Non Multi-Box Live

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by KaiserSozay, Sep 5, 2021.

  1. Skrab East Cabilis #1 Realtor

    How hard is it to understand people, don’t like turning EQ into a job? On a TLP, you can still bump into groups in low level content and build friendships.
  2. Szilent Augur

    TLPs are (apparently) super great for a bunch of players for various reasons, but they are not a natural "on ramp" for going to endgame EQ

    Except when they're very new, TLP player populations are just as thin below their respective max levels, for the same reason Live servers are : folks who play, progress.

    And TLP populations crater year on year, with folks dropping out - when the AA grind begins, or when instanced raids start, or in the OoW-DoN-DodH-PoR level plateau, or when group quests & progression become a thing - for any of nearly infinite reasons, either to start up on a new TLP or to reroll on Live.

    On Live, that is, to develop a character that's a keeper. After all, only ROI guild a dozen years ago and a bit of Faceless last year (a chunk of which then got suspended? that's another story) have ever come "through" a TLP.
  3. Skrab East Cabilis #1 Realtor

    The OP hasn’t played in 15 years, it’s better to recommend a server with a much more active community for the 3-6 months that they’ll end up playing. Live isn’t a good a option.
    Accipiter and Stymie like this.
  4. Tarvas Redwall of Coirnav, now Drinal

    This thread is about a lot of things, one of them being as you said two post preceding mine. The specific reason why I feel that way is because -5 of max is typically current content or one expansion behind. It does not make much sense to me for players to continue to use hot zones when they have current or near content to progress through.
  5. NameAlreadyInUse #CactusGate

    I understand, and it's a good point. I think the difficulty of the newest expansions keep them generally out of reach for most non-raiding players, too. So I think whatever changes are implemented to help lonely, newer players to be able to play alone (be it hotzones or something else) need to be kept available for all levels.

    I know it's all guesswork without seeing the actual numbers, but I would assume 99% of raiders complete a new expansion's "group" content while it is current. But I would assume that only about 1% of non-raiding players complete a new expansion's "group" content while it is current.

    Maybe we should just make it clear that raiding, soloing, and multiboxing are really the 3 main ways to play Live EQ. The "group game" is really not viable, aside from the very occasional - and just as fleeting - pug.
  6. Laronk Augur


    Being a paladin is great, you find any single player and you have a group. At worst you go somewhere a bit easier.
    Nennius, Szilent and Yinla like this.
  7. Tucoh Augur

    Having hot zones (that rotate daily) of current content can make it easier to progress in current content because you can schedule progress in a given zone when the zone is hot and full of players. Plus instead of casual players finding it difficult to get out of entry level zones like great divide / eastern wastes they will be able to find groups in tougher areas.
  8. Vumad Cape Wearer


    I agree. I was just mentioning options. Honestly I think with the slow belt a druid or wizard box, that can snare and port, would probably be the best for QOL. Druid would be my personal choice. I use a mage as my tank and main ENC, so bard song aggro was a hassle for me. I can agree that a BRD is probably the best pair to any melee class, especially one with good aggro.
  9. Szilent Augur

    As a rule, Treads belt is the pick of professional knights, not slow. There are applications for the other, like the waiting /achievements in CoV Zlandicar and Aaryonar missions may as well run slow belt, but most folks don't repeat those a ton.
  10. Skrab East Cabilis #1 Realtor

    @OP: Slow belts aren’t an option until level 110. All of the discussion has been centered around the last few expansions and not the journey that stands before you on a Live server.
  11. Biltene Kingslayer

    Having spent actual time on a TLP for the first time since they've been implemented on Thornblade, I feel like it's glossing over the fact that suggesting a TLP as an option is more nuanced than "there will be people your level to group with."

    It's not like EQ when it first started where you see people all over the world exploring, and doing random quests, if it was, joining TLP might be a good idea for a returning player. But my experience (limited as it may be) has been that everyone goes to the best xp areas and grinds away to get up as fast as they can because before you know it, the next expansion is unlocking. With pickzones being active, you no longer have to worry about going to a zone like Unrest and all the reasonable camps being taken so there's no reason to go to other zones. On my server SK was packed in the old days for toons in their 20s, on my TLP, not a soul.

    Sure you can make friends your own level, but what happens when you take a day or two off, and now those friends have outleveled your ability to gain xp with them, or vise versa? I think a case could be made that that could be a worse fate than soloing on Live.

    I guess it depends on what the player wants. Do you want to level up at your pace, learn to play your class with all its abilities as they go active, with the eventual goal of being involved in current content? Then go with live, even knowing that you'll end up soloing most if not all of the time, unless you can make friends with people who have alts they want to level up. Do you want to play EQ from the beginning and work through all the content to experience it for the first time, or relive old memories, but do so at a pace that may be different than what you're looking for, knowing that it will take you years to get up to current status? Then go TLP.
    Szilent and NameAlreadyInUse like this.
  12. Skrab East Cabilis #1 Realtor


    You ignored the much bigger category of, people that just want to play EQ for a few months and interact with others. Packed zones with multiple picks are a good thing for anyone dabbling in EQ. Raiding has an exceptionally low barrier to entry.
  13. KaiserSozay New Member

    Honestly I can say the biggest problem I’ve had is finding a zone I can actually molo in besides some key undead areas. I get that multi box is the norm now and it’s specifically because of the low population. What I don’t get is why they haven’t merged all these low pop servers into a handful of medium to high pop servers. I get that probably make money off of people paying a monthly for another box or two but you’d think they’d make more if the game felt less like a ghost town.

    The more I learn about it the more it seems like playing on Live just isn’t a good option for me. Which sucks because EQ was the game that introduced me to MMOs. I would play on a TLP but I hate the idea that I can bust my butt to get a toon leveled and geared only to have the server die after PoP hits. I appreciate all the feedback and conversations guys. I’ll keep looking elsewhere for my MMO fix.
  14. Skrab East Cabilis #1 Realtor


    It doesn't die after PoP, but more around the Level 70 era. You just have to look at it objectively, how long are you really going to play EQ? Mischief is in Velious, which would give you like 6 months until the end of PoP.

    Do you really see yourself playing EQ for more than 6 months straight?
  15. Sissruukk Rogue One

    Yes.
  16. KaiserSozay New Member

    I mean…yeah…that was the plan.
  17. quakedragon Augur

    Problem with returning players today is they want to experience new content.
    They don't want to go relive Kunark in a TLP and be stuck and see old content for months before they see something new.

    If someone mentions they'd like to play on Live and some other scenario like no boxing allowed, its because they want to get to end game EQ but they also like the server be where people are more inclined to group with you.

    Also, just because you have a hotzone at every level doesn't mean everyone will go there.
    Everyone (many) goto BFM 15 - 30 because its a good zone to goto. Rather than northern plains karana hardly see anything hotzone. They avoid MMM hotzone because its not molo friendly.

    Hotzones isn't your savior, TSS like expansion is. TRADITIONAL zones. Level ranges are WIDE 45 to 65. We need TRADITIONAL ZONES (as in level ranges are WIDE, aka zone for 80 to 105 zone, 95 to 115), those would help live server and people 80 to 115 find each other.

    ...
    How to make it so PL'ers/xp'ers in zones way below their level (ex. lvl 115 xping in a 90 spot) don't go rushing/camping over there? Have stuff based on quests, solo quests, find an uncommon item solo quest(boxers hate this stuff). Make it so you need to take a boat to certain parts of the map. Make it so someone can't just run and aggro everything easily. Molo'ers island. Grouper's island.

    If its an instance people under level 110 will unlikely notice each other and this promotes boxing.
    Nennius likes this.
  18. NameAlreadyInUse #CactusGate

    You just made me question why there are any restrictions on getting exp while grouping with somebody higher level. Just...why?

    It seems that removing that one restriction would relieve so much of what keeps people from being able to play together. Why is there still this deep-rooted belief that new players must suffer and slog to get max level?

    What is wrong with power leveling on live servers? Why is it bad that a toon should be able to level up quickly or play with higher-level players? Why is it so wrong to let max level toons get experience for grey mobs? Why are there any grey mobs?
  19. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    I have asked for a Chronomage/Mentor system like EQ2 for literally a decade.

    Not.Going.To.Happen.
  20. I_Love_My_Bandwidth Mercslayer

    There's a lot in EQ to love. But if you're set on finding a different MMO - I wish you luck and hope you'll find a good fit for what you're after.