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LOTRO (Turbine) has stated that the majority of their playerbase is not interested in group-content, and because of this they will not focus on adding more group-content to the game. Which I find absolutely fantastic!
Could this be the trigger that will change the whole genre with many other games to follow the same example?
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The rest of the genre? There's already a genre aimed at people playing alone... it's called an rpg.
I don't see the point of playing a mmo if you don't want to be in groups at all.
While the OP didn't provide a link, he did state the Turbine made that particular claim, not himself. And if the claim is true and Turbine did in fact state that the majority of their players do not want group content, it's very likely that tracking data is showing them that their players do not engage in group content.
A lot of people fault developers for "caving" in to players and not staying true to their vision, but this is in line with what Blizzard did. Track what the players do and if no one or almost no one does something, you either make it more attractive to do so, or you stop devoting resources towards developing it further.
It's not a question of right or wrong, good or bad; but one of time management for developers. Why build content for people who don't want it? And so you get this scenario in which some players get upset that they no longer get that content not realizing that they are part of the minority. And yes, it sucks getting overruled, but it happens.
Yes soon we have:
MSORPG=MASSIVE SOLO ONLINE ROLE PLAYING GAME
Maybe the knowledge of knowing others also running around in same world you are or for trade some chat or other interaction but quest or grind solo.
Some also wanne solo but from time to time doing group events or play with friend.
That's pretty much me in a nutshell.
However, I do enjoy gruoping with guild members.
Having said that, I think mmo's should have group content. Part of the problem is that these games might have one quest where people group and then disband afterwards. LOTRO is guilty of this.
It's more of a pain in the neck to get a group for one 15 minute quest. There should be large quest chains that are group only which offer different rewards and of course challenges.
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no new group content to me says the game will have no more content added. a mmorpg is a group game. they are meant to be played with other people. I mean that might be my own opinion but massive MULTIPLAYER online role playing game. Can't really be multiplayer if your not gonna have group content. If more games decide to not add group content it is just the end of mmorpgs in general.
A lot of mmos try to use oh will leveling is game content. To me I think thats bullshit. More and more mmorpg devs are beginning to realize thats truth. MMORPGS don't truely begin until you reach skill cap / level cap. To do the raids, the hard modes, the heroics, the massive pvp. These are things most people enjoy in mmos and its why most cryptic games have more nd game content than anythying else and why you can level from 1-cap in no time. The point of leveling is 2 things. Set a story, and to teach the player their class and game mechanics. To prepare them for end game. END GAME, is THE GAME.
No additional group content is death.
Agreed. A link would've been a nice addition to this "most exciting news" indeed...
And agreed the latter part as well, it's not good or bad, simply a fact. (that's why I don't get the "news" part...) It's on forum threads since the two-stepped release of Isengard and later Rohan. But even with those threads around, I've never seen a statement of "we won't add any more group content", the furthest was something like an acknowledment that only a minority are interested in raiding nowadays.
So yep, OP provide a link please or it didn't happened
Give me more games with actually difficult goals, which are also group content. If I want solo play, I'll play the solo games I own.
I think people have never, truly gotten past the addiction of chat rooms (and obviously b-boards) of the early Internet. Nothing like a cozy chat window for quipping. Just give these players a chat room channel for their solo games.
Gaming since 1985; Online gaming since 1995; No End in Sight! My YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8POVoJ8fdOseuJ4U1ZX-oA
IMO you are completely wrong, totally off base. Leveling is the majority of content in these games, or rather progression is.There is typically less to do at end game and it is far far more repetetive. The majority of players, yes even in wow, never even get to end game, never do the raids, never do the hard modes and only engage in pvp occasionally.
Leveling/progressing their characters is what the majority enjoy doing in MMO's.
The end game is literally the end, the waiting period just filled with a few things to keep people playing and paying till the next expansion.
So they are just adding raid content then?
But on the more serious side, LoTRO has seemed to be heading that way (toward mostly solo play) for a while now.
Steam: Neph
Ah makes sense. You see so many ppl come here and put words in devs mouths you tend to question any statment that doesn't come with evidence.
The guild I'm part of has a large following in lotr and they have lots of static groups that only play together so from my perspective it doesn't ring true that most don't want group content. All I ever see in that games voice coms room is groups of people playing together. But my experience is only a very small sample of the playe rbase.
Unless you've got some facts I've never seen I don't knwo where you get this. In TBC blizzard said they wanted to open up raiding to the player base because lvling was only about 5% of the gaming experience. That was why the focus of raiding went from 40 man to 25/10 man raiding and hard modes were added so normal 5 man dungeons became more accessable to people.
By the end of tbc they said the raiding population went from less than 5% to over 40% They never listed any stats for 5 mans that I saw but I don't know of many long time players that never did them.
Experiences may vary from mmo to mmo but I've never seen anything that states the majority don't get to end game unless maybe you include people who only play a month and quit. but anyone that sets their focus on development that includes people who quit in the first month as things players like to do deserves to fail.
Some of my best memories in mmo's are giant player interactions.
WoW raiding, battlegrounds etc
Lineage 2 castle sieges
Really the only time I soloed in an mmo was to level when I wasn't sure how long I would be playing. Anytime I knew I had 1+ hours to play I would play in group content.
I don't think group playing should be forced at all times, but I also don't think they should abandon group content. I personally like a nice mix of both and one of the reasons that sets mmo's apart from other game genres.
I can't seem to find any indication that Turbine will no longer make group content.
My sense it that it's one of several possible misunderstandings:
1, Turbine will no longer create Main Storylines that solely require group content
2, Turbine will no longer create singular quests that require groups.
or the other possible explanation, the OP read/heard something a dev said and just created this conclusion.
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
I think this more or less shows Turbine is trying to slack off on content creation by alienating and focusing only on one area.To say "majority" never means all and of course they would know that.
I could write a long article as to the many reasons why this is a bad decision but bottom line is it makes it look like Turbine doesn't know what they are doing so they are going to choose one easy approach and focusing the blame on the players for wanting it.
There are other forms of content than just questing,which i am pretty sure what this is all about.
I don't agree with the current trend of auto grouping but it does seem to be a success in EVERY game.If Turbine is paying attention at all to what is working in games,then you would think this a no brainer.Create some good content that would bring players together,even if they are hermits,i bet with auto grouping they would enjoy good content that way.
Alliance book burns in FFXI=working
Wow instance dungeons are group content=working
Besieged in FFXi=working VERY well and after many years
Rifts=working
Fate system FFXIV=working
Defiance has their system that i don't remember what it is called but also working..Arkfalls?
I am sure there are many other group content and systems that are working in games.
So in other words HELLO Turbine are you awake?
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
Not engaging in group content could also mean Turbine does not create good content because in my other post i have proven that group content if done well DOES work and imo it ALWAYS works if it is decent content.
The ONLY complaints i have ever heard on quality group content is time restrictions and making it too hard,example need a large group of 30 elite with all day to spend on one fight or too laggy,all of which can be remedied.If content is easy to get to and easy to form a group,example auto grouping and the content is fun,i would say 95% will enjoy it and would prove Turbine is either outright lying to make it easier on them self or they just don`t have a clue.
Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.
the question I need to ask is since when LOTRO ever was used to as bringing something new to genre? most of people on't even care.
so sorry I don't think LOTRO are important enough for most people even notice this kind of news
Trigger no, but it does make sense. They went to a business model that focuses on moentizing an individual, and it makes more sense to push their development of new content in that direction. However, I am surprised that they would be developing anything at all, since their IP ends at the end of the year.
and did any MMO copy that? again I don't think LOTRO is important in this genre to bring anything new or make others devs do "oh I should do that" sorry Lotro is a niche game and like most Niche games its under radar and hardly bring new things, even if he do make a new thing groundbreaking if that don't make the number raise for that only new thing it will change nothing.