If you are on a regular live server (not a TLP, Zek, or FV) and use anonymous, why do you use it? I was getting ready to log off in the Chef room in Old Sebilis last night, just finishing rebuffing when someone sent in ooc "cc plz". Since I was done, I ignored it. Obviously no one responding in 15 seconds or so disturbed the individual so they sent another message in ooc "cc". [Side Note - I've lost the battle on camp checking (for another post), but when did having to respond immediately become mandatory for those announcing camp checking?] This time someone replied "crypt" and someone said "disco". I decided to do a /who on the toon because it was late at night and you do silly things late at night after playing a long time. The toon was anonymous. So I sent in ooc: I respect your right to be anonymous...please respect my right to ignore you. Can you guess what happened next? Yep...the toon immediately threatened to come steal my camp from me (you know the 10 year old bravado talk). This amused me because...I wasn't actually doing anything. What followed was a semi-predictable thread of responses in ooc, with several (although I'm pretty sure at least two were the same person) people saying that camp check ignoring is awful, that stealing the camp would be in the right, yadda yadda yadda. One sole person said that regardless of anything, stealing an active camp would the the absolute worst thing someone could do. I said one or two things in return in ooc (basically asking why I had to be social to someone who wanted to be non-social) and finished my evening in ooc with: No, you can be anonymous. It's just a game. And logged off for the night. I've always disliked the anonymous/role playing feature in EQ. It is a social game. I have had specifically one encounter in all of EQ that has ever been considered role playing. Never, in my too many years of EQ, have any of my toons been anonymous or role playing (I am not a raider nor have I ever been except the occasional open raids). I have generally boxed 6 toons since OoW (5 of them with buff capabilities...and none are a necro or a mage). My main prior to that was a druid who has received more buff/port requests than there are grains of sand on a beach...(ok, maybe not that many, but a good number). And since PoP, I have always been at level cap. But if anonymous is in the game and folks use it, I don't have an issue on those anonymous toons interacting with the world. But I choose to selectively respond to anonymous (and sometimes role playing) tells/ooc/general chat inquiries/questions/buff or port requests all the time. Whenever asked why I won't do x and I bring it up their anonymity as justification for ignoring, the toon usually goes on a rant/tirade/whine about how unfair I am (well...usually I'm scum or other more colorful words). I'm just curious for those that are anonymous...in a social game, what are you giving up when anonymous? If your answer is nothing, then I think you need to rethink your logic. From my point of view, anonymous folks fall into 6 categories (ranked from most common to least...again from my perspective). #1 - The Anti-Social Folks (Don't Ask Me For Buffs) These folks may also fall into other categories below, but mainly this person just wants to play the game on their terms and not have much of a social experience. The only time they want to interact with the world is when they need something or don't want to expend effort (camp checks, buff/port requests, game questions, etc.). Most of these folks will justify their anonymity by stating that they don't want to be harassed by buff requests. I am in the largest family guild on Xegony. My guild leader mgb buffs all levels enough regularly that a lag pile has formed for several years now by Facesmasher Brog. Certain other guilds seem to have specifically told their membership to seek out my guild for buffs. And I can sit in PoK for hours on a Friday night and have only a handful of buff requests across all my toons. It's not a justifiable reason any longer...unless your threshold is one request per lifetime of the toon. #2 - The Grievers These people want the social experience of taunting and harassing others with as little negative feedback coming their way. A good number of these toons are alts of mains in power guilds and showing their guild tag would have some blow back (for what little reputation still means in the game). These are the toons that camp steal, named steal, or cross pick camp. These are the toons that make crass/rude/inappropriate comments in chat. These are the people who make you question the intelligence of the human race... #3 - The Rule Breakers People hacking the game, using 3rd party software to gain advantages. And they don't want you to know the character classes so you can obviously tell they are hacking (i.e. no tracker but can find named half a zone away). #4 - The Farmers Most of #3 also fits into #4, but there seem to still be some folks who play the game without hacking but still pretty much go after specific, high-value targets. You will always see them at certain places and then when not on, traders with goods from those areas appear in the bazaar. It's like the game is their job or something... #5 - The Victims/Old Raiders I know there are folks who go anonymous/role playing because they get harassed and threatened in game. People followed folks around, sent nasty messages to them, and trained them in zones...and they just wanted to escape that. I'm also including old raiders here because their anonymity was based on racing to raid targets back in the day...and they just have never touched it. #6 - The Newbies This is not as common as it used to be, but overall I have found folks who immediately turn on anonymous (or more common role playing) at first toon creation because it is there. When they asking me for buffs (and I could con them), I'd usually politely tell them that they should state what level they are when requesting buffs and that showing what level they are when low level will generally get more folks to just help them (give gear, advice, buffs, etc.). Most will turn off at some point, but usually not until they encountered some resistance for help. I think the tutorial and sort of immediately jumping into playing has had a lot to do with the scarcity of this type nowadays. I'm older, and well...older, and I play the game for fun. When it is not fun, I move to something else or step away for a bit. But why I always come back is the combination of playing and social interactions with friends, my guild, random folks I meet in my travels, and anyone else I find. The concept of anonymous for me defeats the purpose of EQ as a game experience...and I'm just curious why people seem to have a difficult time accepting that their anonymity has repercussions at least from my part.
I use to play on Tallon Zek, so /anon was a must, though after a while people got to know who you were just by name alone (especially if you used the forum Tallon Zek Times). Odd as it may seem, I use to roleplay a lot on TZ as well. Now, after coming back to the game after years away, I play on Vox. I don't bother with /anon or /role, as I see no point in it. No need to hide who/what/where my toon is. Though, I do have to point out: If I go into a zone and do a CC check, and you don't answer...I'd be a little annoyed at showing up to the camp thinking it is open to find it is not. Of course, I hardly bother with a CC check anymore because of botters, and being a rogue, I just go look .
I don't have any issue with people being anon, not showing their guild tag outside of my own guild as long as they aren't being an . I can always /guildstatus them if they are trying to hide while being in a guild. The only time I've had any issue with someone anon is within my own guild. We have a policy to not be anon and raids are mandatory if online. We have this policy because people would end up raiding with another guild and getting lockouts for raids we are doing and not showing up for our raids causing raid attendance issues for key classes. They would go anon so we couldn't see what they were doing.
I sometimes use it because I do not want others to see what zone I am in. It saves a lot of stupid questions as to why I am there, why not over here, do I want to join their group, could I help them kill such and such etc. I don't always use it, just sometimes. What is really tweaked is the person on our server who is being so helpful by letting folks know he has a task ad for higher missions but if your anon he will not invite you. So its a double edge sword, we each have the right and reasons don't matter.
I use it often because I like to sit in old zones and dislike answering the same boring questions from guild all the time about "why are you in vex thal?". It's just a privacy thing for me, if I wanted you to know where I was, I'd tell you. If folks are in the same zone as me then I have no issue with them knowing what class / race / level / sexual orientation / religion / favorite pizza I am. I just do it to avoid the folks that know me
I'm the same as Sissruukk, used to play on a PvP server (VZ), so anon was a must. Not only did you not want to advertise what class/level you were, as it was common practice to do a '/who' every time you zoned, but also when the guild was heading towards a raid target, if an opposing guild could find out where you were going by /who'ing your members, they could come and contest your raid target. Back in the day, certain classes were in demand for buffs or ports. If you were busy sometimes you didn't want to be bothered by strangers. So in response to the OP, I don't really have a problem with 'anon', as it would be hypocritical after using it so much, for very good reasons. in the past. As for camps... replying in /ooc to a 'Camp Check', again is not a requirement, but it is polite and saves other people time getting to the camp to find it taken.... or the disaster if someone decides to train their way to, what they believe to be, an un-used camp. Saying that, whoever said "that stealing the camp would be in the right".... Not Cool.
I'm usually very positive in-game and on the forums.. but this is just griping for sake of griping. EverQuest is a game. People can play as they see fit as long as they're not breaking the rules. Being anon or role are options put in place by the devs for players to play their way. If they use it to just be left alone then so be it. No one is asking you to like it, but to complain and grief someone using it (which is what you did/do) isn't right. Sure there are people that use it when they plan to do something they don't want to get in trouble for, but to treat everyone that is using this feature the same or lump them into categories that you think they fit into shows you to be a not so pleasant person.
I'm betting most raid guilds have rules against using it, ever. If you're online, you're raiding. That being said, as has been said too much brain power placed on this hehe
A lot of raid guilds forbid anon, but allow role. As role does not make your location anonymous in the guild roster.
I was in some raiding guilds that prohibited alts from showing the guild tag. However, I use anon on a box because I send all his chat away and I wont see / respond if a message is sent. My main is not anon so it balances out.
I don't know why I still use it. Tradition, I guess. But I reason I used it, which hasn't been covered in this thread, is that roleplay (and possibly anon) prevented spam from the plat sellers and the like, back when that was rampant.
You know.. I re-read this today, and your logic fails so badly it hurts. Xegony should have an all anon week just to piss you off.
Hi Goodn, I was in that /pick of Old Sebilis last night also (you probably saw a couple of /oocs from me of things rotting if people wanted them), and whilst I wasn't part of the conversation regarding using /anon and ignoring people (which was mostly lighthearted, incidentally, log included for edification with names edited to protect the identities of those involved), for clarity, the main characters on two of my accounts are /role, and Mykaylla is /anon. Why am I anon? I have had people follow me to every zone I went to, and then when I went /role, sending tells to my guildmates at the time to find out where I am. Making characters to send me tells from if I put them on ignore, watching to see if my zone changes because then they know that I'm not AFK. Bug my friends. Sometimes this is from people I only know of in game, but at other times, it has been people I have known IRL, and it was just part of a total pattern of behaviour. In raid guilds, sure, you can't go anon. When I was still in a raiding guild, that involved asking my guildmates to please not respond to people asking questions about me, or specifically faecal-listing certain people once I became an officer, because I needed to be available to people asking questions. Whether or not that behaviour would bother you, I do not know, but it bothers me. It doesn't mean I don't exist though, and I think it's somewhat weird to pretend someone /anon isn't there just because you can't see their class, race and level, or guild tag without typing /guildstat <name>. I mean, it's still your choice, I just think it's weird. Being ignored doesn't excuse sniping someone's mobs if you can clearly see them camping it, but there are all too many situations where someone may unwittingly take some mobs that a person is camping, just because they didn't respond to a camp check. It seems like it's more likely to add an additional layer of low-grade irritation, but if it makes you feel better, hey, you do you. And now, underwhelming logs for the curious (And weird timezone timestamps, whee!). <Nothing said in /ooc for 13 minutes, which had been instructions to the location of a rotting item> [Tue Jun 27 14:53:49 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'ccpls' [Tue Jun 27 14:54:05 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'cc?' [Tue Jun 27 14:54:13 2017] Anon01 says out of character, 'crypt' [Tue Jun 27 14:54:25 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'disco 1' [Tue Jun 27 14:54:44 2017] Anon02 says out of character, 'You are anonymous...I respect your right to be anonymous...respect my right to ignore you' [Tue Jun 27 14:55:19 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'ok then will camp your spot if u didnt call itou' [Tue Jun 27 14:55:34 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'gonna have to side with AnonCCplz on this one' [Tue Jun 27 14:56:02 2017] Anon02 says out of character, 'Then why are you anon?' [Tue Jun 27 14:56:27 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'because i'm a shaman and i don't like buff tells' [Tue Jun 27 14:56:58 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'does that offend you that Im anonymous?' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:02 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'Just turn /a off and send them to Anon02 then' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:11 2017] Anon04 says out of character, 'taking a camp actively being killed is way worse than ignoring camp check, sorry guys.' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:12 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'i'm actually roleplaying as an internet hacker' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:29 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'we are legion' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:32 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'Correct Anon04' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:39 2017] Anon01 says out of character, 'I am Tiger Woods' [Tue Jun 27 14:57:56 2017] Anon02 says out of character, 'No, you can be anonymous...but if you are trying to hide from folks...you should expect people to ignore you from time to time.' [Tue Jun 27 14:58:20 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'But, I would estimate, a desire to harass someone calling a cc based on the dubious conviction that because they are anonymous they deserve no curtesy' [Tue Jun 27 14:58:37 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'Does, in fact, warrant schmoozing in on said offendee's camp' [Tue Jun 27 14:59:09 2017] Anon02 says out of character, 'Okay...feel free to play that way. It's a game.' [Tue Jun 27 14:59:10 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'Anon02 your strange , I mean really strange' [Tue Jun 27 14:59:34 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'you see the thing is' [Tue Jun 27 14:59:41 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'we have to take our clothes off to have a good time' [Tue Jun 27 14:59:56 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'omg Notashamanie stop talking and slow these mobs' [Tue Jun 27 15:00:22 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'IE > EE' [Tue Jun 27 15:00:28 2017] Anon05 says out of character, 'HOW dare you be anonumous!!!' [Tue Jun 27 15:00:36 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'truer words never spoken' [Tue Jun 27 15:00:37 2017] Anon05 says out of character, 'I feel violated' [Tue Jun 27 15:03:36 2017] Newnamemadeforthisconversation says out of character, 'how did you get so triggered over someone having an opinon about /anon? like seriously ' [Tue Jun 27 15:03:46 2017] Newnamemadeforthisconversation says out of character, 'ps I am a shaman not anon plz send buff tells' [Tue Jun 27 15:04:11 2017] Notashamanee says out of character, 'triggered' [Tue Jun 27 15:04:25 2017] AnonCCplz says out of character, 'Lol New, yea thats why I said Anon02 is strange' [Tue Jun 27 15:04:54 2017] Newnamemadeforthisconversation says out of character, 'sexist homophobic transphobic elfphobic cisgender scum' [Tue Jun 27 15:05:10 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'I think I like you' [Tue Jun 27 15:05:14 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'You remind me of Pluginnodelay' [Tue Jun 27 15:05:19 2017] Anon03 says out of character, 'That guy would harass the out of mqers' [Tue Jun 27 15:06:11 2017] Newnamemadeforthisconversation says out of character, 'whats ? MaleQuest? White males no doubt' <Nothing in /ooc for 25 minutes after, which was then just a rot call>
That was my thought too. I don't use anon and am generally never bothered by anon players. I try to help everyone around me who needs help, but when I'm required to know an anon's class or location to help them, I don't go out of my way to help them because they've declined making it easy for other people to help them. Ex: if I'm trying to get someone some rotting loot by sending my travel-tag-team bard/wiz or bard/dru pair to fetch them, having to ask them where they are and then interpreting their probably technically wrong answer wastes a lot of time. edit: from the above log I can guarantee that Newnamemadeforthisconversation wants to MAGA.
