I have been a solo player of MMOs for the last 7 or so years. Ever since the end of burning Crusade for WoW.. went into ESO with higher hopes but then 5 guilds kinda bonked that out of the ballpark. Excluding solo players is kinda not cool though.. there should be something for everybody.
I could just give an example from vanilla WOW here (yeah, yeah, I know many here hate WOW but here goes...).
Those mobs below Scarlet Monastary (low level), groups of mobs with linked agro, back in vanilla days. That was open world, and questing content, and it wasn't tagged as group quest. You had to reach the boss and kill him, but packs of mobs were in front with linked agro.
It certainly wasn't a piece of cake and people often searched to group for this, otherwise those mobs would wipe you easily.
It WAS able to be done solo, but you had to be very careful with positioning to not pull extra groups, and you had to use CCs efficiently, and reapply when needed, and to say it the shortest, you had to have skills, and then you could have done it solo, otherwise you would die.
This is how I would ideally wish Ashes open world content would be. Challenging, SOLO-able but challenging, and giving you real danger of dieing unless you are smart and use your skills well.
This is what I wanted to bring to discussion here. Strict group content is normally already designed for groups, and raid content for raids, not much point to discuss those.... but OPEN WORLD content.... I would love if it was challenging and required skill usage as well.
- Soloable but challenging, with probable death resulting situations. - Gives incentive to play with friends, but soloable if you are skilled, and play smart.
TLDR:
I would love if open world content was balanced for group of 2-3 average players (relaxed mode) OR 1 skilled player (careful / strategic mode).
There should be A LOT of content that you can solo even if it some of it requires you to 'outlevel' the said content. Gathering, grinding single mobs, crafting, exploring, simple quests and quest chains, dueling, single combat PvP, scouting, visiting the in-game brothel (couldn't resist, lol), etc.
There should be some content that you can only do with a group or PUG of at least 3.
There should be some content that requires a full party / PUG (whatever that number turns out to be.)
There should be some content that requires a full party that is coordinated and knows what it's doing (not a PUG).
There should be some open world content that a large, loosely organized mob (zerg) can do. (Tank and spank world boss maybe?)
There should be some content that requires a full raid (can be PUG).
There should be some content that requires a full raid that is coordinated and knows what it's doing (not a PUG).
There should be at least one mob somewhere that would require a full raid that is coordinated and knows what it is doing and has to get LUCKY to kill it.
Guild Wars(the first one) started out as solo and worked into 2 player then 4 then 6 and 8 as the game progressed. Maybe this is a better way to ease people into group play as new people come in?
Constructive criticism should be welcome from any source but if you want an apple, buy an apple... don't buy an orange and complain it isn't red enough
None of the above. MMOs are about community. 1 man 4 man 8 man or 16 man groups (and even guilds) do not define the community. They are simply an aspect of the community.
Community content should require solo missions as well as missions for groups of various sizes. Its not a question of group only of solo only. BOTH are 'required elements' to satisfy a communities needs. BOTH should be conducted in parallel and demand inclusion of varying size to get the quest done.
Do you take a 32 man army to stealthily enter a tight underground tunnel where you can hear a pin drop with many guards or do you send one lone player to get through there undetected and complete their mission ? Do you send 1 man or 8 man group up against an invading horde and mega boss or gather your forces en-masse including all groups of all sizes working together ?
This game will be open world and dynamic and not just fixed size themepark dungeons for predefined groups of predefined size with predefined builds! And besides the predefined dungeons will be switchign on and off. There is no guarentee you will have the time require to conceive of a 'perfect' predefined build or 'know' the dungeon. So its probably best you build for all eventualities...including your group makeup.
Versatility and uniqueness is now your friend instead of your enemy.
Biased poll is Biased. A special interest group does not speak for or represent the whole. Therefore, no individual of group has any claim to define what an MMO is or should be. Because they only represent one fragment of the whole community.
While I agree with the majority, I feel like the question is asked in a biased way. I think there should be enough content for someone to enjoy the game solo. However, there should be content that isn't soloable.
Also, agree. Pretty much everything said so far could be condensed into that simple statement.
I much prefer adventuring with a group. But like Atrocity said, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I can't due to limited play time. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to find a group, wait for the group, etc.
I can't imagine any mmorpg surviving if it only catered to group play. There are just too many different types of people and play styles
While I agree with the majority, I feel like the question is asked in a biased way. I think there should be enough content for someone to enjoy the game solo. However, there should be content that isn't soloable.
Also, agree. Pretty much everything said so far could be condensed into that simple statement.
I much prefer adventuring with a group. But like Atrocity said, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I can't due to limited play time. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to find a group, wait for the group, etc.
I can't imagine any mmorpg surviving if it only catered to group play. There are just too many different types of people and play styles
I agree that there should be content for both solo and group play because like all the people before me have said, sometimes we just want to play alone for a bit (or a lot in some cases). Solo in this game doesn't mean you aren't affecting the Massive Mulitplayer Online world because everything you do in this game affects everyone else. When I gather mats, I tend to do it solo, but those mats will eventually be sold to another player; which, by definition, is participating in the community. Also, gathering the mats gives exp to the node, which helps all the citizens of the node.
But, what I think the OP is trying to ask is if we believe content should be changed to more accommodate players who like to play solo. I would have to say no to that. Some, if not most, things should require you to get help from other players (in my opinion of course) and I would like the game to continue heading in that direction, as that seems to be the direction it is going.
I'm not going to answer your poll because I believe the questions are too anti solo biased.
I believe, and it seems to be a more popular opinion in newer mmo's vs older mmo's that having solo content is important to devs also. They want to his as much of a target audience as possible.
One of your questions is about nerfing content for solo players, this shouldn't be the case if the mmo was designed ground up for all play types.
If a game is designed with group and solo content and designed properly then it can cater to both. And I don't see why not.
I really dislike this raid mentality that it's the hardest thing in the world, it's simply not. More often or not the hardest thing is having no one else to rely on. Why should some slacker leech his way through a raid with minimum contribution then be rewarded for it by getting gear that 'noob' solo players can't get. Despite the solo player probably being an all round better player: Two points, firstly I'm talking players who solo dungeons and group content in other games, or harder content then they really should, as usually happens for people who solo. Secondly, there are *always* those players who contribute bare minimum.
I*hate* gated content where you have to be in a group and spend 3 hours in one sitting to get a chance at the best gear. Personally I don't care if I have to grind and complete solo objectives that are hard and take 10 times the time a raid spent if I can work on it when I choose. But being cut out entirely just because I don't have the time in one sitting is just a sign of a bad game, and the people who support this idea are just selfish nasty people.
A truly great mmo would have the following: Easy solo content, easy group content, hard solo content & hard group content. The rewards should be equivalent in power but the solo content should take longer to acquire as you aren't fighting other people for rolls. I am all for different titles and skins and effects but they have to be comparable and recognise the achievements and time put in via both play styles.
There shouldn't be some two-tiered hierarchy, where people who raid think they are the best, because it's not skill that stops solo players generally, it's having time in one block. And there are plenty of solo players who are much better than a lot of raiders, and vice versa of course.
It bothers me that a lot of solo players feel like they have to agree with raiders and say 'yeah you know what, I don't deserve to have the best looks, the best stats or the best titles and wealth'
It's not impossible to create challenge for solo play, it just requires devs to not be lazy.
I don't want to hear about how raiders only do it for the loot and if a dirty solo can get gear why bother raiding? Supposedly you would play what you enjoy, and therefore raiders enjoy the teamwork and raiding encounters, if you hate raiding then you shouldn't be doing it, and therefore having solo content for the same gear with more personal challenge or time spent should be a great alternative!
While I agree with the majority, I feel like the question is asked in a biased way. I think there should be enough content for someone to enjoy the game solo. However, there should be content that isn't soloable.
Even Kirito from Sword Art Online need to group up every now and then.
I usually roll with a small group. Usually with one other person. (My wife) and sometimes a couple other friends. I like to content to be challenging as a solo player, but doable when you are running around out in the world. You should be able to run around and explore alone if you want. There most definitely be group content as well. I'd be disappointed if there was not. You should also only able to loot the best gear and mats in the game from raids. Note - I said loot. You should be able to craft the best gear and in the game as well and improve the best lootable gear as a crafter.
One of the most unfortunate things about certain MMOs is that their desire to appeal to a broadened audience ended up hurting the degree of creativity to which they went and the degree of risk that they chose to take.
I understand that game production is a business with backers, partners, and investors. However, it is also an art form, and MMOs have immense potential. It's unfortunate that the trap so often is that a developer sets their sites on too many different audiences at one time.
Similarly, including too many "features" and accounting for too many things in a game can have the effect of generating a game that does some things adequately, but few things well. In my opinion, games that understand their goals outright, then set out to pour their efforts into polishing those areas of their game, specifically, tend to succeed.
Core to the experience of a massively multiplayer game is that it is massively multiplayer. Focus on that among all of your other core design decisions, and the game becomes more meaningful because it is driven by interdependent human beings.
Playing solo is not synonymous with single-player. Multiplayer is not synonymous with grouping. Solo means adventuring outside of a group. MMORPGs should have a wide variety of multiplayer content that does not involve grouping.
There should be plenty of comfortable solo content - just as their should be plenty of comfortable group content. Multiplayer does not = grouping.
Where we certainly agree is that solo players should not complain about not being able to solo content designed for groups and raids. Though, I think the real complaint isn't about not being able to clear out dungeons designed for groups and raids - the actual complaint is about not being able to do anything in those dungeons - sometimes not even being able to access those dungeons.
Ideally, soloers should be able to go into a dungeon and find traps to disarm and doors to unlock, curses to purge, reveal magically hidden doors, etc - or assassinate individual targets... leaving the more challenging group content for groups... having made the whole encounter a bit easier for others to come back and clear later. Where the actions of solo players still have a meaningful impact on the other players in the game.
I prefer making my own solo content. Personally I'm tired of easy overworlds, crap mobs and easy treks through the world which just rely on open world pvp to make the game dangerous.
I used to solo with a Paladin in EQ. I didn't care if it took extra time. I made opportunities for myself by playing smart, running away when I needed to, hiding when I needed to and taking detours to avoid dangerous enemies when I needed to.
I personally prefer a Deus Ex approach (the game) where there are multiple ways to solve a problem. I prefer group content but sometimes I do enjoy playing solo. Thing is though I hate when the overworld is nothing but a place to go just for the purpose of heading from one dungeon to the next.
I want better harder pve out in the overworld and smart opportunities to get things done for smart cunning solo players. Group play should be king of the hill - and NOT just in a DUNGEON.
Those who came to play mmorpg for solo gameplay are free to play offline games . They are better for you. MMORPG is based on player interaction , if there is no need in a group or guild why would I even play? How do I cooperate with other people? Its boring to hell.
People tend to forget what MM stands for in these games. They think they can log in and play like they do in Skyrim.
I feel there should be opportunities for solo play, but not at the expense of what makes this genre unique. I've never understood the mentality of people logging into a multi-player game and refusing to interact with other people.
It's like going to a Chinese Restaurant and ordering a hamburger. What's the point? Sure you can and should be able to do that, but there's other avenues more suited for your wants.
Not to mention demanding the Chinese Restaurant change it's menu to serve more burgers... Honestly, come on. I think this is just as entitled as people feeling solo play has no place in MMOs, if not more so.
- I am a gaming consumer. - I have preferences. - I pay for the things I like. - I justify myself to no one. - Companies want my business because I make bank AND I influence others with my opinions. - Marketing professionals want my business because I am a "weak and distant" connector. - No forum poster wants my business, they just want some personal goal that is important to only them.
Now. Ask me again why I should care about the divisive, dichotomous, and ultimately defeatist dickering-about in this thread any more?
No wait, don't. Just found the mute thread control.
-Kirito: There's a big limit to what you can do as a solo player. its not impossible to become powerful on your own, but it needs twice as much work. i personally believe that playing mmo solo can be boring at times, but come on, its a game someday you'll make friends right? :P
I did not find enough choises from this poll to give a vote.
Its not that solo players would demand nerf for group content, but they want some other content which focus on them. Fair right? Also all of us plays as a solo at some point even we mostly would do group content. How much everyone plays as a solo scales from 1% to 99% and it can be anything between these extremes.
So saying: "this is not a solo player game, its mmorpg." Is actually really poor argument tbh. Even the most extreme solo player will interact with other players for example through the market place, or maybe he ganks others or will be killed himself. It does not meen that everybody needs to group up all the time to be valid to play mmorpg. Also sandboxy games are more about freedom of choise to do what ever you want and its just fair from developers behalf to not totally forget these players either.
I am a player who enjoys to do both, solo and group content. So i guess i will be somewhere 50/50 about this matter. So i believe i have quite objective pov. I am glad i herd in one video where Steven and Jeffrey talked about the AoC audiance, that even the main focus is in group play they will not forget solo players either and they have plans to cater also that audiance. Audiance where we all are at some point of game.
I am a player who enjoys to do both, solo and group content. So i guess i will be somewhere 50/50 about this matter. So i believe i have quite objective pov. I am glad i herd in one video where Steven and Jeffrey talked about the AoC audiance, that even the main focus is in group play they will not forget solo players either and they have plans to cater also that audiance. Audiance where we all are at some point of game.
Indeed I believe most people actually feel the same.
That being said. I HATED it how WoW was watered down over the years.
In the beginning you even had normal world quests that required actual skill to do. Or even a group.
There were quest lines that were so difficult that even with a good group you´d wipe - over and over again until you beat it. That is a GREAT thing.
Problem is, the mobile gaming crowd has the attention span of a dead worm.
I like to do stuff solo. Especially stuff i am not supposed to do. I am not talking about killing previous season raid content with a high GS as a single player. I am talking about those quests/monsters/challenges that you normally cannot beat with the approprioate "gear level" but you try and beat them anyway.
That being said - i really HATE (quit game worthy) if devs create an encounter that has a kill mechanic only groups can overcome. I am not talking about soft-enrages after a certain time in DPS extensive encounters, just those one-hit kills you should even be able to avoid as a single player.
All modern MMO´s are so watered down that every amobea can beat them, it´s really disgusting.
So will AoC be different? I don´t see that yet.
But single players shouldn´t even open their mouth and ask for such things - it´s an MMO, you´re supposed to team up, even if you´re a cranky person that doesn´t like it.
If there´s no need to team up for game progression then the game is boring. And i pay neither a sub nor buy on a cash shop (which will hopefully NOT come in AoC) on a boring game.
People tend to forget what MM stands for in these games. They think they can log in and play like they do in Skyrim.
I feel there should be opportunities for solo play, but not at the expense of what makes this genre unique. I've never understood the mentality of people logging into a multi-player game and refusing to interact with other people.
It's like going to a Chinese Restaurant and ordering a hamburger. What's the point? Sure you can and should be able to do that, but there's other avenues more suited for your wants.
Not to mention demanding the Chinese Restaurant change it's menu to serve more burgers... Honestly, come on. I think this is just as entitled as people feeling solo play has no place in MMOs, if not more so.
100 percent agree with this. I'm tired of solo play and I'm tired of people and developers playing mmos like they are Skyrim. The game difficulty takes a hit and honestly there are plenty of mmos to choose from if you want a rich solo experience.
Every game does not have to be for every one. I'm tired of easy soloable overworlds.
Those who came to play mmorpg for solo gameplay are free to play offline games . They are better for you. MMORPG is based on player interaction , if there is no need in a group or guild why would I even play? How do I cooperate with other people? Its boring to hell.
Single-player games are not better for soloers. Those two terms are not related.
Soloers interact with players in MMORPGs - frequently. What soloers don't do primarily is group in order to kill stuff. Soloers interact with players because they enjoy interacting with other players - because they want to - not because they need to.
I typically mostly solo - I mostly adventure solo. But, MMORPGs are better for me than single-player games because I am an ESAK: Explorer/Socializer/Achiever/Killer. I interact with other players because I like to socialize with other players - not because I need other players in order to kill stuff. I want to see what other players are doing. I want to see what other players are wearing. I want to see what other players are building and collecting and how they decorate their homes. I want to have dinner parties and costume parties and dance parties and run around goofing off with other players. In Landmark, the swap meets were a blast - 100s of players would meet-up and trade player-made blueprints. it was also fun to meet up and hold in-game building tutorials. Not because we need to that stuff, but because doing that stuff with other players is fun.
What you're really saying is that socializing just to socialize is boring as hell and that you will only socialize if the game forces players to group in order to kill stuff. MMORPGs should have plenty of content for players who crave content for group combat. But, there should also be plenty of content for the wide variety of other playstyles - including soloers.
I'm tired of solo play and I'm tired of people and developers playing mmos like they are Skyrim. The game difficulty takes a hit and honestly there are plenty of mmos to choose from if you want a rich solo experience.
Every game does not have to be for every one. I'm tired of easy soloable overworlds.
Exactly! If you are tired of soloable overworlds - don't play those games. Go play something you like to play.
I have some sympathy for solo players, not much because those people choose to be solo, but Intrepid shouldn't BEND THE KNEE to them. Every time a game nerfs content to suit a set group of people (Ironic when I word it like that, right?) it always breaks or worse, changes the game and it is no longer fun for the vast majority. A good example to share would be World of Warcraft. What was once a fun, immersive game where players could live out their fantasy life, turned into a theme park. Players are no longer experiencing the story as one of many heroes defending their world or faction. Now, everyone is the main character in their own story and only group together when they have to continue their own story, and that isn't even a deal anymore due to LFR and LFG because all they have to do is push a button, turn on their favorite episode of anime or tv show, and smash their fingers on the keys until they get what they came for and go back to their own little world.
I don't mean to sound preachy, or go into Q_Q mode. I am simply stating facts. WoW is fun for the solo players and if it wasn't for players who still believe in raid progressions, there would be no need for guilds. Again, I don't want to sound like I'm hating on solo players, because they deserve to have just as much fun as the rest of us, but come on. You're playing an MMORPG not an MSORPG. Learn to socialize with others. You might even like one or two of the people you come across.
Comments
Those mobs below Scarlet Monastary (low level), groups of mobs with linked agro, back in vanilla days. That was open world, and questing content, and it wasn't tagged as group quest. You had to reach the boss and kill him, but packs of mobs were in front with linked agro.
It certainly wasn't a piece of cake and people often searched to group for this, otherwise those mobs would wipe you easily.
It WAS able to be done solo, but you had to be very careful with positioning to not pull extra groups, and you had to use CCs efficiently, and reapply when needed, and to say it the shortest, you had to have skills, and then you could have done it solo, otherwise you would die.
This is how I would ideally wish Ashes open world content would be. Challenging, SOLO-able but challenging, and giving you real danger of dieing unless you are smart and use your skills well.
This is what I wanted to bring to discussion here. Strict group content is normally already designed for groups, and raid content for raids, not much point to discuss those.... but OPEN WORLD content.... I would love if it was challenging and required skill usage as well.
- Soloable but challenging, with probable death resulting situations.
- Gives incentive to play with friends, but soloable if you are skilled, and play smart.
TLDR:
I would love if open world content was balanced for group of 2-3 average players (relaxed mode) OR 1 skilled player (careful / strategic mode).
Can be soloed, but not easy.
There should be some content that you can only do with a group or PUG of at least 3.
There should be some content that requires a full party / PUG (whatever that number turns out to be.)
There should be some content that requires a full party that is coordinated and knows what it's doing (not a PUG).
There should be some open world content that a large, loosely organized mob (zerg) can do. (Tank and spank world boss maybe?)
There should be some content that requires a full raid (can be PUG).
There should be some content that requires a full raid that is coordinated and knows what it's doing (not a PUG).
There should be at least one mob somewhere that would require a full raid that is coordinated and knows what it is doing and has to get LUCKY to kill it.
MMOs are about community.
1 man 4 man 8 man or 16 man groups (and even guilds) do not define the community.
They are simply an aspect of the community.
Community content should require solo missions as well as missions for groups of various sizes.
Its not a question of group only of solo only.
BOTH are 'required elements' to satisfy a communities needs.
BOTH should be conducted in parallel and demand inclusion of varying size to get the quest done.
Do you take a 32 man army to stealthily enter a tight underground tunnel where you can hear a pin drop with many guards or do you send one lone player to get through there undetected and complete their mission ?
Do you send 1 man or 8 man group up against an invading horde and mega boss or gather your forces en-masse including all groups of all sizes working together ?
This game will be open world and dynamic and not just fixed size themepark dungeons for predefined groups of predefined size with predefined builds! And besides the predefined dungeons will be switchign on and off. There is no guarentee you will have the time require to conceive of a 'perfect' predefined build or 'know' the dungeon. So its probably best you build for all eventualities...including your group makeup.
Versatility and uniqueness is now your friend instead of your enemy.
Biased poll is Biased.
A special interest group does not speak for or represent the whole.
Therefore, no individual of group has any claim to define what an MMO is or should be.
Because they only represent one fragment of the whole community.
Also, agree. Pretty much everything said so far could be condensed into that simple statement.
I much prefer adventuring with a group. But like Atrocity said, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I can't due to limited play time. Sometimes I just don't have the energy to find a group, wait for the group, etc.
I can't imagine any mmorpg surviving if it only catered to group play. There are just too many different types of people and play styles
But, what I think the OP is trying to ask is if we believe content should be changed to more accommodate players who like to play solo. I would have to say no to that. Some, if not most, things should require you to get help from other players (in my opinion of course) and I would like the game to continue heading in that direction, as that seems to be the direction it is going.
I believe, and it seems to be a more popular opinion in newer mmo's vs older mmo's that having solo content is important to devs also.
They want to his as much of a target audience as possible.
One of your questions is about nerfing content for solo players, this shouldn't be the case if the mmo was designed ground up for all play types.
If a game is designed with group and solo content and designed properly then it can cater to both. And I don't see why not.
I really dislike this raid mentality that it's the hardest thing in the world, it's simply not. More often or not the hardest thing is having no one else to rely on. Why should some slacker leech his way through a raid with minimum contribution then be rewarded for it by getting gear that 'noob' solo players can't get. Despite the solo player probably being an all round better player: Two points, firstly I'm talking players who solo dungeons and group content in other games, or harder content then they really should, as usually happens for people who solo. Secondly, there are *always* those players who contribute bare minimum.
I*hate* gated content where you have to be in a group and spend 3 hours in one sitting to get a chance at the best gear. Personally I don't care if I have to grind and complete solo objectives that are hard and take 10 times the time a raid spent if I can work on it when I choose. But being cut out entirely just because I don't have the time in one sitting is just a sign of a bad game, and the people who support this idea are just selfish nasty people.
A truly great mmo would have the following: Easy solo content, easy group content, hard solo content & hard group content. The rewards should be equivalent in power but the solo content should take longer to acquire as you aren't fighting other people for rolls. I am all for different titles and skins and effects but they have to be comparable and recognise the achievements and time put in via both play styles.
There shouldn't be some two-tiered hierarchy, where people who raid think they are the best, because it's not skill that stops solo players generally, it's having time in one block. And there are plenty of solo players who are much better than a lot of raiders, and vice versa of course.
It bothers me that a lot of solo players feel like they have to agree with raiders and say 'yeah you know what, I don't deserve to have the best looks, the best stats or the best titles and wealth'
It's not impossible to create challenge for solo play, it just requires devs to not be lazy.
I don't want to hear about how raiders only do it for the loot and if a dirty solo can get gear why bother raiding? Supposedly you would play what you enjoy, and therefore raiders enjoy the teamwork and raiding encounters, if you hate raiding then you shouldn't be doing it, and therefore having solo content for the same gear with more personal challenge or time spent should be a great alternative!
I understand that game production is a business with backers, partners, and investors. However, it is also an art form, and MMOs have immense potential. It's unfortunate that the trap so often is that a developer sets their sites on too many different audiences at one time.
Similarly, including too many "features" and accounting for too many things in a game can have the effect of generating a game that does some things adequately, but few things well. In my opinion, games that understand their goals outright, then set out to pour their efforts into polishing those areas of their game, specifically, tend to succeed.
Core to the experience of a massively multiplayer game is that it is massively multiplayer. Focus on that among all of your other core design decisions, and the game becomes more meaningful because it is driven by interdependent human beings.
Solo means adventuring outside of a group.
MMORPGs should have a wide variety of multiplayer content that does not involve grouping.
Multiplayer does not = grouping.
Where we certainly agree is that solo players should not complain about not being able to solo content designed for groups and raids.
Though, I think the real complaint isn't about not being able to clear out dungeons designed for groups and raids - the actual complaint is about not being able to do anything in those dungeons - sometimes not even being able to access those dungeons.
Ideally, soloers should be able to go into a dungeon and find traps to disarm and doors to unlock, curses to purge, reveal magically hidden doors, etc - or assassinate individual targets... leaving the more challenging group content for groups... having made the whole encounter a bit easier for others to come back and clear later.
Where the actions of solo players still have a meaningful impact on the other players in the game.
Again, multiplayer does not = grouping.
I used to solo with a Paladin in EQ. I didn't care if it took extra time. I made opportunities for myself by playing smart, running away when I needed to, hiding when I needed to and taking detours to avoid dangerous enemies when I needed to.
I personally prefer a Deus Ex approach (the game) where there are multiple ways to solve a problem. I prefer group content but sometimes I do enjoy playing solo. Thing is though I hate when the overworld is nothing but a place to go just for the purpose of heading from one dungeon to the next.
I want better harder pve out in the overworld and smart opportunities to get things done for smart cunning solo players. Group play should be king of the hill - and NOT just in a DUNGEON.
MMORPG is based on player interaction , if there is no need in a group or guild why would I even play? How do I cooperate with other people? Its boring to hell.
Short and to the point , I agree with every word.
- I am a gaming consumer.
- I have preferences.
- I pay for the things I like.
- I justify myself to no one.
- Companies want my business because I make bank AND I influence others with my opinions.
- Marketing professionals want my business because I am a "weak and distant" connector.
- No forum poster wants my business, they just want some personal goal that is important to only them.
Now. Ask me again why I should care about the divisive, dichotomous, and ultimately defeatist dickering-about in this thread any more?
No wait, don't. Just found the mute thread control.
its not impossible to become powerful on your own, but it needs twice as much work.
i personally believe that playing mmo solo can be boring at times, but come on, its a game someday you'll make friends right? :P
I just hope the Devs remember the double M in MMORPG.
Its not that solo players would demand nerf for group content, but they want some other content which focus on them. Fair right? Also all of us plays as a solo at some point even we mostly would do group content. How much everyone plays as a solo scales from 1% to 99% and it can be anything between these extremes.
So saying: "this is not a solo player game, its mmorpg." Is actually really poor argument tbh. Even the most extreme solo player will interact with other players for example through the market place, or maybe he ganks others or will be killed himself. It does not meen that everybody needs to group up all the time to be valid to play mmorpg. Also sandboxy games are more about freedom of choise to do what ever you want and its just fair from developers behalf to not totally forget these players either.
I am a player who enjoys to do both, solo and group content. So i guess i will be somewhere 50/50 about this matter. So i believe i have quite objective pov. I am glad i herd in one video where Steven and Jeffrey talked about the AoC audiance, that even the main focus is in group play they will not forget solo players either and they have plans to cater also that audiance. Audiance where we all are at some point of game.
That being said. I HATED it how WoW was watered down over the years.
In the beginning you even had normal world quests that required actual skill to do. Or even a group.
There were quest lines that were so difficult that even with a good group you´d wipe - over and over again until you beat it.
That is a GREAT thing.
Problem is, the mobile gaming crowd has the attention span of a dead worm.
I like to do stuff solo. Especially stuff i am not supposed to do. I am not talking about killing previous season raid content with a high GS as a single player.
I am talking about those quests/monsters/challenges that you normally cannot beat with the approprioate "gear level" but you try and beat them anyway.
That being said - i really HATE (quit game worthy) if devs create an encounter that has a kill mechanic only groups can overcome.
I am not talking about soft-enrages after a certain time in DPS extensive encounters, just those one-hit kills you should even be able to avoid as a single player.
All modern MMO´s are so watered down that every amobea can beat them, it´s really disgusting.
So will AoC be different? I don´t see that yet.
But single players shouldn´t even open their mouth and ask for such things - it´s an MMO, you´re supposed to team up, even if you´re a cranky person that doesn´t like it.
If there´s no need to team up for game progression then the game is boring. And i pay neither a sub nor buy on a cash shop (which will hopefully NOT come in AoC) on a boring game.
Every game does not have to be for every one. I'm tired of easy soloable overworlds.
Those two terms are not related.
Soloers interact with players in MMORPGs - frequently.
What soloers don't do primarily is group in order to kill stuff.
Soloers interact with players because they enjoy interacting with other players - because they want to - not because they need to.
I typically mostly solo - I mostly adventure solo.
But, MMORPGs are better for me than single-player games because I am an ESAK:
Explorer/Socializer/Achiever/Killer.
I interact with other players because I like to socialize with other players - not because I need other players in order to kill stuff.
I want to see what other players are doing.
I want to see what other players are wearing.
I want to see what other players are building and collecting and how they decorate their homes.
I want to have dinner parties and costume parties and dance parties and run around goofing off with other players.
In Landmark, the swap meets were a blast - 100s of players would meet-up and trade player-made blueprints. it was also fun to meet up and hold in-game building tutorials.
Not because we need to that stuff, but because doing that stuff with other players is fun.
What you're really saying is that socializing just to socialize is boring as hell and that you will only socialize if the game forces players to group in order to kill stuff.
MMORPGs should have plenty of content for players who crave content for group combat.
But, there should also be plenty of content for the wide variety of other playstyles - including soloers.
If you are tired of soloable overworlds - don't play those games.
Go play something you like to play.
I don't mean to sound preachy, or go into Q_Q mode. I am simply stating facts. WoW is fun for the solo players and if it wasn't for players who still believe in raid progressions, there would be no need for guilds. Again, I don't want to sound like I'm hating on solo players, because they deserve to have just as much fun as the rest of us, but come on. You're playing an MMORPG not an MSORPG. Learn to socialize with others. You might even like one or two of the people you come across.