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I'm with you. More power to NCSoft if it keeps their bottom line from shrinking as the years tick by, but NCSoft, [u]Please, please add a better way for people to get pick up groups going for non-AE missions![u]
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I think the LFG system could use an overhaul.
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I'm with you. More power to NCSoft if it keeps their bottom line from shrinking as the years tick by, but NCSoft, [u]Please, please add a better way for people to get pick up groups going for non-AE missions![u]
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I think the LFG system could use an overhaul.
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Among other things, it would be nice to see a "groups looking for more" component.
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By the gods some people live to [censored] and whine about anything and everything when it doesn't go their way.
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I personally liked kicking the snot out of the Mitochondria AE grinding missions. Good exp and good influence.
News flash some people like to farm and it's fun for us.
You don't like it that's fine the gaming world does not revolve around you or me.
I pay my monthly fee I'll play how I want and personally I am sick of always running all over the zones to farm missions.
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Seems like your complaining about what the devs are doing to AE to curb the mindless xp exploits.
Also, true, you may pay to play and your play any way you want, but in the end, its not your game. Its the Developers' Game, and you'll play how they let you.
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By the same token, its as much our game as theirs because if we disagree with their vision, we can stop paying. its their game, sure, but without the players, they have nothing.
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It has more to do with the drastically smaller population of players on the servers than it does to do with AE. AE is keeping the game afloat as people can actually find groups due to the mechanics.
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Except that the server populations AREN'T getting drastically smaller than they were a year ago; right now, they're about the same (and they did spike up for abot a month after the AE went live. Using the 'Find Team' tool, you can get actual logged in numbers from the Blue side (if you're on a Hero) and Red side (when playing a Villian); add them together and you have a total population snashot of your particular server (Sans 'hidden' players).
Don't use the number it shows when you first open it; make sure you have everything set to all (all zones, all levels, etc.); and hit find. The number at the bottom is all players on that 'side' on your server.
I've done it when I've logged in periodically and seen that the pop for Guardian at my peak hours (6PM -9PM PST) runs between 600 - 750 total (both sides); and has stayed constant since I started doing this a little over a year ago. So, at least on my 'home' server not much has changed pop wise in the last year.
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I'm with you. More power to NCSoft if it keeps their bottom line from shrinking as the years tick by, but NCSoft, [u]Please, please add a better way for people to get pick up groups going for non-AE missions![u]
[/ QUOTE ]
I think the LFG system could use an overhaul.
[/ QUOTE ]
/signed
World of Crapcraft actually had a decent system for this. You could select what you are looking for (ie. quests (down to individual quest names)/dungeons/raids etc) and it would automatically show you who was looking to do the same thing. You also had the option to "auto-join" a group that was looking to do the same as you.
Not to say this was a perfect system to use by any means, but the search capability is much more robust. It also depends heavily on players actually using it and setting themselves "flagged" to find specific teams.
Any improvements to the search would be welcome, although global channels work great too for finding teams.
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I'm with you. More power to NCSoft if it keeps their bottom line from shrinking as the years tick by, but NCSoft, [u]Please, please add a better way for people to get pick up groups going for non-AE missions![u]
[/ QUOTE ]
I think the LFG system could use an overhaul.
[/ QUOTE ]
/signed
World of Crapcraft actually had a decent system for this. You could select what you are looking for (ie. quests (down to individual quest names)/dungeons/raids etc) and it would automatically show you who was looking to do the same thing. You also had the option to "auto-join" a group that was looking to do the same as you.
Not to say this was a perfect system to use by any means, but the search capability is much more robust. It also depends heavily on players actually using it and setting themselves "flagged" to find specific teams.
Any improvements to the search would be welcome, although global channels work great too for finding teams.
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This.
After all. tyhe only reason i think people see this "problem" isnt that people arent out there, its that people either
1: use broadcast, and most broadcast teams are now in the AE
or
2: use globals and SG/coalition chat, which others seem to not know about.
Want comedy and lighthearted action? Between levels 1-14? Try Nuclear in 90 - The Fusionette Task Force!
Arc ID 58363!
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
It has more to do with the drastically smaller population of players on the servers than it does to do with AE. AE is keeping the game afloat as people can actually find groups due to the mechanics.
[/ QUOTE ]
Except that the server populations AREN'T getting drastically smaller than they were a year ago; right now, they're about the same (and they did spike up for abot a month after the AE went live. Using the 'Find Team' tool, you can get actual logged in numbers from the Blue side (if you're on a Hero) and Red side (when playing a Villian); add them together and you have a total population snashot of your particular server (Sans 'hidden' players).
Don't use the number it shows when you first open it; make sure you have everything set to all (all zones, all levels, etc.); and hit find. The number at the bottom is all players on that 'side' on your server.
I've done it when I've logged in periodically and seen that the pop for Guardian at my peak hours (6PM -9PM PST) runs between 600 - 750 total (both sides); and has stayed constant since I started doing this a little over a year ago. So, at least on my 'home' server not much has changed pop wise in the last year.
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Yes, that is how I get this information. Victory is smaller, as is Protector. Also, play periods differ quite a bit between you and I and other players; 7pm PST is very late for me. Populations have consolidated somewhat amongst the servers, and the difference is even greater if you compare two years ago.
New content does attract a lot of players, if it's big or interesting enough: AE, expansion (CoV, for example). However, new content that is flawed in significant ways (AE) tends to have a high turnover rate, dropping populations rapidly back to where they were after the first month or two.
I've played lots of MMOs for quite a long time, and I know the cycle well 
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However, new content that is flawed in significant ways (AE) tends to have a high turnover rate, dropping populations rapidly back to where they were after the first month or two.
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Well, this happens every single issue, so AE is no more guilty of this than any other expansion.
The thing that is really killing us is that people remember that week where they reactivated every single account ever. So don't forget that your "peak" after I14 was artificial anyway. It isn't that all those people tried it and quit, it's that we had a ton of people that just logged in for a week and didn't resub.
Thanks all for your interesting comments to my initial post. Though some have vehemently defended the AE, I still wonder how good it will be for the game over the long term. I can understand that people that like leveling fast don't want the boat to be rocked. Certainly understandable. But I'd think eventually everyone will get tired of playing the same two maps for months or years at a time. But maybe I'm wrong. Everyone plays games differently and it seems Paragon is happy with this super speed leveling option. If they didn't they'd have changed it months ago. And as a game ages and the player base consists mostly of just hardcore players then a fast leveling option can keep them happy as they try all the different power options. Maybe its not a bad plan. And eventually maybe some players will lose interest and go back to other leveling options which will give everyone options on how they want to play the game.
I tried logging in this afternoon looking for people that wanted to do the newest TF. No luck but see a double XP weekend is coming up and will try again. My CoX gaming friend and I will see how it goes then. I think both of us are pretty bored now and will probably put our accounts on hold next month. If the new Rogue expansion has a significant amount of new content and gives the players more interesting options for leveling we might come back. I'm also eyeing Champions and will watch how that progresses. I don't plan to get it day of release but will see how the reviews go and evaluate it then. I've actually enjoyed my time away from MMO playing and don't know if diving back in fills me with as much joy as it used to.
Thanks all for your comments, both good and bad.
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Thanks all for your interesting comments to my initial post. Though some have vehemently defended the AE, I still wonder how good it will be for the game over the long term. I can understand that people that like leveling fast don't want the boat to be rocked. Certainly understandable. But I'd think eventually everyone will get tired of playing the same two maps for months or years at a time. But maybe I'm wrong. Everyone plays games differently and it seems Paragon is happy with this super speed leveling option. If they didn't they'd have changed it months ago. And as a game ages and the player base consists mostly of just hardcore players then a fast leveling option can keep them happy as they try all the different power options. Maybe its not a bad plan. And eventually maybe some players will lose interest and go back to other leveling options which will give everyone options on how they want to play the game.
I tried logging in this afternoon looking for people that wanted to do the newest TF. No luck but see a double XP weekend is coming up and will try again. My CoX gaming friend and I will see how it goes then. I think both of us are pretty bored now and will probably put our accounts on hold next month. If the new Rogue expansion has a significant amount of new content and gives the players more interesting options for leveling we might come back. I'm also eyeing Champions and will watch how that progresses. I don't plan to get it day of release but will see how the reviews go and evaluate it then. I've actually enjoyed my time away from MMO playing and don't know if diving back in fills me with as much joy as it used to.
Thanks all for your comments, both good and bad.
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so in short "hi, I don't care what any of you said, I still cant find pplz and I'm unwilling to take any suggestions about using or joining some globals or finding a good SG and instead will continue whining"
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
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Its not very fun, its true. a lot of people dislike running it unless you have a truckload of debuffs to make Reichsman less likely to take 20 minutes to kill. not to mention other than the first map its very generic, re-used maps
Want comedy and lighthearted action? Between levels 1-14? Try Nuclear in 90 - The Fusionette Task Force!
Arc ID 58363!
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
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Its not very fun, its true. a lot of people dislike running it unless you have a truckload of debuffs to make Reichsman less likely to take 20 minutes to kill. not to mention other than the first map its very generic, re-used maps
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And no badge(s), far as I know, which doesn't help.
The Cape Radio: You're not super until you put on the Cape!
DJ Enigma's Puzzle Factory: Co* Parody Commercials
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
[/ QUOTE ]
Its not very fun, its true. a lot of people dislike running it unless you have a truckload of debuffs to make Reichsman less likely to take 20 minutes to kill. not to mention other than the first map its very generic, re-used maps
[/ QUOTE ]
And no badge(s), far as I know, which doesn't help.
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Badges? We ain't got no badges. We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinkin' badges!
Or, the version some know best:
Badges? We don't need no stinking badges!
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
There are badges for the TFs completions.
Blue
American Steele: 50 BS/Inv
Nightfall: 50 DDD
Sable Slayer: 50 DM/Rgn
Fortune's Shadow: 50 Dark/Psi
WinterStrike: 47 Ice/Dev
Quantum Well: 43 Inv/EM
Twilit Destiny: 43 MA/DA
Red
Shadowslip: 50 DDC
Final Rest: 50 MA/Rgn
Abyssal Frost: 50 Ice/Dark
Golden Ember: 50 SM/FA
Oh sure, come in and give factual information why don't ya.
I see how you are.
If the game spit out 20 dollar bills people would complain that they weren't sequentially numbered. If they were sequentially numbered people would complain that they weren't random enough.
Black Pebble is my new hero.
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
[/ QUOTE ]
Its not very fun, its true. a lot of people dislike running it unless you have a truckload of debuffs to make Reichsman less likely to take 20 minutes to kill. not to mention other than the first map its very generic, re-used maps
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And no badge(s), far as I know, which doesn't help.
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>_> can you name one TF/SF/Trial that doesn't give one? 
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The newest TF does kind of suck apparently though, so I don't think that's a good metric to really judge pickup groups by.
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Its not very fun, its true. a lot of people dislike running it unless you have a truckload of debuffs to make Reichsman less likely to take 20 minutes to kill. not to mention other than the first map its very generic, re-used maps
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And no badge(s), far as I know, which doesn't help.
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>_> can you name one TF/SF/Trial that doesn't give one?
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all of the Ouroboros ones.
Reichsman gives Column Breaker, though. But NONE of the TFs/SFs offered in Ouroboros reward badges. and reward hilariously low merits, too.
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there's an exception to those "TFs" and that's the other eleventy billion badges you get for doing flashback arcs under whichever challenge you set.
I honestly forgot about those TFs though, ran them a few times, then continued using Ouro as a fancy train.
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Reichsman gives Column Breaker, though.
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Well, poot. Guess I gotta go do that TF now.
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But NONE of the TFs/SFs offered in Ouroboros reward badges. and reward hilariously low merits, too.
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There's a whole bunch of missions, arcs, and particular defeats that I think should give a badge, and those are among them.
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[ QUOTE ]
there's an exception to those "TFs" and that's the other eleventy billion badges you get for doing flashback arcs under whichever challenge you set.
I honestly forgot about those TFs though, ran them a few times, then continued using Ouro as a fancy train.
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Nobody remembers them solely becauyse of their lack of badges and their tendency to be buggy as all hell.
Its ironic nobody cares about it given everyone always demands more content yet nobody cares about this content.
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Arc ID 58363!
I too find a change. And as someone who enjoys creating missions, initially I was going to buy a couple of more AE slots, but given the focus on farming, I still have the 3rd original slot available and short of making a farming story, not sure what to do with it.
I really enjoyed writing and playing stories from our talented community, and not that I'm anti-farming, but I had such high hopes for AE and just experiencing the creativity and ingenuity of the authors. I still do, but I play most of them solo now as the primary invites are AE.
I do plan on doing the new TF once the bugs are fixed (was rough in Beta too!); but again, for AE, I hope something changes to swing the focus to use of creative missions vs. just farming (though please no more nerf bat swings).
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OP, posting on the forums will do nothing. People who feel the same as you already know about all these things. People who don't feel the same as you will never be swayed. You just become troll fodder.
AE was intended to only give half exp because the devs knew this exact thing was going to happen. But then they realized how much of a new people draw it would be if it was full EXP. So now they're replacing their dedicated fan base with people who will leave the second another game comes out with something shiny. AE farming has brought in a new generation of players that can't work as a team and have 0 attention spans. Go ahead. Try forming a team for a challenging non-farm AE arc. You'll see.
Do what I did. Cancel your account and when it asks you why you wish to cancel answer with AE farming. That's the only way to be sure your message gets across to the only people who matter in this. Until then you can whine and complain all you want. As long as they're still getting your subscription money it doesn't matter.
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Pugs are usually horrible.
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My experience is different, much to my own surprise. MOST of the PuGs I've been on have actually been at least decent. Only a very few land in truly horrible territory, and they're even in the minority compared to the truly awesome groups I've gotten.
That said, I also know for a fact that I can log in at any time, at almost any level (Mercy is a bit of a bust) and either join a PuG or start one of my own inside of about 10-15 minutes TOPS. I think the people who complain about AE farm teams being all there are either are on the wrong server or just aren't really trying to find a team.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by eltonio
This is over the top mental slavery.
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Did you notice the part of my other post that I've highlighted for you? Finding groups IS harder than it used to be. BUILDING groups IS harder than it used to be. You can argue about the reason for this, but it seems pretty obvious it's because the AE has taken people out of the regular game.
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It has more to do with the drastically smaller population of players on the servers than it does to do with AE. AE is keeping the game afloat as people can actually find groups due to the mechanics.