Anti-social gamers in a mmorpg?

[ArtMonster]

I havent grouped with anyone yet. I'm 48 right now.

 

I just suck the planet dry of all missions and bonus quests. I come back and do the +2 Heroic's when they are green leveled.

 

I havent done any +4 heroics yet.

 

You don't need to group at all, for any reason really.

 

 

I prefer playing alone, and doing things my way. When I'm 50, I'll start grouping with guildies and doing stuff. But for the leveling process I prefer to do it alone.

 

I do exactly the same.

 

can lvl so much more efficiently alone, and at my own pace.

[JollyRogers]

Technically, you are wrong here since MMO stand for Massive Multiplayer Online etc. You certainly can play solo, but it's not a MSO or Massive Singleplayer Online etc.

 

Actually that's only your interpretation of it, that the word Multiplayer seems to indicate that players must be grouping with other players, which is not the case. Go to the fleet location and look around, there's lots of "multiplayer" interaction there that doesn't require the player be grouped with them.

 

Multiplayer indicates there are other players online with you. Nothing more, nothing less. A good game design leaves the option to the player on how they choose to address that aspect of the game.

 

And yes, the entire point and design of an MMO is to play with other people at various points of your gaming experience. By playing solo through out your entire game time you can have an awesome time, no doubt. But you pretty much miss at least 2/3rds of the games intended design/content/social intentions/etc.

 

The actual point and design of an MMO is to make it entertaining enough to customers that they will continue paying a fee for service(s) and thus generating more income. If a significant portion of the demographics indicate they don't want to be forced grouping with other players, then that's for the game company to decide if they want to pursue that source of income or not.

 

One flaw with those that complain about a lack of grouping, or people wanting to group, is the assumption that everyone is just awesome people to be around, and that no one would possibly not want to be around them. Reality is, just like real life, there are people whose actions and behaviors are unacceptable to a person, and they choose not to socialize or be around them. Same applies to games, and maybe more so because the user has the mask of anonymous to hide behind.

[Waldorf]

I haven't got a single social point and I'm gosh darned proud of it!

But then again I stopped questing once I got my ship and decided to level exclusively in WZ.

See you in 2013 when I hit 50 ))

 

edit: gosh darned? that's not what I wrote...

Edited January 24, 2012 by Waldorf

[Wender_Ahazi]

I married a gamer.

 

 

Does she have a sister??

[DarrkLore]

Do you have a friend you could group with to level? I've gotten a ton of social points just from questing with my boyfriend.

[Spymaster]

Technically, you are wrong here since MMO stand for Massive Multiplayer Online etc.

 

And that has "group based PvE" in there somewhere?

 

And yes, the entire point and design of an MMO is to play with other people at various points of your gaming experience.

 

As soon as you log into an MMO you're playing with other people. Group based PvE is only ONE aspect of this genre. Not the whole point.

 

By playing solo through out your entire game time you can have an awesome time, no doubt. But you pretty much miss at least 2/3rds of the games intended design/content/social intentions/etc.

 

Skyrim, Fable, Fall Out, and games of that ilk are great examples of intended solo play games designed specifically to played alone without the intention of grouping, socializing, or interacting with other players online.

 

Thus why so many MMOs fail.... Devs trying to make you play the way they "intend" as opposed to the way you enjoy.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Spymaster

[BigBadEdward]

I'm not anti-social, I'm pro-choice. I'd rather just run around doing my own thing, going where I want, stopping when I want, going to the toilet when I want instead of worrying about someone else.

[Flowerslayer]

Which is why you don't just stand still and do it.

 

I believe he/she meant to refute the argument that grouping alone makes for better exp gain. Basically, a mix of both grouping and soloing is the best way to go.

Edited January 24, 2012 by Flowerslayer

[FatMcNasty]

I married a gamer.

 

LOL same here.. Im a tank, she's a healer.. leveled together 1-50. And the guild I'm in is great for picking up 2 DPS for H's and FP's.

[Ghaiana]

Playing with my husband, no problems with social points (Social IV at level 40). But I might seem antisocial to other players, because I don't join their groups.

[EternalFinality]

Questing in a group makes them too easy. I wanted to enjoy the main game content, so I solo'd it.

 

Flashpoints and heroics excepted, obviously.

[sevalaricgirl]

I'm on Ebon Hawk and I only group when I see someone waiting for a group not that I don't want to. I'm signing up with a guild after I get through this first part so hopefully I can group more often. I don't do pvps but would love to try flashpoints and more than 2+ heroics.

[habdl]

Well, I'd like to group, but the game makes everything to discourage me from grouping. Practically every quest-related bug I encountered (3 or 4 to-date) was there only for grouped players, anyone doing the quest solo was unaffected. Add to it the inability to know your companion's reaction to dialogue response if you lose the roll (or if you can't have companion with you due to party size). Rewards are bugged too (unless they fixed social items and I'm unaware).

Another fault is (but this is general problem in all MMOs), that you are really dependent on other people, with other schedules. I'm in a guild with 3 friends, we play together whenever possible. This means, that my 'main' is still level 24 (although social IV), while my 'alt' is 49 (plus a group of other alts around lvl 20 for various combinations of friends online or for soloing). If I played 'main' solo, or in different group, we would never be able to synchronize quests and levels.

I absolutely hate PUGs, so this is my only option for grouping.

[Colryn]

Do you have a friend you could group with to level? I've gotten a ton of social points just from questing with my boyfriend.

 

I did during early access and when the game launched, but being a parent and full-time college student doesn't allow for being online as long as my friends are.

 

So as a result they out-leveled me and are too high level to group now without causing a XP penalty.

[Mazaroth]

Multiplayer doesn't mean you MUST group with other people to enjoy the game and that's all i am going to say about it.

 

I didn't say MUST.

[DukSaber]

start groups in general chat yourself,,ive found this is what works.

[tcalusine]

go outside

make a friend

tell that friend to buy SWTOR

schedule play times for that character

group, play, get points

 

I know this sounds like trolling but this is what i did/do

 

and i have enough social points for anything i could possibly need.

 

 

Queue people saying " GROUPING IS HARD " " MAKING FRIENDS IS HARD" " THATS TOO MUCH OR AN INCONVIENIECE"

.... don't bother. My response already is: who says it has to be so easy that you dan't have to work at it AT ALL.

 

Lv 38 toon, Lv 4 social.. traveling with 1 friend at all times

http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/742/swtor2012012218492701.jpg

 

lv 28 toon, lv 3 (almost 4) social, traveling with 2 friends at all times

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/4936/swtor2012012218504467.jpg

 

Also never once repeated a flashpoint to "grind"

 

Its not only possible, its easy. Sure ot easy if you have no friends or hate people or solo the game. But then you don't really deserve social points do you?

Edited January 25, 2012 by tcalusine

[Mazaroth]

Actually that's only your interpretation of it, that the word Multiplayer seems to indicate that players must be grouping with other players, which is not the case. Go to the fleet location and look around, there's lots of "multiplayer" interaction there that doesn't require the player be grouped with them.

 

Multiplayer indicates there are other players online with you. Nothing more, nothing less. A good game design leaves the option to the player on how they choose to address that aspect of the game.

 

 

 

The actual point and design of an MMO is to make it entertaining enough to customers that they will continue paying a fee for service(s) and thus generating more income. If a significant portion of the demographics indicate they don't want to be forced grouping with other players, then that's for the game company to decide if they want to pursue that source of income or not.

 

One flaw with those that complain about a lack of grouping, or people wanting to group, is the assumption that everyone is just awesome people to be around, and that no one would possibly not want to be around them. Reality is, just like real life, there are people whose actions and behaviors are unacceptable to a person, and they choose not to socialize or be around them. Same applies to games, and maybe more so because the user has the mask of anonymous to hide behind.

 

You can kinda didn't read or understand my post.

 

So, to begin:

 

No, it's not my interpretation of multiplayer. That is the general understood and accepted definition. Multiplayer means many players in an online environment to interact with. Really, you can google it.

 

I never stated anywhere in my post about multiplayer meaning a requirement to group.

 

While I agree about the income part, the real purpose of an MMO is to provide players a place to interact and face ever mounting challenges in the specified game environment while making it casually accessible with new content on a regular basis to garner more new and long term subscriptions. We can argue about corporate policy and financial greed in the gaming industry privately or in another thread.

 

And, again, to reiterate my original point. SWTOR IS a MMORPG. It is by design and function a multiplayer game. You can certainly solo and enjoy the game, however you miss well over 2/3rds of the intended content of the game.

 

I am not stating one MUST group to play or that one MUST group to enjoy the game or that one MUST group at all. I was simply refuting the opinion that a MMO is NOT a multiplayer game.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Mazaroth

[Guen]

My wife did the same and as a result we're Social 5 at lv 42

 

How on earth . . . I've done every single quest with my husband and I'm still social 3 at level 40. Have you farmed social points anywhere? Otherwise I'm super confused . . .

[Soul_of_Flames]

Grouping is hard but not impossible. But the reason why is because there is no real incentive to group. You don't get social points for grouping, you get social points for performing conversations with a group. This is stupid and broken since it means you get social points only by chance. If you're always scoring low rolls then you wont get points... and just forget about getting points if your mission has no conversations.

 

 

Also, you are using the term "anti-social" wrong. It doesn't mean someone who doesn't socialize. Anti-social means having intentions against society. For example, a serial killer would be anti-social.

Edited January 25, 2012 by Soul_of_Flames

[Istelle]

dont even try to get to get these points yet...

 

why you ask? cause they are bugged out you will freeze points right before social 2 is reached. anthor great bugged.

I should be social 8 by now, sent in ticket is no fix . buggy buggy buggy , just like everything else in this game.

 

Wha...? My toon is nearly at social 4. <_<

[tcalusine]

Wha...? My toon is nearly at social 4. <_<

 

yes my post on prevoius page proves that it is VERY possible as well

[Sweetleafniners]

I like grouping and would do it all the time if people were more willing outside of the heroics. For me waiting for a group doesn't take too long maybe 5-10m and that is on the high end side. Also for me getting to max level isn't the main goal, enjoying the game and the community is why I am willing to play a monthly fee. It is just different playstyles some people just want to get through the leveling with as little down time as possible while others would rather take in the scenery.

[Inarai]

Had to jump in since you were so adamant about declaring someone wrong about an MMO.

 

Technically, you are wrong here since MMO stand for Massive Multiplayer Online etc. You certainly can play solo, but it's not a MSO or Massive Singleplayer Online etc.

 

And yes, the entire point and design of an MMO is to play with other people at various points of your gaming experience. By playing solo through out your entire game time you can have an awesome time, no doubt. But you pretty much miss at least 2/3rds of the games intended design/content/social intentions/etc.

 

Skyrim, Fable, Fall Out, and games of that ilk are great examples of intended solo play games designed specifically to played alone without the intention of grouping, socializing, or interacting with other players online.

 

You're quite wrong here. Players who never group aren't doing it wrong - the game is designed to ENCOURAGE grouping, but there's no rule saying players must group.

 

When you design a game, you know people will play any number of ways. When you design an MMO, you know some people will solo entirely - and you design for that. Solo players aren't breaking the intention of the design, and you're sorely lacking an understanding of game design if you think that they are. The game is, of course, designed to ENCOURAGE players to take part in group activity and so forth, but it's absolutely not intended that everyone should (this is unrealistic). It's understood that basically nobody will take part in every piece of the game. The intention is that players will choose to play how they like, and have the options there to do so - not that all players will do X.

[Tiaa]

I'm level 50, do raids and have done tons of flashpoints.

 

I'm still social level 2.

 

That's about all that needs to be said about the social grind system.