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What is everyone opinion on the gaming forcing you into grouping for content?
Erahh
Member
Thought this would be a good point of discussion.
how do we all feel about the game having content that will force you into grouping?
Personally I am all for it, the classic MMO days before group finder and all of the jazz were a different kind. I think we should be forced into the interactions of making groups with friends and randoms from the get go that way it doesn't feel alien when you require it at max level.
I think this was a big places where MMO's like WoW really let us down. Group finding and having to talk to people was an amazing experience, allowed for meeting new people and making new friends. Instead it became a silent husk of people queueing and rushing to finish the instance without a word being said.
What about you, all?
I've always felt like MMO's are about community and bringing people together to accomplish goals. I look forward to this in Ashes
how do we all feel about the game having content that will force you into grouping?
Personally I am all for it, the classic MMO days before group finder and all of the jazz were a different kind. I think we should be forced into the interactions of making groups with friends and randoms from the get go that way it doesn't feel alien when you require it at max level.
I think this was a big places where MMO's like WoW really let us down. Group finding and having to talk to people was an amazing experience, allowed for meeting new people and making new friends. Instead it became a silent husk of people queueing and rushing to finish the instance without a word being said.
What about you, all?
I've always felt like MMO's are about community and bringing people together to accomplish goals. I look forward to this in Ashes
2
Comments
At the same time, if you make it more efficient, and make it better for bosses, particularly the more interesting ones, that's great. But we should still have solo options. Does that mean some players will focus exclusivity on those? Yes, always. But giving duos and trios, or even soloers something to do seems important to me. If my friends get off work an hour later than me, should I really just not play? There's always going to be group/coordination downtime. I feel like it's better to give people something to do then other than log off because it's not worth spending 15 minutes organizing a pick-up group, or traveling to meet them, when you've only got 45 minutes of downtime.
This is fine. Because if someone could do ALL the content by themselves, that would be a really lame game, wouldn't it?
Always been a fan of group-accomplishments in games / Never been a fan of anyone who complains about an MMO not being entirely solo-able.
And as others said, there's obviously gotta be some soloable content, and ideally smth to do for your group if you're doing high value solo content that's gonna attract attention.
When too many compromises are made in favour of pandering to 'solo focused' players, those same individuals inevitably - and ironically - team up to demand that more and more content is focused on pleasing them.
Of course, this doesn't mean that there should not be solo content, just that it shouldn't become the priority at the expense of group content/player interaction.
Well it ~ " IS " ~ an MMO, right ?
While for Example World of WoW-Token Craft does the same in Raids - i miss the Need to team up with others in most Places of the Open World - except for Worldbosses.
And i can imagine only anti-social People having a real Problem with being forced into Teamwork with others. I understand completely the Desire to explore amazing Video Game Worlds alone from time to time.
But ALL the time ?? Hell and Heavens Please no. At least not in an MMO.
I like the Idea that i can NOT just walk around in every single Area of a vast, huge Open World completely alone. For Example in Castle "Oaken(?)bane" where countless Goblins had their Base and Camp in the Fighter Presentation.
Group because you have the desire to be in a group.
Have Active Skills and other abilities that synergize with other players in a group.
Maybe give some bonuses for Gathering together.
It's Massively Multiplayer Online game
not
Massively Multiplayer Grouping game.
If you can do all and every Open World Area in the whole Game Solo - except for when a Worldboss is present,
then the Game is doing something wrong.
A Base FULL of let's say for Example Enemy Minotaurs, or Enemy Goblin Hordes,
this is not something someone should be able to just walk through alone. Not even just easily when carefully pulling (aggro'ing) the Mobs in as tiny as Groups as possible.
I loved how "Tyr's Hand" ( Eastern Plaguelands, WoW ) was DAAANGEROUS even for LvL 60 Characters. There were so many Scarlet Crusade Elite(?) Mobs around there, between LvL 57 and 59 or 60 or so.
One of the strongest Dudes there the Paladin of my Brother and me, we could only beat like once in an Hour. Because Lay on Hands had a Cooldown of Sixty Minutes or so.
WoW Vanilla was AWESOME with Moments like this.
And "Pyrewood" (Silverpine Forest) had ELITE Worgen around LvL 14 when i remember correctly. They were a NIGHTMARE for Characters beneath LvL 18 to 21, making that Village there an awesome, challenging Area.
In Burning Crusade, first Addon - there were a few Area's with relative strong Demons not only in Hellfire Peninsula, but also Nagrand.
Again. Our Paladin, even when wearing FULL T4 Epic Endgame Gear, needed sometimes all of his Shields, plus Lay on Hands - AND needed to crit at times when dealing with some Mobs there One-on-ONE.
And that were not even the truly ridiculous Elite Mobs.
Nothing could be more boring and horrible, when You share an Open World (Server) with like +9K People - and can clear out everything Solo.
Bandit-Camps ?
Goblin-Camps ?
Minotaur-Camps ?
Shall we blindfold ourselves and smack them to Death with our dxxx's when we just experienced these Area's often enough ? Of Course completely Solo.
Shall we wrestle with half-grown or fully grown Dragons also ? Without the Need of Allies ?
And then,
like in WoW -> People start to pass and walk by each other - and partially seem the other People as nothing but insignificant Existences ... ... ... ^.^;"
Please not again. That were horrible times when i experienced that Behaviour in WoW.
When People treat You only like an Annoyance or Opportunity to make ingame-Gold, this is very anti-social and it ruins the MMO Feeling at least partially.
A lot of things got better over the years, but the trend towards soloing everything is not one of them.
Sieges and Caravans don't force grouping, for example.
You don't have to Group in order to succesfully complete that encounter alongside other players.
Content designed for multiple players is not the same thing as forced grouping.
Yes, group content should have more rewards. But a solo player should be able to achieve similar results, even if for a longer period of time than in a group.
Contrastingly, in AoC, where parties consist of 8 members, I wholeheartedly support the traditional approach of using group chats and networking within guilds to assemble a cohesive team. This method not only enhances the gameplay experience but also fosters the potential for long-lasting friendships within the game, possibly extending over two decades.
Choosing to play solo is entirely up to individual preference. Yet, it's worth noting that this choice might limit access to certain game content. As Margaret mentioned during the stream, building friendships is key. I'm eagerly anticipating the resurgence of the social dimension in MMOs, enhancing the overall gaming experience.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheHiddenDaggerInn/featured
It's not MMO Grouping Game.
There is plenty of room for multiplayer content and multiplayer combat that can be completed outside of a formal group.
Join a formal group because that's the way you like to play - not because the game forces you to.
I think we were both clear - and disagree.
Wouldn't that mess up most of the players with the current loot system planned for ashes if players just killed it without grouping?
Nothing is stopping people from grouping as far as I know.
Same with gyms. I don't like working out WITH people, but I like working out AROUND people
Frodo wouldn't have taken the One Ring anywhere if Gandalf hadn't come along to bid him away from his home. Gandalf couldn't take the ring himself, so he had to get his friends involved. Merry, Pippin, and Sam wouldn't have gone on their respective journeys if they hadn't been following Frodo. Aragorn wouldn't have realized his destiny if the threat of Mordor and Middle Earth's only hope to stand against it didn't rise from the shadows in the form of Frodo and his quest. Gimli and Legolas helped ensure the other's survival and dissolved each other's prejudices, even when they didn't realize it, or care to acknowledge it. Frodo wouldn't have gotten the ring to Mt Doom if Aragorn's army hadn't distracted Sauron at a pivotal moment, he wouldn't have reached the peak if Sam didn't carry him, it wouldn't have been destroyed if Gollum hadn't bitten it off his damn finger, and everyone would've died if Gandalf's feathered friends didn't show up at the end of the battle to slay some drakes, toss some orcs, and provide a couple of Hobbits with an airlift.
Every single time something went wrong, and things did go wrong (a lot) the team relied on different members of their diverse group to help, even when the saviors might've been far away and simply doing the right thing, not knowing the sweeping consequences of their actions.
Naturally, not every day in an MMO is a day in the Journey of The Fellowship. Sometimes you log on and farm herb nodes for an hour, manage your freehold, and have a guild meeting. But the main point I'm trying to make with the storytelling comparison is the call to action and overcoming of unexpected obstacles. Things going wrong is a staple of engaging storytelling. I hope that in Ashes, there will be enough dynamic PvX content spread throughout the world such that you will get distracted from your main objective fairly often, that you will face setbacks, that you will need to rely on others for help, and that you will have fun coming out the other side having grown as a player and an individual for having faced those challenges and strengthening those bonds with old and new friends. Yes, even when you originally intended to simply log on and farm herb nodes for an hour.
Would you rather have a boring game that lets you farm herb nodes for an hour by yourself no problem, or a game that offers unexpected challenges that require you to call on old friends, develop new ones in the moment that you create shared memories with, and finish your session with a unique story that some of your friends might not be able to replicate?