Originally posted by Vhaln It's the older themeparks like EQ and DAOC that originally had forced grouping, and were much more social because of it. Sure, it was possible to get to lv.50, but the downtime was insane, without a group.
Is a game antisocial because it doesn't require you to sit around LF tank, LF healer, LF1m DPS. Is a game social because it required you to spam to get into a group and then you need each other for that run, because if anyone bails you're back to spamming? You get guilds with small groups of people that play together and lock everybody else out because their schedules go well together.
Is this what being social has come down to? It makes one wonder whether being called an antisocial game is actually a compliment. GW2 lets you play the game however you want to and doesn't force you into a straightjacket. If YOU want to solo, then solo. If YOU want to play with your friends, then play with your friends.
It's not the game that's antisocial. It simply isn't.
That wasn't the social part. The social part was all the chatting groups would do, while camping dungeons and the like. The pacing was slow enough that people who grouped together would have conversations. Lots of them. The best guilds I'd joined started out that way, just PUGs getting to know each other, leading to invites. Not to mention downtime in the form of crafting, travel times, things like that.
Its still possible to be social, but the whole process is crippled right at the root. People have to actually stop playing, to take time to chat, and expecting people to be that social just isn't realistic.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
Its still possible to be social, but the whole process is crippled right at the root. People have to actually stop playing, to take time to chat, and expecting people to be that social just isn't realistic.
Ok, so the people aren't social enough to really start chatting, unless they're forced into downtime by the game. Being social is second to having fun, when players are given the choice. That still doesn't make GW2 antisocial, it's just that it doesn't force people to be social to be able to have fun.
Its still possible to be social, but the whole process is crippled right at the root. People have to actually stop playing, to take time to chat, and expecting people to be that social just isn't realistic.
Ok, so the people aren't social enough to really start chatting, unless they're forced into downtime by the game. Being social is second to having fun, when players are given the choice. That still doesn't make GW2 antisocial, it's just that it doesn't force people to be social to be able to have fun.
I'm just trying to describe the situation, as I see it. I get why its become this way, and I'm not exactly knocking it. Just saying its an inherent trade-off, really. FWIW, I don't think GW2 is any worse in this respect, than other recent MMOs. They're all like this, nowadays, and deviating from that, to create a slower experience to encourage socializing would be a pretty big risk.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
long time lurker on mmorpg forums but this post actually made me register. I've been playing MMO's since around 2000 starting with Everquest (have bounced around casually from game to game though since). GW2 is beautiful and I'm having a great time. I do agree with the original poster as this really is an anti-social game and yet, it's such a cooperative game. Everyone jumps in the help kill a mob, defeat a boss, work through a map, or help rez any players that need it but I have yet to actually "talk" and have a conversation with one person and actually "meet" them so to speak. I have friends that I met in EQ and EQ2/Wow that I know I'll be friends with for the rest of my life.
Granted: not blaming just the game.. it does take two to tango. Just dropped from the guild I had joined as A) no one ever logged in no one ever talked, etc.
Will be looking for an active guild of which I can participate as I do think it will enrich my playing experience and I want to help contribute to the community. I can't point fingers as this is the first game that I haven't been grouped up in which a casually convo just happens to occur. I'd like to do my part.
Beautiful game.. just think we all need to do our part to make 'more of a community' outside of the traditional method. Heck.. the trinity is gone so let's just throw what we 'thought we knew' out the window and try something new.
Alot of soical people in guildwars 2. For the rest they wanted a game where you can go outside and do basically whatever you want without making a group. You have events and so on the only time you need a party is when you go into a dungeon. I like it like that. waiting for hours on a healer or tank sucks. that is just me thou.
I have a totaly diffrent exposure then you OP. I have never ever seen a more helpfull mmo then GW2.
When i die somewhere people take the effort to walk allthe way up to your corpse and res you. WoW community just walks by you to let your rot, even when you whisper them, they ignore you 9/10 times.
When i ask for a particular vista / Poi i get whispers and chat fills up with helpfull reply's.
When i want to do dungeons,people stop to explain things on a good level.
In WvW people fight for your corpse as if we are spartans.
...that I've made at least 10 friends in Keg Brawl alone (granted, I played Keg Brawl for some 50 hours or so, that ish is fun)
...That I've made precisely 3 friends as the result of jumping puzzles (helping or being helped through/rezzing when they fall)
...Or that I've become heavily involved in a large guild/alliance community as the result of World versus World
... That I've made multiple friends (and gold) after porting people up the jumping puzzle in Eternal Battlegrounds with a mesmer. And since I've gotten the witch's costume over Halloween, I put cauldrons down for other people to have idle entertainment on the cliff thing
There's no reason you can't have a social experience; there's so many different aspects to this game that finding SOMEONE to talk to should not be difficult at all. Hell, if you can stand the general IQ degradation of observing Lion's Arch map chat, you're bound to find someone worth talking to in there... somewhere... maybe..
Edit: As of posting this, I made another friend in Keg brawl after a competition to see if either of us could make an entire cross map lob. AND he was on the opposite team, lol
With a bit of effort you can usually find people to chat with.
That said, general unsponsored 'chat' in maps is nearly dead in all the maps I am in (and I am in all of them). Not Lion's Arch and sometimes not the cities but Rather the PvE maps. You can go hours (even allowing for the slow times with low pops) and not see a single peep.
PvP on the other hand has a frequent running chat session.
Sounds more like a person problem if people are having a hard time talking to others. For the time I have been playing, I have a rather long friend list and I continue making more friends where ever I go in the game. If anything, the mechanics of the game make it one of the most social games I have ever been. I have to flat out disagree with you on this being an anti social game. Its just not true. Its the opposite.
Your social experienc ein Tyria also depends on you. How do I know this? Because I have made friends, have a great guild, and really enjoy how easy it is for me to help or be helped by others.
I'd have to say GW2 by a long margin IMO. Ive never once chatted to anyone else or had a reason to chat with anyone else. Its the way the game is setup.
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care. Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
This thread seems kind of like a debate between introverts and extroverts. Extroverts don't need anything to be social, they just try to socialize, everywhere they go, and find plenty of other extroverts that way. Introverts are not asocial, but need systems to help buffer the experience, to make it something more enjoyable than just chatting people up all the time.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
Comments
That wasn't the social part. The social part was all the chatting groups would do, while camping dungeons and the like. The pacing was slow enough that people who grouped together would have conversations. Lots of them. The best guilds I'd joined started out that way, just PUGs getting to know each other, leading to invites. Not to mention downtime in the form of crafting, travel times, things like that.
Its still possible to be social, but the whole process is crippled right at the root. People have to actually stop playing, to take time to chat, and expecting people to be that social just isn't realistic.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
Read the OP. People are. It's just that no one talks back. Or are you suggesting people start chatting to themselves now?
I talk to myself all the time!
Don't I?
Yes, yes you do!
Are you team Azeroth, team Tyria, or team Jacob?
This is the perfect game to RP a character like that.
Ok, so the people aren't social enough to really start chatting, unless they're forced into downtime by the game. Being social is second to having fun, when players are given the choice. That still doesn't make GW2 antisocial, it's just that it doesn't force people to be social to be able to have fun.
I'm just trying to describe the situation, as I see it. I get why its become this way, and I'm not exactly knocking it. Just saying its an inherent trade-off, really. FWIW, I don't think GW2 is any worse in this respect, than other recent MMOs. They're all like this, nowadays, and deviating from that, to create a slower experience to encourage socializing would be a pretty big risk.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.
long time lurker on mmorpg forums but this post actually made me register. I've been playing MMO's since around 2000 starting with Everquest (have bounced around casually from game to game though since). GW2 is beautiful and I'm having a great time. I do agree with the original poster as this really is an anti-social game and yet, it's such a cooperative game. Everyone jumps in the help kill a mob, defeat a boss, work through a map, or help rez any players that need it but I have yet to actually "talk" and have a conversation with one person and actually "meet" them so to speak. I have friends that I met in EQ and EQ2/Wow that I know I'll be friends with for the rest of my life.
Granted: not blaming just the game.. it does take two to tango. Just dropped from the guild I had joined as A) no one ever logged in
no one ever talked, etc.
Will be looking for an active guild of which I can participate as I do think it will enrich my playing experience and I want to help contribute to the community. I can't point fingers as this is the first game that I haven't been grouped up in which a casually convo just happens to occur. I'd like to do my part.
Beautiful game.. just think we all need to do our part to make 'more of a community' outside of the traditional method. Heck.. the trinity is gone so let's just throw what we 'thought we knew' out the window and try something new.
I have a totaly diffrent exposure then you OP.
I have never ever seen a more helpfull mmo then GW2.
When i die somewhere people take the effort to walk allthe way up to your corpse and res you.
WoW community just walks by you to let your rot, even when you whisper them, they ignore you 9/10 times.
When i ask for a particular vista / Poi i get whispers and chat fills up with helpfull reply's.
When i want to do dungeons,people stop to explain things on a good level.
In WvW people fight for your corpse as if we are spartans.
I dunno but seems you are doing something wrong ?
It might bug OP to know:
...that I've made at least 10 friends in Keg Brawl alone (granted, I played Keg Brawl for some 50 hours or so, that ish is fun)
...That I've made precisely 3 friends as the result of jumping puzzles (helping or being helped through/rezzing when they fall)
...Or that I've become heavily involved in a large guild/alliance community as the result of World versus World
... That I've made multiple friends (and gold) after porting people up the jumping puzzle in Eternal Battlegrounds with a mesmer. And since I've gotten the witch's costume over Halloween, I put cauldrons down for other people to have idle entertainment on the cliff thing
There's no reason you can't have a social experience; there's so many different aspects to this game that finding SOMEONE to talk to should not be difficult at all. Hell, if you can stand the general IQ degradation of observing Lion's Arch map chat, you're bound to find someone worth talking to in there... somewhere... maybe..
Edit: As of posting this, I made another friend in Keg brawl after a competition to see if either of us could make an entire cross map lob. AND he was on the opposite team, lol
With a bit of effort you can usually find people to chat with.
That said, general unsponsored 'chat' in maps is nearly dead in all the maps I am in (and I am in all of them). Not Lion's Arch and sometimes not the cities but Rather the PvE maps. You can go hours (even allowing for the slow times with low pops) and not see a single peep.
PvP on the other hand has a frequent running chat session.
GW2 is a very quiet PvE map game.
Proud MMORPG.com member since March 2004! Make PvE GREAT Again!
Your social experienc ein Tyria also depends on you. How do I know this? Because I have made friends, have a great guild, and really enjoy how easy it is for me to help or be helped by others.
All my opinions are just that..opinions. If you like my opinions..coolness.If you dont like my opinion....I really dont care.
Playing: ESO, WOT, Smite, and Marvel Heroes
This thread seems kind of like a debate between introverts and extroverts. Extroverts don't need anything to be social, they just try to socialize, everywhere they go, and find plenty of other extroverts that way. Introverts are not asocial, but need systems to help buffer the experience, to make it something more enjoyable than just chatting people up all the time.
When I want a single-player story, I'll play a single-player game. When I play an MMO, I want a massively multiplayer world.