The lovely people over at Online Gaming Radio let me get on EQ2sday and yap for a couple of hours last night.
I've been on before, not EQ2sday but Friday night's Ravecast, and for some reason they keep inviting me back. I think they're gluttons for punishment or something. But, hey, I get to yammer about EQ2 and whatever else crosses my mind for a few hours, so I am happy!
Zanadi mentioned a pick up raid she'd gone on and that let me touch on a topic near and dear to my heart. I didn't get to say as much about it as I would have liked, which is probably good since it would have occupied way too much time and ended with me totally monopolizing things. So, now all four people who read this must suffer. Send your hate mail to OGR ;)
So. Raiding.
I love to raid. I have since EQ1. There's just something about the whole experience that opens up all new avenues for fun and excitement in the game for me. It isn't all I do by any means, but it's definitely a big part of things for me.
One of the problems I've always had with raiding, though, was that it seemed like a part of the game only the super uber elite folks could do. I've never held with that mentality and I have never agreed with the strangle hold the "uber guilds" have tried to keep on raid content.
I'm of the firm opinion that anyone who wants to do it should have the opportunity to and more importantly CAN raid. Here's the thing. Raiding isn't HARD. Yes, you do need to focus a little more than you do when you're soloing or grouping. There are more people to coordinate and get used to. But even with all that, once you get yourself in that mode and know what to do, it isn't hard.
More and more lately I'm seeing casual guilds run through raid content. Pick up raids are all over the place. Yeah, they're a little rough and not as smooth as say NPU or whatever other uber guilds are out there, but honestly? Who the hell cares? It isn't about who can do it the fastest or with the least amount of mistakes. It's about FUN.
You don't have to be a rigid militarily precisioned guild to do any of the content in this game. I mean you can't run around and half arse it or anything cause you won't get very far. The point is, that all of the content can be done even if you aren't "perfect" at the game.
I absolutely LOVE to see casual guilds, raiding alliances, pick up raids... whatever. I don't care who it is. I'm just happy to see people who want to do this stuff getting out there and doing it. It's an aspect of the game that is becoming more accessible to the player base and I can only see good in that.
There are elitests out there who are pissy about the hoi polloi out there getting the gear and such that they think should only be reserved for the "better" guilds. I think they know where they can shove that nonsense.
This isn't a contest. It's a game. It's there for people to have fun. That being said, yes, these folks need that competition and sense of accomplishment for their fun. Good for them, and I hope they're getting what they want. It's the attitude that the gaming companies need to cater to them that makes me grind my teeth.
It isn't about a fraction of the player base being appeased and elevated. It isn't about keeping the super uber elite so far above everyone else that no one can hope to attain those levels. It's about everyone having as much fun as they can. That can't happen if content is focused on just one type of player. It has to incorporate things for everyone.
The more people who raid? The more attention that can be given to raiding content.
**note: there's a lot more to say on this... but I have a day job, so it'll have to be a continuous thing.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Will they never learn??
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17 comments:
I love to raid too. I was lucky in WoW to have a pretty big raiding guild that wasn't hardcore/mandatory. The problem I do have is when they start to dictate when I should be on and what things I should be doing. I HAVE a job already, I don't need another one.
Ohh a favourite subject of mine.
So far in my time in EQ2 ive been in 2 raid alliances on my server. The first was when T6 was still about clearing courts and all that and i was a n00b to raiding. I loved it, the bug bit me and hung on for all it was worth.
We then started T7 working on labs, AoA, Deathtoll and dying horribly everytime we entered lyceum (dont ask why we just utterly sucked in there).
Im now part of another alliance and its great, weve taken down everything but 3 princes in KoS and got Mayong the other week and are now focusing firmly on Wuoshi before RoK hits. We arent utterly uber but we raid seriously and have a laugh doing so.
If people only realised it just takes organisation and enough people willing to make the effort raiding would be so much more widespread. I tried to get my guild to raid decently at one point along with some other officers and for a while it was going well, but people slacked didnt get their stuff up to par and came unprepared and it ended up like a pickup raid every week which was just not fun.
Some pickup raids ive been on have had some great players, others have had halfarsed, badly geared, badly played people on them only out for loot and those are just so not fun anymore because i dont see how people can spend 2hrs+ of their leisure time to do something and not want to do it well.
Yes you may suck to begin with but you improve, you ask peoples advice and learn and then after a while you ARE the uber raider even if you dont have the hardcore guild behind you. People who know their class, play their class well and enjoy playing them and raiding make raids fun even if they are only just beginning.
Oh and much respect to raid leaders/officer because seriously organising 24 people and sorting DKP etc is a thankless task.
I know this because ive done it.
Raid Virgin!!
No, seriously.
I don't even understand the abbreviations...
DKP? Dorling Kinderslay Publications?
Dragon kill points.
Try it, you might like it.
Oh and DKP, I absolutely hate that system. Probably because I only play with friends and for fun and loot just doesn't matter. NBG at all times.
Nah doesn't work believe me.
I've been playing since 1999, it works.
If I get all worked up because someone else got an imaginary item and I didn't, I need to seek help immediately.
Hmm its not so much getting worked up, but it spreads it fairly for people who show up alot.
As I said, I only play with friends, if one of them wants something I can use, they can have it. No biggie.
Playing with strangers or just acquaintances would be different.
I'm with T on this one.. DKP does work, but it has major drawbacks. The main one, and T said it, is I already have a job. Kiara pointed out Raiding is suppose to be fun, and when it takes on the life of a part time job, its not fun. Now, watching a BoP item goto someone who doesn't need it, absolutely asinine..but with friends, that happens less. Being a previous DKP keeper, the admin part of that job sucks too.
Now, I don't raid anymore for lack of toons that high, time, and people to raid with, but.. there is nothing like beating a Boss mob and reveling in the glory of knowing it was a hard won fight, well executed. But most of the ones I saw in the latter days of my raiding were nothing more then zerg fests.
Shame, I like the tactics part of that stuff.
I mainly duo with my brother now, yeah I know sounds gross but I digress..... anyway....
We can take on a lot of stuff that a lot of groups can't simply for the fact we know how each other plays. That saves a lot of time on looting because I just whine until he gives it to me :D lol
I have to speak out in favour of dkp.
Not because I give a rat's hindquarters about loot, but in such a large group of people it's just less hassle and keeps sore feelings out of it.
Grouping with friends is a different thing than guild activities. Even if you have a bunch of friends in the guild itself, I prefer the dkp system for guild only raids.
keeps personality clashes to a minimum by ensuring that people can't gripe if someone gets something they want.
It isn't a matter of being a job, but keeping conflict to a minimum.
That being said when we raid with outside of the guild folk we roll.
Having rules for stuff like loot distribution just takes something that could be a problem out of the equation so people can focus on fun. Doesn't have to be dkp necessarily. Any set of loot rules.
Anything that minimizes drama is good.
With actual friends there shouldn't be drama though. If they want it that badly, let them have it. Also, if someone is going to whine and cry because they lost a roll, I won't group with them anyway. No DKP needed, take it ya baby and it was good grouping with ya (ok not really).
But guilds are different if there are people that aren't friends I guess.
I have never been on a raid in any game I have played but I have also only ever maxed out one character unless you count SWG but I don't since it was a different system.
I have become more interested in raiding though but I have too much altitis and I like to just play and have fun. I also have a hard time commiting to the same play time. I work odd hours and never know when I am around. That could be different if I had a 9-5 but since I don't, I just play, have fun and what happens happens.
Hehehe I'm with you Homie, I have only maxed out two characters and that was in WoW and DAoC. You're right, SWG doesn't count, though I did have a master dancer/tailor.
I did get close in EQ but every time I leveled they would raise the level cap hahaha My mage is 62 I do believe.
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