Is "Gratz" dead?

I've been playing for about 6.5 years now and one thing that attracted me to the game, and kept me playing was the overall friendliness of the playerbase. One of the things that I got used to was hearing (reading?) GRATZ when I leveled and saying (typing?) it to others who leveled.

Lately though, the GRATZes are few and far in between. Of course I have it bound to a key and whenever I see someone level I hit the key and lately it seems like I'm the only one, and even the person I GRATZ'd usually doesn't reply with a TY or anything else. And it makes me feel a little sad when I level and don't get a GRATZ.

I mean it's not really a big deal, I don't ragequit or make a fuss it just seems strange that after 6 years it seems to have died out, almost as if mostly everyone but me got together and decided, "GRATZes? We don't need no stinkin GRATZes!" or something like that.

Just wanted to throw that out there, see if anyone else had noticed. I *think* one reason is that people are playing a lot more on their 50's and maybe just got out of the habit because 50's don't level? Something like that?

For me, the real thrill of the game has been, next to the teaming, is the leveling up of a new character. Getting new powers, learning how to use them, slot them, etc. I just don't get that satisfaction with the new incarnate stuff. I don't really understand how it works, what salvage to get, what trials give what, etc. That's just me, but I still mostly play characters under 50.

Well, an automatic grats has about as much sincerity behind it as a forced apology.

There's various reasons you don't see it as much, I think. One, with the pace of battle you don't always see or hear people ding up, or if you do you might be busy with other things. Two, the XP curve is sufficiently smoothed out that folks get a lot of levels really quickly. I know in sewer teams it's not even worth saying grats, because everyone's leveling every two minutes.

I still see it, especially in the higher levels when leveling becomes rarer. But it's definitely an occasional thing, not constant.

Yeah, I know I don't always see or hear everyone level, but when I do, I always say gratzie!

But during a sewer run, I don't always say it, since the level just tend to go by quickly in there.

D: The only time I really say it is when a new 50 is born but then... *looks at the piles of 50's laying in my corner* I came from a time when that sorta meant something.

Personally, I don't say it all that often. I have a tiny pirate as part of a superteam that speaks only in pirate, so I have half a dozen gratz binds set up for her, but other than that I typically only say it when I mean it, and that's usually only above level 30s. I definitely say it anytime someone hits 50, and not only that but I do the long drawn out instead of just a short "Gratz".

I say it all the time. I like giving positive reinforcement, no matter how easy the curve may seem.


S.

Depends if you play with friends, if you notice it, and the circumstances. If it's in a sewers, I probably wouldn't say it, and if it's in a TF, then I'll probably say it if I notice it. Of course, gratz is dead in Incarnate trials, haha.

To the OP:

I've recognized the same thing. I usually only see it from veterans, honestly. And its becomin' less and less frequent.

I could go into the flagrant and numerous reasons why I think it has devolved into thus, but it would probably deteriorate into a rant and detract from the thread.

But, again, yes, I do this this is nearly the case.

I would rather say "gratz" once someone hits 50 because, in CoH, leveling is a given. You play to level (well, most do.) For me, while teaming, saying gratz every level doesn't mean much. Congratulating someone on an accomplishment should mean more than just leveling.

Running the sewer trial over and over from 1-30 isn't really much of an accomplishment as there is no other reason to run it over and over than to level with minimul risk.

I don't think that not saying gratz means that people are unfriendly. I think that people have begun to prioritize what "gratz" should be used for.

It's kind of been done to death. I try to do some funny(to me at least)variation rather than just doing the impersonal pre-scripted thing.

Take the Magic: The Gathering 'What Color Are You?' Quiz.

I'm one of those who is terrible at multitasking, I get so focused on fighting, and with all the graphics, I often miss a ding.

Also, as others have mentioned, when in lowbie farms, it seems that there is a ding every other minute, so I usually say, "PermaGratz to all who level" at the beginning. Then at the end, I'll say something like, "So how many dings did we all get?". That is usually followed by a chorus of "awesome" and "gratzies" all around.

When I DO catch a ding on higher level TFs/mishes, I don't always use the same phrase. I tend to personalize it with a little silliness.

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I've never felt obligated to congratulate people for leveling. I sometimes do... when I feel like it, and I notice it, and I'm not busy doing something more important like fighting. But leveling happens automatically over the course of playing the game. It's a fairly pedestrian accomplishment, especially early on. Sometimes it feels like congratulating someone for hitting a green light or not burning dinner.

That said, I don't begrudge anyone who does make a point of congratulating people, even on a sewer run or something; what grates on me is the occasional person who gets full-on offended if I don't (thankfully few and far between, but they're out there). I mean, really? Get over yourself. I'm not going to throw a party just because you hit level 6 while I was in your presence.

And while I don't personally care whether someone congratulates me for leveling or not, I'm always sure to thank people who do. That's just common courtesy.

I prefer saying gratz after the 30s when leveling slows down a lot.

Funny, I still get it quite regularly whenever I level on a team.

I always say "Gratz!" ('cause I can type fast, yo) and I sincerely mean it every time I say it.

But if it's on a Sewer or other fastly levelling thing, I'll do a preemptive "Auto-gratz! to any and all who level, in advance. That should cover ya. ", because that can get silly.

And all teams, which lately have been 40+, have said the Gratz to me, and me back at them, but methinks thats 'cause Pinnacle's cool like that.

It's not dead where I play. Heard it at least 20 times today during a task force. (Not saying that 20 levels were earned - each ding got multiple gratzes.)

i still hear it frequently past level ten or so. Basically the only place i don't hear it often is on Death From Below teams. Even then i hear it every so often.

Just finished a Synapse TF on Champion and every time someone leveled there was a chorus. (Although i never say "gratz" anyway. Since shortly after i started playing i've nearly always said "kudos".)

I "Gratsed" the PUG teammate who joined me on some scanner missions just yesterday and recieved a thank you in return. I think it's a situational thing, Congrats on teams, pre-grats to all after the first ding on a fast leveling TF, probably not so much in the new sewer run.

Honestly, if I'm in a situation where there's hot and heavy fighting, I may not be able to offer one. Nor would I expect one.

However, in situations where I know that people are going to be leveling (like Fire/Rad superteams), I tend to offer an "infini-gratz" right at the outset.

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