>From: John.Curry@...
>Reply-To: eqbards@onelist.com
>To: eqbards@onelist.com
>Subject: RE: [eqbards] Twinking
>Date: Tue, 5 Oct 1999 15:20:49 -0600
>
>But are you really making their life easier by twinking them? Are you
>really enhancing the playing experience? I know a Druid, who was givin the
>following equipment before they reached 2nd level: Full Leather Armor, many
>snakeskin pieces including tunic, Bloodforge hammer, 2 cutthroat rings, at
>least 50 plat. Now whats next for her? When she thinks about the "next
>cool item" she wants to get her hands on. She is thinking about items that
>are WAY over her head. She is now 13th level, and she still hasent out
>grown any of her equipment. And now after 13 levels she is realizing that
>it is very difficult to get stuff. 13 levels and she haddent gained the
>respect for items that you get over time. It is sad. She is bored, and
>feeling useless. Actually I have talked her into creating a bard :) and
>she
>is building up from scratch with no twinks.
>
>Ok Im not talking about giving a tarnished weapon to a 1st level char. No
>Im talking about giving someone somthing that they will be stuck with for a
>very very long time. Change is good. And on top of this. My poor Druid
>friend, has been using a 2 handed blunt bloodforge for 13 levels, never
>switching weapons. Now she is stuck, and worried about switching to a
>weapon she has never used. Wow.
>
>I dont get it. Perhaps im a little jaded because I have been looking for a
>Bronze Breastplate for the last 2 weeks with no luck.. But I dont think its
>all that.
>
>Sevin Tercet <Mischief>
>Minstrel of Bristlebane
>22nd Human Bard
>on Brell Serelis
Yes it does make life easier in many cases..
I twinked the hell out of my newbie druid (I should have waited because of
the short corpse decay rate..dying and having a server go down would mean
losing all the good stuff if I was unable to get back in time - fortunately
it didn't happen). He is now lvl 22 and better equipped than some 50th level
druids I meet. BI medallion, crown of leaves, foreman tunic, gatorskin legs,
runed falch, charred shield, plat armbands, etc etc etc.
At low level, having an observer staff or runed falchion DRASTICALLY
improved my survivability with mobs up to a point. This to me enhanced my
playing experience. =) All the mana items gave me an edge, and I enjoyed it.
I've been a newbie so many times that it gets tiresome worrying about every
fight. I also don't kite, so the equipment really helps there as well. =P
The reason I twinked is I have camped all this stuff before and did not look
forward to doing it again. I won't mind doing it if someone in my group
needs one; my already having the item and not needing it lessens the
frustration of watching placeholder after placeholder spawn and die, and
through all this knowing that I'm usually not going to get my turn to loot
any time soon. Course this depends on the camp.
As far as looting goes on my primary (bard)- I have a group of friends that
I hang out with nightly. We are a good mix of people and we determine loot
order based on who needs what. I almost always place myself at the end of
the list for items because most items I want are melee-based, and my warrior
friend really could make better use of them than myself. My primary (bard)
is so decked out (full mithril, dual ykeshas, etc) that the only gear he has
to look forward to is Imbrued Plate which looks urine colored if ya ask me.
If we loot an item no primaries need, we move on to secondaries, and the
rest is lottoed to do with as you please. I normally will give loots i
receive from lottos to friends, my guildmates, or any newbies I happen
across who could use it. I rarely ever trade or sell anything.
My secondary only loots random mobs if he is soloing. Non-twinked people who
group with me love it because I don't need nor want any loots.
I don't see any problem with twinking unless you are playing your primary,
and you are trying to short another player's needy primary on loot just to
twink your secondary. For example, a friend of mine was camping a Ghoul
Lord, and the group's Cleric INSISTED he get the next Ykesha or he would
ditch. The cleric KNEW my friend (a bard) was in the order to receive a
Ykesha, but refused to let him have it first or he would leave. Normally
they would say "then just leave", but at 6AM high level clerics are not
always on hand to fill the gap.
As far as not experiencing the thrill of getting that new item for the first
time..I got news for ya, at high levels you will probably have been
everywhere and camped pretty much everything. Get it over with while you can
- just be fair and don't place your secondary char's looting "rights" over
someone else's primary. =)
Sartori D'Elsiraad of Quellious <The Companions>
Bard of Kelethin of the 48th Chorus
Veeshan