I am getting used to the changes on how AA can be granted, and I like how EverQuest is constantly evolving. I would like to see more under the Special AA tab. I like to do all AA experience, and feel there should be better incentives and rewards now for doing so. The fix could be expanding the Special AA tab for those players like me that want to earn lots of AA. Along with Glyphs, I would like to see Augs. Something like this could easily be expanded and even made to be progressive. I also think Augs and Aug packages could be available in the marketplace. Augs could also be more common a drop, and tradeable, so all players could benefit from this new content.
There are a handful of augs that you can get as a "reward" for completing achievements. Some are easy some take a bit to get. As for augs on marketplace it will never happen. The words from eq since marketplace has gone live is "you cant sell power" there was ONE ornament that went live with 3 ac I think... it raised all sorts of issues. A lot of the lower end augs from VoA are tradable I think that is as far they are going to go though. If everything is "buyable" it will give people less incentive to see the mobs/quests in the game. I don't see why they would reward some one with an AUG just for buying aa's that are so easily awarded now, Being able to "farm" 200 aa in an hour with out really any challenge is already a reward enough. As for more common drop? sure I guess most of the better loot on a loot table could be upped, but I found most augs drop in 1/10 named spawn rate which doesn't seem to bad. I remember camping things for MONTHS at 5-6 hours per day a few years ago.
Feel free to ask a GM about my account - I have been playing since game went live March 1999 - same person paying - same address - no playing time breaks at all. Having said that, I don't have a problem with the recent changes, and I know the game will continue to change. I merely offered a suggestion for earning future Special AAs - I dislike Glyphs - but that's just me. Power IS for sale right now in the Marketplace - that's exactly what Heroic Characters are. The "butt hurt" comments I don't really care about - too easy to insult and then log on an alt account to back yourself up. Did make me laugh, though.
Feel free to ask me about my grandchildren. Having said that, I'm in favor of change that is consistent with the player culture and logical things as opposed to longstanding design oversights/illogic in the long history of EQ and opposed to changes that fly in the face of these things. Level 85 is the new level 1. You can open your EQ eyes for the first time in Herotown and have Hero appear as your title on your mail, but that doesn't make you one. Heroic gear? The new cloth shirt. 6K AA's = the new 0 AA's. After sulking for a few months when we were told /cough "Heroic" Characters would be coming I made a little effort with my 77 100 Ranger alt. I decided I'd be xxxxx if I'd let anyone sprint past my alt with one click of the mouse button. Red Stone of Power, Mana Laminated Gear Set, Golden Nugget of the Eleventh Hour, Beveled Mithril Gear Set, Glowing Lena Fete Rune, Polished Stone of the Eleventh Hour, ... Got 'em. All those nice limited time special event augs - just as available to Heroic Characters as the were to me. And then there are the augs available for Marks of Valor. People are playing Heroic Characters. I'd think they should be able to manage playing a little EQ for advancement. You can't skip everything but there's a golden path to decent gear, augs, and needed accomplishments. IF a player can't figure it out I'm sure someone (definitely not me) will do a 1 page write up on how to become a heroic character and not just be called one. (In addition to the huge pile of easy to get augs there's also buying Unattuner with Loyalty points and passing down a few no longer needed by your main augs.)
Give them an inch, and they'll want a mile. What we are seeing now, is a direct correlation of how the devs in this game have slowly backed themselves into a corner by giving in to the instant gratification crowd. Its the ole "We created the beast, so now we have to feed it" syndrome. Welcome to EverQuest WoW Dont get me wrong, I understand the need to help returning players along in this game. I like the fact that its easier to catch up, at least in theory and of course, that also depends on the person in question doing the catching up, because lets face it, some people are just bad at this game. What I do have a problem with, is going overboard with these EZMODE concepts and killing this game in the process by ripping the very fiber out of the game that made it what it is/was. And sadly, its happening. Im seeing veterans MIA/retiring left and right these days. The Shadowknight community for example is a shell of its former self. You dont see many old guard SKs around anymore. Im sure other class communities are seeing this same type of attrition with its veterans. The old school are turning their noses up at these changes and bailing. They scoff at what they are seeing and despise the overall direction that this game is headed. I cant say that I blame them. Soon, the majority of the EverQuest community will all be Heroic Characters. Especially if the devs continue to churn out EZMODE buttons.
There should be a trade-skill alternative to farming augs. Except for the shawl aug, there should be a group/task alternative to that one.
Here's a thought, but probably isn't what you had in mind. I'm a tank. Using DPS glyphs is nice, but isn't particularly important to me. Tanking glyphs are pretty useless these days. So I care very little about continuing to get AA once maxed. Maybe the 25AA glyph that does nothing could be changed to produce an item that can be exchanged for group currency, and if there's nothing you want now, you can bank them to exchange for currency in future expansions.
I think the spirit of the OP was that he wants earning AA to remain rewarding well beyond what is currently available. Right now, for me, there's refilling the AA tank between raids for using glyphs. That's accomplished in < 2 hours. His examples of how to do that just need some work. That's how I chose to read it.
Thing is, AA are soo easy and quick to get you can't really attach anything of value to them ( currency or aug...) There's just an end to the grind... and that's it. For tank glyph, be carefull what you wish for, because you may get it... Tank get balanced around using everything that's available to them, that mean if big tank glyphs get added to the group-raid scene, encounter will be balanced around using those glyphs... all the time.
