Glorious Alpha Two Testers!
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Alpha Two Realms are now unlocked for Phase II testing!
For our initial launch, testing will begin on Friday, December 20, 2024, at 10 AM Pacific and continue uninterrupted until Monday, January 6, 2025, at 10 AM Pacific. After January 6th, we’ll transition to a schedule of five-day-per-week access for the remainder of Phase II.
You can download the game launcher here and we encourage you to join us on our for the most up to date testing news.
Comments
Honestly, I believe that lots of people solo due to necessity and appreciate the ability to do so ..... however I haven't yet come across anyone who would ask for it to be encouraged.
I often solo play, but this IS an MMO, anyone who denies that and is still unhappy might need to look at their understanding of the language.
The only reason I myself mentioned getting group players involved in solo style play, was because:
If the game has been being plugged as suitable for all playstyles, then the devs SHOULD address and attempt to make good content for ALL playstyles.
To not do so would be failing to challenge themselves to make the game they initially appeared to be wanting.
IF they do that job and ALL playstyles have great unique content, then, and only then, encourage it, but only so people get an opportunity to recognise the full depth of the game and don't only find out about what chances for certain rewards etc they've missed once it's too late.
Quote:
"Multiple playstyles should be relevant and viable. Additionally, you have a spread between casual players and hard-core players; and most of us exist somewhere on that spectrum. The progression path in a society or religion is more conducive to the time we have to play. Whereas, someone else may be playing several hours a day, and they have a better opportunity for the raid/level progression that might require some more dedication. So we want to have these different progression paths available to accommodate the different times in our lives that we have to play the game. And all of those types of progressions will make us relevant in some way shape or form to the general world."
– Steven Sharif. Livestream, 8 April 2018 (28:38).
Translation: Sometimes life sucks and you have no choice but to solo.
Add the Node system into the equation and groups have a very clear advantage when it comes to building, maintaining, and destroying nodes which is a big part of the game.
How far should solo progression go? I think it should be an avenue for the Hybrid/Jack of all trades players to get the very best possible equipment for that type of build. It should NOT have rewards to progress top tier raiding rolls like healer, tank, DPS, ect.
I see it simply as content escalation. There should be activities that can be done as a solo player but larger, more complex encounters for group-play. I think leveling to max should be possible solo, but there should be meaningful incentives for grouping - inherently, there will should be a distinct tradeoff of efficiency/speed by choosing solo vs group play.
I think once a player reaches max level, there should be activities or contributions they can make to the world and their progression in multiple systems (individual class or faction quests that offer progression, gathering/crafting to a point) but certain major events, all dungeons and raids, highest tiers of crafting should not be soloable. It should require a community of players. I do feel there should be mechanisms in game to be able to facilitate groups forming - no, I'm not talking about a global group finder aka WoW as that goes against the concept of meaningful travel but there should be ways to connect with others in towns/taverns like the team has already hinted at.
I think it's important for players to feel like they matter and their role or class is relevant - as an individual or as a group member. That does not mean content should be homogenized to satisfy a solo playstyle - it should just offer separate and independent rewards and progression that is meaningful for the time invested.
This frankly is a paradigm shift from a lot of the current MMO market. The solo playstyle mentality I feel has contributed to making MMOs less about the community/relationships in-game and more about self-centered goals. Solo play has a place but not as the primary focus of a MMO.
Cheers,
Daedelus
I like how guild wars 2 "solo experience" is made - generally you can wonder alone, accomplish nearly every easy or medium alone, some hardcore players could even complete hard events in solo, but whenever more player appear - event just becomes harder, and basically everyone are having some challenge, fun and reward.
But hard and legendary level quests could not be completed alone.
So basically solo gameplay is possible on "below hard" level, but if you want to achieve something really important - you need other players
And i think best example would be "Triple trouble" event, or whole "Dragons Stand" map
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I tend to be a bit shy in game just as I am in real life and also after a full day of work plus college, a lot of times, I just want to relax and go wander in the wilderness, kill some animals, harvest some plants and sell my spoils to other players at the end of the day. If there's gameplay designed to let me do that in AoC, I'll be a happy sometimes-soloer!
time to play each session and can't get involved with the time sink to find/make a group and run a dungeon or raid while others have 24/7 365 to play and can afford the time sink to run dungeon's and raids as many times a day as they want/stay awake for. Me personally for AoC, I think I would like to spend my time making and running the best craft shop X where I can be both solo and a huge social player all that the same time. I know I am wishful thinking here but stop worrying about those that think they should be entitled to play a healer that can also be top DPS and PVPer. a fighter should fight, a healer should heal, a rogue should sneak attack and pick, a cc'er should cc, etc. no class should be the best at everything or it just runes grouping systems and the game as a whole. that's my two cents worth.
I'm genuinely curious what you get out of an MMO if you mainly play solo. I'm not saying your play style is wrong it just seems other RPGs would be more built with that play style in mind.
On the topic though I do also think that playing solo should be equal in opportunity than playing with a group. Obviously, much slower and more difficult but more rewarding (less sharing loot or materials).
Higher risk for more reward.
Goal: To become the strongest player I can through skills and gear while enjoying the time invested into the game. Have fun while being the best.
All players must be able to pursue this goal in some shape or form that is enjoyable and challenging. For most solo players grinding areas for specific drops, harvesting specific resources or materials for crafting or other fun yet profitable options should be made available. More options may be implemented such as applying for guard duty for caravans, contracted by the local Lord for specific needs, PvP oriented rewards that are on par with PvE rewards, or opening a player store where you can spend your days crafting whatever you want for the local node and other customers. I think freedom is the key word here and it is very difficult for game developers to capture that essence.
-A solo player should be able to attain the 2nd best in slot items via a long crafting process (or very close tie with first) which they can do alone if they so choose. The ability to craft the best gear in the game would simply ruin the need to engage in parties or raids for content that the devs put a lot of time in to for us to enjoy.
-A solo player should be able to reach max level from 1 - finish without being gated by the necessity to play in a group. i.e. A main quest that is placed in a dungeon that requires a party to complete.
-A solo player should NOT be able to complete a dungeon alone just because the player does not wish to play with a group. If that player wants to test their skills they may attempt the dungeons beyond the suggested level range and still may require assistance.
Just weigh the risk to reward ratio and understand solo players should be slower to progress in certain things than doing things with a group of friends or guild members.
I love to check out what other players are wearing, what pets and mounts they've collected and how they've decorated their homes.
I love emoting with and talking with players I run past, especially if I can give them a quick buff.
I love being able to quickly lend a hand if another player is struggling with a task.
I don't like being stuck adventuring in a group with players who have a different playstyle than I do:
My Bartle score is Explorer 87; Socializer 73; Achiever 47; Killer 0.
It is not fun to be stuck in a group with a bunch of KA or AKs who have little to no interest in exploring.
Those super-efficient speed runs are not at all fun for me.
I also hate wasting time waiting around for raid groups to form - especially when some kid has to leave for dinner the moment we finally filled the final spot.
And I don't like being pressured to stick around for the next quest or another run through the dungeon/raid.
I love playing alongside and with other players. I don't like being forced into formal groups like parties and raids.
In Ashes, we can't defend or win a siege or caravan alone. We can't successfully defend a Node against a monster coin attack alone. But, that shouldn't mean we have to join an 8-person party or a 40-person raid to help with those.
I should be able to be solo - not in a party or raid - and still participate in those battles.
I expect I will join social organizations and become a citizen of a node... I might even join a (very casual) guild.
Typically there are many, many ways to play with other players in an MMORPG without "grouping".
Grouping should just be one option among many other options. Rather than character progression becoming tedious if you refuse to group.
I don't think that goal has a lot of value for an Explorer/Socializer playstyle or a Socializer/Explorer playstyle.
As an ESAK, my primary goals are to explore - especially new content - and experience a dynamic story.
I like acquiring new abilities that will help me successfully complete my quests - they don't necessarily have to be stronger abilities. They don't necessarily have to be the strongest abilities.
With a Bartle score of E87; S73; A47; K0, I'm content to experience different content, not necessarily stronger content. If all that is left to explore is stronger content, then yeah, I'd want to increase my strength enough to be able to survive exploring that content reasonably well. I don't necessarily have to be the strongest.
For an MMORPG, it's important to design for the variety of playstyles...
Which is more than just Achiever/Killers and Killer/Achievers.
(Also must design for Casuals as well as Hardcores - on both the time and challenge spectrums)
My sentiments exactly, you hit the nail right on the head there. One thing I would change though, I don't think there should be a set for a solo or Jack of all trades. Sure a person can go do small things but for the really big things in the game that should take a team/party.
Just like in real life, a person can be a tavern owner, but can't be a one man army.
Nowadays, companies tries to please everyone, to cash the game at his maximum , which is why they failed. All the good MMO's we had in the past were based on groups. Not on both , solo and group. Ok they had some solo content to start the game but not much. Allowing this game to be soloed all the way would be a mistake.
You want to make MMO great again? Don't give much solo content and go back to the roots of MMo's.
DAOC would be a good exemple .
Simple as that.
In an MMORPG, solo isn't really even synonymous with alone.
The roots of MMORPGs have always included solo play - and we have always been able to reach max level without grouping.
Groups should be more efficient, better, more effective, etc through synergies, but there should still be things I can do on my own when there isn't anyone around.
The whole intention with gathering, exploring, crafting, hobbies, and more, is to allow for specific solo play while still being part of the community by selling and trading and crafting for others than self.
While there are those that try to find ways to so group contents solo, I am not saying there aren't, those are a minority, not a large group at all, of the gamers. Even so saying that they are not playing the game as designed might still be wrong. The game designers might have actually made their type of play possible in some instances, or not made the design with the thought of stopping them so if they find a way then they find a way.