24 Player Raiding: A Relic of the past?

[sugarspice]

He isn't necessarily asking Prophets to merge with all the other big Guilds. Prophets is one of the few US guilds still remotely healthy. I'm sure you remember a lot of the guilds who have fallen apart over the past couple years. Split up into tiny pieces. Then there are new guilds, created by new players, who can't achieve raiding status through normal recruitment.

I think a big part of his point on merging guilds is to merge the small ones. Guild A has 8 active players, Guild B has 5 active players, Guild C has 12 active players. Merge them together, now you have Guild D with 25 players.

That I think is great, but only if folks want, lots of folks don't want to learn to play better, or to grind gear, they want to be casual. Some people like being the big fish in a little pond, but if like minded small guilds want to merge that would be awesome.

[lmagowz]

They don't learn because they don't have any goals. That's main problem for progression in AoC: ~60% of player base don't know or don't care about future. They don't have any goals and don't want any challenge. If they somehow buy RotG, they just farm Monastery for death, because they rather spend 2 hours for Monastery farm when try other dungeons. They can go to T1-T2 pugs, use 2-3 buttons in raid and be happy with that. They don't try harder dungeons, harder raids, don't use different equipment or builds. They don't read any forums or tactics. Even if they officers in their small guilds, they just use that position to equip their alt characters or friends.

[sugarspice]

They don't learn because they don't have any goals. That's main problem for progression in AoC: ~60% of player base don't know or don't care about future. They don't have any goals and don't want any challenge. If they somehow buy RotG, they just farm Monastery for death, because they rather spend 2 hours for Monastery farm when try other dungeons. They can go to T1-T2 pugs, use 2-3 buttons in raid and be happy with that. They don't try harder dungeons, harder raids, don't use different equipment or builds. They don't read any forums or tactics. Even if they officers in their small guilds, they just use that position to equip their alt characters or friends.

They pay to play the game, and if that is what they have fun doing then that's just fine with me. It is not anybody's job to force people to be different. Its a game and each player gets to decide how they spend their own game time.

[lmagowz]

They pay to play the game, and if that is what they have fun doing then that's just fine with me. It is not anybody's job to force people to be different. Its a game and each player gets to decide how they spend their own game time.

Any MMO have guides, fan sites, advertise from developers and other easy to get information. Age of Conan don't have it. Usually people love to gear they chars and love to see new challenge, but not in this game. Of course, Funcom try to do it, but they advertise raids in their own strange method, what can't bring more people for raids. Of course, each player gets to decide how they spend their own game time, but... AoC don't have any choice. RP? AoC don't have RP. Hidden quests, achivements and other stuff? AoC don't have it. Craft? PvP and raid gear far superior when any craft item. PvP? Funcom can't balance mini-games, they just frustrating and waste too much time. Of course, Funcom have sieges, but BK doesn't matter anymore and sieges only for big guilds or alliances. Mass PvP? People bored after years of mass pvp, deserted Fury & Rage as example. I have big guild, a lot of friends and happy with that, but sad thing what not many people in AoC can reach it.

[Greyloins]

Any MMO have guides, fan sites, advertise from developers and other easy to get information. Age of Conan don't have it. Usually people love to gear they chars and love to see new challenge, but not in this game. Of course, Funcom try to do it, but they advertise raids in their own strange method, what can't bring more people for raids. Of course, each player gets to decide how they spend their own game time, but... AoC don't have any choice. RP? AoC don't have RP. Hidden quests, achivements and other stuff? AoC don't have it. Craft? PvP and raid gear far superior when any craft item. PvP? Funcom can't balance mini-games, they just frustrating and waste too much time. Of course, Funcom have sieges, but BK doesn't matter anymore and sieges only for big guilds or alliances. Mass PvP? People bored after years of mass pvp, deserted Fury & Rage as example. I have big guild, a lot of friends and happy with that, but sad thing what not many people in AoC can reach it.

That's inaccurate. There's tons of quests that much of the playerbase has never done - I'd be surprised if 5% of the playerbase has even done the Dragonspine questline, and I expect many of the (relatively) newer players have never done any of the craft-zone dungeons. And speaking of crafting, AoC is one of the very few games where crafted items are kept relevant - an Ibis is still after many years and an expansion a very solid weapon, and crafted T3 weapons are the best offhands for some classes (though by a very small margin I expect). You can hate the crafting system and should, but it can't be argued that many of the items are still relevant.

[lmagowz]

That's inaccurate. There's tons of quests that much of the playerbase has never done - I'd be surprised if 5% of the playerbase has even done the Dragonspine questline, and I expect many of the (relatively) newer players have never done any of the craft-zone dungeons. And speaking of crafting, AoC is one of the very few games where crafted items are kept relevant - an Ibis is still after many years and an expansion a very solid weapon, and crafted T3 weapons are the best offhands for some classes (though by a very small margin I expect). You can hate the crafting system and should, but it can't be argued that many of the items are still relevant.

I gather all weapon, armor, alchemy & architect recipes on different chars. And done all Dragonspine quests. BUT. People don't spend time for quests in Turan & Dragonspine, because that locations don't have any good rewards and don't have any factions (Turan faction just joke). Why Funcom decide to do such things after RotG have so much success? Of course Ibis & T3 craft kept relevant - but you need raid to craft it. That's another one fact proving what raids superior everything other things in AoC.

[woodcarver74]

It might be a bit offtopic but im curious, somethimes i see us raids starting at midnight my time, but then i have also seen some start around 03.00 my time, im a insomniac some Nights and would not mind helpin in raids the nights i cant sleep. But there is rarley i see global post for raidspotts in those raids, i have been in a few and it was great fun, meet some New ppl you havent played With and helping out a bit. But my friendslist is a mess and i never remember who the nightraiders are

My question is what is the main raiding time for the us Guilds? and would it not be possible to push them a bit earyer in the night and get some of the sleepless eu players along? it might help, if you see me online just send me a tell and i might bring one of my Carrs, and maybe some guildies or friends that cant sleep and would help to. Im usualy on my main at nighttime, name is koraile, just send me a tell if you miss something and if i can i will help out, and im sure there are other experienced players that would come just for the fun to.

[Derek-Drake]

Been saying for a while there only needs to be 1 US guild, with raids based on time zones (east coast and west coast raid times) and with weekend raids as well.

All tiers of raiding would be covered in this setup, from T1 raids to T5 progression raiding, and everything in between.

But everyone wants to be the leader of their own little guild and the vicious pug cycle continues.

Not gonna happen. I've joined and left several different T3 and T4 raiding guilds in the past two years and the one constant among all of these guilds are the massively inflated egos of the people that run these guilds. You'd think these people are curing cancer, or earning millions in sponsorship dollars playing DOTA or some **** the way they act.

The chances of getting the current top level guild leaders to give up their tyrannical fiefdoms and work together are 100% non existent.

[Bvis]

My question is what is the main raiding time for the us Guilds? and would it not be possible to push them a bit earyer in the night and get some of the sleepless eu players along?

Most of the US guilds I am familiar with start raiding around 8-9 pm Eastern time zone (UTC-5). Starting earlier is a problem because a lot of the population of the US lives on the east (NY, Washington DC, etc) and west coasts (California) with a 3 hour time difference between them, so a raid time has to end early enough for the eastern people to get to bed at a decent time but start late enough for the western people to be home from work. It would be like scheduling raids to fit the schedules of people from the UK and people in Moscow to compare to European time zones, so there's only a narrow window that works for both. Weekend raids could probably be pushed earlier to pick up some late night EU players, in fact there are often some EU players in the Sunday evening T3 pug raids.

[MashMash]

, but it can't be argued that many of the items are still relevant.

I can't agree with this. Some of the items are still relevant, as you listed and a few others, but I'd say 80-90% of the items that can be crafted are irrelevant - they are not needed and will never be needed. The game gives you adequate gear till you hit 80 and then dungeons and raids give you the rest. Although with the vanity system some of the armour might be wanted I suppose. Weapons are a bust though.