Just a short observation. I think this was in Rathe Mountains, as I've never
seen a cyclops or giant skel in Lake Rathe zone.
Also, I agree very much with your advice. I'm pretty much a "pick up" player
and pretty much solo or just group up with 1 other person just because of
these types of incidences.
However, because of my lack of grouping experience I'm trying to get in more
groups. I'm kind of picky myself:
I'm annoyed by any type of "d00d" talk like "Watzzup". Yea, I'm kind of
uptight at times and I don't say anything. I just remember not to group with
this guy in the future.
I like to know what is "inc" so I can have the right songs up.
I like if they are in a guild so I can log them down whether their
representative is "good" or "bad", but it doesn't necessarily mean they'll
be good.
I'm annoyed by casters who get the mobs on them in the opening parts of a
battle and we have to try to pull the mob off of them.
Slow typists. I hate talking with someone and having to wait a long time to
get a response. I try to be patient, especially since English might not be
their native tongue. But this does drive my crazy since I'm a decent touch
typist. Maybe "Roger Wilco" (internet voice chatting) is the answer for
them. :-)
I also know that I myself do not always do the right thing (I'm working on
these)
------------------------------------------------
After waiting a long time for puller to come back (because they can't find
anything) I'll get antsy and "look around".
When getting absolutely crushed by something, I've hopped around trying to
get it off of me. Not one of my finer moments. I'll learn. It's a carryover
from my soloing - when you're getting nailed, fire up the jets and get
going. I'm working on just standing there and going "stealth" mode by
turning off my songs and stop attacking, then if that doesn't work back away
in a straight line to get out of their aggro radius.
In battle I'm sometimes turning off my songs before they can activate. Doh!
Keeping my eyes on the scrolling words.
Drop my damn weapon/instrument when swapping from hotkeys. (addressed by
others, but I'm trying to be more careful anyway. Oh, and lag makes this
easy to do too!)
Things I want to improve on:
----------------------------
Charming - I have the hardest time after charming something to target
something else (I usually use key for "target closest npc") and tell it to
attack (hot key) and then retarget my "pet" (essentially the "tab" key).
What's even harder, is that I have to set this all up by warning my group
that I'm "charming". It's hard enough to warn them much less say "what" I'm
charming. I just try to target something that isn't being wacked or blasted,
pretty intuitive. If anyone has suggestions, I'd appreciate. I know this has
been posted before, but I didn't keep the message. BTW - outdoors this isn't
all that bad, since I use 3rd person perspective. But in a dungeon, man it's
hard.
Weapons or Instruments - I alternate between both depending on the
situation, but I'm still working on learning what those situations are. :-)
Song Selection - Still learning which songs to keep memorized depending on
where I'm at. An art to itself. :-) I'll be happy when our mem times drop so
my groupmates don't have to wait as I ponder my song selection.
Things I don't want to hear anymore:
------------------------------------
Play that mana song - I hate having to explain that I have 5 more levels
before I get it, followed by gripes about how long it takes for them to med
to full mana. I'm sympathetic as I've got a Magician, but that means I'm
just more chatty while I sit there staring at my book. Too bad you couldn't
play a dvd or go web surfing over your magic book. :-)
Definite weakness:
------------------
Hey, what can I say, I enjoy grouping up with female characters. Yea,
they're most likely guys who are playing them, but since I don't see or see
them, it's fine by me. As long as they know how to fight in a group.
Geez, I've gone on too long already. Bye!
--Windleaf, 28th level bard, Bertox
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joshua R. Moore [mailto:josh@...]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 18, 2000 1:54 PM
> To: eqbards@onelist.com
> Subject: [eqbards] LONG rant about what to look for in Bad group
> members.
>
>
> From: "Joshua R. Moore" <josh@...>
>
> /rant on
> Let me give you an example of what to look out for. The
> dreaded "I'm a level
> xx Ranger/Druid that has never grouped before, and I don't
> have to work
> within the group" dewdz.
>
> Went to Lake Rathe to seek a group of Stalwart Adventurers to
> help me in my
> quest to slay Cyclopses.
> I pick up a level 24 druid,Shaman, and a level 25 warrior, a level 24
> warrior, and another druid. (26 at the time)
>
> I am the puller, and We are doing great. Putting the smack down on
> Cyclopses, I fear away the very rare bad pull. Druids go link
> dead. I pick
> up a mage and a Necromancer. We do even better! We take
> Tarsluk(sp) out
> twice, a two Cyclops pull. Everything is going great, until I
> go link dead.
> I came back, and half the group is dead. Some unknown player
> trained us with
> some cyclopses, from what I hear, he/she kept running back
> through us, until
> the things aggord on my party.
> The warrior has to leave after we recoup from that loss, and
> the Mage asks
> if her Ranger friend can join. (Wood elf ranger)
> We agree, and she starts bitching when I pull in the giant
> skeletons (as
> anyone knows, when you want cyclopses, you have to pull in the Giant
> Skellies and other yard trash) She decides she is going to
> pull, because I
> am doing a horrible job.
> (Let me explain the basic group strategy to this point. We
> help each other.
> NO one dies, no one runs unless everyone does. We pull to our
> spot, and
> support one another.) She brings in a Cyclops, draws it near
> us, and begins
> to kite the damn thing around the valley, making the
> Necromancer and mage
> pets, me, and the Warrior, chase the damn Cyclops around to
> try and get a
> hit on it, while she casts flame lick or some stupid spell on
> it. All the
> while, im yelling stay still, along with all the
> others(Except the mage, of
> course). It decides to finally die, after all the fuss
> attracted another
> Cyclops, which the warrior and I managed to tank somehow with all the
> casters being OOM. I explain to her that we are a group, and
> we work as a
> group, and support one another. She says we need to learn to
> "play with
> them". Needless to say, over private tell to me, the other
> group members
> (Except the mage, of course) are not impressed with the
> ranger's ability.
> I go to pull again, after being asked to, and I start
> bringing in a Cyclops
> (I sing chain to pull them. It stops them from aggroing on
> anyone else while
> you are pulling, and slows them down quite a bit.) and I get
> back to the
> party, after stating "Incoming Cyclops". Someone yells over
> Shout that there
> is a Half dead Cyclops at the zone. So, guess what? Miss
> Queen kiting of
> Norrath runs off screaming "Ill get it" just as the other
> Cyclops gets to
> us. We engage this one, stating that we are fighting this Cyclops, and
> begging her to come and help. She brings in her Cyclops, and it starts
> Hammering on me. So, I chain the Cyclops we are fighting,
> tell the group to
> fight the one we are on and fire up fear. Off runs the
> cyclopses, with one
> being extremely slow. We start to fight that one, and the
> Ranger runs off
> after the other Cyclops!
> Needless to say.. Everyone in the group had to zone. I called
> the retreat,
> and started up fear again. Rangeress screams that we could
> take them. I
> explain, yes, we could have, if you had been working WITH us.
>
> Very shortly after that, I disbanded the group, after the
> mage said in tell
> to me "Well, I like grouping with her. I have never died
> before when with
> her alone. it must be you guys"
>
> /rant off
>
> 1.Give the group(or perspective member) a trial period, in
> which you observe
> how they(him) work within the group. Do they support one
> another(the other
> members)? Do they seem to follow the group leaders lead?(Your lead)
>
> 2.Observe how they talk. are they snide, and flippent? Do they heal
> themselves first, no matter if someone is lower on health? do they
> constantly complain about loot levels/Exp?
>
> Bottom line is, a group leaders job, in my opinion, is to
> keep the group
> alive at all costs, whenever possible. When a group member
> jeopardizes this,
> it is time to either leave the group, or Dismiss the group member.
>
> I have had a lot of time lately as a group leader. (If ye
> can't find groups
> to join.. make yer own!*grin*) It is the group leaders job to
> determine what
> the party can handle safely. To judge the groups abilities
> through different
> levels of combat.
> A smart group leader does not test his party unless all Mana
> users are at
> full, and all are at full health, and are ready.
> It is the leaders job to weed out the bad seeds, and forge a
> strong group.
> do so politely, and with honor. Let actions be the judge
>
> I have also been in a lot of pickup groups. Best advice I can give is.
> Watch, listen, work in the group. do as the group leader asks. suggest
> tactics if you wish, but do not force them down their throat.
> If you judge
> the group wanting, take your leave. politely!
>
> but above all else. have fun! but not at other group members expense
> (playing with a dangerous mob, etc)
> It is a game, and things are meant to be fun.
>
> A group that works together, stays alive, and has fun
>
> -Martyn De'lantara
> Bard of Mithaniel Marr
>
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------
> --------------
> ----------------------------
>
> From: Papa Legba <legba@...>
>
> I've seen a few posts lately about some good groups and nights. These
> are cool and tell things to look for when I'm in a group (my bard
> basically plays in all pickup groups right now, I play very
> erractically, though this weekend was great, made almost 2 lvls!).
>
> Now the ugly question. What should I look for to help me
> identify a bad
> group. Not having gate, its helpful to make pretty quick
> judments on a
> group since its hard to get out sometimes (in dungeons).
>
> For example Monday I was with two others (enchanter and shaman) who I
> had done great with the night before. We picked up three tanks (A
> uber-twinkie warrior, exec axe/crafted at lvl 17, monk and a ranger).
> Playing it safe ( I thought) we were turbo pulling on orc highway (if
> you dont know they are lvl 12-16ish with an occasional "a orc warrior"
> which are like lvl 20 I think, red to me at 15).
>
> Fifteen minutes in (the enchant, shaman and I had been together for an
> hour Monday, but a lvl 15 bard is a flimsy tank against DW
> caimians and
> crocs). We heard a "xxxx yells for help". All but the monk (out
> pulling) get up, and see the usual. A soloist mistakingly
> pulled on of
> the "a orc"s. We pile on, as the shaman warns the puller we
> have a big
> fight (these are pretty rough even with a full group). We have it
> beaten down, both casters OOM, but health is fine, when I look up from
> key mashing and see mine dropping. Ugh, DB skel decided he didnt like
> my music. Three /g's of "Help the bard" from our shaman (he's good!
> noticed my health before I did), and I am still solo on the DB down to
> 1.5 bubs. Eventually the enchanter's pet manages to get the DB off
> me(lucky I guess). At which point the ranger says "Anthem!".
> (I assume
> he finally noticed all the nifty flashing icons were off his
> screen, as
> I was getting the crap stunned out of me). Shaman reminds
> the tank that
> their fair haired bard is the lowest lvl in the group and not
> much good
> at absorbing damage. (I tend to not say anything, so he has taken on
> the role for me)
>
> Life goes on... ABout half hour later, I decide to experiment with
> kabonging. With all this muscle (even the shaman out damages me with
> his big hammer), I felt my damage wasn't mattering much and
> we might be
> better served if I just use the old mandolin. So I weave Hymm and
> Chordx2 in battle (I only triple in a big fight as it gives me a
> headache), with my mandolin in hand. After a big pull (2 priests and
> warriors), I am pretty well smushed (below 1 bub), so I'm sitting with
> Hymm going. I watch the ranger top himself off with heals (the other
> tanks were down around 2 bubs), then cast the damage shield
> on himself.
> I tell the enchanter and shaman, "Time to Jettison this trash?"
>
> In any case what are some good things to look for so I know
> when to bail
> out? The group I met on Sunday was great (we played about 6
> hours with
> 0 deaths in a low-risk zone, closest call was me being saved by a rune
> spell, 2 hp left!), but I think they will out level me too quickly
> (which is usually my problem, any good players I meet out level me
> quickly, guess I should figure out where I stand)
> --
> We now return to the non-stop rock.
>
> Matt DeBarger
>
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