Making Grouping MandatoryFollow

I'm all for making group finding easier, but would rather see a method that didn't nerf a pre-existing class. Wizzies and Druids ports are already in less demand due to GH transporters, magi, port stones, etc.

Also I'm not quite sure that this really makes getting a group together easier, merely offers an incentive to group. If you want transport bonus's for groups maybe add a leadership ability that would allow the group leader to 'bring' via a reverse port, a new member to the group party that may be fighting in some distant zone. There needs to be some new leadership abilities anyways, bout the only valuable one right now it HoTT.

A better lfg tool would be nice though, one that people would actually use. Maybe have a pop-up box right at log in that lists current groups forming and asks you if you'd like to join one or be available for a group, etc. add to the tool an lfg chat channel so you could then actually converse with other lfger's.


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I can understand the reluctance for giving up even more of your port spells and such but something needs to be done to encourage grouping. I play on the Bristlebane server and though the population seems healthy the amount of time looking for groups (in the late 50's, early 60's) is painful. I can't play for hours on end and therefore I don't even bother 95% of the time even looking for a group.

I don't think something as drastic an an EXP Bonus (or a bigger one for that matter) would be the answer. Just something that would allow someone to log-in, check the LFG, choose a group and then get teleported to that groups location. Bingo. Instant excitement and EXP. Then if someone leaves, you just pick up another toon and immediately replace the one leaving. No having to wait, downtime, etc... Afterall, we already have practically instant mana and health regen after 30 seconds. No need to sit and "med" for 10 minutes anymore while waiting for the new guy to arrive.

One of my pet peeves is being invited to a group, running through 5 zones to get there (spare the old time remarks of pre-pok stones, please), only to have the group fall apart or be so deep in a zone that their is no way in heck I can get to them. And they can't (or won't) come back to the zoneline to pick me up.

Travelling is allready way to easy imo with guild portal, magus and pok stone. Group with a Wiz or Drood, if you wanna travel easy or bard for speed.

Imo, it's not the travel to the zone that is usually the issue, but getting to where the group is in the zone that can prove difficult. So...how about this...a leadership ability that is essentially like CoH (I don't have any mage toons so they can get the nerf. ).

Today is the last working day of 2006....!

Edited, Dec 29th 2006 3:32pm by Elinda

A lot of these are great ideas even if they weren't implemented as discussed.

The idea of a leadership ability to CoH is pretty cool.

The LFG tool could use some work in it's flexibility and for saving information.

A couple of thoughts:

1) There used to be an exp bonus for a full group. Don't know if there still is, perhaps someone who knows could enlighten us.

2) As nice as it would be to "log-in, check the LFG, choose a group and then get teleported to that groups location" it's real world application is not realistic. There are all kinds of groups out there. Some are duo groups (I frequently do this with a necro), some are 3, or 4, or 5 player groups who do not need any other group members, or who may not want other group members. I don't want the lfg tool, or some other in-game device MAKING me group with someone just because they're LFG. What if there's a group in a zone that you want to fight in, but you're a class that isn't really helpful to that particular group? Is it worth making those other players spread the exp even more thin among group members just so you don't have to solo/go elsewhere?

3)"Then if someone leaves, you just pick up another toon and immediately replace the one leaving. No having to wait, downtime, etc..."

There are so many things assumed with this statement. That there will be an appropriate level/class toon on and lfg at the exact moment you are looking for one. I mean, if your cleric leaves, it's not going to do you any good to pick up that chanter lfg. Also, if you're LFG tool is working as stated above then there would be no one lfg because they were zapped to whatever zone they got a group in as soon as they logged in. Therefore there will always be wait time while LFG, get used to it.

4) I understand you are frustrated in not being able to find groups. As a wizard, most of my EQ playing time over the past 6.5 years has been spent LFG. While the current LFG tool is not perfect, I'm not sure what you could do to make it more effective. If you put up your LFG tag, people who need toons to fill their group will see you. If you're one of 8 shammys LFG, for example, guess what, you might be waiting awhile.

5) If you don't have much time to play, and/or you have problems finding groups then you should pick a class that can solo fairly effectively. Sorry, that's just the way it is. And if you can only play for a short amount of time (an hour or less) then perhaps EQ is not the right game for you.

Biltene Flaymestryke
Opera non Verba
75 Wizard
C-T

Exploitable.

/tell personinmesa Hey 100plat for a warp
personinmesa invites you to group
Entering blightfire mesa
/disband
/tell personinmesa thanks.

/sarcasm on

How about another command to automatically flag people who don't have access the zone? Or to spawn a named when the camp is taking too long? Or maybe one to bump up the experience or loot when things are going too slow for your liking?

/sarcasm off

Do we really need to make this game any simpler? What's the achievement if everything is handed to you instead of having to work for it?

I am violently opposed to making grouping mandatory. But, there needs to be more benefit to group up for normal xp. Certainly the item rewards for grouping are in place. In select areas where grouping for xp is appealing usually also places minimum requirements on group make-up and gear via difficult content. This results in elitist group content where unknown players never get an invite, and well geared people refuse invites to unknown groups. Most end-game players never turn on LFG because they will only group with people they know.

For those of us who play independant DPS classes, pick-up grouping nearly always results in a loss of xp per hour compared to our solo potential. It makes sense - a group of 6 needs to kill 500% more mobs in order to return the same xp rate. When you consider the average xp group consists of at least one plate tank class, one heal class, one slow or crack class - that leaves only 3 DPS classes to do the work. Sure you can do some substitution and/or merging of the roles - but such players able to do this typically will not join non-guild groups. Such as a beastlord that can tank, slows & provides substantial DPS - freeing up more slots for pure DPS and lowering the capability requirement for the healer.

Each member of a full group gets 20% of the total xp earned - with the 6th member not counting for the divisionary take. It was touted as a 20% xp bonus for full groups, but that only counts if that group can kill 600% faster than a single member. When this is achieved, spawn times or mob density can be a problem.

Getting a high rate of xp per hour is extremely addictive. Once this ability is achieved (via solo or guild group) its difficult to accept mediocrity. This is why pick-up groups nearly always has a high turn-over rate & short life span.

Allowing a group to warp to any zone they meet entry requirements for? I really cannot see this as a benefit to group. Toss in the capability for a group leader to warp new members/replacements to the group and theres substantial time savings & group longevity enhancement. Still not enough to entice me.

The change needs to be in how the group gets xp. Instead of dividing the xp amongst a maximum of 5 members, it should be lowered to a maximum of 4. This way the 5th and 6th members do not count as xp divisions, but are each counted essentially as 25% bonus - each. A group of 6 would then only have to kill 400% faster than a single member to earn the same rate as solo - which is extremely doable with pick-up groups.

Old EQ completely unequal to Current EQ.

Old EQ - go to OT about anytime of day. /who shows 40 or more people.
(a few months ago the progressive servers also had that and OT was FUN!)

/ooc 35 shaman lfg
within 2 minutes multiple invites
on a bad day wait up to 5 minutes before getting invite

Thats how I got my first toon from 30 to ... well all the way to 49 (I was scared of the Dreadlands at that time!).

Nowadays the comparable zones would be G`Mesa and Roost.

If there are more than 5 ppl in G`Mesa it's because a group of level 75s are running through to go to another zone. Almost always there is at most 4 people hunting in the zone at any one time, usually in sets of 2 (usually a level 45 or so toon paired with a level 65+ toon). In Roost there is usually 0 or 1 person hunting, with that 1 person being a bard or necro soloing.



Edited, Jan 4th 2007 12:27pm by DrakkinFan

Server Merge: I vote no.

It won't help in the lower level zones - multiplying the number of people in Roost from 1 to 2 is not useful for resolving LFG issues, and even in G`Mesa going from 4 to 8 just aint that significant. At the same time apparently level 75 zones are already packed full to the brim, and doubling the populations there will overcrowd those areas.

Although the 70- game is dead as a doornail, apparently the 75 game is in fine shape, and will stay that way for quite some time. EVENTUALLY attrition will eat away even at that, but it is likely to be years before that happens. EQ will last as long as the developers can keep the level 75 crowd happy enough with the game to continue buying the new expansions.

Edited, Jan 5th 2007 3:43am by DrakkinFan