Anyone else notice a slowly increasing number of people joining groups just to solo?

[Seed22]

17 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Real heroes do not work with villains.

Real heroes get nothing done. I mean, Peregrine still is filled with villains so you’re practically worthless. But anyway! Why is it everytime something like this comes up, people say “Well in DC/Marvel…” well this isn’t DC/Marvel. Tonal inspiration? Sure, but this isn’t some comic( thank GOD i didnt read Dc/Marvel growing up while playing CoH. Who knows, I may of ended up saying similar stuff?) in DC/Marvel’s roster. It’s CoH. Try for a moment to be creative and think in CoH lore why Heroes/Villains may work together. It’s stupid easy to do.

 

 

Reeeallly concerning behavior you’ve been exhibiting, Falcon. Also if it were real, REAL heroes prolly wouldn’t be this comically altruistic. It’d be like Invincible or worse case, The Boys. 

Edited October 7, 2021 by Seed22

[cotesan]

I feel this and quit any team that isn’t teaming. 

[cranebump]

On 10/5/2021 at 9:01 PM, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Oh c'mon, what would the CoH forums be without constant tirades against farming and soloing?

 

... Oh. They might be far more pleasant.

 True! Though I don't think anyone's complaining about soloing. It's the "soloing with an audience" thing where it gets prickly.:-) (what do we call that anyway? "grandstanding?")

 

To address the topic, though: 

 

Know what? I have zero expectations when it comes to hopping on a team, other than I expect common courtesy. Speeding, splitting off, etc., just is what it is. Toons are tougher, overall. From a strict, mechanical standpoint, we don't need each other as much as we used to (well...depending on level, and Diff, and so on). I'm either on the team to grab some merits, or taking a toon on mish teams as a change of pace. The only thing I try to make sure of is not to enter mish until the leader enters first - unless it completely clear they don't care about that (we usually find this out pretty quickly, if there's a response to the speed buggies in the group).

 

The only aspect of "soloing while teaming" that bothers me in any way is if we're dealing with grindy mishes full of purps, and folks jump out of unfinished enemies to take on other mobs - not to gather a few extras and drag them back. Nope. Just to start fighting a full mob while the rest of us deal with leftover purples. That just feels douchey (if they leave a lot behind, it feels like we're wiping their a** for them). I suspect I'm more sensitive to this because I run a lot of ranged types, and too often end up as "free safety." I'm just, "....oh, come on...I gotta stay here and dance with these guys? They don't even mambo!":-)

 

But truthfully, even that is a fairly minor annoyance. I know why I'm on the team (usually for the merits or the good XP). I do feel like it's a good idea, though, for team leaders to set expectations for the group, particularly for certain tasks we're all familiar with. There really is a good case for splitting up during the interminable kill-alls of Cit. In fact, running in a small pod, or in a duo in those situations is actually quite fun. It's like, "Alright! Me & Super Dude took down that entire mob ourselves! BOOYAH!" I have enjoyed this more, felt more relevant to the team's success, than trailing behind while mobs melt to near nothing by the time I get there. In that sense, I guess I echo the sentiment that teams of 3-5 can be a lot more fun than the full Monty. 

 

(speaking of, did anyone ever run that "star-configuration" team idea I remember seeing - basically running a team of 5 through content? maybe I should start that up.)

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by cranebump

[Sovera]

2 hours ago, Seed22 said:

Real heroes get nothing done. I mean, Peregrine still is filled with villains so you’re practically worthless. But anyway! Why is it everytime something like this comes up, people say “Well in DC/Marvel…” well this isn’t DC/Marvel. Tonal inspiration? Sure, but this isn’t some comic( thank GOD i didnt read Dc/Marvel growing up while playing CoH. Who knows, I may of ended up saying similar stuff?) in DC/Marvel’s roster. It’s CoH. Try for a moment to be creative and think in CoH lore why Heroes/Villains may work together. It’s stupid easy to do.

 

 

Reeeallly concerning behavior you’ve been exhibiting, Falcon. Also if it were real, REAL heroes prolly wouldn’t be this comically altruistic. It’d be like Invincible or worse case, The Boys. 

 

Just as long as you're not mistaking MMO mechanics with respawning mobs as an actual canon thing. Even then it does not differ from random mooks actually trying to rob banks or purses in Metropolis, the city of MFing Superman. What goes through their minds? What does a random mook think when he points a gun at someone and asks for their money in the city of a sun god?

 

MMO mechanics and comics suffer from the same problem which is continuity. Other than a small minority of super powered villains every other crime (other than white collar crime, and even then) would be rousted to jail in minutes and stay there. But plot demands the criminals break free because people do not pay for comics where Superman does his job as a reporter because there is no crime, where Batman's proteges take up being a dentist because there is no more crime.

 

Same reason we arrest mobs in Peregrine Island and they show back up a minute after.

 

Personally regarding the last bit I'd like to think it would be like Invincible. A more credible, less sanitized, version of heroes. They try to help, they help, but sometimes they fail and have flaws, and they get mad. The Boys plays to the extreme of gore and snuff porn made to shock, not to be realistic.

[Bill Z Bubba]

25 minutes ago, cranebump said:

rue! Though I don't think anyone's complaining about soloing. It's the "soloing with an audience" thing where it gets prickly.:-) (what do we call that anyway? "grandstanding?")

 

Nah, I've seen the posts. Same folks here as from before the snap. "It's an MMO. That means you team. If you want to solo, go play another game." It's a mindset that has caused a lot of damage over the years. Thankfully, a concern I had regarding the how the devs were going to move forward was recently alleviated so I'm in a happy place around here at the moment on that front.

[arcane]

31 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Nah, I've seen the posts. Same folks here as from before the snap. "It's an MMO. That means you team. If you want to solo, go play another game." It's a mindset that has caused a lot of damage over the years. Thankfully, a concern I had regarding the how the devs were going to move forward was recently alleviated so I'm in a happy place around here at the moment on that front.

But did anyone say that about soloing in general, or was it more about implicit expectations such as (1) everything has to be soloable or (2) design choices have to consider soloists?

Edited October 7, 2021 by arcane

[Bill Z Bubba]

5 minutes ago, arcane said:

But did anyone say that about soloing in general, or was it more about implicit expectations such as (1) everything has to be soloable or (2) design choices have to consider soloists?

 

I'm certainly in the camp that everything should be *attemptable* solo. Meaning I should be allowed to start an iTrial just as I can a TF without anyone else. Whether I can ever accomplish it solo is completely up to me and at no time should the devs ever water down existing content to help soloists out on that front. I've run the MLTF solo many times and have never succeeded and that's a good thing. But there are still people that think even being able to start TFs solo was a bad move even though getting TFC solo is a walk in the park.

 

And, yes, given any thread on the topic, someone will pipe in with the aforementioned "this is an MMO, you're not supposed to solo" as if choosing to do so was some crime against humanity while forgetting just how much soloing was done in the comics from where this game originated.

[arcane]

24 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

I'm certainly in the camp that everything should be *attemptable* solo. Meaning I should be allowed to start an iTrial just as I can a TF without anyone else. Whether I can ever accomplish it solo is completely up to me and at no time should the devs ever water down existing content to help soloists out on that front. I've run the MLTF solo many times and have never succeeded and that's a good thing. But there are still people that think even being able to start TFs solo was a bad move even though getting TFC solo is a walk in the park.

 

And, yes, given any thread on the topic, someone will pipe in with the aforementioned "this is an MMO, you're not supposed to solo" as if choosing to do so was some crime against humanity while forgetting just how much soloing was done in the comics from where this game originated.

Agree with you on all counts then

[PeregrineFalcon]

@Bill Z Bubba I agree with you, so normally that wouldn't rate a response, but I did have a question about this:

52 minutes ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

"It's an MMO. That means you team. If you want to solo, go play another game." It's a mindset that has caused a lot of damage over the years.

I honestly don't understand what damage is caused by the belief that a game with the words "Multi-Player Online" in the name should have a preference toward teaming.

 

Personally I see a lot more issues caused by people who prefer to solo. Mostly in that they scream that everything, including 40-man raids, should be able to be soloed. I know that this part doesn't apply to you. You already addressed that.

[Bill Z Bubba]

15 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

I honestly don't understand what damage is caused by the belief that a game with the words "Multi-Player Online" in the name should have a preference toward teaming.

 

The damage comes from the preference. It comes from creating a hostile environment to those that, while soloing 99% of the time, might just sometimes enjoy hopping on a team, but if pushed out of the game by asshats, even that won't happen.

 

I team a lot these days. Most of my game time, actually, but that's because I chose to hang out with an SG and they've given me absolutely no reason to regret that choice. If they were pushy about rules, times to be on, etc, I'd be back to my soloing ways in a heartbeat.

 

But there's absolutely no reason to slant the game toward one playstyle or the other as doing so only causes bullshit. It has never and will never make things better for everyone. That's where the harm comes from. And I'm all about one rule: Harm no other and do as ye will.

[Bill Z Bubba]

32 minutes ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Mostly in that they scream that everything, including 40-man raids, should be able to be soloed.

 

On this bit, those people are dumb. They should be allowed to start and fail miserably at said 40-man raid but the raid should NEVER be dumbed down to allow solo success. I'm honestly happy that every solo attempt I've made at the MLTF has failed. Gives me something to keep shooting for.

[PeregrineFalcon]

Yeah, I see what you mean about people being pushed out of the game because of people's reactions to their playstyle. I've seen it happen. I've also seen fun content ruined by devs changing content so that it can be soloed.

 

I agree that giving people grief because of their preferred playstyle is just dumb. Anyway, thanks for answering my questions.

 

So mote it be.

[cranebump]

3 hours ago, Bill Z Bubba said:

 

Nah, I've seen the posts. Same folks here as from before the snap. "It's an MMO. That means you team. If you want to solo, go play another game." It's a mindset that has caused a lot of damage over the years. Thankfully, a concern I had regarding the how the devs were going to move forward was recently alleviated so I'm in a happy place around here at the moment on that front.

 

Hm...that's interesting, because you can obviously solo mishes - like, actually solo, on your own. And it's still an MMO. Weird thing to say, since it proves nothing (and is obviously untrue.

 

I'm not sure they're entirely wrong to be put out with someone who runs off on their own, without any consultation or coordination whatsoever, while obviously part of their team (they're on the roster, right?). I think of it this way: if I just do whatever the f*** I want, I'm saying I know better than everyone else, or that my way/style is better. At the very least, aren't I saying, Its not worth my time to even check if this style is okay with the team/leader, because what I want to do matters more? I mean, don't I agree to some small level of cooperation the minute I accept the team invite? I didn't form the team. I don't know anyone. Why would I think it's okay to run off and leave the team without some small discussion of tactics first? Doesn't NOT doing that make me this guy?:

[nightmarespace]

On 9/26/2021 at 2:37 AM, Sovera said:

My own pet peeve is Controllers spamming mass immobilizes/AoE fears/AoE stuns, or players spamming knockbacks because 'it helps' *narrator: none of it, in fact does help*)

This is worth its own thread. My pet peeve also. I don't want the whole mob immobd or held, until they've crowded around a central target. Stop this, people. 

[PeregrineFalcon]

31 minutes ago, nightmarespace said:

This is worth its own thread.

We've already had 137,482 threads on this. Please don't start another one. Please just vent in whichever thread is the most current one.

[nightmarespace]

1 minute ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

We've already had 137,482 threads on this. Please don't start another one. Please just vent in whichever thread is the most current one.

Haven't seen one, but OK mister thread police. 

[Aurora_Girl]

1 hour ago, nightmarespace said:

This is worth its own thread. My pet peeve also. I don't want the whole mob immobd or held, until they've crowded around a central target. Stop this, people. 

 

Have you ever played a controller or dominator?

[Bill Z Bubba]

I get the immobilize hate. I also get why those that have them use them. Would you as a blaster decide to not use fireball? Would you as a scrapper not want to fire off spin whenever it makes sense?

 

Same goes for aoe immobilizes. It's usually the best DPA AoE in the set and should be used often because of it.

 

I don't care when I see a spawn locked down. I'm all about the Tab-Follow-Kill mentality and care not at all if I'm not hitting every enemy cuz they got spaced out by an immobilize. And because I don't care, I especially spam the hell out of my one good aoe.

Edited October 7, 2021 by Bill Z Bubba

[PeregrineFalcon]

2 hours ago, nightmarespace said:

Haven't seen one, but OK mister thread police. 

No? Ok, well here's a couple of threads about knockdown then:

 

Need more Knockback->Knockdown conversion! July 3, 2019
Knockback revision July 11, 2019
A Moderate Change to Knockback September 29, 2019
I Love Knockback January 5, 2020
Energy Blast and Knockback March 21, 2020
SANCTUARY server (not Homecoming) Energy Blast ... no more Knockback... April 4, 2020
Global Enhancement for Knockback to Knockdown Conversion? July 31, 2020
Proposed Knockback modifcation/fix July 12, 2021
Poll: How do you feel about knockback? July 13, 2021

 

There's more, but that's all I found with a quick search.

[InvaderStych]

5 hours ago, PeregrineFalcon said:

Please just vent in whichever thread is the most current one.

 

Wait, I thought this was the most current Rant Of The Month Thread?

Edited October 8, 2021 by InvaderStych

[arcane]

Imagine still thinking you have to have mobs tightly grouped around a brute/tank to steamroll this whole game with next to zero effort.

[Coyotedancer]

I just get ticked off when some yahoo who has zero clues about how to use KB scatters everything to the four winds *after* I've dropped my Tar Patch or Bonfire or what-have-you on top of a nice, compact bait-ball of goons.

 

That's just annoying.

And rude. <_<

[Dazl]

With the pace groups can steamroll, when is there time to group anything?

[arcane]

54 minutes ago, Coyotedancer said:

I just get ticked off when some yahoo who has zero clues about how to use KB scatters everything to the four winds *after* I've dropped my Tar Patch or Bonfire or what-have-you on top of a nice, compact bait-ball of goons.

 

That's just annoying.

And rude. <_<

The devil is in the details and the degree of inconvenience. For instance, complaining about a player repeatedly jumping right into the middle of every mob with Force Bubble active would be pretty damn justified.

 

Complaining about a couple little guys being immobilized outside of your PBAoE radius when said little guys still have a pitiful lifespan of only a few seconds... that just signals to other players that you’re incompetent.

Edited October 8, 2021 by arcane

[PeregrineFalcon]

2 hours ago, arcane said:

Imagine still thinking you have to have mobs tightly grouped around a brute/tank to steamroll this whole game with next to zero effort.

1. My Tanker is Invulnerability. So her defense goes from like next to nothing to 46% if there are 10 mobs gathered around her. The difference is enormous.
2. It's a lot easier for my Tanker to keep aggro and keep the squishies from face-planting if the enemies are gathered round.
3. Not everyone plays with full teams of 8. I often play just with my friends, or my sons. So my teams are usually around 4 people.
4. Not everyone plays a 50+1 Vet Level 1,387 Billion Inf all Tier 4 incarnate character at all times.

So yes, there are times where playing this game can present a bit of a challenge. You just have to find them.