Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) So hear me out before you call me a nut. I realize the idea is a daunting at first. But many games are doing this, e.g. RIFT has 'chronicles' and WoW has 'scenarios', The Secret World literally has solo instances as part of a class quest but also repeatable. Level 10-50: These would be things you could "queue" for solo using the LFG, or perhaps accessed via. your ship for levelling up your character in an alternate way. For people who are bored, lonely (e.g. low pop server), queues never popping up, playing in the middle of the night, or who simply want to play by themselves for a bit but have finished quest content on the planets. In difficulty they would be *slightly* easier than Black Talon and Esseles (soloable for most classes before level 15), and slightly more challenging than your average class quest. At level 50 these solo instances would have sub-par loot. Say green only, or a blue or two, obviously not meant to replace endgame play but buff up solo play and offer players that have completed quest content and are unable to find groups in a timely fashion an alternative and fun way to level, maybe with some daily quests that reward commendations. I feel very confident a lot of people would like this once they got into it. Afterall most time spent in an MMO is spent playing solo. EDIT: Okay, this was meant to go in the suggestion box, I find the new forum structure a bit confusing. Sorry about that. Edited July 8, 2012 by Bugjuice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkgryphon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 You mean like all of your class content? Aren't those solo instances? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 Well yes, but class quests are not repeatable, and not all that involved (i.e. fairly simply structurally), and are not available at all times. This would be a means of levelling up besides those other methods. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkgryphon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Well yes, but class quests are not repeatable, and not all that involved (i.e. fairly simply structurally), and are not available at all times. This would be a means of levelling up besides those other methods. Oh ok... like Planet quests... another one of those alternative levelling means. Sure they're not repeatable, but they shouldn't have to be to level up. If you do class and planet quests only, you'll hit 50. If you throw in some space missions in there, it'll be quicker. Add some Warzones, and you'll go even quicker. Do some party based flashpoints, and you're way overlevel for any content you try. Edited July 8, 2012 by monkgryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Oh ok... like Planet quests... another one of those alternative levelling means. Planet quests are dull once you've completed them once. People don't want to play the same gather X, kill Y quests again and again. They want more dynamic encounters, like flashpoints. But queues are often long, and it's hard to find the right mix of people. Particularely below maximum level. Alas solo or even duo dungeons which do not require the trinity, in the spirit of The Esseles and Black Talon. Edited July 8, 2012 by Bugjuice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidichIorian Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 I'd love that and the reward could be a few daily commendations or something. The game is lacking when it comes to solo bosses, most just feel like normal golds with flashier textures, so it would be cool to be able to run something solo that included an encounter that actually felt like a real boss. Closest I've come to encountering an actual boss during story is: *The creature at the end of the Trooper strory. It almost felt like it was taken from a FP despite that it didnt have particulary advanced mechanics. *The 3-stage encounter with the Jedi in the Mara story. Just before you get Jaesa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raansu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Planet quests are dull once you've completed them once. People don't want to play the same gather X, kill Y quests again and again. They want more dynamic encounters, like flashpoints. But queues are often long, and it's hard to find the right mix of people. Particularely below maximum level. Alas solo or even duo dungeons which do not require the trinity, in the spirit of The Esseles and Black Talon. Erm, so doing some repeatable "solo" instance would be less dull? The only reason FP's/OP's are more entertaining while doing them over and over is because you do them with other people (preferably friends/guild members). Solo content is boring as hell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothear Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Erm, so doing some repeatable "solo" instance would be less dull? The only reason FP's/OP's are more entertaining while doing them over and over is because you do them with other people (preferably friends/guild members). Solo content is boring as hell. For some people, yes, but obviously not you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guardian_titan Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Scenarios in WoW won't be soloable. Supposedly there is a Proving Grounds scenario which may be a trainee type thing for single players, but beyond being datamined, nothing is known on it. Scenarios were designed for 2+ players of any combination (i.e. a full DPS group can do it) and were meant to replace group quests. They'll also likely be level 90 only with the exception of the Theramore scenario which will be part of the MoP opening event. In all honesty, I see no reason for soloable instances beyond helping players learn to play their class. But class stories are supposed to teach you that. Class stories are often balanced around your class's abilities and without the use of another player aiding you. Unfortunately, so many either beg other players for help or out level the quest so don't learn much doing it. If soloable instances are implemented, they shouldn't award anything higher than loot equal to the highest level blues you can get. They should also limit it so only 1 player can ever be in them. No grouping up to overpower the content. They should also scale with your level and gear so you can't outlevel or outgear it. Once you hit a certain gear threshold, there would be no point continuing with them because the gear that you get from it won't go up in quailty. Only reason to continue with it would be for the challenge and not the gear. This is an MMO, though. Group play and playing with others is the whole point. Possibly a soloable instance can be used to help gear up players to a certain point, but the loot should never be more than 2 tiers behind current content. Like Explosive Conflict awards the best gear, then flashpoints, then soloable instances behind that. Soloable instances could be used to help get players ready to do flashpoints, but they shouldn't be used to get you ready for operations beyond learning tactics. Edited July 8, 2012 by guardian_titan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shingara Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Im all up for hardcore solo instanced areas/flashpoints to test yourself where you have to use a mix of your companions or even like the trooper missions where you have to select which companions go with who and who goes with you and who goes solo to complete it but why would you need to use the lfg tool for it ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 It's just that having a trinity type game mechanical approach in a game where the wide majority of talent specs are dps and servers don't support a lot of concurrent players is an insanely bad idea. The LFG is a huge boon to the level 50 crowd when coupled with server transfers. But it doesn't do much for the sub-50s. Alternatives to levelling are currently: -Questing (I dont know about you but by the time I'm done questing a planet, I pretty much never want to set my foot there ever again) -PVP (if you enjoy being a whipping boy and having a 0:50 statistic) -Space combat (a railshooter not everybody enjoys, though I do, and that you can only do once a day) If SWTOR is going to survive and thrive, then the majority of people who are quitting around level 35 need something more to do to get the process speeding along to level 50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Im all up for hardcore solo instanced areas/flashpoints to test yourself where you have to use a mix of your companions or even like the trooper missions where That was pretty much one of the quests that made me crave more similar content. That quest was freaking epic, and I was actually shouting at my screen. Possibly the best quest in the entire game. Now imagine if you could do that on a daily basis. Perhaps even using your entire squad of companions. Edited July 8, 2012 by Bugjuice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shingara Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) That was pretty much one of the quests that made me crave more similar content. That quest was freaking epic, and I was actually shouting at my scream. Possibly the best quest in the entire game. Now imagine if you could do that on a daily basis. Perhaps even using your entire squad of companions. well my fav q was the lightwell, smuggler one pre nerf but it is a good quest, i think there is another quest, maybe inquisitor where you have teams of npcs and you have to send them off todo different jobs, could be thinking of the wrong class but i have done them all and they do blend a bit. But my point is there are quests in the game that are instanced where you have to micro manage and think tactics so its not a million miles from being a feature. Edited July 8, 2012 by Shingara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 It might not be game-wise or technically feasable to micro-manage all your companions, but they could come along as mission specialists in their respective fields, and provide various sorts of backup. Like some of the class quests you mentioned. It might also give added incentive for people to gear their companions, so that class quests where they have to use one of them don't jump up on them... and their companions are naked or in level 7 gear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shingara Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) not micro manage in the sense of control all there actions, micro manage as in the sense of give them jobs todo. example being if your doing something and the achieve is to kill a boss in 1 of 3 lanes/rooms, you send 2 companions to tackle the hardest of the 2 left 1 to solo the weakest of the 2 left and you take the achievment boss with the companion you kept with you. Edited July 8, 2012 by Shingara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoxiousAlby Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Im all up for hardcore solo instanced areas/flashpoints to test yourself where you have to use a mix of your companions or even like the trooper missions where you have to select which companions go with who and who goes with you and who goes solo to complete it but why would you need to use the lfg tool for it ? This^^ I'd be all for solo instances & Ops if they were extremely difficult (far more difficult than class quests). Where you could use a combination of companions, and required significant skill to complete with appropriate drops making the effort worthwhile. If it was easy with worthless drops why would you bother dedicating the time to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raansu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 If SWTOR is going to survive and thrive, then the majority of people who are quitting around level 35 need something more to do to get the process speeding along to level 50. People who quit before even reaching cap were never going to play the game anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 If it was easy with worthless drops why would you bother dedicating the time to it? Because it would give XP, credits, companion affection, some extra commendations, and most of all hopefully be fun. Like I said, at level 10-49 it's hard to find groups. At level 50 it's much easier. So this would *mostly* be a feature for sub-max players. BioWare have said that most players quit around level 35. Or how about alternatively, these instances could also be full players social instances that did not require trinity play, e.g. tank & healer, and could be played with companions taking the place of players. In other words, simpler instances, merely for levelling up in a social way. Oh, and using the LFG was just an example. Using a console like the galaxy map for space combat would be another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KBSIP Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Meh, considering once you've nailed down your rotation there's not much more to do other than max out your gear, there's no reason for this. you want a real test of your solo ability? can you clear heroic 2+ quests? doing it easily? try it without legacy abilities. too hard? you've found your new way to test yourself. too easy? move on to heroic 4 quests. clearing them by waiting for CD's but treating each pull as a major fight? kudos, welcome to some real challenge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugjuice Posted July 8, 2012 Author Share Posted July 8, 2012 People who quit before even reaching cap were never going to play the game anyways. Some hate questing. Some hate PVP. And flashpoints are damned hard to come across at level 10-49 even on high population servers. And it takes a while to get to level 50. Most players are casual, afterall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shingara Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Because it would give XP, credits, companion affection, some extra commendations, and most of all hopefully be fun. Like I said, at level 10-49 it's hard to find groups. At level 50 it's much easier. So this would *mostly* be a feature for sub-max players. BioWare have said that most players quit around level 35. Or how about alternatively, these instances could also be full players social instances that did not require trinity play, e.g. tank & healer, and could be played with companions taking the place of players. In other words, simpler instances, merely for levelling up in a social way. Oh, and using the LFG was just an example. Using a console like the galaxy map for space combat would be another. It wouldnt need to give xp, legacy maybe at an increased rate but not xp, there is already a glut of things todo whilst leveling, you can dodge whole planets out minus the class quests and that was before the legacy xp increase and group finder. They actually need to increase the time/xp required to go from 1-50. But to the person you quoted, why would you do this for no epic loot. easy, achievements and unlocks on your char. If doing one of these gave HK for example when you completed all of them then that would make the content relevent for alot of people. Edited July 8, 2012 by Shingara Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkgryphon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Some hate questing. Some hate PVP. And flashpoints are damned hard to come across at level 10-49 even on high population servers. And it takes a while to get to level 50. Most players are casual, afterall. If most are casual, then they aren't worrying about not being level 50 in a short period of time and would have no need for your suggestion. You just invalidated your argument. Edited July 8, 2012 by monkgryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkgryphon Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) It wouldnt need to give xp, legacy maybe at an increased rate but not xp, there is already a glut of things todo whilst leveling, you can dodge whole planets out minus the class quests and that was before the legacy xp increase and group finder. They actually need to increase the time/xp required to go from 1-50. But to the person you quoted, why would you do this for no epic loot. easy, achievements and unlocks on your char. If doing one of these gave HK for example when you completed all of them then that would make the content relevent for alot of people. The point is that these are not designed to have great rewards. You're just trying to add a non-gear reward to something that is meant to be easy and grindable while levelling. Its purpose is mostly for XP, not for unlocks, or an HK. Edited July 8, 2012 by monkgryphon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raansu Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 (edited) Some hate questing. Some hate PVP. And flashpoints are damned hard to come across at level 10-49 even on high population servers. And it takes a while to get to level 50. Most players are casual, afterall. Then they are playing the wrong genre. Flashpoints groups are easy to get btw...Especially now with a group finder. Edited July 8, 2012 by Raansu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skidrowbro Posted July 8, 2012 Share Posted July 8, 2012 Then what? Solo raids so you can acquire raid gear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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