[Simple alternative to LFD]

My reasons for disliking the cross-server LFD tool were not so much the random jerks (yeah, they were more common than when it was not cross-server) but the inability to form lasting friendships through dungeon groups.

 

 

 

Most of the cool people I met over there years in WoW were met during dungeon pugs, where we had to spam LFG to find a group.

 

Yeah, it took longer. But when I ran into a really nice person who was also a great player, we generally ended up friending each other and grouping together for dungeons more often.

 

This eventually formed the basis of what's known as a 'guild'. It was a tight guild, everybody knew how everybody else played and liked each other because we already knew each other.

 

 

 

Fast-forward to dungeon tool...

 

I'd often meet a really nice person from another server, and it sucked. I realized that the chances of meeting these players again was very small, and even then, it would be completely random. Sure, one of us could change servers, but that costs money and we already have our entire bases of friends and guilds that we wouldn't want to leave.

 

I don't want to be melodramatic, but the LFD tool for me felt like a good way to repeatedly experience 'missed connections'. Some of my best online friends that I met many years ago and have subsequently met in real life I met through random dungeons.

 

And to those of you who say 'You don't NEED to use the LFD tool, stop whining' - yeah, you kind of do if you want to play. Go into WoW, and try forming a pickup group of people you don't know without using the LFD tool (for a non-tryhard heroic, that is). Good luck.

 

 

/shrug

 

My point exactly.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

Wait what social intereaction was there is the first place? Most of the places are DEAD. And I'm playing on server that is rated "FULL" and has 2k+ queues. Typing LFG is general is no better than having a Group finder.

 

It's because they still have instancing implemented.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

Wow aren't you a special one. You played world of warcraft! So did I! From beta, even!

 

Three people in your random group also had to wait 45+ minutes to get into that group, and they know if it all goes to hell they are waiting another 45+ minutes for another one. They are also invested. Maybe you're just not as big a social butterfly as you believe, and you simply had nothing to say that remotely interested them?

 

Or maybe they simply didn't feel like talking? Not everyone groups up just to spam the chat window. I know, it's unbelievable! the nerve.

 

How dare someone not play the game exactly the same way that you do.

 

Setting aside that your sarcastic ********sry was uncalled for and unwarranted, my point was that before lfd most every group you got in would talk to each other, joke around, maybe even add each other as friends. How often do you see that now? Same server lfd wasn't so bad, but with cross server you'll likely never see them again so why bother, right? Why do multiplayer if the other players are little more than npc's with advanced ai?

[In response to Loekii: Bringing life to ToR]

Another thing that would help would be patrolling mobs. Right now he majority of mobs are motionless until you engage combat. Having them pace around a little and not wait until you are close enough to kick them in the nuts before they react to you would do wonders for bringing life to the game.

[What is the meaning behind your character name?]

Nex Morsus. Latin for Pain and Death. (or at least that's what the translation said) Sith Warrior.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

It won't work.

 

Look at rift,

 

At the start people said no LFD system, then they realised how tedious it is spamming chat.

 

Then they added same server LFD and even on the busiest servers you would be waiting 30+ mins as a healer for a group.

 

 

Cross server LFD works and saves time, the people who don't like it don't have to use it but the rest of us shouldn't be punished because a handful of people don't like it.

 

That handful of people are the developers, there is no rest of us, no one is being punished, it's the dev teams choice. That's no the issue. I didn't make this thread to discuss lfd itself, only to put forth ideas for alternatives. Please either do so or find a topic that is actually about lfd to post in.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

If you choose not to speak in random groups that is your own fault. People are just as easy to talk to in randoms as they are in hand-made groups.

As someone who played WoW before and after the lfd system I can testify that it DESTROYED social interaction I dungeons. In ransoms people don't want to talk. There is no connection, no investment. I have tried talking to them, and you can tell they just don't care. It's an issue of subbconcious more than choice.

 

Sorry about the errors. Doing this on an iPhone.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

I think what BW is trying to avoid is the wow formula of dungeoning. It is as follows.

 

Queue for dungeon.

Go back to soloing.

Get matched up for dungeon.

Complete dungeon with little to any interaction with the random people you were queued with.

Go back to soloing.

 

By requiring people to interact in order to make groups you cause them to become more invested in the group and Hereford more likely to chat with each other. After all, when you add someone to a group it's Polite to say hello. If its all random, that compulsion and any further conversation flies out the window.

[In response to Loekii: Bringing life to ToR]

This is in response to a post by BW staff Loekii. The original post got lost under troll fat so I thought I'd post it here. The question begs its own topic anyhow.

 

What are some ideas, that given the current game, BW could do to improve the feeling of Life in the earlier zones?

 

Typing this from my phone, so excuse any nonsensical errors.

 

One thing I think would be cool (though possibly hard to implement) would be the ability to develop npc rivals/allies/contacts. For instance as a Sith, maybe you have the opportunity to help a fellow apprentice. If you do he becomes an ally, giving you a heads up on any news of someone gunning for you, maybe throwing some credits your way from time to time, etc.

 

Or you could screw him over, true Sith style. He becomes your rival, sending goons to assassinate you from time to time, attempting to sully your reputation with key npc's, and generally being a pain in the ***. At some point you could confront him, or through dialog politically destroy him.

 

Probably hard to implement as I said but it would definitely keep you feeling connected to our origin story and give a feeling of consequence.

 

Many existing quests could achieve this simply by delaying the confrontation with rival apprentices and having them screw with you indirectly longer, with your master reacting to your method of handling it. Fostering rivalries/alliances like this would be hella immersive.

 

Random npc encounters would be cool too. Like a woman begging a Jedi character to stop a fight her husband is in, or some thugs trying to mug an agent, cantinas would be awesome places for stuff like this. Markets too.

 

Edit*** Another thing that would help would be patrolling mobs. Right now he majority of mobs are motionless until you engage combat. Having them pace around a little and not wait until you are close enough to kick them in the nuts before they react to you would do wonders for bringing life to the game.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

Another thought: whenever someone flags for a quest you have flagged a text prompt could pop up in the LFG chat. It could also possibly tell you how many people have a mission flagged when you first flag it. And possibly an option to look at the mission log of people on your friends list. That way you know what they are working on and it is easier to offer your help.

[Simple alternative to LFD]

I know that BW doesn't want to implement a lfd tool and frankly I agree with that decision. The purpose o this post is to come up with suggestions for ways to make finding groups easier without lfd and its reduction in social interaction.

 

A simple solution would be global LFG chat channels. These channels would help keep /1 a bit less cluttered while still making it necessary for people to interact in order to find a group. I would even say to go as far as crating an extra chat box for this channel so that being in LFG doess not preclude being in General chat.

 

Anyone have any other ideas?

[The Most Lifeless Universe....]

What are some ideas, that given the current game, BW could do to improve the feeling of Life in the earlier zones?

 

Typing this from my phone, so excuse any nonsensical errors.

 

One thing I think would be cool (though possibly hard to implement) would be the ability to develop npc rivals/allies/contacts. For instance as a Sith, maybe you have the opportunity to help a fellow apprentice. If you do he becomes an ally, giving you a heads up on any news of someone gunning for you, maybe throwing some credits your way from time to time, etc.

 

Or you could screw him over, true Sith style. He becomes your rival, sending goons to assassinate you from time to time, attempting to sully your reputation with key npc's, and generally being a pain in the ***. At some point you could confront him, or through dialog politically destroy him.

 

Probably hard to implement as I said but it would definitely keep you feeling connected to our origin story and give a feeling of consequence.

 

Many existing quests could achieve this simply by delaying the confrontation with rival apprentices and having them screw with you indirectly longer, with your master reacting to your method of handling it. Fostering rivalries/alliances like this would be hella immersive.

 

Random npc encounters would be cool too. Like a woman begging a Jedi character to stop a fight her husband is in, or some thugs trying to mug an agent, cantinas would be awesome places for stuff like this. Markets too.

 

Edit*** Another thing that would help would be patrolling mobs. Right now he majority of mobs are motionless until you engage combat. Having them pace around a little and not wait until you are close enough to kick them in the nuts before they react to you would do wonders for bringing life to the game.