we gave FTE a shot

Posts like this make me wonder if you've ever played on a TLP, or have any idea why people do. By this logic, any criticism of the game can be answered by blurting, "don't like EQ? Play some other game!"

TLPs will never appeal to everyone. Niche rulesets are really their only path forward. So.. yeah. If you don't like the current TLP either play on an older one or wait for the next.

The problem is mostly that their development cycle is too slow with these niche rulesets to work on a TLP unless they are really actively supporting them. By the time it’s obvious that something is a problem, it’s probably like 2 months until a patch can be pushed out, by which time the server has moved on to the next expansion and a lot will just move on to play something else by that time.

Neary everyone who starts on any TLP aren't there for the one or two "niche ruleset" changes. They're coming for yet another chance to rerun the progression path - the particular rule changes might be a small bonus, or a small negative, but almost never the primary factor. Furthermore, rule changes on one TLP are, if successful, sometimes carried on to future ones.

So yeah, the notion that one shouldn't attempt to improve their current server, and either return to a server already a dozen expansions in, or simply not play at all for a year, is a suggestion that can be safely ignored.

While a few FTE bugs might get smoothed out, DBG isn't making major changes to the server. Not now. Not post launch. Accept your niche ruleset or wait for next year. Or go play on an established server. That is the reality of the situation. Dismiss it if you want, only person who you are frustrating by not accepting this situation is yourself.

I really wish everyone (myself included) on gaming forums would stop using these kinds of all encompassing statements.

No offense, but you don't represent nearly everyone. You represent yourself and maybe your close circle of friends.

Too often we (again myself included) give more weight to our beliefs by making these kinds of statements. In reality, we forum goers likely represent a very small percentage of the people that play the game.

Think about it. Any high population EQ server has somewhere between 1000 and 3000 actual players (yes this it is a guess as none of us have the real numbers). Do we see even 500 unique forum users posting every time a new TLP server comes around? No. We see the same 30 to 50 forum users posting (... yes me included).

All we are here are the vocal members of the community.

Now... Back on topic...
I was 100% against FTE when it was announced for EverQuest. I gave my two cents, tossed a few dozen more cents on it, and came back to unload a dumpster truck full of cents.

I ... was ... wrong.

It's that simple.

FTE works. I can't believe it works in EverQuest, but the fact is it works.

People train mobs as normal, but they don't immediately become your problem. Most times they simply path back across your group and go home. There are ways for bad people to make sure those trains stop to play with your group, but that's not the norm, and those bad people will never go away no matter how much we kick and scream on the floor.

Also, the days of going to a rare mob spawn to camp an item you actually NEED and finding that a max level character(s) is camping said mob 24 hours a day 365 days a year is not a problem anymore. With FTE, you actually HAVE A CHANCE to get the rare spawn when it finally does show up. And, honestly, I have to admit that it feels good to get that rare spawn on a mid level character that can ACTUALLY USE THE ITEM and watching the krono farmer go balistic because they didn't get to charge you for it later. It's the little victories that feel soooooo good lol.

Do I think that FTE is for every server? No. Some people will not like it, and if they have a vested interest in an existing EverQuest server, than why ruin their experience that they have put x number of years in to at this point. If they want to have FTE, let them move to a server with FTE announced to be on it from day one.

At any rate, again, I apologize for being an anti-FTE jerk on the forums.

Thanks,
Pharone the Gnome.

I think folks should always worry about camps. Regardless of EQs view I think responsible caring folks should respect camps. That may just be me though.

Actually the opposite. Its the greedy grievers that are so bum pained by the new system. Respecting anothers camp when there is no rule forcing you to just shows you have good manners.

Now the folks who abuse camps keeping them for days non stop should be banned for using automation. Other people holding camps with automation I have no respect for those who won't recognize camps. Its just about being selfish in my opinion.

And yet that does not seem to be what is happening on the new TLP. Curious.

I have to assume that at this point the ones still complaining strongly about the encounter locking are those who don't like waiting for camps and like to swoop in and KS mobs. From what I can see the average player who isn't into KSing seems to be fairly happy with the new system.

Since risiko put his nice fancy post about how he thinks FTE works, let me put my OPINION up there. I also did not thing FTE was going to work. I am still currently playing on Oakwynd. I am at a camp typing this. FTE is garbage. I am also a boxer. So when I say this, I know what I am talking about. When 1 man can come into the camp and sit down and start killing the named, I understand they pay the same sub that I do. What happened was, you went from the 10% or so of the EQ community of sweaty edgelords that could come take your camp with a dps race and there was nothing to be done about it. Now, 100% of the server has the capacity to be a piece of garbage. Do you not think that the likelihood of someone being this way is higher, when the crop of people with the capacity to do it are higher? On top of all of this, people that are multiboxing can take 5-10 computers and make hotkeys to target a named at a spawn with a pet attack macro and just camp 6-10 picks at once to take said mob. I understand people like this setup. I am also glad that the dev's gave this option to the people who wanted it. What I hope does not happen, is that this becomes a trend when I am seeing more voices for the "Do not like" than the voices that "like" it.

I would like to amend my last statement. I cannot say for certain that there are more people who dislike it than do like it. I would have to tally that with a poll. Just wanted to state my opinion up there was all.

The guy you quoted was being sarcastic (I think). The vast majority of people indeed do respect camps. I see "camp check please" all the time and nobody ever rushes into my camp trying to tag a named. In many, many years this happened only once to me and the bad actor only did it once.

100% false. FTE hasn't decreased KSing or griefing one bit. It's merely changed who gets the mob to the person able to shoot first. In fact, I've seen substantially more instances of KSing on Oakwynd than on Thornblade, my last TLP.

Exploiting aside, you can't 'kill steal' something that has now been locked.

I'd rather lose the first to tag rather than have someone walk up and out damage a mob after I've done about 20% of the damage.

As a 50 Warrior on Aradune I had 37-38 Shaman win a damage race against me on a Hill Giant using just Venom of the Snake after smacking him for a good 10 seconds before the DoT was applied. With FTE, that scenario shouldn't happen.

I feel like this is a poor example. Random loot had 10+ rares that could drop the same items so KSing was depressed.

So, we have redefined KSing to be tagging a mob before someone else? Because i don't think that is KSing. Killing a mob you have already engaged is KSing. You don't get to claim mobs you haven't engaged yet. You don't get to claim mobs you can't keep dead. Never have, on any TLP.

There's actually zero KSing being done.

Now that's semantics.... if someone was camping the mob, killing it's PH's and you pop in with a fast tag on the named you are a KS'er... it's no different than the group who comes to your camp and steals your named or out dps's you and takes the loot... Bad behavior is bad no matter if it's first to engage or dps race... It's the main reason I didn't like the idea of FTE because it's saying don't respect anyone's gameplay if you can out tag it then get it! All that nonsense about trains and what not aside the biggest problem with FTE is it's just one more reason for people not to play respectfully.

At least with FTE the person who engages it first ensures that they get the kill and they have to put in the effort to kill it. Without it people can still the kill even if they would not be able to kill it on their own and force other groups to do the tanking and deal with the deaths,