Do double exp weekends discourage people from playing?

Discussion in 'Time Locked Progression Servers' started by WokeCat, Nov 10, 2021.

  1. WokeCat Augur

    I notice that it's way harder to find a group outside of exp weekends, but even if you can find a group, you start to feel like you're wasting your time.

    As much as I would like to play EverQuest right now, I feel like it would be smarter to simply take a break until the 18th, when Thanksgiving weekend begins.

    I think the reason why is fairly obvious.

    I know a similar system exists in other MMOs I have played, but the exp bonus typically only applies for lower level characters, with higher level characters only receiving a 5% buff to their attack power / mana regen during said weekends.

    I just feel like these double exp weekends discourage us from playing? Like I'll probably play through Thanksgiving weekend, and then wait for Planes of Power and the next double exp weekend? Because I have a need to feel like I'm getting the most value out of my time and efforts.
  2. Mossaa Augur

    Do what you want. Others do what they want
    Duder and TLP Addict like this.
  3. Gnothappening Augur

    EXP bonuses only hurt regular grouping if they are too frequent. Though they do lasting damage to the forums with the 58690434 posts crying for that bonus rate to be the normal rate.
  4. Catashe Augur

    It really only depends on what server you play on.. If it ain't Mischief... then yea XP bonuses probably do kill grouping on days there isn't a bonus.. Mischief probably has enough players that it doesn't matter.. Thornblade and the other TLPs.. yea its mostly dead then everything and everyone comes out of the woodwork on bonus XP days then go back into their caves when its not
  5. theonepercent Augur

    The garbage exp rate outside bonus events are what kills grouping. Having to farm multiple hours for 1 rank of 1 AA is not rewarding in any way so why do it?

    Also there's only 1 double exp event for 1 week every year. Could people please stop calling every exp event double xp?
  6. Indigo_Quarmite Augur

    For mischief part of the problem is free trade has killed the value of group content. Raid, get gear, make plats, buy kronos, buy AA, rinse and repeat. There is no actual purpose to grouping on a free trade server with severe plat and krono inflation.

    On other servers, Luclin just isn't great exp rates when you can only do 3 or 4 AA per hour outside of AOE groups in the deep. POP really improves grouping when you can easily get 6 AA per hour and push to 9 per hour with quality group in PoF. Post POP - really there is no reason to exp grind. The game quickly gets ruined by instanced group content and the death of a traditional camp you can get via just LFG.

    For pre-Luclin content - there is no reason to group unless you are working to 60. Be on for the first 4 weeks of classic/kunark and groups are plentiful. Kunark has some of your best gear coming from group camps instead of raids so post 60 life is boxing and grouping with guildies. Velious is the definition of a raid log expansion. The game stinks without AA.

    In short, no bonus exp doesn't harm grouping, server rulesets and the game in general kill grouping depending on where you are at in the games life cycle.
  7. Kylo Classic Augur

    I find all the dregs play on xp weekends.
    Duder likes this.
  8. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    I play when I play, if i miss an xp weekend I no longer worry about it, t.o.t.g.a.f.
    When I play during an xp bonus it's just a happy coincidence.
  9. Herf Augur

    It seems pretty clear to me that bonus XP encourages more turnout, not less. If you map the average daily turnout for a year I'm near positive you'd see upward blips around XP bonus days.
    Yinla and Skuz like this.
  10. Fell Augur

    During those bonus days, of course. And you miss the point. Bonus XP certainly encourages turnout during the bonus period. But does it maintain, or even depress turnout when the bonus no longer exists? That's the question.
  11. oldkracow 9999 Is the Krono Account Limit

  12. Herf Augur


    I'm not well enough educated in logic or statistics to attack your stance, but I believe there's probably a phrase that describes why you're wrong. I'm currently reading a book called Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics. What you're positing is that correlation equals causation. There's no valid argument I'm aware of which can prove what you're saying, while I believe there probably is data which might prove what I'm saying.

    Think about it this way: let's guesstimate that there's about one month of time per year which has bonus xp. Some of it is more bonus'y than others. The other 11 months are not bonus xp. To prove your point one could have to normalize for the holidays that those days fall on (holidays give more time to play) the player demographic (many of us are older and have no lives so we can play more, others have families that require holiday time.)
  13. Hdizzle Augur

    opposite; without bonus exp events the TLPs would be ghost town raid log servers.
    Skuz likes this.
  14. Nolrog Augur

    That's about where I am as well. I may try to delay an errand or mowing the lawn from Sunday to Tuesday during bonus XP but if I can't it's no big deal, and I play when I can.
    Skuz likes this.
  15. Abundant Elder

    o_O
  16. Pappasalt Augur


    Who hurt you as a child? lol
  17. Fell Augur

    Actually, the post of mine you quoted asked a question only; I posited nothing. I was merely pointing out that the post to which I replied was in no manner a rebuttal of the OP's position.

    However, had I indeed made such a point, then your point about the correlation/causality fallacy would be correct. Having taught statistics while in graduate school, I am gratified beyond words of your use of this. What you mention is known as a confounding factor. But you must remember our data here is observational, not experimental, and there are many such potential confounding factors on both sides of the argument.
    Tymeless and Herf like this.
  18. ExecutionDbl9 Druid / Shadow Knight / Necromancer

    I guess for me it comes down to why are you playing?

    I never feel like I am wasting my time by playing just because my XP isn't fully maximized. I'm here to enjoy a game, and enjoy the journey. I've never been worried about the most efficient way to level and gain XP, I don't even always go to the "best" zones to level in. I just like to enjoy the game and enjoy the journey.
    Duder and Aeonblade like this.
  19. Gnothappening Augur

    Let me explain. If they do a bonus exp weekend every month, a large portion of people will only exp during that time. That is what I meant by hurting grouping. That people tend to wait and try to fit it all in during bonus times rather than get a little exp each week.
  20. Skuz I am become Wrath, the Destroyer of Worlds.

    Not sure how you arrived at that conclusion, but I strongly idsagree with it.

    Here's how I see things.

    Many Raiders will take time off for an expansion launch, get the new levels if there are any to be gained while they work through the Mercenary, Partisan & Heroic tasks in teh achievement system, they will group up as much as they possibly can early in the expansion to get as many of their AA completed as they possibly can - many will max out their AA in a few weeks or even less.
    Then for the rest of the year they will XP to replenish Glyphs, finish off achievements and play alts - a large number will be "raid loggers" these mostly play to raid and do not do much outside of that other than what they need to do in order to raid.

    Groupers will do whatever groupers do, whenever they can do it.

    I think the XP weekends have very little influence on players choosing to not play, there are a billion other things that could be a reason they aren;t playing of which XP weekends are likely to be an incredibly insignificant factor.

    The only thing XP weekends do is give some players cause to complain when the XP faucet is turned off or if they were not able to play during it due to other obligations - I have lost count of how many XP weekends for American Holidays result in crying about how they had to go spend time with family so they missed out - 100% FOMO-driven.

    What hurts grouping the most is a lack of players at the level-range of the group seeker who want to do the same things they do.
    Tymeless and Herf like this.