Tip your Porter

[Eldaran]

I have taken the boat from Butcherblock to East Freeport many times and will still do it. I play a cleric and they are broke most of the time. I'd rather walk than have to beg a stranger.

[Rasah]

Want to know how much to tip? Try this experiment. Go to OT, and advertise how much you intend to tip for a port to your location. /ooc Paying 20p for a port to WC. See how long it takes for someone to answer. If nothing, up it to 30, then 50. Eventually, someone will answer your calls. Try this enough times, and you should quickly find out what others' time is worth to them.

Depending on how busy I am, I might stop what I'm doing to port someone for 50. Sometimes not. If I am even marginally busy, I will NEVER port someone who claims they are "tipping". I'm too busy to f around with that. I'm sure others might feel the same way. So next time you are wondering why others aren't answering your port calls, its because the porters have been burned time and again by people who think 5p is cool.

[Joneleth]

Forgive me. I know I am beating a dead horse by reviving this thread. As a Wizard, I can't help but comment.

First of all...If a person is offering ports free of charge or leaving the issue ambiguous...I don't see how that person can bemoan the fact that they did not get a plat tip.

To provide my own perspective. I have never charged for ports on this server during original classic Eq. I do charge for Kunark evacs but that is beside the point.

I have received so much more plat than I could ever expect to receive by setting a static price for a port. A lot of people have the opinion of....I saved soandso an hour or two walk so give me plat accordingly...

My view is the opposite. I can prevent a person from having to do a long run by simply porting them to where they want to go(from East Commons, I rarely port when I am hunting/grouping)....I port them, gate back to North Ro...and in 3-5 Minutes I am back full mana and back in EC on top of helping a player save some time.

I always accept donations. With the type of attitude I described above....I have received fairly large donations over time. A little hospitality and a generous outlook go a long way, at least for porters.

[Brimacombe]

There are people who will stuff their gear into their bags and come to me with a ghost story about how they need a port for a CR. Now... I inform them where the nearest bank is. I give rides for free to newbies after a short conversation where I discern whether or not they are newbies are going to where their main can twink them.
If someone stiffs me, they become part of my ignore list. They win a port, they lose the war.
Likewise is the "Port Buddy" who tries to make you his port bitch. Clerics, Wizards, and Druids all know what I am talking about here. I don't need frienemies, I like good friends. Yes, you are a girl IRL... no, I am not a desperate gamer. Pay.
I ask for my payment up front. "Gimme Munny". Direct, to the point, and a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. I have traded ports for clarity, spawning info, what have you. I am very generous with my buffs unless someone tries to push it. Porting is why I rolled a porting class. I ground through 50 levels on a character I do not enjoy so I can have the economic foundation, not so someone can get over on me. Pay.
When I go to a bar, if I do not have enough for a beer and a dollar tip, I don't have enough for a beer.
To those mock altruists who think that druids and wizards should port for free, your argument of altruism and generosity is glaringly sabotaged by the evidence that you are tight-fisted with your own money. Pay.
If you don't feel you should pay, well... enjoy your boat ride [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

-Brimacombe

[Llodd]

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

I ground through 50 levels on a character I do not enjoy so I can have the economic foundation, not so someone can get over on me. Pay.
When I go to a bar, if I do not have enough for a beer and a dollar tip, I don't have enough for a beer.
To those mock altruists who think that druids and wizards should port for free, your argument of altruism and generosity is glaringly sabotaged by the evidence that you are tight-fisted with your own money. Pay.
If you don't feel you should pay, well... enjoy your boat ride [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

-Brimacombe

Not gonna get involved in the semantics of it all, but bloomin 'eck, are you crazy? The idea is to enjoy the game..

[Hollywood]

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on the issue, most people are forgetting a crucial variable to the equation. And that is ...it's not real.
The 'services' provided are virtual, and the 'fee' or 'payment' is also virtual.

I could slightly understand if the debate was over whether to tip (for example) a waitress in a diner; even then some people don't - if she's getting paid a minimum wage (as some places do) then it's a moot point - she doesn't need it.

But that's real life, where such things actually matter.

The only tangible thing being lost here is time - in which people CHOSE to play the game (and experience all things there-in, including interacting with other people).

And considering most people on this server are AFK, sitting in EC tunnel or simply just being logged in because like MMO addicts they can't not be 'playing' the game, then it's all irrelevant.

If you want to make money, then just charge a fee..if you don't then be quiet about it.
Can you imagine a homeless man getting all butt hurt because he CHOSE to sit in a park and play his guitar, and people are standing around enjoying his music but NOT throwing money into his case? What's he going to do say 'hey you bums, what do you think this is, Woodstock?'

[Emphase]

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

There are people who will stuff their gear into their bags and come to me with a ghost story about how they need a port for a CR. Now... I inform them where the nearest bank is. I give rides for free to newbies after a short conversation where I discern whether or not they are newbies are going to where their main can twink them.
If someone stiffs me, they become part of my ignore list. They win a port, they lose the war.
Likewise is the "Port Buddy" who tries to make you his port bitch. Clerics, Wizards, and Druids all know what I am talking about here. I don't need frienemies, I like good friends. Yes, you are a girl IRL... no, I am not a desperate gamer. Pay.
I ask for my payment up front. "Gimme Munny". Direct, to the point, and a spoonful of sugar to help the medicine go down. I have traded ports for clarity, spawning info, what have you. I am very generous with my buffs unless someone tries to push it. Porting is why I rolled a porting class. I ground through 50 levels on a character I do not enjoy so I can have the economic foundation, not so someone can get over on me. Pay.
When I go to a bar, if I do not have enough for a beer and a dollar tip, I don't have enough for a beer.
To those mock altruists who think that druids and wizards should port for free, your argument of altruism and generosity is glaringly sabotaged by the evidence that you are tight-fisted with your own money. Pay.
If you don't feel you should pay, well... enjoy your boat ride [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

-Brimacombe

Wow.. [You must be logged in to view images. Log in or Register.]

[Urbanzkopf]

My rule is simple.

If you are wealthy enough to tip some pp but you don't or you are standing infront of me in all your twinked gear saying you have no money, I simply say that's fine... but I remember your name. Don't expect me to port you next time or even on a corpse run for free when you was an ass about donating before, dude even just tip me 8 gold I don't care it atleast shows you gave some thought.

[Kevlar]

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

My rule is simple.

If you are wealthy enough to tip some pp but you don't or you are standing infront of me in all your twinked gear saying you have no money, I simply say that's fine... but I remember your name. Don't expect me to port you next time or even on a corpse run for free when you was an ass about donating before, dude even just tip me 8 gold I don't care it atleast shows you gave some thought.

Just put them on /ignore, and you will never again see them begging for a port.

[hdawg06]

Druids stink. You should at least give them a few plat just so they can afford some soap...