We have it good...

Oddly, on the rare occasions I do PUG, I'm the team leader more often than not. I say 'oddly' because I'm not in any way a social or outgoing person. I don't think I've ever typed 'lft' in this game, although I do occasionally join things when I see them forming, or more frequently, respond to somebody's request for help. But once in a while I want to get something done, like a TF, so I'll put out a call. So far I've been really lucky, on Virtue; most people have been pleasant and helpful, or at the very least, quiet.

I've definitely seen the behavior Forbin describes though, and pretty frequently. I do find leading, and sometimes even just grouping, draining, so I understand a reluctance to do it. And I really don't see anything wrong with somebody not wanting to be the leader. What I have a more diffcult time understanding, though, is why you'd then waste your time waiting around for somebody else to do it for you. If I weren't feeling up to leading the effort, I'd go do something else.

* Note that's a generic "you." Not directed at any particular poster in this thread.

The problems with the opposite of side kicking are often just as bad if not much worse.

Example: Optimal way to run low level dungeons becomes having a high level player run ahead of a lower level party and just nuke the whole thing. It turns out it is very, very hard to design a game where this doesn't become the ideal in quest-driven MMOs. So the best alternative is to just give the low level character a partial but incomplete boost so they can at least do something. Some games just set up ropes that preent high leel characters from playing with low levels altogether, but IMO that's the most frustrating possible solution.

CoX's level structure is IMO one of the most elegantly designed things about it. If I were designing an RPG it would be my starting point even if I didn't plan to specifically allow super sidekicking or exemplaring. Those two things work in CoX because level archetitecure allowed it. Other games often don't even have the foundation to make it work.

IMO side kicking itself in this game is probably doing more these days to make it harder rather than easier outside of outright farming. Where you used to be able to assume at least half of a level 50 team was around level 50, I've been on teams recently where that was true for very few members and everyone else was in the 20s. The structure of leveling in this game might let you technically run around at "Effective Level" 50, but you still definitely feel your "Real Level" of 20 when you do it.

That is definitely something that is true about this game (OP). A lot of the games have this problem for several reasons:

#1: Required class system. I hear sometimes in will stand around forever while waiting for a "healer" to join so they can go. Or a tank, or something like that. CoH is quite flexible in that respect.

#2: Level restrictions. CoH has the sidekick system and has lower limits on certain content, but otherwise it is come one come all.

#3: Equipment requirements. CoH is based around SOs, which basically means that you can play through it without uber optimizing with particular IO sets and 1337 building skills.


And so finding a team is really easy. Of course, there is the discussion going on about team leaders. This is something that I noticed, and actually a habit I developed through life. In school, all the way back to elementary school, whenever there was some group project where the team needed to decide on a project or a name or something, they would all turn to me with the dumbest look on their face, pleading "Save us, Blood!" in their eyes. I'd ask them what they think, and then silence. I'd ask for ideas, and silence. If I said nothing, the entire time would be filled with awkward glances at each other while we waited for someone to say something. That someone would, of course, turn out to be me, because I cared about my grades a bit and no one else was going to.

And this translated into the same thing in the game. I'm a frequent trial leader not because I excel at it, but because I don't like waiting around for someone else to start a trial. Ditto with TFs/SFs, and even once or twice Mothership and Hammi raids. And there really isn't a more grand explanation than that. I learned that if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. Players in the game do have this timidness about them that makes them not want to lead anything. It's like videogames carried the spectator effect over from real life into them. So, for content that I am not familiar with to content that I am well versed in, I give it the good ole' college try. Usually it works out.


Something that I do hear a lot from players is this: "But I don't know how to lead a group!". This truly is the burden of the wise. The fact is that there isn't any special class or secret instruction that lets you lead a group. What leadership is, at it's best, is just using common sense to resolve an issue, then telling other people what to do. It's problem solving where you tell other people how to solve the problem as well, and deal with the people who refuse to listen. So, to make a short list on how to lead a group...

Step #1: Know what happens. If you don't know, then find out somehow (google it, youtube it, do it once while not leading, ect).

Step #2: Know what to do when stuff happens. If you don't know, then find out somehow. If you can't find anything, then you'll have to problem solve.

Step #3: Take initiative to start whatever it is you want to lead.

Step #4: Tell other people what happens.

Step #5: Tell other people what to do.

And that is basically it. There are some minor details to handle as you go on, but those are essentially all that is needed when you are leading a group. Probably the hardest part of being a leader is when something goes wrong. Then, you have to do the whole "what happened, what should I do, tell the group" thing rather quickly. That, or fail and then learn from the mistake for the next time. After awhile, from seeing other people do things to doing things yourself, you start to develop that leadership skill.

Full disclosure: I predominantly play solo now but used to play in PUG's as my predominant form of teaming.

I would never have stuck with this game, or any other, if I'd had to have waited for up to an hour to team. When I first started teaming I used to be guilty of playing Hot Potato with the star if the leader left, but then I read a thread like this and decided to give it a shot and lead myself.

Mainly I would lead mission PUG's, sometimes it would be a fairly random selection of whatever players had available, other times it would be a dedicated run through a contact's story arcs. My favourite time as leader would have to be the Giant Monster PUG team that downed Adamastor, Paladin, Lusca and more one fine Saturday. Took only about 5 minutes to form the team after sending out the broadcast (this surprised me given the nature of the task) and we were soon knee-deep in the broken bits of GM's.

As people have said it takes very little to 'lead' in this game, a few core principles, the ability to communicate well, to make hard decisions (i.e. kicking trouble-makers) and to fall back and make a new plan when the first doesn't succeed are all you need.

Yes, CoX has spoiled us something rotten with the ease of teaming. If somebody finds it hard to get a team, I'd say they're doing it wrong.

Just popping in to agree that we do have it good with the teaming options that are available to us in CoH.

Because you can choose to side-kick or exemplar you have more opportunities to play with your friends in whatever mood they are in (unless it's a mood to solo.)

The friends, global channels & channel lists also make it easy to keep in touch with like-minded players so you have a pool of of "vetted" people to play with.

And... you can play with PUGs if that's your choice too.

Oh and there's one more thing. I'd like to give a BIG thank you to those who do decide to take the lead & get things like iTrials or TF's going. While I might be disappointed if a trial doesn't go as hoped, I'm still very glad you got the trial going in the first place. I'm here to play & hang out with friends. I can't play in trials if someone doens't get it started & I find the tasks & responisibilities of leadership to be somewhat onerous. And so I very much appreciate that you are here doing that which I don't find to be much fun & allowing me to have the fun I'm looking for!