Multiboxing is a sign of a deeper problem with the game.

Summoning was introduced when mass pulling started lagging the zones out, round about VoA time. It wasn't all mobs just some in each zone so you couldn't pull everything but could still root rot or kite a few at a time.

As a Wizzy I started kiting in my 30's. My necro on TLP server started a lot earlier than that.

I'm pretty sure the class information that used to be on the website stated which classes were good at soloing. Which was there from at least 2001, I'm not sure when it and the deity information was removed.

The reason I multibox is almost entirely to the extremely low caliber of the typical PUG member. You don't notice it as much early in the game when gameplay is rather simple minded and it's not obvious that a lot of people suck. And it's not as if the game is really super complicated at high levels of play, it's just that as you advance you begin to realize that you can run a second character in the background more skillfully than a lot of people who claim to be a single character player.

A lot of people get PL'd then dumped into the general population without ever being taught how to play their character. Some take the time and effort to learn from that point, but many just end up not doing so, get frustrated because they can't find a group, and usually quit. At least, that is how it is on my server.

I like how there's this feeling that in the early days of EQ there was some sort of grouping utopia. Was it easier to find groups? Sure. But every group was a mixed bag. You could stumble across a group that was well honed and crushing it, and you could also find a group that didn't know which part of the sword to hit the mobs with.

As a wizard, I frequently found it difficult to find groups, as so many players played the class poorly, that nobody wanted them in their groups, either due to aggro-yanking, or medding too much. I would go to popular zones, and give a witty song and dance in /ooc to try to drum up an invite, and was only occasionally successful. It was not uncommon for me to search and search, only to come up empty and then go kite wherever I could find a suitable spot.

That being said, a huge factor in people being more open to groups was that a large portion of the player base was still learning the ins and outs of the game, so everyone was more forgiving of newbies and people not quite understanding some basics of the game. That's not so true anymore. The player base has evolved and to not consider that in the OPs tired and repetitive "boxing is bad" argument that is put forth every time they feel like complaining about it, is disingenuous and incomplete.

This right here is actually something not only EQ1 has taught me. Perhaps it's because I have been gaming for most of my life, and all of my adult life, but I have lost much of my patience for less skilled players.

It's one thing if they are a friend, guildmate, or even someone genuinely reaching out to try to improve. Random people are simply more trouble than they are worth the absolute vast majority of time. I have no problem with them existing, playing the same game I enjoy, and participating. But I absolutely need to be in control of how, when, and where I engage with them.

This extends well beyond MMOs at this point. MOBA's have comp play for a reason and that reason is to "in theory" put like skilled players together. Same goes for other genres as well.

In the grand scheme of things lowering the barrier to entry in gaming in general has I think exasperated my feelings towards this. Making games "easy" to play (more paying customers) has bred literally millions of MMO players who can solo to max level with no real concept of what group gameplay is like or how one should in theory play their class.

I am not going to argue the business sense that obviously makes to Darkpaw (or any others) but give me the tools weather intentional or not to choose how / when I interact with that community.

I feel that the solution to multiboxing (because you feel like you have to) is not as simple as any one change or system.

There are a range of things that could be potential solutions but each has a cost & a series of expected & unexpected consequences that may arise.

1. Improve Grouping:

1a. Making improvements to the quest & group missions themselves that encourage more grouping

1b. Moving campfires from being tied to fellowships to functioning as a group-perk

1c. A "not-visible-to-players-gear-scoring system" - this is a back-end system addition to facilitate 1d.

1d. A player gear-boost system that can temporarily adjust a badly geared players stats (hp/ac/mana/end/avoidance/crit rate etc.) towards an acceptably geared player - not a top-geared grouper just an acceptable baseline, this uses the aforementioned gear-scoring system & places a buff on the player with very weak gear to help address the disparity, all that the player themselves will see is a % indicated on the buff to show by how much their current gearscore is behind that baseline figure and that also represents by how much they are currently being boosted while in that group - this buff does not apply to solo or molo players only to those grouped with other players.

1e. A "spell-line" system - this is a back end system addition that has an invisible "spell line denotation" all spells on that line will have that field & this will be mainly used by 1f.

1f. A "Side-kick" system - this temporarily boosts the effective level of the lowest level player in any group so long as they remain within range of a higher level player, if the highest level player moves too far away then the lower level players depreciate to the level of the next highest level member of the group within range.
While boosted the player will only have access to the spell lines their actual real level may use, but they will be using the version of that spell line that would be available to their boosted level
The Sidekick system therefore allows any player below max level (there may perhaps be a need for a suggested minimum level player this will apply its effects to such as level 50) to group with any player of any level above them and play alongside them - in combination with the player-boost.
Experience gain of a boosted player is at a % per of their real level XP bar which approximates levelling with other players of the same level they really are in level-appropriate content.

That's not the only ideas I have to reduce multiboxing "dependancy" but it's a start.

I don’t know how anyone can disagree that EQ has terribly mismanaged. Gates of Discord is the definition of mismanagement.

If the goal is to discourage anyone running multiple characters then the system needs a way to match up players that goes well beyond LFG and spamming general channel.

I would suggest something like the way WoW queues up people for the group instances as an example that doesn't totally suck. ( it has issues as well )

Most of the players I know typically play in 1-3 hr blocks. If you don't have a consistent group of friends ready to go its hard to "get anything done"

The other issue that needs to be addressed is the time sink vs rewards. The XP rates and AA requirements are so bad they have added overseer as a "hack".

10k multiboxers heeding the call.

You honestly want to force people into groups of 6 random people ? and expect these 6 random people to a) agree on anything and b) accomplish anything ? in 1-3 hours ?

Can EQ do the cross server thing WoW does? I have played WoW very limited but there where people with () on their name which apparently meant they were on another server.

Pickup group match making may not be a great solution but cross-server grouping could really help the low level game. I miss finding people in old zones.

As of right now, no, EQ does not have that capability. Can it in the future? Not sure.

Also, as a couple have pointed out, their toleration of low quality played toons is not very high, so a pug system would not even be viewed as an option for a group by some people.

I'm such a fan of this concept that I've already documented this for zerks. I've created a full pedigree of all the disciplines/abilities. One spreadsheet. One row per level. Columns organized by timer and "spell-line". It makes it a lot easier to explain to new berserkers "At this level, your burn discs are called... and these ones over here should be on your spam bar."

For a limited set of the heroic missions, maybe.

Maybe for the random pug groups they let 9x people go instead of six

Care to share ? That sounds pretty cool.

I'll share it tonight when I get home.

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The only problem here, is yours. As you are the 1 who thinks other people paying for more then 1 account is a problem.

Pathetic..

People have been boxing since 1999, you need to find another game.

As long as it has a do not group with list. I no longer have the patience to deal with ninja AFKs and people who cannot follow simple movement instructions, nor have the ability to comunicate to the group what the next step of their quest is.

This & things like it probably have a profound impact on anyone that experiences them and thus leads to an accumulation of distrust / dislike of pick up groups & LFG/groupfinder tools. This probably lies at the roots of why Pick Up Group scene never recovered after DoDH*

(*I think that expansions mission system did the most damage to PUGs)

Would a do not group with list be better with a permanent list or one that just had a set period of time before those on it were removed?
Like say 6 months, if they go onto the list a second time its 12 months & then the 3rd time is permanent?

Even some of the worst players I have grouped with changed over time into being less of a ninja-looter / dram-llama / <insert infraction here> so maybe a list that's only permanent is counter-productive.