I've often found that very large scale events present a number of issues, ranging from zone crashes (hi, EQ!) to hyperspeed text scroll. IMO, an event in an MMO is like a run of a large LARP, and character development is one of the few viable things to do in such an environment. Anyone who's ever seen the massive timestops at a large LARP can tell you that trying to do plot when you have 60 people standing around all wanting to do something is a recipe for disaster (or for spending 8 hours standing around doing very little). The problems range from everyone talking at once (chat scroll) to everyone wanting to play a role to even OOC drama that disrupts the flow. So, I tend to shy away from "Big Epic Plot Events."
Personally, I try, much as Kylin did with the recent Gala, to add more structure and emphasize character interaction the larger my event becomes. That seems to help mitigate many of the issues. Even then, I typically prefer my events to be under 25 people and closer to 10-15 if possible. I think those are the sweet spots that balance "mix of characters" with "able to actually get anything done."
Do I mind going to larger events? Not really, though I usually feel that I don't get much RP done at them as the chat's hard to follow and people naturally start breaking out into smaller groups anyway -- a bit like people IRL at a large party.
Personally, I try, much as Kylin did with the recent Gala, to add more structure and emphasize character interaction the larger my event becomes. That seems to help mitigate many of the issues. Even then, I typically prefer my events to be under 25 people and closer to 10-15 if possible. I think those are the sweet spots that balance "mix of characters" with "able to actually get anything done."
Do I mind going to larger events? Not really, though I usually feel that I don't get much RP done at them as the chat's hard to follow and people naturally start breaking out into smaller groups anyway -- a bit like people IRL at a large party.
The Freelance Wizard
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
Quality RP at low, low prices!
((about me | about L'yhta Mahre | L'yhta's desk | about Mysterium, the Ivory Tower: a heavy RP society of mages))
