Player Agreement: Rule Change at the DS Camp
 

Hello Community,

I am Berbax, a dedicated solo artist player, and I am writing to propose a rule change for the DS camp based on my experiences and gathered evidence. I initially tried to run this by the Project1999 staff, but they preferred a player agreement over instituting the change themselves. So here I'm going to outline the details of what should ideally be done with this camp.

Background and Current Issues:

In August 2023, I attempted to camp DS to achieve the solo artist accomplishment. Despite my best efforts over two weeks, securing the camp became nearly impossible, exacerbated by my own guild's refusal to let me try after they claimed it. After a break, I returned in June this year, only to face similar challenges. It took another two weeks of continuous monitoring to get a single chance at the camp, during which I was subjected to constant pressure and harassment from the "Good Guys" guild.

Video Evidence:
For a detailed account of my journey, please refer to this video: Journey to DS Camp.

Current Camp Monopolization:

Since my return, I have meticulously logged camp ownership. As of today, Castle has monopolized the DS camp 24/7 since July 5, 2024—over 30 days straight. Here are my logs:

Argument for Rule Change:

1. Player Health: The current situation promotes unhealthy gaming habits, with players camping DS non-stop.

1. Toxicity: The high competition and harassment, as exemplified by my experiences with "Good Guys," foster a toxic environment.

1. Fair Access: The DS camp’s urn is valuable for all classes, similar to other high-demand items like Journeyman Boots. Current rules allow high-end guilds to monopolize the camp, excluding others.

1. Economic Impact: The urn sells for approximately 250k on the green server, and monopolization by a few guilds may drive real-money trading (RMT) influences.

1. Balancing Gameplay: DS camp difficulty is now trivial, making a list/line/roll system more reasonable and beneficial for a fair distribution of opportunities.

Proposed Change:

I advocate for implementing a list/line system for the DS camp or a roll, similar to other contentious spots like Angry and Scout. This will ensure healthier gameplay, reduce toxicity, and provide fair access to all players.

Thank you for considering this proposal. I am hopeful for a positive change that benefits the entire Project1999 community.

- Berbax

< - - - - Quarm is that way

I'm really looking for the change to happen on P99, so right now I'm looking for the community to come together and agree on this type of change, so that the Project1999 staff can help in enforcing it.

Project 1999 isn't an entitlement server where you get something just because you feel you should. It is here to emulate Everquest as we experienced it "back in the day" and instituting rules that just award people things for showing up is bogus.

There are changes that could be made to improve the camp, but implementing a list/line/roll system is dumb.

It's important to recognize that Project 1999 already employs list/line/roll systems for multiple camps, as mentioned in my post, as well as a series of camp rules and engagements (FTE) that are rules upon rules to circumvent the inherent flaws in the persistent era. The server strives to emulate Everquest as we remember it, but we're not experiencing the game as we did "back in the day" due to several factors.

Today's players are much more aware of min/maxing strategies, leading to behaviors and competition that weren't as prevalent back then. Additionally, Project 1999's static era means that certain items retain high contention indefinitely, unlike in the evolving original game where new content would shift player focus and reduce competition for older items.

Implementing a list/line/roll system at the DS camp would address the modern realities of gameplay on Project 1999, promoting fairness and reducing the toxic competition that currently exists. This change wouldn't hand out rewards arbitrarily; it would ensure that all players have a fair chance at valuable items, maintaining the spirit of Everquest while adapting to the dynamics of our current player base.

There are other servers that do this already, don't try and change the existent server to meet your desires when other options exist.

If the majority of people wanted those features, they would be on other servers where those rulesets are key features. I.e. Project Quarm.

I wonder the real life analogy where the OP's logic applies.

Would you walk to the front line of a sneaker drop and expect dibs?

When there is a high demand for a commodity do you think it's fair to assume you deserve something and influence everyone else around you for your pleasure?

Oh here's one. When you get to the line at the grocery store and there aren't enough cashiers, so there you are you're at the end of the line waiting your turn; do you just grow so impatience you demand people move out of your way?

You must park your Prius across 4 parking spots.

OP your proposal is still missing a "why". All you have in your "Argument for Rule Change" is a list with (essentially) one reason "I couldn't get DS, and a group of organized players could".

But that's a feature, not a bug. Solo people can't hold that camp down, because they can't keep the room clear. You need a group to clear the room and kill DS, so the system does have a list ... its just that you can't get on it simply by showing up (DS is not Scout) ... you have to "earn" the camp (ie. prove you're able to kill DS), by showing up early to it and holding it down until DS spawns.

What Loramin said.

The rulesets have already changed multiple times, that's how we ended on rolls for angry/scout. So the majority of people wanted those to be a fair chance situation. I'm introducing a new one for the parallel camp (because it aligns with Angry also). I'm not sure you understand the similarities between these camps, and existing changes, and how the players already agreed upon these things. Lastly I'm not interested in Project Quarm, it has a ton of different changes (especially loot changes) that do not make sense, I'm certain many others feel similarly.