One other suggestion I'd make for the leader-to-be (which I've seen in another guide, I don't take credit for it), have a mission or two of yours lined up and ready to go to get things moving, and start at a low or medium difficulty so if you end up with a couple people below your level they aren't facing purples, especially at low levels.
I've found very few people who care which missions get done. But they don't want to stand around while the team does a grey hunt in a distant zone in hopes of getting something unlocked to get some XPs from.
ahh, play to have fun, if it causes a team wipe, make sure you get away.
Warning, /tell rant!:
Gotta disagree on /tells. I'm a team leader, not a salesman. If you join me, great. If not, forget you. I'm not gong to sit there and try to sell you on my team or my mission. Those with "/tell first" in their search description are letting you know they are high maintenance and will likely be a pain to one degree or another. I've even had some of these /tellies try to make me justify why they should grace my team with their esteemed presence. At that point, I just tell them I can do without them.
Best reason of all, why should I bother with /tellies when there are so many people who don't care about that pointless gesture? And it is a pointless gesture, it accomplishes nothing more than stroking the ego of the /tellie. 99% of the in game population couldn't care less about this idiosyncrocy.
And thank Statesman for small favors!
Rant over!
The best comics are still 10�!
My City of Heroes Blog Freedom Feature Article: "Going Rageless?"
If you only read one guide this year, make it this one.
Super Reflexes: the Golden Fox of power sets!
WARNING: I bold names.
/counter-rant on
I really couldn't disagree with this much more - I think you're wrong on every level here, SatansRobot. If I'm playing a low level character (particularly under level 10, so no debt), then I'll accept blind invites, but just because I'm looking for a team doesn't mean I'm looking for your team.
I don't think a basic tell informing me of what levels we'd be fighting (the basic game plan) is unreasonable. I don't want to join a team that's more than five levels above me where I'll have to wait for a mentor to be recruited (and perhaps cross several zones that are too high for my level, for nothing, if one cannot be found). I may not want to join a team of people I do not know who are several levels below me.
Sending a tell is a basic courtesy to let the other person know what they're getting into. Asking that I be sent a tell is not some kind of unreasonable demand, nor is it a sign that I am 'high-maintenance'. On the contrary, many players who request tells tend to in my experience be more adept, better players rather than 'pains'.
That said, the /tell conversation shouldn't go on for more than a few seconds. I want to know what I'm in for. I don't need need to know what vllain faction, the exact levels and ATs of all team members, etc. That's overkill and I have encountered a few people like that. However, they are the vast minority of those who use the "/tell first" comment.
It is not a pointless gesture and it does serve a purpose. This is especially important if you intend on doing something out of the ordinary (AV battle, TF, trial, etc). Someone who can take a moment and tell me what the plan is is someone who tends to be a better, more organized leader and a better player overall.
/counter-rant off
It may not work for you, and if you don't use it, that's your loss. But I disagree with your blanket statements and value judgments against those who do make use of this valuable tool.
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
I prefer tells first for a few reasons:
1. If your tell looks like an alphabet soup factory just exploded and/or contains more leet than a hacker BBS, I'm not interested in teaming with you.
2. I LIKE knowing that I'll need a mentor. I LIKE knowing that you're expecting me to Mal. Both ahead of time, so I can rearrange powers in my trays and buy extra insps. I LIKE knowing that you're seeking me as a bridge...so I can put you on IGNORE.
3. If I'm in a fight, that "has invited you to join a team" box....can get me KILLED. THat polite beep that means I just got a tell? I can finish the fight, THEN respond.
4. I like knowing that you're gunning for an AV/EB/TF/SF before I accept; not everyone has time for a Respec Trial.
5. While I DO accept blind invites, it's only long enough to scream hideous curses at the inviter before putting them on ignore...as is stated in my search message. If you are incapable or unwilling to pay ATTENTION to something I took the time to type out, letting you know I am hostile to blind invites...then you deserve all the grief I can and will give you, because you're OBVIOUSLY not going to pay attention to anything I say in the team itself.
I have to agree with Sniktch and Justaris (and the original poster) on sending tells. Communication is one of the most important things in a team. Sure, in a group that knows each other, you can react as a team without communication, but in a random PUG it is essential to lay down communication in the beginning to ensure that the team runs well.
If a leader isn't willing to spend 5 seconds doing a quick tell out asking me to join, than they aren't likely to actually 'lead' the team once we get into a battle.
And that is the kind of team I really don't want to be a part of.
[ QUOTE ]
Warning, /tell rant!:
Gotta disagree on /tells. I'm a team leader, not a salesman. If you join me, great. If not, forget you. I'm not gong to sit there and try to sell you on my team or my mission. Those with "/tell first" in their search description are letting you know they are high maintenance and will likely be a pain to one degree or another. I've even had some of these /tellies try to make me justify why they should grace my team with their esteemed presence. At that point, I just tell them I can do without them.
Best reason of all, why should I bother with /tellies when there are so many people who don't care about that pointless gesture? And it is a pointless gesture, it accomplishes nothing more than stroking the ego of the /tellie. 99% of the in game population couldn't care less about this idiosyncrocy.
And thank Statesman for small favors!
Rant over!
[/ QUOTE ]
Yesterday I was invited to a team (Blind Invite)
I joined team, and went to the mission door to wait for the rest of the team before going in.
A few minutes goes by, and I was kicked from the team. No explanation was given.
90% of the Blind Invites i've recieved have been like this. Which is why I mostly decline them, and put "no blind invites" in my search text.
Most of the time, if someone takes the time to at least say "Hey, I'm about to send you an invite to a team OK" then it's probably an ok team and not a bunch of children. Unless I'm about to log off, or they're doing a TF that I simply don't have time for, I'll go for a mission and see if I like the team and the team likes me. I think it's more fun to just go do a mission with a team if the first impressions are good. (rather than discussing at length details about the team)
I look for red flags,
- if someone cannot or refuses to spell (i.e. "u" / "you")
- blind invites
- char name being leetspeak or all caps
- if it's a Stalker AT (just kiddin )
I have certain standards I try to adhere to, so I can have fun. There's nothing wrong with using "u", or leetspeak, or all caps names, or even blind invites. They're just not the way I like to enjoy the game. My standards don't mean I'm better than the next person, they are simply boundaries I've set for myself to avoid situations that do not interest me.
Wow, this made me come out of lurkerhood.... Gonna be sort of a reply-to-all.
I have a lot of alts. This leads to a LOT of team invites. I Mostly play with PuGs, and have had some really STELLAR experiences with some of them... others not so much. I will say this: I have never, not once, regretted teaming with someone who took the time to ask first. (okay, there was that once where a lot of the team left in the middle of the Atta mish, but hello, it was the Atta mish, that thing took 3 hours. we recruited, we went on, and we finished the darn mish for the guy who bailed halfway through
. Most of the time, if people took the time to ask, they were fine to team with--just a quick /tell of, hey, you wanna help me out on a lvl_ mish? gives me the option to decide rather than just clicking off an annoying box that just popped up. My experiences accepting Blind invites have frequently led to multiple team wipes (generally not the kind where everyone laughs about it either, but the kind where people bail in the middle), my having to exemp unexpectedly (oh, grab the defender! she can exemp down, we really need the help!), or other such annoying nonsense.
I admit it, I use /tell as a test--if they cared enough to read what I wrote in the box, then they're probably going to be good to team with. If, on the other hand, my team search comment says 'Not teaming, comp troubles' and I have it set to 'Do not Accept invites' and I *still* get /tells saying, "can I join your team?" ...well, I was less than friendly to the player in question, tho I did try to be civil. Ask nicely, especially if the team window says "not looking"--for some people (like me) that means, ehh, sure, not searching but i wouldn't mind a team--for some (like my Husband) it means, don't ask me, I'm NOT looking for a team. And since it's the default, well, that makes it a little difficult to tell.
However, I don't tend to worry too much about balancing the ATs/powersets--If I'm on my tank, another tank is great. If I'm on my empy, I won't necessarily worry about recruiting another empy, but my low-attacks empy ripped through a mission with just a controller; likewise a PuG from yesterday with my empy, three blasters and a troller did quite well (only one death, and that was when someone ran straight into a huge mob before i got there). The synergy and overlap will change from group to group, but I have yet to find an unworkable team composition for regular mishes (TFs, ATs, GMs need a little more care; debuffers are key in those cases).
I gotta say, half the joy I find in this game is watching how the powersets work together, both within and between ATs. If I limit myself to just certain 'known' powersets in my teammates, I miss out on a lot of that.
--Isus Trikanda
10 50s, a 48, and and better than 100 sub-50 alts... the altitis is strong in this one.
I have to agree that the quick simple /tell before an invite makes a huge difference. I've often regretted the blind invite PuG, as it usually winds up being poorly led. I have on ocasion come across the poorly led PuG with the /tell, but it is less often.
The most important thing to put into the tell is the level range (IMHO). If your looking for something in particular (like a healer) that should also be included. Remember not all defenders are healers (my kin/ele is a buff/debuff maniac, only 1 heal).
Rarely having the star, except in some cases by default, I'm not much of a leader. I'd much rather jump on as the 8th member of a fuly loaded, and mission heavy team. Rarely happens, but hey it's nice when it does.
I tend to team exclusively, I HATE to solo and will accept blind invites and tells, and broadcasts...whatever. Those rare occasions where I do have the star, I send tells. Carefully avoiding those already on teams, I look for those within +/- 1 level to myself or average team level if more than one. I do read the search comments, if it says NOT lft or indicates the person would rather solo I leave them alone, but if there's no comment, even if not lft flag is up, I send a short tell, "lv xx, so and so mish (or type of enemies) in such and such, interested?.
Most people reply, some with "sure" and I send an invite, some with "no thnks I'm..." about to log, not interested, etc and I usually send "ty gl" or something to that effect, and some don't reply, which is fine too, I just leave those alone.
The only time I would send a blind invite is in response to a request in broadcast/request channels. If I have star, room on team, they're the right lvl to hang, I shoot them an invite. I know how it is to be out there begging and pleading so I invite them. Most accept, some are already taken, some just join to check out the scene and then drop, whatever...
Bottom line, I'd have to say that the MOST fun I've had in the game have been on PuG's. I hate to solo, I don't have any RL friends that play, I *see* people on that I've teamed with before, but not regularly so PuG's are my main source of pleasure from CoX. Even the Supergroups that I've tried don't give me as many teaming opportunities. Most of the time I'm the only one on, or the lvl's are wildly different, etc.
So as SOON as I log on, my LFT flag goes up, and I'm beggin and pleadin in the broadcast channel for a team!
My "When your a leader" Do's....
1. Always send a tell with lvl range (example: 42ish) and team type (mish, tf, etc)
2. If the comment says rp player send a longer tell that plays to how the prospective player plays. He/She is an rper so invite them in that fashion
Example: The Forces for good are looking for a hero like yourself... Are you up for the job? (34ish mish team)
RP's tend to like it when they get leaders playing to their interaction preferences and it tends to make for a more interesting team.
3. Build balanced teams. others have ranted on that to some extent.
4. Ask toons who are not in a mish first
5. Remember that if they say "Not interested in a team" in the comment field they probably are not interested in a team.
Caveate to 5. If the pickings are scarse still give the "Not insterested" a SHORT AND COURTEOUS tell. They usually respond with a simply no thanks but I find that alot of time they join up becuase you asked nicely.
6. Try for at least one Epic AT. They bring experience and flavor to the mix up.
7. Pick from the zone your in first. Toons are more likely to join you if they don't really have to travel... Yes this is easier to do in lower levels but to date I have very rarely had to cross zone search to find team mates unless it was a tf of some kind.
8. Talk alot during the wait periods, sparsely during the grind.
9. Scale your team control freekiness back as the levels get higher. Remember your team knows their own powers and what they do. Sheesh for the most part a well balanced team needs little to know direction beyond a "Pulling" shout or the tank calling "Heading in will give word" Inexperienced players are easy to spot and striking up conversations with them and imparting tactics on the fly is fun.
10. Know when to boot. I rarely boot people from my teams but sometimes I do find it necessary. Usually only when they are griefing or just being plain jack *sses. However when you do boot anounce the reason why to the team and give the option to drop without hard feelings.
11. Compliment the costumes and use interactive emotes during dead time frequently. Builds a sense of comradery and funess. (is that a word "funess"?... well it should be)
12. If you gotta leave CHOOSE your replacement proactively based on how they played and interacted don't let it autochoose. that way if you can come back in 15 minutes or an hour their might be a good chance the team is going still if your choice is a good one.
13. Bad luck to do this one
14. Here just for the hell of it
15. I can't stop typing..........
ok I can.
Well those are my do's
EDIT: 16. If there is a broadcast with a toon giving the LFT lvl AT info just send them an invite no tell no nothing.... its what they expect.
Team Leader: "Would you like to do a door mission?"
Unknown Player: "Which mission?"
I'm sorry... "which mission"??? Do people really memorize the titles and names of missions? The only pertinant information you need is the level of the baddies you're going to fight. That will tell you whether or not you'll need to SK or examplar, and how good the XP will be. Other than that, take the invite, look at the mission in the Nav screen, and decide for yourself.
Look... searching for team members takes long enough and is a real hassle as it is. You want to find out what the whole mission is about, the villain types that you'll be fighting, or what the team composition is? Then join the team and find out. Don't waste the leader's time by forcing him to TYPE out lines and lines of answers to your silly questions that you can answer yourself with a click of the "Accept Team Invite" button! While you're busy taking up his time, the rest of the team is twiddling their thumbs, getting restsless, and thinking to themselves what a waste of time just waiting here is and what a terrible team leader they have! Then team members start quitting. Yeah, buddy! You and your silly questions are the cause of it!
Hey! I like PST myself! Please Send Tell. Why? Because noobs don't usually send tells. If a player has taken the time to send you a tell or create a bind to do it, then more than likely he's not a noob.
And what's the deal with people who you send a tell to not responding? They do it intentionally! So if I don't hear back from them, I assume they are ok with teaming and send them an invite... in many cases just to see if they're AFK or to get some kind of response from them! At least when they decline the invite, there is a note on my screen that tells me they declined it!
Streamline it, baby!
Level 50s:
BlackSpectre, Dark Defender (Guardian)
Thorin, Invul/Axe Tank (Justice)
Volcano Juice, Fire/Stone Tank
Professor ?, Mind/FF Controller
Stone Forge, Stone/Fire Tank
I agree with Black_Spectre - this is a good example of /tell overkill. As he said, really the only relevant piece of information, at least for a standard mission team, is the level of the baddies you'd be fighting. Pretty much the only thing I'd quibble with is sending invites to the non-responders - I'd probably just leave them alone, but I can understand where he's coming from. It doesn't take that long to type "No, thanks."
Iscariot's Guide to the Tri-Form Warshade, version 2.1
I'm sorry that math > your paranoid delusions, but them's the breaks -- Nethergoat
P.E.R.C. Rep for Liberty server
I'd have to say that I have a good bit in common with the original poster as I think that its a GREAT post that should be read by every single person that likes to run teams. I've said before that I generally recruit for 90% of the teams I'm on. For staters sending tells is basic ediquitte. You will offend no one by letting them know the level of the team and/or mission that you are inviting them into along with what you are fighting.
[ QUOTE ]
Gotta disagree on /tells. I'm a team leader, not a salesman. If you join me, great. If not, forget you.
[/ QUOTE ]
How hard and time consuming is this:
/t (name) "33-34 Freakshow mish?"
Seems pretty simple to me. You will find much more qaulity players whose builds you can depend on this way, as those are the people who are more generally put off by blinds. I have a friend who built an Invuln/ tanker that has been unreal from 24 up; he can pull 4-5 mobs at a time and hold everybit of the aggro. I've seen him accept blind invites and then go hang out in the base for an hour or so just for schlitz and giggles; yet he honors most every request with in reason.
Another part of this that Matsuya touched on was that if someone doesn't join the team for what ever reason, but is courteous enough to respond to you, don't be rude and ignore them. It doesn't happen much, but from time to time someone who responds "Sry just joined another team", a fact you already realized if you send an invite along with your /t, a simple return of "k, gl!" will leave yourself with enough of a favorable impression that you just might get something like this shortly afterwards: "Hey, this team sux. Still got room?". Someone telling you that they're helping out a friend could possibly return 2 recruits that already know how to work with each other.
[ QUOTE ]
7. Pick from the zone your in first. Toons are more likely to join you if they don't really have to travel... Yes this is easier to do in lower levels but to date I have very rarely had to cross zone search to find team mates unless it was a tf of some kind.
[/ QUOTE ]
Amen, brother. When I'm building a team, first thing I do is pop out the map to see which zones are adjacent, or on the same train line, and limit my search to those zones. This is particularly curteous and helpful when you're in the teens or lower levels, so players don't have to sprint so far.
Plus, some people just plain hate some zones (Hollows, Perez Park, Fautline, etc) and you'll save grief putting that in the tell, rather than having the person join and drop after finding out where it's at.
On the subject of people asking "Which mission?" - some people have been playing long enough, or the same Origin often enough, that they know many of the missions. Heck, even I know all the Wincott and Flux missions!
To knowing the missions: For regular grind mishes, just level and occasionally baddies are good enough ("hey, wanna help me beat up on some lvl 25 freakshow?"). Certain mishes, though, it's very nice to put in the tell--Atta, Frostfire, Dr. Vaz, any TF, etc. These are the ones that most people know, many people really enjoy, some people really hate, and if you note that it's one of these signature mishes ("We're going to take down frosty, want to play?") people both know what they're getting into and know that you're experienced enough as player to realize that those are the big mishes.
--Isus Trikanda
10 50s, a 48, and and better than 100 sub-50 alts... the altitis is strong in this one.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
7. Pick from the zone your in first. Toons are more likely to join you if they don't really have to travel... Yes this is easier to do in lower levels but to date I have very rarely had to cross zone search to find team mates unless it was a tf of some kind.
[/ QUOTE ]
Amen, brother. When I'm building a team, first thing I do is pop out the map to see which zones are adjacent, or on the same train line, and limit my search to those zones. This is particularly curteous and helpful when you're in the teens or lower levels, so players don't have to sprint so far.
Plus, some people just plain hate some zones (Hollows, Perez Park, Fautline, etc) and you'll save grief putting that in the tell, rather than having the person join and drop after finding out where it's at.
On the subject of people asking "Which mission?" - some people have been playing long enough, or the same Origin often enough, that they know many of the missions. Heck, even I know all the Wincott and Flux missions!
[/ QUOTE ]
Don't make me laugh so hard! Man!
This is sooooo irelevant, it's ridiculous! The ONLY reason to invite someone from the same zone first onto your team is to prevent the long wait of them traveling through multiple zones and to get them into the mission as fast as possible. Period. Courtesy??? Bah! Hate to zone???? Man! They're going to HATE City of Heroes! The game forces you to zone all the time!
Look, zoning is a way of life... it's the game and it's not going to change. If you hate zoning, I have only one thing to say... get used to it.
Besides, it's far more often for me that there is no one in the same zone who is the same level and available, and of the AT that I am looking for. I get my teamies from ANYWHERE, and belive me, they're happy to travel from the Hollows to PI just to play on a good team. It's sometimes a pain to wait for them is all, but for a good player, I deal.
And quibble about sending them an invite if they don't respond??? Puleeeze! I'm running down the search roster, sending tell after tell, getting decline after decline, trying to find enough players to fill up my team, and as they decline I put them on my mental "not available at the moment" list. If they don't decline, it means that there is still a possibility that they could join my team! See? Until I KNOW they don't want to join, they're still on my "pester them until you know" list. Why should I ASSUME that they don't want to join merely because I don't hear anything back from them? That would be quite stupid of me, don't you think? I mean, there's other reasons why someone would not respond than they don't want to join... how about they're AFK, or how about my one little tell got lost amongst a ton of tells they were reading and responding to at the time, or how about simply they were in a battle and couldn't type at the time?
I can't tell you how many times I've sent invite tells to players, filled up my team, only to have them send me a tell 10 minutes later asking if I still have room on my team. And sometimes I do! Nope. I'm I'm not going to give up on anyone. Besides, it is rude to not respond when someone is speaking to you or sending you a private tell, so if my confirmation invite is a slight annoyance to them... GOOD! Frankly, if they're intentionally ignoring my tell, they deserve it.
There are a lot of ANTI-SOCIAL people playing this MMORPG (go figure?), and if someone asking politely if they would like to team up is an annoyance to them... well, there's something called the hide command. If someone wants to be left alone, they SHOULD hide... otherwise the "massive multiplayer" nature of this game is going to drive them nuts. Besides, they shouldn't take out their weird behavior and bad attitude on us social types.
3-4 binds that have made building a team WAY easier are:
/bind <key> "search"
/bind <key> "tell $target, Would you like to do a mission?"
/bind <key> "reply No problem, thanks anyway."
/bind <key> "invite $target"
It works like this: Click and select a hero on the search list, then press "I" for asking them to join. The player is sent the tell, "Would you like to do a mission?"
They reply, "No, but thanks for asking."
You press "N" which sends them a tell saying, "No problem, thanks anyway."
If they said yes to the offer, then hit backspace, then move the cursor over the "/T" and replace it with "/I", and hit enter! Voila! Instant invite onto team! I just wish the devs would make a bind command that combined autoreply with invite so that we could just hit one key and automatically ivnite the last person who sent us a tell onto the team.
Anyway, IF you still have the same search screen up (which rarely occurs for me), then you could select the player, and then hit the invite bind key to invite them onto the team.
Level 50s:
BlackSpectre, Dark Defender (Guardian)
Thorin, Invul/Axe Tank (Justice)
Volcano Juice, Fire/Stone Tank
Professor ?, Mind/FF Controller
Stone Forge, Stone/Fire Tank
[ QUOTE ]
Don't make me laugh so hard! Man!
This is sooooo irelevant, it's ridiculous! The ONLY reason to invite someone from the same zone first onto your team is to prevent the long wait of them traveling through multiple zones and to get them into the mission as fast as possible. Period. Courtesy??? Bah! Hate to zone???? Man! They're going to HATE City of Heroes! The game forces you to zone all the time!
Look, zoning is a way of life... it's the game and it's not going to change. If you hate zoning, I have only one thing to say... get used to it.
[/ QUOTE ]
Well I did say Pick from the zone you in first.... I did not say only. It was an emphasis on priority not limitation. Part of my experience here is based in Virtue as that is all I play and it is the second largest population server so I have more toons to choos from then all the others but one.
[ QUOTE ]
Well I did say Pick from the zone you in first.... I did not say only. It was an emphasis on priority not limitation. Part of my experience here is based in Virtue as that is all I play and it is the second largest population server so I have more toons to choos from then all the others but one.
[/ QUOTE ]
Yes, yes, yes. But the reason offered to choose first from the same zone is ludicrous... namely, to be more courteous to the person you are inviting. It has nothing to do with that. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, at least when teaming. I pick players from the same zone first, not to be more pleasing to the person I'm inviting, but rather to prevent the rest of my current team from getting resstless and quitting! I don't know if it's the game, or the people playing the game, but these guys are impatient! And frankly, when all I've wanted to do is bang some baddie heads together, waiting for 15 minutes for a team to form is a real downer.
So IF there is courtesy involved here, it's directed toward the team rather than the invited player. But for me, it has nothing to do with courtesy... it has to do with team survivial. If I want a big team, I had better get members on board quickly or members will start to desert the team... prolonging team building and the start of the mission.
Now, something that you could possibly do to help prevent the restlessness on the team while waiting for the team leader to invite other players is to start the mission, and look for additional players while doing the mission. Although I do this from time to time, more often than not searching for new team members prevents me from playing the game and doing the mission. It's hard to do 2 things at once... search for new members and KO baddies. In fact, I've actually killed fellow team members by my inaction while searching for more team members. Further, if you're a tank, like me, your absense in a battle typically dooms the rest of your team... or your team typically refuses to engage the baddies without you... which means now they're waiting for you to finish searching, and they get impatient... and the whole thing starts over again.
It's best just to streamline building a team so that it takes as little time as possible... and all of these pesky questions and overtures toward "courtesy" really slow down the process with no appreciable gain.
Indeed, I would be against the whole Please Send Tell idea if PST didn't actually speed up the team building process, which is does if executed with binds.
Level 50s:
BlackSpectre, Dark Defender (Guardian)
Thorin, Invul/Axe Tank (Justice)
Volcano Juice, Fire/Stone Tank
Professor ?, Mind/FF Controller
Stone Forge, Stone/Fire Tank
Dang, sounds like you're the impatient one there specter. I've never been on a team PuG or otherwise that got wiggy on the leader for seaching for more members.
As the the tell issue, I always prefer a tell. If someone sends me an inteligble tell and I'm available for teaming I usually do. The only thing I really want to know in advance is if they plan on taking an AV or are specifically looking for help with one. And I'll generally ask which AV so I know what I'm getting into. Additionally unless they mention the level I'll always look them up first. It's annoying as heck to get in a team that's +/- 5 levels or more. Can't count the number of times I've gotten a /t soandso, want to team? *looks up soandso, see's they're 10th level* when i'm on a 30+ character.
I often find myself forming my own groups as well. A few rules I live by:
I *always* send a tell, usually in the form of "Want to join a level x team?" or, if I'm currently solo, "Want to team with a level x AT?"
I do send tells to people who have the "Not looking" flag up, unless their search comment says "I don't want to team" or anything similar. However, I don't start trying to recruit from that pool until I already have one or two other people on the team. I think people are more likely to join if there's already the nucleus of a team formed, rather than risk winding up in a pickup duo with someone they may not work well with.
I never invite anyone more than 5 levels below me, and if I invite anyone more than 3 levels below, I make it clear they'll be SK-ing in the tell. I never invite anyone to exemplar, unless it's inviting a 50 to participate in a TF/SF.
I generally don't mention what kind of mission it is in the tell, unless it's an AV or a TF/SF, of course. If I know there's a badge involved, I may mention that too, especially if it's one that helps you get an accolade.
Oh, and when I do have the team together, I'm careful to do missions from everyone's lists. Usually when we're done with the mission, I pull up the list, pick one, and say "Unless anyone has anything else they really want to do, we're doing this." Works pretty well, I've found.
Maybe this is why I have very few PUG horror stories. I've even (gasp! shock!) successfully completed TFs with pick-up groups.
34 heroes,
20 villains, Victory, Justice, Infinity, Virtue, Triumph, Exalted -- some more active than others
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Yes, yes, yes. But the reason offered to choose first from the same zone is ludicrous... namely, to be more courteous to the person you are inviting. It has nothing to do with that. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one, at least when teaming. I pick players from the same zone first, not to be more pleasing to the person I'm inviting, but rather to prevent the rest of my current team from getting resstless and quitting! I don't know if it's the game, or the people playing the game, but these guys are impatient! And frankly, when all I've wanted to do is bang some baddie heads together, waiting for 15 minutes for a team to form is a real downer.
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I don't think I was implying that picking from the same zone first was a point of courtesy. Its a point of speed. It is true what you say that picking from the same zone decreases wait time for the team durring building. It is also true that picking from the same zone first increases the likelyhood a toon will join up with the team and hense decreases build time. If one is of larger effect then another I don't know. However both statements... Yours and mine are true. However your point focuses on wait time for the team to assemble where mine is focused on wait time for the team to be built. Both valid and true. There is another benefit that picking from the same zone has as well that I think someone else mentioned. The target toon is already in the zone so they are wanting to be there. This is especially true of places like the hollows.
Edit: I see now where you got the courtesy spin. It was in the Amen, Brother post that quoted me. So consider this me getting the record straight
We cannot ignore the wanton joy of the bad group!
Of course, most of the time we want tight gaming experiences, ATs that interact and synergize, etc... But sometimes it is great fun to join extremely incompetent groups. While my best CoX experiences have been on solid groups, with mature players who value a little strategy and positioning, I laughed my hardest in PuGs with kids and/or clueless people.
Of cooooourse, some of these groups will be just a pain, specially with some powersets (anchor-based ones come to mind). But if you can take a beating, can make a quick getaway, or simply don't mind the occasional debt (I know I don't), then.... these groups that should not be have potential to drop you from your chair, if you just let the otherworldliness of the experience flow in your mind.
And, regarding the /tell policy, I go with the flow too: If you ignore my preference of groups, I will ignore your preference of recruiting.
I prefer to solo, so I rarely create my own teams. That being said, I really enjoy a good PuG. In my experience, whether you get a blind invite or a tell doesn't really indicate anything how it's going to go. I've had mixed results from both. Some insights that I haven't seen posted on this thread yet:
The bad.
1. Beware of leaders who pass you the star, tell you to find people to join the team and then demand it back after you do the dirty work. I'm fine checking my friends or SG list for recruits, but the leader should take responsibility for doing the team search. I usually don't stay on these PuGs very long, especially if we get wiped.
2. If someone invites you to a group and you discover there are only two of you, then they ask if you have any missions and can you find people - run like hell. If you wanted to form a team to run your missions, you would have done that yourself. While getting your missions picked is an important reason why people join a team, most people assume that an invite means there is already a mission selected that has to be run before theirs gets picked.
3. Leaders need to communicate (at least) basic info. Some of them just take off and it isn't clear if they are returning to contact, heading to the next mission or just hunting randomly. I had someone invite me and I asked where we should meet, with no reply. A few minutes later they said "are you coming?" because I didn't realize the mission was set.
4. As bad as things might be, make an effort to finish the mission before you quit the team. The xp at the end can take a big bite out of the debt you picked up and there are other people on the team besides the idiots who get you killed.
The good:
1. Some of my most enjoyable moments were on good teams. Joking, chatting, etc. develop a sense of camaraderie and makes communication easier in the heat of battle.
2. Some teams can just blast their way through missions, so ride that horse as long as you can. Most teams need some sort of strategy along the way. Pulling may take longer, but there is a lot less debt then just jumping into a mob that draws aggro from the two other mobs you didn't see around that corner...
3. Well balanced teams are nice, but not always necessary. I did the moonfire tf with 4 blasters, 2 scrappers and a healer. We tore through the missions pretty fast. Never underestimate the usefulness of damage dealers. That said, get at least one healer for your group or you're likely going to end up in debt.
So i've just whipped up a couple of points and tips that i've learned over the past couple years playing this game. I've noticed that many people don't join random groups anymore unless there is an obvious benefit (duh). They even go so far as to say 'i will group until (x) has happened, then im gone'. One example of this is a blaster saying that he would be with us for the duration of him dying three times (true story, but he didnt have to worry, not one death).
I have to say, that most of the time when i join a PuG, it usually falls apart before too long, but when i make one up myself, it stays together for quite a while and does very well for itself. Based upon these observations i have come up with the following suggestions for people when creating or joining a PuG. It contains a couple of tips, common courtesies, suggestions, and definite DON'Ts of the PuG. First from the aspect of -you- being the leader and assembling the group, secondly, as someone randomly invited to a PuG. Hope at least a handful of people may find this useful. Enjoy.
Leader of the Group-to-Be-
1. Look first for people you have grouped with before. Obvious.
2. Look secondly for people within one level of yourself. This helps eliminate annoying sk/exempings and 'oh damnit i lost this power nvmtxbye*quit*'.
3. When inviting people, ALWAYS send a tell politely explaining the what, the when, the who else currently, and the where. Using PROPER ENGLISH to do this with. People will be much more likely to join and stay awhile if an effort is made to ask for -precisely- the sort of help you are looking for. If they join, then thank them for coming. If not, then thank them for their reply (if they give one).
4. Once getting another player on the team, if they have not volunteered the information, beforehand, check their power sets against yours, and the task at hand. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE SUCCESS OF THE TEAM. If you are say, a fire/rad controller and get a dark/dark defender, you will probably not -need- an empath for healing. If you are going against mechanical foes, it would probably be wise to find a Dark Melee or Martial Arts scrapper instead of a Claw or Katana scrapper, because of the way those two damage types fare against enemies' defenses.
5. Use the knowledge of who is already on the team to entice/persuade others to join. That stone tank will jump at the chance to run with you if you have a kineticist on the team, that blaster will love to join if you have an empath to bestow Fortitude and healing on him. Play to the growing strengths of the group you are building.
6. Keep it balanced, unless you know you will be alright with those five empaths and little damage, or those six tanks and no healing. Don't go overkill in any one department.
7. Make sure people know how each others powersets work!! This is especially frustrating for Radiation Emission, Dark Miasma, Kinetics, and Mind Control. Binds work well to inform people about who or what they should or should NOT attack- i.e. Reducing Accuracy and Defense of (Target) and all nearby enemies, attack him last! when you toggle on Radiation Infection, etc. Many powers require an enemy in close proximity, learn to tell people if they want the maximum effect of a power, where they should stand in relation to you or your foes.
8. Keep it fun! Chat! Don't be a quiet group. Get talk and get to know people so you have a wider base of people to group with who know how to work together.
If you are invited to a group that you've never teamed with before-
1. If they send no tell explaining what they're doing before inviting, chances are, they are careless in the way they play as well. Take your chance with the team as you will.
2. If you want to know the makeup of the team before you accept or decline the invitation, ask. If they are going to try a respec TF or AV without anyone to buff/debuff, take the aggro, or do enough damage to succeed, its your choice to try and help, or kindly refuse the offer and wish them good luck as-is.
3. If you do accept the invite, study the team, compare with your power set. Who needs protecting? Who needs the major buff/bonus/gets the most out of -your- powerset? Who can help your powerset? Know who you can help and who can help you- and ask for it if need be.
4. Don't just randomly quit if the team starts going under. Don't lay blame on why the team isn't doing so hot unless it was an obvious bad move on the part of a member. Wait until the fight is over, be it in good standing or a wipe, and explain that you must go. Don't bash the other players even if they perhaps -were- the ones who caused the problem. Remember, -YOU- joined of your own free will. Nobody forces you to click 'accept'.
5. If at all possible, try and team with at least *one* other person you have run with before. This makes it so that at least one member of the team will know your style and plan accordingly. The difference between knowing nobody and knowing at least one person is immense.
I know I may have left out a couple points, and I may have even put in some that are redundant. However you view it, remember this- if you are putting a group together, please THINK, PLAN, COORDINATE, be POLITE and INFORMATIVE.
If you are invited to a group by people you dont know, either refuse the offer, or accept it and deal with the consequences of your decision to join. People will very rarely team with you again if you dump them in the middle of a Task Force or other difficult mission when they need all the help they can get.
Obviously, some of you will all know this, as well as some who have never thought of this at all (i'm talking to you, sewer group and random mish leaders).
Following the suggestions above will help people make better decisions to either help a promising-sounding group, or stay away from surely-doomed, poorly-planned groups.