That way our people who are hitting the aa cap and have to be sacrificed 96 times in the last week to stay within our guild's rules can instead use those 30 banked points for short term boosts and continue to play as much as they want while our raid team pushes on.

Donnel_TLW wrote:

That way our people who are hitting the aa cap and have to be sacrificed 96 times in the last week to stay within our guild's rules can instead use those 30 banked points for short term boosts and continue to play as much as they want while our raid team pushes on.

I think he thought of that.

Edit: Should be the richest Necro on the server though. =)

start an alt

Go to Paineel. Cast Lev on the "victim". Make them jump into The Hole. Cast Bind Affinity, then have them click off Lev.

Sit back and watch the fun.

1. If so, does it do it each time you gain exp (ex, turn on AAxp, hit exp hit, it auto turns AAxp off), or
2. does it turn off/reset when zoning, or
   
3. does it turn it off/reset it when you log in/out of game?
1. If it resets upon logging in/out or zoning, the hotkey command would be /alt off

Go to Paineel. Cast Lev on the "victim". Make them jump into The Hole. Cast Bind Affinity, then have them click off Lev.

Sit back and watch the fun.

i know eq2 allows you to turn off xp. the reasoning was/is when mobs are too far below your lvl they no longer drop gear loot, so by turning xp off you could have named still drop gear that was useable before you moved on. only vendor loot drops off those mobs that are too far below your lvl. keeps high lvls from killing low end mobs to sell the loot. soe's way to put in end to ebayers. i know eq is old but i dont see how they couldnt just implement the code from eq2 (the xp turn off not the no gear dropping) into eq.

btw giedal this is xrizz. happy hunting

Let me put this in perspective. We're on test server, with double xp all the time.

We ALL ding 2-3 aa's in the course of a given raid night. Even if these players who are capped out ONLY played during raids, they'd still have to be sacced a few times a week each to stay within our rules.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask: Why in the name of all that's holy did you decide to do this on a server that earns double XP?  I don't know the specifics for your guild, but since you labeled it as a "progression guild" I presume that you started with Classic EQ and are working through the expansions as a unit and in order.  given this restraint, what do you get from the test server that you wouldn't get from one of the live servers?

The test server gives you double XP - which is detrimental to your vision.  The test server gives you all expansions - not an issue for a progression guild.  The test server gives you all Vet AAs - which I presume you can't use within the scope of your vision.

So, as I see it, you want SOE to code in a mechanism that would benefit very few people - and likely cause a number of problems given the spaghetti code-base that is EQ - all because YOU picked the worst possible server for your guild.

well, i am in said guild and on test server there is NO /baz to speak of. over night i dont think ive ever seen more then 30traders set up. with little to no gear being sold it forces a guild like us to raid to get anything worth while for progression. it also helps those new to the server wanting to join our guild to quickly lvl up and begin raiding in a timely manner.

to me anyway there are more possitives to being on test and being in a guild like this then negatives.

Have you considered making an amendment to the guild bylaws concerning this problem?

Another good thing EQ2 has is Mentoring, it allows even a lvl 80 to experience t1 content without totally blowing through it in 5 seconds (turning ComEx off only stops experience from combat, does not stop APEx or QuestEx)

Donnel_TLW wrote:

Let me put this in perspective. We're on test server, with double xp all the time.

We ALL ding 2-3 aa's in the course of a given raid night. Even if these players who are capped out ONLY played during raids, they'd still have to be sacced a few times a week each to stay within our rules.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask: Why in the name of all that's holy did you decide to do this on a server that earns double XP?  I don't know the specifics for your guild, but since you labeled it as a "progression guild" I presume that you started with Classic EQ and are working through the expansions as a unit and in order.  given this restraint, what do you get from the test server that you wouldn't get from one of the live servers?

The test server gives you double XP - which is detrimental to your vision.  The test server gives you all expansions - not an issue for a progression guild.  The test server gives you all Vet AAs - which I presume you can't use within the scope of your vision.

So, as I see it, you want SOE to code in a mechanism that would benefit very few people - and likely cause a number of problems given the spaghetti code-base that is EQ - all because YOU picked the worst possible server for your guild.

Fimbulwinter wrote:

Donnel_TLW wrote:

Let me put this in perspective. We're on test server, with double xp all the time.

We ALL ding 2-3 aa's in the course of a given raid night. Even if these players who are capped out ONLY played during raids, they'd still have to be sacced a few times a week each to stay within our rules.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask: Why in the name of all that's holy did you decide to do this on a server that earns double XP?  I don't know the specifics for your guild, but since you labeled it as a "progression guild" I presume that you started with Classic EQ and are working through the expansions as a unit and in order.  given this restraint, what do you get from the test server that you wouldn't get from one of the live servers?

The test server gives you double XP - which is detrimental to your vision.  The test server gives you all expansions - not an issue for a progression guild.  The test server gives you all Vet AAs - which I presume you can't use within the scope of your vision.

So, as I see it, you want SOE to code in a mechanism that would benefit very few people - and likely cause a number of problems given the spaghetti code-base that is EQ - all because YOU picked the worst possible server for your guild.

Thank you for taking the time to oh so carefully read my post before you whipped out your response. In fact I actually asked that they simply expand on the existing expendable aa's to include some available to lower level players.

When we chose the test server (back in December) I don't think the increased AA xp rate had even been mentioned as a remote possibility to anyone outside of developer's circles. We have a niche following, which means we don't have a large player base with which to help newcomers catch up. Double XP was a BOON in this situation because even those joining us late could catch up within a reasonable time. Starting at 25 with /testbuff was another bonus related to being able to add new people quickly. We didn't want to be stuck in the neverending cycle of having to go out recruiting every 3rd week. Turnover will always be high in situation like this, we chose Test for benefits that would help alleviate these problems.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for the AA change, I understand the reasoning and think it was a pretty cool move on Sony's part. I have alt-itis. I have 3 60's now on Test, a pair of 55 mages, with a third on the way and numerous characters all in the rest of the level range, most 40+. I am no where near maxing my aa's. Some in my guild are already there, though, granted through every fault of their own for being such dedicated and enthusiastic customers. I was wondering if there was some way to accommodate what is readily becoming an interesting trend across all servers, not just my own. Every week you see someone posting on the boards talking about how they'd like to start, or have started a classic guild on this server or that. This problem will likely creep up for them if they manage the longevity we've been fortunate enough to face so far. The great people that make this game seem disinclined to private ruleset servers, so I'm simply suggesting a way to make at least one aspect of this "private live" experience controllable by those wanting said control.

Anyway, I've said way to much, mainly because I'm tired. Plus the dog's looking at me again. Gotta go.

First of all, I was not referring to the recent AA changes, and I assumed you weren't either.  Test server has double XP all the time, and any recent changes were added on top of that.  You play on a server that has double XP all the time, and then complain about gaining XP too fast.  On top of that, you asked - in your title AND in your post - to have the developers change the XP mechanic to suit you and a few others.  As for the expendable AAs at lower levels, while I agree that they might be appropriate in some cases, I can think of a LOT of items the devs would have to blow through before new expendables would be at the top.

A more engaging question, in my opinion, is whether or not you actually do any testing of new code, and do you ever submit bug reports?  The double XP that you don't care for is there primarily to entice people to play on the test server for... drum roll... testing code before it ends up on Live.  Do you even know why the test server is called the Test server?

The low population notwithstanding, if your guild members do not have the self control necessary to abide by the guild rules and not avail themselves of bazaar gear and other amenities that are more prevalent on live servers, then your guild is probably doomed to failure from the start.

A more engaging question, in my opinion, is whether or not you actually do any testing of new code, and do you ever submit bug reports?  The double XP that you don't care for is there primarily to entice people to play on the test server for... drum roll... testing code before it ends up on Live.  Do you even know why the test server is called the Test server?

Fimbulwinter wrote:

A more engaging question, in my opinion, is whether or not you actually do any testing of new code, and do you ever submit bug reports?  The double XP that you don't care for is there primarily to entice people to play on the test server for... drum roll... testing code before it ends up on Live.  Do you even know why the test server is called the Test server?

I'll cut in on that.  Test exists to test EQ by playing normally, not for a lifestyle of thinking up convoluted things to Test, as some of the Test detractors (like Tulisin) seem to think.  So one of these special rules guilds is doing exactly what Test is there for; it's the regression testing of normal play that is important, not testing new additions as such - that's what devs test for, and have a QA department to handle.

From personal experience, most people playing on Test are more likely to use /bug and /feedback than the average player, which is as it should be.

And if he is, indeed, doing so, along with the members of his guild, then good for him.  Thus my question.  Taking his statements at face value, however, it seemed that he was more interested in a low-population server with a limited bazaar to keep his guildmates honest than he was in fulfilling any useful test function.

I'm not one of the Test detractors, and I understand that Test exists to test long term stability and issues more than the latest high-end code.  On the other hand, playing on Test simply for the low population aspects, and then expressing dismay over the very mechanics that make Test a viable environment in the first place seems a bit odd.

Have you considered under what conditions you would raise the cap?  Perhaps you are getting to that point where you need re-evaluate that transition criteria...

Again, have you tested how the exp from mob death goes from AAxp to reg exp?  Does the AAxp stay at 100% and exp still goes to lvl exp, or does AAxp get switched at specific times/actions such as zoning/logging in-out or after each kill?

That way our people who are hitting the aa cap and have to be sacrificed 96 times in the last week to stay within our guild's rules can instead use those 30 banked points for short term boosts and continue to play as much as they want while our raid team pushes on.

Wow.  You have people maxing out on available AAs plus bank 30 before others catch up.  You have some slow levelling people.

I think your idea of adding in some expendables with less power at lower levels is a good one.

Donnel_TLW wrote:

That way our people who are hitting the aa cap and have to be sacrificed 96 times in the last week to stay within our guild's rules can instead use those 30 banked points for short term boosts and continue to play as much as they want while our raid team pushes on.

Wow.  You have people maxing out on available AAs plus bank 30 before others catch up.  You have some slow levelling people.

I think your idea of adding in some expendables with less power at lower levels is a good one.

 

I would say we have 20% of the guild maxed out or close atm. We have a huge base of old timers(30 -50 year olds) and a solid mix of college to mid 20's players. With that said yes the younger crowd does seem to play 2-3 times more then the so called 9-5ers. I have played since October and have 4 60's, 2 of which have 200+ AA. We have guys who joined 2 months ago and are maxed. Like Donnel said we have both extremes here.

Few side notes:

We started on Test in October not December. We did reform under a new name in Novenmber/December.

We test tons of content including new and old stuff. We do actively offer feedback and report bugs. Everything from the current AA change to older bugs found in the world that have never been addressed.

Test server offered more then just a low population server. It gave us double experience for new comers to adjust quicker. It gave us little to no competition on old world targtes(though we have had griefers). It gave us a plat-seller spam free server. It gave us a way to bring hardcore 10+ hour a day players and hardcore 2 hour a day players together to do content from start to finish as a cohesive group.

Okay so it's a totally weird and off the beaten path questions here, but I have to ask.

Would it be possible to get a /exp off command added? Unlike other games where your level determines say, what loot drops, there's no real benefit to staying at a lower level... unless you and your friends want to play the game a certain way.

Hear me out.

I know that many of you are thinking by this point, "Why should Sony cater to a direct few with a new command when there's so much more that should be fixed first." And I can honestly agree that they shouldn't.

So in the interest of helping us "progression guild" type people out, and also to promote ideas that benefit everyone not just those who are having trouble keeping members who play a whole lot within our level guidelines (did you know that when you have 30 banked aa's all xp goes to regular xp? Did you know it's possible to purchase every purchasable aa at level 60 and still have much of luclin left to conquor?), how about some lower powered expendable aa's that can be bought at lower levels instead?

That way our people who are hitting the aa cap and have to be sacrificed 96 times in the last week to stay within our guild's rules can instead use those 30 banked points for short term boosts and continue to play as much as they want while our raid team pushes on.

Given the options I'd prefer new expendables, but I know this isn't anything that will help one iota with the game at large - it will just help better satisfy a (apparently growing) subset of the current EQ population.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read this and please, stop looking at me like I'm crazy, my dog does that enough,

This handy feature is offered in EverQuest II, however, I'm not certain about the impact it may or may not have for EverQuest.  Perhaps others will offer their feedback on the positives and negatives of adding it.  Regarding implementation,  I don't know how difficult it would be to add to the game but I'm adding it to my "inquire about" list.

Unless you are still raiding Naggy and Vox what possible difference does it make from a raiding standpoint what your level is?

You are in a particular range of content and the only difference that having more levels makes is if somehow have people so high that they kill exp for the lower levels they group with.

I suggest a guild split myself with an alliance. It's ridiculous to impose these sorts of limits and you're going to have more drama in the future with it.

Fimbulwinter - Who ever said I don't like the double xp? As I stated in my previous post it was one of the reasons Test was chosen. I asked for some more variety in Expendable AA's. Yes I mention an /exp off command, I never expected that. Would you like me to go remove any mention of it from my post so more people who can't see beyond their own nose aren't confused by my humor? I'm sorry.

When test was chosen for this project, we'd never conceive that anyone could burn through 60 levels and 460 (on average) AA's before we had Luclin finished. It happened and now we have to reevaluate our position and playstyle regarding level caps. In the meantime I thought I'd throw this out as something that benefits everyone (more neat abilities) while also solves our problem for us.

I didn't say you dislike the double XP.  I said that it's detrimental to your "vision" - i.e., it's causing you problems in keeping within the level range your guild allows.  As for seeing beyond my own nose and your "humor", you were the one that brought up the /exp off concept, not me.  Whether or not you meant it as a serious request (and I personally believe you did), other people have taken your request as a serious one and expounded on it.

What I see, looking beyond my own nose of course, is a request by a very small minority of folks asking for a global change to the xp mechanic because they didn't plan far enough ahead.  Between /Testbuff 25 and double experience, you can't POSSIBLY be surprised that you've maxed yourself in a very short time.

Also, looking beyond my own nose, with the aging codebase that the devs have to work with, I can foresee any number of bugs that could result from this change.  The Law of Unintended Consequences dictates that one or more of these bugs would likely occur.

You didn't post asking for expendable AAs at lower levels.  You posted complaining that you're getting too much XP - on a server that gives double XP -  and asked for an /exp off switch.  you then said that if that wasn't reasonable, you'd like to see expendables at lower levels.

I personally feel that the devs have a lot more pressing items on their list than catering to a few people that failed to plan ahead.  I'd lump your request in with the complaints of those folks that played 18 hours a day when SoF was released so they could ding 80 and have the "cool" AAs, and are now complaining that they are max level and AA.

Here's a thought - play an alt or start fresh on a Live server.

I would offer this as a thought. 

One of the great things about Everquest as a game, and a community over the years, is its flexibility on play style.  Some Guilds are "Casual", some "Hard Core", but they all enjoy the game in different ways.  As Everquest has continued to evolve as a game many new people that come to the game (Usually by there RL friends) want to experience the Linage of the game from start to finish.  many of these friends have heard of many Raids in Plane of Time, and how hard it was to defeat Quarm that first time.  They want to relive the experience with their friends.  A progression guild fits this perfectly for these people.

The Expendable AAs were created for the "Power Gamers" to have something to buy when they had maxed out their AAs.  In our guild on the test server, we have some "Power gamers" that play quite a bit, but they still want to enjoy the old content, and challenge.  Yes they play an alt, or two, or 5, but when the guild friends need them as there main toon they go help.  All the AA system needs is a way to dump AA points at any level 51+.  I can think of a couple of possible solutions.

1)  /Characterexp off -- this would stop all exp gained from quests and mobs.

2) /EmptyAACache -- This would simple wipe all the saved AAs away.  This would like the maxed out people periodically wipe out the 30 saved AA's so they don't gain real exp.

3) Make a few expendable AAs at low level that you can dump point into.  They could be simple things.  Here are a few off the top of my head.

All of these would be single use, or a timed buff similar to the Lesson of the devoted AA now.

Extra Hp regen
Extra Mana Regen
Invisibility (Set duration)
Call Home (great for tanks)
Extra Melee Crit Chance.

These are just a few that I can think of.  The point is they would be purchasable (maybe 2-4 points) and easily expendable, so that they could be bought again.

Thanks for considering this guys!

Shanng

#2 and #3 are reasonable requests.   The problem I can see with #1 is that it'd likely lead to bugs.  Things like XP unexpectedly turning itself off, or not being able to loot because the server didn't recognize that you killed a mob, or...  The point being that any time the devs mess with the aging EQ code broblems occur.  The more pervasive the code, the worse the bugs.  One need only look at the last patch for an example of this.

It's my understanding that there is a "reset AA" command available on Test that basically refuds all your AA so you can repurchase them.

The kicker being that you have to respend them all before you zone again or log off. Otherwise you lose any unspent AA over the 30 limit.

I'm sure you can come up with some creative ways to exploit this feature.

It's my understanding that there is a "reset AA" command available on Test that basically refuds all your AA so you can repurchase them.

The kicker being that you have to respend them all before you zone again or log off. Otherwise you lose any unspent AA over the 30 limit.

I'm sure you can come up with some creative ways to exploit this feature.

I'm sure you can come up with some creative ways to exploit utilize this feature.

Rawlden wrote:

It's my understanding that there is a "reset AA" command available on Test that basically refuds all your AA so you can repurchase them.

The kicker being that you have to respend them all before you zone again or log off. Otherwise you lose any unspent AA over the 30 limit.

I'm sure you can come up with some creative ways to exploit this feature.

The "Spend any over 30 before you zone or you lose them" thing is not active, at least not on test.

I've zoned a few times by accident and never lost them after resetting.

Craby wrote:

1)  /Characterexp off -- this would stop all exp gained from quests and mobs.

2) /EmptyAACache -- This would simple wipe all the saved AAs away.  This would like the maxed out people periodically wipe out the 30 saved AA's so they don't gain real exp.

3) Make a few expendable AAs at low level that you can dump point into.  They could be simple things.  Here are a few off the top of my head.

 

#2 and #3 are reasonable requests.   The problem I can see with #1 is that it'd likely lead to bugs.  Things like XP unexpectedly turning itself off, or not being able to loot because the server didn't recognize that you killed a mob, or...  The point being that any time the devs mess with the aging EQ code broblems occur.  The more pervasive the code, the worse the bugs.  One need only look at the last patch for an example of this.

So far the only reason against you've brought forth is: I don't think the devs can do it and not break it, and they shouldn't waste their time trying.
Is there any other reason?

More like:  The possibilities for introducing unexpected bugs that could seriously affect the gameplay of a large number of players are so numerous as to approach near certainty, given the aging codebase and the history of patches that affect any significant game mechanic; and there are a large number of bugs/improvements that the devs should be concentrating on prior to changing a mechanic that would likely see no use outside a few players such as yourself.

On the other hand, the only argument you've been able to muster up to advance this is: my buddies and I can'ty play the way WE want to play, so we want the devs to drop everything and make this change to benefit us.  That about it?

Donnel_TLW wrote:

So far the only reason against you've brought forth is: I don't think the devs can do it and not break it, and they shouldn't waste their time trying.
Is there any other reason?

More like:  The possibilities for introducing unexpected bugs that could seriously affect the gameplay of a large number of players are so numerous as to approach near certainty, given the aging codebase and the history of patches that affect any significant game mechanic; and there are a large number of bugs/improvements that the devs should be concentrating on prior to changing a mechanic that would likely see no use outside a few players such as yourself.

On the other hand, the only argument you've been able to muster up to advance this is: my buddies and I can'ty play the way WE want to play, so we want the devs to drop everything and make this change to benefit us.  That about it?

Fimbulwinter wrote:

Donnel_TLW wrote:

So far the only reason against you've brought forth is: I don't think the devs can do it and not break it, and they shouldn't waste their time trying.
Is there any other reason?

More like:  The possibilities for introducing unexpected bugs that could seriously affect the gameplay of a large number of players are so numerous as to approach near certainty, given the aging codebase and the history of patches that affect any significant game mechanic; and there are a large number of bugs/improvements that the devs should be concentrating on prior to changing a mechanic that would likely see no use outside a few players such as yourself.

On the other hand, the only argument you've been able to muster up to advance this is: my buddies and I can'ty play the way WE want to play, so we want the devs to drop everything and make this change to benefit us.  That about it?

Oh yes, I totally demanded this be put in game tomorrow. You do know that we have a test server to check for things like that right?

So then you'd have no problem with the devs prioritizing this behind all of the existing bugs, all of the planned changes, and basically everything that would benefit more than a handful of players.  No problem.  They probably will have some time in 2010 to look at this.

Yes, I believe that there are quite a few things that ought to have a much higher priority than this.  If history is any guide, however, half a dozen coders will jump on this change because A) It'll have an immediate effect that is tangible, B) it's easier than fixing bugs, and C) they'll figure "what the heck, if it causes problems on Test we just won't implement it on Live".  And the bugs that need attention will continue to languish.

I checked further on getting this added and here's what I found out.  It wouldn't be difficult to implement an on/off switch for the regular experience gain (experience you get from killing things), however making adjustments for the various methods of gaining experience would be more time consuming. 

I checked further on getting this added and here's what I found out.  It wouldn't be difficult to implement an on/off switch for the regular experience gain (experience you get from killing things), however making adjustments for the various methods of gaining experience would be more time consuming. 

this is a   stupid request how hard is it to do sacs p and u make money from it any more power would completely   make pointless  so called progression guilds. Which imo is a preety lame  idea in the first place ole eq can never come back that ah fresh mmo feeling  prolly can never come back ever  either.. unless u mindwipe yourself somehow....

corpse runs  where NOT fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@

this is a   stupid request how hard is it to do sacs p and u make money from it any more power would completely   make pointless  so called progression guilds. Which imo is a preety lame  idea in the first place ole eq can never come back that ah fresh mmo feeling  prolly can never come back ever  either.. unless u mindwipe yourself somehow....

 

corpse runs  where NOT fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@

quseio wrote:

this is a   stupid request how hard is it to do sacs p and u make money from it any more power would completely   make pointless  so called progression guilds. Which imo is a preety lame  idea in the first place ole eq can never come back that ah fresh mmo feeling  prolly can never come back ever  either.. unless u mindwipe yourself somehow....

 

corpse runs  where NOT fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!@

You know - and I am only saying that because I care - there's a lot of decaffeinated brands on the market that are just as tasty as the real thing.

Zatozia wrote:

I checked further on getting this added and here's what I found out.  It wouldn't be difficult to implement an on/off switch for the regular experience gain (experience you get from killing things), however making adjustments for the various methods of gaining experience would be more time consuming. 

Sorry for the necro job, but has anything been done since this was posted? It is still an issue for me and my friends who wish to remain at a certain level. Can this switch please be put in

Ohh, I think I just thought of a solution...

1 new AA, costs 1 AA point to buy, called "Generate Favor".  Buying it gives 1000 favor.   Maybe a 2nd, Buy Guild Favor.

Sorry, I don't play on test, so i don't know for sure if favor is unlocked for your guild, but if it is, wouldn't that work?  Its almost exactly like "lower level expendable AAs" but favor is already implemented, so transferring AA to Favor is like getting lower level, but still usefull expendable AAs, more AC, more HPs, regen, mana regen, etc...

Would this be a good solution?  if so, I don't see why it couldn't go live, either.  I mean, I would never use it myself (I have tradeskill itis, my favor is pretty much maxxed, as is my guild favor, lol) but it wouldn't offend me if it existed.