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Going Nomad.
creepsville
Member Posts: 76
MMO's give the player benefits from joining a guild. My first reaction to this is: What about the player who doesn't want to join a guild?
I know Arenanet has questioned a lot of conventions and are doing lots of new things to change the way we experience mmos. Do you guys think it's possible they will address the idea of going "nomad"? As in some bonuses and benefits for people who don't want to join a guild? You'd check a box to go nomad and the bonuses would apply.
Most mmos I know of seem rooted in the idea of guilds. Do you guys know of any out there that gave unguilded players benefits of their own?
Part of GW2 is rolling the character and playing through the story the way you want. So don't you think there will be a lot of people who want to roll a character who's more of a loner type?
And yes I know we are social creatures, who love to feel like we are part of something bigger - hence the large emphasis on guilds, but I'd love to see a system in place for the loners out there.
Comments
There are thousands of high quality single player games out there. I can understand not wanting to join a guild, but these MMO solo players boggle my mind. They are basically paying to play a social game that is years behind most single player rpg's. These casual anti-social gamers are killing the genre.
I play a little indie game that a single player can thrive in. It's a Sandbox Space Sim. PM me if that's soemthign that you may be interesed in.
The advantage to not having a guild is sort of like the advantage to not having friends in real life.
There's no ties holding you back, nobody to ask you to do annoying favors, nobody who expects anything out of you.
Unfortunately, it has all the drawbacks too. Still, there are advantages!
And lashing out against people who like to play as a loner isn't anti-social at all.
/sarcasm
League of Legends, perhaps.
Vault-Tec analysts have concluded that the odds of worldwide nuclear armaggeddon this decade are 17,143,762... to 1.
How exactly is that lashing out? If anyone is lashing out I think it may be you sir. Playing an MMO solo is like having a facebook page, but refusing to add any friends.
@Don't tase me, bro.
It depends. Point me at a single-player game with the amount of content that Guild Wars 2 is supposed to have, sans grind, and I'll be interested. And in the same breath, point me at a game which has races as interesting as Guild Wars 2's. I want to romp around as a charr doing interesting things, whether I do this solo or in a team doesn't matter much to me. The MMO part of Guild Wars 2 admittedly isn't the largest draw of the game - the setting and content are.
Who needs friends, when you can just have thousands of followers?
Some people are too cool for friends.
I can point you to this game, but you have to not care abotu graphics and be able to handle bugs and a sluggish interface... Still interested?
I've done that! The PC game Altitude gave a freebie DLC if you did the whole Facebook linkback thing with it, so I created a Facebook account with nonsensical data and got me a free plane!
Sure. But the problem is is that I've likely already played and completed it. For example: I've done the entire Avernum series, so there's no point in suggesting that. Albion too, great game, that is. Wizardry 8? Been there, done that. ...soooo...
... but the AI is PHENOMENAL. I mean, the monsters AI could use some work, but seriously, all those people running around in the background, they almost act like real people! Maybe a bit oddly fixated on killing things, and I don't think that 'general chat' channel could really pass a Turing test, but all in all, a giant stride forward in making you feel like you're in a world with a lot of other people who aren't just mindless computer AI drones.
It's amazing, really.
Ooo~ Lemme guess. Is it Minecraft?
As for the OP... I don't see where you're getting at. You eem to want Arenanet to give solo-players some kind of bonus for choosing not to join up with a guild, when they are doing all they can to ensure that the game can help foster a good community. The good thing about Guild Wars 2 is that solo-players (just the ones that don't want to join a guild) won't be at that much of a diadvantage anyways, because ANet have made playing in a group so damn easy that there is no need to give solo players any kind of bonus.
Think of it from an RPG standpoint - a nomad, roguish character would show up and join the team sometimes for a common goal but they by nature they were a lone traveler. Think Mad Max from The Road Warrior in terms of story. Remember a player who goes "Nomad" would still group with people to help do dungeons and will still drop into dynamic events to help. They would just get different bonuses because people in guilds get things like resources for crafting etc.
For me, I've never really like being in guilds. There were a nessasary evil I suppose. The drama. The "rules". The members who didn't like you for whatever bizzarre reason. The cliques. Clocking in to raid like it was a job. It just isn't my style. Too many bad things for me while for others they love their guilds and friendly circles.
So this isn't an anti-social idea, as much as it is an option for the more casual guy who doesn't have time or desire to do the guild thing.
I still maintain the best benefit to not being in a guild is that you're not in a guild.
Sure, it's a little recursive, but it's TRUE.
It's like somebody giving you a prize for having a million dollars. Having a million dollars is already a prize! Why should you have to be rewarded to motivate you to get a million dollars?
So guilds = good community?
@Meowhead
Haha. In a big way I agree , but we don't know exactly how guilds will be implemented in GW2. I'm counting on the idea that they will be done in a way that helps people. Money, resources, (karma?) and even guild achievements are going to be there for sure. So what about the unguilded guy - you and I both know despite your comically true observations that he will feel left out in some ways. For instance when a guy in a guild gets an item made for him by a guildy or gets money for that special item, I'd feel like I needed to join one - despite the headache I'd get in the process. Bonuses like reaping more materials from resource nodes or more money per kill or something would be kinda nice. Possibly perfect for those evil gold farmers though.
Being in a good guild is a gold mine, something to be treasured. For the most part, however, guilds are trash in my experience. Unless I happen to be lucky and in a good guild in an mmo, I prefer to play unguilded and just use my friends list for group content.
well have a look it's called http://www.starquestonline.net
Don't say I didn't warn you. The learning curve is amazingly steep. Your best bet would to be to sign up on the forums and get onto a player crew so you can have someone show you the ropes.
No, people naturally working together = good community. So I don't see how giving non-guild players benefits, over guild players, will help benefit this idea of people working together. If people don't want to join a guild, then they won't. Why reward them for such a choice?
Hey, that's me. A friend of mine said I should check out this cool thing called Facebook, year's ago, so I signed up. After a few weeks of spam crap, I stopped logging into it. So I have a Facebook page and I don't add friends to it. And I like to solo in MMOs. Got me to a "T".
As to the OP, going "nomad" has it's own inherant benefits, such as never having to put your decisions up to a committee vote, being able to remain drama-free and not being forced to wear guild colors or emblems that look like they were designed by a hyperactive two-year old with finger paints. Those are usually good enough reasons for me. If I come across a group of people that really click for me, then I'll guild up, but otherwise, I prefer my own company. It has to be a pretty awesome fit though.
Game design-wise, people will be naturally working when they aren't in a guild. Giving a rogueish character bonuses doesn't make him not stop to help others in a dynamic event. Guilds have guild banks, resources, people there to help you, and these days they are getting more things like achievements and history logs, guild home instances, etc. So the idea is that we create some balance for the player who doesn't want to join a guild so the unguilded people aren't missing out on all the benefits. Rewarding them isn't really what's taking place as much as it is allowing them to roll the character they want to roll. Rogues help people and team up all the time in RPGs and stories.
I guess I'm just questioning conventions here. Blame Arenanet for inspiring that! Ha. Guilds have become such a staple of MMOs like these and its kinda sad to see games almost force a player to join a guild to get to end game content and get benefits in the game. I think getting a choice on which route I want my character on in this department would be great.
The drama and the little annoyances of being a part of a guild are just the price one pays for all the benefits one can receive. Just like having to gather & acquire your own resources & gear is the price one must pay for being independant in an MMO. So they balance ach other out. Just be happy that Guild Wars 2 will provide people like you with an easy means to PUG your way to sucess (with the lack of a trinity & adhoc grouping). So it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for you to meet up with fellow nomads, on your travels and enjoy the content rich world. Isn't that rewarding enough?
Ah, I see. Rationalization.
Your time on facebook sounds like the typical players time joining some random guild because it has a high player count. You didn't care for it, but the fact is you did it, and you added friends. Once you found that it wasn't all it was cracked up to be you quit and never looked back. Had it been what you wanted it to be you would have stuck around, and you'd probably be playing farmville right now.
I couldn't agree more.
I can see that being true. When there's a sense of family, a community does tend to function better. The problem is, this is also an RPG, and while there are benefits and disadvantages to being in a guild, not everyone wants to be in one. By giving bonuses and rewards to people who choose to join a guild, you are, in effect, penalising anyone who does not wish to run with a guild. I think all the OP is wanting is to have some sort of bonus for not being in a guild. Acheivments showing that you've forged your own path without the need for a guild. You're own hideout to yourself that doesn't have the trappings of a guild hideout. You know general rewards for being awesome by yourself in a way.
I know that it's an MMO and community is good, but this can be achieved with loners involved as well.