Group exp split: Calculation

[Kender]

all the numbers mean precisly squat.

you are playing eq classic (or as close as there ever was that wasn't the actual eq classic)

what made it great? what drew you all back?

The one thing eq did better than any other mmo is create a sense of community. not enough mobs to add that 6th? screw that, come join us. 1 more person to chat to. one more social contact which might come back later with you being the 6th to be added.

It's the journey that's the most important. what's the point in being 60 with nothing to do because you were an asshat to the people you met along the way.

[fischsemmel]

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

what made it great? what drew you all back?

Bad argument.

Pong WAS great back in the day too, but no one is going to fire it back up and play it as much as they did back in the day... because it's not back in the day anymore.

So too, just because most of us played EQ back in the day without concerning ourselves with hybrid penalties and maximizing DPS and group xp bonuses and stuff... it isn't back in the day anymore. Obviously the OP is interested in/cares about/is concerned with what he's posting about, or he wouldn't post about it. Just because you don't share his interest doesn't mean you should be telling him what is fun and what to think.


Edit - actually your post is full of generalizations and untruths. The numbers mean what people want them to mean. What made the game great is somewhat irrelevant nowadays since few people are in the same situation to play now as they were before. Community was not the only thing that made eq special. The journey is only the most important thing for some people. Not inviting a 6th isn't "being an asshat" in and of itself. Etc.

[stormlord]

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

all the numbers mean precisly squat.

you are playing eq classic (or as close as there ever was that wasn't the actual eq classic)

what made it great? what drew you all back?

The one thing eq did better than any other mmo is create a sense of community. not enough mobs to add that 6th? screw that, come join us. 1 more person to chat to. one more social contact which might come back later with you being the 6th to be added.

It's the journey that's the most important. what's the point in being 60 with nothing to do because you were an asshat to the people you met along the way.

I agree, but don't ignore the mechanics underneath the hood. For example, taking a ride on the countryside and enjoying the sights is a beautiful thing. And to have someone with you to talk to about it can be even better. However, if the engine coughs smoke and the car sputters to a stop then the journey is going nowhere fast.

It's not about having nothing to kill so you talk, it's about talking to talk. Some get it, some don't. Me, I can level up slowly and be ok with it. I change games all the time too. I feel different than most players. I can see a guy in the best gear out there and it's exciting. But I don't immediately feel as though I need or -must- have what he has! I just let it cook slowly in the back of my mind, serving as another reason to keep playing.

I do think that some people get caught up in the rush, though. With no forced downtime, a lot of them are like mice on a wheel. But forced downtime didn't give anybody an option - that's a problem.

[Elements]

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

all the numbers mean precisly squat.

you are playing eq classic (or as close as there ever was that wasn't the actual eq classic)

what made it great? what drew you all back?

The one thing eq did better than any other mmo is create a sense of community. not enough mobs to add that 6th? screw that, come join us. 1 more person to chat to. one more social contact which might come back later with you being the 6th to be added.

It's the journey that's the most important. what's the point in being 60 with nothing to do because you were an asshat to the people you met along the way.

The numbers are there to guide a decision, not make it for you. If I had the option of adding a friend to the last spot even if spawn capped I would do so. I my group was asking me "the group leader" to pick up a 6th for the group xp bonus and telling me to invite the butt head monk who was training me the previous day, then hell no. I'd refer to the numbers first, and then to the fact that the guy is a butt head and everyone in the group would feel a lot better about staying a group of 5.

I also have to agree with those who mentioned full groups having members slacking off. Seems like having 6 people gaurantees constant afks and poor behavior.

[YendorLootmonkey]

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

The wiki states that a group exp bonus is applied for each person added to a group; 2% bonus for 2 people, 6% bonus for 3 people, 10% bonus for 4 people, 14% bonus for 5 people, 20% bonus for 6 people.

The wiki is wrong. That group bonus did not go into effect until Velious:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/edit...rs_letter.html

Our goal is to get people grouping earlier, and provide them enough of a bonus where they do not feel that they are losing ground during the learning process. We feel we can do this by doubling the grouping experience bonus and by scaling it up based on the size of the group. Currently, the bonus is an additional 2% experience per group member, not counting the first one, leading to a maximum bonus of 10%. Following the next patch, the bonus will be as follows:


2 person group - 2% total bonus.
3 person group - 6% total bonus.
4 person group - 10% total bonus.
5 person group - 14% total bonus.
6 person group - 20% total bonus.

[Dumesh Uhl'Belk]

Current group bonus should be 2% per member starting with the second, 10% with full group.

That was the original bonus up through velious when it was changed to the version quoted in this thread. That happened in the same Jan 2001 patch that removed class xp penalties.

[stormlord]

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

The wiki states that a group exp bonus is applied for each person added to a group; 2% bonus for 2 people, 6% bonus for 3 people, 10% bonus for 4 people, 14% bonus for 5 people, 20% bonus for 6 people.

With this in mind I often ask myself, "Is it worth it to add another member to my xp group?"

Sometimes the answer is a no brainer for example if you are in need of a tank, healer, CC, etc or if your group is spawn capped at its camp. The question becomes more difficult when you have 4 or 5 members and are considering adding a 5th or 6th.

Purely from an efficiency standpoint I tried to calculate how much more efficient a group would need to become when adding another member in order for rate of xp gain to stay the same or get better (assuming the new player is of equal level and experience total to all other members of the group).

Here is where I'd like someone to check the math.



Members. required % increase by adding another member
1
2 49.0
3 30.7
4 22.2
5 17.1
6 12.3

So a group of 5 would need to increase their efficiency by more than 12.3% by adding a 6th in order to increase their rate of xp gain. Similarly a group of 2 would need to increase their efficicency by more than 30.7% to increase their rate of xp gain. Keep in mind the earlier assumption about relative level and xp total for the new player. A high level ranger being added as a 6th player would require significantly higher increase in efficiency compared to adding an equal level halfling rogue.

Another interesting aside - if your group of 5 is spawn capped and considering adding a 6th (perhaps they are a guildy/friend, or perhaps your group is under the impression that there is this awesome group xp bonus that means you just get more xp for having more people in your group no matter what) then each members rate of xp gain will be reduced by 12.3% assuming equal level and xp total from the 6th member.

Final thoughts:

There is often safety in numbers and having that extra member around to help prevent a wipe when things get out of hand can greatly outweigh a loss in short term xp gain. However from a purely mathematical standpoint that 6th group member better be ready to pull their weight.

I read that it was 66% with 2 people; +16% with 2. At 5 and 6 players it was 33%, which is +100%.

So I heard wrong or is that only at a point after luclin? If what you say is true, there's very little incentive to group unless it's critical like cleric or tank or something. I'd be surprised.

I like the exp change they made to the progression server on live. They made it so that adding another member to the group ALWAYS speeds up experience IF the person does something (anything). If they do nothing then it neither adds nor removes. IMHO, a very nice thing to see. There're finer details that're an issue, however. I've commented about this in the past. It has to do with solo-classes (druid, necro, etc).

[Grozmok]

Grouping is fun, you can't get it in other games (to the same effect as EQ) and to be honest if you want to be anti-social just go play WoW.

You can level yourself from 1-max level without ever having to talk to a single person. Hell, you can PuG your way through instances too.

Meh, I'm over it.