What about tabletop games? Or how about board games? In both cases, you are "forced" to need other players to complete the games. Should you be "allowed to solo" those games as well, despite the fact that they are designed to be social, community-based games?
Have you seen how many tabletop games released today are solo board games? Even tabletop is moving a lot to solo game play.
Yeah methinks he's not actually into the board gaming scene. Solo variants are becoming the norm and are requested/expected nowadays.
What about tabletop games? Or how about board games? In both cases, you are "forced" to need other players to complete the games. Should you be "allowed to solo" those games as well, despite the fact that they are designed to be social, community-based games?
Have you seen how many tabletop games released today are solo board games? Even tabletop is moving a lot to solo game play.
Yeah methinks he's not actually into the board gaming scene. Solo variants are becoming the norm and are requested/expected nowadays.
Just was up in Austin a couple of weeks back and played One Night Ultimate Werewolf (3-10 players) and Coup (2-6 players). Also love the Battlestar Galactica board game (3-6 players; my favorite board game), the classic Settlers of Catan (3-4 players; who doesn't know this one?), and a bunch of others I've played that don't stick out in my mind.
None of those are meant to be played solo. 3-4 players is typically a good "starting point", and if you have more you can get into some real fun.
Meanwhile, nobody plays Dungeons & Dragons by themselves. Take a look at the linked shows Geek & Sundry mentioned (in my article back on the site); all of those groups have at least several players coming together for regular sessions.
So yes, I'm fairly "into" the board gaming scene. Though not "hardcore" by any sense of the word.
Tabletop I'm intimately familiar with, and have been heavily involved with for 20+ years, alongside MMORPGing (which is just tabletop in a virtual space).
I wish it truly was... I’ve dreamt about how mmorpgs could be more table top. The freedom of expression and creativity you have in TT is something that might not ever be possible to have in today’s mmorpg.
I wish it truly was... I’ve dreamt about how mmorpgs could be more table top. The freedom of expression and creativity you have in TT is something that might not ever be possible to have in today’s mmorpg.
One of the reasons we're focusing more on GM events and live RP sessions as opposed to static fetch quests is because of that reason entirely: our world is nothing more than a backdrop for the campaigns that players will be playing through.
The DM guide gave you the rules and "how" to play your character; from there, it was up to you, your imagination, your friends, and the dice.
We're working very hard to recreate that. The world is our DM Guide, with the ruleset, the dice and the setting...everything else is up to the players.
It's really strange that so many people want to play MMORPGs but don't want to socialise, which is the main draw of "massively multiplayer". What exactly is the point of playing solo in a world full of people? Is it to satisfy some narcissistic desire for approval? Are you that lonely that you need people around you and yet do not interact with them? So many people are whining that they don't have the time to put into a MMORPG and makes me wonder why they play at all. Blaming the games instead of their own choices and causing devs to create the stagnation of these games because they're turned into boring, mindless solo driven games that don't even qualify as MMOs.
Declaring that tabletop games and MMOs are the same... Naming Monopoly in particular... Oh and of course casually attacking a staff member for disagreeing ...
Who wouldn't want to be part of the SoL community?
While I did like your board game analogy, it's actually not the same thing. MMO's don't have a pause button where you can put it on hold and come back to it the next day or even next week.
Actually that is what he is trying to do. He explained before that his dungeon runs will take about 3 months because you have to stop and level up your crafting to remove whatever object is keeping you from proceeding.
To be completely fair, it's not the games fault, it's the players. First it was unreliable people, either going AFK constantly or joining a group and then 15 minutes later saying they need to get some sleep. Then you had the ninja looters in WoW who would roll need on stuff even if it wasn't for their class, but could be sold for a good bit of coin.
So, grouping or forced grouping isn't the problem. It's people attempting to play a game that doesn't revolve around their 15 minutes gaming session lifestyle. It's like someone goes to the movies knowing it's going to be 2 hours long, despite the fact they have to pick up their parents from the airport 15 minutes after it starts. These are the people who treat other players with zero respect. Making claims or promises that they intend to put in a couple hours of grouping and then bail immediately.
If your social life, whether as a family person or someone who works 16 hours a day with limited free time, then playing MMO's is probably not a good hobby.
While I did like your board game analogy, it's actually not the same thing. MMO's don't have a pause button where you can put it on hold and come back to it the next day or even next week. Some people can start a board game or a tabletop session that lasts for days or weeks, but they don't necessarily do it all at once. With MMO's, there is definitely a hint of commitment required for those who want to do half of whats interesting, such as dungeons. People enjoy the challenge, but some people just don't have the time.
Actually many of them do now , for ex.. in LOTRO for instance a Throne T2 run can take a very very long time particualrly if you are taking and teaching a few new players the ropes there , there are several locks(6)along the way , that will lock the run at said point with a 1 week timer on it ...
Can take weeks to do it with the same 12 man utilizing all the locks ..and timers
Throne can also be done in a 2-3 hours with a good geared experienced group ..
Several games have versions of this locking system now , essentially a pause button ..
First I have to make clear, even though I am going to critisice a bit, Saga and Pantheon are still the games most likely to come close to something I would play.. Far from perfect, but better than continuing the solo story driven path we are on (and pvp hold no interest to me, so that path is also not interesting).
So the first major issue I have with both games are that they try to transfer tabletop to a mmorpg. This is flawed thinking, a mmorpg is and should not be forced into a tabletop concept, it will not be a good result - Make a mmorpg on mmorpg premisses.
The other is this obsession with grouping and forcing players into some stiff concept. I would much rather hear about co-op than grouping. What is the difference? It may be raping the meaning of the words a bit, but grouping is just a very specific form of co-op, while a mmorpg hold so many oppotunities for other/additional forms op co-op that it is a shame to focus so hard on grouping only. Of course, you can narrow your game to only include those who can handle grouping all day everyday (and those are only a small subset of eq players) but I would prefer one that are more inclusive ... There are so many more ways to get players to interact with eachother.
I did not say solo story driven at any point, but it is possible to allso have co-op social gameplay as an individual and also playing alone. You don't have to force grouping to create social situations
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
No one does. That's why the onus is on companies to have a clear and enforced play-nice-policy.
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
I'd say gaming communities are more toxic in recent years simply because there's no level of exclusion for such behavior. If you think back to maybe 10+ years ago, if you were an arsehole on your server, people ignored you and you became the guy that no one wanted to do anything with. Name changes either had extremely long real world timers (30 rl days) or non-existent in some games. Couple that with how long progression used to take simply because of difficulty and heavy RNG which encouraged more people to not be pricks.
There's really none of that today. Lets use WoW as an example. Say you're doing the top tier raid content of a patch (since WoW really is only a patch based game now and not really an expansion based game anymore). It would take you maybe 2 weeks to get geared for antorus mythic depending on rng/who you know/etc. So you're doing mythic antorus but you're a prick to everyone so you get kicked and no one wants to invite you to guilds for anymore. Work arounds? Buy a name change (battle id name change now available too)/move servers/relevel and gear/or buy the clear. Its not like you're gonna be stuck for months etc working on 1-2 characters. And lets say you did, within 6 months a world quest can drop an item that is higher than the mythic level items 6 months prior. This is pretty much why more former hardcore players are becoming casual or casual hardcore, especially thanks to titanforging introduced in legion. Why bother running a mythic raid which is 4-5 times harder than a heroic and still have a chance at getting a higher ilvl piece or marginally inferior than a mythic piece that doesn't titanforge (heroic raids just require you to pay attention, if people call that being skilled then so be it).
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
I'd say gaming communities are more toxic in recent years simply because there's no level of exclusion for such behavior. If you think back to maybe 10+ years ago, if you were an arsehole on your server, people ignored you and you became the guy that no one wanted to do anything with. Name changes either had extremely long real world timers (30 rl days) or non-existent in some games. Couple that with how long progression used to take simply because of difficulty and heavy RNG which encouraged more people to not be pricks.
There's really none of that today. Lets use WoW as an example. Say you're doing the top tier raid content of a patch (since WoW really is only a patch based game now and not really an expansion based game anymore). It would take you maybe 2 weeks to get geared for antorus mythic depending on rng/who you know/etc. So you're doing mythic antorus but you're a prick to everyone so you get kicked and no one wants to invite you to guilds for anymore. Work arounds? Buy a name change (battle id name change now available too)/move servers/relevel and gear/or buy the clear. Its not like you're gonna be stuck for months etc working on 1-2 characters. And lets say you did, within 6 months a world quest can drop an item that is higher than the mythic level items 6 months prior. This is pretty much why more former hardcore players are becoming casual or casual hardcore, especially thanks to titanforging introduced in legion. Why bother running a mythic raid which is 4-5 times harder than a heroic and still have a chance at getting a higher ilvl piece or marginally inferior than a mythic piece that doesn't titanforge (heroic raids just require you to pay attention, if people call that being skilled then so be it).
Reputation is one of those OTHER things that we're looking forward to bringing back to the industry (on top of an enforced play-nice-policy, which I linked a couple of comments above).
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
I'd say gaming communities are more toxic in recent years simply because there's no level of exclusion for such behavior. If you think back to maybe 10+ years ago, if you were an arsehole on your server, people ignored you and you became the guy that no one wanted to do anything with. Name changes either had extremely long real world timers (30 rl days) or non-existent in some games. Couple that with how long progression used to take simply because of difficulty and heavy RNG which encouraged more people to not be pricks.
There's really none of that today. Lets use WoW as an example. Say you're doing the top tier raid content of a patch (since WoW really is only a patch based game now and not really an expansion based game anymore). It would take you maybe 2 weeks to get geared for antorus mythic depending on rng/who you know/etc. So you're doing mythic antorus but you're a prick to everyone so you get kicked and no one wants to invite you to guilds for anymore. Work arounds? Buy a name change (battle id name change now available too)/move servers/relevel and gear/or buy the clear. Its not like you're gonna be stuck for months etc working on 1-2 characters. And lets say you did, within 6 months a world quest can drop an item that is higher than the mythic level items 6 months prior. This is pretty much why more former hardcore players are becoming casual or casual hardcore, especially thanks to titanforging introduced in legion. Why bother running a mythic raid which is 4-5 times harder than a heroic and still have a chance at getting a higher ilvl piece or marginally inferior than a mythic piece that doesn't titanforge (heroic raids just require you to pay attention, if people call that being skilled then so be it).
Reputation is one of those OTHER things that we're looking forward to bringing back to the industry (on top of an enforced play-nice-policy, which I linked a couple of comments above).
What's the SoL stance on multi-boxing? You can get around reputation if you can multi-box a group or entire raid, like what has happened in EQ1 on the progression servers.
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
I'd say gaming communities are more toxic in recent years simply because there's no level of exclusion for such behavior. If you think back to maybe 10+ years ago, if you were an arsehole on your server, people ignored you and you became the guy that no one wanted to do anything with. Name changes either had extremely long real world timers (30 rl days) or non-existent in some games. Couple that with how long progression used to take simply because of difficulty and heavy RNG which encouraged more people to not be pricks.
There's really none of that today. Lets use WoW as an example. Say you're doing the top tier raid content of a patch (since WoW really is only a patch based game now and not really an expansion based game anymore). It would take you maybe 2 weeks to get geared for antorus mythic depending on rng/who you know/etc. So you're doing mythic antorus but you're a prick to everyone so you get kicked and no one wants to invite you to guilds for anymore. Work arounds? Buy a name change (battle id name change now available too)/move servers/relevel and gear/or buy the clear. Its not like you're gonna be stuck for months etc working on 1-2 characters. And lets say you did, within 6 months a world quest can drop an item that is higher than the mythic level items 6 months prior. This is pretty much why more former hardcore players are becoming casual or casual hardcore, especially thanks to titanforging introduced in legion. Why bother running a mythic raid which is 4-5 times harder than a heroic and still have a chance at getting a higher ilvl piece or marginally inferior than a mythic piece that doesn't titanforge (heroic raids just require you to pay attention, if people call that being skilled then so be it).
Reputation is one of those OTHER things that we're looking forward to bringing back to the industry (on top of an enforced play-nice-policy, which I linked a couple of comments above).
What's the SoL stance on multi-boxing? You can get around reputation if you can multi-box a group or entire raid, like what has happened in EQ1 on the progression servers.
First and foremost...our game doesn't rely on experience points to "level up", so the concept of powerleveling a group up goes out the window. Your abilities only go up through successful use of abilities. Instead, they have to be actively focused on using abilities.
In our minds, someone could theoretically 3 or 4 box open world content. But the moment you start getting into the content designed for full groups (6-8 players), where you need crafters and multiple skillsets to complete the content at hand (faction and more), it becomes complex enough that boxing won't really be a viable solution.
That's not to say that some people won't try. And some might even be successful at it.
But I have to ask...what harm does someone boxing really do? I've boxed in the past...2-boxed while my partner played a single toon, trio-ing when we were waiting for guild mates/others to join. I've also three-boxed when waiting for guild mates and friends to log on, or when I was up late at night and no one was around. And I was always happy to kick my toons in favor for ANYONE who was LFG, regardless if they were a stranger or friend.
The only harm boxing does is when it's botters who are monopolizing content and blocking other players from progressing. THAT is the type of boxing/botting that we are worried about.
We'll be relying on the community to help us police those types of botters/boxers.
But we are NOT AGAINST boxing as a whole. If someone wants to run 2-3 toons, and they aren't blocking other people from completing content, more power to 'em. We are against BOTTING and blocking other players from completing content.
We are against ANY type of content blocking on the part of guilds OR botters. I've got a Mondays In MMORPGs episode where I talked about this, but I'll have to dig back and find it as I'm not sure which episode it was where we covered it.
I don't like forced grouping. I like rewarded grouping and interdependency with crafting and the backbone of the game. That's more realistic to how people generally work. You know most of my trade can be done alone until it can't be. I need other specialist to do things I don't do.
Having places where you can't survive alone will lead to grouping but in general I like to make my own way in combat. That is my profession. If I need gear I can take what I killed to crafters.
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
No one does. That's why the onus is on companies to have a clear and enforced play-nice-policy.
Like others have said, I have no problem with games that require grouping, my problem is with the community I have to group with. Toxicity is rampant in most games now and I have no time for that.
No one does. That's why the onus is on companies to have a clear and enforced play-nice-policy.
I have a feeling that the typical guy who spends his time bad mouthing on general will not be interested in this sort of MMO.
And those who do slip through the cracks will find themselves back in grade school being taught how to either play nice with others, or get sent to detention (or expelled).
Guy says multiboxing is ok, what's the harm in allowing ONE person do what requires an entire group... Take a look at Dofus and Wakfu and see what multiboxing has done. Almost no one groups because it's just easier to solo the entire game with multiple accounts. Is this guy seriously saying that there's no harm in it aside botting? Multiboxing kills the economy and it kills the need for dedicated crafters... What is the point in just being a dedicated crafter when you can both craft everything you need for yourself AND have a dedicated PVE character? Multiboxing makes crafting a joke, kills social interaction and is extremely anti-group and anti-community. Someone doesn't seem to understand how multiboxing destroys games nor understand sociology in order to facilitate group work and community. Shame really. Pantheon is the last hope.
It's really strange that so many people want to play MMORPGs but don't want to socialise, which is the main draw of "massively multiplayer". What exactly is the point of playing solo in a world full of people? Is it to satisfy some narcissistic desire for approval? Are you that lonely that you need people around you and yet do not interact with them? So many people are whining that they don't have the time to put into a MMORPG and makes me wonder why they play at all. Blaming the games instead of their own choices and causing devs to create the stagnation of these games because they're turned into boring, mindless solo driven games that don't even qualify as MMOs.
yup. I use Discord when playing my mmo. The socialization is very much like any pub you might walk into. It's quite a wonderful place to laugh, chat, and enjoy gaming.
All I want is the truth Just gimme some truth John Lennon
This whole argument rests on a false premise, that comparing tabletop gaming to online gaming is a valid comparison; it's not. As someone above has implied, in tabletop gaming rules of etiquette are enforced by the fact that other people are physically present. In online gaming, where other players only have a digital presence, rules of etiquette can be, and are, ignored. So, group play quickly becomes toxic and is generally rejected by most players.
The other line of reasoning that I find objectionable in this article is contained in this line, "Is is (sic) the dopamine hit we get from being able to play the hero without actually ever doing anything heroic?" The author is implying that group endeavors are heroic, which they're not. Running into a burning school bus and pulling kids out is heroic, completing a raid is not.
yeah but not everyone throws out "etiquette" or polite behavior.
I would say that anyone who can't be civil and polite is not someone you want to group with.
I rarely group but when I do it's usually with really good people. If I sense that the group I'm with is somewhat less than, or has bad members I'll leave.
Now imagine if MMORPGs actually implemented systems whereby the community could help identify members that aren't civil or polite, as well as those who are, so you didn't have to go into a group blind to find out. Blizzard is doing it in one of the most toxic PvP environments possible: MOBAs (well, technically a hero shooter, but the gameplay loop is generally the same).
MMORPGs need to foster a sense of persistent identity that is tied to the account level. They could learn a thing or two from other genres here.
I'd love it, sign me up!
Like Skyrim? Need more content? Try my Skyrim mod "Godfred's Tomb."
Ok, I'm someone who wants a grouping game again but I don't think SoL or Pantheon are going to make the type of grouping game I want.
So what do I want (because I can only speak for myself). Well, I want it to be fun but that doesn't tell anyone much. Hmm, maybe I should say what I don't want.
I don't want to have to schedule my life around the game.
I don't want to have a boss in the game. It's a game for Gods sake I don't want someone ordering me around.
I'm really not looking for real life, long term friends. I actually prefer to be anonymous. Games are where I go to escape real life. I'll be your friend in the game but don't ask for my phone number or anything like that.
I don't want to have to fill out an application to join a guild.
I don't want to have to be in a guild at all. I mean I might join one if I get to know some of the people and like them but I don't want it to be required. See this is a big one, the people who talk about making these grouping games aren't just making a forced grouping game they are making a forced guilding game too and that sucks.
I'm actually fine with forced grouping, it's all the other bullshit that gets attached to that type of game that turns me off. It can't just be about forming a group with some people; having some fun; and then going your separate ways and maybe you'll group again or maybe not. No, no...all that other tedious crap has to be piled on to it.
I knew there was a reason I have frequently appreciated you opinion on things. In this case, we're almost in total lockstep. The PUG was my lifeline, but it is unreliable for both availability, quality and entertainment. I really don't want to be in a guild, especially one that is a different time zone from my playing times.
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
MMO grouping is only like tabletop grouping if you happen to be lucky enough to have a group of friends who like the same things you like and have a schedule flexible enough that you can all get together to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
Try going to a street corner and getting some random strangers to come to your house and play D&D with you. How long do you think it would take you before you say "screw that mess, I think I'll just play solitaire."
It really isn't too hard to figure out why modern games cater to solo players more and more. It's because those tight groups of friends playing together are not the norm, they are the exception.
"Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community ... but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots”
― Umberto Eco
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?” ― CD PROJEKT RED
MMO grouping is only like tabletop grouping if you happen to be lucky enough to have a group of friends who like the same things you like and have a schedule flexible enough that you can all get together to do what you want to do when you want to do it.
Try going to a street corner and getting some random strangers to come to your house and play D&D with you. How long do you think it would take you before you say "screw that mess, I think I'll just play solitaire."
It really isn't too hard to figure out why modern games cater to solo players more and more. It's because those tight groups of friends playing together are not the norm, they are the exception.
Your experience and my experience are the complete opposites. I've never once had a hard time finding people to play board games, tabletop games, or MMORPGs with.
First and foremost, you don't go up to the random stranger on the street corner, who may or may not have an interest in tabletop. You ask strangers in an environment where everyone is already primed and ready for tabletop, like an online forum, or a game shop, or a convention, or a conference, etc.
It's a primed audience, and they are already halfway there, because they at least have an interest in the same thing as you.
Honestly, finding people to play games with isn't rocket science. You go to the places where gamers congregate, whether that's in-game, Reddit, forums, Discord, social media, and beyond.
You be friendly, you reach out, you don't assume the worst of everyone (even though, yes, there are a lot of dirtbags out there), and you make friends.
Forced grouping says it all, it isn't fun or happens organically, you are simply forced to do it. Most people tend to avoid that which they are being pushed into doing. All it is right now is dungeons and world bosses, why else would you group? Its a combat and loot thing.
How about social interaction through crafting, making it a fun and essential role. How about town and city building/communities which pay off through marketplaces, crafting stations etc. How about travelling with caravans or on a boat run by an actual crew? How about exploring parties, roaming musicians, a theatre group, a burglars den?
Hoe about making it FUN? How about stop making it about COMBAT and start making it about COMMUNITY?
Forced grouping means you have failed to make your game fun so players would do it naturally because they want to...
/Cheers, Lahnmir
Best post on the topic I’ve seen in awhile. @Renfail, I’ve been waiting for you comment on it.
Comments
The DM guide gave you the rules and "how" to play your character; from there, it was up to you, your imagination, your friends, and the dice.
We're working very hard to recreate that. The world is our DM Guide, with the ruleset, the dice and the setting...everything else is up to the players.
거북이는 목을 내밀 때 안 움직입니다
Naming Monopoly in particular...
Oh and of course casually attacking a staff member for disagreeing ...
Who wouldn't want to be part of the SoL community?
He explained before that his dungeon runs will take about 3 months because you have to stop and level up your crafting to remove whatever object is keeping you from proceeding.
Make of that what you will.
So the first major issue I have with both games are that they try to transfer tabletop to a mmorpg. This is flawed thinking, a mmorpg is and should not be forced into a tabletop concept, it will not be a good result - Make a mmorpg on mmorpg premisses.
The other is this obsession with grouping and forcing players into some stiff concept. I would much rather hear about co-op than grouping. What is the difference? It may be raping the meaning of the words a bit, but grouping is just a very specific form of co-op, while a mmorpg hold so many oppotunities for other/additional forms op co-op that it is a shame to focus so hard on grouping only. Of course, you can narrow your game to only include those who can handle grouping all day everyday (and those are only a small subset of eq players) but I would prefer one that are more inclusive ... There are so many more ways to get players to interact with eachother.
I did not say solo story driven at any point, but it is possible to allso have co-op social gameplay as an individual and also playing alone. You don't have to force grouping to create social situations
"I am my connectome" https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=HA7GwKXfJB0
I'm not an IT Specialist, Game Developer, or Clairvoyant in real life, but like others on here, I play one on the internet.
https://sagaoflucimia.com/mondays-in-mmorpgs-play-nice-policies
https://sagaoflucimia.com/mondays-in-mmorpgs-reputation
In our minds, someone could theoretically 3 or 4 box open world content. But the moment you start getting into the content designed for full groups (6-8 players), where you need crafters and multiple skillsets to complete the content at hand (faction and more), it becomes complex enough that boxing won't really be a viable solution.
That's not to say that some people won't try. And some might even be successful at it.
But I have to ask...what harm does someone boxing really do? I've boxed in the past...2-boxed while my partner played a single toon, trio-ing when we were waiting for guild mates/others to join. I've also three-boxed when waiting for guild mates and friends to log on, or when I was up late at night and no one was around. And I was always happy to kick my toons in favor for ANYONE who was LFG, regardless if they were a stranger or friend.
The only harm boxing does is when it's botters who are monopolizing content and blocking other players from progressing. THAT is the type of boxing/botting that we are worried about.
We'll be relying on the community to help us police those types of botters/boxers.
But we are NOT AGAINST boxing as a whole. If someone wants to run 2-3 toons, and they aren't blocking other people from completing content, more power to 'em. We are against BOTTING and blocking other players from completing content.
We are against ANY type of content blocking on the part of guilds OR botters. I've got a Mondays In MMORPGs episode where I talked about this, but I'll have to dig back and find it as I'm not sure which episode it was where we covered it.
Having places where you can't survive alone will lead to grouping but in general I like to make my own way in combat. That is my profession. If I need gear I can take what I killed to crafters.
All I want is the truth
Just gimme some truth
John Lennon
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
Logic, my dear, merely enables one to be wrong with great authority.
Try going to a street corner and getting some random strangers to come to your house and play D&D with you. How long do you think it would take you before you say "screw that mess, I think I'll just play solitaire."
It really isn't too hard to figure out why modern games cater to solo players more and more. It's because those tight groups of friends playing together are not the norm, they are the exception.
“Microtransactions? In a single player role-playing game? Are you nuts?”
― CD PROJEKT RED
First and foremost, you don't go up to the random stranger on the street corner, who may or may not have an interest in tabletop. You ask strangers in an environment where everyone is already primed and ready for tabletop, like an online forum, or a game shop, or a convention, or a conference, etc.
It's a primed audience, and they are already halfway there, because they at least have an interest in the same thing as you.
Honestly, finding people to play games with isn't rocket science. You go to the places where gamers congregate, whether that's in-game, Reddit, forums, Discord, social media, and beyond.
You be friendly, you reach out, you don't assume the worst of everyone (even though, yes, there are a lot of dirtbags out there), and you make friends.
EVERYONE started off as strangers.