[MUD-Dev] RE: [ssows] thinking about EQ2 (fwd)

[Michael Oxford]

Chek Yang FOO <chekyang at chekyang.com> wrote:

> About locked encounters - this is one aspect that interests me a
> great deal as kill stealing is one (possible) type of grief
> play. While the points on its disadvantages are well made, IMO, it
> seems to me more a way of defining a singular clear rule of game
> play - that whoever hits the mob first has the rights to it, and
> the lock enforces that ownership. There is no more ambiguity or
> should there be arguments over who really had that mob based on
> who is higher level, who has been in that area longer, and who is
> more suited to take on that mob - disputes that were so common in
> EverQuest. From a customer service point of view, it does seem to
> be a smart move - since you now have a clear rule, and there
> should be far less complaints from players, and the in-game CSRs
> can better spend their time resolving other issues than player to
> player disputes.

On the other hand, it's -extremely- irritating if things do not go
as planned.

If, in EQ2, you "yell for help" you gain no xp from the encounter,
at all, and you gain no quest items if applicable.

I've had to stand still and watch another player's group die off
because I, and everyone else around, were not "allowed" to jump in
and assist.  We cannot derail "trains" to zonelines since they're
locked.

Having played it a bit, it's not much better than instanced areas
and, IMO, it's horrible.  I would suggest that if anyone else wanted
to go this route, only lock the creatures (individually) at, say,
15% health.  To perma-lock the entire group indefinately is
horrible.

There may be some KS'ing of peripherial mobs, but if the original
group gains the 15% hps lock, then it wouldn't be a big issue.

-Mike
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