Solo Flashpoints (3 companions)

[Hauvarn]

I like this idea. They should also make each companion have their own conversations as well since we don't get to hear them talking on the ship with each other.

 

Yeah thats one thing I liked from Bioware games, when my companions would talk/insult/flirt with each other. It was entertaining to hear what they'd talk about.

[terminova]

Wait a second. No they cant. The gear has to be exactly the same. Yes I know they say its so they can have things to do but it still has to drop the same gear.

 

They might accept the 20% loss right now but once they get their solo instance you know for a fact that they will demand the gear be the same again.

 

Just look at WoW with 10 and 25 mans if you dont think so. First it was I want it to be the same difficulty (so they add 10 man wrath heroics) then it was it should drop the same gear and be the same difficulty (so they do that in Cata). Then all the QQ about its so much harder because of comp or because I play with only a few friends and cant have 7 mages etc so they nerf it so its easier.

 

Basically they will say that they will give up certain features to get something added to the game and then once it is they will start making up reasons to get those features added also. So in the end they got everything they wanted in the beginning which is something easier that gets the the same items as the harder version.

 

Its like there are 10 cookies so you say lets share them and we each get 10. You eat 8 of yours while I go get a get a napkin. When you come back you cry that I have 10 cookies and you only have 2 so "MoM" says share them so you both have the same and now we both have 6 cookies. Then I go answer the door and you eat 4 of your cookies and 2 of mine. Then when I get back to complain that I have 4 cookies and you only have 2 so "DaD" says share and we both have 3 cookies.

 

In the end you end up having 17 cookies and I end up having only 3 but you make it look like I am the bad person that wants to hog everything while all you want is it to be equal. What you actually want is everything for yourself and I am the one that wants to to be equal.

 

Your math is wrong...you cannot both have 10 cookies if there are only 10 cookies to begin with and one person couldn't have 17 if there are only 10. It's like saying 1=2.

 

fixed version (although I suppose you could fix it such that there was 20 to begin with, but....I was bored):

 

Its like there are 10 cookies so you say lets share them and we each get 5. You eat 4 of yours while I go get a get a napkin. When you come back you cry that I have 5 cookies and you only have 1 so "MoM" says share them so you both have the same and now we both have 3 cookies. Then I go answer the door and you eat 2 of your cookies and 1 of mine. Then when I get back to complain that I have 2 cookies and you only have 1 so "DaD" says share and we both have 1 and a half cookies.

 

In the end you end up having 8 and a half cookies and I end up having only 1 and a half but you make it look like I am the bad person that wants to hog everything while all you want is it to be equal. What you actually want is everything for yourself and I am the one that wants to to be equal.

[JHRayne]

Well you see the problem with this is no one would end up grouping for the content cause you could just do it by yourself. I can see it being equal to daily gear as an alternative to actually doing dailies.

 

Besides you're companions in gear equal to what you could get from dailies would be pretty decent

 

Yeah, I would still like to see it happen. I would only do it if I could gear the companions. Too often, with questing, they don't get gear options, or the ones they do get aren't really improvements, or are too minor of an improvement to matter.

[StormWulff]

For the complaints about: "This is an MMO, if you want Solo, go play a Solo game!"

 

Response: If you want pure-group Play, go play somewhere else.

 

This game is an MMO, it does not, however, require playing in groups...and honestly I'm not a fan of games that do. I play for MANY hours a day...and a lot of times I have to afk for several of them and just wait till I can pick up where I left off. I don't like being tied down to always depending on other Players. I should not be punished for having a life/job/other things that pull me away while someone with none of those can sit and go 2-3 hours straight in a group.

 

As far as gear, there's no reason it should be different, but I wouldn't complain about it dropping less frequently. I do, however, also stand on the opinion it shouldn't be "Easier", the benefit of being in a group being you don't have psycho Minions to worry about. However, there's also no reason they should have Companions be much weaker than a normal Character while in a Mission. Perhaps give "Presence Bonuses" to the Main Character when doing them to account for the difference?

 

For those complaining about "Noone would group!"...isn't that THEIR choice? How is it right that you get to decide when someone does/does not group? If someone doesn't want to, they shouldn't be forced to. And it's BS anyway...most people would still group, but those who don't want to wouldn't.

 

This game is not designed to be only successful if you group...nor if you solo. This game is so far designed to play however you choose to play. This is what makes it attractive to me.

 

Finally: I have wanted specific Missions with multiple Companions...might be nice if some even require specific Companion Combos in order to get specific scenes...for example there could be an opportunity to prompt a "Romance" between Companions based on the actions you take.

[Lerthan]

No, you should not get to experience group content solo.

 

Its your choice to not go find a group to experience said content.

 

For me I could care less about the gear, your wanting to experience the same storyline and same content that I am without getting a group together for it.

 

Two things, the game is already pretty much solable besides the operations and the level 50 flash points. We don't need the group content nerfed or changed so you can do those solo as well. Secondly its already hard enough to find enough players to do the group content. We don't need to exasperate that issue by making the group content solable.

 

If you want to play a solo game please go play a solo game and quit trying to take away group content.

 

Well its unfair you say, I want to experience the story as well. Well guess what you have the chance you just like every other player who does it need to find a group to do it. Its your choice.

[StormWulff]

No, you should not get to experience group content solo.

 

Its your choice to not go find a group to experience said content.

 

For me I could care less about the gear, your wanting to experience the same storyline and same content that I am without getting a group together for it.

 

Two things, the game is already pretty much solable besides the operations and the level 50 flash points. We don't need the group content nerfed or changed so you can do those solo as well. Secondly its already hard enough to find enough players to do the group content. We don't need to exasperate that issue by making the group content solable.

 

If you want to play a solo game please go play a solo game and quit trying to take away group content.

 

Well its unfair you say, I want to experience the story as well. Well guess what you have the chance you just like every other player who does it need to find a group to do it. Its your choice.

 

So basically what this says is: You're not allowed to Solo what I don't want you to. Follow my way of thinking or go away.

 

It is my choice to play with others or by myself. I do so with or without the "Group Content", what this will do is allow me to experience something I'm missing out on. In all honesty...why would you WANT people in your group who don't want to team up? I hear complaining about how "So-and-so did something stupid and got me killed." far too often as it is...and with people who don't WANT to group being forced to, it happens more often because they just don't care or are annoyed at having to be around other people who annoy them.

[Hauvarn]

Yeah, I would still like to see it happen. I would only do it if I could gear the companions. Too often, with questing, they don't get gear options, or the ones they do get aren't really improvements, or are too minor of an improvement to matter.

 

I agree, the only companion I have alright geared is talos. But with what I said you could run the solo flashpoints to get gear for you to start HM and you can keep running them to gear out your companions. I think it'd be pretty cool

[ptwonline]

Similar things have been suggested before, and yes it's a good idea.

 

1. More playstyle options. This is always a good thing.

2. A reason to actually gear up and use more than just your most complementary companion or two.

3. Drops could be some sort of token you could turn in. Same gear, but takes longer than doing it in a group since one piece of gear might cost, say, 5 tokens.

 

Initially perhaps they could just make alternate versions of existing flashpoints. Reduce boss damage by 20% or something, and change mechanics that specifically require multiple people (like in Colicoid Wargames).

[Hauvarn]

No, you should not get to experience group content solo.

 

Its your choice to not go find a group to experience said content.

 

For me I could care less about the gear, your wanting to experience the same storyline and same content that I am without getting a group together for it.

 

Two things, the game is already pretty much solable besides the operations and the level 50 flash points. We don't need the group content nerfed or changed so you can do those solo as well. Secondly its already hard enough to find enough players to do the group content. We don't need to exasperate that issue by making the group content solable.

 

If you want to play a solo game please go play a solo game and quit trying to take away group content.

 

Well its unfair you say, I want to experience the story as well. Well guess what you have the chance you just like every other player who does it need to find a group to do it. Its your choice.

 

You see though if the gear wasn't as good as what you get from flashpoint then you still have to group up to get the better gear. Everybody gets to see the content and you still have to group to progress your character. Everybody wins. Of course though I'm not asking for solo operations though, those should stay group only.

[Clarian]

No, you should not get to experience group content solo.

 

The less content there is for me to experience solo, the sooner I unsubscribe. From Bioware's standpoint, the question is: is it worth it to spend resources developing content that, for x% of their subscriber base (who don't want to or can't group), might as well not exist?

 

For the people who say "then go play a single-player game": sure, make a single-player version of The Old Republic and I'll play it. I'll pay a monthly sub for it. I'll pay DOUBLE the normal monthly sub for it.

 

A lot of people seem to be averse to the idea of subscribing to an offline or single-player game, but personally I'm not. I don't think that a game of this scale could have been developed without the promise of subscriptions. And the huge scale is one of the things I love about it, so there you go. Plus with a subscription-based game you get new content, fixes, etc. I have no problem paying a subscription for that.

[Acushla]

Not sure there is a right or wrong answer here. I suffer from an uncontrollable urge to reroll or otherwise create alts in nearly every game MMO and Single Player I've played. Due to schedule instability I seldom find it 'possible' to group (with the result that when I do I generally do it poorly).

 

I would welcome a way to be able to play Flashpoints and/or Heroics (at level) by using companions instead of other players .... though realistically even if they did this it would only be relevant for 25+ characters.

 

I can also see the point of those opposed, folks will NEVER learn grouping skills if there is no incentive to learning them, if the same content can be accessed without needing to work at learning the skills.

 

So many issues become polarized *sigh*.

[NoxiousAlby]

Well between my original thread on this subject and this we have 23 pages of comments. Out of the 23, 6 players are against and the rest strongly support this concept. The reasons against are

 

-gear

-nerfing current content

 

Firstly on the issue of gear, those supporting say they would take a slight decrease in stats compared to grouped flashpoints. Those worrying about players getting gear without grouping say "no you wouldn't", this places us at an impasse as anyhting we say wont be good enough. Something my grandfather used to say "if you spent more time worrying about yourself and less time worrying about others you'd be a happier person" applies here me thinks.

 

Secondly in regards to nerfing current content I strongly feel that wouldnt happen. In order to do this solo flashpoints would need to be seperate altogether as the companions AI couldnt handle it. Given that the scripting for flashpoints & OP's is already done the only thing needed would be for Devs to tweak the boss mechanics. This saves on time & effort on the devs part while providing additional content, Blizz did this in Cata with a revamped ZA,ZG,SFK, & Deadmines and that was for group content

 

Bw needs to take a long hard look at this because the idea of releasing additional solo quests with every patch content wont work on it's own. Most new storyline quests will completed within hours to days depending on the player. The idea of solo flashpoints with companions gives us something to grind our teeth on for months. Otherwise BW risks losing all the solo players they encourage to subscribed by making this game a story driven MMO.

[Acushla]

Something my grandfather used to say "if you spent more time worrying about yourself and less time worrying about others you'd be a happier person" applies here me thinks.

 

Gonna play Devil's Advocate here. This Statement may be true in life, it may be true in single player games, it may be true in PvE content. But! ...... Many PvP systems are driven as much by the players gear as the players skills and right or wrong, player perception is that end game content is PvP driven.

 

Disclaimer; I avoid PvP, I don't know for a fact if TOR's PvP system is Significantly affected by Gear. In most games when two or more people have near equal skill playing their respective classes, the winner will be the one with the best (or best maintained) gear.

[Clarian]

Disclaimer; I avoid PvP, I don't know for a fact if TOR's PvP system is Significantly affected by Gear. In most games when two or more people have near equal skill playing their respective classes, the winner will be the one with the best (or best maintained) gear.

 

I for one wouldn't mind if they had solo-only servers where I would be completely cut off from any possibility of entering into PvP...thus eliminating that concern.

[HanoverFist]

/signed.

[Lerthan]

Your paying 15 bucks for the opportunity to experience said content but you choose not to. Its like me paying 20 bucks to go to the Tower of London and then complaining that I dint get to see the Crown Jewels because I dint want to stand on a moving walk to see them. I pay 20 bucks for the chance to see them, but in order to see them I have to divest my self of all cameras and recording devices and stand on a moving walkway in order to see them. If I choose not to do this then I wont get to see them. That's no ones fault but my own.

 

Your doing the same thing here, I paid my 15 bucks for my play time and I want to see the group content and experience those story-lines. You can if you do what is needed in order to experience them. YOU HAVE MADE THE CHOICE NOT TO. That's not poor game design, that's a direct result of your choice.

 

Let me put it another way, if I choose as a player not to PvP do I get to experince the content that is in a war-zone? No I don't. Did anybody force me to not PvP? No the didn't. Was I provided the option to participate in the war-zones? Yes, I was, I just chose not to. Therefore it is not the games fault that I don't get to experience the war-zone its mine.

 

You not being able to experience a flashpoints story-line is no ones fault but yours. Your 15 bucks does in no way guarantee that you will see all the content in a game. All it does is allow you to the chance and the opportunity to see the content. If you choose not to do what is needed to see said content that is a result of your choices and not the games fault.

 

While I am all for separate content that is solo content, there is no need to change group content to make it solable. As players not getting to experience the group content is a result of there actions and choices not poor game design.

[CygnisJunior]

I would be COMPLETELY on board, and it would keep me playing for many more months. The idea of getting to use all my companions and getting to mix and match my team just sounds brilliant.

 

And think of the time sink that will occur by having players gear up their companions for the content! Time sink = more money for bioware.

 

Obviously the gear that drops should be nowhere near a HM in level, and I would say it should only drop level 50 epic mods or something.

 

They should either add an option to flashpoints called "easy mode", or they should create new flashpoints specifically for you and 3 of your companions, whichever seems to make more sense. Either way, I'm ready and waiting!

[Lerthan]

I would be COMPLETELY on board, and it would keep me playing for many more months. The idea of getting to use all my companions and getting to mix and match my team just sounds brilliant.

 

And think of the time sink that will occur by having players gear up their companions for the content! Time sink = more money for bioware.

 

Obviously the gear that drops should be nowhere near a HM in level, and I would say it should only drop level 50 epic mods or something.

 

They should either add an option to flashpoints called "easy mode", or they should create new flashpoints specifically for you and 3 of your companions, whichever seems to make more sense. Either way, I'm ready and waiting!

 

The bold part I am all for. New content that is designed specifically for solo play and your not able to bring other players would be a great addition. However it needs to be a new storyline and new content. Not a revamp of current group content to make it to where you can experience it solo.

[Clarian]

However it needs to be a new storyline and new content. Not a revamp of current group content to make it to where you can experience it solo.

 

They could always do both.

[Gerrard_Ennui]

Many people have said they're bored with this game at 50 and this is quite common with mmos, especially when they have just launched. More flashpoints and operations are great but what about some solo flashpoints that would allow players to bring 3 of their companions? I think this would be a great idea to add some variety to the end game content and break up the monotony of running dailies.

 

The flashpoints would have to be a bit easier than the ones designed for a group of 4 actual players so maybe a "solo" difficulty could be added or perhaps some completely new FPs could be added down the road after Bioware can gauge their popularity.

 

Thoughts on this?

I thought of this as well.

 

Once I wrapped my head around the idea, it seemed like the way TOR should have been from the beginning. Throw in DA's Tactics system for NPC control and youve got something.

[CygnisJunior]

The bold part I am all for. New content that is designed specifically for solo play and your not able to bring other players would be a great addition. However it needs to be a new storyline and new content. Not a revamp of current group content to make it to where you can experience it solo.

 

Yeah that would make me the happiest as well, however the time they would spend designing these new solo places would be immense. So I figured the best I could hope for is simply them taking current content and make is soloable.

[Evray]

Yeah that would make me the happiest as well, however the time they would spend designing these new solo places would be immense. So I figured the best I could hope for is simply them taking current content and make is soloable.

 

Still an idea worth exploring. I personally like this idea. Solo flashpoints please! People may whine about ez mode or... free epics. If thats the case, make it so the drop rates are halved and the amount of tokens or other stuff is halved. Or something to make them more equal.

[Lbmyo]

Sounds great, the only drawback I see to having this system in place (If it wasn't already mentioned by someone else) is that you would also have to now have at least 3 of your companions properly equipped for the FP. Meaning, level 50 gear for all 3. That seems to be extremely time consuming, at least to me it does. Especially if you want to give them the best gear possible ex. the purples. Then again, it would bring many many more hours of gameplay.

[Lbmyo]

Sounds great, the only drawback I see to having this system in place (If it wasn't already mentioned by someone else) is that you would also have to now have at least 3 of your companions properly equipped for the FP. Meaning, level 50 gear for all 3. That seems to be extremely time consuming, at least to me it does. Especially if you want to give them the best gear possible ex. the purples. Then again, it would bring many many more hours of gameplay.

[SentinelDranoel]

I wanted a single player game in the first place. Wish I can do everything with the companions. Like I did in Guild Wars. As for it being a Bioware game, I like my companions throwing in their input. Yeah you get that with other people but it is more work. I already outfit my companions with extra stuff I find.