Quote:
Originally Posted by Mistmaker
I think 15-20 is extreme. We average maybe 3 level 70s on during peak hours and those players have no problem doing the 2-3 player raid content on our server that averages 5 players online.
I think a lot of people have difficulty coming out of their comfort zone and reaching out to others to either help them advance or group with them to do the content available. They come online with a goal that they are going to do A, B, C then logoff or they have been on a bunch of other servers with a "partner" and choose not to contact anyone else to include them in their comfortable group. So if your not able to make that 70 group why not help that level 68?
I think many players think they have no time so they can only do certain things while online. I think this is an excuse to not reach out to others. If you look at how much time those people that say they don't have time are really online doing A, B, C, ...SOLO... they could have spent 2 minutes reaching out to others and doing content together with someone else.
|
to the previous couple posts:
i'm open to trying anything that is inclusive - and speaking more in a generalized tone than a request for a new server.
I don't think there's 1 right way... and i am not criticizing different opinions of how to play the game either.
i'm actually enjoying one of the bot enabled servers right now. i ahve to kill to get gear, i don't level too fast but i'm not wallowing in the low levels for weeks or months etc... my only concern now is whether the perosn will keep it up for a long period of time :p
i know i can't get all of what i want when looking through the server list, but this one hits alot of the marks, so far. anytime i speak of an "ideal" it's not expected to be reached.
-----
i wrote this before the 2 previous posts or so... fyi.
i have no idea what the best "way" is. and that's relative to each individual owner's goal, too. regardless of that, some ways will be more likely to succed than others no matter what their goal is nor how much time they sink into it... a realistic perspective of all important factors is key.
who is playing? how often? how do they play? etc etc.. what proportions blah blah blah. most server configs simply aren't viable to play as they are set up ignoring the realities and repercussions of the answers to these questions, and those are the ones that cannot and will not last. (in addition to the more mundane sutff that's required to keep it running.. $$$/time etc..)
too often the theories discussed in this type of thread don't match reality :p you can want a certain type of server, but if the players aren't there it's a pipe dream. is 15-20 enough or too high for a threshold? i won't argue for or against that logic.. it's a # pulled out of the ether. although, i'm 99.9% certain a handful of random players cannot make anything but a solo server viable.
there's no one type of player. the players that play tons of hours will always be a different beast than those that play fewer. some group, some don't.. how it's setup won't change their preference. they can either co-exist with the others that play on that particular server or they cannot (ie likely won't play there anymore).
so, there's no right answer, therefore the most open and inclusive option is probably the best answer for long-term success. having more players around is better, even if some don't group much. despite how some feel about it... not wanting to group is not a contagious disease... it's not communicable. there are numerous other ways those types of player can contribute to the server. the more people involved, the more options available, the more likley people enjoy it.
I think incredibly silly stuff gets in the way of rational thought on this subject. this mostly applies to the players, but you see some militant stances from random server owner too.
e.g i don't get why if some don't like <insert whatever>, then they don't want others using it?
that's petty any way you slice it. only on a populated server would people step on other's toes, so it's mostly inconsequential how the next person plays the game. therefore, it's purely an emotional response, if there is no other rational cause for it. if there is a cause, then it doesn't fit this example.
e.g. i don't like boxing more than a few, but i don't get jealous about a guy boxing 50 toons. i'm a little jealous of what's required to run 50 toons, i mustl admit! but, that has nothign to do with "me/you" playing the game of EQ.
you could argue, well he just runs things over then i can't hunt there... well, with only a handful of people playing, you have many other options to choose from. if it's "The" npc of the last expansion available (or similar situation to context), that's always a bottle-neck without instancing. so no different, regardless. instad of thinking it through, people stop at ... "i wanted that ice cream! <cries>" ... "and my favorite cookie, which is just laying freely over there within reach isn't good enough!"