Originally Posted by Frieza_Prexus
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I know I'm coming into the thread late, but there's a number of questions about TMO's policies that have yet to be fully answered for the original poster.
A lot of how the server operates goes back to its beginning. An examination of its history will show you that there was an extreme environment of competition surrounding the initial power guilds, and there was much recrimination on both sides. Ever since then, the server's environment has been one of intense competition and mistrust. Ever play the Prisoner's Dilemma logic game? P99's raid scene is somewhat akin to that. Neither side will cooperate initially for fear of getting burned, and it's been that way since the beginning. This is unfortunate, and I don't think it's impossible to undo, but it will be extremely difficult. I commend any efforts to improve the server, and I personally know that it seems like you're banging your head against a brick wall at time.
That said, I want to challenge the notion that TMO doesn't want the server to prosper. We benefit from a healthy server the same as anyone else. Just like any other guild, TMO has its share of Alpha Males who vociferously protest the very notion of civility, but those individuals on all sides can be easily identified. TMO has, in the past, contributed in a number of ways including a program of leaving certain spawns up uncontested. Unfortunately, this program has not continued for a number of internal political reasons, and thanks to the soon-to-be-implemented repop schedule, will likely not surface again.
We kill the targets we do because, as Zeelot said, our primary enjoyment in the game is competing for spawns. Fast mobilization and quick kills are extremely fun, and most of us play for that. Until Velious, mobs tend to be fairly easy, so the real reward is in the race.
Also, remember that TMO, as an organization, exists to equip its members. This creates a responsibility in the organization to pursue that goal. Now, the EXTENT to which this goal is pursued can be debated backwards and forwards on what constitutes "good for the server." However, the undeniable truth is that TMO exists primarily for the elimination of raid targets to equip its membership. P99 has a much higher turnover ratio than live servers did, and this means that we'll always have a demand for some items.
TMO does not cockblock random dragons for no reason. The only dragon that is killed in any way as a blocking measure is Trakanon. Trains are legal in VP, and Phara`Dar is the best loot in the game and will always be in high demand due to its scarcity. This is the true impetus for locking down Trak. Keeping VP safe. Many dragons are killed solely for one or two choice items. Silverwing in VP has terrible loot, but an amazing Shaman item, and is thus killed for it.
Regarding rotations, TMO has respected both a Trak and VP rotation in the past. The VP rotation was broken by a rival guild, but was reestablished with a sunset period in the new agreement which TMO did not renew. All Trak rotations were fully followed, to the letter by TMO, but were not continued at TMO's option when the agreed upon sunset date arrived. TMO generally does not agree to rotations because it is not in the guild's interest to do so. It flies against the organization's primary objective. That said, TMO can help achieve its primary objective by encouraging server health. This has become a balancing test to determine which is more beneficial, a rotation or free for all. Currently, TMO feels that a free for all environment is reasonably respectful of the server's health while simultaneously allowing TMO to gear its members. This is currently the optimal solution for TMO when weighing its needs alongside server health. TMO generally agrees to a rotation when the notion has become appealing to the guild's interests.
As a personal aside, I was on a server that ran a rotation throughout Kunark and Velious. At one point we had over 18 guilds on the Venril Sathir rotation. If you check my post history, you can find more details about this. In short, a rotation encouraged guilds to stay smaller and it encouraged a gaming of the system. I maintain that rotations work only when the number of interested parties is low, say 4 or less. To have otherwise would set an artificial barrier against the natural process of guild mergers. The rotation ensured that insufficient supplies were spread amongst a very large swath of the population, and the strongest guilds kept their old spots on Kunark targets deep into Velious simply to pad their guild fund. Rotations are best run as private agreements amongst several guilds. To create a united set of serverwide rules is difficult and nightmarish.
While this server's raiding scene is tumultuous at times, I submit that it seems worse because many of the posters here submit a very distorted view of the subject. Soon more targets will become available as the GMs institute a new system of simulated patch day repops, and I suspect this will alleviate some, but certainly not all, cries of imbalance and unfairness.
As the server currently exists, it is set up to reward the most dedicated players. I fully sympathize with the plight of the more casual among us, but I posit that TMO acts, in an overall sense, in a logical and relatively fair manner.
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