"Icoulddobetteritis"

[biostem]

One problem I've been having lately, which I fully acknowledge is more "my issue" than anyone else's, is that I frequently find myself teaming with others, and wonder why they aren't using this power here or there, or why they aren't buffing/supporting the rest of the team better.  I'll be on my tank, and wonder why the various buffers are ignoring me, or while on my buffer, wondering why the tank/brute isn't taking any steps to keep aggro off me and the other "squishies".  I'm not trying to say I'm the best player or anything, and I do try to tactfully provide some advise, but it seems like an extremely fine line between providing helpful tips and sounding like a control freak barking orders.  Has anyone else run up against this catch-22?  Thanks for reading!

[DoctorHugh]

Catch-22 isn't actually the right phrase to use here.

 

I can think of some better ones.

[nihilii]

I treat my pickup partners as magical floating pixies with unknown abilities behaving in mysterious ways. I would not dream to get between the pixie world and its manifestation in our plane of existence. Sometimes the flying dreamers merge into a steamroller, some other times they decide to enhance my experience by increasing the challenge. Either way, it's never dull, so I stay quiet and enjoy the ride.

[Greycat]

I play on a server full of roleplayers who do things for character reasons, including diving headfirst into mobs you *know* are going to kill them.

 

So... no.

[Troo]

1 hour ago, biostem said:

Has anyone else run up against this catch-22?

 

ABSO-friggin-LUTELY

 

Pugs are an adventure in spin the wheel of skipped to 50 and am now learning how a Curruptor is different than a Scrapper.

 

..but #atleastwegettoplay & #soloftw

 

Edited January 3, 2023 by Troo

[biostem]

2 minutes ago, Greycat said:

I play on a server full of roleplayers who do things for character reasons, including diving headfirst into mobs you *know* are going to kill them.

 

So... no.

I think we can acknowledge that there's a difference people doing things for RP reasons vs, well, other ones...

[Snarky]

You don't read my posts?  A small recognizable portion of the players are incredibly good.  A lot of people on alts I do not recognize are really good.  Then the other half, and it seems to be about half.  A lot of people seem drunk or distracted.  They can play....but just doing stuff that makes you wonder if they played the TF before or have a map open or are pouring themselves wine.  Then, a small unrecognizable portion that seem to be batshit nuts and unteachable.

Edited January 3, 2023 by Snarky

[Nyghtmaire]

What about those of us who are merely often drunk, batshit nuts, yet somehow have a vague memory of what’s supposed to be going on deep in the recesses of a rapidly aging meatsack mind, but reads team chat avidly? Asking for a friend…

[Snarky]

5 minutes ago, Nyghtmaire said:

What about those of us who are merely often drunk, batshit nuts, yet somehow have a vague memory of what’s supposed to be going on deep in the recesses of a rapidly aging meatsack mind, but reads team chat avidly? Asking for a friend…

We love those the most.  Tell them to drop over to my crypt.  For a bite.

[Doomguide2005]

Nihilii pretty much quite colorfully summed it up for me.  Dealing with the batshit crazy is, when in the right mood on the right character, part of the fun.   It's really helpful in those cases if everyone is having fun and remembering that is the whole point of a game whether it's RotF stomping or RotF laughable wipes.

[Snarky]

5 minutes ago, Krimson said:

I spent most of 2022 respeccing toons, and 2023 will be more of the same. "Icoulddobetteritis" for me means "Why am I not yet a God?" and then I open Mids. This means, I have not noticed this particular problem with PUGs because I endeavor to make my toons self-contained and ready to go no matter the make up of the group, or lack thereof.

I feel this way on Brutes and Blasters.  Friends have pointed out that I "tank" on Blasters even when low level and using SOs.  But now I am maining a Corruptor.  Dark Dark Dark twisted Soul that i am....I judge.  Because I am trying to leverage these idiots abilities (thats my job I am learning lol) and they are acting like they have been chewing lead paint figurines in a city college "required" course while snapchatting to people they want to like them.  

[TheOtherTed]

2 hours ago, biostem said:

I'll be on my tank, and wonder why the various buffers are ignoring me

That was me on Live.  Or at least one of me, specifically my Illusion/Empathy controller.  My reasoning on that character (and pretty much all others) was this - the more people who were standing and fighting, the less pressure there was on any one character, and the more manageable the fight would be.  Thus, if any one character seemed to be having issues, I'd work on "stabilizing" that character with whatever tools I had.  My goal was to avoid a cascade effect of aggro switching from fallen characters to someone else who was likely already busy - if that doesn't get nipped that in the bud, it could turn into a team wipe incredibly quickly.

 

I've since found out that this is apparently a "bad thing" in the MMO world at large.  But it worked.  Keeping that weak link standing turned out to be key, not only to preventing a team wipe, but to giving more timid players the confidence to take risks they might otherwise have avoided.  That confidence, in turn, seemed to helped boost team morale and camaraderie - everyone was in the fight, and even "sub-par" players were contributing what they could.

 

Of course, I don't know if that explains any of what you've been seeing lately wrt buffers; just offering it as a possibility.

[biostem]

1 minute ago, TheOtherTed said:

Of course, I don't know if that explains any of what you've been seeing lately wrt buffers; just offering it as a possibility.

Well, I'm not just talking about cases where the tanker is doing fine - if they appear to be struggling, (not just low HP, but also an almost bottomed-out end bar), or cases where multiple debuffs are piling up on said tanker, and yet those buffers don't seem to be using the relevant, (or what I would deem appropriate) powers for the given situation...

[Snarky]

53 minutes ago, Krimson said:

If you used the build I gave you, your Corr would be without cares. 😄

right now it is level 24 and has almost nothing slotted but SOs

[TheZag]

Haha sounds like you guys play on 

 

 

[Nyghtmaire]

34 minutes ago, Krimson said:

I know, I took a look at you when I entered Pocket D a minute ago. 😄

You’re a pancaking voyeur!!!!

[Spaghetti Betty]

This is exactly the reason why I really only join PUGs on a Tank. I don't have to worry about what the team is doing if I never needed them in the first place.

[JasperStone]

I drink Beer

Mash da Buttons

and join PUGS!

[Astralock]

6 minutes ago, Spaghetti Betty said:

This is exactly the reason why I really only join PUGs on a Tank. I don't have to worry about what the team is doing if I never needed them in the first place.

 

I can't stand playing Tankers, but after PUGing with so many incredibly bad Tankers, it really tempts me to make one just so I don't have to PUG with someone else playing one.  Seriously.  I've found that there are a lot of absolutely terrible Tanker players out there.  Brutes as well, but more so Tankers.  They play the AT as a more safe, crit-less Scrapper and completely ignore the team.  I've seen two Tankers on a PUG team try to compete with each other and herd a mission map, completely ignoring the actual AV in the mission and going to the opposite sides of the map.  Leaving just the "squishies" to deal with the AV.  Madness.

[Spaghetti Betty]

2 minutes ago, Astralock said:

 

I can't stand playing Tankers, but after PUGing with so many incredibly bad Tankers, it really tempts me to make one just so I don't have to PUG with someone else playing one.  Seriously.  I've found that there are a lot of absolutely terrible Tanker players out there.  Brutes as well, but more so Tankers.  They play the AT as a more safe, crit-less Scrapper and completely ignore the team.  I've seen two Tankers on a PUG team try to compete with each other and herd a mission map, completely ignoring the actual AV in the mission and going to the opposite sides of the map.  Leaving just the "squishies" to deal with the AV.  Madness.

Sorry you've had bad experiences teaming with random Tanks. I can only speak for myself and I assure you that when I'm Tanking I always have the team's best interests in mind. But if they don't follow me? Well, I tried.

[Snarky]

10 minutes ago, Astralock said:

 

I can't stand playing Tankers, but after PUGing with so many incredibly bad Tankers, it really tempts me to make one just so I don't have to PUG with someone else playing one.  Seriously.  I've found that there are a lot of absolutely terrible Tanker players out there.  Brutes as well, but more so Tankers.  They play the AT as a more safe, crit-less Scrapper and completely ignore the team.  I've seen two Tankers on a PUG team try to compete with each other and herd a mission map, completely ignoring the actual AV in the mission and going to the opposite sides of the map.  Leaving just the "squishies" to deal with the AV.  Madness.

When I Tank I try to lead the team....where they want to go.  That took a loooong time to learn.  I play a Brute different, cannonballing where I want to.  But over the years I play Brutes more like a Tank....sometimes.

[biostem]

14 minutes ago, Astralock said:

They play the AT as a more safe, crit-less Scrapper and completely ignore the team.

This goes back to my earlier statement - it's no small feat to convince the team to stick with you, while tanking.  At the same time, you get support people who want to break off from the main group and go help someone who wanders off on their own, then wonders why people start wiping.  I try to communicate a plan of action when pugging, but I also recognize that I have no control over how others play.  Sometimes you get lucky and get a team that really gels, most often, your team is "good enough" to make it through normal content, but anything harder than that is a crapshoot...

[TheZag]

1 hour ago, Krimson said:

You mean how I can fly past someone, take a look at their stats, without any form of communication happening? Certainly not Everlasting. On Excelsior, Pocket D is a liminal space, with the exception of AE.

 

I was referencing the thread as a whole,  just happened to be after your post.

 

It reminds me of stories that my buddy who transferred from excel used to tell.  He hasnt played in awhile but it seems the goings on are still going on.

  

[Clave Dark 5]

5 hours ago, Krimson said:

 I literally have gene-altering drugs in me at the moment. 

Really curious to know what sort of super powers you're going to end up with! 

 

Seriously though, that's all really good advice.

[Scarlet Shocker]

My advice to the OP would be simply "You play your game, let others play theirs"

 

One of the great things about this game is that there are many different ways of skinning the same metaphorical cat. Focus on what you're doing. Don't worry about the others. If you really need to be so in control of others then perhaps you'd be better off forming a supergroup of lackeys who will do your bidding, instantly and without hesitation.