Economy barrier for new players

[Chloroform]

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

As a 26 monk this is how you make a lot of cash.

1. get bound in freeport

2. find a high level mage in ec that will summon you 4-6 no rent bags. Donate if necessary.

3. Start a soLA grp. Invite a bunch of twinks that kill fast and don't need to loot.

4. Watch out for the ore that drops. small = 4pp, large = 17pp, blocks = 50pp. You can make hundreds in a few hours easy. Kill a few named and you will get stuff you can sell in ec too

5. Before you log for the day, run to ec and get someone to kill you in a duel. You loose no exp, and your summonded bags will remain on your corpse for when you next log in.

now this is thinkin outside of the box. /bravo, this is great advice for any young monk looking to loot in exp groups. starting with a shaman id have no problem getting up to 360+ stones from silver gold and finesteel as a monk, i wouldnt even dare.

[Ennewi]

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

My monk has 40p on her at level 26. This is due to weight restriction and just general low value of items she can carry. Making 200p is not "easy" when you don't have handouts. I'm seeing threads about "just drop 100p on this and 100p on this, cheap for starting out". Or "just loot some dead xxx mob or have someone let you loot yyy". I'm not sure if it's just a personality problem of mine (probably) but I have a hard time asking people for handouts.

It's been said before but definitely check the vendors. You can find all sorts of items for pennies on the dollar. Freeport generally has better vendor loot considering it's more populated, but even if you start out in say Oggok you can find the occasional crude stein on the vendors for 9p which resells in auction for 100p easy. I'm kind of addicted to it atm actually. The other day my leather-wearing alt found drops of mercury on a vendor for like 2 plat each. Zoned over to EC and sold them after about an hour of auctioning, made a 250p profit. So starting out with nothing is manageable if you do the legwork and know what to look for.

The server is top-heavy, but less so now with the new players. That said, the wealth definitely does trickle down no matter where you're leveling. Misty Thicket? Players killing the guards have been known to pay newbies to sell the spears for them to the merchants. South Karana? Players hunting Quillmane have been known to pay aviak groups to kill placeholders for them. Lower Guk? Ass/Sup campers have been known to let players loot light burlap sacks. On top of all that you will be buffed to the brim out of the blue and given random pick-me-up items at least once or twice. If not than you either have really bad luck or bad hours.

Also, it's not a handout if you don't beg, it's an investment in the community. So imo just say ty, accept the phat lewtz when they're given, and pass them along once you grow out of them. There are a lot of other really good suggestions here, esp. the SolA group. Try them out and keep us posted. GL

[Tecmos Deception]

You're living the p99 dream, Pilgrim, just like most of the server did when they made their first character on here.

You'll see more people as you get some more levels. Most of the grouping 1-15 crowd is over near crushbone, and then oasis, unrest, mistmoore, lake of ill omen seem to be the popular spots after that as far as I can tell. The EC area seems more prone to have people soloing with buffs from the tunnel and/or being super twinked and just trying to get through the low levels asap.

[falkun]

You have made a conscious choice to play a monk and worry about the AC hit from the weight cap. You can ignore that cap for a bit and hoard copper. You can farm lightstones which are lighter and can be turned in for 10pp, you can loot bronze scythes from spectre killers and vendor them. By strictly adhering to your philosophies of "I will not ask for handouts" and "I will not carry over the weight limit", you are gimping yourself. Now, that's not a problem and you are free to follow those philosophies (I also like the "I will not ask for stuff"), but to whine about the consequences of those self-imposed rules is asinine. Choices have consequences. Don't like the consequences of your choices? Then make different ones.

[veejur]

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

to whine about the consequences of those self-imposed rules is asinine. Choices have consequences. Don't like the consequences of your choices? Then make different ones.

You guys love to throw around the word whine. Do you know what whining really means?

1. To utter a plaintive, high-pitched, protracted sound, as in pain, fear, supplication, or complaint.
2. To complain or protest in a childish fashion.
3. To produce a sustained noise of relatively high pitch.

Show me where I complained or protested in a *childish fashion*. I have raised what I feel are pretty legitimate concerns for a player in my position on the server. I didn't point the finger, ask for handouts, or say things "aren't fair" (I'd call all of these childish) - I asked for people's opinions. I'm 36 and successful so I'd like to think I understand the concept of making choices based on consequences, but thank you for your life lessons.

[veejur]

I just want to add that jumping to the conclusion that because I'm asking about help with ways to gear chars new to the server means that I don't "enjoy the ride" is a little slanted. Every person I saw on live that loved the game and the experience gets just as frustrated when they hit barriers to progression. If gear didn't have any impact on the enjoyment of the game for people, the economy wouldn't exist, and you wouldn't see respected people on the server spending the amount of time they do trading.

[falkun]

But you are comparing yourself to these twinks. You may not realize it, but by complaining about what other people have (super twink, low level epics, etc.) you are basing your happiness/enjoyment/ability/skill on those around you.

You aren't playing the same game as these twinks, they are established players, you are new. You don't have to "keep up with the Jones's" to enjoy EQ. Play your game to have fun, the gear will come all too quickly, and then you'll be in the boat of twinking out your own character. EQ Classic was meant to be beatable in minimal gear. Now some classes are more gear dependent than others, but groups can compensate for this. The good news is medium tier gear is INSANELY devalued on this server.

[veejur]

Put another way, what are we doing on this server to help lower the barrier of entry for new players so we can draw them to the game we love, and be successful by eventually reaching their goals and the goals of their peers? On the flip side, are we doing anything to make this more difficult than it needs to be? Overall, do we even want new players on the server? This isn't just a question about me.

[falkun]

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

Put another way, what are we doing on this server to help lower the barrier of entry for new players so we can draw them to the game we love, and be successful by eventually reaching their goals and the goals of their peers?

As I've stated numerous times: mid-tier gear is undervalued on this server. You can wear mid-tier guild until you replace it with planar+ and still be successful at Everquest. There are also many helpful players that give out gear, buffs, and coin as "pay-it-forward" actions. Porters are usually very friendly and helpful to newbies as well.

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

On the flip side, are we doing anything to make this more difficult than it needs to be? Overall, do we even want new players on the server? This isn't just a question about me.

This server always wants new players. The real turn-off that I can see about P99 is the raid scene. The leveling/grouping has been awesome in my experience.

[Swish]

The server always wants new players, and the more people play the more they'll close the gap on the "average player" here.

If the mountain looks too steep, try climbing it anyway... before long you'll enjoy it for the game it is rather than looking at what everyone else is doing. There's way more to P99 than gear...making friends and having a good time are equally important if not moreso.