As Des said, SGs now are more for optional means of transportation between zones, or if it's a personal base, personal storage places. Especially now with the increase to channel limits, I know I'm sitting on something near 10 channels as is, mind you, not all of them are regularly active (VBS or VC =/= VB/VB09).
That's the point, if you want someone to play with, you have channels now, which hold more people, in more places (they're global, not just blue/red side). You will almost always get better results from channels over SGs.
The only scenario where you wouldn't would be a case like the original NightShift. The SG that was made for those who played at the ****** hours of the day, when mostly everyone was gone.
Also, global channels, I find, are best used in separate tabs than your general chat tab. If you're trying to read through the clutter of multiple chat windows simultaneously, I could totally agree with you that they're cumbersome. Since you can separate them, however, that excuse doesn't really count. Here's how I setup my HUD:
The general global channels are in the top left corner, VB/VB09, and VF below. The more private channels are down in the middle. That's for the SG (bro and I), and those I regularly game with. I keep all channels separate from the general chat tab, to avoid clutter.
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
I hate to be the bringer of bad news... but Willpower sucks!!! you're better off rolling a regen
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^Professional Katana/regen build thread
Blech, how can you stand to have so many windows up? Too cluttered! 
Anyway, I still like being in an SG with other people. You don't need it for teaming so much, but I never really have used an SG like that, anyway. Just nice to chat with some people and have them join you from time to time.
Guide: Tanking, Wall of Fire Style (Updated for I19!), and the Four Rules of Tanking
Story Arc: Belated Justice, #88003
Synopsis: Explore the fine line between justice and vengeance as you help a hero of Talos Island bring his friend's murderer to justice.
Grey Pilgrim: Fire/Fire Tanker (50), Victory
Quote:
It's typically pretty zoomed out, so I can see damn near everything with relative ease. and if I can't, it's usually the map in the way, so that goes in and out as needed (yay hotkeys).|
Originally Posted by Grey Pilgrim
Blech, how can you stand to have so many windows up? Too cluttered!
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Translucent windows are also handy :P
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Iggy_Kamakaze
I hate to be the bringer of bad news... but Willpower sucks!!! you're better off rolling a regen
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^Professional Katana/regen build thread
I'd much rather do just about any TF with coalition members and SG members I'm familiar with than random people in say Victory Badges.
At the same time, I have noticed since many more people began playing across servers and on redside more that the Global Channel I made for my SG has a lot more activity in it than any SG I belong to, and it includes people I know and is even growing to include people not even involved in the SG. I even regret naming it after my SG, as it seems to serve more of a general purpose channel for a moderate-size social group.
we have a global channel? ****. i have to get more involved in this SG. no one really comes on anymore 
truthfully, i play more with the new players in atlas then i do on missions with my SG.
...which SG are you talking about?
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Try joining global channels like Victory Badges to find teams, you do not have to rely solely on an active SG to find teams.|
Originally Posted by diablo
we have a global channel? ****. i have to get more involved in this SG. no one really comes on anymore
truthfully, i play more with the new players in atlas then i do on missions with my SG. |
also quick reply on the quote below
"and likewise people often forget to put them on tabs on new characters, etc."
I spend like 5-10 minutes on every new character setting up chat tabs, window size, vet powers ect. I doubt I'm the only one.
You'd be better off making a list of the top 10 best/most influential on Victory Server of all time. Not in any specific order.
Legion of Valor/Fallen Legion
Isolators
Lions Den
The Fist of Justice
Those 40k SG's long ago
Buncha those Goon SG's
Toss in a couple of those Gay SG's
I C O N S
Thats a good list.
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fixed it |
Originally Posted by Dawk_Boy
I C O N S Tribe of Legends thats a good list |
oh icon... bad memories
i tried to join but apparently there's an age limit. and then their were some incidents involving their recruits....
What's killed SGs is the limit to storage in bases, so everybody wants their own.
I'm involved in 2 main communities of SGs:
Eurocore - European players on Victory, 3 SGs, 3 VGs (although we don't need that many any more) and a global channel. We TF almost every night as a SG, great community, forums etc, real SG atmosphere even though many of us have our own SGs that contain most of our toons.
Australia - Oceanic players on Justice, all organisation done through the global channel, but not the same feeling of community. I joined because I play Euro mornings (Aussie prime time). Their SG is by design now a place where people who haven't got their own SG can use the porters and not much else.
I don't think I've really identified any other SGs that say to me that I'm going to want to team with that person as they'll definitely be good, but I can remember there were some SGs that meant that I knew that teaming a person was going to be a bad idea. Usually the SG had nothing but fire/kins in it, who'd done nothing other than doorsit and then PL other fire/kins so were clueless on normal missions. I suppose that was my fault for playing on Freedumb.
It's true. This game is NOT rocket surgery. - BillZBubba
I still manage "The Hellish Crusaders" but it's really just a shell. SG's became really.. pointless... with that huge prestige bonus they did a year/two ago. Right now there is nothing for my SG to strive for, so I have no need to recruit. I did the math on rent - my SG has enough prestige to cover rent for the next 10 years.
I suppose I could start recruiting new players to introduce them to the game - but what new players generally start off Red-Side anymore? Anytime I team with someone I add a star in their notes section so I constantly see a sea of bouncing stars whenever I am redside.
If I had to pick an SG, Empire of Blood, ftw.
Once upon a time, SGs did play a significant role in teaming. In those days, one could argue larger/popular SGs were influential. That was years ago. Today, they're more of a hindrance.