What does toxic communities in big games like LoL have anything to do with my post?
I guess i have to spell it out for you.
Toxic communities in big games have lots of players that don't care about socializing. Otherwise, the "community" would not be so toxic, or that they will leave.
Socializing, or the lack of, in this case, is not important enough for them to play something else. Is this logic clear enough, or do you need more discussions to help you comprehend?
What does toxic communities in big games like LoL have anything to do with my post?
I guess i have to spell it out for you.
Toxic communities in big games have lots of players that don't care about socializing. Otherwise, the "community" would not be so toxic, or that they will leave.
Socializing, or the lack of, in this case, is not important enough for them to play something else. Is this logic clear enough, or do you need more discussions to help you comprehend?
No thanks. Not worth getting banned over.
Besides....none of this has anything to do with the OP
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
What does toxic communities in big games like LoL have anything to do with my post?
I guess i have to spell it out for you.
Toxic communities in big games have lots of players that don't care about socializing. Otherwise, the "community" would not be so toxic, or that they will leave.
Socializing, or the lack of, in this case, is not important enough for them to play something else. Is this logic clear enough, or do you need more discussions to help you comprehend?
No thanks. Not worth getting banned over.
Besides....none of this has anything to do with the OP
That's OK, the OP was a dead horse right from the start, might as well wander around aimlessly at this point.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
What does toxic communities in big games like LoL have anything to do with my post?
I guess i have to spell it out for you.
Toxic communities in big games have lots of players that don't care about socializing. Otherwise, the "community" would not be so toxic, or that they will leave.
Socializing, or the lack of, in this case, is not important enough for them to play something else. Is this logic clear enough, or do you need more discussions to help you comprehend?
No thanks. Not worth getting banned over.
Besides....none of this has anything to do with the OP
That's OK, the OP was a dead horse right from the start, might as well wander around aimlessly at this point.
LOL!
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
That's OK, the OP was a dead horse right from the start, might as well wander around aimlessly at this point.
You mean "was flogging a dead horse"? I am sure i am not a horse, and I am certainly not dead.
I am just following the tradition of this forum. Solo vs group, FFA pvp, lack of down-time, bad community, f2p vs p2p ...... and oh, definitions of MMO .... are any of those things not a main stay of this forum? Are any of those things not dead horses?
That's OK, the OP was a dead horse right from the start, might as well wander around aimlessly at this point.
You mean "was flogging a dead horse"? I am sure i am not a horse, and I am certainly not dead.
I am just following the tradition of this forum. Solo vs group, FFA pvp, lack of down-time, bad community, f2p vs p2p ...... and oh, definitions of MMO .... are any of those things not a main stay of this forum? Are any of those things not dead horses?
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
We can continue to feed their antisocial behaviors until it becomes a huge problem for them and potentially society in general, or we can promote ways to make the activity easier to socialize.
we are talking about entertainment here, not education or training. If people want to be antisocial in the comfort of their own home, in enjoying their entertainment, is there a reason not to provide that to them?
Watching movies alone is also antisocial. Shall we inhibit people from watching movies alone, or reading alone too?
You can go ahead and masturbate all you want and I don't intend to tell you that you can't. You can be the one telling yourself that it's as good as having sex, just don't expect me to agree.
By your adamant support of "solo play" could we be inclined to think that you may have moderate to severe antisocial tendencies? As with all deviated human behaviors the individual searches for ways to either normalize or trivialize said behavior. If such a behavior is not deviant, then why would the individual need to garner acceptance? The added irony would be an antisocial individual still feeling forced to socially seek justification for their antisocial behavior.
You're both showing one the worst forms of anti-social behavior, an inability to respectfully communicate and understand differing views.
One of the reasons behind this is that there is nothing here at mmorpg.com that I care about. There isn't a single friend, or even a person that I greatly respect. What reason could I possibly have to care about the faceless names that litter the page?
There are times though, where I start to find a bond. Someone that suggests something that I like, or is similar to thoughts that I have. Sometimes I might have an enjoyable bit of forum banter and think quite positively on the interaction. That happens when I find a similar minded individual. And in my original post, the suggestion that I was trying to make was that developers could try and find more ways to bring like minded people together. I suggested that might help solve the problem of antisocial behavior with some people.
And yes, I took offense that the paragraph suggesting that antisocial behavior was a problem got ripped out of my thread and trivialized. So yeah, my statement still stands, I'm not changing a thing, and I'm probably still an asshole.
... and yet this from a person sitting atop of a mountain preaching against anti-socialization. You might want to take a deep breath an look at yourself in the mirror before criticizing others. Has it ever occurred to you that the reason players may not want to socialize as much in games as they would like in a game is the same reason why you have a difficult time socializing on MMORPG.com and can't find a single friend or person you greatly respect on this forum? How can it be that you espouse yourself to be this overly social person advocating for more socialization in games and yet can not adequately socialize on a gaming forum/website chock-full of the very same people you would be socializing with in a video game?
The reason's many people do not socialize/group in video games has very little to do with being social or anti-social and a whole lot more to do with the putrid state video game communities are in now days. I, myself, am a very social person and would love to group more in games but refuse to put myself through the headaches that grouping in games today bring. It is the rude and anti-social behavior of gaming communities now days that drive the social player to want to play solo, not the other way around. You yourself are exhibiting a form of anit-social behavior in this thread, and the sad part is that you don't even realize it. Sometimes one just needs to see things from a different perspective to see the full picture.
I thought that I would take the time to educate you on reality as it currently stands. I would have hoped that all people would possess the ability to read a full paragraph and understand it before commenting, but sometimes I have unrealistic expectations.
First off, I spoke about how developers could create systems that kept like minded people together while segregating conflicting personalities. These action would create easier socialization without forcing people to socialize. For those still unaware of the point, this could help people socialize without the headaches that grouping in games today bring. For example, they could determine and segregate people based off of reading comprehension, keeping people that can actually understand more than a single sentence from those that can't.
To sum up that point, I then mentioned briefly that antisocial behavior is becoming a problem and that it might help.
Nariusseldon then took that out of context and made it sound like I was attacking solo players to which I replied that he can play solo all he wants.
Distopia commented fairly and I responded to him fairly, but I still have no reason to change my statement. If Nariusseldon would have actually read and understood my point, there was nothing saying that people couldn't solo, rather that the developers could do more so people enjoyed it more when they tried to socialize.
And now we have you condemning me again for my attacks on solo play. Insinuating that I am the cause of players to not want to group, and that I am criticizing solo players. You attack me outright, and then suggest that it's my behavior creating a putrid state in gaming communities.
The reason that communities are toxic is that too many people either can't understand a well written statement, or they choose not to, but yet they still feel qualified to go off ranting on something they are completely ignorant about.
Post edited by eye_m on
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
If Nariusseldon would have actually read and understood my point, there was nothing saying that people couldn't solo, rather that the developers could do more so people enjoyed it more when they tried to socialize.
They could .. but should they? There are plenty of opportunities to socialize .. even in a PUG. And how can you make chatting "more enjoyable"? Chatting is chatting.
If people don't want to socialize, is there a reason to spend resources to push them to?
If Nariusseldon would have actually read and understood my point, there was nothing saying that people couldn't solo, rather that the developers could do more so people enjoyed it more when they tried to socialize.
They could .. but should they? There are plenty of opportunities to socialize .. even in a PUG. And how can you make chatting "more enjoyable"? Chatting is chatting.
If people don't want to socialize, is there a reason to spend resources to push them to?
I think there is depending on what type of game you want to make.
If a game is focused on providing a virtual world then there is no need to force people to interact. Just like in the real world you can walk by someone and ignore them if you really want to, but the fact that you may have chance encounters increases the chance you will be able to group up and duo with someone or at least ask them for something weather it be a buff, help, directions, or whatever else.
Perhaps there should be games for people who want to avoid all interaction and games for people who don't.
Perhaps there should be games for people who want to avoid all interaction and games for people who don't.
Aren't all games with a chat option are already that way? If you like, you *can* chat with people in almost any online games (except Hearthstone), and you certainly can ignore everyone and play these games as single player games.
That is the beauty of these functions (chat, LFD, ....) optional. No one has to use them, but you can if you want to.
Perhaps there should be games for people who want to avoid all interaction and games for people who don't.
Aren't all games with a chat option are already that way? If you like, you *can* chat with people in almost any online games (except Hearthstone), and you certainly can ignore everyone and play these games as single player games.
That is the beauty of these functions (chat, LFD, ....) optional. No one has to use them, but you can if you want to.
Not really.
For instance I can't start running out to explore and happen on some orcs. No one else is there and I start attacking. Then someone else happens along and asks if they can help. I can't start my journey to freeport and happen on a friendly Druid who offers to give me a speed enhancement buff to make my journey much safer and easier. I can't go into a dungeon and find someone is there already that I could ask if it's OK that I could join in.
Basically what you have is a game that can be played solo via quests and a separate game for grouping and PvP that is all very static and sectioned off from each other.
One encourages socialization through chance encounters that don't have to be 5 man or even grouping at all. The other only encourages group through very specific lines and basically combines a single player and multiple player game into one game. They are very different to me.
If Nariusseldon would have actually read and understood my point, there was nothing saying that people couldn't solo, rather that the developers could do more so people enjoyed it more when they tried to socialize.
They could .. but should they? There are plenty of opportunities to socialize .. even in a PUG. And how can you make chatting "more enjoyable"? Chatting is chatting.
If people don't want to socialize, is there a reason to spend resources to push them to?
well first off, not once did I ever say they should push people to socialize.
Think about it.
Keep thinking about it. Just let it sink in.
Keep thinking about it.
Don't stop, just absorb that thought.
I will check back in a day or so to see if you've managed to figure that out yet. Sound ok? I don't want to push too hard.
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
For instance I can't start running out to explore and happen on some orcs. No one else is there and I start attacking. Then someone else happens along and asks if they can help. I can't start my journey to freeport and happen on a friendly Druid who offers to give me a speed enhancement buff to make my journey much safer and easier. I can't go into a dungeon and find someone is there already that I could ask if it's OK that I could join in.
Of course you can (not the journey part .. few wants to walk to the dungeons anymore).
Take D3 as an example (and it is not even a MMO). You can click the "public" button, and go into someone elses' dungeon, and you can ask if you can join.
You can go into your own dungeon, and wait for someone to show up and help you.
Both of those things can be done, at the click of a button. There is the added advantage that you can simply change the option and either play solo, or group at any time.
I thought the game would be like Minecraft, where you could easily gather and produce everything that you need in order to build your own world reasonably. However as I continued to play, it became obvious the game is heavily weighted towards you joining a clan of 3+ people if you want to ever produce anything of interest.
My problem with this is that I am the lone wolf personality, I tend to have my own goals and desires, and don't trust other people to work with me properly towards completing them. As such me trying to play ARK on my own didn't really work out well, since most of the end-game content involves performing actions that take many, many, and I mean more than 24 hours in some cases, hours of effort to perform. Gathering materials is abysmally slow by yourself, after 600 hours in-game I only had a small stone hut on the beach to show for it.
Anyways, fun game, but not balanced for individual play.
Perhaps there should be games for people who want to avoid all interaction and games for people who don't.
Aren't all games with a chat option are already that way? If you like, you *can* chat with people in almost any online games (except Hearthstone), and you certainly can ignore everyone and play these games as single player games.
That is the beauty of these functions (chat, LFD, ....) optional. No one has to use them, but you can if you want to.
Not really.
For instance I can't start running out to explore and happen on some orcs. No one else is there and I start attacking. Then someone else happens along and asks if they can help. I can't start my journey to freeport and happen on a friendly Druid who offers to give me a speed enhancement buff to make my journey much safer and easier. I can't go into a dungeon and find someone is there already that I could ask if it's OK that I could join in.
Basically what you have is a game that can be played solo via quests and a separate game for grouping and PvP that is all very static and sectioned off from each other.
One encourages socialization through chance encounters that don't have to be 5 man or even grouping at all. The other only encourages group through very specific lines and basically combines a single player and multiple player game into one game. They are very different to me.
The focus on group vs. solo combat is silly. MMORPG throughout its history were always majority solo combat. The isolating mechanics in modern MMORPG vastly weigh more than solo combat towards making the game solo play. Solo gameplay I mean majority of the game is played by yourself in and out of combat. Instances, solo questline, LFG, lack of interesting powers to grant each other and etc. means we have no interdependency.
For instance I can't start running out to explore and happen on some orcs. No one else is there and I start attacking. Then someone else happens along and asks if they can help. I can't start my journey to freeport and happen on a friendly Druid who offers to give me a speed enhancement buff to make my journey much safer and easier. I can't go into a dungeon and find someone is there already that I could ask if it's OK that I could join in.
...Take D3 as an example (and it is not even a MMO)...
Now it's not an MMO? Lol.
You've talked so much shit over the years on these forums that you're now actually confusing yourself. Like someone who tells too many lies starts to lose track of all of the lies and can't keep up.
Funny stuff.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
i always use the game list on this site ... and D3 is listed as an "action RPG".
I am you are the one who is confused. In fact, i challenged you to find a post that i said D3 is a MMO. I used to say (and still) that it is "close enough" (for me). "Close enough" is not "equal", right? Or do you need to look up a dictionary too?
The focus on group vs. solo combat is silly. MMORPG throughout its history were always majority solo combat. The isolating mechanics in modern MMORPG vastly weigh more than solo combat towards making the game solo play. Solo gameplay I mean majority of the game is played by yourself in and out of combat. Instances, solo questline, LFG, lack of interesting powers to grant each other and etc. means we have no interdependency.
Wait .. how is "LFG" solo gameplay? Didn't I see OTHER players if i click the LFG button?
Sure there is no interdependency. But treating some other players as NPC is still group play.
The focus on group vs. solo combat is silly. MMORPG throughout its history were always majority solo combat. The isolating mechanics in modern MMORPG vastly weigh more than solo combat towards making the game solo play. Solo gameplay I mean majority of the game is played by yourself in and out of combat. Instances, solo questline, LFG, lack of interesting powers to grant each other and etc. means we have no interdependency.
Wait .. how is "LFG" solo gameplay? Didn't I see OTHER players if i click the LFG button?
Sure there is no interdependency. But treating some other players as NPC is still group play.
LFG isn't solo playing. Its an isolating mechanic because the players don't have to invest in the community. You're just ported into a random group to defeat generally easy content. No need to communicate. You just DPS everything down.
The focus on group vs. solo combat is silly. MMORPG throughout its history were always majority solo combat. The isolating mechanics in modern MMORPG vastly weigh more than solo combat towards making the game solo play. Solo gameplay I mean majority of the game is played by yourself in and out of combat. Instances, solo questline, LFG, lack of interesting powers to grant each other and etc. means we have no interdependency.
Wait .. how is "LFG" solo gameplay? Didn't I see OTHER players if i click the LFG button?
Sure there is no interdependency. But treating some other players as NPC is still group play.
The Diablo 3 system works a bit different then most games and is focused only on solo and small group instances.
Personally I do enjoy exploring a virtual world and encountering random people to group.
I don't really enjoy queuing up and being teleported to an instance to find a group. I'd rather just have it happen in a more natural way that can only happen in a persistent world with meaningful traveling.
I also would say that that dependence might be a strong world to use here. No one has to ask for a buffs or a teleport. They also don't have to group in most cases. They simple don't have to option to completely instance themselves off in game and having certain buffs only for one class makes it more appealing for people to interact. In other words it gives them a good reason to interact in game.
LFG isn't solo playing. Its an isolating mechanic because the players don't have to invest in the community. You're just ported into a random group to defeat generally easy content. No need to communicate. You just DPS everything down.
That I agree with the "isolating mechanic" comment but it does not have to be easy. D3 MP greater rift is a good example of the challenge.
And yes, some players love LFD because they don't have to care about the community, and still have MP combat fun.
The Diablo 3 system works a bit different then most games and is focused only on solo and small group instances.
Personally I do enjoy exploring a virtual world and encountering random people to group.
That (exploring a virtual world) and playing solo are two separate issues. We are talking about solo vs group here. Clearly you can meet random people when you play instanced games. Are you disputing that?
On the second issue .. yes, i am aware of your preferences of virtual worlds. However, since most MMORPG gameplay is not in virtual worlds anymore, it is a bit moot. You certainly are welcomed to start a thread to complain about the lack of virtual worlds.
Personally (since you air your preferences, i may was well), I enjoy instanced gameplay much more than roaming around in virtual worlds. Whether there are other people .... is quite beside the point. Even single player open world games have instant travel precisely to give option for people who don't want to just walk around all day.
Comments
No thanks. Not worth getting banned over.
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
"This may hurt a little, but it's something you'll get used to. Relax....."
I am just following the tradition of this forum. Solo vs group, FFA pvp, lack of down-time, bad community, f2p vs p2p ...... and oh, definitions of MMO .... are any of those things not a main stay of this forum? Are any of those things not dead horses?
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
But certainly we can discuss how solo play is prevalent, and that the classical mmo-"ness" is no longer a design tenet of MMOs.
I thought that I would take the time to educate you on reality as it currently stands. I would have hoped that all people would possess the ability to read a full paragraph and understand it before commenting, but sometimes I have unrealistic expectations.
First off, I spoke about how developers could create systems that kept like minded people together while segregating conflicting personalities. These action would create easier socialization without forcing people to socialize. For those still unaware of the point, this could help people socialize without the headaches that grouping in games today bring. For example, they could determine and segregate people based off of reading comprehension, keeping people that can actually understand more than a single sentence from those that can't.
To sum up that point, I then mentioned briefly that antisocial behavior is becoming a problem and that it might help.
Nariusseldon then took that out of context and made it sound like I was attacking solo players to which I replied that he can play solo all he wants.
Distopia commented fairly and I responded to him fairly, but I still have no reason to change my statement. If Nariusseldon would have actually read and understood my point, there was nothing saying that people couldn't solo, rather that the developers could do more so people enjoyed it more when they tried to socialize.
And now we have you condemning me again for my attacks on solo play. Insinuating that I am the cause of players to not want to group, and that I am criticizing solo players. You attack me outright, and then suggest that it's my behavior creating a putrid state in gaming communities.
The reason that communities are toxic is that too many people either can't understand a well written statement, or they choose not to, but yet they still feel qualified to go off ranting on something they are completely ignorant about.
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
I don't hate much, but I hate Apple© with a passion. If Steve Jobs was alive, I would punch him in the face.
If people don't want to socialize, is there a reason to spend resources to push them to?
If a game is focused on providing a virtual world then there is no need to force people to interact. Just like in the real world you can walk by someone and ignore them if you really want to, but the fact that you may have chance encounters increases the chance you will be able to group up and duo with someone or at least ask them for something weather it be a buff, help, directions, or whatever else.
Perhaps there should be games for people who want to avoid all interaction and games for people who don't.
That is the beauty of these functions (chat, LFD, ....) optional. No one has to use them, but you can if you want to.
For instance I can't start running out to explore and happen on some orcs. No one else is there and I start attacking. Then someone else happens along and asks if they can help. I can't start my journey to freeport and happen on a friendly Druid who offers to give me a speed enhancement buff to make my journey much safer and easier. I can't go into a dungeon and find someone is there already that I could ask if it's OK that I could join in.
Basically what you have is a game that can be played solo via quests and a separate game for grouping and PvP that is all very static and sectioned off from each other.
One encourages socialization through chance encounters that don't have to be 5 man or even grouping at all. The other only encourages group through very specific lines and basically combines a single player and multiple player game into one game. They are very different to me.
well first off, not once did I ever say they should push people to socialize.
Think about it.
Keep thinking about it. Just let it sink in.
Keep thinking about it.
Don't stop, just absorb that thought.
I will check back in a day or so to see if you've managed to figure that out yet. Sound ok? I don't want to push too hard.
All of my posts are either intelligent, thought provoking, funny, satirical, sarcastic or intentionally disrespectful. Take your pick.
I get banned in the forums for games I love, so lets see if I do better in the forums for games I hate.
I enjoy the serenity of not caring what your opinion is.
I don't hate much, but I hate Apple© with a passion. If Steve Jobs was alive, I would punch him in the face.
"True friends stab you in the front." | Oscar Wilde
"I need to finish" - Christian Wolff: The Accountant
Just trying to live long enough to play a new, released MMORPG, playing New Worlds atm
Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions. Pvbs 18:2, NIV
Don't just play games, inhabit virtual worlds™
"This is the most intelligent, well qualified and articulate response to a post I have ever seen on these forums. It's a shame most people here won't have the attention span to read past the second line." - Anon
Take D3 as an example (and it is not even a MMO). You can click the "public" button, and go into someone elses' dungeon, and you can ask if you can join.
You can go into your own dungeon, and wait for someone to show up and help you.
Both of those things can be done, at the click of a button. There is the added advantage that you can simply change the option and either play solo, or group at any time.
I thought the game would be like Minecraft, where you could easily gather and produce everything that you need in order to build your own world reasonably. However as I continued to play, it became obvious the game is heavily weighted towards you joining a clan of 3+ people if you want to ever produce anything of interest.
My problem with this is that I am the lone wolf personality, I tend to have my own goals and desires, and don't trust other people to work with me properly towards completing them. As such me trying to play ARK on my own didn't really work out well, since most of the end-game content involves performing actions that take many, many, and I mean more than 24 hours in some cases, hours of effort to perform. Gathering materials is abysmally slow by yourself, after 600 hours in-game I only had a small stone hut on the beach to show for it.
Anyways, fun game, but not balanced for individual play.
You've talked so much shit over the years on these forums that you're now actually confusing yourself. Like someone who tells too many lies starts to lose track of all of the lies and can't keep up.
Funny stuff.
"Mr. Rothstein, your people never will understand... the way it works out here. You're all just our guests. But you act like you're at home. Let me tell you something, partner. You ain't home. But that's where we're gonna send you if it harelips the governor." - Pat Webb
I am you are the one who is confused. In fact, i challenged you to find a post that i said D3 is a MMO. I used to say (and still) that it is "close enough" (for me). "Close enough" is not "equal", right? Or do you need to look up a dictionary too?
Wait .. how is "LFG" solo gameplay? Didn't I see OTHER players if i click the LFG button?
Sure there is no interdependency. But treating some other players as NPC is still group play.
Personally I do enjoy exploring a virtual world and encountering random people to group.
I don't really enjoy queuing up and being teleported to an instance to find a group. I'd rather just have it happen in a more natural way that can only happen in a persistent world with meaningful traveling.
I also would say that that dependence might be a strong world to use here. No one has to ask for a buffs or a teleport. They also don't have to group in most cases. They simple don't have to option to completely instance themselves off in game and having certain buffs only for one class makes it more appealing for people to interact. In other words it gives them a good reason to interact in game.
And yes, some players love LFD because they don't have to care about the community, and still have MP combat fun.
That (exploring a virtual world) and playing solo are two separate issues. We are talking about solo vs group here. Clearly you can meet random people when you play instanced games. Are you disputing that?
On the second issue .. yes, i am aware of your preferences of virtual worlds. However, since most MMORPG gameplay is not in virtual worlds anymore, it is a bit moot. You certainly are welcomed to start a thread to complain about the lack of virtual worlds.
Personally (since you air your preferences, i may was well), I enjoy instanced gameplay much more than roaming around in virtual worlds. Whether there are other people .... is quite beside the point. Even single player open world games have instant travel precisely to give option for people who don't want to just walk around all day.