I've given up on Flash Points and Operations.

[galadimana]

Maybe you’re right – for now, I’m enjoying soloing, playing with terrific guildmates who (seemingly) put up with my ‘incompetence’, and pugging occasionally with people who have not, for the most part, been jerks or insulted me, at least to my face.

[Khevar]

@galadimana,

 

I guess you've run into this sort of harassment often enough that it is a sore point.

 

Oddly enough, my experience is quite the opposite. When I was new to this game, the majority of the people I ran into were either accommodating or helpful. When I started running HM FPs for the first time, players would give advice on boss strategies, or notice I had crappy gear optimizations and give suggestions on how to improve it.

 

I could go the class forums and ask for advice on a skill build and get useful feedback, and I found it easy to become better as a player. The first time I was rejected from joining an operation for being undergeared, the op leader game me suggestions on what I could do first to get ready for their next attempt.

 

There have been occasional a**hats, and while those tend to stick in my mind, they've been the minority. I believe that these people are just plain jerks no matter what game they're playing and are best left to stew in their own pool of bile.

 

As far as the game content requiring perfect gear and perfect rotations and perfect optimizations, that's not really true. The barrier to the harder content in this game is cooperation, timing, and understanding mechanics. If you have those down, a sloppy or imperfect rotation with poor gear can still win the fight.

 

There is no fight in this game that requires the very best gear and the very best perfect rotation to beat. There are fights in this game that require perfect execution of mechanics, however, and one mistake can wipe the group. For this reason, many players like to try to figure out what the perfect gear would be (and obtain it) and what the best build would be (and run it) and what the ideal rotation/priority list would be (and practice it) so that when faced with a mistake in mechanics, we can recover from it rather than wiping completely.

 

I think this is really really good thing. It gives different groups of people different things to do. The operations have Story Mode, which are more forgiving and allow the more casual player to see all the content this game have to offer. Then there is a Hard Mode, which challenges the players that want a reason to keep grinding that end-game gear, and there is a Nightmare Mode, which (unless overgeared) really push the limit.

[galadimana]

Khevar, that is all exceedingly reasonable. We’re on the same page. My problem is that some think that they can bully others based on their inflated sense of accomplishment.

 

I too do my ‘homework’ as it were, to an extent. However, the minute someone who doesn’t know me starts judging me based on some perceived notion of their understanding of me, whether by looking at my gear or whatever, that causes my hackles to rise, and same if it happens to others around me.

 

Pugging gets all types, good, bad, ugly, veteran, newbie, n00b, and the more veteran players should know that more than anyone else – insulting someone over a game is petty and not acceptable behavior.

 

It’s the contrapositive of saying this: Because a guy graduates from Harvard, even if it is with a less than spectacular record, that still automatically makes him better than you and worthy of your respect. We all know how well THAT turns out…

[mikebevo]

Actually, mikebevo, Eternalnight is right on this one. While it's true that a living dps out-damages a dead dps, it is also true that a dead idiot dps creates less trouble for the team than a live idiot dps. Therefore, a healer not reviving a dead idiot dps is actually actively mitigating.

Would be right if I was having energy managment problems, but we if we are talking HMFP or even SM EV or KP, I can heal through new dps or tank mistakes. If I have to rez anyone in any of those I consider it an epic fail on my part. I will also write the easiest way for healers to learn energy/force manament is to run Ops and HMFP with a group that makes a lot of mistakes. But, you are correct if a bad dps dies, I am not going to rez them if there is a chance in hell another group member could die. Which pretty much means in any current HMFP, I will rez them.

 

However, the minute someone who doesn’t know me starts judging me based on some perceived notion of their understanding of me, whether by looking at my gear or whatever, that causes my hackles to rise, and same if it happens to others around me.

galadimana as you said it is a game, don't let people rile you up over it. They are not judging you, they are merely judging your toon, wrongfully or rightfully, it does not matter as it is not you. I hope people are not thinking they know me by my toons. They would be gravely disappointed. All my toons are hawt young females the polar opposite of me. Edited April 3, 2013 by mikebevo

[chuixupu]

I've honestly had very few issues with operation and flashpoint pugging since launch up to now. Granted, I spend *most* of my time with a guild, but I've done plenty of random grouping for the dailies/weeklies, and I can only think a handful of negative experiences that weren't really a big deal anyway.

[Khevar]

... I hope people are not thinking they know me by my toons. They would be gravely disappointed. All my toons are hawt young females the polar opposite of me.

Heh, all my characters are escapism for me. Although, it would be interesting to make a short toon with glasses wielding a calculator with a +41 power crystal.

[AshlaBoga]

In response to anyone who says "SWTOR is not casual friendly."

 

SWTOR is VERY casual friendly. Just because HM/NiM Operations are not tuned for casuals doesn't make the game unfriendly for casuals. HM/NiM EC, TFB and S&V are less than 1% of the PvE content in the game.

[slafko]

Would be right if I was having energy managment problems, but we if we are talking HMFP or even SM EV or KP, I can heal through new dps or tank mistakes.

We weren't talking about you personally btw.

[vaiomaniac]

Well my experience have been quite different from the OP I have played with many decent people a few jerks but they are votekicked.

 

We had a Russian guy once who only knew one word in english "noob" and kept repeating it over and over, we kicked him because he was a healer and did not heal anybody.

 

So basically I find the community (on the red eclipse server anyway) to be very friendly and helpful, even veteran players are helping those who just hit 50 and even join those who are still leveling to help them with different quests.

 

I was stuck on the sith warrior class quest power play and was complaining about it in the general chat when a level 50 sith juggernaut whispered that he wanted to help me

Edited April 4, 2013 by vaiomaniac

[mikebevo]

We weren't talking about you personally btw.

 

can only judge the game on what I have seen, just figured if I can do it, then anyone with similar gear can do the same thing.

[slafko]

That's my line of thinking too, but unpleasant surprises still happen.

[chuixupu]

Well my experience have been quite different from the OP I have played with many decent people a few jerks but they are votekicked.

 

We had a Russian guy once who only knew one word in english "noob" and kept repeating it over and over, we kicked him because he was a healer and did not heal anybody.

)

 

That's actually pretty funny, I'd almost want to keep that guy around just to laugh at him. How did you even know he was Russian?

[DawnAskham]

LFG stuff, anyways.

 

I can't get a single Flash Point and the only Operation I could get into broke up due to healers and tanks DCing.

 

I 'get' that it's late in the expansion, I do get that. But, I'm really really new to the endgame scene right now. People should expect to 'see' new players in Tionese and blue off-set pieces. I realize it's not the same as a BH-geared DPS, but surely it's good enough?

 

Instead, I get ridiculed, mocked, and straight up not-healed by LFG healers until I die and then left without a Res. All because I'm not as well geared as the rest of them.

 

I'm just glad that HC is around the corner. I'm done doing endgame stuff until I hit 55 and can actually get a chance to gear up at the start of an expansion.

 

Done ranting.

 

I thought this was about all the fail groups I keep getting in HM FPs, ones where players haven't even bothered to get the free Tionese and Recruit gear, when asked say they know the FP or won't answer the question, and then proceed to do stupid things only a player who had never done the FP would do causing deaths if not wipes.

 

I don't know what category you fall into OP, because if you have Tionese and Recruit offset stuff, say you are new, listen and follow directions, and perform your role, I have no problems with you in my group.

 

However if you are the type that after having it explained 'follow me exactly, stay on the rail - DO NOT GO ON SNOW' in say FE, and then proceed to try and cut across the snow and die multiple times, only to then try to weave around the trash to get back to us and pull three packs plus a pat, then sorry, I am kicking you.

Edited April 5, 2013 by DawnAskham