Soloing

[nonde]

I think the ability to solo as well as group is highly desirable, and the argument that game mechanics must be such to prevent soloing or people would not team is flawed. Players will socialize and team because we humans like to socialize and spend time with each other and we would do this regardless of game mechanics. There are also some targets which can only be tackled by a team, and as someone pointed out, skills like affliction are designed to be used in a team. Teams will happen, they don't need to be made to happen, and particularly not at the expense of making the game solo hostile.

A survey was taken while I was playing SWG and something like 75%+ of players wanted to be able to solo - not because they were anti-social or never wanted to team, but because they wanted to be able to log in for short periods and play - not spend that hour lft. I had a friend who plays WOW and the main reason he, and many of his friends there, play that brainless game is BECAUSE they can log in for just an hour here and there in between work, kids etc.

It needn't be one or the other - the ideal game will cater for the maximum possible number of play and lifestyles, and currently I share Vetuscu's view that the ungodly downtime makes Ryzom a poor game option for casual players who need the ability to solo when they can only log in for short periods of time at a stretch.

Zysha

[iwojimmy]

I spend a lot of time soloing, thanks to awkward timezone/work hours and sheer personal perversity, which means almost half the time I could be earning xp... is spent clearing DP

A basic point when talking about levelling solo, its only difficult if it is the highest skill in that tree, if my 2h melee is 167, then levelling 1 h melee from 82 is no particular challenge - but also doesnt provide any meaningfull reward.

Another option is non-teamed cooperation, when a couple of individuals are hunting near each other, and assist between fights, or even during fights.
mostly useful when heal levels are too high.

the skill I am currently focused on developing is melee, and the melee bug really complicates teaming for that
Nuke is probably the easiest to team as.

Healing is becoming ridiculous, the other day we had a party with 5 lvl 190+ healers in it, and none of us could heal if we wanted any xp.

Dont know if this is useful or relevant, but i'm powerlevelling my forum account too

[helbreat]

the best way to solo i have found is for 2 melee (un teamed) to solo something they can just manage near each other and heal between fights as ryzom doesnt cater for soloing after a certain lvl its too much sitting to regen and relying on parry/dodge and the self heals arent very nice kinda useless to be honest... if i have healing magic i expect to be able to use it on myself =/ which we cant used to be able to but they stopped it o.0 but that was another nerfing story ;P

[alibasil]

Who are you Vutescu?

I feel as though I need to sit you down and explain to you some of the finer details of melee. I also feel the need to slip you a sedative before you whine and cry about how people dont necessarily agree with you.

If you wanted a personal letter to the devs you made a mistake by posting on the forum and not sending in an ingame ticket.

There are tons of great teamers out there which i have had experince with. Some admittedly need to go back to basics, yet on the whole people are good and aren't the retards you described us all to be! Just because you have had bad experiences with some players doesnt mean you should throw a fit and give up hope on teaming

Also another point... Why should it be possible for someone to solo it to high levels? The only benefit i can see from making the game more solo is by creating less of a social game, in my opinion that would wreck everything this game has set out to be as we have a great community.

And finally, there will be alot of mobs you wont even meet solo due to level, difficulty, time spent on wandering around alone. (by this i mean fight and survive)

[helbreat]

this game doesnt have enough players for you to be forced to team or enough healers putting it blunt cause i cant be botherd to type so much

[hobsco]

In reply to:
"Also another point... Why should it be possible for someone to solo it to high levels? The only benefit i can see from making the game more solo is by creating less of a social game, in my opinion that would wreck everything this game has set out to be as we have a great community."


Why shouldn't it be possible ? Why is solo construed as being less sociable?

You can still have a great community and play along side of other players. A great community does not have to be linked together in gameplay in order to succeed.

If the game mechanics keep forcing me to group I will move on. If I have the ability to solo and be sociable I'll stay. It has nothing to do with "retards" or others playstyles. It's the way I like to play, at my own pace, helping others along the way if I can and chatting when I feel chatty. Grouping when I'm comfortable..

In my eyes, MMORPG does not have to mean players linked and forced to group to win in a PvE world. I believe it means a massive amount of players playing side by side in a role playing game according to thier playstyle.


Us "Sociable Solos" may be forced from the games but at least we can solo the forums.

[vutescu]

I've read all the responses, and bottom line is: 90% from you believe that some features for solo play - well... non teamed play - would ruin the social aspect of the game. Sorry guys, but I can't agree with this.

Looking from your point of view, the people I've meet in game are my friends because I was forced to team with them.
C'mon guys... People are gathering together and become friends because they share the same ideeas, same goals, not because they are fighting together. Maybe I should call "friends" all the people I've meet when I was in the army? Or all the people I've meet at partyes? That's insane.

Comunity? Yeah, I'm part of Ryzom comunity as long I play the game. Or as long I post in forums. Just because I'm individualistic (NOT selfish) does not mean I'm unsociable. It means I do what I like, when I like, how I like, and I don't want my issues to interfere with the team I'm in.
Wanna know something? I have a 4 months kid. I have to assist my wife with bathing, feeding and supervising the baby. How would you react when your main healer is group-telling at each 10 mins "Brb guys, kid is screaming". Eventually the team will end killed by some aggros and the fault would be on healer's shoulders.
And even more, when I'm able to play 2-3 hours without being intrerupted, it happens to find "leroy teams" or - i'm not going to use that word again - brainless players. I usually end harvesting in safe spots and crafting in stables. But even harvest becomes tricky after level 200. Even here you need a team (harvester + careplanner) to be productive.

I know the game was not designed for solo (solo = non team). All I wanted when I started the thread was A) some features to make the life easyer for lonewolves or B) some ideeas for soloing.
Thom - even he is a low level - is the only one who wanted to help. He placed some decent suggestions, but unfortunatelly are things that I already tried. Ty Thom.

[rakeesh]

If the game mechanics keep forcing me to group I will move on. If I have the ability to solo and be sociable I'll stay.

There's a voice, that keeps on calling me
Down the road, that's where I'll always be
Every stop I make, I make a new friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around, I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll wanna settle down...
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep movin' on.


*Cough*

[grimjim]

There's a voice, that keeps on calling me
Down the road, that's where I'll always be
Every stop I make, I make a new friend
Can't stay for long, just turn around, I'm gone again.

Maybe tomorrow, I'll wanna settle down...
Until tomorrow, I'll just keep movin' on.


*Cough*

Scary, I was singing that in guild just the other day...

[larwood]

Why is solo construed as being less sociable?

LOL
social: Of or relating to communal living. Living together in
organized groups or similar close aggregates: Ants are social insects.
Inclined to seek out or enjoy the company of others; sociable.
Spent in or marked by friendly relations or companionship.

So yes, Solo (meaning alone, or one)... is basicaly the opposite of Social.
When I am solo, I am less social yes.

BUT...

I agree with a lot of what you said in your post.... I at times like to hunt solo, I dont think it's bad at all to like ot hunt solo. If your playstyle, or like Zysha said you time doesnt allow you to LFG... then soloing is a great option. I have never said we should not solo, or that it is bad. In fact, I said that solo is great, just when hunting... its harder that when in teams. As it should be.

Now Zysha, doll, the argument you so kindly said is flawed... let me explain. I dont think hunting solo will make the game worse.
But I do think that if the devs make soloing as/near as efficient as teaming, with potions or whatever... it will take a lot of players away from teaming, and the SOCIAL aspect of the game.

Yes there will still be teams, for reasons like you said... we are social beings who like to be together, and to hunt boss's etc... etc... But one of the things that makes Ryzom great is it's community. I dont know if the quality of the community is directly related to the inefficiency of soloing, but I think it does.

As I explained in one of my earlier posts. Ryzom is different than other games because of this aspect, LETS NOT CHANGE IT. If we try to be like other games, thats all we will be... just like other games. Lets stand on our own two feet and be different.

Also, I am someone that is off and on all the time. I have a busy schedule, and I only get an hour here, and a few hours there. But i still find teams, at all hours of the day. I just work different skills when needed.

Thom - even he is a low level - is the only one who wanted to help. He placed some decent suggestions, but unfortunatelly are things that I already tried. Ty Thom.

No problem mate. Maybe one day I'll be as big as you high levelers and have a different opinion. hehe