I love this game but nobody teams anymore..

[Rathulfr]

7 minutes ago, Coyotedancer said:

'Thing is... many of us who play here have (Or have had in the past-) *A LOT* of different characters. 

Maybe a ridiculous number of them in some cases. (Altitis? >_> Who? <_< Me?! Never! *coughs* You can't prove anything.)

 

We've run those same lowbie arcs so many times that no matter how much fun they were the first hundred-odd times through, they've become as dull as dirt over the course of all that punch-rinse-and-repeat. Speaking only for myself? If it weren't for the ice ramps (Which will never not be fun-), I'd probably tell Frosty he could HAVE the Hollows and be done with it at this point. I have absolutely no desire to slog through the majority of the content that exists in the early levels of this game ever again. 

 

If other people still love it? Excellent! They're welcome to it, and I'm not going to tell them it's BadWrongFun. 

But I'm also not going to join them in running it anymore. It's just not what I want to spend my limited play time doing.

 

Looking at the number of us who short-cut to mid-levels with DFB/DIB or AE farming, I'm probably not the only one who's at that point. 

 

This.  I've created, played, and deleted probably a hundred different characters on HC alone (not to mention other servers), and I'm pretty sick and tired of the entry-level content (levels 1-25ish), so I don't play it.  I usually create a char, logon with my second account, and AE fire farm the new char to at least 22, so I can slot common IOs and start the game at mid-level.

 

But I still see plenty of lower level groups advertising in LFG, and I'll even join many of them (exemplar XP is still XP).  I also like to do the low-level TFs for credit towards the TF Commander accolade.

 

[Skyhawke]

I had the exact opposite problem last night. Everyone kept advertising for teams they were starting (always for some TF or such that I knew a character needed) and everytime I'd /t them, I was always too late. It actually started to feel rather silly after a bit...like just missing the bus in a city full of busses. 

[Frostbiter]

11 minutes ago, Skyhawke said:

I had the exact opposite problem last night. Everyone kept advertising for teams they were starting (always for some TF or such that I knew a character needed) and everytime I'd /t them, I was always too late. It actually started to feel rather silly after a bit...like just missing the bus in a city full of busses. 

Better than missing the bus in a city full of Busey's.

 

[Sovera]

22 hours ago, qas_illustration said:

I only recently discovered CoH was playable after having some of my best gaming experiences with it over 10 years ago. I booted it up today and while I love the game, nobody seems to team anymore. Back in the day I never used to do anything solo, I'd boot it up, find member, sort by level, DM the grayed out names (meaning they are in a team) and ask if they have space for me. Id spend the whole session in teams jumping from mission to mission, no matter what level I was.

 

I saw 2, maybe 3 grayed out names in the search today, everyone else was solo. The only time I teamed up was for DfB and even then everyone bolted the second it was over. 

 

Have I been unlucky today or does everyone play this game solo now? The reason I love this game was because it seemed to be designed from the ground up for teams, instanced missions, barely any kill x enemies ect.

 

What have you guys found? Im hoping I just got unlucky today but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

As many have mentioned LFG channel is a thing. Forming your own teams is also a much better way of being in a team than posting about looking for a team. But, there is no magic bullet. I've had times I soloed TFs because I could not find people interested in running them. This is partly because I'm an Euro on GMT time and play on Everlasting which is majorly US based.

 

So while I'm going to say 90% of the time I'm in teams there is that 10% where it may take 10-15 minutes to get a team, and many others where I coax people to do it with just 4-5 of us.

[Bionic_Flea]

With regard to many people being solo:  I am frequently solo in a mission or in my base.  I am self employed and love to play, but have to answer the phone and periodically check and respond to e-mails.  As such, I may have to pause anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours depending on what is going on.  I can't subject a team to that kind of inconsistent play.  Now with the pandemic, I imagine that many are in the same position.

 

But from time to time I also may have an hour or so to team or run a TF.  It just depends on the day and what's going on.

[Frunobulax]

52 minutes ago, Frostbiter said:

Better than missing the bus in a city full of Busey's.

 

There are going to be times when Gary can't wait for somebody. Now you're either on the Busey or off the Busey. If you're on the Busey and you get left behind, then you'll find him again. 

If you're off the Busey in the first place - then it won't make a damn

[killigraphy]

Join Excelsior....

 

Seriously, I know the horse is pretty much dust by now, but even when I first came back, looked up the most populated server, joined, and was invited to an SG, PL'ed, ran multiple TF's, got all the badges I had on live, and run everything from SBB, to FrostFire.

[Peacemoon]

6 hours ago, killigraphy said:

Join Excelsior....

 

Seriously, I know the horse is pretty much dust by now, but even when I first came back, looked up the most populated server, joined, and was invited to an SG, PL'ed, ran multiple TF's, got all the badges I had on live, and run everything from SBB, to FrostFire.

All in time for dinner? 🤣

[killigraphy]

7 hours ago, Peacemoon said:

All in time for dinner? 🤣

When you're not a D-bag, people tend to want to help you out.

[ImpousVileTerror]

@Coyotedancer and @Rathulfr, I appreciate the sentiments you've expressed, since I wholeheartedly approve of altoholism (not so much on deleting alts, though, but that's a different topic).

Although, I did want to get your feedback on something:  Would you run low level content more often if there was new low level content to play, or would you still feel that it would be optimal for you to skip the low levels to nab your high-level Powers as soon as possible?

What -would- incentivise you to start playing low levels again?

[Yomo Kimyata]

On 6/19/2020 at 12:59 PM, Frunobulax said:

There are going to be times when Gary can't wait for somebody. Now you're either on the Busey or off the Busey. If you're on the Busey and you get left behind, then you'll find him again. 

If you're off the Busey in the first place - then it won't make a damn

I’m about to throw you under the Busey.

[Coyotedancer]

1 hour ago, ImpousVileTerror said:

@Coyotedancer and @Rathulfr, I appreciate the sentiments you've expressed, since I wholeheartedly approve of altoholism (not so much on deleting alts, though, but that's a different topic).

Although, I did want to get your feedback on something:  Would you run low level content more often if there was new low level content to play, or would you still feel that it would be optimal for you to skip the low levels to nab your high-level Powers as soon as possible?

What -would- incentivise you to start playing low levels again?

 

New content would help, yes. Although after awhile it would stop being novel and I'd be right back in "Oh, no. Not THAT arc again"-territory.

 

As for what would keep me playing at low levels in spite of finding it pretty much the opposite of fun... I honestly have no idea. Because aside from regular doses of new content, anything else that was proposed to improve the experience would no doubt trigger howls of OMGPowerCreep!! and OMGTheGameIsAlreadyTOOEASYandYOUJUSTMADEITWORSE!! from the usual suspects.... Because heaven forbid any of us *not* have to spend our characters' lowbie levels with END issues, no status protection and the inability to hit the broad side of a barn... with or without any relief from the Same Old Content issue.

[Myrmidon]

I just spent nearly the entire day teamed up with people on Excelsior. Watch LFG channel and send tells when people form up teams that interest you. 
 

There is also the other option of forming your own teams; if you broadcast in LFG, they will come.

[DrInfernus]

On 6/18/2020 at 10:47 PM, Mister Mass said:

Quoted for truth.  I used to be one of those shy people reluctant to form a team, just waiting for someone else to do it.  Now I am that someone else, & I almost always can get a group up to do the thing I want.  The tools are there to form a group.  Just use them, & they will come!

I tried this tonight. Normally I’d log in and entertain myself until I saw something forming on the LFG channel and try to join it. 
 

Tonight, I logged in, decided what I wanted to do, then formed it myself. Ended up doing the three TFs I needed to get TF Commander, all of which I’d formed, undoubtedly helped others get stuff they needed too, and had a blast with some really fun people as I did. 
 

Highly recommended. 

Edited June 23, 2020 by DrInfernus

[golstat2003]

On 6/19/2020 at 11:33 AM, Coyotedancer said:

'Thing is... many of us who play here have (Or have had in the past-) *A LOT* of different characters. 

Maybe a ridiculous number of them in some cases. (Altitis? >_> Who? <_< Me?! Never! *coughs* You can't prove anything.)

 

We've run those same lowbie arcs so many times that no matter how much fun they were the first hundred-odd times through, they've become as dull as dirt over the course of all that punch-rinse-and-repeat. Speaking only for myself? If it weren't for the ice ramps (Which will never not be fun-), I'd probably tell Frosty he could HAVE the Hollows and be done with it at this point. I have absolutely no desire to slog through the majority of the content that exists in the early levels of this game ever again. 

 

If other people still love it? Excellent! They're welcome to it, and I'm not going to tell them it's BadWrongFun. 

But I'm also not going to join them in running it anymore. It's just not what I want to spend my limited play time doing.

 

Looking at the number of us who short-cut to mid-levels with DFB/DIB or AE farming, I'm probably not the only one who's at that point. 

QFT. Some of those arcs were old BACK ON LIVE. Hell Gold Side I've done to death BACK ON LIVE.

I recently tried some of the KR to Steel Canyon stuff and it reminded me why I often skip the lower levels now.  Ugh.

Edited June 21, 2020 by golstat2003

[DougGraves]

I only play levels below 35.  I prefer teams in the teens and 20's.  I will join any FF or hollows team I see, as I like to support that play.  I see about 1 FF team per week. I can usually get a radio team in the teens or 20s after 5 or so minutes of waiting. 

 

There used to be more teams at lower levels, but the player base is dwindling and while I had a list of people who ran low level teams 3 months ago - they never log on anymore. 

 

Getting teams at level 50 is easy. There are basically constant PI radio teams.  But getting teams below that through LFG is harder.  You can find them but you have to wait around.

[BrandX]

On 6/18/2020 at 12:05 PM, Apparition said:

Welcome back to Paragon City and the Rogue Isles!

 

As others have said, make sure that you are on either the Excelsior or Torchbearer shards, or Everlasting if you like role-playing.  Also, very, very few people use the player search these days.  Mostly all teaming is done on either the LFG channel or global channels.  For Excelsior, that would be Excelsior and Excelsior Badges.

 

I think I'm one of the few that looks for LFG tags people can put on, and send out tells, when I'm looking to form a TF.  😛

[Rathulfr]

On 6/20/2020 at 7:25 PM, ImpousVileTerror said:

@Coyotedancer and @Rathulfr, I appreciate the sentiments you've expressed, since I wholeheartedly approve of altoholism (not so much on deleting alts, though, but that's a different topic).

Although, I did want to get your feedback on something:  Would you run low level content more often if there was new low level content to play, or would you still feel that it would be optimal for you to skip the low levels to nab your high-level Powers as soon as possible?

What -would- incentivise you to start playing low levels again?

 

On 6/20/2020 at 8:39 PM, Coyotedancer said:

New content would help, yes. Although after awhile it would stop being novel and I'd be right back in "Oh, no. Not THAT arc again"-territory.

 

On 6/20/2020 at 8:39 PM, Coyotedancer said:

Because heaven forbid any of us *not* have to spend our characters' lowbie levels with END issues, no status protection and the inability to hit the broad side of a barn... with or without any relief from the Same Old Content issue.

 

@Coyotedancer covered it mostly.  New content for lower levels would be nice, but even so, it would get old eventually.  And I'm not sure that spending resources on creating new content for lower levels is really a priority, as the I think any new content should be for higher levels (or scaled for all levels), to address the lack of "end-game" in CoH.

 

The pending changes to SO drops at lower levels and the batch upgrade feature will help a little, because part of the reason I skip is to break through the TO/DO barrier at 22.

 

But I think the real root cause is that I don't like soloing the lower levels.  If I have someone to team with consistently, I'll play through the lower levels.  My SG mates occasionally come up with "theme team" ideas, and we'll create new alts to play those.  But many of my SG mates have stopped playing CoH recently, because they got bored of it.  So I have to find new folks to team with regularly, and just haven't gotten around to doing that yet.

  

[0th Power]

On 6/18/2020 at 4:37 PM, Bionic_Flea said:

If you build it, he will come. 

Edited June 22, 2020 by 0th Power

[ImpousVileTerror]

[0th Power]

14 minutes ago, ImpousVileTerror said:

Really???

🤨

[MTeague]

Maybe I just don't have enough alts (35 character total), but I still enjoy the low levels, NOT having status protection and NOT being able to rely on eveyrthing hitting.  Not for forever, but I like seeing each character gradually come into their own, and then the feeling of "I have arrived" when they come into their own, and I cna start soloing +2/x3 missons with bosses and EB's.

 

I'm not at all shy about disabling XP though. I like to make sure I get each Safeguard/Mayhem mission AT CONTENT level, and I'd easily outlevel them with teaming if i didn't disable XP.

 

My favorite low levelling areas are probably 

• Goldside, 1-20 (any of the three zones, really)
• Hollows, 5-18,
• Redside, Peter Themari and Marshall Brass arcs.

[EmmySky]

I still enjoy the low stuff because I can learn the toon...figure out that they cant hit the broad side of a barn and learn what to do to fix that.  Much better to learn as a baby hero than in a 50+ team where you embarrass yourself by being a deathy tank or something.....(a friend says 😝)

Edited June 22, 2020 by EmmySky

[Coyotedancer]

1 hour ago, EmmySky said:

I still enjoy the low stuff because I can learn the toon...figure out that they cant hit the broad side of a barn and learn what to do to fix that.  Much better to learn as a baby hero than in a 50+ team where you embarrass yourself by being a deathy tank or something.....(a friend says 😝)

That's something else that comes with having had a ludicrous collection of alts...  You learn how different sets handle, and what works well with what. After awhile, you pick up on the tricks of the different sets, and while there are variations between ATs, there are also enough similarities that playing, say, a Dark Corruptor will remind you a lot of playing your Dark Defender. That Claws Stalker you leveled last spring is a reasonably close cousin to the Claws Scrap that you built last Tuesday, and that kind of thing.

 

I'd agree that the very FIRST of anything you play probably ought to be leveled in way that lets you pick up familiarity... But once you've had experience with the AT and the sets the character is made of? You're already ahead of that game. 

[DSorrow]

On 6/21/2020 at 3:25 AM, ImpousVileTerror said:

What -would- incentivise you to start playing low levels again?

I generally enjoy playing lower levels in big teams with DXP, but without that especially soloing and playing in smaller teams often feels slow and annoying. I think part of the issue is problems with accuracy and endurance where my 50s are the benchmark for enjoyable gameplay: no endurance issues and a consistent 95% hit rate. These requirements are more or less satisfied in the 1-10 range, but in the 10-21 the gameplay experience turns gradually worse as Beginner's Luck fades out and I get more powers that increase my Endurance spend. Then from 22 onwards the situation is pretty much fixed as I can slot a bunch of common and set IOs. 

 

I don't farm or PL, but I'd be lying if I claimed I didn't want to skip the 10-21 zone as fast as possible. My leveling up process is pretty much solidified right now: DFB twice so I get the +recovery and +tohit powers, then Posi1 and Posi2 which most of the time gets me to 22. After this I pretty much do level appropriate TFs, run story arcs or whatever else I like because the gameplay doesn't frustrate me like it does in the teens. Essentially, I guess I'd just like the gameplay experience to be comparable to the really low levels or 22+ game and not take a dip that's exacerbated by many enemy groups such as low level CoT, Vahzilok, etc.

 

That said, if I had an active SG or more friends who played CoH, I'd probably do lower level story arcs and red side content much more often. After all, good company can offset lacking Accuracy and Endurance issues.