Uhh, this means you look at this as a competition, EQ is not a competition.
My bard is lvl 23 - I don't particularly care if I EVER get her any higher,
it will come when it comes. Just broke down the other night and put on
bronze greaves - something I swore I'd never do, still have the banded tho
- may switch back.
My focus is LIVING in the world - not monster slaying. UO is much better
for that - play that too, the ONLY reason I am in EQ at all - my husband
started playing, and it is nice not to get stabbed in the back by a teammate.
I fish, cook, do pottery, brew, tailor, smith, jewelcraft a LOT of things
other than slay monsters (which frankly, I wish I could skip completely). I
am just as happy running around harvesting silk and snake eggs - as someone
that goes and monster bashes.
I spend many an evening at the CB zone with my little horn, just derailing
trains - that is FUN for me, saving lower level folks - keeping some of the
trainwrecks I remember from when I was that level from happening is
ENJOYABLE for me. I also usually chat quite a bit with the lower levels and
occassionally am even able to pass on some small advice, guess I'm just a
teacher at heart. In particular, I get a ton of folks (and not necessarily
real newbies either - 2nd, 3rd characters of higher players) say - gee - I
didn't know bards could do that, kewl! Lots of lower level bards have never
heard of twisting, tons of folks don't know what the heck lullaby is. Bet
they remember later tho - when they are grouped with a bard.
What does this mean - well, I've played for a LONG time, tons and tons of
people I've interacted with over my career are 50 - I often get approached
by their 2nd or 3rd characters - Hey...this is so and so, remember me?
IMHO, basing EQ on levels was predestined to cause this problem. That is
one of the prime things that cause EQ to not be a 'virtual world'. In a
virtual world (vs. a game) - there is no end, you can't 'win'. Someday one
of these games will wise up and realize that putting the focus on living in
the world and interaction, and removing the focus from leveling/pt gaining
will provide a much more immersive and longerlasting environment for it's
users.
Being a merchant at heart - of course I'd prefer to buy/trade things rather
than go bash in some baddies skull directly. There is a whole nother
subgame to being a REAL merchant, if mechanics support it of course. NO
DROP is terrible for that, they would be a whole lot better served by
randomizing the spawn over an area or zone - than artificially saying -
well, if you pick this item up, you can't hand it to someone else - huh?
Breaking up drops over spawn is the only real solution to camping - and NO
DROP was the bandaid they slapped on that problem. And of course - users
will always find the most direct route to the cheese. We all know since
components are nodrop - lowerlevels can get them without fighting, and much
lower risk simply by being in the right place at the right time - from
folks camping for xp, not the items. I ask you, what is the difference?
Oh well, enough rant for one day.
>I appreciate your advice on working on my coping skills, however, I
>disagree. I've thought about this and what I'm feeling is not jealousy. I
>am not jealous of the fact that he possesses full Lambent and that I do not,
>nor am I jealous of the fact that he has a set of Yaks, FBSS, Shimmering
>Orb, etc. There are many bards at my level and higher (and some lower) that
>have those things and I never give it a second thought. No, what I am
>feeling (and this is the crux of the matter) is resentment and
>discouragement at the diminishment of my questing accomplishments because he
>has full Lambent at level 9. Again, as I said, seeing this bard in full
>steel would not have bothered me in the slightest, in fact it would have
>made me feel *good* that my investment of time, effort and strategy had
>yielding Lambent armor to me that he was unable to twink himself with but
>instead had to earn with his bard through the same efforts. As I said in my
>earlier post, I feel that wearing Lambent should automatically reflect the
>effort and time that I personally have put into my bard character by its
>presence on my character's body. This would occur if Lambent armor was NO
>DROP.
>
>Crier
>
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