[NCAEQ]

Why are Raid management tools not implemented for P99.

Here is some information about the existence of this great tool.

The Dark Ages: No Raid Tools (March 1999 - Late 1999)
Group Limit: Strictly 6 players.

How "Raids" Worked: They were chaotic "zergs." To raid Nagafen or Vox, you'd have multiple full groups. There was no in-game way to associate these groups. Coordination was entirely external (TeamSpeak, text chat) and through player-assigned roles. Loot was /random 1000, first-come-first-serve (FCFS), or handled by guild leaders shouting instructions.

Aggro Management: A nightmare. Without a raid window, healers couldn't easily target the main tank unless they were in the same group. They relied on /assist commands or manually clicking the tank's character model.

The First "Raid Utility": The /assist Command

This existed from the very beginning and was the primary raid tool for years. DPS would /assist the main tank's name to acquire targets. Healers would /assist the main tank to then target and heal them. It was manual, clunky, but essential.
The Game-Changer: Raid Groups (Spring 2000 - Kunark Era)
The Feature: Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) officially introduced the ability to form Raid Groups. This was the first true "Raid UI."
What it Did:
You could invite players to a raid, bypassing the 6-person group limit.
It created a Raid Window that showed all raid members, sorted into up to 12 groups (allowing for 72 players total, though most zones had lower caps).

This window showed names, classes, and HP/Mana percentages (a massive improvement). You could now see the health of anyone in the raid, not just your group.
You could invite, disband, and promote raid leaders.

Impact: This revolutionized organization. It allowed for structured healing assignments, easier mana monitoring, and better overall coordination. The "Raid Leader" role became a formal in-game position.

Evolution of the Raid Window (Velious Era & Beyond)
The Scars of Velious (Dec 2000): With raids becoming central to the expansion (Kael, ToV, Sleeper's Tomb), the Raid Window became indispensable. Its design was refined but remained basic by modern standards.

Later Additions (Post-Velious):
Color-Coding: Groups within the raid window could be color-coded for easier assignment (e.g., Tank group in red, Healer groups in blue).

Raid Roles: The concept of "Main Tank," "Main Assist," "Puller," etc., could be assigned within the UI, providing icons next to names.

Raid Loot Rules: Eventually, sophisticated loot systems (Loot Council, DKP, /random) were integrated into the Raid Window, moving beyond the need for manual /random rolls.
Extended Target Window: A much later addition that allowed you to see the target of your target (and their target), crucial for complex aggro and call-out management.
Spell Casting & Aggro Meters: These came much, much later, in the mid-2000s. The original raid UI had no DPS or aggro parsing.

Key Takeaway for P99 Players:

Project 1999 accurately emulates the raid tools of the Velious era. This means:
You have a functional Raid Window with HP/Mana % for up to 72 players in 12 groups.
You can form raids, assign leaders, and promote.

You do NOT have modern conveniences like:
In-game DPS meters
Aggro meters (beyond watching the mob's facing)
Click-to-cure from the raid window
Built-in voice chat
The Extended Target Window
So, the "Raid Utility" came into practical, widespread use with the introduction of the official Raid Group system in mid-to-late 2000, solidifying during the Kunark expansion and becoming absolutely critical for the Velious raid scene. Everything before that was pure, chaotic player ingenuity.