Hauling
02-07-2011, 02:39 PM
First off, I didn't know where to put this, but this is kind of a rant, because most of what I'm about to address is the result of a lot of my time being wasted or me just being annoyed. Anyway, I'll just get right into it.
A sow is a convenience. I'm happy to sow everyone all day long as long as it doesn't inconvenience me. If I see a slow person run by, I'll stop and sow them. I will not however go out of my way to track you down and sow you, especially not in a large zone where it means 5-10 minutes out of my gaming time. I want to play the game too.
My first tip: Buy a sow potion and keep it in the bank. That way you have a sow for the corpse run at any time you need it. If a sow potion is too much, keep 10-20 plat in the bank instead. The point is, if I'm going out of my way for you, please make it worth my time.
A note about other buffs in general: if I'm not offering them, please don't ask for them. A full set of druid buffs takes a good chunk of mana. That's time that I have to spend medding to get back. The same holds true for other classes' buffs I'm sure too. Especially for some of the buffs that take reagents to cast, because not only are you asking for the player's time, you're asking for their money too.
Also, if I'm in EC, chances are I'm trying to buy, sell or just conduct business in general, which means personal tells asking for sows/buffs/ports are very disruptive. Now if I'm there, I generally have the mana and I don't mind at all to sow/buff you, but please ask in a say. That way I don't have to dig through a bunch of tells to figure out who I was trying to sell something to.
My second tip: Keep a few hundred plat in the bank. Ports and rezzes cost the players providing these services a lot of time. Especially clerics that don't necessarily get around the easiest. I don't mind helping out new players with free ports (though I do recommend that they take the boat at least once and run through a few zones to learn the game), but a corpse run is no excuse for a higher level to stiff the cabby. That holds true for ports in general. If I see a surname, I expect compensation and if I don't get it, chances are I won't port you in the future.
Concerning rezzes, until you get to higher levels where the experience slows down, it's my opinion that it's not worth anyone's time for you to try and get one. By the time you get your rez sorted out, you probably could have made your corpse run and be well on your way to making the lost experience back. Also, if there's a cleric in the dungeon where you died, chances are they are in a group of their own or they are camping something and are otherwise occupied. Throw out a /ooc offering to buy a rez. If they can or want to help, they'll offer.
My third tip: Always pay in platinum. Never gold. Paying in gold is a slap in the face. When you pay in gold, you're wasting even more time of the player who is helping you, because now they have to go to the bank to change it. If you don't have the platinum, precious gems are good as well as jewelry that can be vendored. Equipment is an okay alternative, if the person giving the services can use it, but if they can't, it's again a waste of their time to have to sit in EC and try to auction it.
My fourth tip: When you are doing a /who all dru or wiz, stick to druids or wizards in zones that have druid circles or wizard spires to inquire for ports, because if they are there, the odds are better that they're porting anyway and are more likely to help you. Druids and wizards that are in a dungeon are most definitely occupied with something else.
My fifth tip: Don't bother asking for buffs unless you're at a place you can use them. If you're waiting for a boat, it's pointless to ask for a sow. If you're two zones away from your hunting ground, it's pointless to ask for a ds because it will probably wear off before you get a chance to use it.
My sixth tip: If you are asking for buffs, click off all of your old buffs. When I cast something that you already have or doesn't stack with something you already have, the spell does not take hold and it costs me mana, wasting more of my time when I have to med and get it back.
My seventh tip: If I tell you that I am busy and can't help you, that's what that means. Leave it at that and don't beg. All of these services are a convenience. I'm happy to help if I'm not busy, but you are not entitled to my help. If I get pestered incessantly, you'll find yourself on the ignore list and you'll never get my help.
My eighth tip: I don't play an enchanter, but pay for your clarity and pay well. They are constantly hounded for it everywhere they go. Even though they can regenerate mana faster it doesn't mean it is not time out of their game to buff you.
My ninth tip: Pay for your binds. Especially if the person binding you has to go to town to do it. If the player refuses payment, pay anyway with /split. They deserve it.
Basically, what it boils down to is if someone is spending their time to save you time, you should compensate them fairly for it. I encourage other players to post their thoughts on the subject as well, since I'm sure I missed some things that irk other people.
A sow is a convenience. I'm happy to sow everyone all day long as long as it doesn't inconvenience me. If I see a slow person run by, I'll stop and sow them. I will not however go out of my way to track you down and sow you, especially not in a large zone where it means 5-10 minutes out of my gaming time. I want to play the game too.
My first tip: Buy a sow potion and keep it in the bank. That way you have a sow for the corpse run at any time you need it. If a sow potion is too much, keep 10-20 plat in the bank instead. The point is, if I'm going out of my way for you, please make it worth my time.
A note about other buffs in general: if I'm not offering them, please don't ask for them. A full set of druid buffs takes a good chunk of mana. That's time that I have to spend medding to get back. The same holds true for other classes' buffs I'm sure too. Especially for some of the buffs that take reagents to cast, because not only are you asking for the player's time, you're asking for their money too.
Also, if I'm in EC, chances are I'm trying to buy, sell or just conduct business in general, which means personal tells asking for sows/buffs/ports are very disruptive. Now if I'm there, I generally have the mana and I don't mind at all to sow/buff you, but please ask in a say. That way I don't have to dig through a bunch of tells to figure out who I was trying to sell something to.
My second tip: Keep a few hundred plat in the bank. Ports and rezzes cost the players providing these services a lot of time. Especially clerics that don't necessarily get around the easiest. I don't mind helping out new players with free ports (though I do recommend that they take the boat at least once and run through a few zones to learn the game), but a corpse run is no excuse for a higher level to stiff the cabby. That holds true for ports in general. If I see a surname, I expect compensation and if I don't get it, chances are I won't port you in the future.
Concerning rezzes, until you get to higher levels where the experience slows down, it's my opinion that it's not worth anyone's time for you to try and get one. By the time you get your rez sorted out, you probably could have made your corpse run and be well on your way to making the lost experience back. Also, if there's a cleric in the dungeon where you died, chances are they are in a group of their own or they are camping something and are otherwise occupied. Throw out a /ooc offering to buy a rez. If they can or want to help, they'll offer.
My third tip: Always pay in platinum. Never gold. Paying in gold is a slap in the face. When you pay in gold, you're wasting even more time of the player who is helping you, because now they have to go to the bank to change it. If you don't have the platinum, precious gems are good as well as jewelry that can be vendored. Equipment is an okay alternative, if the person giving the services can use it, but if they can't, it's again a waste of their time to have to sit in EC and try to auction it.
My fourth tip: When you are doing a /who all dru or wiz, stick to druids or wizards in zones that have druid circles or wizard spires to inquire for ports, because if they are there, the odds are better that they're porting anyway and are more likely to help you. Druids and wizards that are in a dungeon are most definitely occupied with something else.
My fifth tip: Don't bother asking for buffs unless you're at a place you can use them. If you're waiting for a boat, it's pointless to ask for a sow. If you're two zones away from your hunting ground, it's pointless to ask for a ds because it will probably wear off before you get a chance to use it.
My sixth tip: If you are asking for buffs, click off all of your old buffs. When I cast something that you already have or doesn't stack with something you already have, the spell does not take hold and it costs me mana, wasting more of my time when I have to med and get it back.
My seventh tip: If I tell you that I am busy and can't help you, that's what that means. Leave it at that and don't beg. All of these services are a convenience. I'm happy to help if I'm not busy, but you are not entitled to my help. If I get pestered incessantly, you'll find yourself on the ignore list and you'll never get my help.
My eighth tip: I don't play an enchanter, but pay for your clarity and pay well. They are constantly hounded for it everywhere they go. Even though they can regenerate mana faster it doesn't mean it is not time out of their game to buff you.
My ninth tip: Pay for your binds. Especially if the person binding you has to go to town to do it. If the player refuses payment, pay anyway with /split. They deserve it.
Basically, what it boils down to is if someone is spending their time to save you time, you should compensate them fairly for it. I encourage other players to post their thoughts on the subject as well, since I'm sure I missed some things that irk other people.