I don't box, may have something to do with the one time I tried.. (in a group) INC! automatic mez, ... wont work.. hmm.. heal.. not working.. Tanks at 5%.... Oops, was trying to mez on cleric, and heal on enc... No, you don't want me to box, lol
Rauven, You missed 1 , I box (more then most..) not because, I hate grping, but I hate "waiting" for other's to either get to where I am in a quest line, and / or, I need to catch up on certain aspects. Like camping an aug, and unless you have a super tight grp of peeps, that's not normally going to happen. So I box, proudly, to better serve, my main..
back in the day, hours with a group camping/questing was the norm, but not so much now. log in, quest a bit then log out, times have changed but EQ still requires a few hours to get things done with a real group. now if they only let Mercs in raids ;P
I agree. I play on Bristlebane and I've never had a problem finding people to group with. I don't usually box because I'm terrible at it. Some people enjoy boxing and are very good at it. I'm not. Lots of friendly people on Bristlebane. Quite a few times people have seen me killing alone in a zone and were nice enough to invite me on their own, without me even asking. Try Bristlebane. Find a guild. Even the folks in my guild who 3 and 4 box all the time will usually try to make room for those of us who need a group.
By far some of the best suggestions are the LFG chat channels and a cross server way to do missions with a random group. May be a lot of work to implement but a simple idea to have players group with players, have a block to prevent partial groups(boxers) from getting in queue together so the chances of their bots getting in the same group are miniscule. I played both styles(group and box) and prefer boxing, but since DoN the game has been a boxers game so I'd like to see some tools to keep the singletons happy(even if they're tools I wouldn't use). Big question would be does EQ have the population to make the effort worth it. Also agree that a lack of a solo game lead to boxers growth. I remember when the Task system was talked about and how excited I was I'd be able to log in and go kill something myself and benefit from it...only to realize I'd still need a group or at least another player to complete these 'solo' tasks. But theres no going back now, boxers expect to be able to do group content. Change that now and create yet another upheaval that'll cause more players to 'retire'.
I don't box (and I don't want to play 2 chars), but I don't get groups often... so the only way for me to do some things (like hunting a named) is to ask a friend to let me use his account so I can get an extra merc... so afk the extra toon putting it as puller, and I move around the zone with the healer and tank mercs
I disagree. I'm on Bristlebane and I tried for months to group and than I would solo as much as I can (which taught me a lot how to play). Yes I had groups here and there. I got to a point I couldn't solo any more. Then add to the fact of not getting a group. I started three boxing. If I could get a group ANY time on line I would drop boxing but that's not going to happen any time soon.
Here is my take on the situations that force people to box. I would call them problems but that implies there are actual solutions to these situations (Spoiler Alert: There are no solutions. Its just cold hard reality to be dealt with). 1) Cliques: People are set in their ways and have over the years found people they trust and rely on. Once that circle is established and solidified, than it closes. If people leave the fold, it is more likely that the remainder will eventually all migrate off to where ever the majority of them transplanted to than accept someone new. 2) Time zones: EQ might claim to be "global" because it is online, but it is far from being global and is not even friendly to non-English speakers. Most all raid guilds are based on USA Eastern Standard time or Greenwich for Euros because those are the time zones most people play in (see satellite view of earth at night). Unless you work a day job on the East Coast of the USA or in Western Europe, you are always going to be stuck in the off hours past when most groups form. It is just the sad fact of that being where the majority of the populations are in the English Speaking world. The player in Seattle, Alaska or Tokyo might get a slot in a group if the person who always goes to bed early leaves, but the whole group might go bust soon after. Same thing applies for raids. Even if you make every raid day, it is a struggle for anyone outside of EST or CST to maintain a good RA based upon % of events attended. There will frequently be wait lists with those who log on later. You might get DKP but you miss out on raid currencies. Thus, you always end up sucking hind teat if your schedule forces you outside of those prime zones. The Time zone issue usually results in people forming social circles that work with their schedules IE: See 1) Cliques. 3) The "Raid and Fade" player: These people log on exactly when its raid time, hang around until they have determined that the chest from the final event has nothing they want/or final dump taken and than instantly fade away, not to be seen again until exactly the next raid time. The chances of this person actually LFGing are absolutely, positively ZERO to the point that they should not even count as server population in the context of who is out there to group with. They are the "raider" side of the coin and distinguish themselves as such to the point that they will probably say "I don't do group content." If they do group, usually at expac launch for critical mandatory progressions/level/AA, than see: 1) Cliques. 4) General Distrust of Unknown Player Skill: People just don't want to waste their time with someone untried. Getting a bad player tank or healer is worse than using a merc or a box. So again, people go with what they know works...see 1) Cliques. 5) EQ is not very friendly towards having just an hour of free time. An hour can easily be consumed between pulling a group together and then finally deciding upon what to do once the group is formed. Again, having a clique of people with common interests and are at fairly uniform progression levels mitigates this. Otherwise, there are mercs and boxes... EQ isn't the newly opened world of wide eyed adventure and tolerance for misstep. Its routine and regimented now. Sort of how The Western Frontier eventually became Los Angeles. The player base are adults with lives that are routine and regimented. If your life is not routine and regimented but you still want to play this game, than sorry to say but your are screwed. Thus....boxes. TL;DR Cliques = The need for those not in them to box and use mercs.
When you join a group, especially with people you don't know well, you are making a commitment. Most people who used to play EQ are not sitting in their bedroom in their mums house any more they own the house and have a family. I don't know about others but I'm 47 now I will join a group when I can , but and it is a big but,only when I'm sure I can give it my full attention witch is quite rare. I don't box but I do molo and enjoy playing at my own pace and can deal with anything that comes up at home without inconvienancing others. Biggest advice for the OP join a decent active guild. I'm in a guild and there is always groups out there and people asking in guild chat for groups. It will make a huge difference to the gaming experience.
Same old whine thread that shows up every few weeks. So, I think instead of reading this, I'll just write same old . 1)You are exaggerating. 80% of people don't box. Maybe 60% or a little more can box. Much less than the 1/2 the people on ARE boxing though. 2) There STILL is NO SUCH THING AS SINGLE ACCOUNT DISADVANTAGE. There is no difference between groups that won't invite for any reason: Whether You aren't online when they start/play, they are a full clique, or they are a full box team. Should we give extra xp to people for just not having a clique of friends. NO. You are mixing up envy and bitterness into your problem finding a group. That problem is part YOU and part reality of EQ today. 3) Follow the advice of X and Y above. Make groups yourself, etc. Remember there are many others on your server whining about the same thing.
Or do what I did and transfer off bristle to FV have no regrets about doing it either since back in the day it was free wish I had did It along time ago. But seriously I gave up on group got tired of getting to group xp for 10 mins then people start disbanding that's was I started to box usually I play wiz (main) along with my mage or bard. Do miss the days of ldon's when you put lfg and got a group within 5 mins at the most. well enough of my blabbing. Andarriel
Bristlebane, Been there .. done that .. Its not as grp friendly , as the two raiding guild players want to portray it to be. I would know, as again .. I was there for over 2 yrs.
Grouping was so fun in the old days, because the game was very slow pace allowing people to talk even while engaged with a mob. These days only the fastest typist's are able to talk and play the game well, so even if you do invite someone into a group the odds are they are not going to answer your questions since they are not able to play and talk at the same time.
How does anyone get anything done, because grouping is so horrible. You have your noobs, your boosted toons, it is just deplorable. I can't make friends, get in a clique, so I must do things soloable. I am not a mage, not a necro, therefor that leaves out things pet tankable. I will not pay for extra accounts, no bronze does not count, that strikes out things boxable. How does anyone get anything done, because grouping is so horrible! I look-for-group all day while getting buffs in the guild lobby. Spamming general chat for one has become my newest hobby. I have traveled from hotzone to hotzone to take a peak, Going to the destinations set by Franklin Teek. People say I am the problem, but that is just libel, How does anyone get anything done, because grouping is so horrible! They don't want me, the hardcore elitist or the super casual. For different reasons they tell me that I am completely incompatible. Just because I AFK during fights, the wiz merc is preferable. Why they still won't invite me is just not understandable How does anyone get anything done, because grouping is so horrible!
If you are lfg, how about starting one. I see so many people here saying they lfg all the time. It is more than just waiting around to click the follow button. There is the second option the invite button.
So this looks like a fun thread so far, although I'll never understand the GL LFG thing. Just for giggles, going to list my reasons in no specific order why you might not get invited to my group: 1. You are weaker than a merc. 2. You offer nothing I need for what I'm doing. 3. You are interested in the specific loot I'm after, and the loot/named is rather rare. 4. I'm afkish and not paying all that much attention, so don't think having others near me is a good idea. 5. I'm having a very anti-social day, and don't want anyone near me, even virtually. 6. The camp sucks goats, and I wouldn't wish this horrible camp on anyone. 7. Your name is too annoying to type. 8. Your level is too low/high for the task I'm doing, and grouping is truly impossible. 9. I've grouped with you before, and I really wasn't impressed last time. 10. I feel too pressured when you are around to pull ALL the time, and don't need that stress today. 11. I have no desire to explain how to get to where I am to you, or help clear see invis mobs because you fail at traveling. 12. Your idea of how to play is different than mine, and you feel the need to share this non-stop as I do things wrong. 13. Your main/box is a bard, I really don't like bards. 14. You have proven in the past that you like to loot and run. Or rather, mysteriously you are suddenly too tired to go on, oh no connection issues suddenly, or whatever else you can whip up. 15. You are a proactive shrinker of others without asking. 16. You enjoy cothing without asking. 17. You are one of those people who must have full buffs of a specific kind before anything can happen. 18. You are an exceptionally slow traveler, and it isn't because of your latency. 19. You get offended when I have 0 interest in ventrilo/voice chat of any kind. 20. You are a frequent AFKer, often not announcing it, somehow believing it won't be noticed. Well then, I'm a real peach to have around then aren't I? For reference, I tend towards being a soloist, always have been. But know how to group/raid/etc when needed. I really don't get this having issues getting groups thing at all, I never have issues finding group members when I want them.
One thing that grinds my gears is when there are like 3 level 100s lfg in general chat... and they don't group up. Actually on my server (hoping it doesn't happen on others) every few days you'll see 2-4 people from the same guild looking for group in general and they don't form a group. I feel for you who can't get groups (I also see 1 person never getting a group sometimes), but if there are 3 of you looking for group (especially for the same thing - HAs), please form a group. You have enough mercs alone to have an effective group.
