Feedback request from James Ohlen - Group Finder

[So-low]

Out of the list, I chose Flashpoints because thats what I see people are looking for most often, and its what I am doing the most.

 

However, I have still never been able to find an operations group for a raid or world boss, so I still havent been able to take part in all that the game has to offer.

[Beratac]

I think the best use for the finder would be in this order with following reasons.

 

Heroics:

Once away from the starter flashpoints, your off and running with your class quests. In that process you encounter heroic start points. Once obtained you can use the locator to find folks who in turn could have the same Heroics and need more people.

 

Flashpoints:

Not everyone is doing flashpoints. I know not everyone is doing Heroics either, but it seems that there are more Heroic encounters that are approached along the class quest road map than flashpoints.

 

Operations:

These can be done with guild mates. Very few times have I seen actual operations being done where you first have to be given a once over to insure you have the gear to go through it.

 

I'd like to suggest putting in a Heroic/Flashpoint/Ops Que system. This could be simply opening up a Que window for say all the Heroics listed by level and clicking it.. you wait. .and when the appropriate number of people have also clicked on the same Heroic, then presto teleported to the heroic/flashpoint/operation and they get started. Possible?

[Manio]

I vote for Flashpoints and Heroics only.I believe Operations are not in place as they are of this day to be pugable.

 

I strongly protest against cross-server LFG. Anonymity and the lack of chances to meet the same person again creates very very bad attitudes and habbits (see loot) among players.

[henryvi]

I think the best use for the finder would be in this order with following reasons.

 

Heroics:

Once away from the starter flashpoints, your off and running with your class quests. In that process you encounter heroic start points. Once obtained you can use the locator to find folks who in turn could have the same Heroics and need more people.

 

Flashpoints:

Not everyone is doing flashpoints. I know not everyone is doing Heroics either, but it seems that there are more Heroic encounters that are approached along the class quest road map than flashpoints.

 

Operations:

These can be done with guild mates. Very few times have I seen actual operations being done where you first have to be given a once over to insure you have the gear to go through it.

 

I'd like to suggest putting in a Heroic/Flashpoint/Ops Que system. This could be simply opening up a Que window for say all the Heroics listed by level and clicking it.. you wait. .and when the appropriate number of people have also clicked on the same Heroic, then presto teleported to the heroic/flashpoint/operation and they get started. Possible?

 

Can the group filter with basic gears level checking for HARD MODE flashpoint too? some flash lvl 50 players joined when I LFG . but thier gears really not enough for that !

[Varteras]

I vote for Flashpoints and Heroics only.I believe Operations are not in place as they are of this day to be pugable.

 

I strongly protest against cross-server LFG. Anonymity and the lack of chances to meet the same person again creates very very bad attitudes and habbits (see loot) among players.

 

Lack of a cross-server LFG didn't stop the people I was in an ops group with a couple days ago from needing on everything and acting like jackholes.

[ragamer]

Mainly for Flashpoints (And Heroic missions... But only 1 could be chosen).

 

I have to add a few comments:

 

- Server ONLY option. I don't want to repeat the arguments I have against anonymous dungeoneering which is basically needed for ppl not interested in the activity covered by the LFG Tool but that for some reasson needs its rewards. This is the core of the problem... Player interest.

 

- Honor my Ignore list. I don't want to spend time with ppl I do not like... That's what an Ignore list is for. Please, revise the size of the list. At the very moment automatic LFG tools appear my ignore lists start to fill up.

 

 

Things that will follow (And the main reasson why I don't want the LFG tool to apply for Operations):

 

- All content accessible by the LFG tool will be streamlined to remove any class depedency -> Players using their class specializations will find a decreased level of difficulty -> Potential removal of this "Classes Specializations" in the future to offer "balanced progress" for any class using The Tool.

 

- Increase on number of activities starting but... Decrease on the proportion of activities fully completed -> Simplyfication of the learning curve on the activities accessed through The Tool to reduce the frustation, specially if the activity rewards are better the longer you stay (ie the last boss of a FP gives much better loot than the initial ones).

 

The above 2 points have happened invariably on the MMOs were the LFG tool was added later meaning that players interested in challenging content will not find what they look for on the content accessible through the LFG tool. I accept that I do not belong to the mayority, but feedback comes from varied types of players.

Edited April 19, 2012 by ragamer

[chaosdefined]

Lack of a cross-server LFG didn't stop the people I was in an ops group with a couple days ago from needing on everything and acting like jackholes.

 

Exactly, you're playing an online game boys and girls, thus anonymity is already existant. I've already encountered lots of poor attitudes from other players on my server needing on everything, quitting groups when we were killed by a boss or acting badly towards other players.

 

I still stand by the best solution for everyone is to have the option on the Group Finder to select whether you want to queue up for Single Server only or Cross Server groups. That way everyone can be happy!

[ZORG]

If it goes cross server there has to be rock solid Master Loot options that the leader sets up before the first invite. These rules have to be plainly detailed when as an example I am looking for a group.

 

I want to see who is in the group already and where they are from and all loot rules before even trying to join.

Also I want the option as group/raid leader to accept or reject someone before they join the group. To go with that I want personally managed BLACK LISTS that will filter out those i have put on the black list.

 

That said there should also be public Ques setup like the WARZONES anyone can join in on.

However If i setup an group and need 2 more folks and i open it up to public i want complete control on who joins....

[chaosdefined]

If it goes cross server there has to be rock solid Master Loot options that the leader sets up before the first invite.

 

Because that's completely unlikely to backfire now isn't it?

[Urdnaxela]

Exactly, you're playing an online game boys and girls, thus anonymity is already existant. I've already encountered lots of poor attitudes from other players on my server needing on everything, quitting groups when we were killed by a boss or acting badly towards other players.

 

I still stand by the best solution for everyone is to have the option on the Group Finder to select whether you want to queue up for Single Server only or Cross Server groups. That way everyone can be happy!

 

an elegant solution. For those totally opposing cross server LFG (and mind you, i'm one that believes in same-server LFG tool under normal circumstances) i ask them this: what use would a LFG tool be on a server that has a low population? Even thought it might make it easier to form groups since there are sow few people on that server it will still be very hard to form the group simply because there are none to join.

 

So, in case there is no other solution to the low population servers (although i'd say a merge would be great) then the cross sever LFG tool is a must.

 

As the quoted OP stated, adding a check-box for this option would let people decide if they want to use it cross-server or not, so it appeals to both parties (people on a high population server would most likely never use the "Cross Server" option while the people on low population server would still use it).

 

That being said though, the low population server has a miriad of other problems (not least - the economy is close to none) that remain, but this would be a step forward into allowing people that have 1 or 2 high level characters (so invested quite some time in this) to enjoy the content rather than seeing themselves being forced to re-roll on a high population server.

[TravisJustin]

Flashpoints>heroics>ops>world bosses

Gear check for hard\nightmare modes

Bonuses for random queueing but retain ability to specific queue

Only need on class specific gear

Lockout on quiters

Role specific joining in other words Dont group four dps together

An option for groups who want to spacebar through story

[ChaotiKnight]

The most important thing for me in an MMO is accessibility and efficiency. I just want to experience as much content as possible without having to stand around and wait to group. I mean I have to do enough waiting in real life so why should I have to in a game that I'm paying to play. They've already implemented this feature for the warzones and it works great. I can go and do whatever I want while I wait and I don't have to twiddle my thumbs on the fleet. I honestly have skipped most of the flashpoints and some of the heroics because I can never find people which sucks because I really want to see those stories play out. I usually play the game at weird hours which makes it extra hard to group anyway but if I could match-make cross-server, then I'm pretty much guaranteed to find one. This is definitely something that should be in place for all group-required content just to save us time, I know I want to get the most out of my subscription fee. Just remember this is just a game for some of us and not a lifestyle

[ChaotiKnight]

Flashpoints>heroics>ops>world bosses

Gear check for hard\nightmare modes

Bonuses for random queueing but retain ability to specific queue

Only need on class specific gear

Lockout on quiters

Role specific joining in other words Dont group four dps together

An option for groups who want to spacebar through story

 

Holy crap, I didn't read this before posting my response. I agree with all this, just do what this man says

[Slobozache]

Cross server dungeon finder needs to be added.

[Rassuro]

In my opinion, it should not be cross server but instead a different solution should be available for people on low population servers (such as server transfers).

 

I voted for all of the above, I think it should be possible to use it for anything.

To me though by far the most important thing to keep in mind is this:

eBay is the most popular auction site by far, but if you look at the website on it's own and how it works, is it really that good? In my opinion it's not. However I still think that it's by far the best auction site on the web, and this is because if you want to sell something, this is where the people are, and if you want to buy something, this is where the sellers are.

In other words, it's so good because it's popular, and it's popular because it's popular.

 

I think it's important to keep in mind that the group finder tool should be made so that people will actually want use it. It needs to be easy to open, easy to use, easy to find what you are looking for. If it's not, then it's going to become the same as the current LFG feature in the game, and might just as well not even exist. In order to do this, it needs to be better in every way than typing "LFG ..." into the chat.

[Pourekos]

All of the above in order to compete with competition. A group finder for everything mentioned in the poll would be a huge step forward. It can't just be for one of those things.

 

This covers me 100%. Ideally, it will be server only and the problems of low-population servers are dealt with in a different way (merges, free transfers etc).

[Marcus_Cade]

(1) Flashpoints (2) Heroic (Flashpoints) (3) Everything else

 

I realise some will ask about a tool for heroic 2/4 person areas, but if you can find a couple of people in your area, using the tool that is there &/or chat, a group tool for this would be pointless. (If no-one in your area/answering, they'll be no-one to queue in the group tool).

[Petnil]

if more people would spam LFM instead of LFG when looking for a group it would help a great deal imo. Merge some of the low populated servers. Also i would like a "have group will travel" feature like from that other game^^ Some item you gain acces to from social lv. maybe. It would help people doing planet heroics. It´s not a big deal and the downside would be people start expecting a summon. The plus would be it will be alot easier to get help from a friend on another planet. the traveltime from spaceport to some of the hc4 are quite long, at least if quicktravel is on cd.

[Woetoo]

To anyone asking for NO cross server group finder, I just wanted to point out they've already said the LFG system will be single server only.

 

Go check out the announcement that starts at 12:05.

 

Personally, I'm one of those people who still doesn't want a group finder. I recognise most the "pros" to having one, I even agree with some of them. But there is a knock-on effect for community interaction I think isn't worth the convenience. imo, Guilds are a better solution than a LFG tool.

 

I like easier, I dislike lazier and less personal.

 

That said, (a) it's been announced already - so what I think doesn't matter that much and (b) the active server community probably isn't big enough currently to manage without a group finder mechanism.

 

And no, it's not as simple as "don't like it, don't use it". Sure, that works for me as an individual - but we're a community and what happens at a community level is what's important.

 

The slippery slope starts here. Next stop on the way to madness, /votekick.

Edited April 19, 2012 by Woetoo

[Lethemback]

What part of a Group Finder feature is most important to you? Is it forming a group for Operations, for Flashpoints, for Heroics, for something else - or do you have no preference?

All of them That's why it's a group finder, not an Operation finder, Flashpoint finder, Heroics finder, etc. Also, we should be able to select which one we're looking for inside each category, be it a specific Op, FP, or an Heroic quest on our quest log. Another nice feature is the ability to search for specific roles to complete our groups. All that would be amazing, for starters. Oh, and don't forget that teleporting you to the specific instance is BAD

 

As a note; at this time the Group Finder feature in development is limited to searching on a single server only.

I like it, thanks But please, don't forget that there are servers that need a bit of population, so keep in mind to do server merges if needed (I want the group finder to be single server, but I also want that everyone has a chance to play with others).

 

Cheers.

[BenjaminminU]

As long as theres no auto join or queue feature i'll be fine having a group finder added.

[Tordan]

While FPs will probably be the premium use of a LFG tool it is always good to provide options. Why block out PUGgers that want to do Operations? "All of the above" gets my vote.

 

Oh, and please keep it same-server only. If there are too few players on a server to consistently cause a lack of material to PUGs it´s better to manage the server population as opposed to go the x-server route. The main argument being that of maintaining some sort of semblance of accountability for ones action.

[anstalt]

I dont want any group finder that automatically forms groups.

 

What I would like instead a feature where you can select what it is you are looking for a group for. This should be a pre-populated list of Heroic Quests you have in your log as well as all Flashpoints and Operations you have available at your level. you should have to select your role between mdps/rdps/tank/healer.

 

Then, once you've selected your fp/ops/heroic, it will then display a list of other users also looking for those things.

 

From there it should be down to the user to from the group manually. Groups require group leaders. A group of 4 people, all of whom are too shy to talk, will fail just as easily as an imbalanced group.

 

So, in other words, the LFG tool should simply be a way to flag yourself and then identify other people looking for the same instance. If done in a simple and easy to use manner then it will be a vastly superior tool to everything out there atm and still promote a functioning community due to the need to chat to people before hand. To promote the ease of use, TOR should also implement a "launch instance" feature, so if you form a group for a flashpoint, the leader should be able to launch it from a menu and everyone can then port directly there, rather than going via fleet.

[keano]

All of the above please.

[Varteras]

While FPs will probably be the premium use of a LFG tool it is always good to provide options. Why block out PUGgers that want to do Operations? "All of the above" gets my vote.

 

Oh, and please keep it same-server only. If there are too few players on a server to consistently cause a lack of material to PUGs it´s better to manage the server population as opposed to go the x-server route. The main argument being that of maintaining some sort of semblance of accountability for ones action.

 

It won't matter. Never really did. This whole "it makes people accountable" thing is a joke. Nothing against you at all. I was around during the days when WoW didn't have an LFG tool. People were d-bags then too. No amount of blacklisting or ignoring changed that. The LFG tool introduced in WoW didn't really change the community. It just helped you find the d-bags a little faster. The upshot? I got into many more dungeons in a shorter span of time than I did before. Sure I ran with guildies a lot but there were MANY times we couldn't get a whole group or no one else was on or they were all busy picking flowers. Regardless of how the low population servers are affected by this, cross-server LFG makes the queues pop a lot faster. I'll deal with a jerk now and then if it means I can run Flashpoints until I could puke from hearing their names. Just slap restrictions on who can need on what and give tools to allow group votes to kick a rude person and you're good to go.