Should there be a place in Everquest for a player like me

Why even bother playing any games? Just automate every step of the way, right? I want to have a ten hour marathon Civ game, but I just don't want to put forth any effort. I should start a game and hit a I WIN button and let the game make every right decision for me over ten hours, right?

Illegal software is illegal for a reason. I think devs would rather have people I dunno, group up and play with each other, than allowing players the opportunity to turn this into a solo game where they control five group/raid geared toons making flawless decisions and you just coast on your "main"

This has NEVER EVER been true. When they introduced Truebox, it wasn't even true that you'd get banned. It just wouldn't allow you to log in the second character.

I find it interesting that the OP's post was edited by Accendo, but allowed to stand.

It certainly wasn't true in 2000. Has it actually ever been true on a TLP server. I have no significant experience on the Kindergarten servers.

I'm not sure about automation but maybe upgraded mercs or mercs with more class flavor? I've unfortunately developed parkinsons and I would like to continue enjoying this game as long as possible. I can't usually keep up in raid environments but now I feel like I'm holding groups back too so some solo alternatives would be a godsend.

Do people box for fun or because they have to? Why not remove the gap that forces people to box in the first place?


My point was that if players don't need to box to get some of the things done, then they won't need cheating programs or automation either.

Getting a real group would still be beneficial for completing stuff faster. Missions/nameds and other content specifically targeted for groups will of course still need a group(im ok with boss-mobs and rares being "special"). But if players could molo merc quests and most of the partisans, then I think people wouldn't be forced to box so far beyond their capabilities that they need to cheat.

If the mobs obeyed the rules that everquest originally was designed around, like being vulnerable to CC, and couldn't summon, then it would probably be manageable to most molo players, who knows their class well.
That even trash mobs needs to "cheat" by being immune to class defining abilities and having summon abilities, is a kind of "fake difficulty" that goes against the class design that makes everquest what it is.

In my opinion? No. Not because I could not imagine a server full of bots doing whatever they want (hey, I don't care), but because I honestly do not understand your need to six-box with software aid to level beyond the 90ties and past 100. I have no raid gear, I am nothing but an low bar casual player and I play 99.9% of my time alone two characters with mercs, no added software at all. Yet I was able to level up to 120. If you need six botted characters you are doing something absurdly wrong, you might just ask someone for help and learn how to enjoy the game in the way it was intended. Which is the original spirit of the game - group with real people - and something I would rather keep alive instead of catering an army of bots.

I do not feel there should be a place for anyone who can't abide by the games known rules. Aome 3rd party programs are ok to use, others are not. Who decides ? Whom ever owns the game at that time. Not you, not me period.

What may make sense is to up the merc effectiveness as the level limit on the server goes up. Mercs seem to drop off in effectiveness around 75-80. If you're 80 when the level limit is 90, then it's no big deal if the mercs wimp out because there's plenty of people to group with. But when you're 80 and the level limit is 120, it's basically up to you alone to get you through all those levels. There's pretty much no one to group with. That can be challenging in a way that's more frustrating than fun. It's no surprise that people will quit or turn to boxing (or even automation) to try to try to be effective enough to level. Do something like make the merc power dropoff around 95-100 if the level limit is 120. This way people can molo their way to the point at which there are pick-up groups without having to resort to things like boxing.

I don't know when you played. But I do remember that when I first started playing eq it was full screen only, and we could not even use the windows-tab functionality to open another program. Someone pointed out that this was probably a violation of windows terms of use. It wasnt long after that I remember seeing that post that you were able to tab out of the game(I dont know if the two are related)

As far as I can tell it wasnt edited.

Not being able to windows tab doesn't mean you would get banned.

The amount of automation I saw in the T3 victory youtubes leads me to believe that automation is fine for some and not others.

Since 1999. But... What? Violation of Windows terms of use? What? You've always been able to tab out of EQ, even when in full screen. It's never gotten you banned.

So we can make a post and then need to check or ensure accendo doesn't edit or mess with it? What the flip?

This is just not true. When i started in 1999 there was only full screen and when you sat to med you went spellbook. There was no way to alt tab out. This changed but in the beginning you couldn't alt tab. I don't think trying to was bannable as i tried a few thousand times.

I never said tabbing out could get you banned. I was just pointing out that at one time you only ran one instance of EQ per computer. The whole point of that was that what is "legal" has changed over time. I am asking if are we at a point in time in EQs life arc for another change in the rules.

There is a place for you in EQ!

Cheaters? No there is ZERO places in Everquest for someone like you/that. Good on DBG for banning your . I hope its permanent.

cHeErS!

I see two, perhaps dichotomous, but yet connected, issues here.

Issue 1.
Since I started playing 19 years ago, there has been a lot spoken/written about how one 'should' play. For good or ill the game has coerced us all into certain playstyles: One should group, one should not solo, one should follow these quest arcs etc etc. That fundament hasn't changed, although the ways it which it manifests may have. For eg we see exp from old zones downgraded to push us into new zones - why? The new zones are overcrowded, we might be perfectly happy in the old zones (but will still buy the expansions because we want the AAs etc), yet we, effectively, can't choose our own paths.
This has always seemed daft to me - why shut people out? Why take away their fun?

The rules about using 'assistance software' are probably part of this hegemony (although it's certainly not the full story)

Issue 2
In creating content there's a cognisance of the level/abilities of various types of player who will encounter that content. There are umpteen checks in place to stop folk being 'overpowered' at various stages. There is an assumption that at x level you will have y gear and z abilities. If 'assistance software' becomes the norm, that bar will change/move. The 'unassisted' player would thus be disadvantaged and perhaps eventually be pushed out. That's not where I, and I suspect many, would want to go.

Personally, I very much don't want to see 'assisted play' become the norm.
I have no strong feelings about people who cause zero grief to others using whatever to enable them to play (which I don't, I have neither the tech nor the tech know-how, or interest to do so). But, to answer the OP directly, it becomes a thin end of the wedge/slippery slope argument doesn't it? We know that all the worst bullies in EQ are 'software enhanced' . Folk are upset when they see server/game firsts claimed by those similarly 'enhanced'. So unless/until there is a way to distinguish 'good' and 'bad' ways of automated play, my answer is 'no'.