Yeah, a massive amount of people playing on the same server. Nowhere in "massively multiplayer" does it say a massive amount of people forced to play together or leave.
Next.
Massively-solo?
Theres plenty of reasons to play online with others, such as pvp, trading, roleplaying, grouping when you feel the urge to, etc Massively Multiplayer just means there are others there, it doesnt say what they are there for (such as XPing).
How about we rename Massively Multi-player Online games to: Everything Multi-player Online games.
So like "Everything" to fit everyones play style Yaaay! problem solved.
If you had everyone on a certain faction working towards one common goal, you would be cooperating and grouping, perhaps without even knowing it.
What you would be doing is normally called "working for the benfit of others", or more commonly referred to as "a job".
Less job, more game.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.- -And on the 8th day, man created God.-
Absolutely agree. The principle of a game should be to jump in and play it without the enforcement of anything. Instant fun for my buck please. That means being able to solo stuff when there is no-one else around, or when you just feel like having some "me time".
Content that scales for the amount of people involved for the win, that way no-one feels like they're missing out on content. Doesn't mean that the solo game is identical... solo and group scaled versions of dungeons/bosses etc could be very different experiences.
Okay, that was a smart-ass answer. To answer you seriously, no I wouldn't but I play MMOs to group. They are multiplayer games, after all.
Multiplayer doesn't necessarily equate to grouping though. There are many ways for multiple players to interact with each other without grouping. Chatting and trading being the first ones that come to mind.
I've played many mmorpg's but very rarely join groups other than those involving my fellow guild members. I wouldn't even consider playing a game where grouping was a requirement.
What playing a massive multiplayer game equates to to me:
First of all, playing ANY two player game to me isn;t 2 people go out and defeat a bunch of bots. No, IF I am playing a game with someone else it is to beat them down like the dog who stole the TV guide. Yes, that is fun for me, I enjoy it and I like the challenge of the fight itself. My favorite arcade/ console game was Mortal Kombat because that was all I did.
Now when I started Playing MMOS, everyone could attack anyone anywhere, and that made it all the better. Then, someone joined my side in a fight and we together went around killing everyone else. More people joined and we attacked larger groups and it grew from there. No one cared about gear, they cared about fighting. Of course we died tons and enjoyed every minute of it.
When they started making " safe zones" ," factions" , limiting the freedom to do as you please, implementing all these rules, classes, and all the cosmetic crap people demanded it started going downhill for me. The games started to fill up with people who cared more like dressing a toon up like princess barbie and running around playing with pets and the PVP zones became smaller and limited.
SO now what we have today are people whining because everything is safe and noone wants to go kill bots with them... * YAWNS* BORING!
People still group in PVP in any game that allows for group PVP. Simple as that. Why would anyone want to group to kill bots? Where is the competition in that? To me that is predictable and boring and I might as well be playing a single player game if all we are doing is killing bots. Now if the game allows for killing bots in a pvp environment, people will necessarily group to stay alive while training, and the monotony of killing bots can be broke up periodically by the pvp run ins that will occur in that environment. In a grouped PVP environment where you can kill people on your own team if necessary, you don;t get people messing up the battle as much simply because you can kill someone that is messing everything up.
Massive Multiplayer means Massive Competition, massive PVP, and Massive risk. No need to force grouping, throw out the babysitter, let the kids out of the play pin and people will group out of necessity. That was how it USED to be.
I think there should be solo questing so you always have something to do. This then leaves us with the old chestnut, what would we group for? You need to dissociate the gain from solo and group play. One path of progress when soloing another when grouping. So what would the paths be?
I would leave levelling as a solo path, you can get to top level soloing. I would make power tree progression and the best gear group only. We already have end game raids, what about a mini raid every ten levels? Power tree progression would enable you to complete pve more easily, move around the game more easily and perform better at pvp.
The alternative to this is forced grouping all the way, which has worked and may work again, but I think we need to realise a new approach may be needed.
No. I wouldn't play in a game that "forced" me to group to advance. And while the OP will claim that is not what the poll says, if there is an xp system in the game (not all games have xp), then xp is usually for advancement. I don't think a game like that would survive anyway. It would pretty much garauntee no new blood once the population became top heavy and there wasn't anyone to group with in the beginning or middle.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
I voted no, because a yes vote would've probably been used to ham-fistedly argue for the bad implementations of forced grouping which have existed in the past.
However I enjoy games like MW2, where one cannot advance in multiplayer without a team. This is forced grouping, but grouping is effortless (you just queue up) and avoids most of the negatives commonly associated with other "forced grouping" games. If a MMORPG was similarly designed, I would be fine with that.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
No. I wouldn't play in a game that "forced" me to group to advance. And while the OP will claim that is not what the poll says, if there is an xp system in the game (not all games have xp), then xp is usually for advancement. I don't think a game like that would survive anyway. It would pretty much garauntee no new blood once the population became top heavy and there wasn't anyone to group with in the beginning or middle.
Here is what was said "knew that the only way to ever get anything accomplised was to group"
The issue addressed was not advancement - it was accomplishment. You can accomplish many things in an MMO without advancing your level.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
I voted no, because a yes vote would've probably been used to ham-fistedly argue for the bad implementations of forced grouping which have existed in the past.
However I enjoy games like MW2, where one cannot advance in multiplayer without a team. This is forced grouping, but grouping is effortless (you just queue up) and avoids most of the negatives commonly associated with other "forced grouping" games. If a MMORPG was similarly designed, I would be fine with that.
I have no intention of 'using' the poll. I just wanted to see what others thought about the question.
It would have been better if you had voted honestly, or even not at all - without trying to 'out-think' the poll.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Originally posted by MMO_Doubter Okay, this is a simple one. Assume other aspects of the game are acceptable to you. Grouping does not neccessarily mean a full group. It could mean just you and one buddy.
Meaningless poll. No MMORPG has ever required grouping to gain XP, and none ever will. Some games have made gaining XP in groups considerably faster than doing it solo; I have played such games in the past and would be happy to do so again.
Assume other aspects of the game are acceptable to you.
Grouping does not neccessarily mean a full group. It could mean just you and one buddy.
Meaningless poll. No MMORPG has ever required grouping to gain XP, and none ever will. Some games have made gaining XP in groups considerably faster than doing it solo; I have played such games in the past and would be happy to do so again.
Indeed, all non-scientific polls are nothing more than silly and occasionaly fun.
You shouldnt really force ppl to do anything ... let each player decide his/hers own playstyle. Besides later on when most ppl have reached endgame, it will be a problem for new players.
If you need ppl to grp with and there arent many in the starter zones it will scare off new players, and thats a bad idea.
Does anyone else find it creepy when someone thinks that you should have them forced upon you? I mean that is like a red flag for " control freak". If you find it difficult to find people to group with, you might want to look at your own personailty to solve the problem. Maybe people do not enjoy being around you for a reason.
I have NEVER had a hard time finding people to group with, I have had a problem of getting people to go away with the lack of open pvp however. Before the annoying guy that noone wants near them could be killed to make leave. Now they like expect you to endure them, or log out.
The larger problem is finding quality people to group with, and not nimwits that cause havoc, creepy stalkers that want to molest your pixels or twits that never shut up. To be forced to group with those people does not make the game more fun, nor does it make for a better community. Instead, it makes you want to KILL THEM ALL.
Your poll is severly limited. There are many shades of grey, but most of the discussions here and on official forums AT LEAST classify systems into 3 - solo-friendly encouraged/incentivized grouping, and forced grouping
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
Does anyone else find it creepy when someone thinks that you should have them forced upon you? I mean that is like a red flag for " control freak".
YES.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein "Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre
Comments
How about we rename Massively Multi-player Online games to: Everything Multi-player Online games.
So like "Everything" to fit everyones play style
Yaaay! problem solved.
We'll just call it EMO for short
M59, UO, EQ1, WWIIOL, PS, EnB, SL, SWG. MoM, EQ2, AO, SB, CoH, LOTRO, WoW, DDO+ f2p's, Demos & indie alpha's.
What you would be doing is normally called "working for the benfit of others", or more commonly referred to as "a job".
Less job, more game.
-Letting Derek Smart work on your game is like letting Osama bin Laden work in the White House. Something will burn.-
-And on the 8th day, man created God.-
I'm kind of with him on this. I wouldn't want to play a game that forced me to group or solo, I want options. That's what MMOs are all about, imo.
Absolutely agree. The principle of a game should be to jump in and play it without the enforcement of anything. Instant fun for my buck please. That means being able to solo stuff when there is no-one else around, or when you just feel like having some "me time".
Content that scales for the amount of people involved for the win, that way no-one feels like they're missing out on content. Doesn't mean that the solo game is identical... solo and group scaled versions of dungeons/bosses etc could be very different experiences.
Ascension - EU Mature, Friendly, Laid Back SW:TOR Guild now recruiting.
Multiplayer doesn't necessarily equate to grouping though. There are many ways for multiple players to interact with each other without grouping. Chatting and trading being the first ones that come to mind.
I've played many mmorpg's but very rarely join groups other than those involving my fellow guild members. I wouldn't even consider playing a game where grouping was a requirement.
What playing a massive multiplayer game equates to to me:
First of all, playing ANY two player game to me isn;t 2 people go out and defeat a bunch of bots. No, IF I am playing a game with someone else it is to beat them down like the dog who stole the TV guide. Yes, that is fun for me, I enjoy it and I like the challenge of the fight itself. My favorite arcade/ console game was Mortal Kombat because that was all I did.
Now when I started Playing MMOS, everyone could attack anyone anywhere, and that made it all the better. Then, someone joined my side in a fight and we together went around killing everyone else. More people joined and we attacked larger groups and it grew from there. No one cared about gear, they cared about fighting. Of course we died tons and enjoyed every minute of it.
When they started making " safe zones" ," factions" , limiting the freedom to do as you please, implementing all these rules, classes, and all the cosmetic crap people demanded it started going downhill for me. The games started to fill up with people who cared more like dressing a toon up like princess barbie and running around playing with pets and the PVP zones became smaller and limited.
SO now what we have today are people whining because everything is safe and noone wants to go kill bots with them... * YAWNS* BORING!
People still group in PVP in any game that allows for group PVP. Simple as that. Why would anyone want to group to kill bots? Where is the competition in that? To me that is predictable and boring and I might as well be playing a single player game if all we are doing is killing bots. Now if the game allows for killing bots in a pvp environment, people will necessarily group to stay alive while training, and the monotony of killing bots can be broke up periodically by the pvp run ins that will occur in that environment. In a grouped PVP environment where you can kill people on your own team if necessary, you don;t get people messing up the battle as much simply because you can kill someone that is messing everything up.
Massive Multiplayer means Massive Competition, massive PVP, and Massive risk. No need to force grouping, throw out the babysitter, let the kids out of the play pin and people will group out of necessity. That was how it USED to be.
I think there should be solo questing so you always have something to do. This then leaves us with the old chestnut, what would we group for? You need to dissociate the gain from solo and group play. One path of progress when soloing another when grouping. So what would the paths be?
I would leave levelling as a solo path, you can get to top level soloing. I would make power tree progression and the best gear group only. We already have end game raids, what about a mini raid every ten levels? Power tree progression would enable you to complete pve more easily, move around the game more easily and perform better at pvp.
The alternative to this is forced grouping all the way, which has worked and may work again, but I think we need to realise a new approach may be needed.
Having to be forced into a group in order to play the game isn't for me. I look for a game where you can solo and group if you want.
No. I wouldn't play in a game that "forced" me to group to advance. And while the OP will claim that is not what the poll says, if there is an xp system in the game (not all games have xp), then xp is usually for advancement. I don't think a game like that would survive anyway. It would pretty much garauntee no new blood once the population became top heavy and there wasn't anyone to group with in the beginning or middle.
parrotpholk-Because we all know the miracle patch fairy shows up the night before release and sprinkles magic dust on the server to make it allllll better.
I voted no, because a yes vote would've probably been used to ham-fistedly argue for the bad implementations of forced grouping which have existed in the past.
However I enjoy games like MW2, where one cannot advance in multiplayer without a team. This is forced grouping, but grouping is effortless (you just queue up) and avoids most of the negatives commonly associated with other "forced grouping" games. If a MMORPG was similarly designed, I would be fine with that.
"What is truly revealing is his implication that believing something to be true is the same as it being true. [continue]" -John Oliver
Here is what was said "knew that the only way to ever get anything accomplised was to group"
The issue addressed was not advancement - it was accomplishment. You can accomplish many things in an MMO without advancing your level.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
I have no intention of 'using' the poll. I just wanted to see what others thought about the question.
It would have been better if you had voted honestly, or even not at all - without trying to 'out-think' the poll.
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Meaningless poll. No MMORPG has ever required grouping to gain XP, and none ever will. Some games have made gaining XP in groups considerably faster than doing it solo; I have played such games in the past and would be happy to do so again.
groupings always good after all these are MMO
i thought age of conan was ment to be new and exciting...
i will agree with this one, freedom of choise no forcing. nobody forces you to go shopping with buddies either
Indeed, all non-scientific polls are nothing more than silly and occasionaly fun.
I didn't vote. I refuse to participate in polls that force me to pick a yes or no answer.
"Gypsies, tramps, and thieves, we were called by the Admin of the site . . . "
I refuse to vote on yes/no polls that lack a third option, such as "i love candy" or "if you shake it more than twice you're playing with it".
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Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
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Forced grouping = fail
You shouldnt really force ppl to do anything ... let each player decide his/hers own playstyle. Besides later on when most ppl have reached endgame, it will be a problem for new players.
If you need ppl to grp with and there arent many in the starter zones it will scare off new players, and thats a bad idea.
No, I won't play a forced grouping game.
I'm against forced anything.
YOu should have tons of options that appeal to many players in a good mmo.
Forcing me to find a group for everything is a old game design that died long ago.
Playing: Rift, LotRO
Waiting on: GW2, BP
Old game design? What games have done it?
"" Voice acting isn't an RPG element....it's just a production value." - grumpymel2
Does anyone else find it creepy when someone thinks that you should have them forced upon you? I mean that is like a red flag for " control freak". If you find it difficult to find people to group with, you might want to look at your own personailty to solve the problem. Maybe people do not enjoy being around you for a reason.
I have NEVER had a hard time finding people to group with, I have had a problem of getting people to go away with the lack of open pvp however. Before the annoying guy that noone wants near them could be killed to make leave. Now they like expect you to endure them, or log out.
The larger problem is finding quality people to group with, and not nimwits that cause havoc, creepy stalkers that want to molest your pixels or twits that never shut up. To be forced to group with those people does not make the game more fun, nor does it make for a better community. Instead, it makes you want to KILL THEM ALL.
Your poll is severly limited. There are many shades of grey, but most of the discussions here and on official forums AT LEAST classify systems into 3 -
solo-friendly
encouraged/incentivized grouping, and
forced grouping
"Never met a pack of humans that were any different. Look at the idiots that get elected every couple of years. You really consider those guys more mature than us? The only difference between us and them is, when they gank some noobs and take their stuff, the noobs actually die." - Madimorga
YES.
There isn't a "right" or "wrong" way to play, if you want to use a screwdriver to put nails into wood, have at it, simply don't complain when the guy next to you with the hammer is doing it much better and easier. - Allein
"Graphics are often supplied by Engines that (some) MMORPG's are built in" - Spuffyre