I can see why the Devs have a hard time deciding what's class and what is not, it's not easy finding out data. Nerfing solo classes would cause a huge community backlash.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bumamgar
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Not true, I've checked it with debugging repeatedly. In fact what happens is:
Example mob worth 1000 xp.
One person killing one mob gets 1000xp.
Six people killing six mobs get 6600xp (which equates to 1100xp per player before normalization).
If all six players are the same level and are class/race combinations without any XP modifier then all six players will get 1100xp each.
However, if the group is again the same level, but has some penalties etc, it works out like this:
Code:
Race Class Per Mob For Six
--------- ------- ------- -------
Human Cleric 162 974
Ogre Warrior 174 1042
Halfling Rogue 142 851
Erudite Wizard 180 1083
Barbarian Shaman 171 1026
Half-elf Ranger 271 1624
--------- ------- ------- -------
Total 1100 6600
So except for the Human Cleric and the Halfing Rogue, all members of the group earn more XP for killing 6 mobs while grouped than they did killing one mob solo.
The benefits of solo'ing vs. grouping depend on a lot of factors, but from a raw XP perspective, if the group can consistently kill 6 mobs in the amount of time the solo'er kills one mob, the group will earn faster XP over time. |
So basically a group will earn a bonus (10% more experience with a full group). Depending on your group makeup, even with the group experience bonus, you can earn LESS experience killing 6 mobs, than a solo player will achieve by killing a single one.
However, according to:
Quote:
------------------------------
June 11, 2003
------------------------------
** Experience System Change - Grouping **
We've made some improvements to the way experience is rewarded in EverQuest.
These improvements are aimed at positively reinforcing the
act of grouping. After all, this is a Massively Multiplayer game.
Prior to this update groups gained a 2% to 20% experience bonus for
having two to six members.
As of today this bonus has increased to range from 20% to 80% for
having two to five members. When a group adds a sixth member, the 80%
bonus remains, but the experience gained is only divided by 5 before
being distributed. The sixth group member no longer causes the
experience gain to be divided by 6.
|
Meaning in classic EQ a full group would have a total of 20% experience with the bonus scaling as you gained more members.
I'm sure there are other reasons that solo classes can gain such a clear-cut advantage in experience that haven't been addressed. Things like mages old-style bolt spells that would strike terrain and have z-axis requirements. Also, in classic I remember roots would override snares. Perhaps, pet heals never got reset back to their previous values, previous hate values, etc.
I'm hesitant to put more on the devs shoulders, but the whole unbalanced group vs solo thing seems to be really hurting the community.