Is there any way to make teams less boring?

[Coyote]

1 hour ago, Snarky said:

But I knew from the add +0 LGTF.  Not speed LGTF, +0 the ad said, need melee.  I knew when I saw it that it would be rough around the edges.  Lol. it was, and it was fun.

 

I always say that the best teams are at least 50% composed of people who don't know what they're doing.

Because that leads to the possibility of a team wipe.

And that's when the fun begins 😉

[Clave Dark 5]

13 hours ago, Snarky said:

Folks, this was NOT a smooth run...  I can zip to objectives...  Fire....holy crap.  I built the guy to take the pain, but he just forms a ball of wasps all trying to kill him anywhere he goes.  Funny, I enjoyed it, useless (or nearly) for helping zip to team objectives.

Not everyone wants to play that way though.  Yesterday I found myself on a team playing Citadel just that way: a stalker and a brute would rush through to the end of the map, ignoring anyone else, would have been nice if they had announced it as a speed run when recruiting.  After dying a couple of times trying to keep up only to find they also hadn't done any clearing of the map along their way (Defenders have trouble when they walk into a large group of mods, often), I gave up and door sat.  Hey, I still supported them, I was running my Leadership toggles, and that was more support than I was getting from them.

 

Have to admit I find speed runs boring as well, like why bother playing if all you're doing is rushing?  Like I said, people play differently.

[cranebump]

21 minutes ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Not everyone wants to play that way though.  Yesterday I found myself on a team playing Citadel just that way: a stalker and a brute would rush through to the end of the map, ignoring anyone else, would have been nice if they had announced it as a speed run when recruiting.  After dying a couple of times trying to keep up only to find they also hadn't done any clearing of the map along their way (Defenders have trouble when they walk into a large group of mods, often), I gave up and door sat.  Hey, I still supported them, I was running my Leadership toggles, and that was more support than I was getting from them.

 

Have to admit I find speed runs boring as well, like why bother playing if all you're doing is rushing?  Like I said, people play differently.

Same experience today with Yin and Citidel. Lots of brute rushing ahead, defeating end boss, stealthing, etc. not announced as a speed run. Come to think of it, had the same thing over the weekend, maybe a bit worse, because the leader thought everyone should have TEam Transport. I said I didn’t, not enough Inf. Someone was going to front me 10M to get it, which I was nice, but if I wanted one, I had multiple opportunities to get it. Chose to purchase attunes for my slots though. And had just spent to near 0. 

 

The unannounced bumrush experience IS real. It’s not fun, but not worth complaining about. I do feel like if someone wants to solo mods, the should get their butts to AE and play fire farms. 

[Snarky]

10 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

Not everyone wants to play that way though.  Yesterday I found myself on a team playing Citadel just that way: a stalker and a brute would rush through to the end of the map, ignoring anyone else, would have been nice if they had announced it as a speed run when recruiting.  After dying a couple of times trying to keep up only to find they also hadn't done any clearing of the map along their way (Defenders have trouble when they walk into a large group of mods, often), I gave up and door sat.  Hey, I still supported them, I was running my Leadership toggles, and that was more support than I was getting from them.

 

Have to admit I find speed runs boring as well, like why bother playing if all you're doing is rushing?  Like I said, people play differently.

A 'guilty' pleasure of mine is Synapse TF at +0.  I love taking a new alt and seeing how they perform in that.  down from the 1:30 avg when HC started up thanks to things like TT.  Still, an hour or so of 'enforced' teamwork is good for the soul of the game....in my opinion.

[Sovera]

1 hour ago, Snarky said:

A 'guilty' pleasure of mine is Synapse TF at +0.  I love taking a new alt and seeing how they perform in that.  down from the 1:30 avg when HC started up thanks to things like TT.  Still, an hour or so of 'enforced' teamwork is good for the soul of the game....in my opinion.

 

I read people snarking about speeding through without their written consent. And then I consider Synapse, yeah, where as the usual leader in one of these I will announce I will throw a TT before the end of the mission, will ask if others have it and assign the next person, will encourage people to split up 'as long as you're able to survive, otherwise stay close' or go find the glowie or boss while I stick to the squishies and keep on defeating mobs for the XP while the hunt happens.

 

I've been in rare Synapses where we had a lack of AoE and experienced players and it took close to two hours, and I've had experienced players chaining TTs and splitting leading to a record one hour on the dot, but on average with my pushing it is usually done in an hour and ten and change.

 

 

What people seem to miss is that mobs are infinite. They are not a precious commodity that needs to be husbanded. Not there when the team started to defeat enemies? So what, enemies are endless and more will spawn next mission. Someone speeds through and hunts the glowie so the map is not cleared while looking for it? So what? More mobs will spawn the next mission so time not spent in -that- particular glowie hunting mission will be spent in the next.

 

I don't like speedruns and I don't join any TF announced as so, ever. But if I'm running a TF and a mission pops up saying it's to find a glowie or kill a boss then I don't see the point in slogging through every enemy of the map because... you've heard it here, mobs are infinite! It's not as if there are 100 mobs in a TF and if I leave 20 behind it's 20 less I'll never be able to get back. Next mission more mobs will show up.

 

 

But, the enjoyment of the thing is important too. If they want to take it slow it's valid. I just want to be clear it is better to form a team and be clear about what the goals are (no speeding, group stays together, etc) which people will join if they agree to the terms.

[Andreah]

34 minutes ago, Sovera said:

What people seem to miss is that mobs are infinite. They are not a precious commodity that needs to be husbanded. Not there when the team started to defeat enemies? So what, enemies are endless and more will spawn next mission. 

I run into this even doing radios or papers. Sometimes the team wants to wait for everyone to zone in before we start so that no one misses out. We are not going to run out of mobs. Even when this team disbands, another will form. 

 

If we have enough people in the mission to be up to the challenge, let's go. Us waiting here at the door won't get them to the mobs earlier, it only makes us late.

 

People want to be nice, want to be considerate, they really do. But it can be taken advantage of, or even unintentionally misused. Don't join a team and expect them to wait while you do boring things. Do your boring things while you are off the teams. If the team was doing okay without a player leveling up or getting new enhancers, it will be okay if they keep going without leveling up or getting new enhancers. Otherwise, ask them to use the upgrade button on the manage screen if they must must. I would give a team member inf on the spot to get them to not leave to go enhance. Or leave the team and let them replace with someone else so the player can level and enhance at their leisure.

 

And the worst case, joining a 24 person league about to start a trial, and then asking if they'll wait ten minutes for your smoke/etc break. Twenty-three people waiting ten minutes is using up almost four hours' of combined time. Please, for the Love of All that is Heroic or Villainous, be ready to actually go, and be attentive for the group to go and push the button when it comes up.

 

I'm not a content speeder, and I'm perfectly happy with slow groups who may not be rushing mobs, but are not doing nothing at all. Chat, roleplay, discuss, dance, goof off, anything but standing there silent and motionless while player X fiddles enhancers. Be interesting, not boring.

[Snarky]

7 hours ago, Andreah said:

I run into this even doing radios or papers. Sometimes the team wants to wait for everyone to zone in before we start so that no one misses out. We are not going to run out of mobs. Even when this team disbands, another will form. 

 

If we have enough people in the mission to be up to the challenge, let's go. Us waiting here at the door won't get them to the mobs earlier, it only makes us late.

 

People want to be nice, want to be considerate, they really do. But it can be taken advantage of, or even unintentionally misused. Don't join a team and expect them to wait while you do boring things. Do your boring things while you are off the teams. If the team was doing okay without a player leveling up or getting new enhancers, it will be okay if they keep going without leveling up or getting new enhancers. Otherwise, ask them to use the upgrade button on the manage screen if they must must. I would give a team member inf on the spot to get them to not leave to go enhance. Or leave the team and let them replace with someone else so the player can level and enhance at their leisure.

 

And the worst case, joining a 24 person league about to start a trial, and then asking if they'll wait ten minutes for your smoke/etc break. Twenty-three people waiting ten minutes is using up almost four hours' of combined time. Please, for the Love of All that is Heroic or Villainous, be ready to actually go, and be attentive for the group to go and push the button when it comes up.

 

I'm not a content speeder, and I'm perfectly happy with slow groups who may not be rushing mobs, but are not doing nothing at all. Chat, roleplay, discuss, dance, goof off, anything but standing there silent and motionless while player X fiddles enhancers. Be interesting, not boring.

agree wholeheartedly with both previous posts.  But I am getting older (still Snarky!  just posted in Ouro "everyone, why dont you stand here right on the portal" - must have been 15 of them lol)  But on teams i try to be polite.  I wait a good 30 seconds after zoning and unless everyone is there I NEVER start racing through.  (unless it was posted speed run)  PUGs I assume someone will get their knickers in a wad so I just chill a moment.  I will leave the team if it gets over militaristic.  I have even been globally ignored (and hunted/trolled on the forums!) for not "sticking with the team"  wtf, really?  happened to me lol.  I will range a bit, just my nature.  If I see a squishy struggling I will make a note to stay close to them and try to take agro.  I do know teamwork.  But, c'mon, most of us are corvettes around a go cart course.

[Andreah]

3 minutes ago, Snarky said:

agree wholeheartedly with both previous posts.  But I am getting older (still Snarky!  just posted in Ouro "everyone, why dont you stand here right on the portal" - must have been 15 of them lol)  But on teams i try to be polite.  I wait a good 30 seconds after zoning and unless everyone is there I NEVER start racing through.  (unless it was posted speed run)  PUGs I assume someone will get their knickers in a wad so I just chill a moment.  I will leave the team if it gets over militaristic.  I have even been globally ignored (and hunted/trolled on the forums!) for not "sticking with the team"  wtf, really?  happened to me lol.  I will range a bit, just my nature.  If I see a squishy struggling I will make a note to stay close to them and try to take agro.  I do know teamwork.  But, c'mon, most of us are corvettes around a go cart course.

Yes, everything in moderation. 

 

I've been on radio teams fighting council where the lead tank demand everyone stand in a spot while they herd. Waht. Wahht? It's council. Herd on the go friend. Really, it'll work out. 😄

 

And yes, I like teams that stick together, but not stuck together. Most of the synergy in the game happens without hardly a thought or effort if you stand sort of together. Range out and grab mobs for us, sure. Go help someone who's in trouble. Stay at range a bit for safety and blast away. Use your own best judgment. When in doubt, ask. If it goes wrong, let's laugh together. Don't be too self critical, and don't be too critical of others. We're here to have fun.

[Clave Dark 5]

9 hours ago, Snarky said:

"everyone, why dont you stand here right on the portal"

Hey you kids!  Stay off my damn portal!!

 

*shakes fist*

[Clave Dark 5]

On 4/6/2021 at 7:44 AM, Sovera said:

 

I read people snarking about speeding through without their written consent. And then I consider Synapse, yeah, where as the usual leader in one of these I will announce I will throw a TT before the end of the mission, will ask if others have it and assign the next person, will encourage people to split up 'as long as you're able to survive, otherwise stay close' or go find the glowie or boss while I stick to the squishies and keep on defeating mobs for the XP while the hunt happens.

 

I've been in rare Synapses where we had a lack of AoE and experienced players and it took close to two hours, and I've had experienced players chaining TTs and splitting leading to a record one hour on the dot, but on average with my pushing it is usually done in an hour and ten and change.

 

What people seem to miss is that mobs are infinite. They are not a precious commodity that needs to be husbanded. Not there when the team started to defeat enemies? So what, enemies are endless and more will spawn next mission. Someone speeds through and hunts the glowie so the map is not cleared while looking for it? So what? More mobs will spawn the next mission so time not spent in -that- particular glowie hunting mission will be spent in the next.

 

I don't like speedruns and I don't join any TF announced as so, ever. But if I'm running a TF and a mission pops up saying it's to find a glowie or kill a boss then I don't see the point in slogging through every enemy of the map because... you've heard it here, mobs are infinite! It's not as if there are 100 mobs in a TF and if I leave 20 behind it's 20 less I'll never be able to get back. Next mission more mobs will show up.

 

But, the enjoyment of the thing is important too. If they want to take it slow it's valid. I just want to be clear it is better to form a team and be clear about what the goals are (no speeding, group stays together, etc) which people will join if they agree to the terms.

Oh, I wasn't snarking, I was kvetching - totally different thing!  Were I to snark, I might point out that I can certainly believe that someone who likes speed runs would probably find the consideration of typing the two words "speed run" into their PST message to be a needless waste of inordinately large amounts of time; that cherrypicking an example of a single run of the most notorious time-wasting TF is a bit disingenuous; that I said nothing about conserving our precious resources, mobs, but did point out that rushing was apparently more important that supporting fellow players, even with a "you just stay there".

 

But I see you and I basically feel the same way, so I won't do that.  😁

Edited April 9, 2021 by Clave Dark 5

[Snarky]

6 hours ago, Clave Dark 5 said:

  Were I to snark, I might point out that I can certainly believe that someone who likes speed runs would probably find the consideration of typing the two words "speed run" into their PST message to be a needless waste of inordinately large amounts of time

That is some quality Snark right there.

[Clave Dark 5]

On 4/9/2021 at 3:29 PM, Snarky said:

That is some quality Snark right there.

High praise, coming from you!

[Haijinx]

On 4/6/2021 at 5:46 PM, Snarky said:

agree wholeheartedly with both previous posts.  But I am getting older (still Snarky!  just posted in Ouro "everyone, why dont you stand here right on the portal" - must have been 15 of them lol)  But on teams i try to be polite.  I wait a good 30 seconds after zoning and unless everyone is there I NEVER start racing through.  (unless it was posted speed run)  PUGs I assume someone will get their knickers in a wad so I just chill a moment.  I will leave the team if it gets over militaristic.  I have even been globally ignored (and hunted/trolled on the forums!) for not "sticking with the team"  wtf, really?  happened to me lol.  I will range a bit, just my nature.  If I see a squishy struggling I will make a note to stay close to them and try to take agro.  I do know teamwork.  But, c'mon, most of us are corvettes around a go cart course.

 

Ill usually move up to but not attack the first group, then once everyone's in Ill start killing erm arresting stuff. 

 

Often that gets ruined by other people moving up to me before everyone is in, standing too close or not stealthed and we have to start early.  But I figure that's on them

 

[Sovera]

Speaking of fun, it really is subjective.

 

Yesterday night I was just vegetating when I saw a call for Terra Volta 2. It was a bit late but I figured I could do with the XP (and merits) so I joined. First mission we were fighting +2 mobs, okay, sounds good. Team is chatty and there is hardly a moment with the chat going quiet.

 

Second or third mission I stay behind to kill some of the Freaks who had ressurected and notice it is taking a looooong time to kill it. I chalk it to my poor slotting and being on a Tanker but god dammit, it really is taking a lo-... The mob was +5. Ooookay

 

I mention it on chat, a string of lol and lmaos follow and someone pipes in that that explains why they were doing so little damage! Last mission rolls in, we are protecting the reactor and someone goes 'Damn,,, this guy is +6'. I check, and true enough, the Freak boss we are collectively whittling is indeed +6. And then we get a +7!

 

This could have been a complete shitstorm. But, we had a Kin that was doing their very best to keep us topped in HP, endurance and buffing the damage. We had people throwing Cold shields on everyone so even +6 and +7 only managed to kill a controller once or twice when the room was an ocean of purple names.

 

Even with the kin we were only whittling enemies, but no, no shitstorm, we were giggling like loons and making up stories on how our grandchildren would still be fighting Freaks while we discussed who would marry whom between us and how we had to be quick to consummate and give birth between waves.

 

...it wasn't a very refined and elegant sort of fun, but it was fun 😄