TLP 3.0 - Don't Box! Here's why:

My pleasure.

nerf monks

Wait, I was referring back to the 1999-2004 call to nerf monks...not to nerf monks for TLP

will he happily 3 boxing, welcome to join my group!

I have to agree that it is much richer and more enjoyable to play a single character. That being said its also frustrating to accomplish the things boxers can with ease.

My favorite setup is a nice duo that can easily mix in with a group as needed, usually one being dps and one being tank or healer. Or just two dps. I've never bothered with the full six setup since four is usually more than enough for just about anything.

To you it is much richer and rewarding to play a single character, for you boxing is tedious. That is a perfectly legitimate opinion. More power to you.

For others playing a single character is like watching paint dry. Some people enjoy the extra challange of juggling two characters. It probably doesn't make any sense to you, and that's okay, because having fun on just one character doesn't make any sense to them. Different playstyles are part of what makes EQ awesome.

For a boxer who enjoys boxing managing the spells and equipment of two characters doubles their enjoyment. Some people like being super busy, all the things that make you dislike boxing they actually enjoy.

I learned this when I, someone who can have tons of fun with just one character, married a boxer. It took a while to understand his playstyle, and how it differed from mine. Try being a little more open minded to different styles of play. Make friends with a two or three boxer. You will find they enjoy their playstyle just as much as you enjoy yours.

I think my reading skills are up to snuff, and I read the original post. Let's see "Don't box"
What could that possibly mean? All that spin about enjoying the game more is just cover for an anti-boxing thread. Do you really care if I am enjoying myself? Can I be trusted to make that judgment on my own?

I enjoy myself more with real people, but there are situations when I'm camping a key drop, or an epic drop. Dragging people away from their fun so they can sit and watch the grass grow just seems inconsiderate of me. But I'm not taking this personally. I do think that everyone should be allowed to play how they wish as long as they adhere to the EULA.

I agree that not boxing is more fun than boxing.

That being said, this is EQ and people box, and boxing can give you a lot of perks in this game so because of that, I will box. I also will have a "Main" character that I raid with (I usually dont bring boxes to raids unless we need them) and I always focus on gearing that main character over all my other's (which gives more of a single character feel).

I think you are overplaying your hand a bit here. Once you box for a few weeks, you are basically in easy mode. It's no harder than playing one toon. Everquest is not that complicated.

Playing one toon or multiple toons isn't that much different from an execution perspective. Everquest is a slow reaction game. What he is talking about is removing yourself from self involvement and becoming part of a communal involvement. It's really about letting go, which is a good thing in and of itself.

I don't get the view that if you box you won't group.

I group regardless and it's one of the charms of EQ, boxing is there to lessen the downtime/hassle of when you can't find a group, yes, but it's also there so you have a key class that you might not be able to get lving in, say Kunark doing a Dalnir group when the chanters online won't go unless they get a port.

I think you are missing the point. It's not like people who box have never played just one toon before. They have, and they enjoy playing more than one toon more than they enjoy playing just one toon. You aren't sharing some miraculous new vision with them. They prefer their boxed style of play, it is more enjoyable to them. I don't really know how I can say it more clearly.

Boxing doesn't mean someone is anti-social. It doesn't mean they shun the living because they prefer the company of automatons. (Okay, it can mean that, but those people weren't going to be grouping with you even if they just played one character.) The rest of us still enjoy the social aspect of the game, we just have a different play style. Some people enjoy juggling characters, some people prefer to be more self reliant, some people just like having the flexibility of having more than one character to choose from at any given moment. Some people want to be able to solo a bit while they clean the house or help their kids with their homework, without being stuck choosing one of the strong solo classes.

Boxers aren't the devil, and they aren't out to ruin your game. They want to enjoy it just as much as you do, they just have a different way of going about that. Get to know them and I am sure you will find they are friendly people who are happy to give you a hand or let you join them. (If they aren't semi-afk while they helping junior with his algebra.)

Edit to add: I didn't notice that you were a boxer as well until after I had already posted. Yeah, you are right, boxing isn't hard, but it is hard than managing just one character. If nothing else it has a steeper learning curve, and doing it well it trickier.

I'm going to box the hell out of this.

I hope DBG posts some new information soon. We are obviously running out of things of substance to discuss. Please DBG give us something to cheer or complain about!

Anyway... so what hairstyles are you guys going with on your characters? I'm leaning towards bald human with a p0rnstashe.

I've always been a non-boxer, this time I'm planning to box (the wife will as well) but with boxes that we'll replace whenever there's a human.

Rather get things going ASAP and drop them when they're not needed than making life harder for ourselves.

The funny thing about boxing is that a majority of people I know wanting to come back for "old school" EQ, are coming back because they miss the nostalgia of grouping (in the current era of single-player MMOs, that doesn't surprise me). And then they come back with the intent of 6-boxing..... /boggle.

I can certainly see the appeal of a second account, or even third, for those times when you either don't have time to find a group, or merely aren't in the mood, but still want to productively get *some* xp during your time online. I get that.
That said, I won't be boxing. Never have, and don't intend to in the future. I like the challenge of seeing what *I* can do with a character, and pushing the limits of his or her abilities. But I don't expect everyone to conform to that, either.

The allowance of boxing is one of the many reasons this server will be a waste land long before P1999 dries up. Personally I dont care what people think is fun. The idea of a multi player game where people can be more than one person in the world when its a competitive open world is nothing but a detriment to the logevity of the game. The reason boxing became so mainstream was because the game got so big and the gap between players got so big. In the early game its really not required and actually hurts the populace when they are competing over limited space. People can say you cant tell me what is fun etc, but I simply dont care. Boxing is one of the many reasons I will not be playing on this server.

1. I have never had any negative run-ins with any player who I knew to be boxing. On the contrary, I pretty much have never been turned down when observing a couple players that I could surmise were boxing, and asking to join up. I have in fact been helped on many occasions by boxers who 'let' me in their group, just as I as a single player have access to alts who in turn can help them on certain tasks. I have 'friends who box', *gasp.

I suppose there are those who are innately bent on locking down camps etc., but that is part and parcel of early EQ and that experience is going to happen on the new server whether its done by boxers, or groups/guildies being greedy and evil because, there are evil and greedy people whose definition of fun is not the least bit marred by others labeling them evil and greedy. Just are heh.

2. Although there are several very logical, yet differing justifications about why you do like boxing or do not, the one not being said / typed aloud is this: the game is diluted by those who have access/use that access to beat out an individual player trying to obtain the same end product.
In fact, many players view it as cheating, even if they know that boxer is doing it because of the fact that there is no grouping anymore, rather than trying to be everything-do-it-all. It affects the gameplay of others in a global way on a server period.

3. BUT, there is a certain percentage of those who DO like boxing. So, just as there are those who prefer as classic as is possible, and those who want to just dip their little toe in classic but speedily move on to other expansions: we can only hope the company makes money off Ragefire and then the devs can move forward with other types of servers in the future.
It is not inconceivable for there to be seasonal servers, as-classic-as-it-gets servers, competitively held speed servers for name recognition for those seeking that, etc. etc.

4. This is not kumbaya-why-can't-we-all-just-get-along. These threads and posts are being read by someone in DG. Whether the info is used now or held as part of the data they may make actionable decisions on later, for what its worth, we are here, hashing it out.

5. Most of us who are here hashing it out also are subs/plan on subbing and thats the bottom line for DG. I personally hope allll my preferences get taken into consideration, (Well, *okay, I guess free adult beverage coupons via email might be asking a bit much, especially since I'm hoping for Bushmills Single Malt Irish...).

6. DG --------tell us whats up please and thank you ^-^!!!![/quote]

zomg you could almost take down a rampaging monolith with that group!

Almost! I still should have taken that ring. Ring thieves.

Yeah, as history will tell, all the progression servers during the same era that p99 is stuck in were a waste land..... oh wait.

Cya on the server anyways.