Lavastorm needs some loving

[Ooloo]

That's true I seem to have memories of living in loio for what felt like several years on live

[PatChapp]

I also remember spending a lot of levels in loio on live, was very popular

[Tunabros]

lavastorm sucks ass

[Keza]

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

I leveled in Lavastorm and Najena on live. It is certainly do-able, and I don't remember it being bad. However, the reason why people leveled in Lavastorm on live was probably because it was easier to do a corpse run (can be bound in Neriak). People were probably more likely to pick race based on starting location as well, unlike P99. Ports were harder to come by back then, and a lack of game knowledge made traveling much more dangerous. Also, Oasis was more dangerous on live due to lag, viewing distance being reduced, and trains. You were much more likely to get killed by a Sand Giant or train.

On P99 that doesn't matter quite as much since ports are easy, game knowledge is prevalent, computers can play the game at max viewing distance, and many people are twinked. Oasis is generally easier to play in than Lavastorm on P99 because the only true obstacles are random Sand Giants, which are generally easy to see and avoid, and trains aren't really a thing in Oasis anymore.

The problem with Lavastorm is the mob level range is in a bit of a weird spot. Oasis and the Ro's can occupy you from early teens until early 20s. Lavastorm peters out sooner than early 20s if memory serves, and then you have to run elsewhere anyway. Leveling from 1-30 doesn't take that long if you know what you are doing, so the leveling progression in the desert is better anyway. You could go into Najena after Lavastorm peters out, but it is more dangerous.

Generally speaking I agree. Oasis is better, but do you think LS needs a ZEM buff? Oasis is slightly better and basically next door. If one is overcrowded, isn't the other fine? I consider this a "well, shit, this is camped. Guess I'll go somewhere else" scenario, but the OP's argument is more like "well, shit, this is camped. The staff better make this other zone better so that I'm not left out." Zones aren't equal and it's first come first serve. Even if the game were rebalanced - even if the ZEMs were changed - there's always gonna be a meta. If LS becomes OP we'll see posts demanding Oasis be buffed. (*Just to mention on OP, since my claim might seem confusing, they appear to make a lot of 1-line threads that seem to bait argument. Their intent doesn't seem to be beneficial to the server and in this case it's contradictory to their own statement. If it's better than Oasis it doesn't need a ZEM buff.)

I would say game knowledge should make LS all the better on P99 specifically. Oasis is technically easier because gators don't aggro and you have better lines of sight, but if you know where to stand in LS you're fine. There's not as many trains on p99 but p2 and the orcs were generally safe on live so it's not too much more dangerous than LS - and the mobs trained on you in LS aren't level 35. The problem is if everyone goes there then there's overcrowding. This was the case on live and on P99, especially on the XP highway zones like Oasis. Such was what caused Teal to exist, even though I think it was a kneejerk reaction because there are alternatives like LS. Lag is hard to quantify, but it did exist. I'd also add that a lot of leeches (on live and P99) go to Oasis just for the buffs at docks which causes overcrowding. It's another thing that's hard to quantify, but I've never been asked for buffs at the LS rings on live or P99 whereas waiting for a boat gives players an excuse to beg and has happened to me often.

The level range issue is true, but the travel distance from LS to Oasis isn't anything to comment about. Unlike a game like FFXI where people leveled in and departed a zone at a fixed rate (e.g. Valkurm Dunes is 10-20, Qufim Island is 20-25, (insert 3-12+ hours doing an airship key quest) Yuhtunga Jungle is 25-30, etc) people on EQ easily flitter around to wherever makes sense depending on the circumstance. If we're to disregard unpopulated dungeons like Najena and Befallen that are definitely "needing some loving," then we're still left with the reality than Uguk is populated and maybe 6~ minutes further from Lavastorm compared to Oasis, with both zones capable of getting you to Uguk's level range. If anything I say this is a reason to buff Najena and Befallen.

ZEM is one of those things that I think staff can easily play with without outraging too many people, so I think it's a very valid argument. Someone else mentioned a lot of Kunark zones had ZEM negatives. LoIO was one of those and I spent tons of time there on live, as well as FM/OT/DL. The reason is because other people were there so I could find a group. It had nothing to do with ZEM, difficulty or loot (not that I comprehended ZEM at the time). This is why I say LS would be fine if people merely went there, but no one does. Dalnir is seriously shit though. Seriously.

[starkind]

P99 needs an ez server that ends in luclin where soloing on a caster to 60 with 1000 aas only takes about two weeks. Or 80 hrs played tops.

60hrs would be more sane and reasonable.

[cd288]

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

I also remember spending a lot of levels in loio on live, was very popular

Because on live mostly people went where convenience and safety dictated. LOIO is a relatively safe zone with lots of mobs and it’s right next to FV for melees. In modern day, people min/max exp and so they’re not really interested in staying near bind points etc to a certain extent. Especially since loio apparently has a lower ZEM on p99 than other zones

[Jimjam]

Loio has a bunch of cool items if you are a new player on a new server where no one knows how to play and you have no better than store bought leather and a store bought longsword.

[eqravenprince]

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

(*Just to mention on OP, since my claim might seem confusing, they appear to make a lot of 1-line threads that seem to bait argument. Their intent doesn't seem to be beneficial to the server and in this case it's contradictory to their own statement. If it's better than Oasis it doesn't need a ZEM buff.)

I do like to bait discussions not arguments. However, boosting zem to Lavastorm would be no different than how the devs boosted Gorge. No one went there, so they boosted it. It's as simple as that.

[sonicjoose]

XP modifier for lavastorm please

[greenspectre]

When Green/Teal was fresh my shammy got some of his upper teens soloing at the Najena entrance in lavastorm. Exp there wasn't exactly exciting, but it was steady and safe. And occasionally you could jump in on a group actually IN Najena.