Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
SWTOR's LFG Tool - Know it, use it, love it.
Gibbonici
Member UncommonPosts: 472
Judging by the regular complaints that TOR has no LFG tool, I'm guessing a lot of people have missed the fact that TOR does have an LFG tool, and it's pretty good - as long as people choose to use it. So I figured I do everyone a favour and give a brief tutorial about what it is and how to use it.
To get started, first you need to bring the interface up. This couldn't be easier - simply type /who in the chat window.
When it comes up you'll see a window with a list of players on whatever planet you happen to be on. It shows their name, level, class, location, LFG status and any LFG comments they've provided. Under this list is a check box so you can show up on other people's list as Looking For Group and a button for adding a brief comment about the type of G you're LF.
At the top of the window is a search box that contains the name of your current location by default. Don't worry, you can make your own searches and this is where it becomes really useful.
You can search on Class, LFG status, level, name and location, or any combination of same. So if you're looking for all Inquisitor players between levels 17 and 20, you'd enter "inquisitor 17 18 19 20". If you want to find all players on Hoth who are LFG, you'd enter "hoth lfg". All sages who have specified that they're looking for an Esselles run, "sage esselles".
You get the idea. It's sort of like Google but with less porn.
It's a pretty tidy little tool if you're willing to use it, and even tidier if you're willing to use it creatively.
Comments
No one uses it.
They need something better like others have suggested such as DDO. Doesn't have to be an lfd but something poeple will actually utilize would be nice.
...and their subpar attempt at one isn't working.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Alot of people use it on my server. I like it alot better then the LFD tool in other games.
I agree with WikedJelly. They need something else. The LFG tool they have now (if you can even call it that) is just terrible. It has never been used going back to early beta, so I am somewhat confused as to why Bioware has not implemented something else in all this time... Even a global LFG chat channel would work miracles for this purpose, but we get nothing. Its definitely something they should focus their efforts on... along with the UI in general.
It's too bad that no one uses it (at least on my server). I've been using it since launch and have yet to put together a group with it or get an invite from it. One of my chars is a tank and I make that very clear in the LFG comments but still nothing.
What do you truly need in a LFG tool? Fireworks and explosions? Whats in game works fine if anyone bothered to use it.
I hardly doubt you even know what grind means if you think SWTOR is a grind. Seriously. For some players moving a mouse is a grind these days.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
The fact that no one bothers to use it means it does not work fine. People will use a tool if it is user-friendly and obvious enough. What they have in game is simply not.
DDO's is an LFM system which is also pretty handy and would be cool to have in TOR as well. But people have to use it.
Next time your server's chat channel is spammed up with LFGs, direct them to the LFG tool - take a bit of initiative in making grouping easier. It's your community after all.
Loads of people use it on my server, each to there own i guess.
And the dude who said 'Sterile Zones'. Give it a rest already, go play something else.
Exactly.
What this basically boils down to is some servers are a lot more populated than others. So those that are playing with friends or playing on servers with robust populations aren't having problems finding groups.
Therefore in their infinite wisdom they feel there is no issue since it isn't affecting them. Gotta love it actually.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
SWToR's tool is very lacking in terms of being useful. It's the reverse of how groups generally get put together. Normally, someone announces or states "I'm putting a group together for X" and then people ask to join the group...not the other way around.
In addition to that, the comment doesn't seem to show up in the general interface...you have to click on the people or something.
There are better ways to do this. Show a list of people who are on the same group quests as you. Then have the option to try to add them to your group or request to join their group, with a note as to why. "Lizardbones wants to invite you to a group for Enemies of the Republic" or "Lizardbones wants to join your group for Enemies of the Republic". You could even put in there "As a Healer" or something similar.
If they're going to have a tool, it should be useful. The fact that nobody is using the LFG tool means that it isn't very useful.
** edit **
I did not copy Wickedjelly on purpose. It's a cosmic coincidence.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Hahahahah..lol..hahaha...that was the best joke in a long time..hahahah!!!
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Well, to be fair to the OP he does have a point to an extent. Outside of those of us that have played mmos for a long time I doubt many even are aware of the feature at all.
I don't recall a tutorial tip about it anyways. Still, it is about as generic as you can get and really not useful especially compared to what other games offer.
I have seen two people since I have been playing actually have something listed in their notes and actually lfg. That's it.
Granted most times I have it a lot easier finding groups than some others because I play a healer. However, I can sympathize with those that are struggling.
I plan on playing this game for a while. The more tools they have available for players the more chance they'll stick around which improves my gaming experience and hopefully with a healthy retention rate improves hopefully an abundance of content updates and an ongoing effort for BW to put forth the highest effort possible to improve the game overall on a continual basis.
1. For god's sake mmo gamers, enough with the analogies. They're unnecessary and your comparisons are terrible, dissimilar, and illogical.
2. To posters feeling the need to state how f2p really isn't f2p: Players understand the concept. You aren't privy to some secret the rest are missing. You're embarrassing yourself.
3. Yes, Cpt. Obvious, we're not industry experts. Now run along and let the big people use the forums for their purpose.
Indeed..now i have read it and seen it all.
You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty -- Mahatma Gandhi
Wow, lol , thats funny as hell.
In the mission scren you already have a flag indicating whether you want the quest tracked or not. They could simply add a second flag that would indicate that you want to LFG for that quest. heck, when you get the quest you could get an initial popup asking wf you wnated to be added to the LFG list. THen you only need a slight change to the Who list to indicate people searching for particular groups. Let the players handle inviting others from the list and you do not really need an automatic system.
Yeah I like the old fashioned LFG where you actually have to communicate with other players in a MMO, which TOR does a great job of placing the "instances" in the same areas "solo quests" and I would call out anyone having a "so called issue" finding a group.
Sitting in a capital city with anal jokes endlessly spammed in /1 or /2 is not as effective.
As a long time FF11 player i feel that the tool does offer everything you need to get a group going could it be made easier for the less experienced players?? sure it could. Is it too complicated to work?? hell no its not.
The problem is that not a lot of ppls use the tool maybe players just became to antisocial over the last couple years with all the lfg auto group tools but its hardly the games fault if players want to be antisocial in an MMORPG.
The tool works just fine its the players that are broken but its always easier to put the blame on someone else instead of seeing your own short comings.
FF11 had a similar search function and getting a pt in the game was everything you couldn't do shit without a pt so it was used a lot and your rep did matter for something got known to be an ass and you could wait long (very long) to get any pt invites but if you are known as a team player who knows his job you get pts all the time.
With a system like that its you that matters and get an invite while in an auto-group tool all that matters is your lvl/class so who cares if you just leave in the middle of a run or if you are an ass the tool does not care next time you flag up you will get an invite again regardless of your rep.
If used right this lfg tool can build a great community but if players rather go on forums bitching about it instead of getting used to it and make it work it will just end up being another terrible community.
Sounds good to me. I think fully automating the grouping process is too much, but streamlining the boring administrative bits is good. Give people as much information as possible, but have them do the work of getting together.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
I really don't see the current system as all that bad. My server uses the comment system a lot. Not only that, General is the LFG channel on my server. Maximum wait for most areas is 2 minutes max. Mind you I have no issues with grouping since I play with my girlfriend.
Agreed also would mention alot of players are using 3rd party software (Vent, TS etc) to arrange runs. Those that have issues finding a group might want to look into a guild or more effective guild that uses voice communication over typing LFG.
Yeah, that's a great idea. The LFG system could definitely take a few improvements, but it's far from useless as long as people know it's there and how to use it to it's full potential.
I started this thread because of all the posters who keep saying that there isn't a LFG tool at all, when there is even if it's not signposted in the game. It's a community-run system though, and only works as well as our server communities use it. Sure, it might not be the most streamlined of systems but it's there and it's a whole lot better than spamming LFG, and judging by the number of people who spam I'd say that a lot of people don't even know it's there.
op: i got to say you are my savior didnt know the /who function actually was so powerfull without being a teleportation this my friend is lot of epic awsome !ty men!and the other poster is right nobody use it but only because they dont know it exist i sure didnt!
NP mate. The more people who know about it and use, the better it'll work. Tell your friends
No one used it in LOTRO or STO for that matter so why should they now? It was the very first tool used in LOTRO and they changed it because their chat channels were flooded as well at the time. They made it a matching service where it showed you everyone who was on your quest or in your dungeon you were looking for without typing, that was their second stage before moving on to the now used WoW dungeon finder tool that puts you into a group automatically. Seriously it doesnt have to do that or port you but it's 2012 it had better show me a list of people on A: my quests b: my dungeons and do so without typing. Demand more, they'll listen when they lose subs.