No one to form a group

Discussion in 'The Veterans' Lounge' started by Fian, Feb 8, 2023.

  1. Laronk Augur

    For the ones that only enjoy the competition what's wrong with that?

    It still doesn't speak to low attention spans just someone enjoying the game differently. A lot of the raid guilds aren't "competitive" though and those players are still logging in and doing the raids. At least some of them must enjoy it.
    Rijacki likes this.
  2. Tappin Augur

    There isn't anything wrong with that at all. But TLP doesn't add to replayability for everyone, and suggesting it's for someone who can't progress on live because content design choices by DP is just nonsense.
  3. Rijacki Just a rare RPer on FV and Oakwynd

    I don't think there was an implication that they "can't" progress on live but that they may not be fixated on only progressing a character as the character on a TLP will eventually be either recycled or moved to a different server.
  4. Tappin Augur

    It was absolutely insinuated that if you can't progress a character that you can either do old content or TLP. There are several post from multiple people. Sorry, but I don't pay for a 'live service' that restricts my progression in such a fashion that I feel like I have been put in time out.
    TheRealMuramx likes this.
  5. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    A new player with no ties on a live server is better off going to a TLP server if they are starting from scratch and want player interation. If they are a new player they have never seen that content before so they are not replaying it they are experiencing it. In the same way when COVID hit my daughter started playing EQ and we both created a char and started from scratch. She went beast, I went rogue and with 2 mercs it didn't matter it was just the 2 of us...she is forgiven for creating a wood elf beast....she didn't know any better! We didn't rush the leveling and had fun doing old stuff.

    On the other hand if you are a returning player and still have contacts/friends/guild ties I would go to live. Just having one person who can help you level, even if it is just grouping with you on a lower level char at your level it will help you stay and not quit after a week.

    If you have no friends, guild or contacts you can still go live, but you need to work harder to make conections with people.
    code-zero and Rijacki like this.
  6. uberkingkong Augur

    I agree, best place for newplayer is TLP.
    On Live if they had a smart LFG system, where LFG system automatically puts you in LFG when your in a lazy zone like PoK, people know someone else lvl 90 is active not doing anything. Shoot them a tell.
    UI could be preset with information put in it like leveling, checkmark, missions, checkmark, hunter uncheckmark, all zones but VoA or higher checkmark.
    Doing your tradeskills, managing your bank, just watching tv while you try figure out what to do, SMART LFG tags you up and there you go, people know LFG is being used again they start looking at it and seeing if anyone is LFG again.

    Problem with live is, they say LFG is dead, and they do nothing, they don't try solve the issue.
    If its dead, no groups around, and you do nothing, nothing happens.
    On TLP people actually use LFG they expect to see people in LFG they know if they go LFG people are likely to look. On Live, its considered dead, people just look just to see if its still dead or not. Maybe during new expansion release people will appear and be thought of actually useful.

    SMART LFG is something that has a good chance at working.
    Your in PoK for past 3 minutes, its a lazy zone, just merchants, sit around, a zone to lookup things to do, just talking to people, its not gonna hurt to go LFG while your in the zone being lazy or looking up what things to do.
    Doing something to combat the no one to group with is better than nothing at all.

    PoK could be the zone where you want SMART lfg to be SMART and make LFG while you go do some quick real life task, and heck I'll go LFG while I do this, see what happens. ON/OFF automatically ON. Newplayers they want to be known so they can find groups. If 120 doesn't wanna be bothered by anyone turn it off.

    So /LFG
    opens LFG UI, a tab SMART LFG click on that tab, can turn it off or on, has filters such as: XP? checkmark Expansions, uncheck ones up to VoA, your playstyle, I do tank or heals checkmark both of those, mission? checkmark progression? checkmark achievement hunting? checkmark. Save&close or save (if you want to look at others who are lfg, keep the window open)
    or
    everything uncheck all I want is hunter Scars of Velious, if you aint doing this don't talk to me
    comment box, I am hunting this named, welcomed to join if you want exactly this too.
    so everytime they go into PoK for more than 3 mins, or (can be changed instant or 10mins or off), SMART LFG kicks in, your LFG now, everyone knows you are open to doing DoN hunter and they see the comment your after suchandsuch. All automatic, no need to /lfg every single time. when you don't expect thing because its been a week you set it up, who knows maybe one day someone will send a tell, can I join you, i know a secret, lets get it done. Thats the beauty of SMART LFG
  7. Yinla Ye Ol' Dragon

    As long as SMART LFG can be disabled on all chars on all serversat the click of one button I'm fine with it.
    The only time I'm in Plane of Knowledge is when I'm doing tradeskills and do not want to be disturbed with players wanting to group. My TLP chars you can add buying spells to that.

    When I'm looking for things to do, Overseer or just chatting I will be be in the guild hall.
    Tegila likes this.
  8. uberkingkong Augur

    Yep that is one you can is turn it off. It starts automatically on, because newbies don't know of this, they probably don't know of /lfg. Good way to find people is through this feature.

    Only group with guildies and friends list? Turn it off.

    People don't know about SMART lfg? Well they will soon when people start asking if they want to group.
    This is for helping people find other people that are new, people not in guilds, in guilds, help get people together.

    The whole, "no one to form a group" issue will go away real fast. (lfg system is bad, much work, tedious, SMART lfg make it easy)
    Ex. I'm gonna be in PoK 5 minutes, selling stuff arranging bank, if I can get within 5 minutes sure. But I aint /lfg, on put in some comment so people what I want. 5 minutes /lfg off, thats a lot of work tedious. Sounds easy but it gets tedious. People don't even look at /lfg because no one does the tedious thing over and over, but if people know SMART lfg is on, newplayers running around not even knowing about yet they are getting tells from people, can I join you. Wow this is so nice, people are sending me tells outta the blue about wanting to join me at lvl 55 doing 55 stuff. Nice, "oooh SMART lfg, this is so nice"

    These issues they pertain to returners, making life easy returners. Even for people that have been around forever, everyone wins.

    You don't want to be part of the SMART LFG system, go turn it off, but everyone starts with it ON. Theres a billion in this game, a lotta people know about, especially newbies. Thats why its ON.

    Again this is in lazy zones, like PoK. Active players but just simple selling banking, messing around, looking up how to do quests/progression/missions, looking up expansions, chatting tasks. SMART LFG comes into effect. Sure you can also have it so its SMART LFP as well. Turn off all, SMART LFG, SMART LFP, etc.

    More choices, smart, automation, simplification. We need this.
    EQ can be like Apple, was around not really a contender for long and all sudden a big player.
    Apple CEO says "think different"
    think big think outside the box,
    "no one around to group with" as a developer what can you do?
    SMART LFG

    another feature to it could be 'send alerts if someone is going LFG and they meet similar criteria or if they just go lfg' alert me if someone if someone is lfg. Similar to /chat you can turn announcement when someone enters chat. Do similar to lfg. Have a filter, 75-105 if someone is lfg announce it for me. Open a new tab announcement. Even further if they are not anon, provide me the lvl and the class they are as well in the announcement. If they have anything like they want others to know they have 2.0 epic, announce that too. If they are flagged for such and such and they want others to know that, include that in the announcement as well. Uncheckmark what race they are, could care if they are not a warrior that is ogre.
  9. Tappin Augur

    TLP is absolutely the worst place for a new or returning player. The community there is less likely to help and with questions less friendly overall. If you don't progress at some sort of chaotic pace the server population will be close to deserted by the time you get to 70 ish.

    It's absolutely shameful to suggested someone to go to TLP because DP added an artificial clock block to current contents level progression.
    Kaenneth likes this.
  10. Rexa Ask someone else for buffs

    I kind of skimmed through this thread (so I apologize if I am re-hashing anything), but there are ways around things, including finding groups...

    A great way to find groups is to be part of other people's discords, strike up friendly convos and make friends.
    - Take advantage of all the discord invites that people toss out in the official EQ Discord channel (including Class Discords)
    - Many open raid teams and guilds on various servers allow visitors into their discord with some even having dedicated chat sections for them - including LFG sections.

    I get it - it's utterly frustrating to not find groups. I've been down that path multiples times, especially when I've taken long breaks from the game. And don't even get me started on trying to use the General Chat channel. There was a point in time where I was squeamish in being in any type of voice chats, too. But guess what? You don't need to use the voice features, and you can just communicate in text.

    I'm part of so many Discords split between two accounts (I happen to play multiple games) that I've literally lost track of how many I am in. But the fun part is that if I ever load a toon on any server or in any game, there's some Discord I can take a glance at and be like "Heyyy Guys!"

    Even for other games that employ more advanced LFG features like cross-server auto-grouping and what not, I still think a lot of people rely on Discord. It's a tool that I think everyone should take advantage of.
    Rijacki likes this.
  11. uberkingkong Augur

    No I disagree, I played on TLPs, its better for newplayer.
    Sure not everyone is friendly like on Live (there's unfriendly people too, like they don't want to do anything with you unless your in their guild or if they already know you), but you have legit people your will, you have people in LFG, the zones you go to are active. Just because I go to Deepshade on Live doesn't people are going to let me join their group. If your not in their guild, they don't know you, probably not going to want to do anything with you, this is any server. So LFG system works wonders here. People go LFG on TLPs, not so much if any on Live.

    What kind of questions is a newplayer going to ask? They don't know anything, they don't know you have to type /ooc to chat with people or /1 /2 to chat in a chat channel.

    Returning player they want to group with people play with people.
    What is it? Buy membership, buy heroic? Thats a lot of money already. Free play on Live, they do,
    "no one to form a group"
    that is the question,
    plenty of people to group with on TLP, /lfg window has plenty of people all sorts of levels to group with and its pretty easy to get into the guilds as well, especially raiding ones.

    EQ made a server specifically for returners and newbies, Vox Server
    https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/what-is-vox-server.226149/

    I recommend a fresh TLP, if its been out more than 9 months then its no good, that's my point of view on which server a newplayer/returner would thrive on. If Vox was a server stuck at TSS, lasts 9 months, starts in TSS stays in TSS for 9 months. Then it xfers people to other servers and starts over again. It would be good option for returners/newbies. Not sure what their idea was on, on that server.
  12. Laronk Augur

    There's lots of mmo's that I tried where I couldn't progress a character just because I didn't have fun. Though you could definitely argue that modern EQ isn't fun if you're not already part of a clique.

    The game sorely needs better solo options, I mean solo options where you're going to get entry level gear enough where you could group in the current expansion.

    It also needs some kind of dungeon finder and cross server instancing. like it would be amazing if the next expansion was a cotf style with lots of instanced missions but those missions all are cross server. Picking roles is easy just make the missions so you don't need a lot of cc then people can queue as tank healer or dps so that people can log in and get things done.
  13. TheRealMuramx Elder

    Anyone that say "Your just not making any effort to find a group" is full of it. They probably haven't been in a pug or grabbed randoms to fill half their group in years.

    On my server, when I came back I was raid geared 100 and 100 heroic chars where just starting to be a thing. I figured that would be a good and I could find some groups... Nope from 100 to 110 I saw 1 box group in Chardok once and a group of 3, 115 SKs in FM. Everything else was empty., All the way up to Sathir's Tomb. At 110 I had a friend that came back 4 months before me help push me through all the ToV stuff, because again no one was grouping. On ToL it's the same thing empty zones. Over 3 months I have never seen anyone in the LFG tool, I have never seen anyone looking for more, and maybe every 2-3days I see 1 person in chat LFG.

    The dynamic of the game has changed. Expansion use to overlap on difficulty just slightly. There was content for every type of player, with quest you could do solo for clickies and such. The last 5 or so expansion that part of the game is becoming extinct. You need a group to do anything, not only do you need a group the power creep is unreal.
  14. Eaedyilye More stonehive bixies.

    I box 4 mages. I would just cycle through my mages and max my leadership points on each one. Nothing would change for me if this was reinstated.
    Stymie likes this.
  15. Shakara Augur

    To the first point. Yes EQ has 25 years of content but most of it is rarely or never utilized. There are zones that are rarely or never used and whole expansions of content that remaine desolate for almost all of a servers lifetime. EQ's content also REQUIRES that you have at least a small group in order to consume anything and EQ in general is only a playable game if you have player interaction. you could have 100 years of EQ content but it doesn't matter if there are not enough players to play it with you. Thats what you see with all EQ servers even TLPs. After so much content has been released there are just zones that sit empty forever because there is no incentive to use them. When was the last time you went to Mons Letail, Devastation, Plane of Water, Kedge Keep, Jewel of Attiki, Thalassius, Lake Rathere, Twilight Sea, Temple of Bertoxxulos. I could probably name over 100 zones that people have maybe never foot in for over 5 years. That is what I mean by a lack of replayability. There is tons of game but no reason to replay any of it.

    For the second point I like you can only speculate. My feeling though is the devs probably know and want to fix a lot of the systemic problems that plague EQ but a large portion of their time is devoted to launching new and interesting TLPs and producing new expansions every year. Last I saw there is somewhere about 8-14 people who have to make all this happen and producing new and exiting raids every year is probably a ton of work. To not launch a new xpac every year would not sit well with the small devoted player base they still have left on Live and would likely be seen as live EQs funeral dirge. MMOs can survive off hope and loyalty even if objectively the game is in shambles so launching a new xpac is probably what they feel like is the most important thing to do every year. However the current course is just not sustainable for many reasons. Certain calculations and scaling are starting to break and the core gameplay is starting to suffer because of it.
    Stymie likes this.