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Questions from a Solo MMO Vet

Hey all!

A friend just drew my attention to this game/site and I watched the video but had some concerns and wanted to see if they've been at all raised/addressed to some respect. So I wanted to ask a few things. Please do your best to avoid flaming/trolling me for my questions.

In the simplest terms, I've always liked the dynamic elements of an MMO and how it is an ever changing and evolving world and economy and community. However, as I've gotten older, my hours are more sporadic. Sometimes I can throw a ten-hour block at binge gaming, other times I can only do an hour or two here or there across weeks. Such is the life of an adult I suppose. However, many MMO's have in a sense forced content through a PvP/Raid/Group system. The top equipment and items and wealth are locked behind what is arbitrarily deemed "skill" and the games themselves become heavily weighed on the combat side versus the crafting side.

So in essence, my question is a few parts that comprise the same question. What plans are in place to create a game that can still be rewarding and gratifying for the solo player who can only play sporadically? Will I be locked out of having wealth/high-end items because I don't want to partake in group combat/events/pvp, or can I dedicate time and patience to crafting on my own, working when I can, toward completing projects and long term goals? Will there be anything that shows how skill be can used not just for combat encounters or competitive combat, but skill that can manifest in economics or crafting/gathering? 

Thank you in advance. If you have any clarifications or questions, please let me know.

Comments

  • The one thing that is very exciting, is that crafting is most definitely a source of wealth and/or gear in this game. You may not craft yourself the gear as fast as others, but you most definitely will be able to in your own time.
  •  @ Claiger   Welcome to the community!
    Here's some info you might be interested in.

    Will there be any roles of value for those who aren't interest in combat? Farming/breeding/cooking. If so, will the casual non-combat player feel like his actions are worth something.

    -          Farming/breeding/cooking and crafting in general is of EXTREME importance in this world.  It is my personal opinion that players who control the economy exert greater influence over the world than those who directly influence PvP.  Non-Combat play styles will absolutely be a full-time option, and will yield considerable influence.

    Casual, Small Group, & Solo Play

    Is there any pull for Solo players, or are we required to join guilds?

    -          The game is built for both the solo player as well as guild oriented players, both large and small guilds. Solo players are after all, still a member of the larger server community

     

    What do you think about casual-friendly?

    -          I feel that casual players will have a purpose in the world, and should be influential in the world's development.


    Cylver

    (Silver)



  • @Krojak,

    For sure. I am hoping that I can do things on my own, at my own pace, and not be punished. I'm the type of person who is super patient and I'd be happy to spend weeks redundantly doing something hundreds of times in order to craft an amazing item. I like rep grinds. I like mini games. I like becoming better at something. I like making gradual progress and working toward a goal. What I don't like is stress/anxiety. For me, that comes from PVP, from dropping all that I've worked for if I die, from being forced into an intense boss fight, or having to commit to working with a team of 5+ people and feeling guilty if I abandon them at any point. 


    CylverRayne , 

    I really hope that turns out to be true. I'm not opposed to a guild even of merchants/crafters. I just don't want to be blocked from having "the best gear" or any of that soulbind garbage or be prevented from gaining wealth because I don't want to boss for the ultra rare loot.

    I want to be able to casually grind random enemies that have a super low drop rate in the hope of a lucky drop, that doesn't require groups. Grinding for a 0.001% chance drop is still, strangely, gratifying, especially if my grinding can be continuous and I don't have to stress over longevity. 

    Granted, I TOTALLY understand that balancing an economy so that neither the combat elements nor the crafting/merchanting elements are overpowered is always something to consider. I just want to ensure this is on their radar. I've been disappointed far too often.

  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited June 2017
    Ok. Cool. It deleted my post when I tried to edit. Let's try again.



    Krojak,

    I'm totally for the long haul type of gameplay. I'm fine if crafting takes a good deal of time, and as long as I can work on it in bursts I'd be happy. MMO's aren't a race for me but as long as I have access to getting things done over time, I'm fine.


    CylverRayne, 

    I really hope that turns out to be true. I'm not opposed to a guild even of merchants/crafters. I just don't want to be blocked from having "the best gear" or any of that soulbind garbage or be prevented from gaining wealth because I don't want to boss for the ultra rare loot.

    I am even ok with combat. For example, if there's a super low drop rate like 0.005% for the item I want, I'm more than happy to grind away. As long as longevity and killing isn't slowed down too much (Like Lineage 2 was if you tried to solo in a lot of cases) then it isn't an issue.


    My biggest issue is that I want patience to be rewarded. I want to be able to chip away at a long term project little by little over a long period of time. Be that a mini-game, a rep grind, repeatable quests, dailies, crafting the same item through a sort of crafting interface that requires actual patience and skill to succeed of a certain quality, etc. 


    I also TOTALLY understand that balancing an economy with crafting/bossing is incredibly difficult.
  • I'm not much of a vet, but I like combat, and I would like to know if there is room for solo combat potential. Like how far can I get just by fighting on my own? I don't have much of a head for economics or trade and mining for days sounds super tedious and not something I want to do to get ahead in the game. So as a solo adventurer, or an adventurer with a small party, how far can I get?
  • @Gildhart right now...no one knows, but the devs have repeatedly said that they are designing this game so every play style has a place, and yes they mention solo play along with this.

    @Claiger, if it's rare loot that appeals, don't think drops, think outside of the box etc, climb up on THAT ridge, what happens if you dive down THAT lake, is that wall real?
    Could be totally wrong with this, I so often am, but they were talking about hidden things in game that will be legendary and unique, and were mentioning that in eq after years people still hadn't found all of the ones they'd put in there. :)
  • @Megs
    I learned about this game today, so all information is new information, so thanks for the info!
  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited June 2017
    No worries, I like talking, stalking and dreaming. 
    There is already just so much info and speculation about everything, best to check up on the live stream recordings on YouTube and if you haven't yet, join discord as you can ask the team directly :)

    Oh, and welcome!
    *sets of fireworks for @Gildhart*
  • Megs said:
    think outside of the box etc, climb up on THAT ridge, what happens if you dive down THAT lake, is that wall real?
    I really hope it's like that @Megs. It would be amazing to have that kind of immersive treasure hunting in the game, especially if it is generated dynamically, so there's no possibility of a wiki page or cheat sheet that will help you locate the rarest items.
  • @lexmax Yeah I know right, I am so excited by this. My interpretation is that these hidden items are REAL one of a kinds, so no respawnings at all. The only thing that might make it to the internet would be if it were found on a different server....

    I really hope my stewed brain has this one right :smiley:
  • @CylverRayne

    Well explained!

  • I tend to solo alot in any MMO's i play, mainly because i prefer taking my time being immersed in the worlds atmosphere and enjoying the intricate details the creators have put into different elements of the game. But as far as i know, AoC was created to make people do everything, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You can not progress all the way up without dipping your hands into pvp, pve, crafting and so on. I believe that because of this, regardless of whether you're casual, hardcore, social, trader or just in it to hook up with guys playing females characters, there will be plenty for all.

    ps. no offense to those who like to hook up with guys playing female characters.
  • ArchivedUserArchivedUser Guest
    edited June 2017

    @Skriptchaz

    Thanks for the laugh! :)

  • I too tend to solo a fair amount of time due to the fact that I can be found most any time of the day or night popping in and out of a game I am engrossed in. I enjoy the comradery  of a guild but also enjoy not being part of the crowd.  
    In one of Steven's interviews he was talking about the solo player. He mentioned how one could join with groups taking down a boss or in major battles.  I hope that this will be done similar to raiding rifts in Rift, or like the public instances where anyone could join.  There are many people who play these games that don't have the long hours, play solo  or play with a friend or two.  I remember long ago in DAOC, it was easy to join in a big battle.  I'm thinking it will be pretty much the same here. After all not everyone living in town or near by would be in a guild but I'm sure they would want to defend it!


  • I can't really top anything that's already been said here, but I can at least say that everything posted in these replies has been stated at least twice by the devs, in various interviews and such.  

    It's all on their mind, and they are definitely trying to create a world that is brought more alive by the players than any other game in a while, and they've specifically mentioned making it rewarding to log in for any amount of time.  Sadly, we don't yet have many details on exactly how they're going to be doing this, hehe

    Welcome to the forums, by the way, @Gildhart and @Claiger!!!
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