GW2 is the most Themeparked game ever created. And just like a real theme park there is no reason to talk to anyone that is not in the group you went to the park with. Sure you might say hello and smile at a few strangers while waiting in line for a ride, but the only people you actually communicate with are the family and/or friends you went with. GW2's problem is that large percentage of the players went to the park alone, hoping that someone would want to talk to them, only to find out that no one wants to.
What's the solution here? Force grouping and no group finder features? Not sure what Arenanet could have done to make this game more group-heavy then to have everyone always grouped all the time. Short of that they can't make you talk to the people around you.
When the rides don't need group strategy, there is no reason to talk. On some level, the lack of the holy triangle creats this, imo. If there were rides that only worked when people had to communicate, people would.
You can force conversation if you want to, but it doesn't mean that the other people will be interested in it or engage you if there is no real reason too.
Okay...holy trinity is only relevant inside dungeons. And those already exist in GW2, even without holy trinity. And since GW2 doesn't use holy trinity you do have to talk to your group to organize a strategy.
As I suspected, you aren't really looking for a real solution. You just want to criticize GW2 for not...what exactly? Require grouping for levelling? How are DE's not a superior option to the old-fashioned single-player quest grinds prevelant since WoW?
You don't want a solution though. You want to critize everyone else for not typing enough. Or something. This thread seems silly and useless tbh.
Originally posted by Wrender Wat about The Secret World? Is it any different because I was interested in trying it simply for the challenge everyone is saying it can be tough as hell later lvls...
The Secret World is just as much a single-player quest grind outside of 5-mans just like every other MMO released in the last decade except...ironically...Guild Wars 2.
Yes because I'm the only one who feels like GW2 is the most antisocial MMO I have ever played, and that includes SWTOR, the champion of solo story MMO.
That's why this thread is ridiculous. I suspect neither you nor the OP have actually played GW2 with comments like that.
I played it about a week and a half. Is really that unbelieveable that there are some who just don't like many different aspects of the game? The lack of the need to communicate being one of them.
GW2 is the most Themeparked game ever created. And just like a real theme park there is no reason to talk to anyone that is not in the group you went to the park with. Sure you might say hello and smile at a few strangers while waiting in line for a ride, but the only people you actually communicate with are the family and/or friends you went with. GW2's problem is that large percentage of the players went to the park alone, hoping that someone would want to talk to them, only to find out that no one does.
^^Pretty much took the words out of my fingers.
Dragnon - Guildmaster - Albion Central Bank in Albion Online
Don't get me wrong I am really trying to love this game it's just the lack of anyone ever speaking is bugging me in some way. I feel lonely. Ignored. insubstantial. Unhelpful. Unappreciated. Just another ant running around the anthill looking for crumpets...
Here I am, derping along on my thief, all by my lonesome in some scary part of the world. I round a corner and BAM! Veteran Somethingoranother waiting to gobble me up. It hasn't seen me yet...I might be able to take thisguy but it would be tough. Wait, there's a Warrior over there. He looks at me, I look at him. No words are said. As one, we charge the soon-to-be-pasted Vet.
I'm on my Mesmer. Scooting along, indiscriminantly murdering things, having a good time.There's an enginner down the road who bit off more than he can chew. He just dodge rolled right into a knock down...ouch. He's on the ground, health is low. It looks bad for him...the first mob eats the magic bullet and is stunned. His dazed friend can't attack. The third one is blind, his attack misses by a mile. By the time they recover, I'm in the middle, sword swinging. The engi offers his thanks as we take out the trash.
I'm on my Guardian doing jumping puzzles. Because I like high repair bills and I might be slightly crazy. But I have fun. There's a big fatass Charr in front of me.Somehow, as we mess up and start over during the easy parts, we're always side by side. We develop a grudging respect as we clear bottomless pits and mobs together. Then I spazz out on a jump, fall, and die. well, time to release and run...wait, what? He carefully made his way down, meaning he has to start all over again, to rez me? Later we BOTH screw up a jump, his corpse landing neatly on top of mine. "Nice of you to drop in" I quip. We laugh for a good ten minutes.
This is the kind of thing I've had happen to me in GW2. You just have to look for it.
Maybe if people stopped bitching about how nobody talks and then actually spoke to other people they might have less of a reason to bitch.
GW2 is putting people to stick together and encouraging them to stick together. That's more social than just about any other MMO out right now. The game isn't going to make people be social automatically so why don't the people complaining actually put in an effort to be social.
And LOL at the person who said GW2 is anti-social because everything is a zerg. Even if everything were just a zerg at least you are still running around with a group of people. That's more than can be said of games like TOR, WoW, TSW, etc. where you run around completely alone and game mechanics actively discourage being near people.
GW2 is the most Themeparked game ever created. And just like a real theme park there is no reason to talk to anyone that is not in the group you went to the park with. Sure you might say hello and smile at a few strangers while waiting in line for a ride, but the only people you actually communicate with are the family and/or friends you went with. GW2's problem is that large percentage of the players went to the park alone, hoping that someone would want to talk to them, only to find out that no one wants to.
What's the solution here? Force grouping and no group finder features? Not sure what Arenanet could have done to make this game more group-heavy then to have everyone always grouped all the time. Short of that they can't make you talk to the people around you.
When the rides don't need group strategy, there is no reason to talk. On some level, the lack of the holy triangle creates this, imo. If there were rides that only worked when people had to communicate, people would.
As players, you can force the conversation if you want to, but it doesn't mean that the other people will be interested in it or engage you if there is no real reason too.
Um... what? All developers can give you all the tools you need to talk to people, it's up to you to communicate with each other. It's not a reflection on the game, or the design of the game itself, but a reflection on the MMO community. Even in WoW, you rarely talk to the people around you. Whenever you go into dungeons, there is absolutely no talking, unless you're in a guild group. This is present in any game, not just GW2.
Sure GW2 could force you to group with others to complete content, but then you run into problems later on. What happens when the mass of the community has completed the beginner content and is in the higher end content? New players won't have people to group with.
Not to mention, as a business, they also have to cater to those who just want to get on and play really quick, and then get off. So you have to be able to do most of the content by yourself. However, unlike in most MMOs, GW2 grouping isn't discouraged. Playing with others isn't discouraged at all. In fact, it can be better as you'll have someone to res you if you go down. And you aren't penalized in any way for working with another player.
Even if GW2 DID force you to group, it doesn't necessarily mean people will talk. People may just say one or two words, as necessary. Once the content is complete, they leave. No amount of forced grouping can change this.
ArenaNet, and most other MMOs, provide you with plenty of options to group and play with other players. It ultimately falls to you to take advantage of those tools. Have you ever thought about just randomly saying hi to that one player killing a moa with you, and trying to start a conversation? If they don't want to talk, so be it. Go talk to someone else. This is the beauty of an MMO. Even if you come across one or two people who don't talk, doesn't mean everyone will be the same.
GW2 is the most Themeparked game ever created. And just like a real theme park there is no reason to talk to anyone that is not in the group you went to the park with. Sure you might say hello and smile at a few strangers while waiting in line for a ride, but the only people you actually communicate with are the family and/or friends you went with. GW2's problem is that large percentage of the players went to the park alone, hoping that someone would want to talk to them, only to find out that no one wants to.
What's the solution here? Force grouping and no group finder features? Not sure what Arenanet could have done to make this game more group-heavy then to have everyone always grouped all the time. Short of that they can't make you talk to the people around you.
When the rides don't need group strategy, there is no reason to talk. On some level, the lack of the holy triangle creats this, imo. If there were rides that only worked when people had to communicate, people would.
You can force conversation if you want to, but it doesn't mean that the other people will be interested in it or engage you if there is no real reason too.
Okay...holy trinity is only relevant inside dungeons. And those already exist in GW2, even without holy trinity. And since GW2 doesn't use holy trinity you do have to talk to your group to organize a strategy.
As I suspected, you aren't really looking for a real solution. You just want to criticize GW2 for not...what exactly? Require grouping for levelling? How are DE's not a superior option to the old-fashioned single-player quest grinds prevelant since WoW?
You don't want a solution though. You want to critize everyone else for not typing enough. Or something. This thread seems silly and useless tbh.
Originally posted by Wrender Wat about The Secret World? Is it any different because I was interested in trying it simply for the challenge everyone is saying it can be tough as hell later lvls...
The Secret World is just as much a single-player quest grind outside of 5-mans just like every other MMO released in the last decade except...ironically...Guild Wars 2.
Yes because I'm the only one who feels like GW2 is the most antisocial MMO I have ever played, and that includes SWTOR, the champion of solo story MMO.
That's why this thread is ridiculous. I suspect neither you nor the OP have actually played GW2 with comments like that.
I played it about a week and a half. Is really that unbelieveable that there are some who just don't like many different aspects of the game? The lack of the need to communicate being one of them.
Sure, there are plenty of legitimate things to criticize in GW2. This isn't one of them. Blame 12 years of MMOs forcing people to solo to endgame and then get caught in a neverending dungeon finder grind that requires no thought or social interaction.
Very few current MMO players remember the days of forced grouping in games like Everquest and Shadowbane etc. Those days are gone and they aren't coming back unfortunately. I understand that's what you want...to force players to talk and strategize, but that isn't going to be this game. Not outside of 5-mans at least.
Understand, GW2 doesn't have world chat and that makes a huge difference in controlling the unecessary chatter you get with titles like Tera. I would take the quiet of "solo" over the constant smack chat of Tera any day.
I ran across a group yesterday and they were fighting a boss. I wound up kiting for about a minute because the mob took a liking to me. From there on we all grouped and played for about 1/2 an hour and I made some friends. I don't remember grouping too many times in WoW when I was collecting 30 beaks that I got involved like I did with that group.
Its up to you.
edit:sp
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, Death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
Originally posted by Wrender Ok next log in I am going to devote all my time in hoping to join a good decent guild and hoping these feelings of aloneness subsides.
If you are on Anvil Rock and want to try some WvW, I can get you into a guild that uses TS if that will give you the social fix you need. Other than that,...look or ask to join a guild in map chat. I see recruitment posts in map chat all the time.
yet even guild members hardly ever group up, because there is zero need for groups outside of the few dungeons. you just roll from one zerg to the next completely oblivious to anyone around you.
the only time this game is social is late at night when theres hardly anyone around and it actually takes some effort to take down an event.
LFD tools are great for cramming people into content, but quality > quantity. I am, usually on the sandbox .. more "hardcore" side of things, but I also do just want to have fun. So lighten up already
Maybe if people stopped bitching about how nobody talks and then actually spoke to other people they might have less of a reason to bitch.
GW2 is putting people to stick together and encouraging them to stick together. That's more social than just about any other MMO out right now. The game isn't going to make people be social automatically so why don't the people complaining actually put in an effort to be social.
And LOL at the person who said GW2 is anti-social because everything is a zerg. Even if everything were just a zerg at least you are still running around with a group of people. That's more than can be said of games like TOR, WoW, TSW, etc. where you run around completely alone and game mechanics actively discourage being near people.
i agree whether people talk or not is based on the person if yuo really want good social interaction join a good guild.. this applies for any MMO out there.. GW2 is unique as it offers more ways to bringp layers together than any other MMO out there because of how the events are setup.. for me playing alomgside people is what I enjoy.. who needs to talk while in battle? it's all about rez, combo fields, helping eachother out, playing "together".. i'd rather this than how most MMOs are setup and you pretty much need to form a party to get anything done with other people.. with GW2 its all about cooperation and playing around others.. when i want to be social i can be but don't need to be and still can enjoy playing with others.. isn't that what MMOs are all about? i dunno for me I think so..
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
Its not the game, its the people. GW2 practically forced you to do events with other people, so if they decide to not talk while doing it them its their own fault and not the games. Most people now a days only talk in global or map chat to A: Answer a question B: Ask a question or C: TROLL. Join guild. hop on their voip server and talk to THEM. People are generally pretty anti social now a days its not the games fault for that.
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
I really do not see your point OP, I assume you are talking about grouping for PvE with your rant. I have not found a need to group at all this far in my travels for PvE. I have 5 characters, 36 is the highest so far also a 31 two 25's and a 23. I have not tried the first dungeon yet because I was wrapped up in the story lines and completeing maps 100%.
In a way your already grouped with everyone on the server. I like just running around exploring whatever I feel like running to with no plan at all, plans or following others is boring for me and if I had to group just to explore the game would not be as fun. Everywhere I go though there is atleast 1 or 2 others people there so I just hang along side them and chat a little, if they respond great if not no big deal for me. If I see people fighting something I run over and help out or heal them if they have fallen.
This game is actually pretty hard to chat and explore at the same time since you always have to pay attention to what your doing. I miss alot of stuff in guild chat or map chat because I don't have time to sit there and read it all while trying to navigate, fight, stay alive and collect stuff at the same time.
WvW we group up with guild members and thats about the only time I actually grouped with anyone yet. But for PvE, I love the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want without being ball and chained to a group that wants to go down a certain path that I may want to go another way.
Originally posted by Wrender Wat about The Secret World? Is it any different because I was interested in trying it simply for the challenge everyone is saying it can be tough as hell later lvls...
I beg forgiveness posting this in GW2 forum, but he did ask:
For social interaction you'll need a guild (cabal) or rely on the random PUG experience like in most games.
I find the game harder than most (not Kingsmouth, the first starter zone) and you sure can get horrendously difficult encounters both group-wise and solo.
The main reason to play TSW is the storyline. The main reason not to play is hmmm character development (crafting, occupation, house/ cabal-projects). Also, completing the epic epic storyline left me empty with a feelig of just having finished a wonderful journey (no pun intended).
I had to create a seperate tab just for guild and switch to it because /map kept spamming so quickly it was pushing out guild chat before I could read it, so not sure what we are talking about here. I feel far more social in this game than I have in a long time. To me, being social is helping each other complete the events, fighting through waves of mobs to help get a downed person up, watching a guardian push to the front to try and protect people the people behind them that they have never met, watching an ele switch weapons so they can cast their heals and support spells so that everyone can complete the event, that is as social as you can get, and to me blows what any other game has done in a long time out of the water.
Forced grouping, or even dungeon grouping is not social. I must have completed 100+ dungeons in the dungeon finder in WoW without anyone ever saying a word, and I cant tell you how many group quests I completed in SWTOR where no one said a word after the initial group was formed.
People may not chit chat through the DE's, but to me the actions of all the players around you makes it a great social experience.
It's true that you don't have to set up a group or talk to other players in order to play together, but I find the best thing about the gw2 system is that you can just dive in and help others first, and then this often leads to a conversation later - and usually a pleasant one due to the feeling of cameraderie which has grown in the shared battle.
I think while we're all quite new to the game a lot of people are still figuring out how to play, and in busy events there always seems to be something happening, so sometimes I find it's all you can do to bash out a quick 'thanks' to the guy who comes and rezzes you, before the next wave of the event starts. This is most often the case at busy times when there are loads of players for each event.
At quieter times though, it's different. Yesterday I was playing at about 5am (a quiet time for me before work when the kids are still asleep) and got involved in a boss fight at the end of an event chain in Kessex Hills. There were two other players, and we kept going at the bandit foreman, getting downed, rezzing each other and coming back from the waypoint. Even though we didn't manage to kill the boss in the end it was all great fun and I ended up chatting to these two players for ages afterwards.
Originally posted by StanlyStanko Being auto-grouped hasn't made people much more sociable. Most still just run off in all directions when the DE ends. But it's not really a game problem, it's a people problem.
Actually ...It is the games problem, because for people to really interact in a game ..Well, they NEED to be forced to do so. Sorry, but as much as I hate to say it, this is the truth.
These past years and a multitude of MMO's later has proven this point many times over..
Just bacause a game has a auto group feature , did they really expect players to talk..the group is already formed so what more is there to talk about then ???
Strategy ? Hmm..I guess these solo missions really needs a strategy !!
It's the age of mainstreaming and solitude, and It will not go away..
TSW is the best alternative for you thou, If you want a new MMO atleast,,sure it has alot of solo stuff in this game aswell, but the group missions are really really good and demands alot from your group..
C'mon I thought pretty much all new MMO's were nothing but solo online games but GW2 takes the grand prize here. No one groups at all, ever...
I feel like I am playing a solo game.
I havent played a solo rpg in like 10 yrs and this aspect of GW2 is driving me absolutly crazy. I play MMO's to interact and overcome challenges with like minded players I meet in game.
I left TERA for this?
I like the games asthetics and artwork but this lack of any social interaction is killing me and I see myself going back to TERA pretty soon now.
There is just really not much point in lvling to 80 if I am doing it without mingling with a single real life human being?
Is this what our society has become? Anti social freAKS THAT ARE HATING ON EVERY OTHER HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET? iT'S BAD ENOUGH driving around in my car and observing how pissed off about 90% of everyone I meet is but it should be different in an mmo game where everyone is expected to have fun in an online game.
ANyone else feel this way.
I am not in a guild yet so hopefully when and if I get in one this will change or it will sadly be uninstalled and sold to a friend.
I have ran my guild for 14yrs, this is true and seen how many people are anti social in this game compared to any MMo on the market, we had to change rules on recruiting because people refuse to use forums, they refuse to use teamspeak, they refuse to group.
I have never ever seen this in any MMO, ever, we been a guild that loves to talk to our members and hang out, and we see the opposite from new members and from recruiting, them saying we have to use TS no way, we have to sign up to a forum no way!!
So its a joke in this game, if I wanted a single player game, I would NOT have a guild and I would play Skyrim more often and alone.. Sad but the OP is correct, also I seen most people join guilds just for the upgrades.....
They want guilds of 200 people, which is a Joke, I have ran guilds with 4k members and its full of drama and most big guilds to explode, we been around and done well with being a guild of 50 members in each game, we also complete all content with that amount..
Sometimes we may go to 100 but very rare. Maybe we are old school,. we like to hang out and get to know people for years not just for a few months, I dont get alot of gamers today, so anti social.
Comments
I played it about a week and a half. Is really that unbelieveable that there are some who just don't like many different aspects of the game? The lack of the need to communicate being one of them.
But a lot of players join guilds of people they meet a long the way. That's just not happening here.
^^Pretty much took the words out of my fingers.
Dragnon - Guildmaster - Albion Central Bank in Albion Online
www.albioncentralbank.enjin.com
Here I am, derping along on my thief, all by my lonesome in some scary part of the world. I round a corner and BAM! Veteran Somethingoranother waiting to gobble me up. It hasn't seen me yet...I might be able to take thisguy but it would be tough. Wait, there's a Warrior over there. He looks at me, I look at him. No words are said. As one, we charge the soon-to-be-pasted Vet.
I'm on my Mesmer. Scooting along, indiscriminantly murdering things, having a good time.There's an enginner down the road who bit off more than he can chew. He just dodge rolled right into a knock down...ouch. He's on the ground, health is low. It looks bad for him...the first mob eats the magic bullet and is stunned. His dazed friend can't attack. The third one is blind, his attack misses by a mile. By the time they recover, I'm in the middle, sword swinging. The engi offers his thanks as we take out the trash.
I'm on my Guardian doing jumping puzzles. Because I like high repair bills and I might be slightly crazy. But I have fun. There's a big fatass Charr in front of me.Somehow, as we mess up and start over during the easy parts, we're always side by side. We develop a grudging respect as we clear bottomless pits and mobs together. Then I spazz out on a jump, fall, and die. well, time to release and run...wait, what? He carefully made his way down, meaning he has to start all over again, to rez me? Later we BOTH screw up a jump, his corpse landing neatly on top of mine. "Nice of you to drop in" I quip. We laugh for a good ten minutes.
This is the kind of thing I've had happen to me in GW2. You just have to look for it.
Maybe if people stopped bitching about how nobody talks and then actually spoke to other people they might have less of a reason to bitch.
GW2 is putting people to stick together and encouraging them to stick together. That's more social than just about any other MMO out right now. The game isn't going to make people be social automatically so why don't the people complaining actually put in an effort to be social.
And LOL at the person who said GW2 is anti-social because everything is a zerg. Even if everything were just a zerg at least you are still running around with a group of people. That's more than can be said of games like TOR, WoW, TSW, etc. where you run around completely alone and game mechanics actively discourage being near people.
Um... what? All developers can give you all the tools you need to talk to people, it's up to you to communicate with each other. It's not a reflection on the game, or the design of the game itself, but a reflection on the MMO community. Even in WoW, you rarely talk to the people around you. Whenever you go into dungeons, there is absolutely no talking, unless you're in a guild group. This is present in any game, not just GW2.
Sure GW2 could force you to group with others to complete content, but then you run into problems later on. What happens when the mass of the community has completed the beginner content and is in the higher end content? New players won't have people to group with.
Not to mention, as a business, they also have to cater to those who just want to get on and play really quick, and then get off. So you have to be able to do most of the content by yourself. However, unlike in most MMOs, GW2 grouping isn't discouraged. Playing with others isn't discouraged at all. In fact, it can be better as you'll have someone to res you if you go down. And you aren't penalized in any way for working with another player.
Even if GW2 DID force you to group, it doesn't necessarily mean people will talk. People may just say one or two words, as necessary. Once the content is complete, they leave. No amount of forced grouping can change this.
ArenaNet, and most other MMOs, provide you with plenty of options to group and play with other players. It ultimately falls to you to take advantage of those tools. Have you ever thought about just randomly saying hi to that one player killing a moa with you, and trying to start a conversation? If they don't want to talk, so be it. Go talk to someone else. This is the beauty of an MMO. Even if you come across one or two people who don't talk, doesn't mean everyone will be the same.
Also @OP: Antisocial != unwillingness to talk.
Sure, there are plenty of legitimate things to criticize in GW2. This isn't one of them. Blame 12 years of MMOs forcing people to solo to endgame and then get caught in a neverending dungeon finder grind that requires no thought or social interaction.
Very few current MMO players remember the days of forced grouping in games like Everquest and Shadowbane etc. Those days are gone and they aren't coming back unfortunately. I understand that's what you want...to force players to talk and strategize, but that isn't going to be this game. Not outside of 5-mans at least.
----------
Life sucks, buy a helmet.
GW2 is no different than any other as far as making up groups. Like said before, you have to do it, it will not come to you and say "group me".
Tera although full of chat, is a social cesspool I'm afraid to say. It is full of crossroad chat x10.
Understand, GW2 doesn't have world chat and that makes a huge difference in controlling the unecessary chatter you get with titles like Tera. I would take the quiet of "solo" over the constant smack chat of Tera any day.
I ran across a group yesterday and they were fighting a boss. I wound up kiting for about a minute because the mob took a liking to me. From there on we all grouped and played for about 1/2 an hour and I made some friends. I don't remember grouping too many times in WoW when I was collecting 30 beaks that I got involved like I did with that group.
Its up to you.
edit:sp
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, Death has not come, and when death has come, we are not.
If you are on Anvil Rock and want to try some WvW, I can get you into a guild that uses TS if that will give you the social fix you need. Other than that,...look or ask to join a guild in map chat. I see recruitment posts in map chat all the time.
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
completely agree.
and im in a guild.
yet even guild members hardly ever group up, because there is zero need for groups outside of the few dungeons. you just roll from one zerg to the next completely oblivious to anyone around you.
the only time this game is social is late at night when theres hardly anyone around and it actually takes some effort to take down an event.
LFD tools are great for cramming people into content, but quality > quantity.
I am, usually on the sandbox .. more "hardcore" side of things, but I also do just want to have fun. So lighten up already
i agree whether people talk or not is based on the person if yuo really want good social interaction join a good guild.. this applies for any MMO out there.. GW2 is unique as it offers more ways to bringp layers together than any other MMO out there because of how the events are setup.. for me playing alomgside people is what I enjoy.. who needs to talk while in battle? it's all about rez, combo fields, helping eachother out, playing "together".. i'd rather this than how most MMOs are setup and you pretty much need to form a party to get anything done with other people.. with GW2 its all about cooperation and playing around others.. when i want to be social i can be but don't need to be and still can enjoy playing with others.. isn't that what MMOs are all about? i dunno for me I think so..
I angered the clerk in a clothing shop today. She asked me what size I was and I said actual, because I am not to scale. I like vending machines 'cause snacks are better when they fall. If I buy a candy bar at a store, oftentimes, I will drop it... so that it achieves its maximum flavor potential. --Mitch Hedberg
Playing: FFXIV, DnL, and World of Warships
Waiting on: Ashes of Creation
I really do not see your point OP, I assume you are talking about grouping for PvE with your rant. I have not found a need to group at all this far in my travels for PvE. I have 5 characters, 36 is the highest so far also a 31 two 25's and a 23. I have not tried the first dungeon yet because I was wrapped up in the story lines and completeing maps 100%.
In a way your already grouped with everyone on the server. I like just running around exploring whatever I feel like running to with no plan at all, plans or following others is boring for me and if I had to group just to explore the game would not be as fun. Everywhere I go though there is atleast 1 or 2 others people there so I just hang along side them and chat a little, if they respond great if not no big deal for me. If I see people fighting something I run over and help out or heal them if they have fallen.
This game is actually pretty hard to chat and explore at the same time since you always have to pay attention to what your doing. I miss alot of stuff in guild chat or map chat because I don't have time to sit there and read it all while trying to navigate, fight, stay alive and collect stuff at the same time.
WvW we group up with guild members and thats about the only time I actually grouped with anyone yet. But for PvE, I love the freedom to do whatever I want whenever I want without being ball and chained to a group that wants to go down a certain path that I may want to go another way.
^ hasn't played the game ^
or
^is being sarcastic^
"If I offended you, you needed it" -Corey Taylor
I beg forgiveness posting this in GW2 forum, but he did ask:
For social interaction you'll need a guild (cabal) or rely on the random PUG experience like in most games.
I find the game harder than most (not Kingsmouth, the first starter zone) and you sure can get horrendously difficult encounters both group-wise and solo.
The main reason to play TSW is the storyline. The main reason not to play is hmmm character development (crafting, occupation, house/ cabal-projects). Also, completing the epic epic storyline left me empty with a feelig of just having finished a wonderful journey (no pun intended).
I see it as a good sign when people don't want to sit and chat in general a few weeks after release.
I had to create a seperate tab just for guild and switch to it because /map kept spamming so quickly it was pushing out guild chat before I could read it, so not sure what we are talking about here. I feel far more social in this game than I have in a long time. To me, being social is helping each other complete the events, fighting through waves of mobs to help get a downed person up, watching a guardian push to the front to try and protect people the people behind them that they have never met, watching an ele switch weapons so they can cast their heals and support spells so that everyone can complete the event, that is as social as you can get, and to me blows what any other game has done in a long time out of the water.
Forced grouping, or even dungeon grouping is not social. I must have completed 100+ dungeons in the dungeon finder in WoW without anyone ever saying a word, and I cant tell you how many group quests I completed in SWTOR where no one said a word after the initial group was formed.
People may not chit chat through the DE's, but to me the actions of all the players around you makes it a great social experience.
My Guild Wars 2 Vids
It's true that you don't have to set up a group or talk to other players in order to play together, but I find the best thing about the gw2 system is that you can just dive in and help others first, and then this often leads to a conversation later - and usually a pleasant one due to the feeling of cameraderie which has grown in the shared battle.
I think while we're all quite new to the game a lot of people are still figuring out how to play, and in busy events there always seems to be something happening, so sometimes I find it's all you can do to bash out a quick 'thanks' to the guy who comes and rezzes you, before the next wave of the event starts. This is most often the case at busy times when there are loads of players for each event.
At quieter times though, it's different. Yesterday I was playing at about 5am (a quiet time for me before work when the kids are still asleep) and got involved in a boss fight at the end of an event chain in Kessex Hills. There were two other players, and we kept going at the bandit foreman, getting downed, rezzing each other and coming back from the waypoint. Even though we didn't manage to kill the boss in the end it was all great fun and I ended up chatting to these two players for ages afterwards.
Actually ...It is the games problem, because for people to really interact in a game ..Well, they NEED to be forced to do so. Sorry, but as much as I hate to say it, this is the truth.
These past years and a multitude of MMO's later has proven this point many times over..
Just bacause a game has a auto group feature , did they really expect players to talk..the group is already formed so what more is there to talk about then ???
Strategy ? Hmm..I guess these solo missions really needs a strategy !!
It's the age of mainstreaming and solitude, and It will not go away..
TSW is the best alternative for you thou, If you want a new MMO atleast,,sure it has alot of solo stuff in this game aswell, but the group missions are really really good and demands alot from your group..
+5% Magic Find for being in a group. Everyone is happy.
If you can not find anyone to play with in guild wars 2 then maybe it's just you.
I have ran my guild for 14yrs, this is true and seen how many people are anti social in this game compared to any MMo on the market, we had to change rules on recruiting because people refuse to use forums, they refuse to use teamspeak, they refuse to group.
I have never ever seen this in any MMO, ever, we been a guild that loves to talk to our members and hang out, and we see the opposite from new members and from recruiting, them saying we have to use TS no way, we have to sign up to a forum no way!!
So its a joke in this game, if I wanted a single player game, I would NOT have a guild and I would play Skyrim more often and alone.. Sad but the OP is correct, also I seen most people join guilds just for the upgrades.....
They want guilds of 200 people, which is a Joke, I have ran guilds with 4k members and its full of drama and most big guilds to explode, we been around and done well with being a guild of 50 members in each game, we also complete all content with that amount..
Sometimes we may go to 100 but very rare. Maybe we are old school,. we like to hang out and get to know people for years not just for a few months, I dont get alot of gamers today, so anti social.