Wading into this topic is like walking under a bridge covered in billygoat blood and calling, "Here, troll troll troll!" There is definitely a war going on between the soloer and the social crowd. I have too much fun picking on the 'sociopathic butterflies' sometimes myself.
Although I doubt most of us are as antisocial as we come off in this thread. I like MMOs because I like the random chatter of general chat (ok, sometimes), I like to run dungeons with other people (just not the same dungeon, over and over), and I like pvp (including interacting with my own side). In fact, I like MMOs, not single player games. It's just hard for me (and maybe for a lot of us) to find that middle ground where we don't feel harassed into socializing but where we also have lots of opportunity to be social when we want to be so we can avoid talking to ourselves!
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
Wading into this topic is like walking under a bridge covered in billygoat blood and calling, "Here, troll troll troll!" There is definitely a war going on between the soloer and the social crowd. I have too much fun picking on the 'sociopathic butterflies' sometimes myself.
Although I doubt most of us are as antisocial as we come off in this thread. I like MMOs because I like the random chatter of general chat (ok, sometimes), I like to run dungeons with other people (just not the same dungeon, over and over), and I like pvp (including interacting with my own side). In fact, I like MMOs, not single player games. It's just hard for me (and maybe for a lot of us) to find that middle ground where we don't feel harassed into socializing but where we also have lots of opportunity to be social when we want to be so we can avoid talking to ourselves!
I dont know as if I would go so far as to say soloers are antisocial. Not saying anything bad about those who prefer the social aspect of MMORPGs either.
Here, do this, read SBFord's OP here and the one she made a couple weeks ago on the flip of the same topic. And tell me that all 10 points dont fall under the personal concern for social acceptance or the fear of feeling socially inept.
The differencse most of us commenting here are pointing out aren't because we are antisocial, its that most of us have no need for social acceptance, and very little fear of being seen as socially inept. You take those two things away, and both articles become more an 'umm what?!?!' than an 'oh yeah, I see what your saying'.
The error is in the belief that those who prefer to solo are those who are antsocial, which isnt true. Understand that, and you break down so many walls regarding the conversation of group/solo play.
The error is in the belief that those who prefer to solo are those who are antsocial, which isnt true. Understand that, and you break down so many walls regarding the conversation of group/solo play.
Well, that's pretty difficult to state either; human personalities rarely remain stable indefinitely.
I've been known to log on feeling...er, growly, grumpy, mean as a snake...and spend a day, a week, a month avoiding other people as completely as possible, level a fresh alt or something. Then I'll cycle back to the social side and look for ways to engage others, level with a bud, do some raiding, just hang out.
I couldn't see doing either to the full exclusion of the other. Even when I was raiding very seriously, I'd find some sanity time (usually on the stealth-alt) to just solo a bit.
I can tell you my purely unscientific, empirical conclusion from watching a lot of message boards over a lot of years--
Soloers burn out on new games faster.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Wading into this topic is like walking under a bridge covered in billygoat blood and calling, "Here, troll troll troll!" There is definitely a war going on between the soloer and the social crowd. I have too much fun picking on the 'sociopathic butterflies' sometimes myself.
Although I doubt most of us are as antisocial as we come off in this thread. I like MMOs because I like the random chatter of general chat (ok, sometimes), I like to run dungeons with other people (just not the same dungeon, over and over), and I like pvp (including interacting with my own side). In fact, I like MMOs, not single player games. It's just hard for me (and maybe for a lot of us) to find that middle ground where we don't feel harassed into socializing but where we also have lots of opportunity to be social when we want to be so we can avoid talking to ourselves!
I dont know as if I would go so far as to say soloers are antisocial. Not saying anything bad about those who prefer the social aspect of MMORPGs either.
Here, do this, read SBFord's OP here and the one she made a couple weeks ago on the flip of the same topic. And tell me that all 10 points dont fall under the personal concern for social acceptance or the fear of feeling socially inept.
The differencse most of us commenting here are pointing out aren't because we are antisocial, its that most of us have no need for social acceptance, and very little fear of being seen as socially inept. You take those two things away, and both articles become more an 'umm what?!?!' than an 'oh yeah, I see what your saying'.
The error is in the belief that those who prefer to solo are those who are antsocial, which isnt true. Understand that, and you break down so many walls regarding the conversation of group/solo play.
Oh I'm not nearly as wound up about it as I must have come off in that post. I just know the whole subject tends to get people snipping at each other a little bit. But that just means it matters to us, and articles on what matters to us are a good thing.
I read both articles, too. To me, the first one speaks a lot about freedom, when to play, how long to play, what to do in game, and of course convenience. Not having to share the loot or make smalltalk when you really don't feel like it is convenient, you gotta admit. The second one lists a lot of avoidable woes, too. Why do developers put so many restrictions on solo players when it comes to inventory, end game content, housing, and even appearance? Even though I'll take a dig at social butterflies who gripe about soloers sometimes, the people I'm really pissed at aren't the players, they're the ones making the games. I'm stubborn anyway, and anyone who tries to get me to do what I don't want to do better be paying me, and not the other way around.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
I don't get how people can play MMOs solo. It's boring as heck. I am almost never solo in any game I play, and I tend to play with friends that I've played other games with, so we know each other well. You can take just about any horrible game, add a friend grouping with you and it's at least 10x better. I don't know how soloers do it.
The same way you read a book by yourself or watch a movie/tv. The same way you drive your car or ride a bike by yourself. That's how. As with the things I mentioned, they can be done with others too, just like MMORPGs. So just because we say we are solo players, doesn't mean we don't group at all or ever. We just prefer to drive the car listening to our music singing at the top of our lungs because no one is in the car with me to get all wierd about it.
Eh...Having a cape in GW isn't really a big deal for me, I actually find it kind of odd when guilds advertise the popular "gold trim" of their capes (some sort of status symbol for guilds, I have no idea how one goes about getting it) when they're recruiting.
I roleplay a lot so not having anyone to talk to isn't really an issue either and the only MMO I've ever played that had guild housing was LoTRO and even then it was just a slightly bigger version of the house I bought for myself. Guild storage is, again, something I've never really used frequently so again not an issue.
The only MMO's I've ever made it to endgame in are WoW and Guild Wars and really the only activity that's been mostly closed off for me was raiding but with the new raid finder in WoW's 4.3 patch that won't be an issue anymore.
But hey, different strokes for different folks I guess.
90% of the time i played solo from my guild. Only got together so i could tank dungeons or raids; i was in a guild but played solo. Most MMOs content is anti-party oriented. I prefer to keep my XP to good levels and be accompanied by music than lose XP just so some random dick from my guild can slow me down.
It is best for the industry the MMO throne remains an dusty empty seat never to be filled.
If the game has anything about it overall then it will place people together through circumstance. That is where good game design comes into play.
If you have to think about grouping or send out messages in global chat for people to group. Then to my mind a multiplayer game has already failed. In essence you shouldn't be soloing an MMO. If you are, then why waste your time and money? Buy a single player game with lots of additional content. It makes next to no sense to play an MMO as a single player.
Was going to comment on the "inane chat" part in your previous piece that was linked...then I realized it was a month old. So I guess I'll do it here.
I like to play solo, but I do like to have guild chat full of folks chatting away. Sometimes I pay attention to it, some times I don't, but it makes me feel like I'm not alone in the world...even though I play mostly that way. Weird, I guess.
It's a proven historical fact that beer saved humankind.
I don't get how people can play MMOs solo. It's boring as heck. I am almost never solo in any game I play, and I tend to play with friends that I've played other games with, so we know each other well. You can take just about any horrible game, add a friend grouping with you and it's at least 10x better. I don't know how soloers do it.
The same way you read a book by yourself or watch a movie/tv. The same way you drive your car or ride a bike by yourself. That's how. As with the things I mentioned, they can be done with others too, just like MMORPGs. So just because we say we are solo players, doesn't mean we don't group at all or ever. We just prefer to drive the car listening to our music singing at the top of our lungs because no one is in the car with me to get all wierd about it.
hehe...well said. Completely agree.
It's a proven historical fact that beer saved humankind.
I don't get how people can play MMOs solo. It's boring as heck. I am almost never solo in any game I play, and I tend to play with friends that I've played other games with, so we know each other well. You can take just about any horrible game, add a friend grouping with you and it's at least 10x better. I don't know how soloers do it.
The same way you read a book by yourself or watch a movie/tv. The same way you drive your car or ride a bike by yourself. That's how. As with the things I mentioned, they can be done with others too, just like MMORPGs. So just because we say we are solo players, doesn't mean we don't group at all or ever. We just prefer to drive the car listening to our music singing at the top of our lungs because no one is in the car with me to get all wierd about it.
Pretty much this.
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
If you play solo you will be one of the first to arrive and one of the first to leave. Soloers are hot on the next best thing but have a very limited understanding of the concept that playing with your mates is better than playing for a month and then moving on to the next best thing (again).
If you play solo you will be one of the first to arrive and one of the first to leave. Soloers are hot on the next best thing but have a very limited understanding of the concept that playing with your mates is better than playing for a month and then moving on to the next best thing (again).
Phew! Next time you decide to pull something out of your butt, don't.
There are a peppering of highly uninformed opinions in this thread regarding who a soloer is and what they do. I find the ones that are way out in left field about this playstyle are just trolling, while others simply refuse to listen or understand what they are being told by the soloers themselves.
Most importantly, and sadly, is the strongly negative attitude toward soloers by these people. Its like its a personal affront to something deeply personal, like the whole "If your a Mormon you're a..cultist.. (spits in disgust) " thing floating around in American politics right now. Some people don't understand, while others refuse to understand and get up in arms to defend their playstyle.
The level of defensive, blind ignorance is appalling.
Yes we are social
No, we'd rather not play a single player console/PC game. We like being in a multi-player environment
Yes, we contribute to the economy through AH sales, crafting for the community, etc
Being guilded does not guarantee a playstyle of always grouping up or soloing. It is simply a sub-community within the game made up of the same people out in the wider gaming world
Although there are some "pure" soloists, most people who solo will group occasionally
People who solo tend to have more real life demands that can take them away from the computer at a moments notice. Its more a point of consideration to a potential group to not sign up for a 3 hour dungeon crawl/xp run and then have to AFK all the time
Just because our playstyle differs from yours doesn't mean its wrong.
5, 2 and possibly 3 are wrong. It's not hard to get random people to make a guild and find someone who is willing to invite your alts after which you just kick them all out.
As for the guild hall that really depends on how the game designers implement them it could be really easy or realy hard.
If you play solo you will be one of the first to arrive and one of the first to leave. Soloers are hot on the next best thing but have a very limited understanding of the concept that playing with your mates is better than playing for a month and then moving on to the next best thing (again).
Oh really? Strange that I played AO almost entirely solo and not in a guild for many years and part of the reason I quit was the guild drama at the end. Random teams were fine by me, and a lot of fun, but I'd say over %75 of my time in game was solo. Probably closer to %95 if you don't count chatting with random people I wasn't teamed with.
I played WoW for a year or less, and as soon as I hit 80 the pressure to join a guild to raid plus the sheer boredom induced by running the same heroics over fifty times each and doing dailies made me quit.
In other words, it isn't playing solo that makes me quit MMOs. And actually, I now like being there from launch day onward, although I'm thinking of giving that up again just because it costs too much money and too often leads to great disappointment.
So you're just completely wrong on this one.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
1. The cape thing matters not to me. I usually "hide" the stupid things anyways. Likewise for tabards.
2. I have people to talk to in RL. I have always found guild chat extremely distracting. It's one of the many reasons I shun guilds nowadays.
3 and 4. A guild bank is nice, but it's NOT worth the hassle of being in a guild, imo. Ditto for guild housing.
5. The lack of endgame is definitely a bummer, but it's not that hard to just unsubscribe and find another game once you max out your character(s). Smart MMO devs are gonna figure out one day how many subscribers they lose by not offering solo-oriented endgame options.
How little sense this article makes for someone who has been playing solo in EVE for eight years.
Now that's something I never hear. As a fellow soloer, what do you do in Eve? Besides the obvious stuff like mining and mission running? both of which I found utterly boring by the way hehe, but that has nothing to do with solo/group aspects more with the boring combat mechanics aspect.
Smart MMO devs are gonna figure out one day how many subscribers they lose by not offering solo-oriented endgame options.
I really hope so. Right now it seems they're trying to shove socializing down our throats instead, I suppose in an effort to keep churning out inferior content while players (theoretically) entertain each other enough to keep playing (and paying) for their drivel.
I'm just waiting for them to start keeping their paid beta test guilds around as recruiters and house socializers in a further effort to 'encourage' grouping. I've often wondered if some WoW feeder guilds weren't 'house guilds', actually. Stupid waste of money if anyone gets paid for mass recruiting everyone they see. It never makes for a good social experience.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
I suppose I've had good luck with pugs in the past, and I prefer playing MMOs in a group. I play most of the time with guildmates. The games seem like less of a grind in a group. I believe that I level faster and get better loot drops in a group. I avoid politics and just play the game. I also don't get the animosity between solo/group play style. I could care less about how other people play or what their goals are as long as they don't interfere with me.
5. In GW, you can be a guild of one with cape and guild hall.
4. In GW, you can hang out and talk in the arena. If you're lonely, Zaishen Battle Isle is the place to be. Rock the Boat anyone?
3. In GW, there's a guild hall you can call home. If you get the guild hall from Factions (forgot the name), it's a very nice quiet place to meditate overlooking the ocean.
2. Guild Bank is not necessary in GW since only NPCs are crafters.
1. There's plenty of end game content for solist in GW. Right now I'm doing the Winds of Change story line with my Heroes. And sometimes, those heroes says things rather funny.
So the solution, Guild Wars.
In Guild Wars 2, it might get lonely since there's no hero nor henchmen.
5. In GW, you can be a guild of one with cape and guild hall.
4. In GW, you can hang out and talk in the arena. If you're lonely, Zaishen Battle Isle is the place to be. Rock the Boat anyone?
3. In GW, there's a guild hall you can call home. If you get the guild hall from Factions (forgot the name), it's a very nice quiet place to meditate overlooking the ocean.
2. Guild Bank is not necessary in GW since only NPCs are crafters.
1. There's plenty of end game content for solist in GW. Right now I'm doing the Winds of Change story line with my Heroes. And sometimes, those heroes says things rather funny.
So the solution, Guild Wars.
In Guild Wars 2, it might get lonely since there's no hero nor henchmen.
True, but Guild Wars 2 is going to have open world events, which might be fun, depending on how friendly the players are. I'm planning to be very friendly myself, none of this joining a group, killing the mobs, and not saying anything. If I join a team, I'm going to be social.
I think also it's time for me to have another look at Guild Wars, despite the annoying way the female characters run with their hands held out at their sides like debutantes on track and field day.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
Well I used to only play solo or duo when we were waiting for a group but since more and more groups and even guilds require crap like TS sometimes we are waiting hours for the right group.
What I hate about soloing:
a. its boring and doesn't fit the idea behind a real MMORPG. If I want to play solo I'd play a solo game.
b. you don't learn how to play in a group effectively
c. since you don't communicate (via TEXTCHAT) it becomes boring really fast.
d. you dont become a better player
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play." "Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
If you play solo you will be one of the first to arrive and one of the first to leave. Soloers are hot on the next best thing but have a very limited understanding of the concept that playing with your mates is better than playing for a month and then moving on to the next best thing (again).
Phew! Next time you decide to pull something out of your butt, don't.
There are a peppering of highly uninformed opinions in this thread regarding who a soloer is and what they do. I find the ones that are way out in left field about this playstyle are just trolling, while others simply refuse to listen or understand what they are being told by the soloers themselves.
Most importantly, and sadly, is the strongly negative attitude toward soloers by these people. Its like its a personal affront to something deeply personal, like the whole "If your a Mormon you're a..cultist.. (spits in disgust) " thing floating around in American politics right now. Some people don't understand, while others refuse to understand and get up in arms to defend their playstyle.
The level of defensive, blind ignorance is appalling.
Yes we are social
No, we'd rather not play a single player console/PC game. We like being in a multi-player environment
Yes, we contribute to the economy through AH sales, crafting for the community, etc
Being guilded does not guarantee a playstyle of always grouping up or soloing. It is simply a sub-community within the game made up of the same people out in the wider gaming world
Although there are some "pure" soloists, most people who solo will group occasionally
People who solo tend to have more real life demands that can take them away from the computer at a moments notice. Its more a point of consideration to a potential group to not sign up for a 3 hour dungeon crawl/xp run and then have to AFK all the time
Just because our playstyle differs from yours doesn't mean its wrong.
There's no way in the world that I will summarize this up any better way. You've actually managed to say everything that I'm trying to say for long, especially last point.
My real life being as it is quite dramatically affects my playing time. Which basically means that some months I play quite a lot, some others I may play 1-2 hours a day, at pretty awkward hours. Missing all of the "raid" time bracket makes me for the most of the year "second class" citizen, because when I start to play (midnight onwards) there's literally no chance for getting groups for almost anything. So I'm pretty much stuck with solo play, not because that's the only way I like to play but because I don't really have no other option.
Therefore I'll be definately looking for a solo friendly MMO game, for all of the reasons above, being focused on upcoming SWTOR and GW2. And if they dissapoint me, I'll be playing Diablo 3 for the lack of better option.
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone elses opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation
Comments
Wading into this topic is like walking under a bridge covered in billygoat blood and calling, "Here, troll troll troll!" There is definitely a war going on between the soloer and the social crowd. I have too much fun picking on the 'sociopathic butterflies' sometimes myself.
Although I doubt most of us are as antisocial as we come off in this thread. I like MMOs because I like the random chatter of general chat (ok, sometimes), I like to run dungeons with other people (just not the same dungeon, over and over), and I like pvp (including interacting with my own side). In fact, I like MMOs, not single player games. It's just hard for me (and maybe for a lot of us) to find that middle ground where we don't feel harassed into socializing but where we also have lots of opportunity to be social when we want to be so we can avoid talking to ourselves!
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
I dont know as if I would go so far as to say soloers are antisocial. Not saying anything bad about those who prefer the social aspect of MMORPGs either.
Here, do this, read SBFord's OP here and the one she made a couple weeks ago on the flip of the same topic. And tell me that all 10 points dont fall under the personal concern for social acceptance or the fear of feeling socially inept.
The differencse most of us commenting here are pointing out aren't because we are antisocial, its that most of us have no need for social acceptance, and very little fear of being seen as socially inept. You take those two things away, and both articles become more an 'umm what?!?!' than an 'oh yeah, I see what your saying'.
The error is in the belief that those who prefer to solo are those who are antsocial, which isnt true. Understand that, and you break down so many walls regarding the conversation of group/solo play.
Well, that's pretty difficult to state either; human personalities rarely remain stable indefinitely.
I've been known to log on feeling...er, growly, grumpy, mean as a snake...and spend a day, a week, a month avoiding other people as completely as possible, level a fresh alt or something. Then I'll cycle back to the social side and look for ways to engage others, level with a bud, do some raiding, just hang out.
I couldn't see doing either to the full exclusion of the other. Even when I was raiding very seriously, I'd find some sanity time (usually on the stealth-alt) to just solo a bit.
I can tell you my purely unscientific, empirical conclusion from watching a lot of message boards over a lot of years--
Soloers burn out on new games faster.
Self-pity imprisons us in the walls of our own self-absorption. The whole world shrinks down to the size of our problem, and the more we dwell on it, the smaller we are and the larger the problem seems to grow.
Oh I'm not nearly as wound up about it as I must have come off in that post. I just know the whole subject tends to get people snipping at each other a little bit. But that just means it matters to us, and articles on what matters to us are a good thing.
I read both articles, too. To me, the first one speaks a lot about freedom, when to play, how long to play, what to do in game, and of course convenience. Not having to share the loot or make smalltalk when you really don't feel like it is convenient, you gotta admit. The second one lists a lot of avoidable woes, too. Why do developers put so many restrictions on solo players when it comes to inventory, end game content, housing, and even appearance? Even though I'll take a dig at social butterflies who gripe about soloers sometimes, the people I'm really pissed at aren't the players, they're the ones making the games. I'm stubborn anyway, and anyone who tries to get me to do what I don't want to do better be paying me, and not the other way around.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
The same way you read a book by yourself or watch a movie/tv. The same way you drive your car or ride a bike by yourself. That's how. As with the things I mentioned, they can be done with others too, just like MMORPGs. So just because we say we are solo players, doesn't mean we don't group at all or ever. We just prefer to drive the car listening to our music singing at the top of our lungs because no one is in the car with me to get all wierd about it.
Eh...Having a cape in GW isn't really a big deal for me, I actually find it kind of odd when guilds advertise the popular "gold trim" of their capes (some sort of status symbol for guilds, I have no idea how one goes about getting it) when they're recruiting.
I roleplay a lot so not having anyone to talk to isn't really an issue either and the only MMO I've ever played that had guild housing was LoTRO and even then it was just a slightly bigger version of the house I bought for myself. Guild storage is, again, something I've never really used frequently so again not an issue.
The only MMO's I've ever made it to endgame in are WoW and Guild Wars and really the only activity that's been mostly closed off for me was raiding but with the new raid finder in WoW's 4.3 patch that won't be an issue anymore.
But hey, different strokes for different folks I guess.
90% of the time i played solo from my guild. Only got together so i could tank dungeons or raids; i was in a guild but played solo. Most MMOs content is anti-party oriented. I prefer to keep my XP to good levels and be accompanied by music than lose XP just so some random dick from my guild can slow me down.
It is best for the industry the MMO throne remains an dusty empty seat never to be filled.
If the game has anything about it overall then it will place people together through circumstance. That is where good game design comes into play.
If you have to think about grouping or send out messages in global chat for people to group. Then to my mind a multiplayer game has already failed. In essence you shouldn't be soloing an MMO. If you are, then why waste your time and money? Buy a single player game with lots of additional content. It makes next to no sense to play an MMO as a single player.
Was going to comment on the "inane chat" part in your previous piece that was linked...then I realized it was a month old. So I guess I'll do it here.
I like to play solo, but I do like to have guild chat full of folks chatting away. Sometimes I pay attention to it, some times I don't, but it makes me feel like I'm not alone in the world...even though I play mostly that way. Weird, I guess.
It's a proven historical fact that beer saved humankind.
hehe...well said. Completely agree.
It's a proven historical fact that beer saved humankind.
Pretty much this.
Godfred's Tomb Trailer: https://youtu.be/-nsXGddj_4w
Original Skyrim: https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/109547
Serph toze kindly has started a walk-through. https://youtu.be/UIelCK-lldo
If you play solo you will be one of the first to arrive and one of the first to leave. Soloers are hot on the next best thing but have a very limited understanding of the concept that playing with your mates is better than playing for a month and then moving on to the next best thing (again).
Phew! Next time you decide to pull something out of your butt, don't.
There are a peppering of highly uninformed opinions in this thread regarding who a soloer is and what they do. I find the ones that are way out in left field about this playstyle are just trolling, while others simply refuse to listen or understand what they are being told by the soloers themselves.
Most importantly, and sadly, is the strongly negative attitude toward soloers by these people. Its like its a personal affront to something deeply personal, like the whole "If your a Mormon you're a..cultist.. (spits in disgust) " thing floating around in American politics right now. Some people don't understand, while others refuse to understand and get up in arms to defend their playstyle.
The level of defensive, blind ignorance is appalling.
Yes we are social
No, we'd rather not play a single player console/PC game. We like being in a multi-player environment
Yes, we contribute to the economy through AH sales, crafting for the community, etc
Being guilded does not guarantee a playstyle of always grouping up or soloing. It is simply a sub-community within the game made up of the same people out in the wider gaming world
Although there are some "pure" soloists, most people who solo will group occasionally
People who solo tend to have more real life demands that can take them away from the computer at a moments notice. Its more a point of consideration to a potential group to not sign up for a 3 hour dungeon crawl/xp run and then have to AFK all the time
Just because our playstyle differs from yours doesn't mean its wrong.
How little sense this article makes for someone who has been playing solo in EVE for eight years.
5, 2 and possibly 3 are wrong. It's not hard to get random people to make a guild and find someone who is willing to invite your alts after which you just kick them all out.
As for the guild hall that really depends on how the game designers implement them it could be really easy or realy hard.
Oh really? Strange that I played AO almost entirely solo and not in a guild for many years and part of the reason I quit was the guild drama at the end. Random teams were fine by me, and a lot of fun, but I'd say over %75 of my time in game was solo. Probably closer to %95 if you don't count chatting with random people I wasn't teamed with.
I played WoW for a year or less, and as soon as I hit 80 the pressure to join a guild to raid plus the sheer boredom induced by running the same heroics over fifty times each and doing dailies made me quit.
In other words, it isn't playing solo that makes me quit MMOs. And actually, I now like being there from launch day onward, although I'm thinking of giving that up again just because it costs too much money and too often leads to great disappointment.
So you're just completely wrong on this one.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
1. The cape thing matters not to me. I usually "hide" the stupid things anyways. Likewise for tabards.
2. I have people to talk to in RL. I have always found guild chat extremely distracting. It's one of the many reasons I shun guilds nowadays.
3 and 4. A guild bank is nice, but it's NOT worth the hassle of being in a guild, imo. Ditto for guild housing.
5. The lack of endgame is definitely a bummer, but it's not that hard to just unsubscribe and find another game once you max out your character(s). Smart MMO devs are gonna figure out one day how many subscribers they lose by not offering solo-oriented endgame options.
Now that's something I never hear. As a fellow soloer, what do you do in Eve? Besides the obvious stuff like mining and mission running? both of which I found utterly boring by the way hehe, but that has nothing to do with solo/group aspects more with the boring combat mechanics aspect.
I really hope so. Right now it seems they're trying to shove socializing down our throats instead, I suppose in an effort to keep churning out inferior content while players (theoretically) entertain each other enough to keep playing (and paying) for their drivel.
I'm just waiting for them to start keeping their paid beta test guilds around as recruiters and house socializers in a further effort to 'encourage' grouping. I've often wondered if some WoW feeder guilds weren't 'house guilds', actually. Stupid waste of money if anyone gets paid for mass recruiting everyone they see. It never makes for a good social experience.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
5. In GW, you can be a guild of one with cape and guild hall.
4. In GW, you can hang out and talk in the arena. If you're lonely, Zaishen Battle Isle is the place to be. Rock the Boat anyone?
3. In GW, there's a guild hall you can call home. If you get the guild hall from Factions (forgot the name), it's a very nice quiet place to meditate overlooking the ocean.
2. Guild Bank is not necessary in GW since only NPCs are crafters.
1. There's plenty of end game content for solist in GW. Right now I'm doing the Winds of Change story line with my Heroes. And sometimes, those heroes says things rather funny.
So the solution, Guild Wars.
In Guild Wars 2, it might get lonely since there's no hero nor henchmen.
Ready for GW2!!!
True, but Guild Wars 2 is going to have open world events, which might be fun, depending on how friendly the players are. I'm planning to be very friendly myself, none of this joining a group, killing the mobs, and not saying anything. If I join a team, I'm going to be social.
I think also it's time for me to have another look at Guild Wars, despite the annoying way the female characters run with their hands held out at their sides like debutantes on track and field day.
I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals.
~Albert Einstein
Well I used to only play solo or duo when we were waiting for a group but since more and more groups and even guilds require crap like TS sometimes we are waiting hours for the right group.
What I hate about soloing:
a. its boring and doesn't fit the idea behind a real MMORPG. If I want to play solo I'd play a solo game.
b. you don't learn how to play in a group effectively
c. since you don't communicate (via TEXTCHAT) it becomes boring really fast.
d. you dont become a better player
We need a MMORPG Cataclysm asap, finish the dark age of MMORPGS now!
"Everything you're bitching about is wrong. People don't have the time to invest in corpse runs, impossible zones, or long winded quests. Sometimes, they just want to pop on and play."
"Then maybe MMORPGs aren't for you."
There's no way in the world that I will summarize this up any better way. You've actually managed to say everything that I'm trying to say for long, especially last point.
My real life being as it is quite dramatically affects my playing time. Which basically means that some months I play quite a lot, some others I may play 1-2 hours a day, at pretty awkward hours. Missing all of the "raid" time bracket makes me for the most of the year "second class" citizen, because when I start to play (midnight onwards) there's literally no chance for getting groups for almost anything. So I'm pretty much stuck with solo play, not because that's the only way I like to play but because I don't really have no other option.
Therefore I'll be definately looking for a solo friendly MMO game, for all of the reasons above, being focused on upcoming SWTOR and GW2. And if they dissapoint me, I'll be playing Diablo 3 for the lack of better option.
Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone elses opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation