So I guess I like parallel play

[FFFF]

So when kids are young they often don’t interact much together instead engage in parallel play. Largely because they haven’t developed the skills that compose socialization. As a mature adult, and a mostly solo player, it’s funny to me that I do the same. So I’m one of those weirdos that play a MMO but plays by themselves.

 

However, I like seeing people around. I love flying through Steel Canyon and seeing another hero fly past or watch a super speeder veer up the ramps. I even have a chat tab up for that’s dedicated to the Looking for Group and Help channels, I have no intention in joining a DFB or Katie Hanon, but  it’s neat seeing teams being formed. I’m always pleased to see how helpful people are in the Help channel - that hasn’t changed since Live. 
 

I really missed being around the activities rather than partaking them myself. It’s nice having no FOMO in this game as I played a lot on live and just do what I want instead of feeling compelled to do anything or prove something to others. 
 

Anyways, it’s nice to be back and just soak up the atmosphere. 

[Apogee]

I hear you and agree.  I enjoy seeing other players but aside from an odd Hami raid I don't really team up.

[Jacktar]

FOMO? (old geezer, no clue ty) (all I got for a guess is a hair shampoo)

Edited May 19, 2023 by Jacktar

[PsiBug]

Fear Of Missing Out!

 

 

=:P

[PsiBug]

Among competitive hotdog eaters, Fear of Mustard Overload.

[Snarky]

Freaking Out My Opponent 

[InvaderStych]

4 hours ago, Jacktar said:

FOMO? (old geezer, no clue ty) (all I got for a guess is a hair shampoo)

 

You gotta know YOLO, otherwise you get the FOMO from the GET GO. 😉

[Yomo Kimyata]

Over the years, I have come up with the following phrase:

 

"I like being alone, but with people."

 

 

[Techwright]

7 hours ago, Yomo Kimyata said:

Over the years, I have come up with the following phrase:

 

"I like being alone, but with people."

 

 

That depends on what the context is.  If it is opening a book to read in a nice restaurant during lunch, and a bunch of mothers with screaming kids sit down at the tables near you, and the guy in the other booth unilaterally decides that the rest of the restaurant wants to listen to his tunes on his smartphone while he eats...

 

I love the old saying from great-grandfather's era "Children and smartphones should be seen, not heard."

Edited May 19, 2023 by Techwright

[Neiska]

More people does not mean more pleasant people to play with, or more enjoyable people to play with. It just means more people. More or less I was only teaming with people from my friends list or super group, and occasionally letting people sit in on farms. Because more often than not, group with an entire group of random people was not an experience that I enjoyed. Others may feel differently. They are welcome to it and I hope they have a good time. Truly. But in every MMO there is a group of people who group with whom they wish, or play entirely by themselves. And trying to force any sort of dynamic, even with a carrot on a stick, rarely ends well.

[KC4800]

OP I am the same way. I solo 95% of the time. I do join a league to kill a GM. I solo TF's that I can, like the old original Posi or maybe a Numina. I will join anyone that asks for help to kill something, or find a lost glowie, stuff like that. But I really don't do pick up groups anymore, unless they advertise as easy paced. I know why people do lvl 54 Paper missions but I don't need to do that so I don't.

[momentarygrace]

Everything OP said, and I have probably said same words more or less a few times in the past. 

 

Some might think soloing in an MMORPG is cat logic...

[ZemX]

2 hours ago, KC4800 said:

I know why people do lvl 54 Paper missions but I don't need to do that so I don't.

 

Heck, I team and I tend to avoid most level 54 anything but most especially papers/radios.  Mid-level teams are where it's still real.  54 anything tends to just be a facerolling continuous supernova of particle effects and XP.   Meh.  I do them from time to time if I'm really bored but that's about it.  If I'm leveling up, I'd rather be on a level appropriate team, preferrably running contact missions but Talos/FF radios aren't terrible either.

[Oubliette_Red]

Playing solo in an MMO is not so odd. More often than not it's the only way to really experience the story lines. I'm fortunate that I have a group of friends I play with that enjoy the stories as much as I do.

[Spaghetti Betty]

I've never heard of the term "parallel play" before! That's a great way to describe it. Even though my time spent soloing has decreased by a pretty large chunk, I do still enjoy hanging out by myself and people-watching. In a way, it makes the experience feel more human.

[biostem]

I think a big part of this is also how the online gaming landscape has changed - especially for adults, many folks just don't have the hours to devote to uninterrupted play.  I also think, (at least for me), that my tolerance for BS has dropped dramatically - by that I mean that if I'm on a team, and the leader is being overly demanding with power use, placement, etc, then I tend to dip out after the mission is complete, (and I try to be more on the look out for red flags when joining a TF team).

[Snarky]

I play solo all the time.  For instance, I will start a Posi 1 on a Blaster project.  Team will go through and sort of do whatever.  I will tell them on the last mission “please do not go on coty hall steps”.  They will go on city hall steps.  Wipe. And i solo everything thats left eating the purples and reds i squirreled away

[Zect]

This makes a lot of sense. Humans are eusocial, so it's possible that like cockroaches, they perceive populated places as more attractive and empty places as unattractive. Disclaimer: I am not an evolutionary psychologist.

[nihilii]

On 5/19/2023 at 10:30 PM, biostem said:

I think a big part of this is also how the online gaming landscape has changed - especially for adults, many folks just don't have the hours to devote to uninterrupted play.  I also think, (at least for me), that my tolerance for BS has dropped dramatically - by that I mean that if I'm on a team, and the leader is being overly demanding with power use, placement, etc, then I tend to dip out after the mission is complete, (and I try to be more on the look out for red flags when joining a TF team).

This is true for sure.

 

Although, I also find I have more tolerance for "wasting" a couple minutes. In that they're never a waste anymore; there's always something to enjoy, on a different level.

Less tolerance for wasting hours, simply because indeed we lack the time to do so.

[biostem]

38 minutes ago, nihilii said:

I also find I have more tolerance for "wasting" a couple minutes

Waiting for someone, (who is responsive), to zone or who is new and needs some stuff explained, is no problem.  Waiting for someone who seemingly goes AFK for long periods without stating as much, not so much.

[Scarlet Shocker]

You have a heart of glass!

 

 

 

What? Am I the only one thought this?

 

[twozerofoxtrot]

On 5/19/2023 at 2:15 PM, FFFF said:

However, I like seeing people around.

 

I like random acts of RP, and this is an essential part of being able to do that in a way that feels rewarding to me.

 

Example: a few hours ago I was on a new Praetorian character bounding across Imperial City and just happened to see a MM suddenly execute a /e growl emote. 

 

Being on a somewhat feral-themed character I pounced (😀) on the chance and landed in front of them, executing the same emote like a pair of hissing cats. Went on to do about 30s seconds of immersive RP wherein my character opined on the possibility of the Punk pets being a snack and when that was rejected, went on their merry (but hungry) way.

 

That 30 seconds was way more fun for me, and will be more memorable, than the next 30 minutes of game content I played through. 

 

That's what I really enjoy about this game.