Read it when it was posted, but it was never specifically mentioned that the changes were made on the live P99 server -- only the Test server.

Bum,

With all due respect, how long was it on test? how many ppl tested it? the purpose of test servers isn't just to say to the community, "we tested it, you had your chance" (ala Silius over at Vanguard), but to actually get the changes working properly before hitting live.

Additionally, it was pushed to live from test without any patch notes, or am i wrong about this?

Anyways, I've said it so many posts that I've made about the devs here: I have tremendous respect and thanks for the work you do.

In this case, I just think you could have sold the community on the changes if you had introduced them in a more open way. I guess you have your reasons for doing it this way, and I will respect that.

From the link you shared:



"subtle changes." Ha!! That whole thread was vague with most of the comments being about the AC changes.

I would hardly say that announcing a game changing group experience penalty in that poorly worded and vague thread constitutes a perfectly fine warning for the rest of community.

Good gameplay = more players = more work.

So we go backwards instead.

I play hybrid characters exclusively. I support this change and wish it had been present since the server opened. It's hell trying to stay the same level as my friends with the broken system; at least now that won't be an issue. Leveling my Paladin to 50 was a constant headache, trying to stay roughly even with the wife's character. To heck with that, it wasn't fun, wasn't sensible, and wasn't classic. No advantages, just nuisance.

If it was up to me, I wouldn't have had those class/race penalties at all--they're dumb (I'd keep the good, throw away the bad)--but if they're going to be present, do 'em right. That's what the fixed experience setup does. The prior system was half-assed, neither logical *nor* classic, and as such--all bad, the worst of both sides.

Some groups won't take penalized races/classes due to that. Once again, a dumb feature of EQ, but it's classic. Still beats having to play half again as much as my friends to keep up (or worse, watching them have to kill themselves repeatedly).

Unfortunately this change, which should have been working from the start or very early on, is only being applied after ~9 months. I have mixed feelings on that, but I suppose 'better late than never'.

Danth

I think this quote is funny cause all the "Purists" Already have a 50 or multiple 50s cause this server has been out almost a year with the xp the other way. So why change it so late? I just started here as well and I don't remember exactly how fast I leveled the first time around. It does feel slower, but why punish the new player population when there are already so many max levels on the server?

I certainly remember the first levels being much faster in EQ. Took about 2 hours to get to level4, I know this I have alt-itis too.
I made a bunch of lowbies this time around and level 2-3-4 are really slower.

My second point is, what's the point in having xp penalties on certain race and class if said class/race get more xp than the other, ultimately reversing the penalty.

All I know is I'm no longer playing my pally/bard alt or grouping with classes with penalties. My halfling druid was grouped with an SK and a bard last night in oasis and the xp did not move per kill....and this is red crocs.

Bard/SK leave, rogue + warrior join. Guess what? Smooth sailing.







I think it's ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous that devs put in things like xp penalties but don't leave in known bugs like sword of runes proccing on all mobs or being able to exploit pathing to ones advantage. I'm OKAY with leaving in the negative features of the game.......but for christ sake leave in the good features too that made experience players have an advantage.

Keep in mind that some of those 'purists' who started in October and have a character at 50 (such as myself) leveled *slower* than they would have otherwise, due to experience not being correctly averaged out.

EQ isn't well-suited for rushing to the top anyway. If you want that, you're playing the wrong game. There's practically nothing fun to do at 50 (unless you like sitting on Nagafen's spawn point for 12 hour shifts), hence why some of those guys have multiple 50's to begin with. Don't expect Kunark to fix that issue, either, because it won't.

Low levels, for some strange reason, always did seem extremely slow on P99; certainly I could never do 1-7/8 on P99 at the same rate my many low-leveled character did during the 'classic' era. I'm unsure why that's the case exactly. The general rule since the server opened has been, 'don't kill blues at low levels if you can help it.'

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"My second point is, what's the point in having xp penalties on certain race and class if said class/race get more xp than the other, ultimately reversing the penalty."

Sony did that because it was found, during EQ's beta, that players of penalzied classes couldn't keep up with their friends otherwise. The idea--rubbish, as we all know--was that the shared penalty was still appropriate since the penalized classes added more to their groups. Maybe it even would have made sense if said penalized classes didn't include some of the weakest classes in the game (hello, rangers!). That's EQ for you though. That being said, I'll take a dumb but classic feature over the previous implementation, which was both dumb and NOT classic.

Danth