I have attended now 3 GM run events, all of which have been a let down
in some way or another. Let me go through my list and explain.I have attended now 3 GM run events, all of which have been a let down
in some way or another. Let me go through my list and explain.
Event 1 - Aviak attack on S. Karana. Mid-day, weekend
This was simply 3 GMs posing as Aviaks with thousands and thousands of hit points. This one wasn't hard to attend as I was already there, at the time a simple jaunt over from Lake Rathe.
I got a gm in my sites, got ready to take a good picture for posterity, boom I lock up when trying to take the picture. Now I don't mean a little lockup, just exit EQ and re-enter, I mean a full one. I had to push the restart button, re-boot windows, re-connect, re-log into EQ, load my character. By the time I did that I arrived to hear the shouts of 'yea there dead' and see the last corpse fall.
I missed the entire event due to lockup. I had a gm in my sites, wrath ready. But I missed it. Very disappointing. Apparently they had nothing special and there was no back story. Not a terrible loss to have missed it.
Event 2 - Highpass / Commons Conflict, part 1 - Late evening, Thursday
I got a gate from a friendly druid from S Karana where I was fighting to W commons. I had a tell from a friend 'there escorting a gm necro to highpass, hurry'. I arrive in the zone she is in and send tells, send shouts, 'I'm here to help, where are you?', along with several others. Matching competing shouts 'there trying to take over highpass they can't get through. Stop the Tier'dal'. I noticed the gm has zoned, not responding to any of the shouts. We follow her, the same shouts every zone. Finally she apparently dies from attack from players and the other gm entering highpass. Well gee, big surprise, she never responded to us with our shouts of offered aid.
Gated half way across the world, rebound, shouted for about 1 hour to no response, no gain. Interesting, but I had no clue what was going on. Neither did anyone else on 'our side'.
Event 3 - Highpass / Commons Conflict, part 2 - Halloween, Sunday, 10 pm - past 2 am
I return from being off line for 'trick or treaters' to find the message "there is an event running on all servers". I investigate when coming on line and hear there are undead in Quenos. 'Well, this must be it, I think', I move to Quenos and offer help as I hear these undead are 10 - 30 th lv. I heal and save several lives, and valor about 2 dozen people. My kind of event. Something for the lows, that promotes highers helping them instead of harvesting everything.
About one hour passes, and I have found nothing unusual aside from all the living being replaced by the dead. This doesn't look like an event. I gate back to S Karana.
There is where someone suggests 'there's an event do /who all gm, it's happening in Highpass and Commons'. Well, gee just where it was last time.
Around 10 pm I get this strange message (see image to the left). I was
conversing with a gm/guide at the time and mention my doubts as to a balance
towards evil. She basically convinces me to go and investigate, practically
begging me, obviously she is very excited about this. *sigh* I go. I am
thinking, 'hum, maybe it's an evil only zone, maybe plane of hate is open
to those as low as me, and I'm more welcome than others'.
I arrive at approximately 10:45 pm to a war zone. I look around and find some undead who con blue. 'Cool' I thought, 'I can kill some special stuff here. Well that's something. Maybe now I can get something special.' I later heard there were Cleric only maces. I am running around seeking undead with such hammers.
I see a few stray people here and there, when I bump into a group. I ask them 'um... why are you all sitting here?'. I was responded by one of the most rude things I've heard in all my 12 lives. 'Were camping this spot, and harvesting everything. What are you going to do about it?'. It's then I do a /who and find out most of them are 50s. At first I thought it was a joke, then they got up and moved on ignoring / being rude to me. This upsets me.
I see a downed person. Being helpful and not wanting them to miss the event, I ask where she respawned. She respawned in one of the Feys. I revive her. No exp, but it gets her back to the event. I didn't even receive anything more than 'thanks' pre-revive. I later find out she's one of the 50s who was harvesting.
I move around, find a few spawn points, and watch them disappear, poof, poof. One left, I nail it, and solo it to dead. I gate back to where I bound in zone, and med up.
I hear shouts of 'is that it' and 'is it over'. I forget what set me off, but I then shouted my hate and rage of the greedy, harvesting 50s I had met. I mention how I missed it because I'm lower lv, and not grouped, and everyone is harvesting. (Not knowing at the time the cycle would repeat come night, it may still I have yet to be back in world since).
Here is where things got ugly. Instead of being met with compassion and understanding for the most part, I was insulted, ridiculed and basically nearly laughed out of the zone by about 10 different people.
I had heard of the greed and rudeness of 50s, but not before this event had I encountered it.
There were a few that were not that way however. One sent personal tells saying she understood my position. I thanked her, but said, being a DE Cleric I doubt she could fully understand exactly how oppressed I was and how the players push the oppression over the edge. I couldn't explain that it's exactly this kind of competition that makes life so hard for evil races.
Another high with honor and compassion, invited me to his group, swearing to me that the next mace they got was mine. The group ranged from me as the low at 35 th to him as high at 45 th. This one group was still harvesting, but doing so with compassion and understanding to those lower, and who were in the zone.
Summary / Solution / Truth
It seems that most high levels are over come with greed and the urge to harvest, but not all. A few are still in there fighting with fairness, compassion and understanding.
I think really that as life progresses you must remember where you come from. Remember how hard life was when you were younger. Remember there are those of us who do not harvest, who do not join guilds, who often avoid dungeons, who are still deserving of 'nice things'.
The sad truth seems to be there is no easy way to solve harvesting aside from putting a level limit of x level and below, or x-y level only, which often makes no sense (statistical requirements would be more fair and make more sense).
I ask the same as always. Honor, Compassion, and Understanding in all things. Think of not how to compete, but how to cooperate and share. You may find helping someone achieve something memorable far more rewarding than power item x for yourself.
Event suggestions; More non-combat player interaction. Maybe no experience for kills. Items not so powerful so highers would be willing to help lows get them instead of harvesting for themselves. More class or race specific items, to cut down on competition and promote helping each other. Have events at times when more can participate in different zones.
The great reward for participation in the war...