Good News. New Players. Bad news. Teams suck.

[Luminara]

Nobody is making double D wisecracks?  Where's the innuendo?  How can I make it through the day without veiled sexual references?

DO I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING MYSELF?!

 

Something something more than a handful something.

 

😠

[Oklahoman]

I might accidentally make a couple of veiled sexual references, consistently, during MoDDs.

[Gobbledigook]

Sounds like you had lots of Boobs on the team 😛

[Skyhawke]

Anything I've been on that's run by Oklahoman is always a carefully laid out in detail setup before and during whatever it is. I see something from Oklahoman in LFG, I try my damnedest to get into it. Blapperella is another one. I love when team/league leads communicate and there is no such thing as too much communication. I can't keep some of these things straight and love getting reminders so I'm not on one side of the map wondering why I'm there alone (again). If a leader doesn't do that, I have no issue with letting everyone know I have no clue what I'm doing and to treat me like a noob. I prefer a ding to my ego than messing up everyone else's fun. I'd like to think that people causing issues aren't jerks or idiots, but either too shy or proud to ask for help.

 

On the flip side, I've been on PUGs doing things like an ITF or a BAF and usually everyone just follows muscle memory and unless some bad luck hits, it's never an issue. That, however, requires everyone to just know the task at hand like the back of their...er...hand. Risky to be sure. I did a Posi 1 the other night and there was little communication other than the occasional joking around. When we got to that mission and we not only wiped the floor with the Vahz in front, but easily handled the ambush, I figured this was in the bag. Then, on the last mission, someone went to the door while we were still clearing around the steps. Went as well as you'd expect and the guilty party then announced that the TF was impossible to finish and quit. Three more followed and those that remained gave it the old college try, but finally had to admit that we were just outgunned.

 

Again, I'd much rather have a team lead lay it all out from the start and offer reminders as we go along than just roll the bones and hope for the best. If someone's ego is so fragile that being told what to do on a TF bothers them, there's problems that need to be handled on the other side of the keyboard.

[Snarky]

1 hour ago, Gobbledigook said:

Sounds like you had lots of Boobs on the team 😛

Did you say blood?  I heard someone say blood.

[Glacier Peak]

You really need to try Indomitable, @Snarky - I've been on there for four years now and there's hardly anyone left to team with, so you'll never have to worry about crappy teams! 😆 

[GM Crumpet]

I sometimes feel sorry for league leaders, 99% of the time everything goes smoothly then 1% of the time it's like herding cats. I've had 2 Hami raids in 4 years that have been absolute shit shows with people utterly refusing to pay attention to the league leader. The LL was awesome, the instructions were clear and easy to follow but there were a handful of players who Leeroy'd their way in and we just failed utterly. It's not like Hami is even hard these days. There are 2 different strategies that work, and as long as you do what you are told to do it's quick and easy. Same with MSR. As long as people pay attention it works well, I've had a few where someone uses incan to teleport the league all over the ship instead of just... not using it... Then wondering why everyone dies and we all quit.

 

As for trials, every trial I've done has been awesome, and even though we've failed on rare occasions it's always been because people don't listen or ask questions if it's new to them. DD is actually my favourite, and the instructions are always clear as to what to target, when to target, and who targets who. The only time I have issues is when the league leader uses a different channel to give instructions because it's a stand out colour and some people don't have that channel in their chat list.

 

One point I would raise is events. When you have a full league and need to start another, move leagues 2/3/4 etc to different parts of the map a long way from each other. The recent mapserver was so much fun, then it wasn't. Leagues formed, then more leagues formed, then it became a slide show and all the XP and inf slowed to almost nothing. The lag was dreadful and nobody was able to do anything. Despite me asking over and over for leagues to please find somewhere else it was Thursday before anyone paid attention and it was almost over by then. Excelsior was great early morning, then by lunchtime to evening was painful. I got so much more on Reunion with a 4 or 5 team league.

 

[Aracknight]

On 5/11/2023 at 3:12 PM, Luminara said:

Nobody is making double D wisecracks?  Where's the innuendo? 

[Luminara]

8 hours ago, GM Crumpet said:

One point I would raise is events. When you have a full league and need to start another, move leagues 2/3/4 etc to different parts of the map a long way from each other. The recent mapserver was so much fun, then it wasn't. Leagues formed, then more leagues formed, then it became a slide show and all the XP and inf slowed to almost nothing. The lag was dreadful and nobody was able to do anything. Despite me asking over and over for leagues to please find somewhere else it was Thursday before anyone paid attention and it was almost over by then. Excelsior was great early morning, then by lunchtime to evening was painful. I got so much more on Reunion with a 4 or 5 team league.

 

You sound... beleaguered.

[carroto]

Yesterday I was on a Keyes badge league, usually just going for one badge per run.  We kept failing them (the badges usually, but sometimes the trial) over and over, usually immediately.  Not even getting close to success, it was like a bunch of people were not even trying, or reading chat or whatever.  Just facerolling their way through the trial.  I wondered if it was due to new players.  Then again sometimes you just get a bad mix of players.  Maybe new people, maybe people for whom English is a second language, maybe people who just want incarnate salvage and can't be arsed, maybe kids who just like mashing buttons...

[Oklahoman]

17 hours ago, carroto said:

I wondered if it was due to new players.

 

It would be great if that were the case.

 

Last night I had a 50+3 character in the league who had never done a BAF or DD and was completely lost the whole time - "how do you know where Siege spawns?" Also didn't seem to understand the concept of "roleplaying" and wondered why my hard rocking character kept referring to the bad guys as "one hit wonders." I had someone on my last MSR who kept shooting me tells during the pregame speech - "hurry up, too much instruction, go go go." Also, someone giving me "help" on how to run a BAF was fun, too.

 

I welcome new players, and current players who are doing things for the first time. I'm patient and don't mind a little hand holding to get you through a trial. But, seriously, if you're new to the game don't powerlevel to 50. Play the game - it's fun.

[lemming]

4 hours ago, Oklahoman said:

 

It would be great if that were the case.

 

Last night I had a 50+3 character in the league who had never done a BAF or DD and was completely lost the whole time - "how do you know where Siege spawns?" Also didn't seem to understand the concept of "roleplaying" and wondered why my hard rocking character kept referring to the bad guys as "one hit wonders." I had someone on my last MSR who kept shooting me tells during the pregame speech - "hurry up, too much instruction, go go go." Also, someone giving me "help" on how to run a BAF was fun, too.

I will sometimes shoot a tell to ask why we're doing it this way instead of "some other guy" method of doing a particular task.

 

I miss the "Half the league go the wrong way!" instruction.

[Snarky]

On 5/14/2023 at 1:43 PM, carroto said:

Yesterday I was on a Keyes badge league, usually just going for one badge per run.  We kept failing them (the badges usually, but sometimes the trial) over and over, usually immediately.  Not even getting close to success, it was like a bunch of people were not even trying, or reading chat or whatever.  Just facerolling their way through the trial.  I wondered if it was due to new players.  Then again sometimes you just get a bad mix of players.  Maybe new people, maybe people for whom English is a second language, maybe people who just want incarnate salvage and can't be arsed, maybe kids who just like mashing buttons...

I cannot remember the last time i failed a Keyes.  Well… there was the one time Cosmic Council did it on purpose.   You see, if you kill Anti Matter early the Trial fails.  Having heard this many of us insisted on doing it.  There is no magic cut scene or anything though.  Just boop you fail.  Exit.  

[High_Beam]

22 hours ago, Oklahoman said:

Last night I had a 50+3 character in the league who had never done a BAF or DD and was completely lost the whole time

Fifties from the Farm are not what I call experienced.

[DanaDark]

Crappy teams do happen. And worse, diffusion of responsibility is totally real. Go in on a TF with a toon that is a little sub-par at the moment, I am sure the rest of the team is okay and we'll be fine... turns out we all thinking the same and BAM sub-par team struggling lol.

I always try to focus on the task at hand and target enemies I need to etc. but I don't always know everything and a lot of content, especially TFs, is rather new to me. But, I pay attention and listen which goes a long long way.

[Zhym]

28 minutes ago, High_Beam said:

Fifties from the Farm are not what I call experienced.

Farm-Fresh Fifties!

And me already with a Supergroup name.

[Skyhawke]

3 hours ago, DanaDark said:

 Go in on a TF with a toon that is a little sub-par at the moment, I am sure the rest of the team is okay and we'll be fine... turns out we all thinking the same and BAM sub-par team struggling lol.

 

This can be offset by people knowing how to play the game (you know what I mean) coupled with some resolve and a light attitude. I ended a Synapse with just a scrapper, a blaster and my bubble defender taking on the King because everyone else quit when the TF became "impossible". It was tough and we had to do some hit and run, but we did it. We just had that "not backing down" moment and pulled the rabbit outta the hat. Now, this doesn't really translate into something that requires a league, but a sub par team with some chutzpah can pull off some serious miracles. Not a regular occurrence, but damn is it sweet when it happens.

[Bionic_Flea]

39 minutes ago, Skyhawke said:

 . . . taking on the King because everyone else quit when the TF became "impossible". It was tough and we had to do some hit and run, but we did it. We just had that "not backing down" moment and pulled the rabbit outta the hat.

That's one of the best feelings you can have in this game.  Truly heroic!

[Seed22]

4 hours ago, High_Beam said:

Fifties from the Farm are not what I call experienced.

I farm my 50s! But then again I refuse to PUG with folks like this, which is what is more than likely to occur.

 

 I've seen more who level to 50 who have no idea of what they're doing lately though. Bad is bad, worse if they were given time to level and engrain bad habits.

 

What gets me though, is when you're given clear instructions and still manage to fumble a very easy W. Reading comprehension is a most valuable thing, and honestly the level of illiteracy is disgustingly high right now, unfortunately.

[Skyhawke]

Was on a KM ITF earlier and it went from the team lead saying "have fun, we'll kill as we go and be laid back" to someone piping in midway through that they had a meeting to go to in 30 minutes and could we "hurry up while keeping close to the KM approach". This was followed by how we "kinda moseyed through the last mission". Now, I get real life beckons, but don't join a TF that's not advertised as a speed run then push for a speed run because you suck at time management.

[Snarky]

5 hours ago, DanaDark said:

Crappy teams do happen. And worse, diffusion of responsibility is totally real. Go in on a TF with a toon that is a little sub-par at the moment, I am sure the rest of the team is okay and we'll be fine... turns out we all thinking the same and BAM sub-par team struggling lol.

I always try to focus on the task at hand and target enemies I need to etc. but I don't always know everything and a lot of content, especially TFs, is rather new to me. But, I pay attention and listen which goes a long long way.

I led a Manticore this morning.  One of the players was new.  They were on a Blaster and thankfully a Tank stayed with them. I was on a Blaster.  A couple times I had to divert from doing anything effective to run back to those two who are wandering haplessly into giant Crey spawns. The new Blaster was…not killing fast.  My Blaster?  Heh.  Fughedaboutit.  Evil ranged thing Seismic Temp Flame.  
 

We did the Manti in just over 30 min and at the end the new player was like “is that it?”   I feel the same way when I play WoW.  Because I never play it.  I have two low level dungeons memorized there and everything else is a mystery to me.  Hopefully they needed the badge for TF commander.  And they got merits.   I really feel I did not help them very much. At the same time I am not grabbing a PIG and trying a kill most Manti.  Way too long, way too many unhappy people

[Hyperstrike]

On 5/10/2023 at 11:54 PM, twozerofoxtrot said:

Play on the Zerg shard, deal with Zerg players.

 

Try Everlasting, Snarky.

 

We love Vampires (sometimes literally, sorry in advance).

Hey!  Just because I've ripped the final boss' nut sack off as the rest of the team finally zones into the first mission doesn't mean I zerg!

🙃

[Oklahoman]

I had the day off yesterday and decided to run a series of LAM badge runs. We rocked right through the first 2 runs (ANTACID and WELL STOCKED), and kept the league generally together for each of the three runs. Then came the final run for SYNCHRONIZED and LOOTER, and a player joined the league that I'll call "Individual 1." He was on my team, ignoring chat, taking out weapon caches, and was totally soloing the whole thing - quite well, I might add - rather than waiting for a signal to go. I sent tells to Individual 1, and when that didn't work I started TPing him away from the caches. Didn't faze him a bit - he went right back at it like a crazed pit bull. We finally managed to kick him from the league, but he did too much damage and we couldn't recover in time to get SYNCHRONIZED. Still managed LOOTER, tho. I felt bad I couldn't rerun it for the league so they got SYNCHRONIZED, but I was out of time.

[BlackSpectre]

On 5/11/2023 at 1:59 PM, Techwright said:

 

To be fair, they didn't notice the drum bomb, and the resulting explosion startled them and ruined their aim.

 

(that's not bad.  I'll use that next time.)

 

 

Honestly, my personal view after watching you and other leads struggle to herd the cats is that the devs should give the Trial leaders a special whistle only available to the one recruiting or running the event.  I suggest something in the range of a coastal fog horn.  Then add it a large, centered message window, again only controlled by the lead, that can be triggered simultaneously with the whistle to provide the audio and visual needed to get everyone's attention.  Annoying yes, but if the player has the sound off and ignores the message, then they can't claim that they were distracted and not reading the chats.

…and translated I to multiple languages. 

[GM Crumpet]

On 5/16/2023 at 7:34 PM, Snarky said:

I led a Manticore this morning.  One of the players was new.  They were on a Blaster and thankfully a Tank stayed with them. I was on a Blaster.  A couple times I had to divert from doing anything effective to run back to those two who are wandering haplessly into giant Crey spawns. The new Blaster was…not killing fast.  My Blaster?  Heh.  Fughedaboutit.  Evil ranged thing Seismic Temp Flame.  
 

We did the Manti in just over 30 min and at the end the new player was like “is that it?”   I feel the same way when I play WoW.  Because I never play it.  I have two low level dungeons memorized there and everything else is a mystery to me.  Hopefully they needed the badge for TF commander.  And they got merits.   I really feel I did not help them very much. At the same time I am not grabbing a PIG and trying a kill most Manti.  Way too long, way too many unhappy people

I did a Lady Grey for the first time ever yesterday and it was a speed run. I was so confused. I just followed along behind and hit things until the teleport to the end boss each mission. I got the rewards, but I prefer a more leisurely approach. I'm in it for the XP, recipes and salvage, and threads. I understand doing something over and over gets boring, but personally I like to feel I've accomplished something . I didn't feel like I'd actually done the TF, just the potted highlights. I mostly avoid speed runs of anything for that reason, but if I join a team and then they announce a speed run I think "Well I'm committed now" and go along with whatever the team leader says.