Open Raid Banner

I would really like to see an open raid banner implemented in the game. On Bristlbane, as well as on other servers I am sure, we have Open raids where the raiding guilds semi get together and we play our alts, and it even has a DKP system and ROV hosts a Random roll open raid. With the DKP raid you dont have to be in a raiding guild to join just have to sign up and show up. That being said, it would be nice to have a banner that was tied to the DZ you currently have and set it for everyone. Put the portal for it in the guild lobby or POK, not even asking for the stat banner, just something to allow others that dont have 12 guildies in the raid to be able to banner in especially for recovery etc..

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...the-devs-raid-banner-qol.274943/#post-4024703

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...lds-banner-trophies-for-raid-purposes.274709/

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq...ngs-would-you-like-to-see-added-to-eq.276189/

https://forums.daybreakgames.com/eq/index.php?threads/raid-banner.269353/

I think the issue with a OPEN Raid banner is a lot of work.

ALT-G would need a new TAB under Banner so some one can plant both Banners.

They would have to make the items for the Create new OPEN Banner and put them on a NEW NPC and have text info on this new NPC how to use it.

They would need to add a New Item for the PORTAL NPC so you can set the portal to use this new OPEN banner.

They would probably make the same rules to plant a current Raid banner for the new OPEN banner.

I'm sure this a problem that could be solved, question is, is it worth it vs. the mountain of other design improvement asks they've gotten for 20+ years. Perhaps someday a monthly patch will bring this surprise. Having some tool that facilitated this would foster a greater sense of community on servers fwiw.

Thanks Cuuthbert for bringing this topic back up. I'd love to see an open raid banner implemented.

I proposed a very easy method to implement the existing guild banner so allow for use on open raids.

When you plant a guild banner the game checks:

A - Do you have 12 guild members with in some distance from you?

Simply add the following check for open raids.

B - Do you have 12 people in your raid with in some distance of you ?

All the other banner restrictions, materials, etc. can stay the same. It would likely be a single line of code to make open raid banners work in this manner.

This is a great idea and yes, it has been suggested more than once before.

However, I think a better name would be Alliance Banner or Alliance Raid Banner.

I suspect the issue is not creating a new item to sell on the Guild Hall Portal Vendor. Nor is the issue making the Portal send Players to the Banner. Processes for both are all ready in place.

The issue is propbably due multiple Guilds being able to set their Guild Hall Portal to the SAME Banner. After all, the way this works is that Banners are Guild related, so they probably have a Guild Tag check of some kind.

If they remove that Guild Tag Check, then the issue becomes which Raid Banner to send Players to... such as when there are multiple raids by multiple Guilds / Alliances that have all set an Alliance Raid Banner.

How about this... allow each Guild to set their own Alliance Banner, even if they don't have the pre-requisite numbers to do so. The Alliance Banner, and only the Allaince Banner, would have different pre-requisites. Instead of 12 Guild Members in zone, it would require 12 Raiders (any guild) in zone. This would work around the issues noted above. However, it would create an issue with current Banner requirements.

Maybe a better solution would be that when an Alliance Banner is set, it is keyed to the Raid Zone (all instances have a number). When a Guild sets their portal to the Alliance Banner, it keys off of the raid that they are currently part of (the instanced zone).

If a Player tries to set an Alliance Banner when they are not in a raid the Guild Hall Portal Vendor can hand the Portal Stone back to the Player, noting they aren't in a raid.

If a Player is in a Raid, but the raid instance has not yet been acquired, the Portal Vendor can hand back the Portal Stone and comment that the Player has not specified a clear destination or some similar.

If a portal is set and a Player tries to use it that is not in the raid or instance, they will get an emote, related to same.

In effect, an Alliance Banner would only work for instanced zones, which is what they will be keyed on. The raid will only need to set one Banner, that any Guild can use. In short, instead of a Guild Tag Check to use an Alliance Banner, it will be a raid instance check, which the Player is part of.

With my suggested implementation there is no change to how the guild banner/portal work.

Only those who in the guild who has set a banner down can port to it. You wouldn't be able to use another guilds portal. You'd have to have at least one of your members run, be in raid, with 12 raid members ( of any guild ) at a specific spot to set the banner.

After which time your guild members can use your guild portal.

So the idea is to swap the number of required Guild Members in a zone, to a number of Raid Members in zone? Thet would work. No special banner needed.

Ideally it's a new banner, or campfire, or maybe call it a raid gathering point. Not changing how the old ones work, but making one that specifically works for everyone who is in the current raid that dropped it.

Could also add a group version. If half the group is there, drop a group fire, then other group members can port to it just like a fellowship.

Why don't you just ask for a port npc in guild lobby that will port you to the various raid npcs (a raid magus so to speak)? Can start with the latest expansion and work back slowly. Would really open up a lot of the old raid content for folks (because people seem not to like to run places anymore).

Simple system that doesn't try to shoe horn something into structures that they were not designed for.

I'll be honest. I don't want them messing with anything to do with raid structure (even behind the scenes/tangentially). I can just see the patch notes ... good news - implemented raid banner, bad news - raid tool now broken, have to form raids without it. The raid tool is buggy enough, but it does work now. That's far more important than unmotivated running raiders.

Have those in your guild capable of it refuse to drop a banner for 2 weeks, then you'll understand what mixed guild raid forces are dealing with.

I'm a wizard. Banners mean nothing to me. And my guild has at times refused to drop banners for easy to get to npcs because ... people can run. I also wasn't ignoring your concerns ... I did suggest an alternative (which is pretty much the beta guy) that had nothing to do with any type of raid object/construct and would actually help.

And I've run open raids and old content raids (which are generally worse because by the time enough folks get there to drop a banner, that's pretty much your raid there). There's nothing hard about running to mobs, with guild hall portals, guild hall object ports, wizard/druid ports and even good old PoK stones.

The most amusing thing about this (and the several previous threads on this subject) is RoS, TBL, ToV and CoV raid npcs are all super easy to get to. RoS had all clustered together except 1 raid (which was at the druid port). TBL had a lamp to easily get to the zones (or one off) for the npcs ... except Fire. And it was still pretty easy to get to. ToV had 5 raids at the guild portal, 2 more in the same zone, and the other two in the wizard/druid port zone. And CoV has 5 clustered close in WW, 2 in CS (port, clicky, and guild portal), and 2 in EW (guild portal). If you are raiding current content and not bound in some fashion in WW, not have a 75 speed mount, and not have means of invis/ivu ... it's hard to muster any concern for the plight of these people. If a person cannot run to a modern raid npc, they're probably going to not follow raid emotes.

Raids and the raid tool are buggy enough. Any chance that something new might affect anything to do with raids without adding real benefit to my guild, I will express my opposition to that. There are other solutions to your issues without interacting with the raid object.

Maybe they could add 2 buttons to the DZ, as soon as 12 people are in zone you can click button 1 and it places a rainbow banner. Button 2 on the DZ allows you to port to the rainbow banner. To move the banner just press button 1 again.

Why do you want it to be a new banner?

Something like that would require a lot more work than the suggestion I've been proposing.

For the most part I agree with you. There is nothing 'hard' about running to the NPC for those who play / raid regularly, and are logged in early enough to run to the raid NPC.

For the open raids, its the people who are not in a 'raiding guild', who happen to live on the west coast and rushed home after work to log in 5 min before start time.

They are the ones the 'nice' open raid leader has to pause and send a wizard back to pick up since generally there are not enough people from the causal guild to place a banner.

The only hard part is fighting the zone times and lag depending on your server / location. Some people are taking forever to zone so being able to port to the raid NPC or banner into the instance is more ideal and reduces the need for multiple zone crossings. An open raid banner/campfire type system would be a good thing for EQ since there are several servers with open raids.

Not sure how Devs would view this as I can see them passing on it due to larger multiboxers being able to abuse it. But I think the large box groups would already have a port / campfire chain already established to avoid this already.

Would make a great feature next expansion.

As long as it still requires 12 people (regardless of guilds) it shouldn't make any difference they can already do the same thing if they are guilded together.

It doesn't have to be a banner. Could be a Raid Campfire. and Raid Insignia to port to it. and Raid Campfire Materiels to place empowered campfires. Add a button/tab on a DZ/raid management dialog for campfire management (similar, cut-and-paste, to Fellowship campfire management tab) and make 2 new items. And it's done. Raid members can click Raid Insignia (or Expedition Insignia or something) and get ported to the currently active raid/expedition campfire.
No guild association check, no multiple-guild conflict for banners. Just a check if current raid has campfire set.

The question comes in, whether or not individual guild banners can be used in conjunction with this proposed banner. If both banners can be used at once, it can be used for exploitative purposes, if it blocks out all other guild banner use, it can really be a hindrance (not to mention a coding nightmare).