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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.
Comments
True, but I guess we have different definitions for "force". For example, as a lvl 10 character, you are not forced to first lvl up before fighting a lvl 60 mob, but you are encouraged to do so unless you want to die to it repeatedly. Maybe I am being pedantic, but there will always be stuff that solos and small groups will be unable to realistically accomplish. However, there should not be any hard limits on them trying to access such content, which is what I meant by forced.
This, basically?
The game types that this is close to, so far, mostly force players to group for efficient progression. And looking at their current PvE probably not even that (which should probably be ignored, I know, but they said something recently that makes me think maybe PvE feedback is back on the menu).
There are definitely design reasons why I can see it not turning out that way in the long term, but there's a difference between 'soloable' in the sense of 'I can progress, the game has given me enemies to cut down by myself that are also innately nearly as rewarding as grouping', and 'I could spend 5 minutes killing this one mob because it's challenging and fun but my actual progression rate from doing that is maybe 1/6th of what I'd get in a proper group.
Are we considering it 'forced' just because progression is 'the point'? Because if not, then there's no reason the game has to 'force' grouping. Just make a solo build and solo everything.
RING DING DING DING !!!
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Guild is " Balderag's Garde " for now. (German)
It’s trying to be a social game and that’s precisely why a lot of people are drawn to it. Now maybe it’s just an attempt to relive the so-called glory days, which had its own level of jankiness, but there’s faith that players will embrace that.
And if you don’t want a social game, then you can try to solo as best you can. Just don’t expect them to sacrifice the social game for the solo game. There are more than enough solo games to play.
I wouldn’t worry. The nature of social games is that there are some periods where the group can’t get together and some degree of solo play is in order. Ideally there should be enough content for each style, but I think they are expending far more calories on the social play. However there are also ways to make the group up dynamic seamless. I think we’ve seen examples of that in the events showcase plus other opportunities to join in the fun.
This is one of the unsung benefits of level cap increases.
In most games that add a full level cap increase (10 levels as opposed to 5), when you hit that new level cap, a lot of the raid content from the last level cap becomes group content, and a lot of the group content becomes solo content. It isn't unheard of to see a very good solo player taking on some raid content in some situations.
Soloing easier raid level world bosses from the previous level cap (so between 4 and 6 levels below the current player level cap) was - for a while - one of my favorite down time activities in EQ2.
Playing by yourself simply requires practice.
Playing in a group requires additional patience, coordination, teamwork, communication, and more.
I always found playing in the group to be more rewarding. Playing music by myself was enjoyable, but being part of the bigger group enabled me to be part of something bigger and more impressive.
I see the same with MMOs.
Being in a Group might be more rewarding. But, the "reward" isn't always of primary interest. And sometimes it's still fun to do stuff even without any other reward.
In EQ, I used to love healing and bestowing Spirit of the Wolf on other players even when I was not in a Group - for no other rewards besides the joy of helping other players for a moment.
I think most of us agree that Ashes should follow the original design of typical gameplay being balanced for an 8-person Group.
That's still not the same thing as being forced to be in an 8-person Group.
We can't solo a Node. That's not the same thing as being forced into Grouping.
Grouping providing more xp and rewards encourages players to Group. It doesn't force players to Group.
you could play solo 24/7, and just farm something you can get by yourself, sell it, and buy the things you cant get by yourself.
id say forcing is more like when you cant enter a dungeon if you don't have a minimum of 3 players, and then you cant buy the loot from other players and the only way you can get it is by doing the dungeon yourself.
I can see where a solo player entering by themself would have worry or concerns.... but that comes with playing an mmo.
You need a Freehold to be a successful processor, and you could lose it in a node war.
Crafting will need materials from convoys, but I guess if you stay in the biggest nodes you may be able to buy any materials you need.
Of course raids, dungeons and pvp events will need a group of people to complete. What content does that leave for a solo? The first category and just risk it?
Grouping is not the same thing as multiplayer.
I think it is better than setting an expectation that you can solo all content.
You don't group -- you don't get some of the content.
That is the proper design.
This. There's more of an incentive to group up vs solo playing. I like both, just depends on how much time I can contribute during that play session. I personally think it helps if the community is accommodating too, in WoW it's known for being toxic while playing FFXIV I've had excellent parties.
✓ roleplayer
✗ Not looking for a guild atm
I say force them.
Huuuuuge Group/tiny Army of Mobs or above ? "Force" People with their Presence to band together and face them. This is not Worst of WoW-Token Craft here, so single People shouldn't be abe to farm huge Groups of Mobs.
Worldbosses roam around ? Terrorising the Streets ? Making a hot mess out of any stray People or Caravans that dare to leave the City Walls ? Band together to face it, i say.
Monster Coin Raids ? Same here, but it should be even more obvious.
Huge corrupted Area with one or several, powerful Ancients floating around there and murdering Everyone who dares to approach ? Get rid of it, or maybe the Corruption will get rid of your Node.
And Nobody needs to mention what the Solution for plundering People on the open Seas or in the Roads between Nodes is, right ? When scattered, single Players get picked up one by one - or even small Groups : the Solution is obvious. Unleash the Citizens (lol) of your Node and carry the Fight back to them if you can.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Guild is " Balderag's Garde " for now. (German)
There are times I want be involved in large group content it is rewarding to accomplish things with other people; however my social battery needs regular recharging so I don't become toxic.
It helps if the game has a way for you to be alone in game and still progress.
So no i wouldnt say ur forced into grouping with exception of dungeons/raid mobs i would say.
PvE u can do solo
Crafting/gathering/processing can all be done solo
Caravans u can do solo riskier yes but doable
wars can be participated in solo
And so on, might be more efferent in groups but it not stopping you
That settles the entire problem. Rewards define the flow of player interactions and the structure of how they approach challenges.
Asking for solo play in an MMORPG is like asking for Massive multiplayer in a linear single player game. Its just not the focus of the genre.
So put solo play design at the bottom of the list.
You don't have to join a Group to help progress a Node or attack/defend a Caravan or participate in a Node Siege. You don't have to be in a Group to Craft for or Trade with other players.
Plenty of interactions can be had with masses of other players without being in a Group - especially in Ashes.
Playing Solo is not the same thing as single-player or even playing alone.
However, you do need to group to do these things well.
If you are off by yourself, you are not getting the protection the group offers, nor the communication. In the grand scale of things, it doesn't matter if you are there or not if you are not in a group.
That is because the point of grouping in an MMORPG is that the sum of the whole is greater than the individual parts. Even if you are a collection of parts, if you don't take that step to be a part of that whole, you are still just one part among a collection.
And Verra takes that literally.
✓ Occasional Roleplayer
✓ Guild is " Balderag's Garde " for now. (German)