While I do realize this may make some of you happy, it saddens me...These are probably only the begining of changes yet to come.  Next will probably be insta travel, no xp debt, no item repair... all these things attracted me to the game and they are taking them away one by one.  Coupled with the monk issues that are ignored, Im not even sure how much more I can take...............


The following two updates will be going live with the next server restart:

 

Adventuring Kill Experience Update

Experience rates for killing NPCs have been increased significantly.  The experience changes start as a small amount at low levels and scale up to a large amount in the early twenties. From then on, the increase remains fixed.  This increase should be very noticeable for players above level fifteen.  This change is in response to actual player leveling times not meeting our original target times within many different subsets of the player population.  This increase will bring us much closer to our goal without exceeding it.

 

NPC Hit Points

Challenge level two and three NPCs have had their hit points reduced at levels above ten. It will be a small, but increasing reduction per level.

 

Being a player over level 30, I feel that the reduction of HP for 2 and 3 dot mobs was needed.  Even now it's not a huge one, but it is sometimes noticable.  As for the experience increase, this as well was rather slight, and has not stopped me from getting far better XP raging through quests or missives with a group then I do running through dungeons killing 4 dots over and over, regardless of if there are quests related to those 4 dots.  The 4 dots themselves take so long to kill, even when in a good group, that the value of the dungeon is really the experience of a difficult series of battles, along with the prize offered by a substantially more difficult quest or mob at the end.

As for instant travel, it is already in to a certain extent with the continental teleporters, and the porters which will take you to the far sides of Qalia.  I do believe that in order to survive the lack of instant travel options, the game needs to have instant travel spells of some sort.  As mentioned above, the ability to summon your party members is currently in, but it only functions properly in dungeons, and even then most dungeons are still not considered "dungeons."

I believe the more rapid forms of travel in early days were going to be boats, and that would certainly cut down alot on much of the continental travel which goes on.  I believe that they should go back to the drawing board and think about what they could do to make boats a viable 20+ option, rather then basically restricting it to 30+ and crafters.  This could even be done with some sort of tiny skiff option.

Also, expanding on the non-instant and experienceless travel areas would be a big help.  Get all of the boats working properly, remove the teleporters, have a more frequent series of automated smaller boats to replace the teleporters which take you from Khal to Ahgram, Upper Defense Bunker, and whatever that place on the western coast is.  Yes, it would take longer, but you would have the option to get off anytime you'd like.

They could also consider adding in actual caravans, and not just the group ones they have in currently.  I often have to go to Southwatch from New Targanor.  Southwatch is surrounded by defensive structures, forts, and other things which obviously require more and more varied supplies then the little grouping of huts at Southwatch can provide.  Add in a Caravan which goes from New Targanor to Southwatch, make it a quest you start at the main gate.  It can move quickly, follow you like other things in quests do (only on the road), and you get a small reward afterwards, as well as having random but level appropriate quest bound (so others can't attack them) bandits which run in from behind trees 0, 1, or 2 times depending on random chance.  Obviously this could work for other locations as well.

These are just my thoughts, and I feel that they're not things which are unrealistic, or would add overly much overhead to the game as it is now.  It would also help to make the world feel more complete, as though each community and location actually are real places, with real people, with needs and wants.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.  I'm sorry if it was a bit long winded. 

-Atif

I personally feel XP is right where it should be. I can spend 5 hours online every day and gain half a level a day at 32... that's not over the top considering I die twice tops per day.

However, I wouldn't want there to be no debt at all, no corpse runs, too fast travel, etc. I left EQ2 because - besides my talent for chosing borked classes like its Troubadour and this game's Monk - travel was way too fast and debt meant nothing.

In my opinion, it should work like this:
1) Debt fairly high, even slightly more than now even with tomb recovery. Why? Stupidity and folly should not be rewarded. Players should get to know their own and eachother's skills and play accordingly.
2) Fast travel... suppose you have an area in a fictive expansion that would take you from level 62 to 67. I'd love it if you had to travel to and fro until you are at least 64, at which point:
a) Either a short, faction-based quest grants you a special means of getting there (a locket granted by a queen as a reward for continued service, a rare gem that can be used to activate a teleporter shrine every X hours, etc)
b) Either a long, strung-out quest that grants you quite the same means.
Why? To make sure you feel like you've accomplished something AND to make sure you meet some people on the road, see the sights on the way there, making travel count.
3) Repair: should be the way it is now, possibly a tad higher post 30. Before thirty, it's a money sink, post 30, it's a slight cut out of your already large budget.
4) Corpse runs: they build community, they allow particular classes to shine (mainly rogues and healers for now), they make sure you don't try the same thing again without reconsidering your tactics if you die deep within a dungeon. No way in hell do I want them to go.

Actually I am glad I did not renew my account. I hate how SoE destroys good games, and even though VG needs  LOT of help (and probably about a year for the general subscriber's computer to be on par with the game's requirements) This thread makes me wish I never even purchased the game.

OMG Naggy and Vox... those were the days.. "Omg who agro'd her... CAMP A CLERIC SHE"S IN SAFE HALL"     I agree VG has nothing on old EQ hehe. Ever had a bad Fear Break?

QFT

Still remember the first time i run into a brownie camp at around lvl 5  >_<
Our first fear raid
How much I hated Phinigel camping
so many memories...

However I think the first MMO you play sticks with you and is special in terms that nothing can get that feeling back. No matter what you played first, it will have that special place in your heart.

I hated Phinny with a passion. 31 kills before dropping the piece for my Wizzy epic. It seemed like every other kill netted the Bard piece though.../grumble

2 for me i got lucky friend had over 1000 kills on those bone dragon things for his hide for SK epic though