CoH: a game for Introverts, too

The typical introvert mocking is basically impossible on the internet. Not only are forums static environments not much like clubs at all, if you just observe and don't interact...No one notices. It would take absurd amounts of stalking to know that someone has been watching a thread but not posting to it.

Back on topic, you guys remember that post I made about Guild Wars? Yeah, Guild Wars has fully one hundred percent of its PvE content equally available to both soloists and groupers. CoX could do the same thing and it would probably be trivial (it would definitely be trivial if they had planned to do so from the start, but legacy code might cause some issues at this stage). Seriously, just make everything that currently has to be teamed work like regular missions: The street sweeping portions are trivial anyway and the meat of the content in both story and mechanics comes in instances, which scale their opposition to however many players are in the instance.

Incidentally, this isn't how Guild Wars makes its content 100% available to soloists and groupers, but the specifics of execution are actually pretty trivial. What matters is the end result: Everyone gets the gameplay they want, all the time, with all the content, even if the kind of gameplay they want changes with their mood (I know there's times when I want to team and times when I don't, and also times when I want to team but don't have the time to put an 8-man group together).

I'm introverted as well. I do like teaming and find the constant action to be stimulating and fun. It is also draining, and depending on the people I can end up feeling pretty badly burnt out - this is one of the reasons I tend to take breaks from this (and other) MMORPGs, and why I tend to stay in hide when I start playing again.

It's good to have solo options for doing stuff without having to grab three or more people to help you out.

I'm not really introverted, just more of a loner type, IRL and in-game.

Other than that fact, I've always viewed the game as being played 1 of 2 ways.

Way #1.
I solo, running missions and fleshing out my characters concept/storyline. Soloing gives me the entire immersion factor, allowing me to go at my pace, read all the lore etc. Levels pass by slower so I get a much better feel for my characters abilities and in general, feel more like a part of the gameworld as far as my actions go.

Way #2.
I team, doing whatever the team just happens to want to do. I enjoy teaming because of the social aspect, getting to see/learn other powersets and concepts. The safety of numbers and drowning in mobs. Levels fly by however and I never get a chance to 'smell the roses' or really feel like part of the story. I'm just another cog in the machine.

The one thing that makes #2 harder for me than most though is the fact that I play to escape reality. In reality I'm a leader all day long, all week long, having to make every choice and keep everyone on track, deciding what to do and when and I get paid to do this.
When I get home and log in, I don't want to have to keep doing the same thing I just got done doing. I prefer to just sit back and go with the flow, so I can relax after being team lead all day at work. Not wanting to form your own teams/lead doesn't have to automatically make you introverted.

Similarly, wanting to team doesn't automatically make you extroverted.

Introverted does not mean shy.

Introvert means you're attuned to the inner world. Extroverts are attuned to the external world. That's all the words mean. Carl Jung coined the term eons ago to understand personality types back before the myriad of diagnostic tests we have available now.

IF introverts are shy, it can be a learned behavior (being picked on for their lesser ability to pick up on social cues, or to interpret them correctly), or their nature is ALSO shy, or various other things.

An extrovert can be shy. An introvert can be outgoing.

Id just like to point out how invalid the entire argument in this thread actually is.

We have ALWAYS had viable casual/solo friendly options to persue incarnate powers.

I dont know about you but by the time we even had incarnate threads, I had so many inc shards stock piled I was able to instantly have all my level shifts when they added them on my main 50s. Doing the trials for those characters was always about the fun of testing oneself while helping out the many un shifted bodies that where taking up space. I recall no few early BAFs that did fail because most of the team just couldnt bring enough power to bare in the final phase. Or recklessly kept getting a lock down.

It really does astound me when I hear people complain about drop rates for shards which I frequently conver to threads on my casual 50s. I am no farmer, and rarely solo much above 2 or 3 man spawn sizes. I run alot of exemp mid lvl tfs for fun. All my casual characters have tier 3s and thier level shifts. All they do for materials are convert shards and run the wst if its one I enjoy.

There is no good reason you NEED to build up incarnate power faster then that but if you really want to that is what the Itrials are for. To be honest I am really sad about the changes coming to DA and wished the revamp had left it at the original lvl range just done like faultline was.

Now I could have gotten behind a shadow shard revamp for incarnates. as that zone is and always has been a place meant to test your best builds.

Extroverts tend to need validation from other people, hence why they get so cheesed off when someone doesn't want to always team up since they might not want to team with them at some point.

It also seems why you can radiate every do-not-disturb cue at a party and there's always someone that has to try to drag you into the mix, because you're not interacting with them you're not validating their self-worth.

An introvert will be perfectly fine with others (not them) teaming their weaselly black guts out.

Let's look at this last post:

"When people like me point out that around 90%-95% of the game is soloable and us teamers like having some content and things to do set aside for us, we're called everything but red-headed stepchildren (and sometimes worse), treated like we are the ones who are being pig-headed and inflexible."

I dont post very often and I certainly dont like sticking my nose in these discussions but this comment baffled me. Sorrry, I dont mean to jump on you as well.

100% of the game is teamable so what do you want set aside for teamers? There is nothing in the game you cant team up for, so nothing is being withheld from "teamers".

And just for the record, I dont care about trials. I have zero interest in them. Im not mad at them and am happy there is something for people who like raiding. Im also glad that people who dont like that style of gameplay now have an option with Dark Astoria.

I have been playing these PC games since the 80's and there is quite a bit of evolution involved in what is considered an MMORPG in 2012 that is not being considered in the discussion.

That is unfortunate in the sense that in a objective review of the history of how we got to MMORPG's 2012 one would see the validity in both the teaming and soloing arguments being bantered about. Its really not as absolute as either side is arguing. Shrug.