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Phase I of Alpha Two testing will occur on weekends. Each weekend is scheduled to start on Fridays at 10 AM PT and end on Sundays at 10 PM PT. Find out more here.
Check out Alpha Two Announcements here to see the latest Alpha Two news and update notes.
Our quickest Alpha Two updates are in Discord. Testers with Alpha Two access can chat in Alpha Two channels by connecting your Discord and Intrepid accounts here.
Not implementing dungeon finder/party finder will be more ANTIsocial than social
Sinedko
Member, Alpha Two
Hello,
Let me tell you one scenario, why I'm thinking that not implementing dungeon finder or party finder, where you can find your party easier will be more antisocial than social.
Imagine this scenario:
You come online to the game, hyped about new dungeon that you can crawl after long shift in your work. Logging online feeling happy, then you need to turn on world or dungeon chat, start to focus on the fast scrolling chat window, if you can find someone is looking for the same dungeon.
You finally noticed someone, whispered him, then you get the reply, sorry full already. You are looking again, and you find someone else, write again? no answer, then you are looking obviously again, because you want to play, then you get the response sorry, we already have hawkeye in our group, we wanna to find someone else.
After a while, its already late and you know this dung is for 1 hour, you all finally arrived there. Then the worst will happend, healer need to go away as his kid wake up. Now repeat the process to find healer.
I think simple group finder will be enough, where people can list groups and requirements what they need, or you can check their party composition, so you will not join to group where 3 hawkeyes are joined already for example.
I don't wanna be instantly ported to the dungeon with all players, just some UI tool to find group, because searching chat channels are not great, i did it multiple times and i dislike it alot.
I know you all starting to throw rock at me now, but the UI for finding group is actually more social idea than finding group through fast rolling dungeon chat, when it will look like this:
<spam>
<spam>
<spam>
Alfred: LFM for SUPER Dungeon last 2 spots
<spam>
<spam>
/w Alfred Hello, hawkeye, 39lvl 50gs inv pls
<spam>
<spam>
<spam>
Alfred: Sorry full
This is not social at all.
So there is my two cents.
Let me tell you one scenario, why I'm thinking that not implementing dungeon finder or party finder, where you can find your party easier will be more antisocial than social.
Imagine this scenario:
You come online to the game, hyped about new dungeon that you can crawl after long shift in your work. Logging online feeling happy, then you need to turn on world or dungeon chat, start to focus on the fast scrolling chat window, if you can find someone is looking for the same dungeon.
You finally noticed someone, whispered him, then you get the reply, sorry full already. You are looking again, and you find someone else, write again? no answer, then you are looking obviously again, because you want to play, then you get the response sorry, we already have hawkeye in our group, we wanna to find someone else.
After a while, its already late and you know this dung is for 1 hour, you all finally arrived there. Then the worst will happend, healer need to go away as his kid wake up. Now repeat the process to find healer.
I think simple group finder will be enough, where people can list groups and requirements what they need, or you can check their party composition, so you will not join to group where 3 hawkeyes are joined already for example.
I don't wanna be instantly ported to the dungeon with all players, just some UI tool to find group, because searching chat channels are not great, i did it multiple times and i dislike it alot.
I know you all starting to throw rock at me now, but the UI for finding group is actually more social idea than finding group through fast rolling dungeon chat, when it will look like this:
<spam>
<spam>
<spam>
Alfred: LFM for SUPER Dungeon last 2 spots
<spam>
<spam>
/w Alfred Hello, hawkeye, 39lvl 50gs inv pls
<spam>
<spam>
<spam>
Alfred: Sorry full
This is not social at all.
So there is my two cents.
0
Comments
If you don't have a guild or a social circle already and you aim to find one through Pickup Groups and not your fellow Node citizens, you are probably fairly antisocial.
I think it will be organized if there is a feature for team leader to post what kind of player they're finding and player looking for a group can on click on a button to whisper to the team leader to ask to join the team, it's will be convenient enough and won't hurt social aspect Intrepid want to do and keep things organized at the same time.
The LFG and LFM spamming are quite annoying I mean.
Or maybe you are social enough, have guild, but you don't have time to play as much as your whole guild, so you are lowest level, try to go thought dungeons, and nobody have time to go low level dungeon with you, because they are focusing on their levels, so you are forced to find some different group that is not in your guild.
Though I agree that dungeon chat (or node chat) isn't always a good place to form groups, you'll still have to show a little initiative on your part in finding a group.
https://ashesofcreation.wiki/Bulletin_boards
It's not an organic social interaction between players.
I think having sign boards in specific locations to recruit for things is a good idea, but I'm very much against global systems which would basically regurgitate the status-quo for playing with faceless randoms and never speaking to them ever again.
Even in your example, let's say the person says they're full. It's okay to ask them if they plan on running again or if they know anyone that's also trying to form a party.
Oh great, i didn't catch this new anywhere!
That is actually very good! Thanks.
yes, i know its actually OK to ask, if the can run again, but you are in situation you want to play now, not later, that is my point.
I agree that this bulletin board is good thing that will solve the issues. I dont want to have globalized dungeon finder either, just some UI where i can find a right group and there is the mentioned board, so all good
here is my 2 cents. Start your own group. And yes, duck because I got a rock rdy for you and your group finder mentality. You are not the first to state exactly what you wrote here.
There is this very modern invention called friendlists, that allow you to store the contact information of people you have played with in the past as well as people you could possibly play with in the future.
Great invention. Very useful for solo players.
And you should have common interests since you belong to, or frequent, the same Node.
Spamming lfg or looking for guild in chat is fine to me and makes the gave feel active knowing there is always people looking to do things together. There is no reason why you would see that chat unless you are in the recruitment tab else you can just ignore that tab and never see people saying lfg.
I don't see how it is antisocial that people are looking for groups though, that doesn't make any sense.
In any case, I absolutely agree that your example will happen and it will suck for whoever never finds to a group to play with, that's one of the reasons why you will need to socialize and make connections so that it doesn't happen. Unfortunately nowadays MMOs are almost meant to be played as a solo, but Ashes won't and that's a good thing.
And if you have ever played a game without party finder, you'd know that you end finding a group to run dungeons more often than not. Does it take time to find enough people and are the chances of being wiped high? Definitely, but that's your fault for playing as a solo and not the game's fault that you don't want to/can't/dislikes to make connections in-game.
Looking for group in chat where you will write class, lvl and inv is not social for me as i mention, you start to being social when you actually find the group and do something with those people, not in LFG chat
And yes, i played lot of games, where the dungeon finder was not there, but as well, no group finder and it was pain for me to to find or start group, because you needed to take attention to fast scrolling chat and its not for me, I'm very happy the boards will be there, after you will join the group, then you can socialize more, but without group no socialization
I created this post, before i even know about boards, i just discovered the game is in development and im just exploring all the stuff, so i don't have latest news, but its good i created this post, because i discovered about boards.