Why isn't the Team Search Window more of a Priority?
By
Alef_infinity,
Posted on: 2011-06-20 14:46 in ALL ACCESS Gameplay Technical Issues Bugs
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I almost never use the team search window to find other players. I either team with friends whose global handles I have, or use global chat channels to find other players. For trials, there are certain locations where people congregate, so team search isn't used for them.|
Originally Posted by Amish_Justice
Why isn't this a priority? I haven't heard word-one from any Red Names that any of this is being worked on. Are they just resigned to have a faulty mechanism for searching for teams?
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My guess is that the devs realize that players tend to team with acquaintances or use the server channels to find teams. A more sophisticated team search window wouldn't significantly change that dynamic, I would guess.
Finally, the trial LFG queue is an end-around the team search window. In theory you just queue up for the trial you want and when enough other like-minded people do so, the trial just starts.
If that's the direction they're going, any time spent on the team search window is wasted effort.
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I would say people form teams all those other ways because the search window is flawed, not because it's a they'd rather use those if the search window was accurate. |
Originally Posted by Rodion
I almost never use the team search window to find other players. I either team with friends whose global handles I have, or use global chat channels to find other players. For trials, there are certain locations where people congregate, so team search isn't used for them.
My guess is that the devs realize that players tend to team with acquaintances or use the server channels to find teams. A more sophisticated team search window wouldn't significantly change that dynamic, I would guess. Finally, the trial LFG queue is an end-around the team search window. In theory you just queue up for the trial you want and when enough other like-minded people do so, the trial just starts. If that's the direction they're going, any time spent on the team search window is wasted effort. |
I've successfully organized trials at 3am before via tell hitting level50s via search(ignoring the rainbowtext of the searchresults), when people aren't in their globalchat channel tab because nobody's used it in hours anyway, or not in queue....because it's 3am, they could run their 5 tips for the day and log off without the queue they could've joined ever having 1 person besides them join it(I've never once heard of a trial not started by pre-formed league on my server anyway though). And the queue limits you to pretty much standing in a single place excluding an SG Base doing nothing for it to work I think, I'm not sure, like I said my server doesn't use it.
The rainbow idea was kinda nuts, and as the OP said, they rainbow'd all the different flags, but the code behind 3 of the most important ones still has their labels interchangeable.
10 50's To Date! Check out Titan Sentinel; it got my CoH presence synced online
Oh, sure, everyone teams with friends. That seems like a sure way to turn off new players. I brought a couple new players to the game, and we played for a while, but they both quit because they couldn't find teams when I wasn't around.
And sure, I like an occasional Task Force fine, but I really prefer finding pick-up-groups to join for a couple missions or so. Less commitment, and more variety. I'm something of an Alt-o-holic and I don't care for the 50+ content (feels like an unsatisfying grind) so I've never played any one toon (or even one server) long enough to join a SG or to build a strong network of friends.
For me, the search window is one of the only ways I have to (for example) offer my kinetic's service to a soloing scrapper or tanker. It's the only way my Bubbler can help a soloing blaster. It's the only way I can find a group of three other friends, and guest star with them for a couple missions.
And it just doesn't seem like it should be that difficult to fix...or better yet to build again from the ground up.
I've agreed that this is a real problem for a few years now. I'm fairly good at finding a PUG when I need one, but that's because I'm a bit crazy in my searches.
These are the features that we really need for the Search Menu
Drop-downs: Archtype, Powerset, Area
Write-Ins: Low Level, High Level, Name
Check Boxes: Solo Only, On the Streets (not in a mission)
For the most part, all it really needs is a writable level search, and the On the Streets box. It shouldn't be all that difficult, something along the lines of checking to see if the target in the search is currently in a mission. If they are, don't list them.
I have always felt that showing players in a mission is a bad idea in the first place, why would I give a crap if someone's in a mission unless I'm looking for where a specific person is? I want to find people who are ungrouped and are just wandering around by themselves.
PS: Why the HELL would anyone care about an Origin search? That's along the lines of searching for the color of their boots.
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Well, I agree with you, for the most part, but I would hate, hate, hate it if players in a mission we're automatically filtered from searches. For my part, people in mission are EXACTLY who I'm usually looking for. Since I like to duo with friendly solo-ers and small groups already in the process, seeing that a team is in a mission is an indication that they're already working and with my "Teleport to mission" power, I can join them post-haste, and lend a hand for immediate action.|
Originally Posted by GageEndaI
For the most part, all it really needs is a writable level search, and the On the Streets box. It shouldn't be all that difficult, something along the lines of checking to see if the target in the search is currently in a mission. If they are, don't list them.
I have always felt that showing players in a mission is a bad idea in the first place, why would I give a crap if someone's in a mission unless I'm looking for where a specific person is? I want to find people who are ungrouped and are just wandering around by themselves. PS: Why the HELL would anyone care about an Origin search? That's along the lines of searching for the color of their boots. |
In fact, I'd like the ability to search for only players in mission, but not on a Task Force.
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Originally Posted by Amish_Justice
Since I like to duo with friendly solo-ers |
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.
While I agree that there's an inherent contradiction in my words, it's not as inane as it sounds.
I'm a bartender, so I often play during off hours, and often a larger team isn't an option. I also like to play support-based archetypes. Those two facts make solo-ers excellent teammates. You can predict that they'll already be self-sufficient, making my work in support easier. They are often in mission (rather than standing around waiting for others), allowing me to join them in the middle of the action.
I also find that many solo-ers appreciate a little back-up from time to time. It helps to break up the monotony of their missions, and allows them to overcome more challenging objectives. Much of my most enjoyable times playing CoH has been playing in support of someone who often plays alone.
Really the single biggest problem with the team window is the complete lack of a legend detailing just what the various colors mean. As far as I know the only way to find out what color means what is to search the forums... there's nothing in game (that I've seen) to tell you. That makes the "color code" nearly as worthless as the aforementioned "origin" search.
I never remember what all the color codes mean; yeah light blue means solo and gray means teamed... that's unchanged from the beginning. I do remember that purple means team lead but if they're tossing that info at players they REALLY need to let them know what it means.
COH has just been murdered by NCSoft. http://www.change.org/petitions/ncso...city-of-heroes
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I don't think you truly understand what a solo-er really is. Solo players don't team. |
Originally Posted by Amish_Justice
While I agree that there's an inherent contradiction in my words, it's not as inane as it sounds.
I'm a bartender, so I often play during off hours, and often a larger team isn't an option. I also like to play support-based archetypes. Those two facts make solo-ers excellent teammates. You can predict that they'll already be self-sufficient, making my work in support easier. They are often in mission (rather than standing around waiting for others), allowing me to join them in the middle of the action. I also find that many solo-ers appreciate a little back-up from time to time. It helps to break up the monotony of their missions, and allows them to overcome more challenging objectives. Much of my most enjoyable times playing CoH has been playing in support of someone who often plays alone. |
There are unteamed players, but that doesn't make them a solo player. It merely makes them an unteamed player.
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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Isn't this just a semantic argument?
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Originally Posted by Texas Justice
I don't think you truly understand what a solo-er really is. Solo players don't team.
There are unteamed players, but that doesn't make them a solo player. It merely makes them an unteamed player. |
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Yeah it is. |
Originally Posted by Alef_infinity
Isn't this just a semantic argument?
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Many players who enjoy playing their toons solo (players I refer to as "Solo-ers") occasionally find that small groups are enjoyable too. Just because someone likes to play by themselves doesn't mean that they hate teaming. Instead, I've found that many people opt to play solo because they prefer to avoid the pitfalls of teaming in online games (incompetence, ignorance, rudeness, etc.)
Generally, I find that a well worded request to work as a duo can let a solo-er know that they could do some limited teaming without incurring those pitfalls.
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No. It's not a semantic argument. There is a difference between Solo players and people that prefer small teams and often are unteamed. Most of the people I know that refer to themselves as Solo players do not team at all. Does this keep them from running Task Forces and other content that requires a team? Yes. Does that bother them? Sometimes. Does that mean they are going to join a team in order to partake of that content? Nope.
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Originally Posted by Amish_Justice
Yeah it is.
Many players who enjoy playing their toons solo (players I refer to as "Solo-ers") occasionally find that small groups are enjoyable too. Just because someone likes to play by themselves doesn't mean that they hate teaming. Instead, I've found that many people opt to play solo because they prefer to avoid the pitfalls of teaming in online games (incompetence, ignorance, rudeness, etc.) Generally, I find that a well worded request to work as a duo can let a solo-er know that they could do some limited teaming without incurring those pitfalls. |
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.
My own main problem with the "find team" window is, I wish it would remember all the settings I had made the LAST time I had used it.
Say I want to start my own pick-up group. I open the window, set it to restrict the search to my current zone ('cause I prefer not to have to wait for people to cross multiple zones to get to my team)... build my PUG, close the window. Do a mish or two, then decide I need more members, so I open the window and click search... whoops, it finds people from all zones, since I forgot to re-select the current zone. 
My other gripe is, the UI elements (scrolbars, radio buttons) in this window are WAY too small to easily click on. (This is a problem I have with the CoH UI in general, but it's especially annoying in the find members window.)
TargetOne
"If you two don't work this out RIGHT NOW, I'm turning this invasion around and going home!" - Emperor Cole
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You've just laid out the definition of a "semantic argument".|
Originally Posted by Texas Justice
No. It's not a semantic argument. There is a difference between Solo players and people that prefer small teams and often are unteamed. Most of the people I know that refer to themselves as Solo players do not team at all.
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You're talking about people who REFER to themselves as Solo Players. I'm talking about people who happen to be in a mission alone. I don't care about what whether people self-identify as a solo-er, or a small teamer, or whatever categorical quality they feel accurately describes themselves.
There a many players who have a tendency to play solo, but are not averse to teaming with one or two other people, assuming it doesn't do one of the following
A) decrease the speed at which they play
B) cut into their XP
C) give them a headache
D) require they do missions other than their own.
Those are the people I'm looking for. I call them solo-ers, because they are playing solo, even though they might not be averse to having some company for a couple missions. Those are the people that the search window is completely inadequate at finding.
I'm often in missions solo, and happy to have company join me.
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 ):
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While this comment is about a week old, THIS would help solve a lot of the problems with the team search window. I barely knew what the colors meant before when there were only 3 or 4. Now that there's something like double that I have no idea what someone in the search listing is up to. A legend would be nice, or maybe some text pops up when you move your cursor over the color.
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Originally Posted by Call Me Awesome
Really the single biggest problem with the team window is the complete lack of a legend detailing just what the various colors mean. As far as I know the only way to find out what color means what is to search the forums... there's nothing in game (that I've seen) to tell you. That makes the "color code" nearly as worthless as the aforementioned "origin" search.
I never remember what all the color codes mean; yeah light blue means solo and gray means teamed... that's unchanged from the beginning. I do remember that purple means team lead but if they're tossing that info at players they REALLY need to let them know what it means. |
"And yes, it worries me that people know how many pipelines their graphics cards have and the bus speed of a PCIe-16x, yet don't know how to convert between bordering time zones."
[COLOR="Yellow"]Avatar by Dragonberry, coloring by Bubbawheat[/COLOR]
I used to love playing this game, but I am so frustrated with the Team Search menu, that I'm finding myself starting up other games rather than struggling to find a pick-up group in CoH.
Why is it taking so long for the game developers to tackle the many problems with the Team Search window?
Why do people in Supergroup bases still show up as if they're in mission?
Why do people who are solo in a mission look exactly the same as members of a team?
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4210915/What...low%20Mean.jpg
Yellow has essentially no meaning any more, because players colored yellow could be solos in a mission, members of a team, or people on a Task force. Useless!
And why is there no ability to filter search results based on what someone is actually doing, as opposed to what they've set as what they want to do? How bout being able to filter OUT people who are on a Task Force? How bout a filter for Team Leaders? How bout a filter for people not a team?
Why isn't this a priority? I haven't heard word-one from any Red Names that any of this is being worked on. Are they just resigned to have a faulty mechanism for searching for teams?