s.

Maybe we have different ideas of what constitutes "low-level" monk gear, though. I think Netted or Mesh armor, Clawed Knuckle Rings, and maybe a Fighting Baton and Essence of Dol. I think if you'd had that stuff at level 20 on live you'd have been doing better than average.

[Spitty]

Your math - it isn't math. For one, four times the population means four times the manpower to camp items.