I don't think teaming is happening any less often...
Changes that need (should) be made, though, are improvements to the search window (namely, a button to filter out players already on a team). Also, trying to make the 'LFG' window help you find a group would be nice as well (right now, it's basically completely ineffective for that task).
The rewards for teaming are already huge... it's just the tedium of making a team that's the problem.
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Originally Posted by ShadowNate
;_; ?!?! What the heck is wrong with you, my god, I have never been so confused in my life!
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I'd rather have the person who has the star in a team of four or more have 20ft range tohit/dam/rech/def buff, similar in a way to supremacy for Masterminds, but applied to the leader and any of his team near him. The buffs doesn't have to be big, just an incentive for someone to actually have the star and lead. I remember in tons of games, nobody wants the star. With this, now they will. XD
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Arc: 60092 - Supa Rumble in the Park
"Keep living the dream, and never let any jerk tell you what to do."
-- High-Roller
I play on Freedom and never have trouble finding a team.
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
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Would you mind explaining how you go about this? Not being snarky, it's a genuine question.
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Originally Posted by Darth_Khasei
I play on Freedom and never have trouble finding a team.
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Maestro Mavius - Infinity
Capt. Biohazrd - PCSAR
Talsor Tech - Talsorian Guard
Keep Calm & Chive On!
Freedoms population is so high there are always people there to get a team.
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
i play in a low population server and whenever i want to team, i always find ppl to join me or an event to tag along..... i use my global friends list, the server's public channel and private channels.. i don't think that ppl have ever stopped wanting to team in this game....
defiant only
@amartia
my public list : http://cit.cohtitan.com/profile/9355
What I'm getting at is, I don't think us vets are getting a true picture of the current teaming dynamic, due to our;
A)Knowledge of the game and systems.
B) Core group of friends/SG's to roll with.
Even taking Freedom into consideration, being the default top pop server, finding teams is nowhere near as easy as it used to be, if you don't already have that pre-built social connection in game.
Various reasons for this, none of which have to do with dwindling population numbers, rather things like I-trials and ouro portals etc spreading us out.
It's easy for us to assume that finding teams is a breeze, because for us it is, for new players though, the reality if much different.
If you aren't already established and active in a global channel you might as well not bother requesting a team there.
9/10 your request will be ignored entirely as the players that know each other continue conversations without missing a beat. So then you have the choice of spamming the request, or just joining in the conversation and hoping to get another chance to ask. This is relayed from a friend that was brand new, after giving him the advice to join some Globals.
So I taught him how to use the team window to search for members, he'd bought some points so he could send tells even... He could form teams for DfB in seconds flat, so I knew he wasn't having trouble. Forming teams for regular content though? Not so much. He ended up rage quitting over it, much to my shock.
It was that shock that made me realize how different it is now. Long gone are the days of rampant blind invites. We form teams with ease because we've been doing it for years and know all the ins and outs, not to mention having a good size group of global friends.
Just pointing out that it isn't that cut and dry. Telling new players to join Globals isn't the end all solution we want to think it is sadly. There is a distinct lack of teaming going on these days, outside of regular play groups, simply due to the fact that we have global lists to go to first, thereby taking us out of the equation.
So if you've got a tip for finding teams without relying on those pre-existing foundations, please share! I'd love to be able to help others with it. Issue 23 may bring some help for this though. 
(Reminder: I'm in no way saying the population is down, just that the dynamics of teaming have changed.)
Maestro Mavius - Infinity
Capt. Biohazrd - PCSAR
Talsor Tech - Talsorian Guard
Keep Calm & Chive On!
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Understood. I would support anything to help new people get into the social side of the game for sure.
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Originally Posted by MaestroMavius
What I'm getting at is, I don't think us vets are getting a true picture of the current teaming dynamic, due to our;
A)Knowledge of the game and systems. B) Core group of friends/SG's to roll with. Even taking Freedom into consideration, being the default top pop server, finding teams is nowhere near as easy as it used to be, if you don't already have that pre-built social connection in game. (Reminder: I'm in no way saying the population is down, just that the dynamics of teaming have changed.) |
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
Just give us a proper Public Teams system or some mechanism where the Team Leader can set his status to "Leader looking for more".
I really, really wish they'd get around to doing this, it'd make things much easier for me both in terms of running and looking for teams.
Nowadays I just start a team if there's none running. Shouting out on Help and Broadcast along with sending a few Tells to those looking in the search tool usually gets it filled pretty quickly. But I'd prefer being able to set a status when we're running with 6 saying "Open team, come and join" and let people find me rather than making those other 5 wait outside while I hunt for 1 or 2 more.
Indeed.
Hopefully a dedicated LF... Wait, I don't wanna get redacted, lets just say hopefully the next issue might solve some of these concerns.
Maestro Mavius - Infinity
Capt. Biohazrd - PCSAR
Talsor Tech - Talsorian Guard
Keep Calm & Chive On!
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I don't know, seems like there is already a lot of complaints from soloists that the game favors teaming too much. Upping the rewards for teams will only add more fuel to that fire (see the recent debate over incarnate rewards in the new Dark Astoria soloable content vs itrials).|
Originally Posted by Rodney_
It seems teams aren't as popular as they use to be. I have a couple ideas that migth encourage teams and team building. Perhaps the Devs would give a bonus or larger drops or some sort of reward to players that are on teams of 5 or more. I know you get more xp on larger teams but I think the incentive needs to be recipes or influence or something else that you only get while on a team. Plus, I think you should bonus the team leader a bit more than the rest of the team since they built the team and is running it, etc.
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As for the team leader bonus, I might point out that the player with the star is not necessarily the one who built the team or in some cases even the one actually running it.
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Indeed. I've formed/led many a tf in which I've passed the star before we've started so that the higher levels can keep more of their powers.
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Originally Posted by Red_Raccoon
As for the team leader bonus, I might point out that the player with the star is not necessarily the one who built the team or in some cases even the one actually running it.
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I'd tend to agree. Teaming (though not population) does seem to be down. It might be merely a factor of my perspective, I'll grant, but I try to be aware of POV based bias and take that into account. Even allowing for that, I still think it's down.
I personally never have much trouble finding or building a team when I choose to, but as other posters have said, that's because I know a lot of the tricks and have an established network. I can imagine that it's not that easy for everyone.
One part of the problem, I have no doubt, is the poor quality of the teaming tools, specifically the 'Search' feature. It was never stellar, but the overhaul it got with Going Rogue, it's now REALLY bad. I've almost totally stopped using it since that time.
But, I think another problem exists. There seems to be a fairly large gap int he reward levels between regular content, and a lot of other content. This means that the informal/PUG teaming that does happen is almost exclusively the 'special' teams. I don't even bother when I run regular content to try to team. I solo it because I don't believe that the rewards justify other people's time. When I run it solo, I can at least easily follow the plot, which team members can't do as easily. I get the goodies, and usually they don't. I get the end of arc bonuses, they don't. Sometimes, they don't even get the badges, which the mish-holder gets.
Assuming there are any noteworthy percentage of players that think as I do, a lot of vets that run regular content are removed from the teaming pool whenever then run this regular/'lower reward-rate' content. Not sure if this a significant factor, but I think it has to have a least some net total effect.
I think a slight increase to rewards for regular content to place it on a move less uneven footing with trials/TFs/SFs/tips might be worth considering. Granted, I don't think it should be on even footing, but less uneven that it is now. I also think the the 'special' rewards should not be withheld totally from non mission-holders.
I certainly don't claim to know for sure the magic fix, but I would love that the issue gets looked at and some effort made to address it.
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I solo a lot. I believe the soloist complaints are most often one of inaccessibility. I know they are in my case, and I feel that's true for most soloists. I can't choose to do content X at all, because I'm solo. Therefore any reward that that mission/trial/etc unlocks is often totally, or almost close to accessible to me as well (obviously outside of a teaming environemnt; I fully understand that it becomes accessible once a soloist chooses to join a team).. When I run content that can be accessed by teams or individuals alike, the rewards often vastly favour the soloist. This is especially true later in the game.
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Originally Posted by Red_Raccoon
I don't know, seems like there is already a lot of complaints from soloists that the game favors teaming too much. Upping the rewards for teams will only add more fuel to that fire (see the recent debate over incarnate rewards in the new Dark Astoria soloable content vs itrials).
As for the team leader bonus, I might point out that the player with the star is not necessarily the one who built the team or in some cases even the one actually running it. |
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These are both improvements I'd like to see as well. 1. Improve the search window, please. It's still more confusing that it needs to be to find people. 2. And make the LFG work for teams, so that anyone who wants can open their team to the LFG and folks can join.|
Originally Posted by Kitsune Knight
Changes that need (should) be made, though, are improvements to the search window (namely, a button to filter out players already on a team). Also, trying to make the 'LFG' window help you find a group would be nice as well.
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While I'm thinking about it, the Search window and the LFG should be integrated better. We can set a "looking for Trial flag" in our Search window. Why not add a player to the LFG queue automatically? Ditto for TF/SFs. And the "looking for any" flag should likewise put you in the LFG for anything.
(Actually, I'm wondering if the "looking for ..." flags in the search window are obsolete now, but that's another discussion.)
Finally, when the 2nd request above is implemented ("make LFG work for teams") the rest of the flags in the Search window ("looking for missions", "looking for patrol", etc.) should add you in the LFG queue for teams.
Going the other way, if I'm in the LFG queue for X, then X should appear as my flag in the search window.
(We've been asking for the ability to find the number of players in the LFG queue, and see who is waiting for what. Could this capability be added to the Search window? Hmm... maybe...)
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Snip!((snipped way down, just see above. I pretty much agree with all of it.))|
Originally Posted by gameboy
These are both improvements I'd like to see as well.
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Originally Posted by gameboy
(We've been asking for the ability to find the number of players in the LFG queue, and see who is waiting for what. Could this capability be added to the Search window? Hmm... maybe...)
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The "problem" with teams is that there are far too many people unwilling to get off their butts and start teams. They prefer to stand around spamming LFT messages and waiting for someone else to accept leadership.
I have logged on at various times of the day on different servers and seen the same scenario happen over and over. There's half a dozen or more players standing around Miss Liberty in plain sight of each other and each one is spamming LFT for DfB.
I've even gone so far as to form the teams up for them and start a trial/TF and quit only to see them less than a minute later spamming LFT again because none of them wanted the star.
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Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
The "problem" with teams is that there are far too many people unwilling to get off their butts and start teams. They prefer to stand around spamming LFT messages and waiting for someone else to accept leadership.
I have logged on at various times of the day on different servers and seen the same scenario happen over and over. There's half a dozen or more players standing around Miss Liberty in plain sight of each other and each one is spamming LFT for DfB. I've even gone so far as to form the teams up for them and start a trial/TF and quit only to see them less than a minute later spamming LFT again because none of them wanted the star. |
While that's undoubtedly part of the problem, there is no reason to suspect that this cause has changed at all in the entire span of CoHs history. So that likely isn't contributing to any decline in teaming. Assuming that there really is a decline in teaming, and it's not just perception, then trying to combat this cause of lack of teaming is probably not as worthwhile as avenue to pursue as fixing rewards and/or fixing the teaming tools available.
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Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
The "problem" with teams is that there are far too many people unwilling to get off their butts and start teams. They prefer to stand around spamming LFT messages and waiting for someone else to accept leadership.
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Unfortunately only too true. The other problem is the number who do start to form a team - find they can't get a full 8 so give up. That and blind invites - many players will auto decline those for good reason. If you want someone to join let them know what you are running and the level - the same applies if you are LFG - let whoever might invite you know something about your character - level and AT would be a good start and if you see half a dozen all LFG then there is clearly enough interest if someone can be bothered to send the invites.
A lot of regular teaming is arranged via other channels - most commonly one of the server global channels or ones set up for a particular SG
Mind of Gaia lvl 50 Defiant's first Mind/Storm 'troller.
Deadly Doc 50 Dark/Dark Corr
and lots more on Pinnacle,Union and Defiant
Not that I'm a big team player to begin with, but one thing that *does* detract
from it on those rare occasions when I do team, is the simple fact that in many
cases, *only* the leader can READ the stories -- I find that rather irksome.
I solo-ed DA and the SSA's for exactly that reason, and don't generally bother
with tfs because they're not easily solo-able (without going thru a bunch of rigamarole).
The only way I even know what the darn tf's are about is to read about them on P-Wiki. 
Seems a bit silly to me.
Regards,
4
I've been rich, and I've been poor. Rich is definitely better.
Light is faster than sound - that's why some people look smart until they speak.
For every seller who leaves the market dirty stinkin' rich,
there's a buyer who leaves the market dirty stinkin' IOed. - Obitus.
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If you don't have enough people, you don't get AV's. That's why DFB's always want to run with 8. An AV is worth about as much as all the minions on the level combined, an EB isn't worth much. If they would allow you to spawn AV's with fewer players, this issue would probably go away (though players might still shy away due to the difficulty being much higher with AV's).|
Originally Posted by Gaia
Unfortunately only too true. The other problem is the number who do start to form a team - find they can't get a full 8 so give up.
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Originally Posted by FourSpeed
Not that I'm a big team player to begin with, but one thing that *does* detract
from it on those rare occasions when I do team, is the simple fact that in many cases, *only* the leader can READ the stories -- I find that rather irksome. I solo-ed DA and the SSA's for exactly that reason, and don't generally bother with tfs because they're not easily solo-able (without going thru a bunch of rigamarole). The only way I even know what the darn tf's are about is to read about them on P-Wiki. Seems a bit silly to me. Regards, 4 |
Personally, I think the LFG tab should automatically add people to an existing group rather than lump the minimum required number of people into a team and immediately start the mission. Invariably you end up with too few people, then you lose people because too few people means fewer rewards, and the group falls apart. Making it a good tool for forming teams rather than for starting missions would go a long way towards fixing it.
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You can spawn AVs solo depending on your settings.
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Originally Posted by Grendar
If you don't have enough people, you don't get AV's. .
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Mind of Gaia lvl 50 Defiant's first Mind/Storm 'troller.
Deadly Doc 50 Dark/Dark Corr
and lots more on Pinnacle,Union and Defiant
I don't know if some one else mentioned this, but I believe it is less people willing to FORM teams that could be the problem. Plenty of people want a team, but no one wants to have the star, so they will solo instead.
I blame the PvP nerfs which drove away a lot of outgoing, outspoken people who, when not PvPing would have started teams.
Your character does not have capped defense. Depending on your AT the cap is between 175% - 225%. Your defense is not teal in the combat window, it can go higher. STOP SAYING IT IS CAPPED! The correct term is Soft Cap.
I enjoy playing in Mids. I specialize in Melee Characters, other AT's usually bore me.
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In a way I think it is ok that people that are not leaders normally in RL or games not lead here. Just like here, I am outgoing in RL and lead a business so leadership is like a drink of water to me. I recognize however, that forcing non leaders to lead or being put into that position unprepared can lead to disaster.|
Originally Posted by Forbin_Project
The "problem" with teams is that there are far too many people unwilling to get off their butts and start teams. They prefer to stand around spamming LFT messages and waiting for someone else to accept leadership.
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Let the leaders lead and the followers follow. A good leader is always going to find potentially good leaders to groom up for the times when they are not there and that is how that skill is passed down to those that show promise in that area.
It is perfectly fine to be a warrior following the chief.
Tank please pull Nightstar to me here. Everyone else off the court and behind me here. Thank you.
The development team and this community deserved better than this from NC Soft. Best wishes on your search.
It seems teams aren't as popular as they use to be. I have a couple ideas that migth encourage teams and team building. Perhaps the Devs would give a bonus or larger drops or some sort of reward to players that are on teams of 5 or more. I know you get more xp on larger teams but I think the incentive needs to be recipes or influence or something else that you only get while on a team. Plus, I think you should bonus the team leader a bit more than the rest of the team since they built the team and is running it, etc.
If those two steps were taken, I believe more teaming would happen and that would help everyone.