Inconsiderate team departures

[Diantane]

I've been hosting teams for several years. Within the past year, the population of the Excelsior server has dropped significantly. This makes it much harder to put teams of 6 to 8 players together. Most times it takes up to 10 minutes to get a full team. Before 6pm EST on weekdays, its sometimes impossible to find more than 1 or 2 players (have to log for another hour or two before enough players come online).

 

So when I have a full team of 7-8 players doing +3 arc missions, it is very inconsiderate of 3 players or more to leave all at once (sometimes during the mission). The rest of the team has to wait several minutes most times to get the team filled again. No more than one player should leave at once unless it is an emergency.  A very few players are considerate enough will let me know when they will have to leave which allows me to start recruiting before that time. Keeping the team full allows all players a great enjoyment of the game.

 

I've been on COH Homecoming since shortly after it started, Really enjoy playing this mmo, but if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

Edited August 21 by Diantane

[ZemX]

11 minutes ago, Diantane said:

No more than one player should leave at once unless it is an emergency. 

 

Good luck with that.

 

The accepted etiquette is only that team members finish a TF or mission that they start.   Not that they have to coordinate with other randos when they leave.  And while it's nice to give advanced notice "this is probably my last mission" and such, it's also not that common in my experience.

 

This is the PUG life.

[Without_Pause]

About the only decline in player base has been post the incoming wave after HC got a license. I even looked at numbers after a break and saw Excel was essentially the same. I think I have rarely had to wait for a team to fill on Excel to the point it felt noticeable. Depending on how before 6pm Eastern you are doing these teams that's right around the time people are getting food, so they might be just hopping on to get in a mission or two before supper. 

[Apogee]

If you frequently have people leaving your teams all at once there may be another issue you aren't considering

[Psyonico]

2 hours ago, Diantane said:

No more than one player should leave at once

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while.  Why would random people coordinate when they are leaving?

[PeregrineFalcon]

2 hours ago, Diantane said:

but if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

[Luminara]

[roleki]

2 hours ago, Diantane said:

if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

 

There's one person on the Transfer server, I think the OP might be serious.

[Techwright]

2 hours ago, Diantane said:

 No more than one player should leave at once unless it is an emergency.

 

 

6 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while.  Why would random people coordinate when they are leaving?

 

It does sound like 2005 all over again when MMO guilds and raid leaders used to insist their members behave in a particular manner that often was detrimental to their real life needs.  I'm sure it was not meant that way, but it is the way it came across.

 

The OP states it is during missions not the full arc, and not a task force.   So if there's an ongoing problem with multiple teammates dropping during a single mission, just be up front with the team: "We got a full team.  I'd like to keep it that way until the end of the mission.  If there's an emergency, try to say so, if possible, before dropping."  Give them a moment to back out if they don't like it.   Communication is a two-way street.  This is not to say the problem won't repeat, but at least the leader's end of the communication is clear.    Even so, if the team is repeatedly struggling at a +3 (it does happen), I can see why some would drop in frustration.

 

[Without_Pause]

14 minutes ago, roleki said:

 

There's one person on the Transfer server, I think the OP might be serious.

I'm pretty sure they mean a different game. If they think Excel is bad, well, good luck elsewhere. 

[Apogee]

10 minutes ago, Techwright said:

It does sound like 2005 all over again when MMO guilds and raid leaders used to insist their members behave in a particular manner that often was detrimental to their real life needs.  I'm sure it was not meant that way, but it is the way it came across.

 

minus DKP for you!

[lemming]

35 minutes ago, Psyonico said:

This is the funniest thing I've read in a while.  Why would random people coordinate when they are leaving?

Couple times I've been on voice chat with friends and we've joined a PUG.   Usually we stick it out, but there have been a few times when we've bailed as a group.  So in a sense we did coordinate.   I don't think we've done that in over a year at this point though.

[Scarlet Shocker]

2 hours ago, Diantane said:

I've been on COH Homecoming since shortly after it started, Really enjoy playing this mmo, but if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

 

 

Bless you!

[High_Beam]

11 minutes ago, Scarlet Shocker said:

Bless your heart!

Fixed that for you Scarlet 🙂

[Luminara]

A question has percolated to the top of my brain...

 

@Diantane, were you going to communicate when you intend to stop replying to this thread, or just suddenly disappear (like you've always done in the past)?

 

[Skyhawke]

2 minutes ago, Luminara said:

A question has percolated to the top of my brain...

 

@Diantane, were you going to communicate when you intend to stop replying to this thread, or just suddenly disappear (like you've always done in the past)?

 

 

 

[Monty Haull]

4 hours ago, Diantane said:

if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

 

 

 

[High_Beam]

13 minutes ago, Luminara said:

 

@Diantane, were you going to communicate when you intend to stop replying to this thread, or just suddenly disappear (like you've always done in the past)?

 

[Ukase]

So, what I think would be helpful - for the rest of us to help you - is to get a copy of the chat between you and the others just prior to starting and to the point that they leave. 

Anecdotally, I know I will leave a team when a mission is over if I'm not enjoying myself for any reason. Unless it's a TF, and then I'll just endure it but will quit as soon as I get the merits. 

For me - teams where the team lead barks out orders and says something that's not accurate, and chats to the team like nobody can read - yeah, I leave that team as soon as the mission is done. Sometimes, it's not the team or team lead, but there's another activity I saw being recruited for that sounds like more fun. Like, I'd much rather do a Yin TF than a pug team in the Hollows because I get merits from Yin, I don't get merits from doing Frostfire - unless it's my mission. And given the way levels happen, it would be problematic to try and collaboratively complete, and with the hunts in that arc, it can be tough to do without holding up the team. 

So, that's my suggestion. Let's see what's being communicated between you and your team. That might shed a clue as to what's going on. 

[biostem]

5 hours ago, Diantane said:

I've been on COH Homecoming since shortly after it started, Really enjoy playing this mmo, but if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

OK.  I have yet to hear you propose an actual solution.  Shaming tactics rarely work...

[Glacier Peak]

[Insert reply to generic Diantane post]

[BlackSpectre]

My suggestion is to form a supergroup and recruit players who you enjoy playing with. 
 

PUGs (pick-up groups) or random teams have a tendency to be… random, unpredictable, and decidedly casual or indifferent.  Nothing horrible about it. It’s just that different people behave differently and you can’t really change that. PUGs are like a box of chocolates… you never know what you’re going to get. 

[Lunar Ronin]

7 hours ago, Diantane said:

I've been hosting teams for several years. Within the past year, the population of the Excelsior server has dropped significantly. This makes it much harder to put teams of 6 to 8 players together. Most times it takes up to 10 minutes to get a full team. Before 6pm EST on weekdays, its sometimes impossible to find more than 1 or 2 players (have to log for another hour or two before enough players come online).

 

So when I have a full team of 7-8 players doing +3 arc missions, it is very inconsiderate of 3 players or more to leave all at once (sometimes during the mission). The rest of the team has to wait several minutes most times to get the team filled again. No more than one player should leave at once unless it is an emergency.  A very few players are considerate enough will let me know when they will have to leave which allows me to start recruiting before that time. Keeping the team full allows all players a great enjoyment of the game.

 

I've been on COH Homecoming since shortly after it started, Really enjoy playing this mmo, but if the population keeps dropping and these team occurrences keep happening, I'm going to have to seek my "fun" elsewhere.

 

I realize that this is going to go nowhere and I'd have better luck talking with Claude the LLM, but I'll just point out:

 

The "inconsiderate" players leaving aren't the people holding up your team.  You are holding up your team.  There's nothing in the City of Heroes bible that states that you absolutely need six to eight players on your team before entering a mission.  If you have three people on your team, lower the mission difficulty to something like x5 before entering, and continue recruiting while you're in the mission.  Then if you get two more people on your team while doing the mission, raise the mission difficulty to something like x7 for the next mission.  Someone leave during that mission?  Then lower the difficulty back down for the next mission.  But keep recruiting, while you're in missions.

 

Obviously the above doesn't apply to Task Forces, Strike Forces, and Trials, but you mentioned story arc missions.

[Snarky]

I am going to be serious.  Well, for me.

 

I have run a LOT of pugs.   Honestly, they dont always go well.  Some do.

 

I run ONLY SF/TF/Trials.   There are multiple reasons.  The effect is players are locked in to the run to get the rewards at end.  Merits/badge/exp

 

Sometimes it takes a while to recruit.  I have yet to take myself hostage to for e people to join.  Depending on bow this thread goes that might change.  
 

People do tend to stay.  Good lick in whatever you end up doing

[Apogee]

8 minutes ago, Snarky said:

Good lick in whatever you end up doing

 

I think Snarky's last meal may have been drunk