Why are so many people /anon?

[Brontus]

Hello there,

I am a relatively new P1999 player. One of the things that I loved about the original EQ is that people actually grouped and talked to each other.

For a player to be able to group with another player, it's helpful to do a /who all crushbone to see who's in Clan Crushbone zone. When a player is /anon they are not listed in the zone and the player who is interested in going to Crushbone for a group is less likely to go if nobody shows up when in fact there are people there but they are /anon.

Of course there is a clandestine nature to /anon. I see large raiding guilds go /anon because they don't want to alert competing guilds about what they are doing. I see high level farmers in many zones /anon as well, probably because they don't want their farming competitors what they are up to. Fair enough.

I do understand that some people want to role-play and want to be /anon for privacy. However, EverQuest is a MMORPG where the purpose is to group with each other. Being /anon puts you out of the market when others are looking for a particular role to be filled in a group. It gives the player who does /who an inaccurate representation of the classes and levels that are in the zone.

I just wish more people would stop being /anon so that more people can group with each other. That is the true spirit of EverQuest and what Project 1999 is trying to accomplish.

Thanks for any insight anyone can provide about why so many people have decided to go /anon.

[indiscriminate_hater]

i /anon because when i'm aoe kiting 500 mobs i want the non-anon bards to get yelled at when no one can find merbs

[Sorn]

I go /role to minimize tells for ports/sow/buffs when I'm occupied with something.

[Ravager]

I go anon so The Illuminati don't find me.

[Whirled]

Originally Posted by Ravager [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I go anon so The Illuminati don't find me.

shhh, they're watching

[Swish]

When i used to do Highkeep nobles or a camp like it i'd keep my level showing as a courtesy to anyone who was thinking of taking a trip over to see if it was camped.

Would usually then get tells asking if I was doing them, I'd say yes, they'd say thanks and go somewhere else or ask how long I planned to be there.

The community is as good as the players want it to be.

[Evia]

Originally Posted by Brontus [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

I do understand that some people want to role-play and want to be /anon for privacy. However, EverQuest is a MMORPG where the purpose is to group with each other. Being /anon puts you out of the market when others are looking for a particular role to be filled in a group. It gives the player who does /who an inaccurate representation of the classes and levels that are in the zone.

I just wish more people would stop being /anon so that more people can group with each other. That is the true spirit of EverQuest and what Project 1999 is trying to accomplish.

Thanks for any insight anyone can provide about why so many people have decided to go /anon.

With all due respect this post sounds as if you're holding others to a standard that you have put upon yourself based on how you view the game was designed to be played.

While I completely agree with you on the fact that EQ is a better game (and designed) to be done with others grouping up and such ect, I don't think anyone should have to explain why they want to go /anon nor do I feel that there is anything wrong with the fact that people go /anon. They have the right to play the game the way they enjoy.

Maybe some people like this game for other reasons then the group dynamic? Maybe they hate people and want to play as isolated as possible? there are thousands of different reasons behind why someone chooses to go /anon....

Maybe try not expecting other people to view (and play) the game the way that you do?

[Brontus]

Originally Posted by Evia [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

With all due respect this post sounds as if you're holding others to a standard that you have put upon yourself based on how you view the game was designed to be played.

While I completely agree with you on the fact that EQ is a better game (and designed) to be done with others grouping up and such ect, I don't think anyone should have to explain why they want to go /anon nor do I feel that there is anything wrong with the fact that people go /anon. They have the right to play the game the way they enjoy.

Maybe some people like this game for other reasons then the group dynamic? Maybe they hate people and want to play as isolated as possible? there are thousands of different reasons behind why someone chooses to go /anon....

Maybe try not expecting other people to view (and play) the game the way that you do?

Thanks to everyone for their insight!

I expected I might get a response like this. I believe people are free to play EQ or P1999 any way they want either /anon or non-anon. I respect that. I agree with you, nobody should have to justify why they are /anon. All I wanted to do was find out *why* some people are going /anon so I can better understand and empathize with them.

That said, EQ was designed to be primarily a group based game using class interdependency as its core. Brad McQuaid the lead designer/producer of EQ has said as much in countless interviews. My own personal view is that /anon is contrary to that spirit. What if everyone went /anon or was automatically /anon? I think that would really make groups harder to form and erode the grouping dynamic that EQ was built around.

Part of my point is that when you go /anon it has consequences for everyone around you. The low level warrior who just started P1999 a week ago that can't find a group, may stop logging on out of frustration.

There can be no doubt that the MMORPG experience for many people has changed and been redefined since the advent of single-player MMORPGs like WoW and others. I'm just wondering if this mentality has seeped into P1999.

My own anecdotal experience with P1999 is that more players are /anon here than was the case in the first few years of EQ.

Again, thanks for all the replies [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Calibretto]

I go anonymous to avoid random tells from OP.

[joppykid]

I usually associate going Anon with someone doing something shady or its someone not wanting to give buffs/port (understandably). Of course you have the raiding guilds not wanting people to know where they are as well sometimes and every once in awhile you just don't want to be bothered so you go /anon.