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The dead community: a LOTRO dis-aventure
Elikal
Member UncommonPosts: 7,912
Ya know these days I am again tinkering around a bit with LOTRO, basically to farm the new stuff of the expansion, which visually looks quite nice, and so far the quests seem good enough.
Anyway, here is yesterday's experience, which I thought to share. I was on one of those book quests, where you find and guard an Elf Mal-something. He gets 2 waves of Orcs attacking him, and since he is quite flimsy it may get difficult. So after having failed I realized I need a group, so I stood in front of him and started the usual "LFG" shouts. Now mind ya, since the part is all new, of course every 2 min or so either a solo player or a group would come.
The first duo came and there I was, in the middle of nowhere in front of a lone quest giver, jumping, waving, shouting "HELLOOO I need that too, can we..." but they had already begun, did the stuff and ran away. And so it went on. For an hour or more. People rused there and before I could say my say they were on the battle. Soloers also came, most of them died and never came back. Or came back with a guild mate ALSO of course ignoring my every word asking "hey mind if I join..." or not.
After one hour constantly talking to people and CONSTANTLY being ignored I sat on the nearest rock and began to enjoy the show of people dying. I found at that point that was much more fun, since people assumed I would stand there in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN FRONT OF A QUEST GIVE to hand out ice cream, or sell newspapers!
I really have seen lots of lows, but this was by far one of the most disappointing and sad endeavors. It would take 2 min to help, people where coming by every minute, but it took an hour and about 2 dozen groups & soloers passing by, half them failed even STILL did not answer to my requests and rushed in, died and rushed away to whatever. It was profoundly disheartning. I mean, if humans are UNABLE to see the benefits of cooperation in something short lasting and simple as a GAME, let all hope fade for anything more complex like climate change in Kopenhagen!
Really disheartning experience.
EDIT: So as someone asked how would you restore the magic of MMOs, my answer is NOT AT ALL. People are way too dumb these days. There are no manners, there is zero sense for community or enjoying things together anymore, and so the step of SWTOR seems entirely logical to say, ok we allow the solo group "I AM MY OWN GROUP I NEVER NEED ANYONE AGAIN NEENER NEENER". How sad to live in such days. Thinking of the great community days of SWG makes me sigh now. But it seems such days where people grouped just because they enjoyed the company are over like the days when people went into a war with a sword.
I mean I don't want to sound too emo, I like LOTRO a lot, but I have NEVER ever been so alone than in this game, and thats really a dent between me and this game. IF people join you, they rush rush rush through the quest and then "kthxbye" and off they go. Terrible community sense.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Comments
Girl gets robbed, stabbed, and killed in a street. Calls out for help. Neighbors close their doors, shut their windows, and run inside. That's society today, and it's reflected in these games. Yeah, it's sad, but it's almost normal. We tend to associate and do things only with our friends (or, in an MMO's case, our Guilds) and avoid strangers. If it were me, I'd group up, get the thing done, and probably disband and walk off on my merry way. If you were friendly, I might remember you and talk to you in the future. But normally, I make sure everyone gets what they need, then I leave. It's rare you'll ever meet those same people again, unless it's a really small game or you do end up becoming friends.
I enjoyed lotro quite a bit, but I've been gone for a while. I have played on a couple of different servers, and I remember Vilya was usually pretty good about getting a group when you needed it.
Not sure if the server's still that way or not, but it was a much better experience than my time on Arkenstone (outside of guild activities).
Just some food for thought, yes we have degraded as a civilization and are continuing to devolve. Nothing much we can do to change it until people become accountable again.
What does accountable mean? Is that still a word? Isn't it always someone elses fault?
That is a sad story op. A fun part of any MMO for me is the random grouping to get stuff done. From time to time you may get the bad apple. But I enjoy that part of the game. I almost always help others when asked. With Kinmates or others. Too bad many others will never group with someone they don't know.
How many people long for that "past, simpler, and better world," I wonder, without ever recognizing the truth that perhaps it was they who were simpler and better, and not the world about them?
R.A.Salvatore
Wow, people suck.
I mean I myself can't always help people, sometimes am I on the way to a group or something but if I pass by someone that asks for my help I give it a try (unless they asks for gold or stuff). But there are actually a lot of people that help others out, possibly not on your server.
I would consider joining a guild, at least if you can find one that has nice players in it. Otherwise it might be time to change server. I don't believe that all MMO players are idiots (even though I considered the possibility at times, similar things have happened to me once or twice), there are some genuinely nice people out there.
I guess the only thing to do is act nice yourself, and setting an example for new players. If everyone is acting like turds it will turn the new players into that too. A few good players make a big difference on a server.
Well I am stuck on German servers, alas. Europeans are unfortunately way less willing to take in strangers. I always preferred playing in US severs, but LOTRO does not allow that, since LOTRO Europe is run by another company here. You may say what you want, but Americans are way more open taking in people they don't know, while most Europeans play with RL friends and if you are a stranger you can see for yourself where you go. Just an observation I made.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
Wow, that sucks man... Here on the US servers (Brandywine, at least) we have players actively helping out others. I actually ran some lower level guys through an instance the other day just to try to be a nice guy.
When I played LotRO and was in Bree, I always made it a point to help out groups for the Great Barrow. People were always LFG for that one, so I would join and run them through. Every single time people were extremely appreciative and thanked me profusely. It was a good feeling knowing you had helped others out in game. I'm not sure why more people don't help others out, especially lower leveled players needing groups for the epic quests.
Current: None
Played: WoW, CoX, SWG, LotRO, EVE, AoC, VG, CO, Ryzom, DF, WAR
Tried: Lineage2, Dofus, EQ2, CoS, FE, UO, Wurm, Wakfu
Future: The Repopulation, ArcheAge, Black Desert, EQN
Those are also my feelings and experience, both in WoW and in Aion recently.
What I don't understand is why are you so hyped with TOR, it will be even worse.
Heh I was about to do the exact the same quest a couple of days ago! I was running around solo and came to the NPC when another player started the encounter, he had some trouble so I gave him some help (buffed and healed since I didnt want to take from his xp). When he was done I started the encounter for myself and the other player stayed and helped me defeat the orcs.
So I had a great experience with that quest even if both me and the other player was soloing, and after we just /bow and left
btw Im on EU server aswell.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
If nothing else, TOR's NPC companions should ensure that it is never impossible to complete content due to the absence of other players.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
I think it's not solely a Lotro issue. Vanguard has one of the most active community, yet the same happened to me there a few times.I think it's understandable on EU language mixed servers, where the players might not really speak english and prefer to stick with their own closed communities, ignoring anyone around, but if that happened on pure German server, it's a bit weird.
REALITY CHECK
Just a minor pet-peeve: It's Copenhagen. (I live in the city :P)
Anyway, I'm seeing the same thing happen in AION, where you usually get no response at all from strangers. And if you get invited into a group, people won't even talk to you about why they invited and what they want to do, they just send invites, begins to kill mobs, and leaves the group again. Nothing said inbetween.
Just a minor pet-peeve: It's Copenhagen. (I live in the city :P)
I think its Kopenhagen in german which should be as correct as writing it in english, and it starts with K in danish too
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
I hope you SOLOERS enjoy the shallow world you have created.
If nothing else, TOR's NPC companions should ensure that it is never impossible to complete content due to the absence of other players.
I am not here to "complete content".
If nothing else, TOR's NPC companions should ensure that it is never impossible to complete content due to the absence of other players.
I am not here to "complete content".
That's nice. I'm not here to LFG.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
If nothing else, TOR's NPC companions should ensure that it is never impossible to complete content due to the absence of other players.
I am not here to "complete content".
Exactly, you hit the nail there. Soloers just want to complete content, they are like a horse with blinders, missing everything around them.
Erm, no. What Soloers don't want is to have wait for other people before we can start having fun with the content. I could just as easily compare groupers to cattle, unwilling to act without the safety of the herd.
But it'd be nice if a thread didn't devolve into generalisation and flaming.
For a change.
Playing: EVE, Final Fantasy 13, Uncharted 2, Need for Speed: Shift
The bigger the size the community, the worse it is. It just happens to all mmo.
I think it may be nice for LoTRO to have solo mode like DDO. This will take care of the LFG problem.
Eh there is nothing wrong with the chat in LotrO, it has the same "say" like in WoW (but its not in a bubble by default) so I dont know what you mean, I even think that the chat in LotrO is better than most MMOs + had build in voice-chat since launch. LotrO does lack the fluid animations of WoW thou.
Also note that the quest the OP is talking about is listed as a solo quest so most people wont bother to group for it.
If WoW = The Beatles
and WAR = Led Zeppelin
Then LotrO = Pink Floyd
Lets say it in that way: in times when MMos where as difficult as EQ or what, people HAD to cooperate, but in LOTRO you can RUSH through levels and most quests are soloable anyway. So people are trained to do things alone by the game.
Personally I am VERY quickly bored from soloing, and I cant fathom why people enjoy doing it all the time. Its like that old saying, you are alone at home, but you feel much more alone being alone in a crowd, and thats what LOTRO is for me.
I vividly recally the days when I played EQ2 and especially SWG, god we had a community there! People would just TALK or help just so! Without reason or being asked to. The level of community I knew in SWG I have never seen even remotely in modern days!
In my very personal opinion TS has ruined the chat culture. People in TS are focussed on their Guilds or circle of friends and the people not in their TS are out of their focus. So TS kinda does its part in ruining the community.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
When I played LOTRO (way back when), I think I was on Elendilmir (sp?). For the most, part every one was pretty helpful with this kind of stuff. I tend to do a lot of soloing, but I would almost always help some one out if they needed it.
You really can put a lot of the blame on the quest system. The quest hubs and quest chains have every one constantly running around at full speed. Its hard for people to break that mentality and slow down to help some one. And, when you do find a good group and start having fun, every one splits as soon as that one short quest is over.
Can you imagine that I can't see why people need to group all the time?
Actually I have a good sense as to why players want to group all the time (just a sense) but it's never something that I would choose for myself. I don't mind being alone with my thoughts or left to my own devices. I have a pretty active social life so to a certain extent playing video games is one of the few times I can be alone. However, I enjoy the "life" that mmo's offer.
I would agree that TS has ruined the chat feature but to many, they love shootin' the shit over TS. Not my cup of tea and I have it off as much as possible which usually means always.
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
Erm, no. What Soloers don't want is to have wait for other people before we can start having fun with the content. I could just as easily compare groupers to cattle, unwilling to act without the safety of the herd.
But it'd be nice if a thread didn't devolve into generalisation and flaming.
For a change.
I agree with Ilvaldyr here. If someone wants to say we are horse with blinders then we could easily come back with the cattle remark. so I imagine that neither are true and let's just leave bygones to bygones.
Besides, soloers "don't just want to complete content". They want to enjoy content they are in the mood for without having to wait an hour to do so only to get some really bad or rude players ruin the experience. That's why I mostly group with alliance members or to help others out.
In the end, I'm responsible for my "good time" and since I value and enjoy my time I want to get the most out of it.
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
Thats the way it is kid, noone owes you sh*t.
Trolls = Hardcore
Fanbois = Carebears
The only posts I read in threads are my own.