In my experience, Global Channels have supplemented SG/VGs, in that while people are still "members" of groups, the association is done more through the global channels than the SG itself.
For example, the SG that I'm in has a core of players who have 1, 2 or many toons actually in the SG as well as many that are in other SGs, but we still congregate in the SG's global channel (as well as other globals of other SGs that our toons may be members of).
Really, it's just made things easier to co-ordinate, though it has rendered SG/Coalition chat rather redundant.
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I think the actual sg bases are still very useful, for transport, storage, etc. But the globals are very handy because people often have characters on multiple servers, and globals are a better way to reach them in all of those different locations. Plus, sometimes people are on Hide because they are badge hunting, or marketing, or something and don't want to be bothered but would still be willing to join certain activities (maybe that TF they have been waiting for). They may be monitoring the globals, and will pop up if a discussion gets going.
There are definitely some sgs that are very active still, though, and have regular activities. The forums might be a good way to find them.
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For finding people with whom to team, yes. Most of the teams and trials are formed using the Global Channels. Personally, I use my Global Friends list first, then look to the Global Channels.|
Originally Posted by Antares_NA
I've been back nearly a month, now. Been mostly playing alone and not really chatting with anyone.
A friend tells me that supergroups have more or less been replaced by global channels. Truth? |
My SG was actually started by my wife when she was playing and used to have a lot of active members. Now there is only me and all my alts. But that's OK, as I have full racks of Salvage and enhancements and Inspirations, and a full set of teleporters to every place that I can have a teleporter. So for me, my SG on my main server is my personal storage, crafting and transport base.
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And people couldn't understand why a month ago I said that I felt the Incarnate Trials were subverting SGs.
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Uh, SGs have been dead for a long while now. Bases are helpful as personal storage bins and transport to zones. But other than that, global channels are where it's at.
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Originally Posted by Aquila_NA
And people couldn't understand why a month ago I said that I felt the Incarnate Trials were subverting SGs.
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@Celestial Lord and @Celestial Lord Too
There are server channels that are global channels and have supplanted super groups to a large degree for some of us. In short, it's not necessary to join a super group any more to get reliable teammates. Jump on a server channel, and you've got 2000+ "guild mates" who are always doing stuff. Team invites are easy, and so are trails and task forces.
You can be in a SG/VG also, but the server channels are a much better bang for the buck, imo.
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People have said "X is subverting SGs/making them useless" about a lot of things. It all depends on what the SG is doing for you in the first place. |
Originally Posted by Aquila_NA
And people couldn't understand why a month ago I said that I felt the Incarnate Trials were subverting SGs.
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Some of mine are mostly storage and transport these days, yes. Others are little worlds of their own, containing (another) way to associate with friends, assisting RP with both setting and association and more. Some SGs are specialty SGs, ranging from the RO groups to PVP groups.
SGs are what you make of them.
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What does Incarnate Trials have to do with SG membership?|
Originally Posted by Aquila_NA
And people couldn't understand why a month ago I said that I felt the Incarnate Trials were subverting SGs.
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Global Channels have been around for years and years and have always been better for connecting with other players than SG's.
SG membership is capped at 150 and if it has maxed out it's Coalitions it can reach a max of 1,500 more players. And all of that is restricted to a single faction on a single server.
Global Channel communities is capped at 2,500 members. So a single Global already outclasses any SG/Coalition. Players can join 10 Global Channels so they have access to a community 25,000 players. Global Channels reach every faction and every server so players can log in and if things are dead in one location they can easily find out where people are and jump onto a character on another server or faction.
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For finding teams, mostly yes.|
Originally Posted by Antares_NA
A friend tells me that supergroups have more or less been replaced by global channels. Truth?
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Some SG's have regularly scheduled events. For the other times of the week, and SG's that don't have events, global channels are the way to go.
I would suggest posting in the forum section for your server and asking which are the most active channels. If you have a preference (task forces, low level teams, etc), say so.
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It's actually even worse than you make it sound, since a Global Channel is capped at 2,500 global accounts, but a SG with maxed coalitions is restricted to 1,500 individual characters.|
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
SG membership is capped at 150 and if it has maxed out it's Coalitions it can reach a max of 1,500 more players. And all of that is restricted to a single faction on a single server.
Global Channel communities is capped at 2,500 members. So a single Global already outclasses any SG/Coalition. |
I have about 8 or 10 characters in Hero Force, but all of my Characters on both accounts are members of VirtueUnited, MG Taskforces, Antibellum Revolution, The Market, just to name four channels at random. Actually all of my characters are members of the "Hero Force" Global Channel, but that's still pretty much restricted to a subset of the global channels of people who are members of the SG... so really, only marginally useful.
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Well, is there a "Villain Force?"
There is, but hardly anyone uses it.
The leader of Hero Force was very pro-Heroes as opposed to Villain ATs. He liked everyone to play one of each of the five basic Hero ATs because that gave you a better understanding of how different members of the team operated. I like that idea in theory, but he didn't care at all for khelds or any villain ATs. I think everyone should try everything. ^_^
Anyway he hasn't been around for a long time so Hero Force is not as active as it once was. I'm a very good example of how a global channel is more useful than a SG; I find most of my teams via global channels, even when those teams happen to include other members of Hero Force.
my lil RWZ Challenge vid
SGs have more functions than just finding teams.
I'd add coalitions to finding teams via SGs, though that number is still much less than global chat channels.
I don't suffer from altitis, I enjoy every minute of it.
Thank you Devs & Community people for a great game.
So sad to be ending ):
Honestly, I'm just really, really lonely; MMOs are supposed to be social.
Except for @Crashed and @Ran Kailie, I don't really talk to anyone. @Abyssalmoon sometimes talks to me.
Best advice there is to keep playing and making friends as the opportunity presents itself. You can even make your OWN global channel if you see a need that's not being sufficiently met. I occasionally play on Virt red so I know there is teaming that goes on there even without being on that server's channels (Victory is my home server). If you are just looking for random conversation, globals can help there too. I often use Pride, the GLBT channel, for that purpose myself.
It's not how many times you get knocked down that count. It's how many times you get up.
I think your best bet is to join the server channels. You'll meet new folks. Not all of them are worthy of long term friendship, but some will be and you'll be able to talk and understand how you interact with them.
I usually don't do more than just jump on trials and chat casually with folks, but I get friend invites regular enough, and the occasional invite to someone's private global channel too.
Just meet enough folks, have fun, be cool, and it happens.
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This MMO still is very social . . . but you have to know how to "work it." Get on as many Global Channels as you can on your main server. Join teams and be friendly and helpful. When you come across a player you really like, try to invite him/her to global friends . . . but some people already have too many -- if you can't set them as a Global Friend, then use the Notes feature to make notes on players you like (and don't like). Try to team with the good ones again and again. The Notes system can really help you -- as your note will show up even if the same global account is on a different character.|
Originally Posted by Antares_NA
Honestly, I'm just really, really lonely; MMOs are supposed to be social.
Except for @Crashed and @Ran Kailie, I don't really talk to anyone. @Abyssalmoon sometimes talks to me. |
Almost six years ago, I started teaming with a group of guys and got to like them. One of them hosted a Ventrilo server, so we got to know each other by voice chat. Others have joined and left, but three of us still team most nights, with a 4th joining us a little bit less regularly. Recently, we have joined up with another group similar to ours, but they use Teamspeak instead. We've been joining with that group a lot for Trials and TFs lately. All good folks with a great sense of humor.
As for the main question -- I like having a "personal" SG. I can set it up any way I want, all the racks become my own storage and I don't have to worry about putting my most expensive IOs in the tables. Some of my personal SGs are left over from other folks -- I appreciate all the Prestige all those other folks (who left the game) earned for my personal benefit. A few are new ones I have started just for me and my alts, but those struggle to earn enough prestige for the stuff I want.
I never liked much of the SG system for large groups -- I had seen quite a few SGs have tons of "drama" over who gets to be what level, etc. Using Global Channels for recruiting teams is much better.
LOCAL MAN! The most famous hero of all. There are more newspaper stories about me than anyone else. "Local Man wins Medal of Honor." "Local Man opens Animal Shelter." "Local Man Charged with..." (Um, forget about that one.)
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With base raids dead, there really is no purpose for earning prestige. So the sg and a coalition isn't used much besides a place to park alts. Global channels is where it's at, much easier to get things going, espescially with the new trials.
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The numbers don't lie and globals are simply a much better way to find a team. When base building prices dropped the need for a huge SG just to have a base with teleporters and storage declined. In a few months a friend and I built a nice sized VG on Virtue with everything we needed to support us while playing the game. Heck even teleport isn't as big an SG draw as it once was. The Yellow and Green lines merged on Blue side making it possible to get just about anyplace faster. Ferry system merged on red side and now they not only merged the helicopter line but added more of them. Then figure in the Ouro Portal which DROPS you close to a lot of transportation areas Blue side and drops you in almost every zone Red side. The RWZ is a quick way to get to a number of zones and works really well for Vigilantes and Rogues.... I am in Cimerora, I run through the Midnighter's club to Cap Au Diable, hop over to the RWZ base there and I can be in Grandville, St M, Atlas Park, Founders Falls or PI in a really short amount of time. My bases have telepads to every available zone and I rarely need to use them these days.|
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
What does Incarnate Trials have to do with SG membership?
Global Channels have been around for years and years and have always been better for connecting with other players than SG's. SG membership is capped at 150 and if it has maxed out it's Coalitions it can reach a max of 1,500 more players. And all of that is restricted to a single faction on a single server. Global Channel communities is capped at 2,500 members. So a single Global already outclasses any SG/Coalition. Players can join 10 Global Channels so they have access to a community 25,000 players. Global Channels reach every faction and every server so players can log in and if things are dead in one location they can easily find out where people are and jump onto a character on another server or faction. |
Even larger SGs can't match the potential of globals for teaming.. Say you belong to a 150 member SG... how many of them are actually on at the same time you are? On any given night I can access VirtueTf2010 and find 300 or more players all looking for the same things I am. Another 150-200 on VirtueLFG Beta and more on any of the other 6-8 I use for finding or building a team. So you log on and find 20 SG members on line. Half are already on teams, if not better, some are getting ready to log off for the day or whatever. If your lucky you MAY be able to pull together an 8 man team. Coalitions? You can't even see their rosters and have no idea if ANYONE is on line. Globals just make life a lot quicker and easier.
I don't think the SG is necessarily dead these days.. its role has just changed and it isn't nearly as important as it once was.
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I disagree with this. The role of SG's has never changed or diminished. It was put in the game mainly for immersion/role-playing for players wanting that Superfriends/Avengers experience. The ability to find teams was never the main focus like it is with Global channels.
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Originally Posted by Wicked_Wendy
I don't think the SG is necessarily dead these days.. its role has just changed and it isn't nearly as important as it once was.
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Played a lot over the weekend. In my experience, most Heroes have a supergroup, even if they are Redside.
Most Villains are solo.
I've been back nearly a month, now. Been mostly playing alone and not really chatting with anyone.
A friend tells me that supergroups have more or less been replaced by global channels. Truth?