Changes with the February Update: Developer Updates

I have not read the entirety of these threads so if this is a repeat I apologize:

As it stands now when I am attacking any mob there is an innate chance for Decap to fire. When the mob is too high of a level, it simply spams me with "The mob you are trying to cast this on is not a valid target" or something along those lines. If we are going to have a large change in the proc rate would it be possible for it NOT to fire on white and above con mobs so as not to waste those procs on invalid targets?

Yeah many of us who don't frequent the forums, had to start somewhere to post our thoughts on this, but thanks for your forum violation responses to mine!!

Just because we came here for the first time doesn't mean we aren't the playerbase

I would say that the majority of new members that are complaining created an account for the 1st time because this the 1st time that they are ticked off enough to make a post.

However, it is unlikely that people people who support the changes are so happy that they created a new account just to tell SOE what a wonderful job they are doing and that they are happy with any decisions that SOE makes.

Typically people don't go out of there way to say everything is OK. You get people to go out of the way when you get them upset.

The folks I've talked with in my guild weren't even aware this controversy was going on. I suspect the people who keep talking about "most players" or trying to make it sound like everyone is on their side of the argument are just wishful thinking. Sure the forum readers are in a tizzy, but I bet "most players" don't even read the forums on a regular basis.

If one of the reasons for not adjusting the AA scale was that the AA mountain has become unmanageable then it feels like slapping a giant bandaid on something the dev team judges a broken mechanic (it's being made irrelevant at lower levels after all).

It's all been suggested in parts a lot in this thread, but with or without the AA grant there is SO much that could be culled to lower the mountain. I'd apply three Qs:

Is it any fun to work on/see results of? (offers customisation, noticable char development, etc)
Is it based on some arbitrary number that may/may not make any sense to anyone?
Is it obsolete/meaningless in the current game?

Based on that almost everything in the general tab and a whole bunch of the arch type tab would get the chop.
E.g.
Mystical attuning, limited at 15.
Bandage wounds, limited at 70%.
Stat boosters, what's the point with defiant?
HP/mana regen caps, as above.
This one a bit more controversial, but all the "hastened" abilities.
Some of the misc stuff like pet affinity, pet discipline, etc, that's not much fun to get, but helpful.

Leaving stuff that makes a noticable difference and isn't arbitrary or irrelevant, like class abilities, crits, fun/helpful utility stuff like MGB, amusing novelty (like illusions), etc.

Most of those bigger chains could be chopped down a lot as well, 0.5% gains changed to minimum of say.. 2%, for example. Psychologically it must be better to see 5 ranks than 20 and to cut out all the obsolete fluff / where scraping the barrel of enjoyable reward/effort due to power scaling.

What Kogon said, cept I have 3 gold accounts started, 1999, 2001 and 2004

Same here

5 gold accounts of mine will all be cancelled after they days expired...I don't want to go back to 2000 and grind....grind...grind....most of us have done this. Ask any newbies if they have experienced a swarm and they would say it's one of the coolest things they have seen in any RPG.....
Sony is penalizing guys for ingenuity on how to use the spells to their advantage. Isn't that what every game is about...figuring out the best way to play...Its not about sitting in a group killing mobs and chatting....
Talk is cheap guys....but for me its over if they Nerf swarming classes.
Plus players will figure out how to exploit with the new changes...

I dont know how many times we have to explain this to you, but lich sting IS NOT the problem, leave it alone, just stop, because there is no need for hit counters on it at all, simply no justification.

And while you're at it i want something cool to replace losing MC, as lots have previously stated.

Nerf my epic in this way and i'm gone, couldnt care less about MC.

Why bother to even play the game if you are going to use methods (which were never intended) to play for you? That makes no sense.

And Piestro has already said that they can separate those out easily !

Still very curious, why the mass pulling and pathing of mobs has still not been addressed?

Yes these changes will prevent this current way of swarming from taking place...
...But...
as it has been said players are clever and the swarming will happen again...
Even as the 1st page of the other thread was posted (and the underlining tone was this WILL happen), took a look at these changes, and started looking at what was missed or what new combo's will be needed.... and yes several have been found. those who were the head-shoting-beam-decapassanators may not find them right off.

Unfortunately however, I'm aware of approx 70 accounts personally that have canceled or are not renewing (in the case of those just reup'd their yearly)... ...and im sure that its more like a couple thousand eq wide... ...another 135page rage thread that the fixes wont address the source?

(For those that do not understand the statement of people closing their accounts.... Its basically saying as the consumer of a product to the provider, your services are no longer required / wanted / your fired etc... kinda like going to a bad hotel, once CS is bad enough, even if just perceived word will spread and that chain will be avoided)

The Dev Team I do believe did/does have good intentions, though it does bring to mind an old phrase...

Everquest is a 15year old game and it was OUTSTANDING, but has become a shadow of its former self, the mega give me, give me, give me, will never end.... and with a presidence of the AA's for OLD content being granted so peeps can "Catch up" it stands to reason that OLD raid gear and coin to purchace it MUST come soon, after all 4 expansions ago raid gear ... MIGHT ... let a new player survive in almost current content. (hmm IS there even 5% new players coming to EQ1? or just returning players being considered as new?)

1st if i remember right we had most flags and keys go by by... (sense of achievement fades)
2nd we had xp bonus's to help play catch up (good idea here)
3rd all spells were dumped in one spot (so much for the need to find ways to get them) *ancients excluded ... (oh wait we need to have those too... right?)
4th More unlocks were done upto at least underfoot. (hey there is no need to have a reason to experience these areas)
5th Strip camping for many many augs... (ie cotf vendors selling upto 40ac augs, how dare we group up and farm them)
6th Click... AA give away... (no need to feel like your gaining on anything, especially when you were earning them like 8x what those above you had)
7th ...oh yea what ever happened to the 50/51server? why is it not popular? lets make it EQ wide?

The Fixes do not match the problems... and the devs (while may have no choice in the matter though, as their boss ... er that should be the customers... but anyway their supervision may have them required to take the route they are going) after all, SoE is a company and like any company must make a profit to stay in business...

Lightest fixes with balancing would be:
-Prevent more than X mobs being on agro of one toon... (be it, coding to drop agro, be it Death touch the puller... that would clear it, or have puller end up with some sorta reverse mem blur so they cant pull any)
-Many class's have matching abilities andspells...
-decapitate (head not required?)
-beam line of spells (like port spells, roots etc, make them match the wizards coding is already done)
-relock the doors.... besides you could put out expansions later that have NO new zones but new critters and quests using old ones...

if you cant pull x mobs, you cant have any of the problems that were stated....
as said by poor Piestro, you could STILL do the mass pulling for griefing other players...
how long will it be before some one(s) discovers a way to lag 1 zone to exploit another.... (base issue is still not fixed)..

May Everquest Live On...
may Giverquest die....

Be Dangerous!

I'm not entirely sure the poll has any relevance here. Likely they would have gone ahead with these changes regardless of what it said. I'm not a supporter nor am I against the changes, like I said a few posts up -- I do not care either way but it's even more silly to come here and threaten to cancel a billion accounts.

Why? Because that seems to be the response to every single change SOE implements (hence why its ignored for the most part). If you really plan on cancelling, do it without the bravado.

I truly see many positives with the up and coming changes that are being applied. Has anyone even considered that this will bring back more grouping to the game? I think it will. If you take away the ability for people to just get power-leveled for plat because it is no longer viable a viable option, you will see people grouping again. Since the focus will now be on grinding out levels instead of both levels and aa's, I truly think there will be more grouping going on. If this does happen it will still allow people ample time to learn their classes instead of a bunch of power-leveled monkeys congesting the ranks. Of course you can not please everyone, but I do feel you are moving in the correct direction by making these long overdue changes to abilities that were being abused.

I do think that there will be issues with agro from the increase of level on assassinate, decapitate, and head-shot. I feel there would have to be some sort of activate-able ability to turn these functions off at the player/raid leaders request. Personally I would like to see a re-tuning of Auras in the game. Possibly a choice of new auras that offer different functions, agro reduction might be a key function of many possible additions to a classes tool box. You could maybe add to tribute functions a little bit as well. I would like to be able to have three different setups for tribute tabs. Instead of one personal tribute tab, I would like the ability to activate a separate tribute setup for solo/group/raid situations without having to run and change benefits at the tribute master. You could also just allow a player to adjust their tribute on the fly instead of running to the tribute master. You could maybe expand tribute to add agro reduction benefits that might help issues for rogues/rangers/zerkers.

These are just my thoughts and opinions on this topic. I have played all of these classes in the last year and know their potential, as well the abilities that were being misused. While they added to the solo and group game for some, it was being abused and you all know it. I would like people to use this pow-wow as an opportunity for people to bring real ideas and suggestions to the table regarding ALL classes, not just the ones being changed. The BIG GUYS are listening to us, reading our posts, and responding. They are at the table right now and listening to constructive ideas. DO NOT let this opportunity be lost and wasted with negativity over changes that were long overdue. Use this time to plant seeds in their minds while they are listening en-mass.

Thanks for your time.
MONKS RULE!!!

No the AA we have to reduce it is sufficient, I don't need to reduce time on something I rarely/never use.

I wanted to comment , like others that I have the new member under my posts because I have never been this adamant about my feelings against a change EQ was putting in. That alone drove me to sign up to be able to post my opinions. So just because it says new member doesn't indicate its a series of boxes / alts from one person trying to change the sway. Secondly I find it entertaining the mindset that there are ALL these Returning / Vet players just chomping at the bit to get back into EQ but it was the AAs holding them back from committing and yet an actual Veteran player, one who hasn't left for 10 plus years at all can let the door hit em cause they aren't needed in the community. I don't get it , why would you chastise the loyal consistent fan base and praise the supposed returning players glory. What facts do you have they will be back and that they will STAY back since they haven't proved to stay in the first place. I honestly thought I would respond anymore but that mentality seems flawed. PIESTRO or SOMEONE please just make a final call so I / WE can make a final decision to stay or not

My account said New Member under it just yesterday. Why? Because I never felt the need to voice an opinion here in the past. It does not say New Member now, though, because I made some comments here that were appreciated. None of the changes being implemented were as drastic and game-changing as this AA give-away, based on a 2 year old poll (2 years ago F2P hadn't been implemented and, thus, there is now a huge influx of new/returning players whose voices were not represented in that old, defunct, irrelevant poll).

I'm in agreement with Cevil's Remains and many others who feel that this change is absolutely wrong for this very robust and long-standing way of game play - hard-earned advancement.

Respectfully,

A level 89 necro with 4250 hard-earned AAs that are now being given away to all comers for no effort.

I'm not understanding this. The only thing people can gripe about is the nerfs for the classes. Otherwise the AA change doesn't effect you. Not one bit. You can opt out or out in.

How many times have zones, hitpoints, exp, raid mobs etc been changed that people before have done. Accomplishment is what you make of it. Just because someone has 10k AA doesn't mean anything if they paid/afked there way through like they are now.

Thanks for the explanation, it makes sense for people 51 and above. Unfortunately, I am doing the progression thing, so I wanted to be able to lock my level at much lower levels than 51.

I've been hunting in the same zone for six months now. I'm trying to get a rare drop from a named and have gained eight level in the process due to everything I need to kill. Once I get it I'm going to have to de-level those eight levels by killing myself over and over again. I would have liked a way to halt my xp gain and much lower levels.

Developers
Please give gold members the option to completely erase a character's AAs.
This is not a refund but a complete wipe and reset of experience bought AAs to 0.

Consider two characters today:
1. Level 85 with 4000 AAs
2. Level 85 with 0 AAs

Once this auto-grant goes live, character1 is penalized in the road to level 100 and max AAs.

The most optimal path will now be
Level to 100 with 0 AAs
Use your low AA bonus to buy all the independent AA chains
Use your claim to get all UF and below AAs