How do you justify the amount of time everquest requires? How do you play the game?

[Safon]

So lately I've been considering just how much time I need to invest in eq to keep progressing; I am lvl 57 and it takes hours and hours just to earn a few blues of experience (not to mention the time investment for raiding). And that's if things don't go wrong during the process :p

I love the game, but it seems more and more like an incredible time eater lately (just IMO of course). I guess it was designed thus way, as more time spent equals more money spent, or did during live. And if I'm not logging on frequently, I'm not contributing much to my guild, and my relationships with friends and guild mates deteriorate.

Is it really possible to play this game casually? Especially at the high end?

Is there even such a thing as true casuals on p99?

To those with serious rl commitments who play, how do you personally go about spending your time in the game?

Maybe this is a dumb topic/question, but I figured I'd ask anyways. Thanks for any input/ feedback

[Kika Maslyaka]

the only way to play this game casually is to stop caring about XP and levels.
Concentrate on raising your faction all over the world and piling up cash - its a lot more productive.

[Safon]

we got a genius burger on the loose

Have you really been banned four+ times? Why do you cling to forum trolling so strongly

[Arrngrim79]

It is what you want it to be friend.

From what little I've seen on p99, they've captured the original essence of EQ. From what I've read on the boards, people are raging at each other about the raiding, but this is really how it was in those days. It was...chaotic. Even on the servers where people organized, things were still hectic sometimes. About the time investment, oh yes, I can remember years of my life flushed down the drain that is EQ. Was it a waste? Of course not, memories I hold dear still of this game have brought me back here to p99.

For those of us with social obligations, sure it's probably possible to play casually here, even at 57 with the raid scene. Just don't expect to make every raid and the leveling will be slow.

Just...enjoy it. With all the new MMO's, they've honed down the players to want to drive and crave the newest loot, the newest shiny. They've forgotten what the true spirit of EQ was about. Just having fun, exploring a new area with friends, CAMPING a SINGLE spot for days/weeks on end. The magic has been lost with the new gen MMO's and the younger crowd who demand instant gratification on everything.

One of my fondest memories of EQ, being an early 20's shaman camping at the zone to "The Arena" slowly killing the two aviak guards that would spawn and just looking out at the in game mountains watching the digital sun set. Egg timers ftw. That was the magic of the game.

And now, I've had a GREAT day frolicking through Blackburrow just like the old days. Dying a couple times in hard to reach areas, spotting Lord Elgnub and the Master Brewer and "duck & covering" asap.

Can I give you good examples of p99 at your current stage in the game? Naturally not, but I refer you back to my first statement in this response.

It is what you want it to be friend.

[Kika Maslyaka]

A good friend of mine said following when he quit EQ in 2004:

"EQ was a tremendous waste of time, but it was fun" ;)

[Kurtanius21]

Simple. P1999 in moderation. Though I have been here for nearly a year, my highest level is only 40. I don't play daily, am not part of a guild scene, and in no rush to level. The benefits of playing this way are huge for me. For one, I have no worries of burning out any time soon. This has made it possible for me to avoid any new game purchases or hardware upgrades for the last 6 months. There is no need for me to buy new games because I'm not tired of P1999. Secondly, playing in moderation does not hurt my social life much at all. As far as I can tell, I'ma be here for a long time.

[LetTheWookieWin]

When I came back to EQ in the form of p1999 it was with one simple rule:

I play on my terms.

I have three kids, a lovely wife and a life I don't want to ignore.

I am a member of Flawless Victory - the best guild on the server hands down - with them I make my play time starts and stops known. I play within the time frames I have, I don't elevate the game above my kids or my wife (or even my dog for that matter) and I enjoy my time, as it is available.

Play on your own terms, don't let anyone else set the line on how you should play, when, or why.

Brogg

[koros]

EQ doesn't "require" any amount of time. There's a lot you can do if you put in a lot of time, but there's infinitely more you can be doing in real life. So play as casually as you like and everything will be there waiting for you when you log back in.

Back in the early days on live I was a teenager and would forego sleep, schoolwork, and social obligations for the next carrot - a piece of gear, a level, etc. Now I couldn't fathom doing that, and if I'm 99% to the next level, or about to engage the island 4 boss in plane of sky (for the ever coveted DCoS drop) and it's time to log, I log.

Another thing to consider is that marginal returns on power increase per hour committed to eq rapidly decrease. In other words, a level 20 who puts in 20 hours might end up level 25, a much larger power % increase than for a level 54 who puts in 20 hours and gets through 3 yellow bubbles, or a level 60 who puts in 20 hours and might finish half an epic quest or farm 20k of a 100k item they wish to buy.

[eqravenprince]

I'm a true casual player. I just realize that I will most likely never have the best equipment and I do not even think about getting to max level. Enjoy the moment is the easiest way to play as a casual. Adventure to new zones, help out newbies, start up crafting just because you can, fish, max out alcohol tolerance, go get some gear for an alt from one of the many empty mid level zones.

I try to talk to my wife before I start playing and make sure it's ok if I play for X hours. If I don't talk to the wife, I either solo or make it known to my group that I may have to leave at any moment. Generally speaking, I do not raid, it's too much of a time committment and hassle. Besides, I know I do not need raid equipment for doing group or solo content. Sure it helps, but not neccesary.

[diplo]

it all depends on what you want to get out of the game.

if you don't care about pixels, whats wrong with 2-3 blues per session? the game is most fun for me 1-59.9.

i'm pretty casual now. i work 8-7 everyday, so i only get a few hours to play each day, if i'm not spending time with my gf or my friends. i usually just try to catch a raid if i can or do some mindless farming while i'm watching NBA. It's satisfying me more than enough.

[Tyrith]

Since coming back I've had my own struggle with this. At first I wanted to play a cleric, like I had on classic, but I pretty quickly realized that when RL can call at any time, it doesn't make sense to burden other people with my schedule. Having a wife/kids/other household obligations is definitely a limiting factor on what you can do.

But EQ is also a good game for us casual people because of the pace. EQ is a much slower paced and less concentration demanding game than modern MMOs, because there's so much time medding/waiting for mobs to spawn. I rerolled as a soloing class and love it, because I can step away whenever I need to, and often it was time I was just going to spend sitting there in the game anyway.

The great thing about EQ is that since so much of the game is in the leveling process, you can always log in and do something that has long-term meaning for your character. In a game like WoW, if you don't have time to do all the dailies/gear grinding for any given patch cycle, you will just be behind until the whole thing resets - the value of the casual amount of playtime gets wiped away every six months. Here, even if you can only chip away at the leveling grind 45 minutes a day, that 45 minutes a day of XP will always have value to your character.

[Barkingturtle]

I think the key to being a casual player and enjoying your time on P99 is probably rolling a monk.

[Hroth]

I've got a family and more than a full time job. I've been playing off and on since around April of 2010 and my highest level character is 52 so I'm pretty casual.

How do I play? I make EQ sacrifices.

I don't main the class that I most wanted to play: a warrior. It just wouldn't be feasible when frequently I can only play for an hour or so. Even when I have several hours to play, I'm still a husband and father first so often have to step away or log on very short notice. Instead, I play a shaman where I can solo effectively which is what I do most.

If I know I'm going to have a 2-3 hour uninterrupted session coming up, I'll try to make the most of it. I'll camp in the area I want to group in the night before to increase the time I can be in a group. However, I don't wait long LFG. I've got 3 alts in the 15-30 range and will pick what I play based primarily on what I have time for or what I can find a group with.

I'm in a guild, and do raid casually in hate/fear and epic fights when I can. Fortunately there are several guilds out there where casual raiders are accepted. I don't dream big. While I used to play EQ hardcore from around 1999-2004, that's not where I'm at now in my life so I don't dream about phat loots and dragons.

I remember that family comes first. When my daughter was born, I quit for over 9 months to spend more time getting to know her and supporting my wife.

EQ is what you make of it, and it can still be plenty enjoyable even at 5-10 hours a week.

[Nordenwatch]

Here's how I balance life and EQ:

I use EQ as motivation to study. I know it sounds crazy but there's a method to this madness. Essentially I pick AFK camps, some camps that you'll only have to do something every X amount of time (30 min for Xalgoz, for example) and I study for the rest of the time. This motivates me to actually study because I have to sit there for 30 min anyway, I might as well get some work done.

EC is also a good place to do this, hit the auction button every 10 min or so and check occasionally for tells.

This makes it so I'm playing a game which I enjoy, while studying which I enjoy significantly less. It balances it out. Its great getting a fungi tunic while writing an essay.

It is a ton of time invested but you get what you put into it, and its obviously fun as fuck if we're all playing on an emulated server of a game that was released 13 years ago.

[Arrisard]

I play when I can, I don't when I can't.

People make this more complicated than it really is. It's a video game. Yeah, it's not as simple as hitting quicksave and getting up any second you want in EQ, but I justify it the same way when I've spent hundreds, thousands, of hours over the course of my life playing other games. I came to the realization a long time ago that it was all really just "wasted time" other than the enjoyment and memories I got which were more than worth the time invested over all.

Some people juggle geese.

[Elements]

I haven't felt the need to justify my play time in any game in a long time. I've embrased my passion for gaming while maintaining my real life responsibilities and excellent health. So if I can still mamage to squeez in 40+ hours of gaming on the odd week and nothing IRL is being sacrificed then booyah.

[Swish]

Too many hours on EQ and this can happen:-

http://i.imgur.com/vsykm.gif

All things in moderation...

[Elements]

Too many hours on EQ and this can happen:-

http://i.imgur.com/vsykm.gif

All things in moderation...

Probably 2-3 weeks of growth behind that guy. Should probably shave today.

[1203jjt]

I struggle with this problem some...maybe I just lack self control. Sometimes I know I SHOULD be doing x, but slaughtering some orcs or undead is just more satisfying :/

[Zeelot]

I am a full time law student and never have issues. I just raid when I am free and level chars when I feel like it. It isn't so hard :p

[HippoNipple]

I think there are a lot more casuals on Red - I have seen a lot of level 1-20 in the last few weeks. I have never played on Blue so it is hard for me to even understand the end goal of it. I play on Red to make alliances and take down whoever else I can. With level limits on who you can attack you are always relevant in your bracket. There is no rush to level or see new content because there are most likely always others in your range to hunt down.

PvE is also important and the more hardcore players focus on this, while the casuals try to stop them from progressing by ruining their raids.

[diplo]

Here's how I balance life and EQ:

I use EQ as motivation to study. I know it sounds crazy but there's a method to this madness. Essentially I pick AFK camps, some camps that you'll only have to do something every X amount of time (30 min for Xalgoz, for example) and I study for the rest of the time. This motivates me to actually study because I have to sit there for 30 min anyway, I might as well get some work done.

EC is also a good place to do this, hit the auction button every 10 min or so and check occasionally for tells.

This makes it so I'm playing a game which I enjoy, while studying which I enjoy significantly less. It balances it out. Its great getting a fungi tunic while writing an essay.

It is a ton of time invested but you get what you put into it, and its obviously fun as fuck if we're all playing on an emulated server of a game that was released 13 years ago.

I do this all the time, well when I was in school, but whenever i work from home or fold laundry or have to clean or some shit...it's really therapeutic.

[stormlord]

Since coming back I've had my own struggle with this. At first I wanted to play a cleric, like I had on classic, but I pretty quickly realized that when RL can call at any time, it doesn't make sense to burden other people with my schedule. Having a wife/kids/other household obligations is definitely a limiting factor on what you can do.

But EQ is also a good game for us casual people because of the pace. EQ is a much slower paced and less concentration demanding game than modern MMOs, because there's so much time medding/waiting for mobs to spawn. I rerolled as a soloing class and love it, because I can step away whenever I need to, and often it was time I was just going to spend sitting there in the game anyway.

The great thing about EQ is that since so much of the game is in the leveling process, you can always log in and do something that has long-term meaning for your character. In a game like WoW, if you don't have time to do all the dailies/gear grinding for any given patch cycle, you will just be behind until the whole thing resets - the value of the casual amount of playtime gets wiped away every six months. Here, even if you can only chip away at the leveling grind 45 minutes a day, that 45 minutes a day of XP will always have value to your character.
This is especially true for necromancer,druid,magician/hybrids/etc. Anybody that can solo, really. I think the necromancer has to take the shiny, though. They're kings at this. FD is insta-afk too. Only downside to the necromancer is their lore. I wish there was a good-aligned class with their overall abilities.

You're right that downtime in the game actually enables things like going to the bathroom and taking the garbage out and/or cooking something. You don't lose anything by going AFK when medding. Whereas, in most modern games, if you walk away then you lose something since there's no downtime.

A good point you make is about the expansion cycles with new games. They're always adding more levels and progression and mudflating at rapid rates, so it's easy to fall behind in them if you take long breaks.

I'm sure this game, assuming no disaster or SOE smackdown, will go on for a few more years, at least. And the most it will have is velious. So mudflation and increasing numbers of levels is minimal here. What the OP fails to notice is that he/she is almost 60, the highest level. The OP is effectively in endgame content. I really don't think the raid content in this game is all that impressive. But that's just my opinion. Even in a game like EQ2, there're a lot of players that never do any raiding. Grouping and soloing is their whole game.

And btw my highest level character on p1999 is lvl 23. Most of them are under 19. I made it my goal to not go into my 20's and 30's but to instead reroll so that's why most of them are so low. Weird? Ya, sure. But that's just how I decided to play. I wanted to be a actual part of the new player community. Why should it matter? I got to level 85 on live and over 1000 aa. I don't care as much as others do. Plus, I like familiar places.

[stavio]

I'm just another casual player. I play this game to have fun, help others, port people for cr's, buff lowbies in tunnels, etc..

I have a lvl 51 thats over 2yrs old, and a lvl 9 enchanter thats even older.

I originally joined the server for nostalgia, I had to run the Stein of Moggok quest!! Even with a ton of plat in the bank I still run that quest on my enchanter.

I don't consider any of the time spent on P1999 or Live (only played to kunark) a waste.

[Treefall]

Getting the best gear and raiding, no. However, it's like that even in modern games like WoW. Sure, in WoW you are handed epics and shiny gear as a casual, but you're never given the best gear until the top tier raiders have been maxed for a few months, but by then they're on the next tier.

I think on here it's pretty much the same in that regard, only instead of epics/welfare gear you have to grind mobs or farm plat or join decent groups to farm the gear you want. (I wouldn't call gear bought with plat welfare gear at all.)

The group game can definitely be done casually. A big issue, though, is sometimes camping spots for a long, long time isn't feasible. In that regard you might miss the spawn or drop when you're offline, but that's life.

As for leveling, I think it can also be done casually. But, you'll need a team for max efficiency or you'll need to play an amazing solo class. Necro, Mage, and Bard seem to level pretty fast without massive twinking, from what I've read, solo. All the other classes though, the exp sure seems to drop off unless you spend your time efficiently with a group.

But seriously - 2-3 solid hours every other night with a good group should progress you at a decent rate. Throw in one or two 8 hour days here or there when your kids/family are out and you're home and you'll be capped in no time.

[Groo]

I look for other people who play as casually as I do and try to group with them on my cleric. In the past, I'd make friends, and they'd play all day/every day while I was at work or out doing stuff after work. They blew by me in levels, and I was left sitting alone LFG all the time. Or they'd suddenly quit playing, again leaving me with nothing but people who have way more time and dedication for EQ than I do nowadays. Just as I was about to quit for good, I stopped caring about leveling, basically. Now I'm having fun again. Most of my playtime is reserved for weekends and holidays, though.