An observation on teams

First of all let me say that I do enjoy this game having been with it since just after beta in COH and since beta in COV. I do like I16 for the most part, it shows that the devs have been listening to suggestions. But my observation is this: I started a new toon to take advantage of the new Broadsword stalker. She is now up to level 34, and at no time during this period, have I found a pickup team. I can't speak for other servers, but on infinity, you never see a team looking for members. If you state that you are looking for a team, unless someone on a team knows you, you never get an answer. I thought this was possibly because I was on a stalker, but I have friends playing brutes, corrupters, and mm's telling me the same thing.

A pickup team used to be a great way to meet new friends.
It used to be that someone forming a team would seek members to get the team up to 8 for maximum mobs and thus infamy, but with the new system, this is no longer necessary. A solution? I have none.

I have been in the game a long time and know a lot of players. Most of the time I can get on a team eventually with someone I know. But what about the new players, the people who are just getting online. If they love playing solo, great. But if they are looking for a team oriented game, it seems that is far less available than it was prior to I16.

Any games future is dependent on existing players and new players coming in. I think the rather significant drop in the team aspect is going to hurt the new player. I think that the current players who like to get in pick up teams when their friends are off line are also going to be disappointed. Again, I have no ready answer, but I do think that this problem should be addressed.

I don't know if I have really experienced the same type of thing (on Freedom), but I can see your point in how it might become a problem. People wanted more team members so there were more foes, and it was easier for new players to hitch a ride. Now, they aren't needed and are stuck trying to make their own groups.

I don't see any way of really fixing it though without nerfing the new options to the point where they become useless. In reality, I don't think the few players upping their rep for a higher solo challenge really replaces the effectiveness of good teams though. There has got to be a spot with your name on it somewhere.

I don't generally like to be the person who says this but. "Make your own PUG."

It's the simple answer. I was watching the local badge channel on my server one night and three people where asking about the Katie TF. No one was forming one but here where three people asking. So after about 20 minuets of this back and forth I broke down and just started one. Less then 5 minuets I had a full team of 8, even had 2 controllers, a defender and a tank and all I did was take anyone who asked to join.

I hate that star, I don't know the fastest way to run content, I don't even know what contacts I have unlocked half the time. But with just a little effort I can toss a group together in 10-20 minutes. Heck with the new SSK feature and exp for exemplar/malifcotring you can often pick up 40+ players for even trivial stuff. I had a 38 and a 46 join me for half of Bocar's missions on Justice just two days ago.

I dunno, I've seen the "pickup teaming is dead, the game will soon follow" posts crop up time and again over the last few years, but I've yet to see it happen...

I've been getting on a lot more teams as well, and I think this might have something to do with no longer needing to be on perma /hidesearch. Yay for being being able to disable email.

I said it earlier, everyone was "oooohhh...great" but now the gimps STILL need people to carry them, but now the hardcore players don't need them. It won't be long now before the gimps,RPers, and costume horses are gonna start complaining and try to get the Devs to force those dirty powergamers to invite them back to teams, and I'm gonna sit back and laugh.

Finding a team is like dating. Stop acting like a fairy princess waiting for a prince to propose and go out and ask some people out yourself.

My observations as a newer player 'only played briefly back in 2004' is that this game after issue 16 is far more tedious for the new player. Even on Virtue, it's just mainly sewer groups until around 12 and then it's a lot of running around, pretty much begging for a group.

Vets already played around with alts, know the areas, have friends, ect. Changes like this do not effect them. New players, frustrated with CO and wanting something fast paced and fun would have more likely been hooked in like I was by the fast paced AE group dynamics.

The fact is, this game does not have the population to facilitate a spread out player base. I really don't care, I also can make my own team and fill it with 8 almost anywhere because of the fact most people do not want to be responsible for organizing or take the blame for other idiots. I'm having fun exploiting other people's fears on that front, but I suspect the devs vision here is going to cost them a lot of subs.

Maybe a solution would be a more global channel for team requests and more access to TPs. Even on a low pop server, players will have better luck in the 20s in a zone like Thalos vs something like IP. A new player could end up hunting anywhere though and may never find a team for long periods. A channel that covers all zones within the character's level range and maybe a team TP inspiration could be added to the drop list to make getting teams at lower levels together easier.

Either way, I'm still having fun but I suggest the devs keep a close eye on those sub numbers after the first month of incoming CO players expire.

Lately i've actually formed/lead more teams than in the past. Usually, especially redside on Champion, i'd just set my LFT flag and run missions soloing unless a friend or someone on a global channel announces something that interests me. However, recently i've found myself leading teams simply because someone sent me a tell saying they were looking for a team. i figure two (or more) is more entertaining than one and invite them. Then sometimes they mention that someone else who they teamed with earlier is back and looking for a team. So i invite them.

Since i make no real effort to recruit most of my teams have been 2-5 members, but if a teammate mentions that someone needs a team i'll send them a tell asking if they want to join and then invite them if they say yes. So i guess i've taking up some of the slack for the f4rmz0rz or something.

i've found that running casual teams is pretty easy. i look over the list of missions, ask if anyone has a mission they want to do, and then set a mission.

Can't say that I've ever experienced this unfortunate happening

There is another post in this forum on the same subject. I'll copy and paste what I wrote there.

Plenty of people are playing CoX on each server. Villains are generally a little slower, but the people are there.

Quote from the other thread on what to do about finding teams:

"I highly recommend creating your own teams, adding friends as you team with people, and joining your server's chat channels. Many people on each server use those to form teams for regular missions, story arcs, etc. I'm mostly on Victory, and we have a TON of regulars on the Victory Forum, Victory Badges, and Victory Badges 2009 channel. People are on those all day long.

Check in with your home server's section of the forums to find out what those are, and join them. I can only imagine Freedom would have tons of those channels, and that it should be fairly easy to find people using the search feature.

CoX was and is great for how easy it is to find a team, though people do seem to broadcast for teams less than they used to. Being willing to make your own teams, add friends to your list, and use the channels will help you get in touch with a lot of people."