I have not achieved a high enough level to get tells requesting assistance in PowerLeveling, though I certainly see the [Broadcast]s and (for those who are at least following a couple of rules of etiquette) the [Request]s coming across the Chat window all the time.
Sprinting through Steel Canyon, I spot a corpse lying in the road, about 100 yards from Blyde Square. Curious, I stop to look. It’s a Level 2 blaster. I do a double-take. Yes, Level 2… alone, in the middle of Steel Canyon.
Then I get a tell from him: “plvl me plz?” – followed immediately by a team invite.
I decline team invite for the moment, and reply with a tell. “I’m on my way to a mish and I don’t do power-leveling. Want a teleport to the train?” I figured I’d be nice, since my mish was in King’s Row and I was heading for the Yellow Line anyway. I would have even given him an Awaken, patted him on the head, and sent him on his way back to Atlas Park.
His reply: “no rez me and help me level”
I glance at the group of level 18 Tsoo standing nearby, presumably the ones who placed him in his present concrete-kissing predicament. “I can’t rez.” I reply. “You can go to the hospital, and I’ll tp you to the train.”
Another reply: “no staying here”
I don’t know that I’d go so far with some of the “taking revenge on annoying PLers” stuff as the folks commenting in the post above (though I strongly suspect most of them wouldn’t actually, either), but I understand the desire. Trolling strangers for unearned achievement is annoying; the ‘tude that some of the PLers seem to adopt (“I am entitled to this. You are a high level. Your duty is to PL me, even though I have a silly handle, an ugly costume, and am in the game just to to prove I am cool and 1337, and am clearly not interested in investing the time and effort that you did. And if you don’t, you suck.”) is just plain old rude.
But I agree that the best way is simply to ignore them, even if there is that temptation to SK them out to Talos Island and then leave them there.
Now, I have been fortunate enough to have some higher-level players offer to help me get some XP or take me on some higher level outings (as I’ve recently written), and I’ve tried, when they’ve done so, to be both duly (and sincerely) grateful and to pull my own weight in the team. But I would never presume that that they must, or even that they should, regardless of the bonds of friendship, any more than I’d presume that any of them would just give me money on demand or come over and help me mow my lawn.
Rudeness is no basis for a society. Folks who don’t learn that don’t last very long. At least, it’s nice to think so.
So…
It’s not just me that has seen this.
Good.
Generally, I ignore 1337-speak, being the old fuddy that I am. And I have also ignored people asking for power leveling. Though I have Sk’d folks on teams when they are the low man on the totem pole, and it also helps the team succeed, so it’s good for everbody.
I think my one week point came while I was on the “go-talk-to-the-SC-in-Steel-City” mission and looking for a badge site (Zazi at the time, Lvl 11). When some guy came up and asked if he could have an awake for his friend. I info’d him and saw that he was a Lvl 5 Blaster. Gave him the awake and proceeded to get un the roof of the building to get the badge. When I jumped down, I noticed that these two taken on some nearby 15L Vazh and died really quickly. As I Walked by they asked if they could have some more Awakens. I told them if they were this stupid that it would cost them 2500 each (100% mark up) plus another 2000 for the one I gave them before. They both agreed. I guess they had done some influence swapping. A quick buck later I was out of there.
I will say that a well-named character and non-1337-speak requests will go a whole further for me than the other way around.
With heroes like this, who needs enemies?
The following conversation took place in Talos, where Nineva (at level 22) had stopped to heal a level 23 engaged in a battle.
Zamorak, a level 15 scrapper, approached both Nineva and the level 23 (who ignored Zamorak).
Zamorak: can you help me hit 20?
Zamorak: or maybe you nineva?
Zamorak: pleeeease
Zamorak: im really wanting to get my cape
Nineva: you’re a long way from 20
Zamorak: i know
Zamorak: but can you help me please?
Nineva: How far are you from 16?
Zamorak: 8.1 bars
Zamorak: but someone lower lvl’d then you got me 1.9 bars in less then 30 minutes
[Zamorak invited Nineva to team, and Nineva accepted]
Nineva: hmmm, I don’t have a lot of time today, but I’ll do what I can
Zamorak: 😀 thanks
Zamorak: ill be hiding now
Zamorak: ^.^
Nineva: Let’s get you back to Steel Canyon
Zamorak: no i gotta be here to get xp
Zamorak: this place gives good xp
Zamorak: SK me
Nineva: You’ll get good xp in Steel, too
Zamorak: no
Zamorak: steel top xp for me is 7
Zamorak: top here so far is 200
Zamorak: someone killed a spirit and got me 200!
Zamorak: 😀
Nineva: Funny thing about xp… it means experience…
Zamorak: yeh
Zamorak: ive been here almost over a year now
Nineva: you don’t get real experience by letting others fight for you
Zamorak: im tired of working hard for only like 21 xp per 30 minutes
Nineva: But that’s the game
Zamorak: not really
Zamorak: the game starts when you get your cape and get involved with the main plot
Nineva: If you don’t want to work for it, then you are just leeching off of others
Zamorak: the main plot ussualy starts at lvl 24
Zamorak: im not leeching
Zamorak: how long did it take you to hit 20?
Zamorak: and did you have ANY help?
Nineva: I just got the game for Christmas
Nineva: Nope, I earned all of my xp
Zamorak: its easier for defenders
Zamorak: scrappers are hard to advance
Nineva: and got my butt kicked 3 times before my cape mission paid off
Zamorak: oh come on
Zamorak: once you hit 20 the cape mission is nothing
Nineva: Not so
Nineva: You ever been a defender?
Zamorak: no
Zamorak: i dont want to either
Nineva: Well, we don’t have much protection for ourselves
Zamorak: yeah i know and thats why
Zamorak: i used to train in the sewers non-stop till i hit lvl 11
Zamorak: dont tell me about experience, i have a map of the whole sewer system
Nineva: Anyway, I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t think I’m the right person to mentor you.
[Ninveva quits the team]
Zamorak: nope i dont think so either
Nineva: Good luck
[Nineva flies off]
Zamorak: yeah right
—————————————–
Copied to clipboard from the CoH Chat window with the command,
/copychat Chat
with actions added in brackets for clarification
And this is fun for these people? I’m sorry, but I’m incapable of comprehending that. It just doesn’t make sense to me.
Some people get more from gaming the game than the game itself. True, alas, for most passtimes.
And thanks for the /copychat command … that’s pretty cool. What’s most amazing about the story is how articulate and non-1337 Zamorak was.