Massively Antisocial-player Online RPG?

You know, Lord Recluse has always been pretty tough to solo. And Widdershins on my Elec/Pain Corruptor? Yeah, can't be done. I don't think I've ever soloed Nosferatu, except maybe with my Peacebringer running Light Form. Envoy of Shadow took more Inspirations than you can shake Nurse Francine at.

My response in these situations, at least from my perspective, was quite reasonable: I acknowledged that some foes or missions are too difficult to solo, so I asked for help. Apparently what I was supposed to do was come to the forums and complain about how the entire game isn't easy for all my characters... or something?

Look, I know people like to be able to accomplish things on their own, but let's think about this realistically for a moment. Some enemies are, by design, so hard that you can't take them down by yourself, and no matter what server you play on, there are always hundreds of other players online who can help you...

I mean, not to put two and two together or anything, but doesn't it seem a bit unreasonable to refuse to ask for help?

Yeah, Trapdoor's kinda rough. As is fighting Holtz and the Honoree at once with all those Rikti coming out of the portals. And the Minotaur at the end, what with that Endurance debuff it has. So if you can't do it alone, is it really something the devs have done wrong and they are for some reason at fault for making a terrible game? Be honest, now: is it?

Where does this idea come from, that every mission must be soloable with all characters? To me, that's the unreasonable part in all of this. There's no sense in spurning all the other players in the game with you when you find yourself up against something that you can't overcome all alone. Doing that in real life is a major disservice to oneself; I don't see why it should be expected to be any different in this game.

It's okay to ask for help, it really is. The game was designed with the specific purpose of allowing players to work together, so I would hope that we as players can recognize that as a core feature of the game and make use of it when appropriate. I really don't think we're entitled to talk down to the devs just because they do something differently than we would have.

+rep. Lots of it.

I solo a lot. But I have never once -- as in, not one single time -- ever complained that some content requires teaming to achieve.

As for the Trapdoor brouhaha, that has nothing to do with soloing and everything to do with removing choices. That some people insist on making it about soloing versus teaming is a different story entirely. When Trapdoor was too hard for one of my toons, I got help. I actually see more whining and crying from the "u shuld teem" crowd.

I've helped other players do their missions every very long now and then in the past. The only time I ever asked for help in the game was when I accidentally selected a non-timed mission with simultaneous click glowies, long before the auto-complete feature was added. I just don't ask for help when I'm in the game.

Because I'm shy.

Seriously.

I don't expect every mission to be soloable. Teams can have their TFs and trials. I do expect the standard mission content to be soloable, ever since the devs caved into people like me and made AVs downgradeable to EBs. The devs were also nice enough to add the auto-complete feature, so there are very few standard missions that I worry about these days, and the ones I worry about simply take a little more preparation.

I very much like that my favorite game has moved more and more to my soloability standards over the years. Still not quite where I'd like it to be, but it definitely keeps me playing.

Most of the content should, and even with an inferior build, can be soloed. (Elite Boss missions are a major exception.) But there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting a team for those particularly tricky missions.

i have to admit i've never fought the Honoree and Holtz at the same time.

Plenty of players like to play on their own schedule and at their own convenience, which generally means soloing. Yeah, generally speaking it isn't *that* difficult to find a team, but there are plenty of exceptions- small servers, players with off-kilter schedules, etc. It behooves the game to be mostly soloable to a greater or lesser extent.

That said, loud caterwauling over the narrow strata of content that 'requires' (to a variable extent) teaming doesn't earn my sympathy, given how much of the game is trivially easy to overcome with whatever character is at hand.

Seems like everyone around here thinks their playstyle is the "correct" one, and everyone else should just shut up and get with the program. PvPers don't understand why everyone doesn't want to PvP. Marketeers don't understand why everyone doesn't want to play the market. AE farmers don't understand why everyone doesn't want to farm. Min-Maxers don't understand why everyone doesn't want to min-max. And PuG junkies don't understand why everyone doesn't want to PuG.

People like what they like, and if solo players want to encourage the devs to make the game more solo-friendly, they're absolutely "entitled", by virtue of the fact that they pay their monthly fee, just the same as you.

I too hate that people enjoy playing internet superheroes in a manner that I dislike.

Odd aside:

I find I'm more social when not teaming, as I then have the time to pause and chat in global channels while mid-mission, or post on the forums, or talk on IM programs and IRC and so forth.

When I am teaming, I find there's little time to stop and stare, or talk for that matter.

Er, to clarify, this isn't a "teaming versus solo" thing. This is a "get help for hard stuff" thing. I mean, if your car breaks down on the interstate in the middle of the dessert...

The stress/phobia thing can be overcome, and I wouldn't say that it gives reason to bark at the devs for making content that can't be easily soloed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zortel When I am teaming, I find there's little time to stop and stare, or talk for that matter.

This largely depends on whom you play with. Play on Triumph and you can team with me and friends. It's a non-stop stream of witty banter, uninspired yet hilarious obvservations, and glorious faceplanting that still somehow results in us coming out on top.

There's nothing wrong with teaming for hard stuff. I find that it helps with my otherwise lackluster social skills and I meet new and interesting people.