Lonely MMO

[BlackBellamy]

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

What level are you?

The last invite I got was level 6 at orc camps outside crushbone. I’m level 19 now. Not only have I never gotten another group invite, I haven’t seen much chatter in /ooc in any of the zones I’ve exp’d in, other than the occasional “camp check”. I do see some people in duo’s or trio’s and assume they probably rolled chars together

So I can concur for low levels that everyone keeps to themselves and generally doesn’t talk. High level people are usually pretty helpful and toss out buffs and even offer free ports sometimes. For me, not getting invites is no big deal, I’m not asking and if they did invite I would politely decline because I’m 100% focused on farming plat for my first p9@ char (amassed about 2-3k already by level 19 just from vendor drops). Eventually I may want to group, but only when I’ve made enough pp to be comfortable with sacrificing my pp intake for the sake of exp

This is a weird post. You are not asking for invites and seem to be ready to decline any groups and are 100% focused on plat farming, yet it seems from the first few sentence that this is the course you decided upon because you weren't getting any group invites.

Anyway, I don't care about that, I just want to point out the super obvious:

By focusing on plat farming at lower levels instead of actively seeking out xp groups, you are fucking yourself hard over long term. Your 2-3k plat is chump change compared to money you can make later when you level higher, and it will take you 1/10th the time to do it. You are spending 20 hours farming plat so you can buy gear that will improve your leveling rate by like 2%, saving you maybe 5 hours over time.

Also, have you ever sent out a group invite?

[Jimjam]

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

By live standards this server would be old. Remember servers back then we're constantly opening up so when you joined you probably went to a newer one. That constant influx of new.people and new servers is what keeps lower level areas thriving.

Any mmo, not just EQ you really wanna be there.the first 6 months of the server lifecycle

People always flocked to new servers too.

There was just something magical about sharpening your rusty weapon, collecting a full set of cloth, trying to tailor a complete of tattered leather or raw silk. Cobbling together a couple of pp for some spells or a vendor bought axe. Everybody in the same boat.


Maybe I am a grognard, but it is not the same when half the new characters are walking around with spicy level 50+ kunark pixels.

This is part of why I would be so enthusiastic for red to be a seasonal discord server. Low level item hunting is best, low level pvp was best. Just make it roll seasons. Maybe have a leaderboard or something to purchase meaningless consumables with so 'winners' get a prize each season.

[Jimjam]

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

By focusing on plat farming at lower levels instead of actively seeking out xp groups, you are fucking yourself hard over long term.

The real opportunity cost is the friends we make along the way.

[unsunghero]

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

This is a weird post. You are not asking for invites and seem to be ready to decline any groups and are 100% focused on plat farming, yet it seems from the first few sentence that this is the course you decided upon because you weren't getting any group invites.

Anyway, I don't care about that, I just want to point out the super obvious:

By focusing on plat farming at lower levels instead of actively seeking out xp groups, you are fucking yourself hard over long term. Your 2-3k plat is chump change compared to money you can make later when you level higher, and it will take you 1/10th the time to do it. You are spending 20 hours farming plat so you can buy gear that will improve your leveling rate by like 2%, saving you maybe 5 hours over time.

Also, have you ever sent out a group invite?

I understand, that it does look weird. I wasn't saying I have an issue with the lack of early game grouping, just pointing out that I haven't ever seen anyone saying "[x] group LF1M " or anything like that in /ooc. This will probably change at later levels, I can only comment on early levels

And no, there is actually very few other leveling spots even many levels above mine that offer the same rate of pp/hour as my method of farming bandit sashes has been at a particular location in WK. I can accrue an entire inventory of bandit sashes in about 1 hour and turn those in for bronze weapons making about 250pp per trip. Someone camping HG's mentioned he is making about 450-500pp/hour from their drops. So leveling up 20ish more levels will only net me +250pp/hour assuming I could even get a HG camp, which are far less likely to be open than the bandit camps had been

I have tested other spots that had reputations for being good pp/hour such as Lavastorm mountains (gems, etc) and they didn't even come close. It is the fact that bandit sashes are nearly weightless and each convert to 2-6pp average that puts them far ahead of the curve in terms of efficiency of running back and forth to vendor. Even if I could find a camp of guards dropping FS weapons, I wouldn't be able to fill my inventory with those and be able to move like I can a near-weightless sash. I also don't like the idea of staring at an empty spot on the ground waiting for a mob to spawn so I am not going to be the type to camp high ticket items for pp

I personally understand that levels > pp in terms of pp accrual but I prefer to feel like I am playing a char that is powerful relative to his level, moreso than the same char I played in vanilla. I have far better gear now on P99 than my chars ever did in vanilla around this level (pushing 200CHA at level 19). I also do other unique non-optimal things such as haste my charmed pet then sit close enough to be able to watch their white damage on the combat menu, putting myself in additional danger for charm breaks (optimal method would be to sit farther away) for no other reason than I enjoy watching big pet damage scroll by. Just playing my own way

If anyone has any other level spots they think can compete with sashes from 20-25 I'm definitely interested tho. I do intend to check out Sol A when I am able, although even that I doubt will be able to beat my previous pp/hour rate

[Stonewallx39]

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

You're right that P99 does have a lonely feel by default. Everyone eventually realizes it's better to play alone than to group. Just play a min/max class and solo camp items 50+, solo for exp, etc. The only reason to talk to others is to raid. Equipment isn't worth getting because it's easier to just level higher which gives more platinum and easier ability to camp things yourself. This isn't classic but it is the way things are at the moment. Experience rates are non-classically high resulting in a higher level average. Channeling spells is too successful making it too easy for casters to solo especially in dungeons. The other big part is live EQ had 2-3k players at a time and P99 has 1k on Green. I played here back when there was 200 players though and it was still fine.

That is the default situation though. Here is some actual practical advice.

1. Join a guild. It's just the way it is. People don't talk in ooc because they're talking to their guilds and usually in something like Discord not even in game. They're using voice chat talking to guild mates and not even reading chat. Find a guild that is a "leveling" or casual guild as it's easiest to get groups and be involved.

2. If you're LFG don't ask in ooc and then give up. Actually move to the camps especially if you know others are there and ask them directly if you can join. Again many people don't read the chat but if they see you walk up to them and stand there they'll read it. Also send tells. People setup alerts on their logs for when they get tells and such. It can be different than ooc even beyond the text color and such.

3. Make your own groups. There are a ton of players out there who are sitting around with "nothing to do" and feel the way you do. Use /who all and find people to make a group. Start by finding a Druid/Wiz and then you can tell others you have a porter to bring them to the group. You can pretty much never fail to at least find a trio doing this. Yeah it's great to have the social MMO experience of just running into random people doing interesting things you can join in on but you won't always get it.

4. If you're new to P99 there is likely a lot going on that you don't understand. Personally I almost never group and have no guild but I get a lot of in game socialization because I know the game. I know the best camps for the level ranges I'm playing at and you run into others there. These spots are often a bit obscure and beyond just "X dungeon." You say the places you try "have exp" but that is a lot different from the best exp. Right now I'm sitting deep in a dungeon where I'm bound between multiple named mobs. This is a hot spot most players know nothing about. Everytime I login there are people here splitting the camps, PLing, and so on. Again we're way back in a dungeon you can't even get here solo unless you're a skilled player. You need to know how things work on P99 and where the real hot spots are.

^this.

Be the change you want to see in the world. Sure lots of things are camped by people with waaay more time on there hands. Flex the /who all muscle and put some group together. People are down for adventure and you can be the leader of that expedition!

Edit: side note I would totally support some game mechanic that made grouping more desirable to induce a more classic feel. Such as rotating ZEMs and extra xp bonuses for grouping in certain off-the-beaten path zones.

[unsunghero]

I think another thing that can be done (that I plan to do) is make a forum post with your schedule of typical available times to play and asking if anyone would want to duo

I want to eventually play a non-solo class that is more desirable at the end game than mine such as cleric or rogue, and my plan for doing so would be to ask if anyone wants to re-roll to duo. Then when that person isn't on, I'll just log on my main and solo

[bomaroast]

Ya, the P99 community has mostly degraded to a community of min/maxers and those who enjoy the Us vs Them mentality. Grouping is dead except along the xp highway.

[Gustoo]

On red, the grouping EXP setup is such that the 6th person in a group is basically free, meaning there is no EXP reduction across the 5 players that are there, and the 6th just gets EXP.

It is disappointing to hear about this on the green server.

There are a couple of solutions that involve actual everquest.

1. PVP server. Sorry, I had to say it. Solo guys can't be unconcerned about the needs of the people around them. They can't lock down all valuable items perpetually with no effort or competition. They can get killed, they need to cultivate friendships and relationships with the other people in their zone. It is a better community.

2. This is a stretch, but a strict role playing server.

The community at large has seemed to cater to the worste niche of everquest players, which are high end raiders that end up having some kind of RMT scheme going on. Instead it should focus on making the game playable and enjoyable for normal people level 1-59. For PVP this would mean item loot and level requirements on high end gear to nerf uber-twinks. This makes low level play really engaging and you can choose a level to PVP at and just focus your attention on your classes strengths and weaknesses at that level and at a given state of gearedness. It also greatly encourages grouping with players that are not known PK's so you can fight PK's as a team. It makes a better community 100%

For non PVP this would be some kind of role playing oriented need before greed situation. Something that prevents any given character from looting any particular item too many times. The exception would be cash crops like giants or something, but the perpetual levitation cloak guy, the perpetual Jboots guy, all this stuff makes it impossible or absurdly difficult for a normal player who plays the game for fun instead of as a job to actually do a quest and acquire an item. So it forces everyone into a grindfest for in game currency because you can't really just go get Jboots. So no more pharming class alt to equip all of your other characters. That doesn't fit with role playing focus of the game.

This is certainly a stretch, but it would be worthwhile to consider making the third non PVP server on project 1999 a ROLE PLAYING server and have different guidelines for raiding, camping mobs, ETC. I will volunteer 10 hours a week of guide service to attempt to make this stupid idea viable.

This server would launch after Green Timeline is complete, and Red 2 is launched. This server would never merge to blue. This server would have legacy items perpetually in-game or never in game on a case by case basis which will reduce the mania. It will also have tiered level caps through the timeline so several weeks or months of level 10 being max level, ETC which will help the community progress in a non LEAVE EVERYONE BEHIND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE GET MY PIXELS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BURN THESE WORTHLESS LOW LEVEL BRIDGES TO THE GROUND style of play.

Some of these things are super viable like the level cap, and the legacy item removal / permanent inclusion in the game.

Enforcing the permapharmer thing may be a bit more challenging but it is pretty easy for people to self police this and eventually just petition quest a guy who is at a camp all the time. Characters who petitionquest without actual justification and actual role playing attempts at resolving issue without guide assistance are warned with 2 week vacation, then banned.

[Coridan]

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

On red, the grouping EXP setup is such that the 6th person in a group is basically free, meaning there is no EXP reduction across the 5 players that are there, and the 6th just gets EXP.

It is disappointing to hear about this on the green server.

There are a couple of solutions that involve actual everquest.

1. PVP server. Sorry, I had to say it. Solo guys can't be unconcerned about the needs of the people around them. They can't lock down all valuable items perpetually with no effort or competition. They can get killed, they need to cultivate friendships and relationships with the other people in their zone. It is a better community.

2. This is a stretch, but a strict role playing server.

The community at large has seemed to cater to the worste niche of everquest players, which are high end raiders that end up having some kind of RMT scheme going on. Instead it should focus on making the game playable and enjoyable for normal people level 1-59. For PVP this would mean item loot and level requirements on high end gear to nerf uber-twinks. This makes low level play really engaging and you can choose a level to PVP at and just focus your attention on your classes strengths and weaknesses at that level and at a given state of gearedness. It also greatly encourages grouping with players that are not known PK's so you can fight PK's as a team. It makes a better community 100%

For non PVP this would be some kind of role playing oriented need before greed situation. Something that prevents any given character from looting any particular item too many times. The exception would be cash crops like giants or something, but the perpetual levitation cloak guy, the perpetual Jboots guy, all this stuff makes it impossible or absurdly difficult for a normal player who plays the game for fun instead of as a job to actually do a quest and acquire an item. So it forces everyone into a grindfest for in game currency because you can't really just go get Jboots. So no more pharming class alt to equip all of your other characters. That doesn't fit with role playing focus of the game.

This is certainly a stretch, but it would be worthwhile to consider making the third non PVP server on project 1999 a ROLE PLAYING server and have different guidelines for raiding, camping mobs, ETC. I will volunteer 10 hours a week of guide service to attempt to make this stupid idea viable.

This server would launch after Green Timeline is complete, and Red 2 is launched. This server would never merge to blue. This server would have legacy items perpetually in-game or never in game on a case by case basis which will reduce the mania. It will also have tiered level caps through the timeline so several weeks or months of level 10 being max level, ETC which will help the community progress in a non LEAVE EVERYONE BEHIND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE GET MY PIXELS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE BURN THESE WORTHLESS LOW LEVEL BRIDGES TO THE GROUND style of play.

Some of these things are super viable like the level cap, and the legacy item removal / permanent inclusion in the game.

Enforcing the permapharmer thing may be a bit more challenging but it is pretty easy for people to self police this and eventually just petition quest a guy who is at a camp all the time. Characters who petitionquest without actual justification and actual role playing attempts at resolving issue without guide assistance are warned with 2 week vacation, then banned.

I think the solution you want, would require a custom server for sure, but something like making almost all high end items no drops, but making better trades killed gear across all levels to keep the economy going, or maki g players rely more on getting high end materials for use in trades killed.

[loramin]

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

By focusing on plat farming at lower levels instead of actively seeking out xp groups, you are fucking yourself hard over long term. Your 2-3k plat is chump change compared to money you can make later when you level higher, and it will take you 1/10th the time to do it. You are spending 20 hours farming plat so you can buy gear that will improve your leveling rate by like 2%, saving you maybe 5 hours over time.

[You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

If you're even thinking about plat at low levels, you're playing inefficiently. Now note that I did not say "you're playing the game wrong"; there's no wrong way to play the game as long as you're having fun [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

But if you're not having fun, while also playing in a very suboptimal way ... maybe before you blame the game for not being fun, you could try playing in a more optimal way. That means just worrying about experience. Virtually every mob that gives XP drops some items/plat, and whatever garbage plat you get that way will be sufficient to get you a decent weapon/your spells ... and that's all your really need.

As for finding a group to do that ... it's a big game, and players tend to want to play optimally. That means they tend to cluster in zones that have (or at least, are perceived as having ) better XP.

I once tried to start a wiki page to collect those popular zones, and it has some info, but it's never really caught on the way some other wiki pages have: https://wiki.project1999.com/Group_Hunting_Spots (NOTE: You ... or anyone else ... can improve that page: it's a wiki!)

Still, I'd start there. Also, let's say you're level 27: you can use /who all cleric 25 30 (or something similar) to find where all the level 25-30 clerics on the server are .. and that will likely give you some indication of places you can find a group.