Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Social Points!
Ihmotepp
Member Posts: 14,495
Zoidberg - Grouping is an efficient way to quest and level, as it makes killing enemies in the open world easier. Along with the ease of killing, social points are awarded for completion of quests in groups. While the function is still unknown, they likely would be used as a way to encourage grouping with others. While dialog can get bogged down if you need to wait on members to arrive at quest givers and to make choices, it can be smooth if everyone is on their toes.
http://darthhater.com/2010/07/08/e3-hands-on-impressions/page/5
I like the idea, even though I don't know what you can do with them. Want to speculate? maybe turn in for extra cool gear?
Comments
Unlock special emotes, companions, cosmetic features, just about anything you can think of that is social.
As I was reading the article, I began speculation as to what the Social Points might go towards. One of the things that might be interesting is having them influence the dice roll for dialog choices while grouping. For example, If you have grouped more than me and thus have more Social Points, your dialog choice would weigh heavier than mine for determining how the conversation plays out. Basically, you have grouped more and thus have a more inherent leadership quality than me and thus your dialog choice reflects that you are more "experienced" in this situation.
Might not work and it definitely wouldn't be for everyone, but it sounds plausible.
Other than that, like a previous poster said, they could be for just about anything.
I want a mmorpg where people have gone through misery, have gone through school stuff and actually have had sex even. -sagil
That's cool. But not as cool as trading them in for special gear! Like your very own imperial at-st!http://www.vegatransports.com.au/2001/atst.jpg
lf 4 more for quest hand-ins! will only take 5 minutes, paying 2000 creds each, easy money, any class welcome! pst.
Anyhow, I've always liked various token systems combined with random loot. It's nice to know that in addition to the 1 in 100 drop chance, if you run the zone 100 times, you're guaranteed to have enough points to get that item you want.
On the flipside, if this is just an artificial way of making people group when the gameplay alone does not otherwise encourage it, I am not sure I like it. (Meaning that instead of completing an easy quest and moving along, you're better off looking for a group for it so you don't miss out on social points)
We'll wait and see.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
you don't have to wait and see. The game going to be soloable. There's nothing that's going to make you find a group to do a quest. You will always be able to move forward solo. Anything else would be called "forced grouping" and the TOR team stated they won't do "forced grouping".
If that makes you feel the social points are artificial, then they are.
Is that knowledge or guesswork? Either way, I like the idea to encourage people to group and not penalize them for NOT grouping. And that TOR wont be too much solo heavy as some MMOs now.
People don't ask questions to get answers - they ask questions to show how smart they are. - Dogbert
I fairly sure some of the flashpoints and raids wont be soloable. So you are wrong by saying the game will always be soloable. If you are talking about class quests and world quests then yes like most mmos they will be soloable.
Playing: Tera, BF3, ME3
Waiting on: Guild Wars 2
you don't have to wait and see. The game going to be soloable. There's nothing that's going to make you find a group to do a quest. You will always be able to move forward solo. Anything else would be called "forced grouping" and the TOR team stated they won't do "forced grouping".
If that makes you feel the social points are artificial, then they are.
The Dev's said that the game can be soloed from begining to end. But they said you will
miss a lot of the games content. There will be incentives to group and content you can not do solo. Probably similar to LOTRO. That whole game could be soloed, but the group content was much more fun. We don't know that much yet, but we do know that there are large chain quests on Alderan that require a group and will affect the war effort. That was stated at E3.
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
Finally, a system to reward social behavior. This should be interesting. Definitely going to try this now. Have to see how they plan to implement this.
Swapping social points for gear kind of makes the whole aspect of being social moot doesn't it? I agree with the /emotes and cosmetic or clothing fluff. Reward social play with social rewards. To do otherwise is a flawed system and is not social at all then.
If your definition of "social reward" is "fluff", then what they are rewarding is not "Social play". By "social play", they mean progressing through the game (combat, quests) while grouped. So by extension, a "social reward" for this kind of "social play" would be something that helps one do these things - combat, quests - better.
Sorry if that sounds confusing, just want to make it's clear - they're NOT rewarding hanging out in town square, being nice to people and handing out **huggles**, they're rewarding killing s**t with others as opposed to on your own. Many games have similar systems, just called different things - for example, in EQ2, if you complete group instances, you get tokens, which then can be used to buy gear. This encourages people to do those instances over and over in groups. Works pretty well in creating a constant incentive for people to group.
"Id rather work on something with great potential than on fulfilling a promise of mediocrity."
- Raph Koster
Tried: AO,EQ,EQ2,DAoC,SWG,AA,SB,HZ,CoX,PS,GA,TR,IV,GnH,EVE, PP,DnL,WAR,MxO,SWG,FE,VG,AoC,DDO,LoTRO,Rift,TOR,Aion,Tera,TSW,GW2,DCUO,CO,STO
Favourites: AO,SWG,EVE,TR,LoTRO,TSW,EQ2, Firefall
Currently Playing: ESO
o.k. I'll take the bait.
Progressing though the game for better gear Is by its very definition called grinding. Talking to other players and relating to one another is called being social.
If you created a system, with points to be collected, for the end result to be to collect better gear, it would be no different from slaying monsters and gaining xp.
Now if solo players played the game, and they were forced to be social, because they could only get certain gear that was only offered with social points and not drops, they would have a massive cry.
A solo player that does not wish to be social, would not need things that enable and enhance social interactions.
Your argument is predicated on your preference for gear to help you stay competitive in a game for the end purpose of slaying others, whether other players or mobs.
That is not social.
You actually agree with me on the fundamental idea. Grouping together is being social. This inherently assumes that you organize together, use teamwork, and chat. Progressing though the game is staying competitive.
Our differences lie not in what we both perceive as social, but by your preference for newer, better and shinier gear.
Since we won't know how the system is implemented until we can test it ourselves, (they're NOT rewarding hanging out in town square, being nice to people and handing out **huggles**, they're rewarding killing s**t with others as opposed to on your own) please keep grand assumptions out of your arguments.
I'd rather have them make grouping so fun that it's worth doing, instead of simply adding a carrot that will make the players group regardless of if it's fun or not.
Similar to WAR's idea for public quests. Except this seems that it is for all questing. As these are MMO's grouping is prefered and as already mentioned. With any luck grouping will be more fun than just a necesity for youor points
getting a prize is a great way to make something fun!
I'm sure you can think of many, many things you might do for a reward that would be fun, that you would do a lot less if there was no reward.
it's fun to contribute to your favorite charity by going to a charity event.
It's MORE fun to contribute to your favorite charity by going ot a charity event, and getting a raffle ticket for a chance to win a Prize!
What, you would RATHER contribute to your favorite charity and NOT get a raffle ticket to win a prize? Really?
Adding carrots always makes fun, MORE fun!
Ihmo...
I am sure you are aware At-Sts are like 3k yrs in the future from the TOR timeline right? Right?
Um hello :P
I agree though....it would be nice to get a "massive" reward after enough time. I would think more than likely it will be for smaller items like others suggest.
There would be a huge outcry, I would imagine, if they make the rewards too "out of the park" by solo players.
Asking Devs to make AAA sandbox titles is like trying to get fine dining on a McDonalds dollar menu budget.
+1 for funny ass picture
Of course I'm kidding. I don't really think I'd get an At-ST.
But maybe some Zabrak Field Armor.
Social Points, would rather they add the Public quests into the mix from WAR. Thats been the best Idea I have seen in an MMO in years.
What says the grouping will not be worth doing?
I hope social points add some extra fluff items too. Titles, fluff items, fluff gear, fluff emotes, whatever.
Anything that increases the social aspect inside a game sounds good to me. Any reason to group with people for anything, is good with me.
Is this going to be another grind?
Cause I can see people having to group to get must have ideas along with PvP for PvP points as well as PvE for EP points as well as make story choices for Darkside or Lightside points. I really hope this adds to the game and doesn't just make the game more about grinding and needing to wait till you can find a group rather than continuing the story.
Amen.
THE Rooster Nash
I'm not familiar with any games that have a system to reward grouping or social behavior beyond "it's impossible to take this mob down without friends".
This system from Bioware might be interesting.
RELAX!@!! BREATHE!!!
I'm pretty sure if you save up enough social points, you can get your own floating city, like the one Lando had. Yes, I know this is the OLD Republic, way before Lando, but I'm sure they still had floating cities.
SWTOR being designed as a single-player lobby system, non massively-multiplayer game, is still a single-player-esque lobby system game. Big deal that I get new "emotes" with grouping.