How to lose the hard to lose players of EQ

funny some of you calling these hell levels. The original game had hell levels and it took weeks to get through 'em. Current levels can be gotten through in about 10-12 hours each without using overseer or xp buffs of any sort. Have plenty of time to grind while waiting on the named spawn timers to max everything out by doing hunter. If it's taking you longer than that, you're doing something wrong. The idea you need to level every 5 minutes is the ridiculous part imo.

That being said, I certainly lost interest fast in the current expansion. Didn't play much in NOS era either.

So this is an out of the box idea, but, they Could focus on making zones, and quests, instead of gimmicky additions that end up angering or not benefiting half the players and causing conflicts among the already fracturing playerbase.

Unfortunately, that is what many players are doing, and the multi-boxers are not going to be able to make up for it. And then we have clown threads asking Daybreak to raise prices.

Solo or molo? Playing at keyboard with no external programs and no boxing? Many classes get killed in five seconds against current mobs.

I did many hell levels back in the day:

1. I still remember laughing and joking with others as we camped our way to the next level. Taking named, getting loots and eventually levelling out of them. If it was a good camp and we had someone else still in a hell level, we'd hang around to help them out a bit, or look for them when we next logged in.

2. The only time it was different for me was level 59 to 60 which I did solo on my druid quad-kiting raptors in CS. That was a long, lonely slog with no real drops other than gems, no other people around and very little else to do in between the spawn timers.

It is sad to see that (2) matches my current gameplay for each level 110+ when I would much rather it be like (1).

If it wasnt for overseer all my chars would probably be level 110/111 thats when the xp gets super slow. Sadly i like to be max level so i can have max luck

This isn't 1999-2003 anymore, when each server had thousands upon thousands of players. Where pick up groups with six random players were the norm. I also loved and yearn for that, and cannot stand when I have to go at it solo/box nowadays. I do it because it is a necessary evil and I want to accomplish things in game, but I also wish there were more people around.

However, I don't think that if mob grind XP increased that suddenly tens of thousands are going to flock to the game. Nor do I think it is going to be 1999-2003 all over again, where pick up groups happened 24/7. Back then all of us were learning about the game, going into unfamiliar areas, making new friends and relationships, etc. Today, box groups and clique groups and bot groups are the norm. LFG is dead, no one looks at or uses it. Players box, or they group with their FS/friends. Increasing mob grind XP will mean that box groups and clique groups and both groups will still be the norm. LFG will still be ignored and not used. A few people may come back, but they will bring their five boxes and mob grind XP. Which doesn't increase (1) for you in the quoted post.

So yes I agree that it was so much more fun back then. But it wasn't more fun because mob grind XP was higher- it was more fun because there were more players wanting to join pick up groups and talk and chat and enjoy each other's company. Which doesn't happen today, and will not be brought back if mob grind XP was brought back either.

Doubtful. Hero's forge partisans require a grand total of 6 mob kills, half dozen ground spawns, some hails, and some turns. Takes 30 minutes tops for 15% exp. And after doing them, I still had no idea what the glowing tree of destiny was at the top of mountain, but rest assured, the cat monk got her cookies and letter.

Devs seem to want you to be a delivery boy rather than actually going out and hunting.

Sadly, I think you're correct.

My issue is that I just started a series on my streams for playing up from level 1 using Alternate Personas in Everquest, and while I like the content my molo group is in right now, I keep reading about how at a certain point, the game changes completely from grind to theme-park ala missions/achievements to level up.

The problem is that I don't play Everquest for theme park content. I play WoW and other MMOs for that kind of experience. I play Everquest for old school grinding mobs, grinding AAs, and chasing gear drops. Everquest is known for that style of game play. That's what people come to EQ to experience (and what people want to watch when they watch EQ streams).

When EQ changes to theme park and gets rid of the grind, it has little to nothing to compete with all the theme park MMOs out there. Every other theme park based MMO still running out there today has better graphics, better animations, better zones, better combat, etc. EQ loses what makes it special in the industry when it tries to compete as a theme park MMO.

So, knowing that at some point my EQ series will hit that point where EQ goes from being... EQ to being a really bad imitation of a theme park MMO... that makes me not want to continue the series. It's like driving a Lamborghini while knowing that a few miles up the road, you are going to hit a wall and have to switch to riding a bicycle. It just takes the wind out of the sails completely.

I would suggest you continue with your stream so there is a good record of how the gameplay has changed in recent years. It's not so much that the game has moved to a theme-park model, it's that it is a group theme-park model for most of it and, if you can't get the groups, then even the theme-park route is quite difficult to negotiate.

"When EQ changes to theme park and gets rid of the grind, it has little to nothing to compete with all the theme park MMOs out there. Every other theme park based MMO still running out there today has better graphics, better animations, better zones, better combat, etc. EQ loses what makes it special in the industry when it tries to compete as a theme park MMO."

It gets worse as EQ doesn't have the player base to maintain the groups required to do much of the progression. That's why a lot of us use more than one character and have to alt-tab our way around. When you're up against mobs that can kill you in a single round, the fun is taken right out of it, especially if you simply aggro a mob you hadn't noticed.

The irony in this post cracks me up. There are way less people, but we have leveling system tied heavily to grouping for large experience rewards. While, the most common form of gameplay solo/molo lacks rewards.

You have been to LI right? There are 6 repeatable every few mins kill missions. The only thing is you don't get your own instance and have to work in a world that might have other people.

A big point about the removal of exp from mobs with a shift toward boring quests with low fulfillment is that it has changed the core dynamic of the most important progression aspect of the game, leveling. Seemingly without any input from the players considered. “You’re in our world now” doesn’t quite have the same allure as it once had when “their” world is now being blindly developed by incompetent developers who seem to be completely deaf to player input. The developers keep adding things not asked for while denying requests for features that have been asked for for years by numerous voices. Their only interest for a number of years now is the “cash grab” aspect of their job. Instead of revenue AND player retention by design of high quality and fun content. Their recent AMA clearly shows how little interest Darkpaw has in the interest of players.

The rats are eating the hull of the ship and the captain seems content in going down with the rats and the ship.

Put it back to where it was. It is a total no brainer. Questers are happy and grinders are happy. I honestly cannot see a reason for what you did. My brain tells me basically all it does is hamper the guy selling PL services. Then again I am just a simple troll.

What irony?
So you saying there are money players today than 1999-2004?

If so how did they get people to go LFG back then, and get people to mingle and play with each other back then.

Something they keep pushing in recent years the reason why the game changed from since back then vs today?

Boxing? Access to maps, know where and how to beat raids, and casual game guide day 1 of expansion release? So on?
Main point LFG, it was working then, if less people than vs now, why is no LFG now. Whose to blame? LFG is nostalgia, 0 people LFG is not nostalgia.

Good point the PLers for pay must be happy.

never heard of it. can you describe it please in great detail?

Not Opal, but yes, I've been to LI and I know those tasks.

However ... what is so wrong with having real missions where people zone in? Why can't we have Heroic Adventures like we used to?

I see nothing wrong with having more options for players.

Careful, this sounds like a grind(tm) - I bet it gets nerfed soon.